The Bracelet Read online

  She wanted to ask him what he meant by women like her, but that would not be allowed while she was wearing the bracelet. If they ever went out as equals though, she would ask him.

  Once she was in position she pressed urgently down on the supine form beneath her. His penis was rubbing against her lower stomach, and when she pressed he caught his breath and moved slightly, clearly afraid that he’d climax straight away. The knowledge of the power she had over him increased Kristina’s excitement and she ground down harder, and was rewarded by tiny, satisfying tingles of growing pleasure. The tingles spread and she started to feel a heat between her thighs. At the same time her breasts were rubbing against Sam’s chest and they too tingled and swelled with arousal.

  ‘That’s enough,’ said Tarquin quickly. ‘Lydia’s here now. She’s going to spread your legs wider so that I can touch you from behind. You must keep facing Sam, don’t look round at all.’

  Kristina felt a slim hand grip her right ankle and then her right leg was being pulled out as far as it could go. ‘Now lift your hips,’ murmured Tarquin. ‘Open yourself to me.’ She raised her buttocks and her breasts squashed down against Sam’s nipples, which made his penis move against her hip as he started to thrust upwards.

  ‘Please don’t move, Sam,’ said Tarquin in a slightly bored voice. ‘You’ll only make it more difficult for me.’

  Now that she was fully open to him, Tarquin reached beneath Kristina and very gently started to pull on her curly pubic hair. He used both hands and worked his way up towards her pubic bone, teasing at each side of the labia. The result was a delicious pricking sensation that travelled directly from where he was working to her clitoris, causing the tiny bud to swell until she could feel it stiffening. He refused to hurry, and each time he reached her pubic mound he would return to the far end of her sex lips and begin again until she was frantic for him to pleasure her further.

  Eventually his fingers left the sensitive pubic hair and instead began to gently pull on both the sex lips at the same time, pulling and releasing in a steady rhythm that caused her to squirm and try to press down on Sam’s body.

  ‘Keep yourself raised up,’ said Tarquin brusquely. ‘Lydia, push her knee in a little, that should help her stay higher.’ Lydia stroked the soft skin of Kristina’s calf muscle for a moment and then pushed the leg in. She envied the dark-haired young woman this prolonged pleasuring that she herself had sometimes experienced from her employer.

  After he’d worked steadily on the sex lips, Kristina’s body felt ready to burst and she was gasping and moaning as her excitement mounted but failed to reach its peak. ‘Turn over,’ whispered Tarquin. ‘I want to work on the front of you now. Sam can easily take your full weight, can’t you Sam?’ He seemed to take the strangled sound that Sam uttered as assent and, helped by Lydia, Kristina was turned and then her legs were again spread, but this time Sam spread his legs as well and she felt his erection nudging between the cheeks of her bottom.

  ‘Bring me the warmed oil,’ said Tarquin to Lydia. Kristina’s breathing grew even more ragged as the ache inside her deepened. She looked longingly up at Tarquin, into the dark, enigmatic face that even now, when he was giving her such exquisite pleasure, showed nothing of his own feelings.

  When Lydia returned he flexed the fingers of his left hand until they were pointing down just above Kristina’s clitoris and then, as Lydia carefully prised open Kristina’s sex lips, he poured the warmed oil over his own fingers so that it slowly seeped through them and ran down over Kristina’s entire vulva.

  The warm flooding sensation was like nothing she could ever have imagined. It felt as though it was actually filling her, flooding her internally with the strange heat, and the full, hot feeling was so intense that for a second she was afraid.

  ‘Just wait a little longer,’ he whispered reassuringly, gazing into her frantic eyes. ‘Relax, enjoy the feeling. Give yourself over to it.’

  Kristina discovered that she had no choice. As the oil seeped into every crevice, so her nerve endings were suffused with heat and seemed to shed a layer of protection so that everything she was experiencing was more intense than ever.

  ‘Spread her legs still wider,’ Tarquin ordered Lydia.

  ‘I can’t bear it,’ groaned Kristina. ‘The feelings are too much.’

