Black Orchid (4 page)

Maggie was stunned.

'Presumably they are allowed to enjoy what they do here?'

'Sure. Some of them sign one contract after another. And
they all have the option to refuse to take part in anything they
don't personally feel comfortable with. We do get some pretty
weird requests at times.'

'I bet you do! Why so strict though?'

'My first responsibility is to my clients. All my staff are
screened for disease and for attitude – I won't have any
misogynists here. They all have to be young, fit, committed
and, most importantly, love women.'

'And Judd,' Maggie glanced over to where he was leaning on
the counter, chatting to the barman, 'does he love women?'

'Why don't you book him and find out?'

Maggie glanced at Antony in surprise, unused to such a
suggestion from a man with whom she had just made love.
He was smiling at her and she was sure he could read her
mind. Looking back at Judd she remembered the sight of his
long, hard cock springing from his jeans and, despite her recent
exertions, felt a stirring in her womb.

'Maybe I will,' she murmured.

'Good.' Antony was suddenly businesslike. 'Once your application
has been processed, he's all yours.'

Maggie felt bemused.

'How long will that take?'

Antony chuckled and cupped her chin with one hand.

'Patience is a virtue, darling. Chastity will be good for you
for a few weeks.'

'A few weeks?'

Antony laughed at her dismay.

'You'll be just in time for next month's party night. I'll book
Judd as your escort, if you like.'

'Party night?'

'That's right. Next month we have The Body Beautiful to
entertain us.'

'The Australian glamour act? I thought they were gigging
all over the country?'

'Sure they are – and the shows are a sell out at every venue.
No one else will be seeing the version they're doing for us
though. Excuse me, Judd's about to go off for the night. I'll catch
him before he goes.'

Maggie concentrated on her drink, watching through her
lashes as Antony went up and spoke to Judd at the bar. She
felt the heat creeping into her cheeks as both men looked in
her direction and she saw the spark of interest on Judd's
face.

He nodded several times as he listened to Antony, and Maggie
was glad she could not overhear what was being said about
her. She wasn't sure if she liked the way Antony was smiling
as he came back to her.

'Well?'

'It's all fixed. Judd's your man on the twelfth.'

'Oh. You know, it just occurred to me – Judd and Tina – I
wouldn't want that sort of thing.'

Antony's eyes gleamed as he regarded her.

'No? Well, you'll find that Judd will very quickly work out
what it is you do want.'

He raised an eyebrow at her and raised his glass in a silent
toast before putting it to his lips. Maggie's mouth felt inexplicably
dry and she gulped at her drink.

'I'd better be going. Will I see you on the twelfth at this
party?'

'You might.'

'And Alexander? I . . . I'd rather like to spend some time with
him.'

Antony was suddenly remote.

'And you shall, my dear. Count on it.'

His lips twisted slightly into a smile which seemed to
Maggie to be bitter. She watched as he drained his glass before
saying, 'Well, as I said, I'd better go. It's very late.'

Antony suddenly reached out and cupped one demurely
covered breast in his hand. He took its weight and seemed to
study it intently, brushing his thumb over its tip and watching
the nipple spring to attention beneath the fabric of her dress
with satisfaction. Squeezing gently, he raised his eyes to hers.

Maggie felt unable to move as she was pinned by his curiously
inquisitive gaze. Her lips parted in a silent gasp as,
without taking his eyes from hers, he intensified the pressure
of the squeeze until it was painful. He watched her reaction
expressionlessly until, suddenly, he let her go.

'Good night, Maggie,' he said softly.

She rose and gathered up her things before turning away,
her legs unsteady.

She was in a small, intimate, square room lit by candles, their
flickering light dancing on the deep red velvet of the walls.
The sweet, heavy smell of incense clogged the air. Soft music
played continuously on a music system which couldn't be seen
and a couple danced close together in the middle of the room.
Alexander and Janine.

