He jerked his head in the direction of the list, and Alice dropped her gaze to the piece of paper, pulled it in front of her, and began studying the sentences that were printed on it. She’d barely finished the first bullet point before she let out a gasp. She snapped her head up and looked at Jeremy, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
He gave a casual smile and nodded towards Ethan. ‘I told you, we’ve shared all sorts of experiences, many of which included women. Especially women. We like to take them to bed – or wherever – and pleasure them until they can’t take any more. Then do it again anyway. The thing is, up until I owned the Manor, we couldn’t possibly bring ladies back here. My father would never have approved. So we weren’t able to act out some of our most potent fantasies. Now, though, we have this huge brick and timber playground at our disposal, and we plan to make the most of it.’
The twinkle in his eyes told her that the emotion she’d suspected earlier was, in fact, excitement. He was incredibly excited about this challenge thing – which, having looked at the first part of the list, was basically kinky sex in multiple locations – and a glance at Ethan told her that he was too. They were both gazing at her intently, and looked not unlike two little boys begging for sweeties.
Except it wasn’t sweeties they wanted. It was her.
Clearly unable to stand the lack of response any longer, Jeremy spoke again. ‘Look, you said you’d do anything to keep your job. You do this thing for us, and I’ll forget all about your little indiscretion, and when you leave here after your contract is up, you’ll have the best reference anyone could ever ask for. I’ve also got some friends in high places, so I’ll do what I can to assist your next career move too.’
Alice was speechless. First she’d been railroaded by the challenge thing, and now he was blackmailing her! If she didn’t do it, he’d sack her, and any future career prospects would be screwed, to say the least. She had no doubt that his friends in high places could also scupper her next career move, as well as assist it. But if she did as he asked, he’d do everything to ease her climb up to the next rung on the career ladder. All she had to do was, basically, fuck and be fucked by Jeremy and Ethan in a variety of locations throughout Davenport Manor and its gardens.
She looked at each of the men in turn. It couldn’t be that bad, could it?
She wouldn’t be the first woman to sleep her way to the top, and she wouldn’t be the last either. There were certainly worse things a girl could do to advance her career. Or worse men, anyway.
Chapter Four
Alice twisted the controls on the shower, waited until the temperature was right, and stepped in. The spray pounded down on her, and yet she still turned around and upped the water pressure until it was almost like having a deep tissue massage. She wanted it – no, needed it – to send her into the usual state she achieved while in the shower. Which was supremely relaxed and prone to good ideas.
A good idea would be gratefully appreciated right now. Anything that could help her work out this situation she’d got herself into. And preferably find a way out of it without wrecking her chances at career advancement.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, enjoying the feel of the spray against her scalp and face. If she stood there long enough, she wondered, would all the crap inside her brain be washed away? Unfortunately, the more she tried to forget about it and empty her mind, the more it plagued her, which was annoying, as her “eureka” moments usually came out of the blue, rather than when she actively thought about them.
So many things didn’t add up about the Jeremy and Ethan situation. Now she was away from the two men – who, combined, made her even more tongue-tied than Jeremy by himself – she could think through the sequence of events. And no matter how she tried, she could not make sense of it. How on earth had a simple summons to her boss’s office turned into a telling-off and an attempt to blackmail her into some outlandish kinky sex challenges? It didn’t compute – she hadn’t done anything wrong! Even if she had been loitering at the door, it was hardly a sackable offence!
The more Alice thought about it, the more she became convinced there was some kind of conspiracy going on. The two men had set her up, and now she was being forced to play their depraved games. Not that she actually knew what most of those games were. After the conversation in Ethan’s office, where she’d remained shocked and silent, Jeremy had given her the list and sent her home.
She’d left the room without a word and driven back to her rented flat in a daze. Once there, she’d stripped and headed straight into the shower. Now she was cleaner than clean and starting to turn all wrinkly, and she was still in a state of shock and confusion.
Having turned the taps off, she stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and wrapped her hair up in it before slipping into the dressing gown that she’d retrieved from the hook on the bathroom door. Then she headed for her bedroom and the pile of stuff she’d dropped on the floor when she undressed. Picking up her handbag, she retrieved the slightly creased sheet of paper from its depths and sat down on her bed to read it.
Reaching the end of the list, she felt much worse. She’d only read the first item at Davenport Manor, and that was bad enough. But it seemed the tasks grew steadily more deviant. There was nothing illegal – she didn’t think – but there were things she’d never have dreamed of doing, or trying. Not that she had anyone to try them with, of course. There hadn’t been anyone for a long time. And now two extremely sexy men had come along and declared that they both wanted to do those things with her. She scarcely believed it – both that Jeremy and Ethan wanted sex with her, and that they had all those kinky scenarios in their fantasy bank. For Alice was certain it wasn’t just Jeremy’s list. Ethan must have had a hand in it too, as they were both equally eager to start checking things off it.
It wasn’t the sex that bothered Alice so much. She wasn’t a virgin, for heaven’s sake; just someone who hadn’t had a lot of experience – or orgasms, for that matter. It was the stuff that went with it. Some of it was quite extreme, and she just didn’t know if she could handle it.
