The Bracelet Read online

  Estelle watched her go and her eyes were thoughtful. Until now she’d enjoyed all the games that had gone on at the house in St John’s Wood since Tarquin joined the society, but she wasn’t quite so sure about this young woman. Then she thought of some of the things that lay ahead of Kristina and shrugged her worries aside. They all took the bracelet off at some point, and Kristina – although intelligent and sensuous – would be no different in the end.

  Kristina arrived back home and found that Ben had waited up for her. ‘Get any good deals done?’ he asked.

  ‘She’s going to try and sell three books for me that I haven’t given to my usual agent in the States. I hope she comes up trumps but I’ll have to see,’ said Kristina.

  ‘Well, you look pretty cheerful anyway. I haven’t seen you with such good colour since we went to Greece for those two weeks last year.’

  ‘Must be the wine!’ laughed Kristina as she fled to the bathroom to shower off all traces of her evening with Tarquin.

  To her horror, Ben was obviously feeling amorous when she returned to the bedroom and the moment she got into bed he curled himself round her back and his hands started fondling her breasts through her nightdress. She remembered the way Tarquin had oiled them, and the teasing caress of his thumbs as they stroked the sensitive undersides of each globe. Ben’s squeezing seemed so heavy-handed in comparison that she knew she couldn’t stand it.

  ‘Leave me alone,’ she said wearily. ‘I’m tired.’

  ‘I’m not,’ he retorted and she felt his erection nudging against her buttocks.

  ‘Ben, please, I’m not in the mood,’ she murmured.

  He laughed. ‘You’re always in the mood if you try. Come on, Kristina, it’s been ages.’

  ‘It has not!’

  His hands were inside her nightdress now, rubbing her legs and insinuating their way higher towards her pubic mound, which still felt heavy and slightly sore from Tarquin’s enthusiastic love-making.

  ‘I really don’t want this!’ she protested.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ he teased. ‘Don’t I turn you on any more?’

  She thought of Tarquin, of his tall, muscular body with the smooth golden-brown skin and his large black eyes shining with intelligence as he studied her body. Without thinking she wrenched herself away from Ben’s all too familiar advances. ‘No, you don’t!’ she snapped.

  There was a moment of complete silence. Ben immediately left her alone and turned away from her.

  ‘Look, I’m sorry,’ she murmured, ‘but I hate being pressured. You know that, and it isn’t like you.’

  ‘If you weren’t so wrapped up in your bloody career,’ he said angrily, ‘I’d think you’d found yourself another man, but you’re more likely to be in love with a book.’

  For a moment she felt guilty, but then he turned and held her from behind again and she felt her body tense. ‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered. ‘I’m just being selfish. I know how hard you work, it was really unfair of me.’

  Instead of feeling even more guilty, or realising how lucky she was to have such an understanding man, Kristina was appalled to discover that her first reaction was one of contempt. Never in a hundred years, would Tarquin say such a thing, she thought, before checking herself.

  She didn’t know the real Tarquin, she said sternly to herself. He too might behave like Ben in real life. The only Tarquin she knew was the one who belonged to the society and was her master while she wore the bracelet. It was dangerous to confuse the fiction of that man, the man who made her body tingle even at the memory of him, with the real Tarquin. After all, she, Kristina, didn’t normally behave the way she did in Tarquin’s presence and neither would she want to all the time.

  The problem was, she was enjoying it far more than she’d expected, and rather than enhancing her real life, her two nocturnal visits to St John’s Wood had made her less contented with it.

  Kristina fell asleep daydreaming about what might happen the next time she and Tarquin met.

  Chapter Five

  HAS LAURENCE EVER let people watch when you and he are together?’ Kristina asked Jackie the following Friday lunchtime as they nibbled on their barbecued spare ribs at Jackie’s favourite Chinese restaurant in Queensway.

  Jackie dipped her fingers in the fingerbowl and then wiped them on her large white napkin. ‘I don’t really think I want to discuss that. Why?’

  Kristina shrugged. ‘It’s only that I thought if it did happen, to you or to me, then it might be a bit of a security risk.’

