Freya Chapter One Slow, in and out, at a leisurely pace. Moving her hips in a way that would drive any man insane. She knew how to extend the pleasure to take a man higher than he had ever been before allowing him to fall into a climax. Driving him farther and farther into a spiral of divine orgasmic emotions. She had always been adored for her beauty, even as a child. But she knew beauty went much farther and ran much deeper than what sat on the surface. It had been four years since she had discovered her talents. Everything about her spoke to the libido of a man. And now at the age of 25, she was at her prime. The personality that dwelled within her fed on the sexual desire Danielle licked her lips, bringing herself back to the man before her. What was his name? John.. Joe.. She couldn't remember, she never used their names. It was too personal. She preferred pet names like "baby" or "dear". It wasn't her job to know them, only to feel. She gave a final thrust of her hips, and just as she knew he would, the man spilled himself upon her bare chest. She didn't do this for them. Sure they paid her an unruly amount of money for her dominatrix experience, but it was merely a part of who she was. What she was born to be. Walking naked and unashamed across the room to retrieve a towel, she could feel the nameless man's eyes following her. "Would you like to grab dinner some time?" He asked. She got men like this from time to time. Men who didn't fully understand the sex-for-sex's-sake rule of which she lived. Women like Danielle did not get attached. "You don't have to do that. You are under contract." She replied, not unkindly. Each lover she took was required to sign a "keep quiet" discloser. "So it's just sex then?" "I thought you understood that." "Well, then I suppose I will just see you at my next appointment." He sneered, straining the last word as if it were a bad taste in his mouth. "I suppose so." She said, distantly. After seeing her guest to the door, Danielle went into the large den to the left of the foyer. Once she had the wall to wall fireplace lit, she poured herself a double of Jack. Whiskey was her second weakness, she never drank beer and seldom had wine, but whiskey could handle her emotions. She had made a mess tonight. She didn't bother with the sheets or the clean up; Jill, the house cleaner, would take care of it in the morning. She always used one of the four downstairs bedrooms. Though no man was ever allowed to stay the night, each room was equipped with a large bed, Egyptian sheets, expensive oils and a few toys. However, she didn't really need them, they were mainly for the men's preference. The personality within her appealed to men and women alike. Her pheromones alone could appeal to even the most in denial of lesbians, though she preferred men. She couldn't compare to the wonder of the personality inside. The Norse Goddess, Freya, dwelled within her, she could feel her as intensely as she could feel the heat from the fire warming her body. Danielle had accepted what she was, compared to Freya she was someone of much lesser consequence. The goddess of love, among other things, but not the emotion of love. The verb love, the action itself. Swallowing down a sip of the amber liquid she glanced up to catch the eyes of the painting above the fireplace dancing with the flame. Uniquely enough the painting was of Freya, her eyes looking up towards the sky, her beautifully sculpted body propped upon her golden boar. The necklace of the dwarves lay so nonchalant with the curves of her neck. She wouldn't be satisfied for long. The lazy contentment that always followed a night of sex had already set in, but tomorrow would be another day. Although, Danielle did have rules of her own, and Freya did keep to them. She never kept more than one lover at the time. However, after tonight's comment, she knew Mr. No name's welcome had been worn thin. She didn't enjoy toying with someone's emotions, and when it got to that point, she let them go. Besides, Freya got bored quickly, which is why Danielle had not had any steady relationships. Danielle threw back the lingering remains of her drink and put the glass back in the cabinet of the wet bar. Crossing the large Persian rug she used the remote and turned off the fireplace, striding toward the stairs that lead to the east wing and her bedroom. Six AM came early and Jon would be there on the dot for her early morning training. A woman of her #lifestyle must remain in shape. Danielle's five foot three inch frame supported a flat stomach, defined arms, and the ass of only a grown woman. Her blonde hair that rested just below her shoulder blades and just above her C cups contrasted beautifully with her sea blue eyes. But none of those things were important. She didn't know what people saw when they looked at her. She didn't see beauty, she saw something much deeper. Freya and Danielle were two different people sharing one body, but not the same mind. Leo had been driving for hours. The ride to Alabama from Shreveport was