  ‘In a moment you’ll come,’ he promised her, and she felt Sam’s hips jerk at the other man’s words as his penis rubbed between her buttocks. She knew from Sam’s breathing and the tension of his body beneath her back that he too was very near, but she didn’t care about him. All she cared about was herself, the increasing need of her own wanton body.

  At last Tarquin allowed a finger to slide up her oiled channel and then to Kristina’s almost hysterical relief, he was circling the head of her clitoris at an even pace. After about a dozen circling movements he reversed the action, circling the other way as Kristina’s body drew in on itself in preparation for the climax that was approaching.

  Kristina was groaning now, thrusting her hips upwards, virtually out of her mind with the frantic need for satisfaction. She heard Tarquin laugh gently, and then his finger stroked the side of her throbbing clitoris, moving lightly up and down, and this movement was the one that finally allowed her release from the delicious torture of the past half hour.

  She felt the pulse behind her clitoris increase in intensity; there was a drumming in her ears, her face grew hot and then with a scream of relief she felt her body tighten yet more and finally shatter as the warmth flooded through every particle of her flesh and she writhed helplessly in the throes of the blissful muscular contractions that went on and on.

  It was only when she was still that she realised that Sam had climaxed between the cheeks of her bottom, and that her continued thrashing on his lower body had been causing him some discomfort, but Tarquin was in no hurry to release the pinioned man and gently stroked Kristina’s face for a moment.

  ‘Was that good?’ he asked.

  ‘Better than ever,’ she gasped breathlessly.

  ‘Then I think it’s my turn,’ he muttered.

  Kristina heard a faint sound of protest from the man beneath her, but Tarquin ignored it and the next thing she knew he was lying on top of both of them, his massive penis sliding easily inside her thanks to the oil he’d poured on earlier.

  He took his weight on his hands and thrust in and out, slowly at first but then faster, and as his eyes grew hooded and the sinews of his neck tightened she knew that she was about to come again, and she cried out with delight as another climax swept over her, less intense but wonderfully warm and relaxing, and at last the ache deep inside her was stilled.

  Once again Tarquin removed himself from her within a few seconds of his own climax, but this time he did hold out a hand and pull a dazed Kristina to her feet. Just for a moment he held her naked body against his, and then he moved her to one side and looked down at Sam.

  ‘I trust you enjoyed the experience as well?’ he asked politely.

  Kristina looked at the publisher and was surprised to realise that he didn’t want to look at anyone in the room. He muttered a reply that could have been yes, then got off the bed and started to dress.

  Kristina looked at Tarquin, and to her joy he smiled at her. ‘A wonderful end to the evening,’ he said, his voice more affectionate than she’d ever heard it. ‘You were better than I dared to hope. I’ll leave you to get dressed, and Lydia will call you a taxi when you’re ready, as usual. At least now you’ve proved your friend wrong.’

  Yes! thought Kristina triumphantly. She’d managed to enjoy herself despite Jackie’s efforts to spoil the evening, and now Tarquin seemed keener on her than before. At that moment her life looked very good.

  The next morning, life didn’t look quite so rosy. Kristina hadn’t got to bed until three and even then had slept fitfully, her mind and body still tuned to a high pitch that refused to allow her much rest. When she went into her office at nine a.m. she hoped that this wasn�
�t going to be a difficult day, but Sue stopped her before she could reach the sanctuary of her own room.

  ‘Kristina, I’ve had Sam Martin of Stoddart-Wades on the phone twice already. The second time he said he was about to go into a meeting, but would you ring someone called Estelle as she knew what it was all about. It sounded urgent.’

  ‘Yes, I expect it did,’ said Kristina with a sinking heart. She’d wondered when she’d hear from Sam, but nine o’clock this morning was far quicker than even she’d anticipated.

  ‘Lucretia’s been on as well. It seems that her royalty cheque doesn’t tie in with the statements Alice sent her and she’s got some queries she’d like to go through with you.’

  ‘Can’t she go through them with Alice?’ asked Kristina.

  Sue looked surprised. ‘Well, she could, but you always like to deal with Lucretia yourself.’

  Kristina nodded. ‘Sorry, you’re right. Give her a ring and say it will probably be this afternoon but I’ll definitely get back to her, okay?’

