‘I have a suspicion,’ said Edmund quietly, ‘that I’m helping you write your script.’
‘You can’t seriously mean that,’ retorted Lewis.
‘I admit that it seems on the surface to be unlikely but yes, I mean it. Actually, it was Noella who first voiced the idea; it’s only recently that I’ve decided she’s right.’
‘On what do you base that decision?’ asked Lewis.
‘On the fact that since you’re neither blind nor stupid you must be aware of the fact that Harriet and I are having an affair. Now, I would have thought this would, at the very least, result in me being on the receiving end of a rather nasty blow to the nose. On the contrary, you’re as amiable as ever and, rather tellingly, you seem to be continuing to make love to Harriet yourself. All of this would only make any kind of sense if the affair had been contrived by you. The mutual desire between Harriet and myself is, I rather think, forbidden. Your film title therefore fits the situation very neatly.’
‘If you’re right,’ said Lewis carefully, ‘what do you intend to do about it? Sue me when the film comes out? Quite difficult since you’d have to come clean about everything that’s gone on at Penruan House since our arrival.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of suing you; I think it will make an excellent story. No, what I want to do is help you find an ending.’
‘Suppose I already have an ending in mind?’ asked Lewis.
‘You don’t,’ said Edmund with total confidence. ‘You can’t have, since the film is cinéma vérité there is no ending until the situation here is resolved.’
Lewis leant back in his chair. His eyes were alert as his brain raced. ‘Summarise the situation for me.’
‘My wife no longer wishes to remain married to me and is having the time of her life with an athletic young Cornish bodybuilder. Your wife is broadening her sexual experiences with an enthusiasm which I find highly erotic and you yourself are having an affair with a young actress who wants the leading role in your film.’
‘So what’s your ending?’
Edmund shook his head. ‘Not so fast, Lewis. Am I right in what I’m saying?’
‘Possibly.’
‘I’ll take that as confirmation. Very well then, the truth is that I don’t yet have an ending because I, like you, enjoy watching relationships run their course. It would spoil everything if I were to contrive an ending simply to suit me.’
‘Then I fail to see how you can offer me an ending,’ said Lewis shortly.
‘It all comes down to the games I was telling you about,’ said Edmund, leaning forward in his chair. ‘I thought it would be fun if you and I, together with our respective holiday partners, had a small contest.’
Lewis frowned. ‘What kind of contest?’
‘On the first night we’d each see how many times we could bring our women to a climax before they asked us to stop. Or possible just how many times we could make them reach an orgasm, since one of them might try to put an end to it before the truth was known.’
‘And then?’
Slowly Edmund smiled. ‘Why then, on the second night, we’d change round. If, for example, I’d managed to bring Harriet to the pinnacle of ecstasy ten times on the first night, then it would be up to you to surpass that total within the same time span. The same rules would naturally apply to Ella.’
‘And then what?’ asked Lewis.
‘Why then the man who does the best wins the prize.’
‘There are two prizes.’
‘No.’ Edmund’s eyes were cold. ‘You and I know very well that there’s only one prize at stake here and that’s Harriet.’
‘This presupposes that we both try equally hard on each night,’ Lewis pointed out.
‘I won’t cheat,’ said Edmund sharply. ‘It hadn’t crossed my mind that you might.’
‘I wouldn’t, it was merely a thought. And then there’s the question of the women. What if one of them fakes an orgasm?’
‘Noella will watch it all very carefully. I think that women are more difficult to deceive than men where orgasms are concerned.’
Lewis thought that it would make an incredible ending, but didn’t know if he was willing to risk losing Harriet in order to see the film resolve itself before his very eyes.
‘Not afraid of losing, are you?’ Edmund asked.
‘Yes,’ Lewis admitted. ‘I am afraid, but it would make a fantastic ending.’
‘And art comes before life?’
‘Save the moralising,’ said Lewis shortly. ‘I’ve said the idea’s sound. As long as all the women agree then the games can go ahead. When did you want to start?’