a long one, and with a dead cell phone and a sleeping Brinley beside him, city lights would be a blessing. His brother had told him he was running. Part of him knew it was true, the other part protected his pride and told him a new start was what he needed. After the funeral, Leo didn't hesitate putting his house on the market. Apart from his brother Todd, his father was the only family he had left. Their mother had died of ovarian cancer his junior year of high school, that's what had made him become a gynecologist. And now, at 26, he had lost the best father in the world to a drunk driver. The crash had been gut wrenching, but what tore him apart the most was... No he couldn't think about it anymore. After the funeral Todd and his wife Kate had told him he could stay with them for a while. "It's not healthy to stay in that big house all alone at a time like this." Kate had cooed. "She's right Leo, the boys would love it if you stayed and so would we.." Todd knew using his nephews against him would at least get him to thinking, but Leo knew he had to get out. The heartache surrounding them was just too great. "I appreciate that guys, and I'm going to miss Luke and Brice, but I have to find something new. Besides, I'll be back for their birthday in a couple of months." The twins would never forgive him if he missed it. Todd had helped him pack and put his dad's things in storage. With a sad face, they had wished him luck and waved goodbye. Why he had chosen Alabama Leo couldn't quiet figure out himself. When he saw that a clinic in the small town of Dothan was hiring he couldn't ignore the pull he felt to just take the chance. One conference call later and he had the job, luckily they had given him two weeks to get settled before he started. Even after the heartache of losing his last living parent, Leo couldn't help but feel a little excited about starting anew. He had never done anything adventurous. Even in college he had lived at home to avoid the distraction of his peers. Not that that had stopped any of the females from trying to distract him. It was no secrete that Leo was a handsome man, and that often made him wonder if that was the only thing women saw. That, and a fat wallet. Regardless, now he would be going somewhere he was not known nor sought after, and that was refreshing. After stopping for some coffee and one more look at the map, Leo whistled Brinley back into the truck. The chocolate lab sprinted from his spot in the grass and climbed back inside. The only woman Leo could trust it seemed was that dog. He knew she was getting up there in age and needed somewhere to play and be lazy, which is why he had chosen the house in the meadow. When he first found the 1920's home on line he had thought it a little over priced, even with 20 acres, but after taking a look he discovered the charm of the house was well worth the money. It sat two stories high with a full wrap around porch, four bedrooms each with their own fireplace, and as if the 3800 square footage was not wondrous enough, it had a flowing river just 3 acres back. It was the perfect home and get away. And if his mapping skills were correct, he would be there by morning. "Breath Danielle! You are not breathing!" Jon shouted above the blaring music of Drowning Pool. Danielle punched the bag again swiftly, breathing in and out deeply as she was told. She was distant today, not focused. With one more jab and a swift round house, she dropped her fists and made the cut throat motion signaling she needed a break. "You're not in it today." Jon said with his thick Kenyan accent. The tall black man before her was every bit muscle. "I know, my head is somewhere else, I didn't sleep well last night." "She seems more restless than usual, she must know something you do not." Jon was the only person who knew of Freya, he had heard of such things from his grandmother. Stories of Gods getting restless and using mortals as cloaks to the outside world.o "I don't know, I kept dreaming, seeing faces. But I don't know who they are or what the dream meant." Danielle replied. "Sometimes we are given pieces of a vision so as to prepare for what is to come, but not change what will be. Come, let's finish your workout. It's 7:30, you'll have to leave for work soon." After showering, Danielle had her usual coffee and strawberries. Her father had never understood her strange taste in food. He had always said she got it from her mother. Smiling at the thought of her father, Danielle made a mental note to invite him for dinner. Making her way back into the master suite of the east wing, she quickly picked out her clothes and began finishing her makeup. She never wore much, just a little powder and eyeliner. With eyelashes that nearly touched her brows, mascara seemed a moot point, but she used it anyway. After drying her hair and lathering in her favorite lotion, she turned to change into her work clothes. She always dressed in the bedroom, away from mirrors. Danielle hated seeing her body, for her it was a constant reminder. After