by Mlyn Hurn
Gayle glanced behind them where Jack and Ray walked together, the same as Andy and she. Gayle took her wrist and dragged her several yards ahead of the guys. She spoke conspiratorially as she released her. “Okay, so what’s the deal with the fancy suite?”
Andy smiled, shrugging. “Remember the champagne we received at the table the first night?”
“Sure. I meant to ask you who that guy was.”
“Mr. Edwards. He is my next-door neighbor, and I guess he is more than that.”
“What do you mean?” Gayle prodded.
Andy laughed at her friend’s expression. “I’ll have to tell Mr. Edwards about your suspicions. He is seventy years old, Gayle, and a dear, sweet man. Ever since I moved into my apartment, which I got through nefarious means, he has been kind to me. In return, I started doing little things for him. I was home a lot, so I began running errands, buying his groceries, and so on. When he found out about the cruise, and that the publisher was upgrading my cabin, he contacted a booking agent and paid for the suite I am in.”
“Holy crap, girlfriend! Is he Daddy Warbucks?”
Andy laughed, shaking her head. “No, but I did learn he isn’t just a tenant in the building. He owns it and about ten others. I asked him why he stays there and he told me it was his home.” She paused to sniffle. “Sorry, but he is the dearest man. He’s become the family I never had. When I first got to New York, I felt lost. I didn’t know what to do with my degree. I started with the want ads and by accident stumbled across an advertisement for a companion to an elderly woman.”
Gayle touched her arm. “Let’s go over there.” She pointed to the chairs in front of the stage for the play. “Did you say publisher? Why do you have a publisher? What’s going on?”
Andy nodded and they walked over and sat in the front row, away from the crowd. They had about twenty minutes until the next show.
Gayle moved her chair around so the two women looked directly at one another. “Is this what you’ve been doing since college? I know you said something about typing. Ruthie seemed to know—”
“I began as Mrs. Winterpool’s companion. It certainly was easy work, and she was a very sweet person. Her son was busy with his life and family, but once I moved in, I made it possible for her to travel to see him. Anyway, to make a long story short, if that’s possible any longer.” Andy grinned. “She encouraged me to write—”
Gayle interrupted her. “I remember you were always writing in your journal books or some kind of paper for your classes.”
Andy shrugged as she continued answering her friend’s questions. “Eventually I submitted to a publisher. I got lucky, even without an agent. With Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Winterpool to guide me, I made it through my first publication. When it came time for the second, I contacted Ruthie to serve as my attorney.”
“That sneak! She never said a word.”
“I know, Gayle, but that was my fault. I‘d asked her to keep it confidential. You see—” Andy paused to glance around and make sure they were still alone. “I’m sure you don’t remember ever seeing a book by Andrea Bond, do you?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean anything. Not everyone can be a Stephen King, or John Grisham, or even—” Gayle paused as she obviously searched for the name of another famous author.
“Emeraude,” Andy offered a second later, pretty sure her friend would recognize that name.
“Exactly!” Gayle said, snapping her fingers. “Like her! Ray and I went to see the movie her last book was made into…damn! The boy was randy for a week afterwards!”
Andy smiled. “Thank you, I guess that is a compliment. When I started, I never expected to sell one book, let alone have three picked up for films.”
“Son of a bitch!” Gayle shouted. She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, looking around as well. “Oh my God! No way! I saw her on television once—”
“With long, black hair and wearing lots of emerald jewelry, right?
“Thanks to a professional makeup artist Mrs. Winterpool knew, that was the new me, for the book jacket and interviews. Because of my commitment to her, I was able to limit a lot of the traveling for promotions. I’m going to have to come clean before the next movie comes out. That’s partly why I came on the cruise, to let all of you know first. You are the only family I’ve ever known, and your parents.”
Gayle leaned forward and hugged her tightly. “God, Andy! You should have told me, us.”
“Not everyone wants to know a woman who writes what some people like to call fluff, bodice rippers, smut, and porn and so on.”
