The Black Room (4 page)

‘Fine,’ Jo said simply, unintimidated by his hostile expression. ‘I’ll call you at the end of the week with a progress report, sooner if I have something you can use.’

He nodded curtly, aware that the investigator had enough information from him. ‘If you require anything else from me, you have my number,’ he said, rising stiffly from his chair.

Jo nodded. ‘Thank you, Mr Rogers,’ she said curtly, still trying not to look at his money as she spoke to him. ‘I’ll be in touch.’ She waited until he had closed the door on his egress before she snatched the envelope from the table.

‘Is he gone?’ Stephanie peered out of the storeroom door warily. When Jo nodded she stepped out, still holding her skirt, with her unfastened blouse draped over her shoulders.

‘This is how she would look after we’d just made love,’ Jo thought suddenly. It was a warming thought and ordinarily she would have devoted more time to enjoying it. With the distraction of the money in her hand, Jo quickly dismissed the notion and went back to counting the crisp bundle of notes.

‘We’re not really taking this case, are we?’ Stephanie asked, standing provocatively in front of Jo as she dressed. ‘He sounded like such a bastard.’

Jo shrugged. ‘It’s company policy to only work for bastards with large wads of money,’ she explained, still fingering her way through the notes. ‘If he’d been a poor bastard I’d have kicked his arse straight out of here.’

Stephanie sniffed dismissively. ‘You’re a mercenary,’ she said coldly, fastening the last button on her blouse.

Jo grinned and glanced up from the wad of notes. ‘Yes, I’m a mercenary,’ she agreed happily. ‘And, right now, I’m a solvent mercenary. Care to join me for dinner?’

‘Shouldn’t we start working on this man’s case?’ Stephanie asked.

Jo considered this for a moment. ‘You’re right. You start working on the computer and see what you can turn up. I’ll go out for dinner.’ She jumped from her chair and rushed towards the coat stand by the office door. ‘What do we know about the Pentagon Temping Agency?’ she asked suddenly.

Stephanie cocked her head to one side for a moment as she thought about the question. When recollection hit her, she snapped her fingers and grinned broadly. ‘Vanessa Byrne,’ she said. ‘Wasn’t she involved with them?’

Jo nodded, knowing Stephanie was correct. She shrugged her coat on and walked back to the desk. Reaching past Stephanie she picked up the telephone and strained her memory for the appropriate telephone number. After punching the numbers into the keypad, she settled herself on a corner of the desk and listened. Her call was answered on the second ring.

‘Vanessa,’ Jo began quickly. ‘This is Jo Valentine. It’s been a long time.’ She paused, listening to Vanessa for a moment, a frown of consternation creasing her brow. ‘Sure. You must have a lot of things to do. Could I call you back later this evening?’ she asked sweetly. ‘I need to know a couple of things about the temping agency you used to work with.’ There was another pause and Jo smiled for an instant. ‘That’s right. Pentagon.’ Her smile disappeared to be replaced with a dark, unhappy frown. ‘You’re no longer involved with them,’ Jo repeated. ‘Can you give me a contact name for someone there who could help me?’ She listened to Vanessa for a moment. ‘I’m just thinking of employing a temp for the next couple of weeks, to help with the workload. OK. Thanks for trying to help, Vanessa. I’m sorry it’s been so long since we spoke. I’ll call you some time next week so we can chat about old times. Ciao!’

Stephanie stared at Jo’s dark frown as the PI replaced the handset in its cradle. ‘What was all that about?’ she asked curiously. ‘We need a temp helping out in here as much as we need a fountain in the foyer.’

‘Tell me I’m gorgeous,’ Jo said suddenly.

Stephanie shrugged and smiled knowingly at Jo. ‘You’re gorgeous,’ she said with honesty. ‘Why did I have to tell you that?’

‘Because,’ Jo said darkly, ‘I have had people lying to me all day and it’s nice to hear the truth once in a while. I don’t know how or why, but Rogers was lying about something when he was in here, and just now, on the phone, I felt sure Vanessa was telling porkies.’

‘She couldn’t help?’ Stephanie asked, surprised.

‘She didn’t want to help,’ Jo said carefully. She smiled widely and clapped Stephanie good-naturedly on the shoulder. ‘This is turning into quite a case. Lucrative and intriguing.’ She moved to the door, tying the belt on her overcoat as she walked. ‘Do you want me to bring back a doggy bag for you?’