‘Since Harriet is probably a little tired tonight and might need a day to recover, I think in two nights’ time.’
‘Do we warn the girls in advance?’
‘Naturally, but I hardly think it’s a warning,’ said Edmund, smiling again now that he was certain he was going to get his own way. ‘I’m sure they’ll be positively eager to play.’
Lewis stood up and poured them both a drink. ‘To the climax of the film,’ he said with a short laugh as he raised his glass.
‘To the prize,’ said Edmund softly, and then he drained his glass in one go and walked swiftly from the room.
Lewis wondered uneasily what Harriet would say if she knew that he had toasted his film while Edmund had toasted her.
Chapter Ten
* * *
‘ARE YOU NERVOUS?’ Noella asked Harriet as they took an evening stroll round the grounds of Penruan House half an hour before the first game was to begin.
‘Not really,’ confessed Harriet. ‘I thought I would be, but now that the moment’s here I’m excited. I kept looking at Edmund today and imagining what it was going to be like to have him making love to me while Lewis watched.’
‘You’ll have to watch Lewis make love to Ella as well,’ Noella pointed out.
‘I don’t think I’ll have a problem with that, not if I’m caught up in the sensations Edmund’s causing, but then again, who knows? Maybe I’ll hate seeing Lewis with her.’
‘It’s strange,’ said Noella thoughtfully. ‘When we were driving down here at the start of the holiday, I had this terrible fear that I was going to lose Edmund to you and I was determined to fight for him. Once we were here, and I met Oliver, I realised that he wasn’t worth fighting for any more. Whatever we once had must have gone some time ago, only I never realised. Do you think that you might come to the same conclusion about Lewis?’
‘No,’ said Harriet firmly. ‘Lewis is worth fighting for, but I don’t have to fight for him. I know he still loves me.’
‘And do you still love him?’
‘I think I do. I just hope that the next two nights don’t change my mind.’
‘May I give you a word of advice, honey?’ asked Noella.
Harriet smiled. ‘Of course.’
‘Don’t make the mistake of falling in love with Edmund. You may get annoyed by Lewis’s passion for his work, but at least he’s got passion. Edmund has desire and incredible technique but no passion. Even if you did love him he’d never love you back, not in the way you deserve. He simply isn’t capable of it.’
‘And Oliver’s different?’
‘Completely different in every respect. I just wish he’d agree to come and live in the States, but he won’t. Oh well, we’d better go back. It’s time you were getting yourself ready.’
Once in her own bedroom Harriet hesitated, unsure what to wear for the night’s entertainment. She rejected obviously sexy outfits as being too blatant, sensing that Edmund’s taste would run to more sophisticated clothing. Finally she settled on a navy blue silk negligee set with white hold-up stockings and a tiny navy G-string beneath. After bathing and putting on her make-up, she sprayed herself with perfume and then checked her hair.
As she piled it high on the top of her head and then pulled down a few strands at the front to form a long fringe that emphasised her eyes, Lewis came into the bedroom. He gave
a sigh of pleasure. ‘You look wonderful, Harriet. Utterly intoxicating. I wish it was my turn tonight.’
‘I’m sure Ella will look just as desirable,’ Harriet said calmly, but her heart was starting to race wildly now that the moment was actually so close.
‘No doubt,’ agreed Lewis, trying to still his own fears about what the night might demonstrate. ‘You really want to do this, don’t you?’ he added.
Harriet nodded. ‘Oh yes. This way I’ll find out all that I need to know about myself.’
‘We’d better go up then,’ said Lewis slowly. ‘Kiss me first, Harriet.’
They moved into each other’s arms and their mouths met in a slow lingering kiss that threatened to turn into something more until Harriet forced herself to pull away. ‘A kiss for remembrance?’ She laughed unsteadily.
‘A kiss for luck,’ he said huskily. ‘I have a feeling I’m going to need it before the next two nights are over.’
‘Go and fetch Ella,’ said Harriet. ‘I’ll join Edmund. He should have everything ready by now.’