“That’s bullshit! Does Jack know?” Gayle laughed, shaking her head.
Andy didn’t question why her friend immediately wondered about Jack being in on the secret. She shook her head. “I plan on telling him tonight, if all goes well. I’m not sure how he’ll take it.”
“So, it really matters to you how Jack reacts?” Gayle asked quickly.
Andy nodded her head, which caused her hair on one side to swing forward. A few strands of hair caught in the soft pink lipstick she was wearing. Lifting her hand, she automatically tucked the hair behind her ear. Only now, it was too short to remain there and fell forward once more.
Gayle moved her hand this time, lifting the hair to see her friend’s ear.
“Holy cow, Andy! Look at your ears! Didn’t it hurt?”
Andy blushed as she replied. “Not nearly as much as the other two did.” She let her gaze lower to Gayle’s chest and back up. It took a few seconds and then recognition dawned on her friend’s face.
“No way!” Her own gaze dropped and stayed on Andy’s breasts as if glued. “You didn’t…you couldn’t…could you?” She lifted her hand, reaching towards Andy when a voice interrupted them.
“Now, this is delightful, and much better than I could have hoped for.”
Andy turned her head, smiling at seeing the duke.
“Good evening, Your Grace,” Andy said, standing to offer her hand. Beside her she was aware of Gayle sitting with her mouth agape.
Peter bowed over her proffered hand, kissing it lightly. “Please, mademoiselle, no formalities between friends. And who is your lovely companion this evening?”
“Oh, gosh, I’m sorry,” Andy spoke quickly. “Peter Waldron, this is Gayle Green. We were roommates in college.”
Gayle lifted her hand and watched in stunned surprise as Peter bent forward and kissed her knuckles.
“A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Green. The boys at your college were extremely lucky.”
Andy felt her blush grow hotter and was relieved when she saw the usually unflappable Gayle was also flushed. What was it about dark-haired, attractive European men? Before she could think about anything more formative or conversational, Peter was looking at her again.
“I hoped to see you again, Andy. Would you please join me for dinner tomorrow evening? I’m having a small dinner party in my suite, and I would like it if you would be my dining companion.”
Andy felt her heart stop. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her…of all people! A real live duke was asking the ugly duckling to eat with him. She took a deep breath and “yes” came out on the exhalation.
“Delightful! Here is my card, and the suite information is on the back. Shall we say seven-thirty, for cocktails?”
Andy knew her head moved in agreement, and then she remembered something. “Clothing?” her voice was a bit screechy, and she hoped he didn’t notice.
There was no missing the gleam in the duke’s gaze as he smiled. “I’d love to say optional, but the Captain will be joining us. Unfortunately, more than this delightful concoction, but something like last night would be fine.” He turned to Gayle and kissed her hand once more. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Green. I hope you enjoy your cruise.”
“Oh, uh, yes…uhm, thank you,” Gayle stammered, looking at her hand after he released it.
Peter lifted Andy’s hand, holding it between both of his. “I look forward t
o tomorrow evening.” He kissed her hand once more, but to Andy it felt different, more intimate. “Adieu, ladies!”
Andy flopped down on the chair, feeling like a balloon that was suddenly deflated. Slowly, she looked at Gayle, who was still gazing at her hand.
Gayle finally glanced up. “Did you call him ‘grace’?”
“Did I just agree to have dinner with him? Oh my God!”
“We’ve been looking all over for you two!”
Andy and Gayle both turned and saw Ray and Jack walking towards, up the aisle between the chairs until they were right behind them.
Ray, who had spoken, leaned over to kiss Gayle’s cheek. He glanced down to where she was still holding her hand. “Did you hurt your hand, honey?”
Gayle looked from Ray to Andy. Almost on cue, they both started to laugh. It took a few seconds and then Gayle shook her head and replied, “No, Ray, I’m fine. I just got duked.”
