“I think you should be healed for a while before we pierce you again.”

  “Yes, I think so too. But that really turned me on. I don’t know why because it stings like hell, but it does. It floats your boat too, doesn’t it?”

  “Umm ... Oh yes, Claire.”

  With that, she reached over to confidently touch his crotch and found him already as hard as concrete. She knew how to turn him on. Hand-in-hand they strolled down the side streets to find Romania’s.

  It took them an hour but they finally located it. By then, the stores had closed and he thought they’d have to return the next day. They went up to the shop door and found it closed too. Just as they turned to leave a middle-aged woman opened the door and beckoned them inside with a strange greeting in heavily-accented English, more eastern European than Greek, “Please come in, we’ve been expecting you.”

  Claire turned to see a heavy-set woman in a long blue skirt and a full, yellow blouse smiling at her. The woman turned and reentered the shop.

  “On my God, it’s one of the gypsies from my dream last night!”

  “Of course it is, Darling.”

  “No, I’m serious. That woman was in my dream last night. This is too creepy! Let’s get out of here!”

  “Don’t be silly, she’s just a shop owner. Besides, it was your idea to come here in the first place. For that matter, we’ve just spent an hour looking for this shop.”

  The woman, who’d returned to the door, spoke again in a convincingly friendly voice, “Don’t be afraid, my Dear. I think I may have something to help you.”

  Holding her hand, he pulled her up the stairs and they entered the shop. At first Claire thought it was poorly lit but then she realized that it was dim because of all the things hanging from the ceiling including dried herbs, baskets of plants, scarves, T-shirts, blouses and dozens of other things. The hangings obscured the lighting and gave the shop the appearance of a dense southern garden, hung with Spanish moss. The air was heavy with the aroma of spices and aromatics. Shelves along the walls were lined with bottles and the occasional statue or crystal orb. An ancient looking mortar and pestle, a balance, small bowls and an assortment of spoons and knives were laid out on a counter in the back. As soon as they entered, a second gypsy, tall and slender, emerged from a beaded doorway to the right. Claire gasped again. It was the second woman from her dream.

  “Another denizen from your dream?” Elliot asked jokingly.

  “This is too weird. What’s going on here?”

  “I’m sure I don’t know. It was your dream, after all.” With that, she poked him in the ribs and gripped his hand with all her strength.

  “What may I do for you?” The tall woman spoke in the same heavy accent as the other gypsy.

  “You mean you don’t know?” Claire couldn’t help testing the waters to see whether there was a connection to her dream. “Have you been talking to a French woman named Livia about me?”

  “I know Livia,” the heavier woman admitted, seating herself at a round table to the left. “She visits from time to time. We have not spoken about you.”

  The shorter, thicker woman removed a cloth from the table revealing an opaque, creamy-white glass sphere perched atop a squat pedestal. Claire thought the ball was the color of cum. The woman began to run her long-nailed fingers over the orb. Claire was sure she saw cloud-like swirls begin to move within the murky crystal.

  “I see that you are uncomfortable because of nine small wounds piercing your flesh which have yet to fully heal. And I see another four at the mid-point of your body which are not completely healed either. Tatiana, I think you can help her. The wounds are love wounds. Surely you can comfort the pain, heal the wounds and complete the formation of the passages through her flesh.”

  The tall woman nodded and began selecting various bottles and containers from the shelves. She took them to the counter and began carefully measuring them into the mortar where she ground them up, mixed them with a thick liquid, and scraped the mixture into a medium-sized jar with a spatula. Then, to Claire’s continuing surprise, she pulled aside a short curtain revealing a microwave oven. She placed the open jar into the oven and nuked the contents for three minutes.

  Elliot lost it at that point and began to laugh out loud uncontrollably. The heavy-set gypsy smiled in response and commented, “We do, of course, have to allow for modern conveniences.” Hearing her words only contributed to the humor and he laughed shamelessly for several minutes.

  The tall woman, a serious look on her face, gave the jar to Claire. Claire took the jar, surprised that it was only barely warm. The woman instructed her, “Carefully massage a very small portion of this ointment at the opening on both sides of the piercings once per day. It will work very rapidly to grow tissue through the holes to surround the metal and heal the wounds. You should only need to use it two or three times. If you feel no more tenderness there, then do not use it any more as the holes will be completely healed. If you use too much, it may cause the holes to enlarge on their own.

  “The contents will keep indefinitely, so you can use it on any future piercings with the same effect.”

  “Ah…, er…, thank you,” Claire stammered. The stuff sounded too good to be true. She noticed that the stout woman had walked up to her. She took Claire’s hand and placed four rings into it, two in white gold and two in yellow exactly like the ones in her labia.

  “These are to complete your set,” she said. “The set will remain with you always, though my sisters tell me they will move.”

  “What does that mean?” Claire asked impatiently. Assuming the other woman was one sister, she asked, “Where’s your other sister?”

  “The sisters of whom I speak are far from here. Alas, we have never met. They dwell in a land of dry heat. We are sisters of another plane.”