After much soul-searching, Alice concluded that she would have to handle it. It was nine months – if the games lasted that long – and then she could leave and move on to bigger, better things, things she’d been working her arse off for years to achieve, and forget all about the debauchery at Davenport Manor.
It wouldn’t be all bad, she supposed. She’d had sex with worse-looking, less charming men, after all. Most of them hadn’t really known what they were doing either. So some good sex with attractive men would be welcome. Particularly the part about sharing her. Now that sounded really rather good. Two pairs of hands on her body, two mouths, two hard cocks …
Though she wasn’t sure about taking them both … inside her at the same time. Whether it was the more traditional way, or back … there, she was pretty sure it would hurt and be altogether unpleasant. Maybe she could talk them out of it, or suggest using her mouth on one of them instead? She shook her head. She was getting rather ahead of herself now. Crossing that particular bridge when she came to it would be the best plan of action, she surmised. No need to worry about all that now.
Putting the list on her bedside table, she dried herself, pulled on her pyjamas, and brushed her hair before climbing into bed. It was still early, but the shock had quashed her appetite and she didn’t feel like doing much, especially not making dinner. And she definitely didn’t want to tidy her flat, or do the laundry. She’d just curl up with a good book instead and catch up on some sleep. Everything would look better in the morning – wasn’t that the saying?
Alice was a couple of chapters into a riveting thriller when her mobile rang. She heaved herself reluctantly out of bed and retrieved the phone from her bag.
Fuck. It was Jeremy. What the hell did he want? She guessed there was only one way to find out. Mentally reminding herself that he was her boss and, therefore, “what the hell do you want?” would not be an appropriate way
to greet him, she answered the phone.
Thinking of her career, and Jeremy’s influential friends, she smiled, knowing it would be evident in her voice, and said, ‘Hello?’
He sounded flustered, which was most unusual for him. ‘Alice?’ They were back on first name terms, apparently. ‘It’s Jeremy. I’m sorry to bother you so late, but I didn’t want to spring this on you in the morning. I just had a call from Erin’s husband. She’s gone into labour and they’re on their way to the hospital. So, basically, what I’m calling you to say is, as of now, you’re in charge. You’re acting property manager of Davenport Manor.’
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Naturally it was brilliant that Erin’s baby was on the way, and that she was now in her dream job, albeit temporarily. But she’d lost out on Erin’s tutelage, even though she’d admitted to herself she didn’t really need it. More worryingly, there was now no buffer between her and the two men. She knew they’d never speak of their proposition in front of the other woman, so she was hoping to have her around a little longer in order to avoid the no doubt very awkward conversations that were looming in her future.
Perhaps, though, the fact that she’d been thrown in the deep end meant there’d be no time to talk about this challenge thing? She’d be so busy doing her job that having unrelated meetings would be a terrible waste of resources. And she couldn’t see Jeremy letting that happen. It was obvious that Davenport Manor meant everything to him and he wouldn’t see it run into trouble, not for anything.
‘Excellent,’ she said, aware of the fact she’d been silent for a few seconds as her mind raced. ‘A little sooner than we all expected, but I’m confident that I’ll manage. I look forward to the challenge.’
As soon as the words were out of her mouth she wanted to grab them and stuff them back in. Why on earth did she have to pick that particular phrase? Maybe he wouldn’t notice.
His soft laugh told her otherwise. ‘Do you now? Well, you’re not alone there. The next few months are going to be quite the wild ride. Hopefully in more ways than one.’
So he hadn’t taken that as a yes, thankfully. She was pretty much there in terms of decision making, but it couldn’t hurt to make them wait a little longer. Couldn’t hurt her, anyway. With any luck it would drive the two men crazy. And it would make her feel a little better, given what she’d be subjected to if she did say yes.
Who was she kidding? She was going to say yes. Just not tonight.
As coolly as she could, she replied, ‘Thank you for calling to let me know, Jeremy. I’ll come in early in the morning to get started on things. I don’t have a key yet, though, so would you arrange for someone to be there to let me in? At around 7.30?’
Hell, it would kill her to get up so ridiculously early, but she genuinely wanted to try to get her head around everything, and that meant starting as soon as she could. And if it inconvenienced Jeremy or Ethan, or both, all the better. She was determined to get her digs in now, although admittedly her tiny jibes were the equivalent of cutting a lawn with a pair of nail scissors.
Equally coolly, Jeremy replied, ‘That’s fine, Alice. I appreciate your enthusiasm and work ethic. Either Ethan or I will be there to let you in tomorrow. And we’ll make it a priority to sort you out with your own set of keys and a name badge. Then we’ll get the staff and volunteers briefed on the situation. But there’s nothing to worry about. Everyone’s really helpful and will give you all the support you need. That includes Ethan and me.’
She frowned, wondering at the swift change from playful and flirtatious to consummate professional. Perhaps he’d realised that whatever happened with their kinky games, he still needed someone to do her job; otherwise he’d see his inherited empire come tumbling down around him. Alice concluded that, despite his occasional misdemeanours and his fixation on the damn challenges, he was actually a very nice guy, and genuinely wanted her to succeed.