Andy started laughing again, until she met Jack’s gaze. She knew instantly that he guessed what Gayle had meant. She looked away, suddenly feeling guilty, almost as if she’d cheated on Jack. Suddenly, she had trouble breathing and cursed her tendency towards panic attacks.
“Not now, damn it!” she muttered softly, trying to focus on her breathing. Behind her, she heard Jack talking.
“It looks like the ladies were visiting with a real live lord of the realm.”
Ray looked confused, but sat in the chair behind Gayle’s, which was still partially turned. “You lost me, dude.”
Jack shook his head, sitting beside Ray. “The girls met the Duke of Claxonby, unless I’m mistaken.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve heard of him. He’s on board!”
“Yes!” Gayle almost squealed her reply. “And Andy is dining with him tomorrow night, in his suite! I think I’m going to die!”
“No…but…I…am—” Andy gasped a moment later. She wasn’t winning against the breathing thing and was starting to feel dizzy.
“Oh, crap! She’s hyperventilating!” Gayle said beside her. She reached out and grabbed Andy’s hands. “Come on, Andy, just focus on breathing. Breathe in for four counts. That’s it. One. Two. Three. Four. Now out for eight. There you go, nice and slow.”
Andy tried to focus on Gayle, but she couldn’t get the image of Jack sitting behind her, wondering what he must think about her dinner with the duke. She took another hurried breath.
“Andy! You aren’t focused. Listen to me and put everything else out of your mind. You can do this. It may be a few years since we did it together, but some things never change. Come on. Breathe in slow,” Gayle encouraged her, beginning to count again.
Andy pushed thoughts of Jack and the duke out of her mind, for now.
Chapter Seven
“Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, Masters and Mistresses. Welcome to act two of our play, The Castle of Dark Pleasure. Tonight we find Mistress Danica handing over the slave she had tutored to her new Master. Let us begin!”
Jack was only half focused on the drama on the stage. His gaze kept returning to Andy, who sat directly in front of him. He couldn’t decide if he was angry or aroused, or both. It had pissed him off to no end to hear she’d accepted a dinner invitation with another man. To learn it was with a well-known jetsetter and businessman had grated beyond his belief. Even if he had to give the other man his due, although reluctantly
Andy was his, damn it! Maybe he had not made it official, but in his mind he was coming to accept it as the truth. A good chance existed that he’d always known it, but he had been too immature to accept her the way she was in college. Or he’d been too scared. Seeing her again, and he was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the changes in her appearance, had made him realize Andy had been a big part of his college life. She had been the one who got his jokes all the time, not just some of the time, like the others. Many times, something would happen and he’d look over and find she was seeing the same humor in the situation as he. If only he had not made such stupid mistakes, had not listened to his friends, but instead gone with his heart and his soul.
He looked at the back of her head, which was tilted to one side, just a little bit. It surprised him still how sexy the back of her hair was, cut so short. If someone had questioned him, he would have said he preferred long hair to short. But he had gotten a sense of something, when he ran his fingers up, and then back down the soft pelt of hair, that Andy had been deeply affected. He wanted to rub his fingers over it again and feel its velvety softness. Even more he needed to verify her response to his touch once more. He had heard some women had an erogenous zone on the nape of their neck, but he’d never met one. Nor could he ever recall specifically touching the area and noting the woman’s response.
Suddenly for no reason at all, he leaned forward as if to adjust his shoe. When he neared Andy, he blew softly towards her neck. Almost instantly he saw her stiffen and her head straighten. Just as he started to ponder her reaction, the action on stage drew his attention.
“I am quite sure you will find Magdalene to your liking, Count D’Orsi. She has been trained to the most stringent of disciplines you would find anywhere.” Mistress Danica turned from the handsome, gray-haired man on stage. “Pierre, have Magdalene join us please.”
Mistress Danica moved across the stage. “Would you like a drink, or perhaps an hors d’oeuvres?”
“No, Mistress Danica, I’m fine, thank you. I am looking forward to seeing what you’ve produced, of course.”
