The Black Room (2 page)

As the waiting-room door closed on Helen, Kelly realised she was alone with Stacey. It was an unsettling realisation and Kelly swallowed nervously, aware that her heart was beating an alarmed tattoo in her chest. She stared up at the woman uncertainly, wishing she did not feel so intimidated. ‘I didn’t see anything,’ she repeated earnestly. ‘Honestly I…’

Mistress Stacey reached out and stroked a finger across Kelly’s lips, silencing her panicked babble. It was a gesture that should have felt unpleasant or threatening. Instead, Kelly found the careful caress was curiously stimulating. The delicate touch rekindled the deep warmth of her earlier arousal. Her finger traced its way gently along the length of Kelly’s pouting lower lip, provoking a shiver of excitement that travelled from the base of her neck to the tip of her spine.

She was startled by an unexpected pang of urgency that seemed to emanate from her nipples. With an inward sigh of disdain she realised she was suffering the unexpected symptoms of pure sexual arousal. It had been so long since she had experienced such feelings, Kelly wondered if her memory was playing tricks on her. However, when the inner walls of her pussy began to throb with their own hungry desire, Kelly knew she had not been mistaken. She stared into the mysterious depths of the mistress’s ebony eyes, wondering if she too had sensed that electric tingle of sexual attraction.

‘Is this your first day at the hostel?’ Stacey asked softly, stroking her finger along Kelly’s cheek.

Kelly swallowed nervously again and nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She felt torn between conflicting emotions, not knowing whether to trust her desires or her fear. Stacey had been brutal and domineering in her treatment of Helen, and Kelly considered the woman to be utterly terrifying. However, she had never before felt stimulated or aroused by the presence of another woman and the sensation was so unfamiliar it piqued her curiosity. Struggling valiantly with her inner turmoil, Kelly suppressed a shiver and stared helplessly into Stacey’s face.

The mistress’s smile was not an unkind one. ‘If it’s your first day at the hostel, then I’m sure you won’t be making waves, will you?’

Kelly shook her head, amazed that she felt so eager to please this callous, antagonistic woman. Her treatment of Helen had been cold and barbaric yet, without knowing why, Kelly felt anxious to meet with Stacey’s approval. Worse than that, Kelly thought unhappily, she felt a strong desire for Stacey to touch her as she had been touching Helen.

‘I guess I’ll be seeing you around,’ Mistress Stacey said quietly. She allowed her fingers to caress Kelly’s cheek one final time, and moved her mouth close to Kelly’s. The two women were on the point of kissing. Their faces were so close, Kelly knew she would only have to move forward slightly and her mouth would be pressed against Stacey’s. The warmth of the brunette’s breath tickled her top lip and Kelly wondered bewilderedly if she should be making that first move.

‘I guess I’ll be seeing you around,’ Mistress Stacey said again, moving her head away from Kelly before she could make up her mind. She dropped one eyelid in a solemn wink and then left the waiting room without another word.

Kelly shivered and released the pent-up sigh of relief that had been welling inside her.

Simultaneously she felt hot and cold and more than a little confused by her reaction to Mistress Stacey. Before she had a chance to analyse her thoughts and feelings, the door to the examination room opened. Wasting no time on pleasantries, a petite, dark-haired girl curtly summoned Kelly into the doctor’s office.

‘I’m running a little behind schedule today,’ the doctor declared, as Kelly entered the small room.

Her accusatory tone made Kelly feel guilty, as though she was in some way responsible for the doctor’s problems.

‘It will speed things along if you strip and answer questions at the same time.’

Kelly looked uncertainly at the doctor, wondering if she had heard the woman correctly. She was sitting behind a meticulously tidy desk, with Dr A. McMahon written in gold on the wooden desk-plaque. She had a proud head of long raven locks spilling over her shoulders and Kelly guessed she was in her early thirties. The doctor did not look as formidable as Mistress Stacey but the crispness of her voice made it clear she was not the sort of person who tolerated fools.

‘You want me to undress?’ Kelly asked nervously.

Doctor McMahon glanced up from the papers she was studying and graced Kelly with a despondent frown. Her eyes were the same ultra-black jet as her hair, contrasting starkly with her sallow complexion. The only thing that stopped her from looking incredibly attractive was the contemptuous curl of her upper lip. ‘I haven’t yet perfected the art of doing clothed examinations,’ she said with icy sarcasm. ‘So, I’m afraid you’ll have to tolerate my lack of skill and just undress as I asked.’ This said, the doctor turned her attention back to the notes on her desk.