  Whatever, Claire thought. Then she realized that this woman apparently knew about her six labia rings, and that there was room for two more on each lip. How could she have possibly known that?

  The heavy-set woman turned to Elliot and handed him a heavy gold cord. “I assume you know what to do with this?”

  “Yes, I’m sure I do.” He placed the cord in his pocket.

  Claire was again surprised and spoke to the woman, “How did you know?”

  “I read it in the orb.”

  Claire turned to Elliot. “This is a set-up, isn’t it?”

  “I assure you, Darling, that I have no idea what’s going on here.”

  The stocky woman had returned to the table to massage the crystal again. “I see that you two share many ideas, secrets, thoughts, passions. I think you might enjoy sharing some of our herbal teas.” She called out to the back of the store, “Alexis!”

  A third woman, of average build dressed almost identically to the other two emerged from behind the beaded curtain.

  “Look here,” the stout woman instructed her, indicating some vision in the orb, “and blend some teas suitable for these customers.”

  The woman went about her preparations without saying a word and handed them each three large pouches containing ground leaves, and a tiny spoon for each of them. Claire and Elliot each had a red, a blue, and a yellow pouch. Hers were labeled with an “F,” the first letter of the Romanian word for woman, femeie, and his were labeled with a B, representing the Romanian word for man, barbat.

  The woman finally spoke. “Place one rounded spoon of leaves into a cup and add hot water to fill the cup. Allow it to steep for three minutes and then drink the entire contents. You should each prepare a cup from the same colored bag but must not drink each other’s tea. Although accidentally switching teas will cause you no long-term harm, your body will reject it and it will make you ill. The teas are made to coordinate with each other, and will express a different erotic passion that each of you has.”

  “Like what?” Claire and Elliot both asked at once.

  “You must try them and find out for yourselves. Trust me and trust each other and you will have remarkable experiences. You will notice some side effects but the longest-lasting of them continues for only a few days and then dissipates gradually over a week or so. None of them are actually unpleasant. If you are unsure about me, ask around about Alexis. You will find that I have many satisfied customers here in Santorini.”

  Elliot was sure they had both been taken but the entertainment value of the experience was probably worth a reasonable fee. “How much do I owe you?”

  “Pay what you feel is fair, based on what we promise. If you are not satisfied, come back and we will return your money. We have been here for years. We will be here tomorrow.”

  “Well, if what you say is true, what you’ve given us is worth quite a lot.” Something about the shop and the women in it made him decide, at that moment, to take a chance. He gave them ten, one-hundred euro notes.

  “You are generous, kind sir. You will not be disappointed. Good evening to you both.” She escorted them to the door.

  Shaking their heads in bewilderment, they walked back to the villa with the wigs, ointment, and teas, wondering whether they had been taken, or what new experiences they might yet discover.

  Chapter 8: Tea for Two

  They didn’t try the teas that night but they did try the ointment, although Elliot was concerned about putting any gypsy concoction on Claire’s unhealed piercings. Claire was, however, determined to try the salve, especially on the recommendation of Livia and the amazing connection to her dream of the night before. At her insistence, they carefully applied it to her nipples, clit, labia, and navel.

  In the morning, she could tell that the piercings were significantly better. Elliot was, at least, glad that no harm seemed to be done. He did examine them carefully and they didn’t look red or irritated. He played with them and Claire didn’t flinch as she had before. Placebo effect, he thought to himself.

  The next day the piercings didn’t hurt at all and appeared to be completely healed. Claire gingerly tugged on her nipple and inner labia piercings. She poked at the gem in her bellybutton. She cautiously flicked her clit ring and felt a jolt of pleasure instantly radiate outward from the little bud. None of the piercings were tender. To her surprise and delight, the tugging on her nipple and labia rings also sent a powerful electric thrill through her, immediately arousing her sexually. She remarked on this to Elliot and he pulled her back down onto the bed next to him to experiment himself.

  His hand moved between her legs and carefully, gently he began to flick each ring in turn, from those farthest away to those closest to her clit. He repeated the motion over and over. Claire felt as though all of the nerves in her body had converged at her pussy lips. The pangs of pleasure spread from the rings into her labia, and were transmitted by the nerves up to her clit, taunting it. From there they spread from her groin throughout her body. The sexual spasms were intense, different from anything she’d ever felt before.

  She felt him carefully grasp the ring through the base of her clitoris and hold it still for a moment. Then he repeatedly moved it from side-to-side and then from front-to-back.

  The overwhelming arousal came within moments. Her hips thrust upward, her spine arched, her head jerked back, and her eyes rolled back in her head. She screamed with a pleasure so poignant that it was almost indistinguishable from pain. He moved the ring a few more times and she came violently, her body shaking uncontrollably with the release. Her thoughts receded to miles away as the complete focus of her attention became her own love center.

  “Claire?” He didn’t want to interrupt her ecstasy, but he’d never seen her like this. She looked at him with vacant eyes, open mouth, breathing as though she’d run a sprint.