  ‘Of course it wouldn’t! Anyone who takes part in anything connected with sessions arranged through the society is bound by their rules. Everyone knows that. Didn’t you get a list of the official rules and regulations when you were accepted?’

  Kristina shook her head. ‘No, I never heard anything official. It was all done over the phone.’

  ‘Well, I can let you see mine if it will make you feel better. Do you want any of those pancakes? If not I’ll eat them!’

  ‘Go ahead, I’m not very hungry today.’

  Jackie grinned. ‘Worn out by the incredible Tarquin?’

  ‘I was, but I haven’t seen him for three days. No, I’m worn out coping with work. For some strange reason it doesn’t give me the same buzz it used to. I pulled off a really good deal today. One of the major publishing houses bought a book I’ve been trying to sell for two years, and they’re going to give it a big push. I should feel as though I’m walking on air, but instead I feel sort of flat. When I got the offer I put the phone down and thought, so what? I mean, that’s crazy!’

  ‘I did warn you,’ Jackie reminded her. ‘Real life isn’t quite so exciting once you’ve got the thrill of your secret life.’

  ‘Then there’s Ben,’ went on Kristina. ‘Obviously things weren’t brilliant between us before, but now I can’t stand having him around me.’

  ‘Then ask him to leave. I got rid of William pretty sharply, I can tell you, and I’ve never regretted it. We only live once and we’re a long time dead if you want some clichés to back me up!’

  ‘But he hasn’t done anything wrong.’

  ‘No,’ said Jackie with a laugh. ‘Neither is he Mr Right, so ditch him.’

  ‘But Tarquin isn’t Mr Right. I’ve no idea what he’s like really, and it’s never going to be any more than it is now so …’

  ‘So what?’ demanded Jackie. ‘You don’t want him living with you do you? You wouldn’t want to see his dirty socks or find yourselves watching TV together! For heaven’s sake Kristina, this is the whole point of the society. You get what you want, what you need and you don’t have any of the boring parts of a relationship.’

  ‘It’s only that sometimes I wish I could get to know him better. To ask him about himself, talk for a while, or possibly suggest some things I’d like to do to him!’

  ‘I expect he’ll take you out one evening when you’re not wearing the bracelet. Talk to him then. That’s what Laurence and I used to do. We don’t any more because we both enjoy it more when I’m wearing the bracelet.’

  Kristina sighed. ‘I’m not sure Tarquin’s the kind of man who actually wants to know me without the bracelet on. He’s got a permanent mistress who presumably supplies the mental as well as physical stimulation that a proper relationship needs.’

  ‘Look,’ said Jackie seriously. ‘The whole point of this is that it’s an improper relationship! You’ve only seen the man twice, believe me he’s bound to have a lot of surprises in store for you yet. Don’t start getting intense about the mental side of things, make the most of the physical.’

  ‘But he’s such a fascinating person. It’s the way he looks at me, as though he’s trying to work out exactly what makes me tick. And last time, when we’d finished, he really smiled at me as though I meant something to him.’

  ‘He’s a psychologist isn’t he? Perhaps he’s going to write a paper on you! The trouble is, Kristina, you’re trying to justify overwhelming lust but you don’t have to justi
fy it, all you have to do is enjoy it.’

  ‘So, you aren’t interested in Laurence except for sex, is that what you’re saying?’ asked Kristina.

  Jackie dropped her eyes. ‘No, what I’m doing is trying to stop you from making the same mistake as me. I’m crazy about the man, sometimes we do things that frighten me, they’re so way out but I can’t stop because I have this terrible need to keep him happy. Me, the woman who advises other women to leave their control-freak partners and get themselves a life!’

  ‘Who needs to get a life?’ asked a male voice, and both women turned their heads as Laurence appeared from the far corner of the room.

  Jackie looked at him in surprise. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘The same as you, eating a very nice Chinese meal. You mentioned it the other night and I thought I’d give it a try. Hello, Kristina, you’re looking very well,’ he added.