Kelly cast a nervous glance around the small examination room. There was an examination trolley resting by the wall behind her and a chair facing the doctor’s desk. Aside from these pieces of furniture, the room was bare, save for one full-length mirror and a rack of bookshelves filled with important-looking leather-bound volumes. The petite nurse who had escorted Kelly into the room was bent over a clinically sterile sink busying herself by washing her hands. Directing her question at the doctor, Kelly asked uncertainly, ‘Do I just undress here?’

Doctor McMahon drew a sharp intake of breath. She raised her head from the papers and glared impatiently at Kelly. ‘Undress here if you want,’ she said, speaking tightly. ‘If you like, you can leave the building now and undress on the front fucking step. Just take your clothes off so I can begin the examination.’

Left with no doubt as to what was expected of her, Kelly began to undress.

‘Your name is Kelly Rogers?’

Unfastening her blouse, Kelly nodded. Then, realising the doctor was not looking at her, she quickly answered, ‘Yes. That’s right.’

‘Twenty-four years old?’

‘Yes.’

‘And you’ve been with the Pentagon Temp Agency for a month now?’

‘That’s right,’ Kelly said quickly. ‘Mr Peterson at the Agency said I’d been doing really well and suggested I should do this course and consider becoming a professional temp.’

‘A simple yes would have been sufficient,’ Doctor McMahon said dryly.

Blushing furiously at the other woman’s cold disregard, Kelly shrugged herself out of her blouse. She folded it neatly and placed it next to her handbag, on the chair facing the doctor.

‘You’re qualified as a medical and legal secretary,’ Doctor McMahon continued briskly. ‘And you have a degree in business management.’

‘Yes,’ Kelly said simply, knowing that no other response was required.

She responded with one-word answers to a string of questions the doctor fired at her. They concerned a wide range of topics including the medical history of herself and her family and her ability to answer them concisely helped Kelly to feel a little more relaxed. As the questions went on, she was almost beginning to feel comfortable about the examination, in spite of the doctor’s brusqueness and the distinct lack of privacy.

Doctor McMahon paused in her questioning and glanced up from the notes she was looking at. ‘It says here that you’re married.’

Kelly paused in the act of stepping out of her skirt. ‘Separated,’ she said quietly. She realised the doctor was staring at her and continued to step out of the skirt with a contrived air of feigned nonchalance.

‘How long have you been separated?’

‘Is that important?’ Kelly replied.

Doctor McMahon shrugged, studying Kelly’s half-naked body with a wry smile on her lips. ‘I suppose not,’ she replied. ‘I was just interested, that’s all.’

‘It’s not something I care to talk about,’ Kelly said with soft defiance.

Standing in front of the doctor, clad only in her bra, pants, stockings and suspender belt, she did not feel defiant. Being totally honest with herself, Kelly felt distinctly vulnerable standing half-naked before this antagonistic stranger. Her marriage, and subsequent separation, were topics she still felt uncomfortable with. However, the thorny subject of her failed marriage was not something she wanted to discuss and she was determined not to be pushed on the issue.

From the corner of her eye she glimpsed her reflection in the full-length mirror and was surprised by the image of an attractive woman she saw there. Blazing red hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back in a torrent of fiery, warm, orange and scarlet shades. The glossy satin sheen of the emerald-green underwear she wore complemented her whey-coloured complexion perfectly. The frilly green suspender belt went down into a V at her waist, accentuating the pronounced slenderness of her smooth, flat stomach. Her seamed stockings were still in place, and the heels she wore emphasised the length and firmness of her long, coltish legs. She wished she felt as glamorous and confident as the woman in the mirror looked but she knew such an ambition went far beyond her dreams.

‘Are you practising sex with a partner at the moment?’ Doctor McMahon asked briskly.

Kelly’s blush deepened. ‘Do I have to answer that one?’ she asked.

‘I’d prefer it if you answered all my questions,’ the doctor replied crisply. Glancing disdainfully up at Kelly she seemed to notice the woman’s underwear for the first time. ‘According to my reference books, undressed usually means taking all your clothes off. Now, are you currently practising sex with a partner?’