‘Thank you. That means a lot. Will that be all?’ She spoke as warmly as possible, not wanting him to get the wrong idea and think she was being sarcastic.
He seemed taken aback by her sudden friendliness. ‘U-uh, yes, thank you. I just wanted to give you a heads up. I’ll see you tomorrow then.’
‘Yes, see you tomorrow. Thanks again, Jeremy. Good night.’
‘Good night.’
She hung up the phone before he had chance to say anything else. There was no way she was discussing anything that was not related to work tonight.
Though, she thought a little glumly as she set her phone down on top of the list and crawled back into bed, everything was intrinsically linked, wasn’t it? The challenges themselves weren’t work-related, but the reason she would be doing them certainly was.
She fell asleep wondering just how far most people would go to secure their careers, and how many of them were subjected to such indecent proposals.
Chapter Five
At 7.28 the next morning she rapped on the back door of Davenport Manor, and almost fell through it when it was pulled open suddenly. Righting herself, she glared up at Ethan, who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
‘Good morning, Alice,’ he said brightly – far too brightly for this time of the morning, Alice thought – and moved his huge frame to one side so she could enter the building.
‘Morning,’ she grumbled, before marching past him and heading for the staffroom. She’d been in such a rush to get to work that she’d just gulped down a bowl of cereal and a glass of apple juice before dashing around to get washed and dressed. Now she was regretting it. The last thing she wanted to do was face Jeremy and Ethan in her still rather sleepy state. She’d have a little alone time in the staffroom and hope it woke her up.
A little while later she was settled into the comfiest chair she could find, cradling a mug of hot chocolate and slowly starting to feel more lively. She wasn’t completely relaxed as she knew Jeremy and Ethan were around somewhere, but no other staff would be here for at least another hour, so she had a few moments of peace and quiet to enjoy. And enjoy she did, because she knew it would be the only peace she’d have all day. Especially given what she was going to do next.
When she’d finished her drink, she washed and dried her mug and put it back in the cupboard, then grabbed her handbag – she hadn’t been given a locker key yet – and made her way to Jeremy’s office. She didn’t bother knocking on Ethan’s office door. Somehow she knew he wouldn’t be there.
Her suspicions were confirmed when she walked up the corridor to Jeremy’s office. The door was wide open and both men were studying something laid flat on the desk. They were facing her, and when she drew closer they both seemed to sense her at the same time and their heads snapped up to look at her. It was unnerving.
She pasted on the most convincing smile she could and walked into the room. ‘Morning, gentlemen.’
Ethan gave a nod, obviously of the mind that one “good morning” was quite enough. Jeremy, on the other hand, fixed her with a smile that put her in serious danger of melting into a puddle of lust on his antique rug, and said, ‘Good morning, Alice. Thanks again for coming in so early. We have lots to discuss and sort out. Baby Clarke’s early arrival has put us at a bit of a disadvantage, hasn’t he?’
‘He?’
‘Yes,’ Jeremy said with a frown. ‘Didn’t you get my text message?’
Alice shook her head, and dug her hand into her bag to retrieve her phone.
‘I sent it at about 1 a.m. Erin’s husband sent me the vital information. A baby boy, seven pounds, dark hair, blue eyes. They’re calling him Arthur, and both mother and baby are doing great.’
Pulling the phone out of her bag, Alice saw that Jeremy had indeed texted her in the middle of the night. She must have been so fast asleep she didn’t hear it, and this morning she hadn’t even thought to check, she’d just thrown the device into her handbag in her haste to get to the Manor.
‘Sorry,’ she said, ‘I didn’t hear the text arriving. And I didn’t check this morning.’
‘It’s OK,’ Jeremy said. ‘It’s hardly part of your job description. I just thought you’d want to know, that’s all. I know you haven’t known Erin for that long, but you seemed to get on very well.’
‘I did – I mean, I do want to know. I was just in a rush to get here this morning. Of course I’m happy for her and glad everything went OK. I’ll do some kind of collection among the staff if that’s all right?’
He nodded. ‘Of course. Now, are you ready to get down to business?’
Her jaw dropped at his forward phraseology, then she caught herself. He meant business as in her job. She’d thought the two men were dirty-minded, but it seemed the longer she spent around them, the more perverted she herself became.
She nodded, and took a seat in front of the desk. Ethan came around and sat beside her, and Jeremy sat in his usual place.
‘Now,’ she began before they discussed anything else, and, more importantly, before her nerve failed her, ‘I just want to say this before I start. I accept the challenge, OK? Providing you’re still willing to keep your part of the bargain, of course.’
Jeremy quirked an eyebrow, and Alice felt Ethan’s gaze burning into the side of her head. She wriggled restlessly in her chair.
‘Of course I’ll keep my side of the bargain, Alice. I’m a man of my word. I take it you have had time to study the list thoroughly?’
She nodded.
‘Good. Now I’m glad you brought that up because I was going to ask. Ethan and I have been discussing something else that we believe will be beneficial all round.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Your flat. You’re renting on a temporary basis to coincide with your employment here, correct?’
Alice nodded again.
Stately Pleasures Page 3