  Kristina looked thoughtfully at him, mentally comparing him with Tarquin. They couldn’t have been more dissimilar. Where Tarquin was dark and muscular Laurence was fair and angular, and where Tarquin’s eyes would change and soften Laurence’s pale blue ones were like splinters of ice. She could well imagine that he liked very dangerous sex games, but as he ran his fingers through Jackie’s hair Kristina understood why her friend was obsessed with him. Like Tarquin he was a one-off and she wondered what it would be like to spend just one evening with him.

  Laurence looked pointedly at Kristina’s wrists. ‘Short on jewellery today?’ he queried.

  ‘I never wear much for work. I don’t want my clients or the publishers to think I’m doing too well,’ she replied smoothly.

  ‘Quite, but at night the bangles and necklaces come out in full I hear.’

  ‘Yes, they do.’

  ‘You and your … friend must meet up with us some time,’ he suggested, and Kristina was surprised to hear a muted sound of protest from Jackie.

  ‘Perhaps we will,’ she said levelly. ‘At the moment though we don’t go out.’

  He smiled thinly. ‘Early days! I find that going out adds a certain something to it all, isn’t that right, Jacqueline?’

  ‘Yes,’ she agreed brightly. ‘But I’m not sure we’d be the right companions for them.’

  ‘I’d like to find out,’ murmured Laurence. ‘Anyway, I can’t stop. Yet another important meeting. You both know what it’s like I’m sure, being such successful ladies in your own right.’

  Kristina watched him go and didn’t know whether she loathed him or found him intriguing.

  ‘He’s mine,’ said Jackie softly. ‘Don’t get involved. You’re happy with Tarquin; Laurence would spoil that for you. He likes spoiling things.’

  ‘He isn’t yours, he’s a member of the society, the same as Tarquin, but I wouldn’t dream of getting involved. He isn’t my type at all,’ said Kristina, secretly shocked by the expression on her friend’s face.

  ‘Good,’ said Jackie, getting briskly to her feet. ‘Time for me to go I think. I’ll pay on my way out. This one’s on me.’

  ‘But we haven’t had coffee!’ exclaimed Kristina.

  ‘Sorry, no time. Call me when you’ve had your next visit.’

  Kristina realised that Jackie was hoping to catch up with Laurence, although why she needed to talk to him in the middle of the day she couldn’t imagine. So this is what she meant about people getting too involved, she thought with a wry smile. Jackie was clearly besotted, and not at all anxious to let Kristina learn anything intimate about Laurence at first hand.

  When Kristina got back to the office there was a scribbled note on her desk from Sue.

  Someone called Tarquin rang, he said you had a meeting at four. It isn’t in the diary but he rang off before I could tell him. I’m at the dentist. Hope you can sort it all out without upsetting anyone.

  Kristina glanced at her watch. It was five to three, which gave her very little time indeed to deal with her work and get to St John’s Wood, but she had no intention of missing the appointment.

  She arrived at Tarquin’s house with two minutes to spare; hot, out of breath and guilty because of all the work she’d left on her desk, but still trembling with urgent desire.

  Tarquin himself opened the door to her. This time he was wearing a dark grey suit with a grey and white striped shirt and a dark red tie. He looked immaculate and so desirable that her mouth immediately went dry.

  ‘I’m glad you got my message,’ he said softly, taking her bag and jacket. ‘I have something rather special laid on for this afternoon. There’s no one in the house but us, so you’ll be able to make as much noise as you like.’

  She frowned, uncertain what he meant, but when he held out the bracelet she didn’t hesitate for a moment and the second it was on her wrist she felt her body stir in anticipation of whatever delights he had in store for her.

  This time they only went up one flight of stairs and into a large but almost empty room with heavy drapes across the windows. There was concealed lighting round the walls with one spotlight that centred on the middle of the room. Kristina gazed at what the spotlight revealed and was ashamed to find that she was becoming damp between her thighs.

  Tarquin’s eyes followed her gaze. ‘I know the beam’s a little high, but as long as you stand on a footstool you’ll be perfectly comfortable. I think that today, I shall undress you. I have to say, Kristina, that this is something I’ve been anticipating with a great deal of pleasure.’

  Jackie’s words at lunchtime rang through her head. ‘Believe me,’ she’d said, ‘he’s bound to have a lot of surprises in store for you yet.’ Well, she’d been right, now all Kristina needed was the courage to follow them through.

