Free For Her Eyes Only by Shannon Curtis

men stood at the base of the paved steps, waiting calmly with polite smiles on their faces.
    He turned to Vicky and winked. “Show time.”
    * * *
    Show time. That’s right. Time to act. Vicky climbed out of the car, turned and reached into the back seat to grab her coat. It was freezing outside.
    She hated the cold. Give her a piña colada with a pretty pink umbrella on a tropical beach somewhere, and she’d be happy.
    She assumed a polite expression as she shrugged into her coat. Ryan had gotten out of the car, but didn’t seem to be affected by the chill factor at all.
    “I presume you are the Winthrops,” the taller man said, and approached them with an outstretched hand, his expression warm.
    “Welcome to Ultima Resort. My name is Neil Hooker and this is Gavin Dryden. We are your hosts this week.”
    Vicky shook Neil’s hand. He stood about six-one, with friendly brown eyes and shaggy brown hair that reminded Vicky of an Irish Setter her grandfather had owned. She instantly felt at ease with the man, and could see why so many clients trusted him with their problems. She turned and greeted Gavin Dryden, and tightened the muscles in her face so that her smile didn’t falter as she met his cool, assessing blue eyes. This was a man who made a living from observing people. And she was presently under the microscope.
    Show time .
    “Good evening. We’re relieved to finally get here.” She shot Ryan a dark look before smiling so brightly her cheeks hurt. “So, what happens next?”
    * * *
    Vicky clutched the resort welcome manual and her tote in a tight grip as Ryan closed the door to their split-level cabin. Their other luggage was going to be brought over shortly. Vicky assumed it was so that the Ultima staff could search the bags for contraband, as all alcohol, drugs and any other addictive substances were banned from the lodge for the duration of their four-day “power up” program.
    She stood uncertainly in the lower sitting area. Heavy, large-cushioned lounges in tones of browns, golds, terracottas and rusts were strategically placed to face the cozy fireplace set into a stone wall. Plush carpet the color of burnished wheat cushioned her boots, and autumn-rust drapes gave the large area a warm intimacy.
    She glanced around. Sumptuous. That was the word for it. A tastefully furnished kitchenette was located near the doors that led to their own private terrace. Cabin. She snorted. There was nothing rustic about this place. Their oversnow transportation back to the main resort was a Hummer, but it was so tempting just to stay in their heated cabin. There was no TV. No sound system, either, and she already knew there was no Wi-Fi. All Ultima clients were supposed to focus on were themselves and their partner, with no outside distractions. Even their phones had been confiscated at check-in. Ryan had told her to expect that, so they had handed over dummy phones with implanted data. Drew would be smuggling in secondary phones for their use, as his role as an employee meant he wasn’t subjected to the same hyper security as the clients.
    Vicky eyed the bed on the upper level. It was...big. She guessed that if the usual clients of Ultima Resort did resolve any marital issues in their pursuit for lifestyle and career excellence, they had a good-sized area for make-up sex. If they didn’t, then there was plenty of room to sleep without contact.
    She would be sleeping in that bed tonight. She looked around the room. Where was Ryan going to sleep? Sure as hell they weren’t sharing the bed, not after that kiss in the car. She didn’t trust herself to stop, next time.
    “You were a little, uh, cool, at reception.” Ryan said as he crossed to peer at a painting located on the wall above the bed. He pulled a small unit from his inner jacket pocket that looked like some sort of weird cell phone. He held it up to the painting, then waved his hand over the bedhead.
    What in the world was he doing?
    “We’re at a