Stephanie shook her head wearily and picked up the folder Rogers had left on the desk. ‘If you get a chance, could you ask around and see if there are any real jobs available in the outside world?’

Jo smiled, fondly admiring Stephanie’s legs in the short skirt. ‘Would you really want to give up the glamour and excitement of being a PI?’ she asked dryly.

‘Try me,’ Stephanie replied dourly.

Jo grinned. ‘See you in a couple of hours,’ she told her, sliding quickly from the room. ‘And, Stephanie…’ she called, popping her head around the door before leaving.

Stephanie glanced up from the folder she was studying, a questioning expression on her face.

‘Do you really think I’m gorgeous?’ Jo asked.

*   *   *

Vanessa Byrne replaced the telephone handset, an unhappy frown furrowing her forehead. Remembering she had other business to attend to, she shook the worries of the phone call from her head and smiled indulgently at the young man in front of her.

‘You’ve been working here for a week now, Russel,’ Vanessa said softly. ‘Tell me, how do you think you’re settling into the office?’

Russel felt his stomach turn over uneasily. It had been a long and arduous first week in the office and from past experience he knew this was the beginning of the end. Before she had finished, Vanessa Byrne would be saying how sorry she was that he did not fit in with the rest of the staff and how happy she would be to provide him with a glowing reference. The timing was all right. It was Friday evening, they were the only ones in the building and he had been paid for all the hours he had worked. The only things missing so far were his P45 and the envelope containing his reference. It had occurred to Russel previously that his career was not adequately described by the word ‘chequered’. He was a hopeless employee with an honours degree in application forms and a PhD in apologetic goodbye letters. Wilfully quelling his own pessimistic thoughts, Russel fixed a plastic smile to his lips and said, ‘I’m enjoying myself immensely.’

‘You like it here?’ Vanessa sounded mildly surprised.

Russel nodded. ‘The work’s challenging but not too demanding,’ he explained, hoping his enthusiasm would win him a reprieve from the inevitable result of this conversation. ‘I’m really enjoying it.’

‘And tell me, Russel,’ Vanessa said, slowly rising from her seat, ‘do you think you will like this?’ She walked around the desk to reveal she was not wearing a skirt. The loose blouse she wore would have almost covered her modesty but Vanessa held the hem in one hand so he could see the dark curls that covered her pubic mound. With her other hand she teased her long manicured fingernails through the hairs. All the time, she watched Russel, a curious unfathomable light glinting in her eyes. ‘Well, Russel, do you think you’ll like it?’

Russel could think of nothing to say. He stared uneasily at Vanessa, wondering if this was some sort of practical joke. Vanessa Byrne had to be one of the sexiest women he had ever worked for. She was a strikingly tall woman with long golden hair that she kept tied in an austere bun. Throughout his week’s employment, Russel had watched her slyly. He admired the stylish wardrobe of business suits she wore and the way they enhanced her desirable figure. At the back of his mind he had harboured a passionate desire for her and dreamt of knowing her sexually. The rational part of his mind had told him this would never be more than a wet daydream or a masturbatory fantasy. Now, she stood before him, naked from the waist down. She was displaying the enticing vision of her pubic bush, and asking him if he thought he might enjoy it. The phrase ‘dream come true’ did not even begin to convey the euphoria that welled inside Russel’s chest. ‘I think I’d really enjoy that,’ he said, trying to sound calm and failing miserably.

Vanessa smiled, a cruel inflection distorting her lips slightly. ‘Then get down on your knees and kiss it,’ she whispered sternly. ‘Now!’ she added in a louder voice.

Russel needed no more encouragement. He knelt before Vanessa and caressed her inner thighs tenderly, relishing the silky-soft feel of her flesh beneath his fingertips. His nose was close enough to her sex to sense the delicate musk of her natural scent. He could feel the forceful hardening of the stiff cock in his pants.

Russel showered a series of kisses on Vanessa’s inner thighs, alternating between the two and slowly moving his mouth upward as he went from leg to leg. By the time his tongue was actually stroking the delicate hairs that lined the lips of Vanessa’s labia, he could taste the excited heat of her arousal. The subtle taste of her juices filled his mouth, making his cock twitch harder. Spurred on by his own excitement, Russel flicked his tongue over the tiny hood of skin that covered her clitoris. The nub of erectile tissue beneath bristled excitedly. Vanessa sighed softly in response.