She was right. The light bulbs in Edmund’s bedroom had been changed and were now coloured, their glow soft and flattering. Scented candles burned in holders around the room and through the open bathroom door Harriet could see that he’d done the same in there.
The room was very warm but he’d left the top window open so that any breeze would refresh them should it become too hot.
‘Very nice,’ said Harriet approvingly.
He handed her a glass of champagne and then dipped a baby sweetcorn in a yoghurt dressing before holding it up to her lips. Harriet nibbled delicately at it until her mouth felt the touch of his fingers as she took the final piece from between them. Gently Edmund ran his finger beneath her bottom lip to remove a tiny speck of dressing and then he raised his own glass to her.
‘Here’s to an exciting evening, Harriet.’
Her eyes danced over the rim of the crystal goblet. ‘To an exciting evening,’ she echoed just as the other two joined them.
Ella’s choice of clothing had been less subtle than Harriet’s, but Harriet had to admit the effect was very sexy. She was wearing a black and white striped basque that pushed her breasts invitingly upwards, black silk french knickers, a pearl choker and matching pearl ear-rings, while her tanned legs were smooth and bare, their shapely calves accentuated by the black stilettos she was wearing on her feet.
Lewis looked from his wife to Ella and realized that they both excited him in their different ways, and he could tell from Edmund’s expression that he felt the same. Ella’s hair had been left loose and as a result she looked younger than Harriet, less sophisticated and more vulnerable, whereas the truth – and both men knew it – was quite the opposite.
Ella and Lewis were handed their goblets of champagne and then Lewis fed tiny carrot sticks covered in the dip to Ella while Harriet watched. However, Lewis didn’t caress Ella’s mouth and although the actress managed to lick quickly at the tip of his finger, it was clear that as yet the sexuality between the two of them didn’t equal that between Edmund and Harriet.
‘Shall we start in the bathroom?’ suggested Edmund. ‘I have one particular device that I’m sure Harriet will enjoy which needs the bathroom, and besides, it’s always nice to freshen up together before we begin in earnest.’
Lewis nodded, and moved towards the open door. To his surprise Edmund paused to take Harriet in his arms and then he began kissing her gently round her neck and ears while his hands unfastened the navy peignoir, so that he was able to remove it from her unresisting body and lower his head to where her breasts peeped above the lace covering of the slim strapped nightdress beneath.
Watching him tongue at the smooth uppersides of his wife’s breasts, Lewis was seared by desire and quickly turned to Ella, his hands grasping her round her tiny waist as he urged her compliant body closer to his before allowing his mouth to roam in a similar fashion around the already exposed tops of her breasts and the highly sensitive skin beneath her arms.
By the time they were released, both women were flushed and breathing rapidly, and when Harriet felt Edmund’s arms slip beneath her so that he could pick her up and carry her through to the bathroom she relaxed against him, her whole body open and throbbing with excitement.
She was vaguely aware of the fact that Lewis had gone into the shower cabinet with Ella and guessed that he was washing and arousing her there, but her attention was focused on Edmund and what he intended to do.
Very softly, Edmund eased the straps of her nightdress down over her arms, kissing every inch of the exposed skin as he went, and then at last her breasts were free and she shivered as he tongued at the rigid nipples. Then he picked up two transparent cones from the bathroom stool and eased them over her burgeoning flesh, before taking hold of the extending tube and fastening it to the cold tap over the basin.
As he worked he was murmuring to her, gentling her with the tone of his voice and the occasional touch of his hands, and so when he turned on the tap and her breasts were suddenly bombarded with jets of ice-cold water, she gasped with surprise. Before she could move, Edmund had pressed her down onto the stool and held her there so that she had to sit and let the spray continue to massage her aching tissue as the breasts swelled and hardened with the stimulation.
Finally, when she felt that she couldn’t stand any more, he turned off the tap and carefully peeled off the cones to reveal two firm swollen globes with their nipples standing out proudly red and hard. Quickly he picked up a beaker, rinsed his mouth in hot water and then lowered it to the cold tingling breasts.