‘No,’ Kelly said, reaching awkwardly behind herself for the clasp of her bra. She unfastened it and slid the garment off, placing it carefully on the pile of neatly folded clothes she had created on the chair. She could feel her blush darkening to a furious degree as she displayed her bared breasts to the doctor. Her cheeks felt as though they were smouldering with the heat of her embarrassment. Not daring to disobey the doctor’s instruction, Kelly unfastened the clasp of her suspender belt and, after stepping out of her shoes, began to unroll the stockings from her legs.

‘When you’ve finished undressing, lie down on the trolley,’ Doctor McMahon said simply. Without taking a breath she asked, ‘Have you ever been involved in a sub–dom or sadomasochistic relationship?’

Kelly stopped unrolling her stockings and stared at the doctor with an expression of genuine bewilderment. ‘I don’t know what that means,’ she replied innocently.

The doctor rolled her eyes. ‘During your marriage, did you ever punish your husband physically, or mentally, for sexual gratification?’

‘Of course not!’ Kelly declared, shocked by the suggestion.

‘Did your husband ever do that to you?’ Doctor McMahon persisted.

‘I told you, I don’t want to talk about my marriage,’ Kelly said, turning her gaze away from the doctor’s. She busied herself with one stocking, unwilling to meet the other woman’s angry expression.

The doctor’s sigh of exasperation was clearly audible in the quiet confines of the room. ‘All right,’ she said stiffly, making obvious attempts to control her dissipating patience. ‘Have you ever been involved with anyone in a relationship like the one I’ve just described?’

‘No!’ Kelly said firmly.

‘You don’t know what you’re missing!’ a small voice whispered behind her.

Kelly had almost forgotten about the nurse until she added her wry contribution to the question-and-answer session.

‘I thought you’d already learnt not to speak until spoken to,’ the doctor snapped.

Placing a horrified hand over her mouth, the girl whispered her heartfelt apology. ‘Please, Doctor McMahon. I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking, I…’

Doctor McMahon waved a dismissive hand, silencing the apologetic girl. Fixing her attention on Kelly she glanced unhappily at the skimpy pair of green satin panties she wore. ‘When you eventually get around to taking your knickers off, you can lie on the couch and I can start my examination.’

Mortified by her own feeling of vulnerability, Kelly stepped quickly out of the pants and placed them with the rest of her clothes. She had never felt comfortable with her own nudity. This sensation was heightened by the close proximity of the doctor and her nurse. Staring meekly at the floor, she walked swiftly to the trolley and eased herself on to the uncomfortable, paper-covered mattress. There was no pillow or raised end and she found herself staring miserably at the ceiling, her hands folded demurely over her stomach. She could not see Doctor McMahon or the nurse from her position and, in that moment, Kelly grasped a brief moment of relief, imagining herself alone. It was only a small reprieve, the illusion of solitude being broken by the sound of a chair moving and the doctor’s whispered command to her aide.

Then Doctor McMahon was standing beside her. She had removed the white three-quarter-length physician’s coat she sported earlier and Kelly now saw her as a young attractive woman in a plain white T-shirt. ‘Relax a little,’ the doctor said, placing a reassuring hand on Kelly’s shoulder. It was the first time she had spoken to Kelly without a note of vicious contempt inflecting her words. ‘This won’t be so bad if you ease up a little.’

Kelly tried to return the doctor’s comforting smile but found her gaze was drawn to the tight white T-shirt the doctor was wearing. She noticed the woman was not wearing a bra beneath the garment and from Kelly’s prone position she was close enough to see the hard nubs of the doctor’s erect nipples. The sight made her swallow nervously and she was about to say something when she felt the doctor’s hand gently caress her breast.

The sensation was electric. She had never had a woman touch her so intimately and the feeling was exhilarating. Remembering her responsiveness in the waiting room, when Stacey had stroked a finger along her lip, Kelly wondered if she was developing some sort of mental illness. She had never been sexually attracted to women before, yet within the last ten minutes she had come close to kissing one woman and was now allowing another to nonchalantly stroke her breasts. The fact that she was enjoying these encounters added fuel to her fear of insanity. Her heart began to race and she could not tell if it was hurried by apprehension or excitement.