  Sue nodded. ‘I’ve also got a message from Tom. He met with his new editor yesterday and isn’t happy. Apparently the woman seemed more interested in the plight of the rainforest than the people of the village. He says he’d like you to speak to her.’

  ‘What’s the matter with people this morning!’ exclaimed Kristina. ‘Do I have to deal with every detail myself? The next thing you know they’ll be asking me to write their damned books.’

  ‘But this is the way you like to operate,’ pointed out Sue. ‘It’s what makes you so successful, the personal touch that the large agencies can’t supply. If you lose that you won’t have much of an advantage over everyone else.’

  Kristina scowled at her assistant. ‘Are you saying I’m not doing my job properly?’

  ‘Of course not; I’m only reminding you why you’re so successful. Aren’t you feeling well? You look a bit tired.’

  ‘I’m fine, although I did have trouble sleeping,’ admitted Kristina, wishing she could snap back into her business persona more smartly.

  ‘Missing Ben?’ Sue’s voice was sympathetic.

  ‘No, I am not missing Ben. Not having Ben around is possibly the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time,’ retorted Kristina. ‘I’ve got to call Jackie, then you’d better ring Estelle for me.’

  Sue nodded. ‘Right. Remember you’re lunching with Greta, our Dutch agent, that’s one o’clock at Franco’s.’

  ‘Am I? Better check out exactly how many books she’s sold for us over the past two years, then. If it’s as few as I think this is the last free lunch she’s getting. Next time I’m at Frankfurt I must look for a different representative for her area.’

  ‘I’ll get the sales figures for you,’ promised Sue, and at last Kristina was free to go into her office and shut the door on the sound of clattering keyboards. She sank down into her chair, rested her elbows on the desk and put her chin in her hands. It was proving more and more difficult to get involved in her work after sessions with the bracelet, and this worried her. Reluctantly she picked up the phone. Jackie sounded surprised to hear from her friend, surprised and a little defensive. ‘Hi, I thought we weren’t meeting up until next week. Is there a problem?’ she asked.

  ‘What kind of a problem could there be?’ demanded Kristina. ‘Surely I’ve rung you before without something being wrong?’

  ‘Naturally, only I happen to be busy, so if it isn’t important …’

  ‘What are you doing? Another interview with a psychologist?’

  There was a long silence. ‘You’ve seen him, then?’ asked Jackie.

  ‘If by “him” you mean Dr Tarquin Rashid, yes I have seen him. I saw him last night. He arranged a very special evening for me, a bracelet evening naturally, and tried to make it one of the most memorable yet by acting on a suggestion that you’d “accidentally” let drop during your discussion on female friendships.’

  ‘It was the merest hint of a suggestion,’ said Jackie defensively. ‘I didn’t know if he’d pick up on it or not, especially as I didn’t let on that I belonged to the society, or that I knew you did and were seeing him. He could easily have ignored it all.’

  ‘He’s a psychologist, and, I understand, a good one. He was bound to pick up on anything, as you well know.’

  ‘So what?’ demanded Jackie, switching abruptly from defence to attack. ‘You made love to Laurence without even the excuse of the bracelet. Did you really think I’d sit back and take that? That I’d be quite happy for you to continue your wonderful relationship with Tarquin and screw around with Laurence too?’

  ‘I didn’t mean Laurence to tell you; I’ve already explained that it just happened. It wasn’t pre-planned, not like your little scheme.’

  ‘Well, what did you do?’ demanded Jackie with interest. ‘Did you take off the bracelet?’

  ‘No,’ said Kristina, unable to hide the satisfaction she was feeling. ‘I kept it on, did everything he asked and had a night that I’ll never forget. All in all, you did me a favour. That’s really why I’m ringing.’

  ‘Meaning what?’ asked Jackie, suddenly subdued.

  ‘I thought I ought to thank you for helping me learn something new about myself. Now I know that it’s sometimes best to throw aside old prejudices. If you don’t try things how can you know if you like them or not?’

  ‘You’ll see Tarquin again, then?’