Janine's short, white dress clung lovingly to every curve of her
slender body which was pressed against the length of Alexander's
as if they were melded together. Her blonde head rested lightly
on the muscular cushion of his shoulder and they were swaying
slowly, languorously, in time with the music, their movements
unhurried and in complete harmony.

Maggie watched them jealously from the shadows in the
corner of the room. She turned as she felt a light tap on her
shoulder and found herself caught by amused hazel eyes.

'Poor Maggie!' Judd murmured. 'Here – I've brought you
another drink.'

He was so close she could smell the heavy musk of his skin,
feel his warm breath caress her cheek. She reached out her
hand to touch him and he seemed to melt away, laughing
softly. Frustrated, Maggie turned her eyes back to the dance
floor and the couple who, oblivious to their surroundings, were
now kissing deeply.

Janine's skirt had ridden up her thighs to reveal lacy white
stocking tops and suspenders which framed her naked bottom.
Alexander's large hand looked shockingly tanned against
Janine's white skin as he cupped the buttocks and squeezed
the malleable flesh.

The entire room was carpeted in luxurious, red plush pile, so
long that the couple in the middle of the room were ankle deep
in it. Glancing round the room, Maggie saw that there were
several other small tables arranged in a semi-circle. All were
occupied, but she was the only lone female..

Each of the couples seated at the tables appeared to be
engaged in varying acts of seduction. To her left, a beautiful
young man with ebony skin was feeding strawberries and
cream to a tousle haired redhead. The woman's eyes were
closed, a small frown of concentration etched between her
eyebrows as she took another mouthful of the sweet concoction.
Maggie watched enviously as the muscles in her throat
contracted, imagining she could feel the sensation of the cream
slipping down her throat.

She tore her eyes away and blinked as she realised that,
directly opposite her, a couple were copulating frenziedly on
the soft carpet under their table.

'Feeling lonely, Maggie?'

She jumped as Antony materialised at her side.

'Oh! Anthony please don't leave me . . .'

He shook his head sadly.

'Members only, Maggie. You know the rules.'

'But . . .'

He disappeared and she sipped angrily at her martini. She
felt strangely disconnected from the scenes taking place
around her, as if she were watching through a film of water.
She could look, but she could not touch, could not speak to
anyone.

Alexander dropped to his knees in front of Janine who was
still undulating softly in time with the music. His large hands
met round the tender span of her waist as he burrowed his head
under her skirt and pushed it up, over her hips. The skin on the
perfect, white globes of Janine's behind looked translucent in
the candlelight and Maggie's fingers itched to reach out and
run her fingertips over the gently rolling landscape of those
twin mounds.

Janine threw back her head, her soft lips forming a silent
ecstatic 'O' as Alexander's long tongue darted into her labia
and began to lick back and forth in slow, delicious strokes.
Maggie felt the moisture gather between her own thighs and
pressed them together tightly.

She closed her eyes as strong fingers began to knead the
tense muscles in her neck and shoulders. Whoever it was knew
exactly how much pressure to apply to liquefy her limbs, leaving
her feeling heavy and relaxed. She dared not turn to see the
owner of the magic fingers for fear that he might disappear,
just as Judd and Anthony had.

Opening her eyes, she saw that Alexander had laid Janine
on her back on the carpet. She was naked now, but for her
white lacy stockings and suspender belt and her high-heeled
white stilettoes which had been hidden by the thick carpeting.
Alexander was playing with the feathery blonde curls between
her legs, teasing and tickling, making her moan softly. His
other hand cupped her breast, tweaking at the pale pink nipple
until it stood proud.

Maggie was suddenly overcome with the irresistible urge
to join them, to enclose that hard, tempting nub with her lips.
Shrugging off the massaging fingers, she stood up and began
to walk towards them. They couldn't have been more than six
or seven paces away, yet she felt as though she was wading
through treacle. Her heels caught in the thick pile carpet, dragging
her down. As she sank, defeatedly, to her knees, strong
hands caught her and pulled her back towards her table.