  ‘Time to start,’ said Tarquin, his voice soft, and very gently he began to unbutton her blouse.

  This time he seemed to want her undressed quickly, and although he didn’t hurry neither did he prolong the removal of each garment. However, he took care to allow his hands to caress her taut flesh at every opportunity, and when he unhooked her bra he once more kissed a trail down the length of her spine in a gesture that Kristina was beginning to recognise as his trademark, the preliminary to their times together.

  As soon as she was naked he removed his own clothes and then stood in front of her. This time he looked directly into her eyes as he spoke. ‘Hold out your hands, I want to cuff your wrists.’ Although his tone was still quiet and his expression calm, there was a questioning look in his eyes and Kristina knew without doubt that this was the moment when some of his other women had chosen to remove their bracelets.

  For her though it was probably the most exciting moment of their meetings so far. This was something she and Ben had never indulged in; she’d always said that any kind of bondage was demeaning, but now she was on the brink of a climax at the mere thought of it and without a word she extended her hands.

  The cuffs were real leather, thick and adjustable so that he was able to fasten them firmly around her slender wrists. A small chain ran between them, and as he led her across the room towards the beam she saw that the loop hanging from the rope in the middle of the beam had a clip on the end of it. A clip that would undoubtedly fasten on to the chain between her wrists.

  Without another word Tarquin fetched a padded footstool from the side of the room. Putting his hands on either side of her waist he lifted her easily up on to it. ‘Lift your hands above your head,’ he whispered. ‘I’m going to fasten you to the loop now, and then your eyes will be covered by a blindfold. Remember, if you wish to remove the bracelet, tell me.’

  Kristina nodded her understanding and then obeyed. He stood behind her as he clicked the loop on to the wrist chain and now she was standing with her arms fully extended upwards and very slightly back, with her spine curved in and her breasts pushed forward. She was so stimulated by what was happening that her nipples were stiff and there was a strange tingling sensation in her belly that she’d never felt before.

  Still behind her, Tarquin ran a hand down the c
urve of her back. ‘You look wonderful,’ he said softly. ‘I wish that I could take a picture, but the rules don’t allow it. Now for the blindfold.’

  The mask that covered her eyes was made of soft, thick velvet and no chink of light penetrated the fabric. It felt extraordinary to be standing balanced on a stool, naked except for cuffs and a blindfold and totally at the mercy of a virtual stranger, extraordinary and incredibly arousing. Kristina knew that the moment he touched her anywhere intimate she’d come as she’d never come before.

  She didn’t hear him move round to the front of her, and so the first caress across her breasts came as a total shock. It wasn’t just the caress, it was the way she was touched. Tarquin wasn’t using his hands, instead it felt like some kind of heavy fabric that was being drawn slowly across the surface of each of her breasts in turn. She sighed as she felt her breast tissue swelling, and then suddenly the caress changed and she was struck lightly just below the rounded mounds.

  It didn’t hurt, but it startled her and she wasn’t certain that she liked the feeling, but before she could say anything a slightly heavier blow fell, right across her erect nipples. This time there was no room for doubt in her mind because the searing pleasure streaked downwards towards her navel and she shuddered with the thrill.

  ‘It’s a latex pleasure whip,’ said Tarquin. ‘Many women find it delightful, but naturally it isn’t to everyone’s taste.’

  ‘I like it,’ she whispered.

  For a brief moment she felt one of his hands between her thighs. ‘So you do,’ he said, his voice amused. ‘Then this will definitely be a very agreeable afternoon for us both.’

  He trailed the whip down across her belly, drew it across the front of her thighs, and then walked behind her and struck her more firmly across the cheeks of her bottom. For a moment she experienced a burning sensation, but that was immediately blotted out by the feeling of his lips pressing against the mark and he licked along the line with such delicacy that once more she began to tremble and she felt the first tiny pulse beats behind her clitoris. Tarquin saw her start to rise up on her toes and knew that she was very near a climax, which wasn’t his intention at this stage, so he stopped and put the pleasure whip to one side.