sliding up the pencil skirt and tucking in the light blue silk shirt, she went to the closet to pick out a necklace. Never wearing too much jewelry; a ring from her father on her right hand, a watch on her left, and simple earrings in her double pierced ears; Danielle was always sure to wear a necklace. To others, the birthmark around her neck would appear to be just that, but she knew it was the legendary necklace of Freya. The token that had become a symbol. Something else to remind Danielle of what she was. Picking out a simple silver chain with a diamond stud and grabbing her black pumps, she quickly ran to the mirror, slid on her shoes and clasped the necklace before giving her hair one more fluff and turning off the lights. Dothan traffic was miserable, as it usually was. But even with the backed up traffic she wouldn't be late, she would be just in time. She always was. Danielle had never understood the logic of arriving five minutes early. A time was given for a purpose, that was when something was meant to start. No sooner and no later. She stressed that in her business. After taking the curves of the back roads like a pro in her black charger, she smiled when she saw the vacant parking spot right in front of the clinic building. Danielle sincerely loved her job. If she couldn't do anything about herself, she could at least empower others. The psychology degree that hung on the wall behind her desk was her pride and joy. Having a Ph.D. at the age of 25 was certainly something to be proud of. Turning off the ignition and grabbing her purse, Danielle caught herself wondering who was going to replace the doctor she shared the building with. The partnership between the older couple had been heart warming, both doctors of gynecology and both madly in love. But at the ripe old age of 70, Mr. Walter Tanner had decided to retire. Mrs. Tanner surely wouldn't continue to work without her husband by her side, and with no children to leave the family clinic to they would have to hire from outside. The couple had been wonderful to Danielle, Mrs. Tanner always going out of her way to be motherly. She was really going to miss seeing them every day at their usual lunch. Arriving on the third floor, Danielle greeted Tanya, her receptionist, with a warm smile. "I put an updated copy of your appointments for the day on your desk Ms. Stinner." She replied with an equally warm smile of her own. "Thank you Tanya, did you have a pleasant weekend?" "If you call chasing a two year old pleasant while his dad watches tv, then yes, I guess I did." With a laugh and wink, Tanya turned back to her computer. A small pang of jealousy pinched at Danielle. She wanted children, but she wanted a husband first. Both of which Freya was not ready for just yet. Walking back towards her office, her mind began to drift. Back to the dream of the night before and the faces that had danced without names before her. Seemingly taunting her to discover them. One was of a beautiful man, with a tousle of dark blond hair that begged for her fingers attention. Looking at her, almost into her, he possessed the most astonishing green eyes,with flecks of brown that didn't take away but instead seemed to enhance the wondrous color. Those eyes. Aside from color that drew her in, the kindness and genuine understanding the lay just beneath them had pulled to her in a way she didn't understand. That face she could have looked upon for ever and never see all the wonders of it. The other face had been something else entirely. Not even really a face, but more of mirage of something that frightened her. It had no eyes but was somehow able to see inside her. Looking at her from within. That was something she dared not even try, but to have someone, or something, else try it had been fear she wasn't prepared to deal with. Making it to her office she shook her head in an attempt to focus her thoughts and began reading over her appointments for the day. Four days had passed, and Leo had finally gotten everything put away. What the photographs of the house hadn't shown was the two inch layer of dust that had settled on every piece of furniture. But now, after two days of dusting and keeping the double French doors to the back of the house open, along with nearly every window, he could finally breath in fresh air. Making use of the large chef style kitchen, he decided on subs for dinner. Leo opened the clear doored refrigerator that had came in early that day and reached for the ham, mustard, bacon and pickles. He had considered hiring someone as a full time live in help, but truthfully he liked the secludedness of his new home. After frying the bacon and loading his bread with the rest of the trimmings, he called for Brinley. Sliding from her cozy place by the fire in the den, she obediently tromped into the kitchen. "Hey girl." Leo cooed with a smile. Dipping her head she walked over to his outstretched hand and gave a small whimper. "You know the rules, sit first then treat." Immediately Brinley sat on the floor, dropping her