by T. G. Haynes
In a gesture that harked back to her childhood, Kate found herself biting her fingernails. ‘Look, I’m not sure about this. Maybe I could come back another time.’
Richard took her by the hand and did his best to re-assure her. ‘Try not to worry. It’s perfectly natural to feel nervous before your first trip. Tell you what, how about I come with you, as a kind of tour guide.’
‘Can you do that?’
‘No problem. If you just lie down on this table here,’ Richard patted the couch nearest to them; Kate obligingly hopped on it. He then withdrew a small silver case from his right jacket pocket and opened it. The case was crammed full of small blue tablets. ‘Now, if you simply swallow one of these, I’ll see you in your dreams.’
Taking a deep breath, Kate withdrew one of the tablets and popped it into her mouth. For the best part of a minute nothing happened.
‘Maybe I’m immune or something,’ she said.
‘Don’t worry,’ he told her. ‘It’s probably taking a bit longer than normal because you’re nervous. When you are, your body produces chemicals that...’
He broke off. There was no point continuing because Kate was fast asleep.
Kate’s eyes snapped open. She found herself standing in a dry, barren landscape. It wasn’t quite desert - there were small scrub bushes dotted around - but not too much else, other than a rather plain green door about ten yards to her right. The door looked surreally out of place given the surroundings.
‘Hello,’ Kate called out. When there was no reply she tried again, a bit louder this time. ‘Hello, is there anybody there?’
She wondered if something had gone wrong. She scanned the horizon in all directions but, other than the door, there was nothing for miles around. Tentatively she approached the door and knocked. As there was no reply she reached for the handle.
‘Don’t worry, you’ll soon get the hang of it.’
Kate twirled around to find Richard standing behind her. He closed a red door he had just stepped through. Clicking his fingers the door vanished instantly.
‘What’s with all the doors?’ she asked.
‘There are three types,’ he explained. ‘The green ones are for a major shift in time and place, the blue ones are to wake up, whereas the red ones are staff only. You must never go through one of them.’
Glancing around Kate asked the other obvious question. ‘Where are we?’
Richard snapped his fingers once more. Nothing happened. ‘Sorry, I’m going to need your help here. After all, it’s your dream, you’re the one in control.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Would you mind thinking about that questionnaire I asked you to fill in,’ he said.
No sooner had the words left his mouth Kate envisioned the electronic pad. Almost instantly it appeared in his hands.
‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘Now, let’s take a look. Ah yes, here we are. Travel. The questionnaire asked where would you most like to visit in the world, and you answered...?’
‘Australia,’ she said.
‘Ta-da.’ Richard spread his arms and indicated the landscape around them.
‘This is Australia?’
‘Part of it.’
‘Which part?’ she asked.
He squatted down, picked up a handful of red soil, lifted it to his nose and sniffed. ‘Well, if I had to take a guess, I’d say... the middle bit.’
Kate folded her arms. ‘Very funny, Crocodile Dundee.’
‘Sorry, I couldn’t resist.’
‘At the risk of doubting the brilliance of your invention, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I agreed to take a trip.’
‘I hate to contradict you, Miss Phillips,’ he said. ‘But I’m afraid it must have been.’
‘So this my fault?’
‘Kind of.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You need to be more specific,’ he said. ‘Now, I’m only guessing here, but when you thought about Australia, I bet that you pictured the country as a whole, in a kind of vague manner.’
‘So?’
‘You need to hone your thought processes and think of exactly whereabouts it is that you wish to visit.’
‘Sydney,’ she said.
‘Go for it,’ he replied.
With that, Kate shut her eyes, counted to ten, then re-opened them. Much to her disappointment, nothing had changed. Well, apart from the fact that Richard was now standing next to the green door. With an over elaborate bow he invited her to step through.
Though Kate was slowly starting to lose patience with the situation, having come that far she decided to give it one more try, so she grasped the handle of the door, turned and pushed.
Kate gasped. The sight that greeted her took her breath away. She walked through the door and found herself at the foot of the steps of Sydney Opera house. The magnificent harbour bridge looked resplendent in the background. She then turned and looked at the Australian outback through the open green door, just as Richard stepped through and joined her.
‘Welcome to Sydney,’ he said.
Kate could hardly believe her eyes. ‘That’s incredible.’
‘It gets better,’ he promised.
‘How?’
‘Well, although that’s a marked improvement, you’re still thinking in terms of reality. For instance, I bet that if you were to catch a flight to Sydney tomorrow, I reckon this is pretty much how it would look.’
‘What’s wrong with that?’ she said.
‘Nothing, except I still don’t think you fully understand that the boundaries of dream travel are limitless.’
‘Meaning?’
‘You can always improve on reality.’
‘For example?’
Richard stroked his chin. ‘Would you like to stay the night?’
‘I don’t have enough time. Sylvia and I have only booked a two hour appointment.’
‘Ah, but time is flexible here. You can create time, play around with it. If you’d like to stay for the evening all you have to do is imagine time slowing down and if you focus on that thought hard enough, dream time should obey you.’