She shook her head, struggling in protest, straining towards
the centre of the room. Her mouth dropped open in surprise as
she realised that Janine and Alexander were no longer there.
The other tables were now empty – she was alone in the candlelit
room and strong, unseen hands were pressing her, gently, but
insistently, onto her back.

Sinking into the soft, deep carpet with a small whimper of
defeat, Maggie made no protest as her clothes were gently
stripped from her. Many of the candles were guttering, their
gentle light flickering erratically. No matter how hard she tried
to penetrate the velvety darkness, she could not see to whom
these knowing, roaming hands belonged.

There were three pairs, that much she knew, two definitely
male and the other pair . . . She moaned, partly in protest, mostly
in encouragement. Soft, small, feminine hands were fluttering
over her thighs, coaxing them apart. Maggie closed her eyes
and allowed herself to be opened, her legs pulled slowly apart
and her arms held above her head. It was a curiously comfortable
imprisonment and she welcomed the soft, wet touch of
unmistakably female lips on her breasts. Small teeth nibbled,
a hot tongue darted out and circled the engorged nipple.

Maggie had never been so intimate with another woman
and she was surprised by how pleasurable it felt. She
murmured, wanting to encourage the unknown woman to
continue, but her words emerged as an indistinct moan. A
tongue insinuated itself between her lips and coaxed her
mouth to open. Definitely male, this pleasure-giver plunged
into her hot mouth and sucked at her tongue, drawing it into
his own, slightly minty tasting, mouth.

Her legs, confined at the ankles by strong fingers, quivered
with anticipation as the third person burned a trail of kisses
up the insides of her thighs, alternating caresses between each
one. The lips paused as they reached the apex, placing small,
teasing kisses around the edge of her moist pubic hair.

The mouths were driving her crazy, her entire body, from
her head to her captured feet, tingled with her impending
orgasm. She knew that the moment someone kissed the
swollen button of desire which throbbed violently between
her legs, she would burst.

It had to be soon, she couldn't wait much longer . . . She
gasped as the three anonymous mouths were withdrawn
simultaneously.

'No! Oh no!' she cried out in anguish.

There was the sound of soft laughter, and she heard Antony's
voice, close to her ear.

'Patience, Maggie, just a little longer . . .'

The sudden, silent coldness of the room told her before she
opened her eyes that she was alone. The candles had all burned
out and she blinked as a harsh electric light suddenly filled
the place. Her clitoris throbbed in vain and she tried to touch
herself, to relieve the agonising pressure, but she could not
move her arms.

'No!'

Maggie sat up in bed, knocking the alarm clock off the bedside
table as she flailed her arms. Her duvet was on the floor, her
sheets awry, yet she was hot, burning as if with a fever. That
dream again! Night after night the same long, tortuously slow
seduction, followed by the cruel rejection at the very point when
she was about to reach release.

She sank back on the pillows, wiping the sweaty damp hair
out of her eyes. Running her fingers delicately over her
unfulfilled clitoris, she shivered in response to the sensations
radiating out from it. Slowly, she began to run her middle finger
back and forth, her passage made slick by the warm juices
which bathed her hand.

With a
frisson
of shame she remembered her lust for Janine
in the dream and saw again the girl's temptingly sweet body,
glowing like silk in the light of the fragrant candles. Felt again
the wet, sucking, female lips which had travelled over her
body.

She drew up her knees as she came, squeezing her thighs
together as the throbbing went on and on until at last, she
flopped, exhausted, onto the pillows. Dragging the duvet up
off the floor, she wrapped it around her and fell at once into
a deep, dreamless sleep.

God, she looked a wreck! Maggie peered at herself in the illuminated
bathroom mirror the next morning and pulled a face.
Damn Antony and his Black Orchid Club! She'd never noticed
those tired brown smudges under her eyes or the faint lines
showing at the corners of her mouth before. It was the strain
of waiting to hear whether or not she was to be admitted to
the club, coupled with the unwelcome, enforced chastity of the
past six weeks. And the dreams, of course.