  Kristina laughed. ‘He was more eager for our next meeting than I’ve ever known him. Look, Jackie, can we let it go now? Forget what’s happened and carry on the way we used to?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ replied her friend. ‘I will say this though; you weren’t exaggerating Tarquin Rashid’s charms, I fancied him myself. With any luck he might go through the computer again some time and see me there. We got on very well.’

  ‘Good; I hope he interviewed well?’

  ‘As a matter of fact he did. I tried to interest him in a regular piece but he said he was too busy. Perhaps he’d like to write a book, then you could represent him and Laurence,’ she added tartly.

  Kristina sighed. ‘I am not representing Laurence, Jackie.’

  ‘According to him you are, and according to his would-be publisher. Strange that you’re the only one who doesn’t know! Sorry, I have to go now. I’ll call you some time.’

  The line went dead and Kristina felt a pang of loss. She and Jackie had been close for so many years that even a temporary hiccup in their relationship was difficult to take, and she had a nasty feeling that if they weren’t both careful it would be more than temporary.

  Before she had time to think about it further her phone buzzed. ‘I’ve got Estelle from Stoddart-Wades on the line for you, Kristina,’ said Sue.

  Kristina tensed. ‘Put her on,’ she said.

  ‘Kristina? You’re in at last. Sam told me he’d been ringing you ever since he arrived at the office. Long night was it?’ asked Estelle, her voice amused.

  ‘I don’t start work until nine, however long or short my night’s been,’ replied Kristina calmly. ‘What can I do for you?’

  ‘It’s not really for me, it’s for your author, the divine Laurence van Kitson. Sam’s very interested in his book and wants to make an offer for it.’

  ‘Laurence will be delighted, but I’m afraid I’m not his agent,’ retorted Kristina. ‘He did come to me with the idea and I thought it a good one. The problem was, I didn’t think he and I would work well together. I suggested he tried a couple of other very good agents.’

  ‘He did, and he preferred you!’ laughed Estelle. ‘You know, Kristina, Sam is going to make an extremely generous offer for this book. You’d be rather foolish to turn it down. After all, your reputation’s been built on deals like this.’

  ‘What does it matter to you who his agent is?’ queried Kristina. ‘You’d be much better off if he didn’t have an agent at all.’

  Estelle made a sound of mock-indignation. ‘I hope you’re not suggesting we’d cheat an author who didn�
��t have an agent? That isn’t the policy here at Stoddart-Wades. We think of every author as a friend.’

  ‘Only while they’re making you a lot of money. I’m sorry Estelle but I’ll have to pass on this one.’

  ‘Sam will be very disappointed,’ said Estelle smoothly. ‘He was most impressed with you last night. Said he’d never seen a girl with such a head for business!’ She laughed and Kristina gripped the receiver tightly.

  ‘Sam will get over it,’ she muttered.

  ‘I’m not sure he will. Well, yes he’ll get over it but he can be pretty ruthless when he doesn’t get what he wants and there’s always the possibility that he might shall we say “talk” about you if you don’t prove to be part of the package.’

  ‘Talk about me?’ snapped Kristina. ‘He’s in no position to talk about anyone.’

  ‘Perhaps “position” isn’t the best word under the circumstances,’ suggested Estelle. ‘There’s no need to be coy, I know all about it. Sam can’t keep anything to himself. That was one of the reasons I suggested him for your little threesome last night. To be honest, I’m surprised you took the risk of going ahead with it. Mixing business with pleasure isn’t wise, is it?’

  ‘I thought he was your idea,’ said Kristina. ‘I admit I hesitated, but in the end I decided he had as much to lose as I had by talking out of turn.’

  ‘Not quite as much. In the first place, he’s a man. They’re expected to enjoy sexual excesses, women aren’t, even in these liberated times. In the second place, he doesn’t belong to the society. That means he isn’t bound by the society’s rule of secrecy.’

  ‘Yes he is. You told me that anyone who takes part in an evening’s pleasure has to keep silent.’

  ‘No, I said that it was more than my life was worth to talk about it because of offending Tarquin. Sam isn’t bothered about offending Tarquin, all he’s bothered about is seeing you again.’

  Kristina’s mind raced. ‘But I was told that sessions with the bracelet were totally safe. That there was no risk of anyone ever using it against you in your other life.’