“I’m sure you will be pleased.” Danica turned towards the side of the stage. “Ah, here she comes now.”
Magdalene entered onto the stage. This time, she was dressed in a black, tight-fitting dress, which covered her from neck to knees. It was very sexy in the way it molded her body. Her hair was pulled back into a French braid, and on her feet were four-inch heels. She walked slowly because of the narrow fit of the dress. She stopped the instant Danica held up her hand.
“Interesting choice in clothing,” D’Orsi commented.
“Please, Count, be seated. Let me show you how obedient she can be.”
Danica walked over to the younger woman. “Why are you dressed in such a fashion, Magdalene?”
“So I may appear in public and not embarrass my Master, Mistress Danica.”
“Let’s say you’re riding in the car with your Master, and he wishes to play with your breasts. How do you accommodate him with ease?”
Magdalene reached up and with a few tugs, the entire center section of her bodice pulled free. Now, other than a black collar of material around her neck, her chest was naked to just below her breasts, which rested on a specially constructed platform to thrust her breasts together and upwards.
“Walk towards Count D’Orsi now, and kneel beside him so he may sample your wares.”
With mincing steps, caused by the heels and tight skirt, Magdalene started over to the sofa. Each step set her breasts jiggling and bouncing and by the time she reached the sofa there was an appreciative spattering of applause from the audience.
Andy caught her breath as she watched this interaction on the stage. She couldn’t say why but she identified with the Magdalene character. It was almost too easy to imagine what occurred onstage happening to her. Perhaps she had some submissive tendencies in her personality, or maybe she just liked the sexual play-acting. Whichever, she was getting aroused just observing it all.
As Magdalene came down onto her knees, D’Orsi’s hands came forward and lightly patted and touched her breasts. His fingers rubbed back and forth on her nipples, finally pinching and pulling on them.
“Delightful,” he told Mistress Danica. “And the other?”
“Just as you requested of course, completely shaved. Tell your master, Magdalene.”
“Yes, Master, my pussy has been shaved and I will keep it that way for you.”
“If you like, I can shave her head, as well,” Mistress Danica offered. “It’s a fairly new trend, but a lot of people seem to like it. It woul
d be no trouble at all. Pierre rather enjoys shaving off a beautiful woman’s hair. He likes to do it slowly, first cutting it off with a scissors, and then using the clippers to buzz it like a crew cut. Personally I don’t see the attraction, but he gets off on it!” She laughed as she picked up her drink, sipping it slowly. “I’ll have Pierre bring in the paddle and you can see how responsive she is to that.”
Andy scooted around on her chair. She remembered the clippers running up her nape earlier that afternoon. It had felt very sensual, just those few short sweeps. Almost immediately, the touch of the buzzing clippers against her skull, and her pussy was wet. Strange, but it was as if the clippers acted like a vibrator against her clit rather than her scalp. By the time her hair was done, she almost a basket case!
“Get on all fours, Magdalene!”
The girl moved to the center of the stage, so her position would not be blocked by the coffee table. She then lowered her hands to the stage. Mistress Danica came up beside her and with a smooth movement, she removed the entire back section of Magdalene’s skirt and left her ass completely bare, except for a slender G-string. It was quite a sight to see the bare ass and naked boobs of the beautiful woman.
D’Orsi accepted the paddle and began spanking Magdalene. On the fifth whack, the curtains closed.
* * * * *
Gayle stood, fanning herself, and looked at Ray. “If we hurry, I bet we can have one of the rooms for an hour.”
Ray needed no further encouragement. He reached for Gayle’s hand and they left at a near run to their cabin.
Jack noted that Andy was still seated and he scooted his chair closer so he was right behind her. Carefully, he lightly touched one arm and when she didn’t jerk or pull away, he curved both his hands to rest on her shoulders. After a minute or so, he began lightly massaging her back with his thumbs. His face was close enough so he could either press it against the side of her neck, or the back of her head. He chose the latter, and lightly rubbed his cheek up and down the shorn nape.