Free Sacred Serenity (Lotus House Book 2) by Audrey Carlan Page A

Though I knew her husband, Rick, doted on her and worshipped the ground she walked on, and rightly so. Crystal Nightingale was a knockout. Jewel was no beggar, either. Her slight body and pixie-like features would capture the eye of any man who enjoyed a petite woman.
    “To each his own,” Crystal said when the waitress set an entire teakettle and two coffee mugs on the table and then set my pint on a coaster.
    “Apparently there is honey in a few cocktails,” the waitress remarked.
    “Life is full of surprises wouldn’t you say?” Jewel replied.
    Once the waitress left, Crystal nudged my arm. “How did class go with the new assistant? It’s Genevieve’s neighbor Amber, right?”
    “They’re neighbors?” I was soaking up any bit of information on the woman that had so recently captured my attention.
    Crystal nodded. “Amber lives next door. They grew up together. Smart as a whip, that girl. She’s going to be a doctor.”
    “I know. Only twenty-two and already has her sights set and her future laid out.”
    “She’ll do it, too. I must say that I caught the two of you talking after class. Seemed a bit friendlier than you usually are with your assistants.”
    “Don’t you normally avoid your assistants after class? Something about them all falling in love with you?” Jewel batted her eyelashes playfully.
    I groaned. “Am I that predictable?”
    They both nodded and waited for me to dish about the tall brunette who very recently had become my favorite morning fantasy. Imagining her naked and sudsy each morning while I stroked myself to release in the shower worked wonders for easing the tension.
    “Amber is working out great. I’m helping her out as a favor to Genevieve. I owed her one.”
    Crystal sipped her tea. “What did you owe her?”
    “She helped me out assisting for a while until her man came along. He doesn’t like the idea of her assisting a Tantric class.”
    “I can see that. It’s a very personal experience, and you teach the class so well. Rick loved the course when we took it last year. We were actually thinking about discussing you doing a couples’ Tantric weekend up at Lake Tahoe. A yoga retreat for couples only. The pay would be consistent with what other yogis make at these types of events. What do you think?”
    I grinned. “What is that saying?” I tapped the edge of my bottom lip. “Cash is king?”
    Jewel and Crystal both balked. “That’s not funny, Dash.”
    I full-belly laughed as the two mother types frowned and chastised me. Then they lectured me for the next thirty minutes on the benefits of why money shouldn’t be worshipped, nor should a lot of time be spent on making it. The women believed that if a company provided a service or a product and offered kindness, honesty, and good will toward mankind, the money would simply make its way to the facility.
    I believe in a lot of things that could be considered modern, or inlaid in spirituality, karma, and other alternate forms of thought, but that isn’t one of them. Money is money. We use it to get what we need and some of what we want in life. The trick for me has always been to make enough to obtain what I want and want what I have. So far I’ve been successful.
    After we finished watching the show, I introduced Crystal and Jewel to Atlas Powers. We spent the night chatting about his ideas for a unique offering that would set Lotus House apart and put it on the cusp of edginess in our chosen field. When we said our goodbyes, the owners offered Atlas two classes a week for heated Vinyasa flow and one spot for his new idea. I couldn’t wait to see what the other female teachers were going to think about Atlas. From what I understood, he’s considered a good-looking guy, and the ladies all swooned for him. That would definitely help him book clients initially. Keeping them, on the other hand, was where the hard work and talent would come in.

Chapter Six
    Boat Pose (Sanskrit: Navasana)
    This pose can help fire