The Itinerary

Touring Amsterdam

The winding canals of Amsterdam's core radiated out from Centraal Station like an intricate web of liquid arteries pumping life through the city's historic heart. Haley trailed slightly behind Nico as he led them off the well-trodden tourist paths and into a labyrinth of narrow alleys and cobblestone side streets.

His confident strides slowed to a meandering amble as they wove deeper into the artery's outlying capillaries. Leaning close so his bergamot cologne enveloped her senses, Nico murmured in that low rasp, "These areas are the authentic Amsterdam - the hidden pulse and lifeblood far removed from the glitz and glamour of the Red Light District."

Haley drank in the neighborhood's gritty, bohemian ambiance. Graffiti murals splashed vibrant color across aged brick facades while quaint cafes and underground music clubs lined the winding lanes. Eclectic crowds of mohawked punks, hippie nomads, and enigmatic artists lounged outside sipping cocktails and rolled cigarettes that wafted heady aromas far smoother than tobacco.

"Most tourists never realize these underground districts exist just blocks away," Nico continued in a hushed tone that sent tingles down her spine. One calloused hand grazed the small of her back ever-so-lightly to steer her down a narrow offshoot. "But for those open-minded enough to peek behind the curtain...Amsterdam's fascinating underbelly awaits."

He led them to an arched wooden door tucked discreetly between a pair of centuries-old buildings. A heavy thrum of rhythmic bass and scratching vinyl reverberated from within the rough-hewn entrance. Nico rapped out a coded pattern, then the portal cracked open a sliver to reveal a pair of rheumy eyes peering out from a cloud of aromatic smoke.

Guttural Dutch filtered through, indecipherable to Haley's ears. But Nico simply nodded and dug into his messenger bag to withdraw a crumpled wad of cash, which he discretely exchanged with the unseen doorman. The door swung wide to admit them into a dimly lit, incense-hazed den of sound and sensation.

They descended a winding staircase into the belly of the underground club. Haley's senses were instantly assaulted by a dizzying fusion of tribal beats, saturated colors, and a cacophony of languages from the multicultural crowd. Bodies undulated across the pulsating dance floor under the hypnotic strobing of neon kaleidoscope lights trained on the DJ's alcove.

"The Shuddha Den," Nico shouted over the primal rhythms enveloping them. "One of Amsterdam's premier trance havens. The purest, euphoric-enhancing substances cultivated from ancient Eastern recipes flow more freely here than bubbly at a New Year's gala." He angled his mouth against her ear, lips brushing sensitive skin. "Care to become enlightened?"

An electrifying tremor danced up Haley's spine at his suggestive words and the intimate caress of his breath fanning her cheek. Mischievous jade eyes glittered with unspoken promises of shared indulgence. For a dizzying moment she nearly acquiesced to this bronze skinned incubus's dark temptations...until stirrings of apprehension resurfaced.

As alluring and assured as Nico appeared, he was still very much a stranger to her. And her misadventures in reckless spontaneity during her first year of college had almost derailed her entire academic career. As freeing as it felt to fling caution to the wanton wind, consorting with locals under mind-altering influences ranked among the riskier behaviors.

Offering Nico an apologetic grimace, Haley shouted back, "I'm going to opt for keeping my consciousness purely unadulterated for now." She slanted him a mischievous look from beneath her lashes. "Though I'd welcome further revelations of Amsterdam's mysteries you're willing to share."

Rather than looking disgruntled by her refusal, Nico's unrepentant grin only broadened as he seized her hand in a firm clasp. "As you wish, anthropologist."

Haley clutched his hand tighter, relishing the pleasant frisson racing up her arm as he tugged her out of the sweltering den and into the fresh night air once more. She gulped down a remedial breath of the cooling evening breezes wicking across the canal.

Undeterred, her roguishly charming host pulled her onward without relinquishing her fingers interlocked with his. "Your pursuit of cultural insight shall continue."

He turned them down a quiet side street where the buildings leaned at precarious angles. Along its narrow expanse, a row of seductively-posed women lounged in dimly lit windows and doorways in various states of undress. Some offered Nico warm smiles and Haley appraising glances while jaded madams smoking long stems of vievra weed simply nodded at the pair.

Any lingering misconceptions Haley may have harbored about her unconventional guide vanished in that instant. By leading her into this notorious Red Light District, Nico revealed himself as an incorrigible sensualist clearly fluent in navigating Amsterdam's carnal underground. And rather than finding herself scandalized, Haley only felt a deepening sense of intrigue about the enigmatic facets of this virile, worldly man.

As they strolled casually along the debauchery corridor, Haley heard melodic foreign chatter and noticed a cluster of sari-clad women gathered around an ajar door in one of the buildings. Nico's free hand settled at the small of her back to usher her toward the dimly lit foyer.

"This is one of the city's holistic houses," he murmured, the graveled timbre of his voice eliciting delicious shivers down her spine. "Sensual and therapeutic practices have been performed here dating back to the Renaissance."

A matronly dame opened the door a sliver at their approach, with Nico exchanging quiet pleasantries in her dialect. The plump woman eyed Haley with a mixture of circumspect assessment and bemused smiles before ushering them inside.

They padded down a candle-lit corridor where alabaster statues of deities gauged in erotic throes adorned recessed nooks along the walls. The air smelled richly of saffron, ginger, and aromatic oils that at once heightened and soothed Haley's senses. Rhythmic drumbeats and sitar strains pulsed through the recesses like a hypnotic heartbeat.

Reaching the end of the hall, Nico swept aside a beaded curtain to reveal an opulent den where sumptuously curved divan beds draped in sheer silk surrounded a circular raised dais. Throughout the dimly lit space, nude female forms entwined and slithered together in a primal, choreographed dance of seduction.

Haley's jaw slackened at the mesmerizing spectacle. A primal part of her psyche was utterly transfixed by the profound eroticism unfolding before her eyes. Yet equal measures of her marveled at the display of ancient carnal ritual...a taboo dance celebrating the divine feminine at the core of enlightenment.

"These women are sacred devadasi performers," Nico's voice rolled like a sensual caress against the sensitive whorls of her ear. His fingertips meandered up her spine in a feather-light caress, sending delicious tingles ricocheting across her skin. "For centuries, their sacred dances seduced the spirit into higher planes of ecstasy and bliss." His lips brushed her flushed cheek in a barely-there whisper. "Care to elevate your consciousness tonight, Haley?"

Her throat turned to chalk dust at the utterly carnal quality saturating his tone and scorching her blood. She swallowed hard, tilting her chin to meet the unbridled desire blazing in those pale jade depths...

Only to have her addled senses inundated with more of the potent drums reverberated against her. Haley's nipples pebbled traitorously beneath the clingy material of her linen top, sending a frisson of aroused need liquefying her bones.

Mesmerized, she allowed him to guide her to a plush divan where a symphony of exotic music and wafts of cinnamon-laced spice ensorcelled every molecule of her being.

And for endless, sultry moments, Haley surrendered herself to the unraveling of her own passionate danse de l'ame...