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Nestled within the gentle embrace of her private thermae, appointed tastefully as it was with ornate gold fixtures and the soft surround of walls laden in Venetian kilned tiles, Michelle was as far and removed from common reality as she could possibly get.

Her time and place was an effortless occupation, involving nothing more energetic than to lounge with shameless abandon in a tub of meticulously perfumed water while contributing absolutely nothing in return. As the woes of the world at large continued on in mute witness to such indulgence, Michelle successfully mortgaged her idleness to her best advantage. Warm, wet and somewhat somnambulant, she was unencumbered, unaware, and indubitably unperturbed, particularly of anything other than herself. And who could have blamed her for succumbing to such an alluring offer of solitude, especially one which included an unearned respite from the ugliness of a world far removed?

Michelle's dalliance was a daily seduction of spirit and flesh. While that in itself was therapeutic, it was also an appalling extravagance that she participated in for no other reason than to satisfy her own exclusive needs.

Such a paradise as she envisaged, however ignoble or undeserved, still demanded constant attention from her. So with renewed attention to the details of her ongoing agenda, Michelle prepared to withdraw from the silky water and begin to focus more on the events of the coming evening. Any trepidation to remove her body from the nook of the tub was resolutely put behind her.

Michelle stepped ever so lightly from the tepid pool and daintily reached out for the towel. She took time and due care to pat herself dry, delivering the same loving attention equally to all of the flat and round parts of her lean body. Then, with undeniable grace but in a style of sensual haughtiness, she abandoned the damp towel to the floor as she would discard a piece of unwanted tissue.

It was mid afternoon now, bright and slightly breezy, with just a hint of noise from the outside which was allowed to drift in through the slight opening of the large opaque glass window. The rays of the sun were becoming more oblique and the lightly medicated saffron tea she had enjoyed earlier was just beginning to relinquish its sophomoric effect on her libido. Life was good and Michelle luxuriated in all of its temptations.

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As a modern young woman existing in the 21st century, Michelle had everything in life that a woman would possibly want. She was healthy, well educated and socially balanced. Her husband of six years was an executive at an international investment brokerage firm and both of them loved and respected each other impeccably. Their home was situated on a prime tract of land in a very exclusive part of the city. They had bought it more than a year ago, paying off the principle in cash dollars, receiving the title and deed without the restrictions of a mortgage. Yet there purchase amounted to more than just a plot of land and a residence, it was actually an event; more of a destination for the curious, really.

Uniquely constructed with attention to detail, their home was a large and rambling replica of classic Romanesque architecture. Walls of alabaster supported a flat but slightly inclined roof of tangerine sun baked tiles. The body and the rhythm of the building complimented the curved and smooth lines of its copied antiquity. It presented an odd shape amongst the more traditional mansions that existed in the same neighborhood and the notoriety driven by its odd looks was hard to suppress.

All around the house, the gentle roll of manicured lawns were pocked with kidney shaped areas containing crushed white rock. There were numerous varieties of sculpted cedars as well, all hovering low to the ground. Each of these components tended to showcase the natural environment. The landscape rendered more of a feeling of a private golf course, than that of a residential setting in suburbia.

Even though Michelle and her husband cherished their privacy, they were courteous enough to allow three national home magazine writers to invade their retreat in order to take pictures and further, to write feature stories in their respective magazines.

Sharing all of their financial resources, they easily afforded three cars; a Porsche; a Mercedes, and the most recent acquisition, a Mitsubishi built SUV. There were two snow mobiles and an all terrain vehicle, all Honda's. The Harley Davidson motorcycle was their purchase statement regarding America and the United States. It wasn't a toy for their more adventurous moments; it was their Stars