Kate concentrated her mind upon her watch, then glanced down at it. Sure enough, the second hand had slowed so much it hardly moved at all.
‘Now, how about a nice five star hotel?’ he suggested.
‘Right here?’
‘If you wish.’
Kate closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Upon opening them, she discovered a sumptuous hotel had sprung up not more than twenty yards away. She clapped her hands excitedly. ‘Can we go inside?’
‘Why not. I’m guessing you’ve already reserved the penthouse suite.’
Kate closed her eyes again. ‘I have now.’
Upon opening them, she found herself standing on the balcony of the penthouse overlooking Darling harbour. Night had fallen and both the opera house and the bridge were illuminated. Something popped behind her. Kate turned to find Richard had just opened a bottle of champagne. He poured two flutes and offered one to her. She murmured her thanks as he proposed a toast.
‘Here’s to you and that wonderful imagination of yours.’ As they drank, Richard consulted the electronic pad once more. ‘Now, how about a little company.’
No soon had he uttered the words another thought popped into Kate’s head, a much naughtier one this time. There was a knock at the door. Richard went over and opened it. An athletic young blonde woman stood there wearing a skimpy black and white French maid’s outfit that wouldn’t have looked out of place in an adult movie. Richard invited the maid in, but couldn’t help raising an inquisitive eyebrow. Kate blushed, guiltily, realising it was her sub-conscious that had summoned the girl into existence.
‘Is there anyth
ing I can get you, madam?’ the maid asked.
‘No thank you,’ Kate stammered.
The maid was just about to leave when Richard clicked his fingers. Both time and the girl stood still.
‘Don’t be embarrassed,’ he said to Kate.
‘I’m not a lesbian,’ she blurted out, defensively.
‘For starters,’ Richard said. ‘So what if you are? Besides, even if your tastes are straight, there’s nothing wrong with wishing to explore another side of your sexuality.’
‘I’m slightly curious, that’s all,’ Kate mumbled.
‘Sorry, I’m being incredibly rude aren’t I?’ he said, smacking the heel of his right hand against his forehead. ‘I’ll get out of here and leave you girls to it.’
‘No,’ Kate said, grabbing him by the arm. Barely realising what she was doing, she pulled him over towards the bed. The pair of them sat down on the edge of it and looked up at the motionless maid. Only now did Kate take the time to examine her properly. The maid was quite tall, had rather a sporty build and was incredibly good looking. Kate silently complimented her imagination on conjuring up such a beautiful creature. Growing marginally more confident, Kate rose from the bed in order to examine her creation a little closer.
The girl’s magnificent breasts threatened to spill out of her outfit at any moment. Kate found herself wondering what it would be like to kiss them. She shook her head to dismiss the thought, but no sooner had it gone than it was replaced by another just as naughty. Kate imagined what it would be like to run her hands down the girl’s well toned thighs, caress her bottom, shrug her panties aside and then... Kate nearly jumped out of her skin as the girl’s head turned towards her and she stared unashamedly into Kate’s eyes. Kate struggled to meet her gaze.
‘I can’t,’ she whispered.
‘Don’t worry,’ Richard said. ‘There’s no need to beat yourself up about it. You’ll grow more confident with time.’
Kate nodded and glanced up at the maid once more.
‘What’s your name?’ Richard asked the maid.
The girl looked at Kate expectantly.
Kate cleared her throat and said, ‘Nicole.’
Richard got up off the bed. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nicole.’
Nicole nodded.
‘There was something else I noticed you put down on the form that you filled in,’ Richard said to Kate.
‘Oh, what’s that?’
‘You noted that you enjoy reading erotic literature.’
Kate didn’t see where he was taking the conversation. ‘What of it?’
‘Well, I was wondering if you’d like to watch Nicole and I make love,’ he said. ‘Just think of us as characters in a book. It might help ease you into the swing of things.’
Kate bit her bottom lip. ‘I’m not sure.’
Richard snapped his fingers and a blue door appeared next to the dresser on the other side of the room. ‘There. I’ll make it easy for you. If you don’t enjoy watching us, all you have to do is step through the door.’
Kate’s mind was in turmoil. Part of her wanted to touch Nicole and find out what it was like to kiss another woman, but another part of her shied away from making any kind of bodily contact. Feeling torn Kate got up off the bed, apologised to Nicole and explained that she would satisfy her curiosity another day. Richard was about to join her, only Kate stopped him in his tracks. ‘Please, don’t let me spoil your fun.’
‘Thank you,’ he replied, ‘That’s really kind of you.’
Before Kate had the chance to depart, Richard took Nicole in his arms and kissed her passionately. Though Kate had been on the verge of leaving the dream, she found herself lingering.
Caressing Nicole’s shoulders, Richard then slid his hands down her back, peeling the skimpy outfit from her body to reveal her golden, tanned skin. Nicole responded by kicking off the heels that she was wearing then, using her hips, she nudged Richard backwards. As the couple edged towards the bed they both shed their remaining clothing.
As Richard fell back onto the bed he removed his boxer shorts. No sooner had he done so his impressive cock sprang out. Kate’s eyes bulged. She had never seen one that big before. It must have been at least nine, if not ten inches long. Inadvertently, she found herself taking a step towards the bed in order to take a closer look.
