The room was now in semidarkness, a cooling relief from the glaring heat of the sun. Mara lit some incense and candles, which cast an eerie glow on the walls and furniture. When she felt the atmosphere was right, she switched on a tape recorder, and soft, lush music filled the room.
"Close your eyes and let yourselves drift," she instructed, her voice low and soothing. "Imagine yourselves anywhere you'd like to be, with any woman who excites you, your wife or sweetheart, someone at the office, even someone you've never met, or-" her gaze rested pointedly on Ralph, half hidden in the shadows, "someone you've just met recently. Even me."
Ralph watched her go from chair to chair, and he could feel the excitement in the room as each man responded to her words or her light touch, or simply he