tongue to the side of her mouth as she tilted her head. "Good girl!" He laughed and gave her the bribe of the bacon. Tomorrow he would have to leave her alone to go into the office. He wanted to get acquainted with his new patient's files before actually starting next week. The Tanners had graciously insisted he take the full two weeks to get settled in, but as much as he liked his secluded home, Leo hated not working. Of course he had had plenty to keep him busy over the past few days, but now there wasn't much left. What painting ideas he had for the bedrooms could be finished over the weekend, leaving the next week a blank canvas. He smiled as he thought of the conversation he had with his nephew Brice earlier that day. "Uncle Leo you aren't gonna miss the party are you?" The seven year old had asked innocently. "Of course not pal, I wouldn't miss that for the world. Still a baseball theme?" "Well mine is, Luke wants basketball." He replied, as if it were the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. With a chuckle, Leo said "Luke has always preferred basketball to baseball. I guess that's one way we can tell you guys apart." That got a little boys giggle out of Brice before he handed the phone back to his father. "How are you doing way out there?" He asked, a hint of worry in his tone. "I'm fine Todd, really, I'm healing. The house is even more beautiful than I thought." He said, encouragingly, with an attempt to lighten the mood. He knew his brother was concerned. "Well that's wonderful, I hope that this helps you catch whatever is chasing you. You know we love you. Don't forget, March twenty-second. We're gonna do the party here at the house." Leo agreed and confirmed once more that he wouldn't miss it. After exchanging a few more brief words, they had both hung up and Leo sat in the chair on his front porch watching the sun go down. It had been a very pleasant sunset. The ringing of his alarm woke Leo at 7:45 the next morning. The glory of yesterday's sun with its orange beams would've been a pleasantry to the heavy grey clouds that now covered the sky. After showering and dressing quickly and simple faded jeans and blue t-shirt, Leo ran a hand through his dark blond hair, tousling it over his fingers. With a swipe of deodorant and a dash of his favorite cologne, he was ready to go. Usually he would have his breakfast of six eggs and half a bowl of oatmeal, but with the bad weather rolling in he wanted to hurry and get finished in town. Brinley met him at the door, her practiced "please don't go" face perfectly in tact. With a scratch behind her ear, Leo gave her a sympathetic smile and opened the door to the garage, leaving her in the house. He climbed into his white Chevy and pulled out. The sooner he left the sooner he could get home before the storm. Dothan was a pretty easy town to learn. He had made it a point to map out where everything was the day he had gotten to the house. He knew there would be backed up traffic on a Friday, but he was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't as bad as he had thought. He managed to go to the hardware store on the circle and be in and out by lunch. Stopping by the Red Elephant, he grabbed a quick and delicious lunch before heading over to the clinic. She felt funny today. Last night making four days she had been without sex, she knew Freya would be feeling restless, but this was something different. She felt...anxious. As if something astronomical was meant to take place. The dreams from earlier in the week had continued. Each night revealing a little more. Last night it had gotten her really hot and bothered. It had started out the way it usually does, focusing first on those gorgeous eyes reflecting off that tousled blond hair. And then it had gone lower. Soft lips, swollen from a bruising kiss, had been perfectly framed by two dimples, one on each soft cheek. A strong chin lead down to a thick, muscular neck which held two broad shoulders and extending arms defined with strands of muscle. As appealing as all of those things had been, his chest had been what called to her body. That wide chest the moved softly with the waves of his breath. The matted hair that sprouted in the middle and spanned out, begging for her fingers to tangle themselves there in the comfort of his body right next to his heart. Her toes began to curl and she shook her head bringing herself back to the here and now. Glancing at the clock she realized she had not had any lunch. Sliding her shoes back on and adjusting the slim red dress as she stood, Danielle knew she needed to get the thoughts of the beautiful green eyed man out of her head. It wasn't healthy to fantasize about a man who didn't exist. Waiting for the elevator to bring her to the last floor, Danielle reached in her purse for her keys. She heard the ding informing her she had landed. Looking up, her gaze landed upon a tousle of dark blond hair and two deep, beautiful green eyes. mind and heart that were hers, only her body and womanhood belonged to the fair Freya.