  She managed to gasp, “Enough …,” before she closed her eyes, trying to reconstruct herself from the crushing orgasm.

  His fingers released the ring as she recovered and he sat back, amazed at her reaction.

  Minutes passed. Her breathing became more even. Unable to resist, she reached down to finger her clit ring. Her arousal began to build again.

  “Fuck me. My need is too great. Fuck me! I’ll die if you don’t fuck me!”

  He entered her soaked pussy. She could feel him large within her, rubbing up against the flesh that held the rings, without the tenderness that the rings had formerly exhibited. His motion in and out rubbed against the labia rings and rhythmically moved her clitoral ring to massage the always-erect bud. She was experiencing the build-up to orgasm through his in and out motion directly and because of the rings’ stimulation at and around her clit. She was again completely absorbed in the awesome intensity of the arousal, now coming from multiple places at once. She came twice in quick succession, the sensations those of a climax so deep and powerful that she screamed from the unbearable bliss of it. On the third time, she came as Elliot exploded into her, their bodies heaving as one, her orgasm rebounding off of the pressure of his hard body against her and his hardness within her.

  They spent the day making love - in the bed, on the floor, on the patio. The ointment had freed her from the tenderness; the rings had fulfilled their promises of sexually exciting him, and adding a new multiverse of sexual dimension to her.

  Elliot was playing with her pussy again. It was wet, very wet as she was prone to be when aroused, and he easily aroused her – even more easily now. He slipped down, his head between her legs. For the first time since her piercing, she felt his tongue on the rings in her pussy with no accompanying tenderness. He flicked them lightly with his tongue. She felt the stimulation all along her delicious inner labia, up to her clit itself. He continued to run his tongue up and down her lips, into her opening and lightly over her clit. His tongue circled the ring through her clit, causing it to precess around, generating waves of sexual pulses emitted from the nerves that had been so sensitized by the gold seated among them. At the same time he reached up with both hands to play with the rings in her nipples. As she thought was happening as they healed, her nipples had become more sensitive and integrated into her passion, more a part of her overall arousal. Her body oscillated up and down with pangs of pleasure.

  Claire came, easily and without effort on her part, from the touch of his tongue all around her pussy and the vibrations from her nipple rings as he played with them. Once again it was a new kind of orgasm for her and she almost passed out from the riveting climax. The feeling was more diffuse than the clit-concentrated orgasms she most frequently had before, but seemed to encompass her entire body at once, flowing from her breasts to her groin and spreading from both areas up, down, and behind her. She screamed as she came, so all-encompassing was the feeling. Afterward, she was so exhausted that she lay perfectly still for over an hour.

  “Too much … I need to rest my pussy, but I’m so aroused I still need to be fucked by you. I need … take me in the back door. Fuck me there.”

  Elliot pulled the plug out of her and covered his member with K-Y. He slid easily into her enlarged hole. She felt the now-familiar, comforting fullness back there. He moved in and out of her rhythmically. She was so exhausted that the erotic pleasure built slowly. That was a good thing. He reached around her to barely touch the clit ring. The slight contact started her off again. For Claire, the next hours were a blur of mind-numbing arousal, repeated penetration of every orifice and overstimulation of every nerve ending.

  She was amazed, almost frightened, by the changes in her body that had been wrought by the rings in her nipples, inner labia and clitoris. She could see herself becoming obsessed with sex day and night, every day. She loved sex, always had, but she also wanted a life outside the bedroom. Was she becoming addicted to the extraordinary pleasures her modified body could produce – unfailingly and with little effort?

  Later on, she shared her concerns with Elliot. She was sitting perfectly still on the couch. Her legs spread and her hands consciously behind her head to avoid touching herself. He listened pensively.

  Claire told him that she would somehow have to exercise restraint; somehow get her desires under control. That could prove difficult, she admitted. Just walking to the kitchen to pour a glass of wine aroused her. The motion moved her clit ring at a perfect frequency to begin to turn her on.

  He suggested that some of the novelty might wear off. He promised to help her discipline herself if that became necessary. He even offered to handcuff her hands to the bronze frame above her head or behind her to prevent her from playing with herself while she slept.

  As it turned out, he did have to do just that. He found that the purposeful bondage turned him on and, with Claire’s encouragement, he’d take advantage of her in that position, before he’d allow her to finally drift off to sleep.

  * * * * *

  Elliot still couldn’t explain it but the salve had definitely healed her. The rapid healing had given Claire enough confidence in the gypsies to suggest they try the gypsies’ tea that evening. Randomly, she picked the blue bag and, carefully following the instructions she’d been given, brewed a cup of hers and his. She brought them into the living room where he was waiting for her on the couch.

  “I’m not at all sure this is a good idea,” he said, registering his concern.

  “They didn’t lead us astray on the ointment. Let’s live a little dangerously,” As though we haven’t already been doing that, she thought. “I took much bigger chances than this when I was an out-of-control teenager and I made it through those times. Besides, it probably won’t do more than give us a caffeine boost and keep us awake. At least that will give us more time to make love.”