Nicole had a similar idea. She knelt down at the edge of the bed, took Richard’s cock in her right hand and then fastened her lips around it hungrily. Richard lay back on the bed and sighed as Nicole kissed and licked and sucked him. Kate watched, spellbound. It was all very well reading about such scenes in a book, but to have one acted out not less than three feet away from where she was standing was a different matter entirely, dream or no dream.
As Nicole’s head bobbed up and down, Kate had to fight back an almost irresistible urge to join in. Nicole’s bottom looked so silky soft that Kate ached to take it in her hands and caress it.
Almost as if she was reading Kate’s mind, Nicole broke away from pleasuring Richard, stood up and stretched that incredibly trim body of hers. She glanced over her left shoulder at Kate and winked suggestively. Kate gulped. Nicole provoked her even further by blowing her a kiss. Kate closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to take Nicole in her arms and plant a kiss upon the girl’s perfect cupid bow lips. Having summoned up the courage to do so, Kate opened her eyes, only to discover that she was too late, because Nicole had clambered onto the bed. She paused for a second, allowing the tip of Richard’s prick to nuzzle her pussy lips, then gently lowered herself onto his raging hard on, luxuriating in the feeling as inch by inch it filled her.
Nicole then sat back and rested on Richard’s thighs, enjoying the position they had taken up. She rocked gently back and forth as she got used to feeling him inside her, then she began to ride his impressive prick in earnest. Expertly grinding her buttocks into his thighs, Nicole flexed her pelvis back and forth rhythmically. Richard clearly approved as he began to let out little moans of delight. It was obvious that Nicole was enjoying herself too as her breathing grew shallower. As she began to pant she changed her technique and started to bounce up and down, riding his cock energetically. Richard tried to reach up in order to take her breasts in his hands. Forcefully, Nicole pushed him back onto the bed and bucked up and down even faster. Throwing her head back, Nicole let out a scream of delight as she came. Sensing her orgasm, Richard leant forwards, grasped the cheeks of her buttocks in his hands and plunged in and out of her all the harder. Nicole closed her eyes and flopped down onto Richard’s chest, which she bit in order to stop herself from crying out again. No sooner had her teeth come into contact with his flesh, Richard gasped as he came too.
As the couple kissed and caressed post orgasm, Kate began to feel slightly guilty at having witnessed such an intimate scene. Deciding it was time to take her leave she opened the blue door and stepped back into reality.
The instant the door closed behind her Kate opened her eyes and found herself staring up at the bright white ceiling of the dream chamber. She tried to sit up, only felt rather woozy, so lay back down again.
‘Don’t worry,’ she heard Richard say. ‘A mild feeling of nausea is perfectly normal after your first trip.’
Richard approached her and offered a glass of water. ‘Here, drink this. Give yourself a minute or two and you’ll be fine.’
Gratefully, Kate accepted the drink. Easing herself up she sipped the water and allowed her head to clear in its own time. Glancing to her right she found Sylvia sitting on the edge of the adjacent bed watching her. Sylvia looked like the cat that had got the cream. It wasn’t difficult to guess what she had been up to.
‘Well,’ Sylvia asked. ‘What do you think?’
Kate grinned. ‘Can we come again next week?’
Amsterdam
The week c
ouldn’t pass quickly enough for Kate. On more occasions than she cared to admit she found herself gazing out of the window at the office where she worked, daydreaming about what she would get up to when she next visited Dream World the following weekend. Her naughty angel kept conjuring up images of Richard’s magnificent cock. She wondered if she would be able to persuade him to join her on her second trip.
In some respects, though, work proved a welcome distraction from life at home because the house felt empty without Alan there. All week he proceeded to bombard Kate with texts and e-mails. Initially, she ignored them, but as the week drew on she weakened and replied to one or two. In spite of how things had ended she couldn’t help reflecting back upon the first couple of years of their relationship and all of the good times they had shared together.
If evenings were hard, bedtime was the absolute worst. Kate dreaded the lonely climb up the stairs at the end of the night. She ended up going to bed later and later, putting off the moment as long as she could by watching endless dross on TV. Unable to face sleeping in the main bedroom, she moved half her wardrobe into the spare room to try and reduce the risk of experiencing any nightmarish flashbacks.
After what felt like an eternity, the following weekend eventually arrived. As she drove home from work that Friday evening, Alan tried to call. Kate ignored it. He tried again just as she pulled into the driveway and a third time as she was getting changed out of her work clothes. His fourth call came as she put a saucepan of pasta on the hob; his fifth as she was sitting down to eat it. The sixth time her phone rang, she had just poured herself a glass of wine. She snatched the phone off the coffee table and answered without bothering to look who it was who was ringing.
‘Please stop calling, I’m finding it hard enough to deal with as it is,’ she said.
‘Oh, be like that then,’ Sylvia replied.
‘Sylvia!’
‘Who did you think it was?’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Kate said. ‘Just don’t tell me that you’re ringing to cancel our dream trip tomorrow.’