Russel ran his tongue over the clit, pressing forcefully, then easing the pressure. Occasionally he would lick the delicate folds of her labia, savouring the taste of her pussy juice, but his efforts were concentrated on Vanessa’s hooded pearl of pleasure. He teased it wickedly, easing it from beneath the hood of skin, then pressing it lightly between his lips. The glistening moisture on Vanessa’s inner lips, accompanied by her distant sighs of enjoyment, was encouragement enough for Russel to continue. He probed his tongue skilfully under the hood of flesh and pressed her clit between his tongue and top lip. His longing for her increased as he enjoyed the faint yet urgent throb of her desire in his mouth. Unwilling to rush things for her, he moved his mouth downwards and began to properly tongue her pussy.

Vanessa’s arousal was obvious from the wetness of her sex. His tongue slid easily inside her. Her pretty pink lips opened softly to accommodate him. The scent and taste of her desire was a heady musk that stiffened his erection furiously. With careful diligence, he lapped at Vanessa’s honey-scented secretions like a kitten sipping milk. He could have happily drunk from her all evening if she had not stopped him with soft words of encouragement and a condescending pat on the head.

‘Good boy,’ Vanessa told him, not bothering to mask the obvious enjoyment in her tone. ‘Now kiss my arsehole.’ She moved her pussy away from him and turned around, bending over so that he had unrestricted access.

Russel had marvelled at the beauty of Vanessa’s arse, which was normally encased in tight skirts, for the past week. Now, having the two perfect round orbs inches from his face, he felt incredulous at his own good fortune. He stroked the flesh lovingly with his hands before daring to nuzzle provocatively against the tightly puckered hole.

‘I said “kiss it”,’ Vanessa said, a note of impatience colouring her words. ‘Kiss it now, Russel, just as I asked you.’

Obediently, he complied. His tongue probed her anus boldly, just as it had licked inside her pussy. He heard Vanessa gasp breathlessly and, gratified by her enjoyment, continued to use his tongue. The fragrance of her scent still filled Russel’s nostrils and he inhaled deeply, enjoying the intoxicating aroma. His tongue was enjoying the subtle, sour-sweet taste of her anus. The muscles of her sphincter clenched tightly on him, as he slid his tongue deep inside her dark hole. Within minutes of beginning, he heard her gasping for him to stop.

Vanessa helped him from his knees. She guided Russel back to the chair he had been sitting in at the beginning of the interview. ‘There’s something I’d like to try with you that I think we might both get a lot of pleasure from,’ she whispered huskily, caressing the side of his face as she spoke.

‘That sounds all right to me,’ Russel said, so excited he would have happily committed himself to anything. ‘What do you want me to do?’ he asked eagerly.

Vanessa smiled quietly to herself. Her expression was that of a woman who thinks something is just too easy. She straddled the chair he sat on, resting her vagina against the hard bulge in Russel’s pants. Roughly, she pushed her hand inside his shirt and scratched her fingernails playfully over his nipples. Her nails produced a shiver of excitement from the youth beneath her. After taking her hand from his shirt she grabbed both his arms firmly and pushed them behind the chair. She moved her mouth close to Russel’s ear and whispered, ‘I want to tie your hands behind your back.’

Russel drew a heavy sigh. Before he had the chance to consider the implications of Vanessa’s words, he realised he was nodding his eager agreement.

‘I want to tie your hands behind your back, then use you as though you were my slave,’ she told him softly. ‘You like the sound of that, don’t you? I could tell by the way your cock twitched against my crotch when I suggested it.’

‘Yes!’ Russel gasped, almost delirious with anticipation. ‘Of course we can do that, if it’s what you want.’

Vanessa moved back a little, rubbing her cleft purposefully over his rock hard bulge as she spoke. ‘It’s what I want,’ she agreed. Continuing to ride herself along his confined cock, she added, ‘And I’m sure it’s what you want too.’

Not trusting himself to speak, Russel nodded his head eagerly in reply. He kept his arms behind him and allowed Vanessa to tie him with a pair of her stockings. She did this swiftly but with a skill that left him virtually immobile.

Standing in front of him, Vanessa smiled at her own handiwork and began to unfasten her blouse. She did not wear a bra and as soon as the blouse fell free from her body she stood naked before him. ‘Do you like what you see, Russel?’ she asked quietly.

He nodded quickly. She did not have the ultra-thin figure of a supermodel but he had always found those women to be androgynous and uninspiring. Vanessa was blessed with a slender figure, complemented by ample breasts and well-rounded hips. As she stood in front of him, allowing him to admire her nudity, Russel felt dizzy with anticipation.