Relentlessly, night after night, they disturbed her sleep,
leaving her haunted by image after erotic image all day. She
couldn't concentrate on anything for more than a few
moments at a time. She was jumpy, irritable. Every time the
telephone on her desk rang, her heart almost arrested. And
all because bloody Antony was taking his time to let her know
if she was in.

What more did she have to do, she grumbled to herself as
she poured boiling water over instant coffee. She'd subjected
herself to the medical he insisted upon, kept clear of sex for
longer than at any time since she was about sixteen. Hell, she
felt like a born again virgin! And she had a suspicion that all
this masturbation wasn't good for her soul.

She pulled herself up short. What
was
she doing? Here she
was, a mature, sophisticated woman with a little black book
which fairly bulged with addresses, and she was waiting
around obediently chaste, like a lovesick teenager. And all at
the direction of some domineering male.

Enough was enough. If Antony didn't contact her today,
tonight she was going out. The self-imposed curfew would be
over and Antony could stuff his bloody club right up his self-righteous
arse.

Decision made, Maggie showered and dressed for work
feeling happier than she had for a long time.

Janine was waiting for her as she stepped into the office.

'Maggie – I have a message for you. It's from—'

'Just a minute,' Maggie noticed Bob's avid gaze from the
next desk and pulled the sliding glass privacy door across
which separated them. Ever since Janine's enthusiastic kiss
weeks ago, Bob had watched her like a hawk, studying
Maggie when he thought she wouldn't notice as if trying to
work out an intriguing puzzle.

Maggie had no wish to fuel his suspicions about her any
further. He could still see them, of course, and since she didn't
trust Janine's mischievous sense of humour, she walked round
her desk and sat down, putting it between them.

'Have a seat,' she invited coolly, hoping her excitement did
not show.

Janine took her time, sinking slowly into the moulded
plastic chair and crossing one well-turned leg over the other.
Maggie's mouth went dry as she noticed that she was
wearing white lace stockings. An image of Janine sprawled
in total abandonment beneath Alexander on a thick, red
carpet superimposed itself on the self-contained young
woman in her neat business suit who sat across from Maggie
now.

She could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks as she
remembered the sharp desire she had felt in her dream to
possess the firm, soft body and she was appalled to feel the
wetness gathering between her thighs at the memory.

'Is there something wrong?' Janine asked innocently.

Maggie's head shot up and met Janine's clear, violet eyes.
There was a smug, knowing expression in them which made
her bristle. She pulled herself together with difficulty and
shifted into a more comfortable position in her seat.

'Of course not.'

'Only, you look tired.'

'Do I? I . . . I haven't been sleeping too well lately,' she
admitted reluctantly.

Janine merely smiled and Maggie gained the distinct
impression that she knew the cause of her sleepless nights.
Her wearing of the white lace stockings today almost had
Maggie convinced that Janine knew the content of her dreams,
had dreamt them too. Telling herself to stop being so ridiculous,
she continued.

'Anyway, what was it you wanted to tell me?'

Janine reached into her black leather document wallet and
pulled out a purple envelope. Maggie's heart quickened as she
took it and saw the large black orchid printed in the bottom
left-hand corner.

'Your tickets,' Janine told her when she didn't immediately
open the envelope. 'Tomorrow night is party night.'

'Does this mean I'm in?'

Janine grinned as she stood up.

'Sure does. See you there.'

Maggie waited until Janine had sashayed out of her office
and had turned the corner before ripping open the envelope
and pulling out the gilt-edged invitation. Judd was to be her
escort for the evening, just as Antony had promised her, and
The Body Beautiful would be performing a special, private
show.

Bringing the invitation up to her lips, she placed a kiss of
delight on its edge. Then, feeling Bob's curious eyes on her
through the glass partition, she slid it into her desk drawer
and took out the first file of the day.