At the touch of his warm tongue and the pressure of his warm mouth against the freezing flesh Harriet gave another gasp, but this time of delight rather than shock; the contrast in temperature was so exciting that to her astonishment she felt herself quivering and shaking as a tiny climax swept through her.
Edmund nodded in satisfaction, pulled her to her feet and eased the nightdress off over her head until she was totally naked in front of him. ‘Undress me,’ he said in a low voice, and as she started to obey she realised that Noella was standing in the doorway.
‘Did you see her come then?’ Edmund asked his wife.
‘Yes,’ murmured Noella, fascinated by the sight of the slim, aroused body in front of her. ‘She seems very sensitive.’
‘Deliriously sensitive,’ agreed Edmund as Harriet removed all his clothes. ‘Now lie down in the bath,’ he murmured. ‘I want to do the same between your thighs using the shower head that’s fixed to the taps.’
‘Not the cold water first!’ protested Harriet.
‘But of course; otherwise the whole experience is changed. Lie back now, and open your legs for me.’
He’d placed a pile of towels in the bottom of the bath and Harriet lay back against them, her body shaking in anticipation of what was to come as he detached the shower fitment from its wall hanging. He was about to start the spray when Lewis and Ella emerged from the shower cubicle.
‘Any success?’ asked Noella.
‘Not yet,’ said Lewis. ‘It was very agreeable foreplay though.’
‘Harriet’s already had one orgasm,’ said Noella, and saw the brief flash of anger in Lewis’s eyes. ‘Watch carefully,’ she continued. ‘I think she’s about to have another.’
Harriet was trembling violently as she waited, every muscle tense, for the onslaught of the ice-cold spray on her tender vulva, but at the same time she found that the flesh there was tingling with desire and her outer sex lips had parted in anticipation of the pleasure that was to come.
‘Close your eyes,’ said Edmund. ‘That way it will be more of a surprise.’ Harriet closed them and waited. Nothing happened. She could hear Lewis’s breathing, Ella’s muffled sounds of excitement at whatever he was doing to her and Noella’s whispers but Edmund made no sound at all. She wanted to open her eyes, to see for herself what was happening, but her body told her to stay as she was. With every passing second her desire wa
s heightened until she was in a fervour of suspense and, without realising it, she parted her thighs still more.
Edmund smiled and aimed the shower head carefully so that the cold water sprayed directly on the centre of her vulva, covering her most sensitive nerve endings and causing her to utter a cry of surprise before she adjusted to the sensation.
Once more Edmund judged his moment well and only when Harriet started to feel that the cold was too intense did he change the temperature of the water, and then she felt tepid water soothe and caress her straining tissue. Gradually, though, the tepid water changed as well until it became warm, and the heat turned her lower body into a fevered boiling mass of desire that had her thrusting her hips upwards as she cried out for the release of another orgasm.
Lewis, who was carefully stimulating Ella between her buttocks with soapy fingers, could hardly concentrate because of the gasped entreaties of his wife as she abandoned herself totally to the moment. At last the water did its task and once more her body shook beneath the onslaught of another climax so that she slumped back in relief against the towels.
‘Two,’ said Noella levelly, and as she spoke Ella whimpered with pleasure as Lewis’s soaped fingers brought her to her first climax of the night.
After both young women had had a few minutes to recover they returned to the bedroom. Lewis chose to sit Ella down in the armchair by the window and Harriet saw him crouch down on the floor between her legs, and imagined only too well how his tongue would feel on the other girl’s excited flesh.
Then Edmund drew Harriet gently over to the bed and placed a bolster down the middle of it.
‘Lie face down on that,’ he whispered. ‘I want you to stimulate your own clitoris by wrapping your legs around the sides and pressing down with your hips. While you’re doing that I’m going to penetrate you between your buttocks, you should find the combination intriguing to say the least.’
Now that he was beginning to move into darker areas, Harriet felt her body glow even more and she hurried to press her hungry flesh against the white bolster, grateful for the touch of the starched linen cover against her breasts and belly.
Forbidden Desires Page 17