by J. A. Kerr
“Yes,” they said in unison. Benedict squeezed Siena’s hand.
All too soon they were back in court. There was a buzz amongst the crowd, an atmosphere of heightened curiosity prevailed. Nick’s QC looked like the cat that got the cream and almost purred as he repeated his earlier statement on the reliability of DNA testing. The jury was not just to take his word on this. An expert witness was to be put on the stand. Members of the jury were given Exhibit C, with strict instructions not to open it until told to do so. A hush fell over the room as Dr. Ash took the stand. He was a competent and articulate man. He answered all the relevant questions, leaving the jury in the courtroom with a basic understanding of the results they would soon be reading. Philippa declined to question Dr. Ash, there was nothing to be gained by doing so and they adjourned for lunch.
Nick’s QC gave a quick recap on their return. Sensing the jury’s impatience, his impassioned and persuasive voice fell silent and finally they read the paperwork. A series of gasps and murmurs reverberated around the court, the timing no coincidence as Siena was called to the stand. Nick’s defence wanted the DNA results to linger in the minds of the jury as they built their case around it, starting with a character assassination on Siena. She was plainly having physical relations with both her husband and another man. What kind of respectable wife did that, they argued? How long had her affair lasted? When did she discover she was pregnant? Why had she withheld her pregnancy from both her husband and her lawyers?
Siena was left reeling. She realised their questions were powerful, damaging, and relentless. They had branded her a liar and a cheat while corroding the sympathy the jury felt for her. But the worst thing was leaving the subtle hint in everyone's minds…she had it coming. That people who played with fire shouldn’t complain when they got burnt. She saw Benedict in a state of increasing rage as she absorbed each new knock, but Nick’s defence team was relentless. It was a bloodbath, and as the court was adjourned for the day it must have been everything Nick’s defence could have hoped for.
If Siena had thought the court case had been bad, when the news broke about the DNA results, things became intolerable. Nick’s divorce lawyers initiated a new lawsuit based on them; immediately presenting them as valuable new evidence.
Stunned and emotionally crushed, both Siena and Benedict struggled to come to terms with the DNA results. Siena was in a daze, mentally battered after a gruelling day on the stand. At home she was withdrawn, in fact, they both were. Exhausted, they both lay awake but did not speak. The gulf between them had suddenly appeared when neither of them had the strength to close it.
Chapter 16
The Braille Club, London, One Year On: The Wand would become the most sophisticated sensory device. Patrons would hover it above the sensory suit, the powerful magnetic force causing the fabric to indent and replicate the sensation of touch. Again, it was controllable, allowing the lightest of touches to the firmest. The Wand was aptly named as the experience it evoked was utterly magical.
London 2014
Guy
Guy shook hands with the newest member to join the Braille Club. He took his time to go over the smallest details with her as she giggled and flirted with him. She was married, pretty, and something registered, something he hadn’t experienced for a long time: sexual attraction. Until now nothing, well, not since Anna…and he looked outside, craving a cigarette because suddenly he felt wired. She noticed him glance at the cigarettes on his desk, then glance at the French doors that were slightly ajar.
“Can I smoke outside?” she asked and pulled her own packet from her voluminous handbag.
He paused. His office had a small outdoor space he used, it wasn’t really for members, but it was private.
“It’s not pretty out there, but yes,” he replied.
He pulled the French doors apart, and they both stepped outside. She gave him a cigarette and their fingers touched. The feeling flared again. He took it and put it between his lips, his eyes hooded. She lit her own first and then his. He could feel the heat from her body and knew he was standing too close, but she didn’t move away. He leaned on the old wooden table and chairs he had put there and drew the smoke into his lungs.
“I shouldn’t even be smoking,” she said in a rush. “My husband will go mad.”
Guy nodded, and their gaze met conspiratorially. He brushed his arm against her, reaching for the ashtray. He stood, the heat of her body bringing him alive, like he was waking from a deep sleep. He smoked quickly, force of habit, crushed out the stub, and lit another. She took her time and his eyes flicked to her mouth as she inhaled. Her glossy lips pouted when she exhaled the smoke into the air.
He looked away, his instincts on high alert, and then turned towards her. When he reached for her, she was ready. His mouth found hers and their hunger exploded. Breathless and out of practice, his hands travelled over her body. His fingers massaged her breast as their kiss deepened. Panting, she ground her hips against him. With one tug, he pulled up the tight bodycon dress she was wearing. His hands were between her legs. She moaned with pleasure as he pushed her towards the table, yanking the dress higher as he lifted her up.
He had missed this, missed the rush that only hot, dirty sex could deliver. Nudging her thong aside, he slid into her, the feeling exquisite. He closed his eyes, lost in the moment before instinct took over and he thrust back and forth. Harder and faster, it felt amazing as she clung to him. He pounded into her as her hips arched and her legs wound around him. They climaxed simultaneously, her head on his shoulder and her mouth buried in his jacket to muffle her screams.
He lifted her down gently and led her back into his office. Blood roared through his veins—he wanted more. Guy lived and breathed the Braille Club and often slept in the fold-down bed in his office and that’s where his mind was going. He had his own bathroom equipped with a shower too.
“I’m not finished,” he rasped as he pulled the bed out. She stood there dazed, her eyes beautiful despite the false lashes she wore.
“You deserve more…” He pulled her closer, his hand searching for the zip at the back of her dress. He pulled it down and pushed her dress over her shoulders until it dropped to the floor. She had impressive assets, a slender waist and the tiniest thong he had ever seen. He looked at the ring on her finger and felt everything go hard.
He unhooked her bra and groaned; her breasts were spectacular against her slim ribcage. They were big and fake and he was mesmerised. He hooked his thumbs under the lace of her thong and edged it down. Her body was Barbie doll perfect and as she went to take off her shoes he stopped her, he wanted them on. He hesitated, his behaviour was beyond unprofessional. Guy was breaking every code of conduct—the Braille Club needed him more than he needed it, he lied to himself. With all hesitation gone, he turned the lock on his office door. The old Guy was back with a bang.
He brushed her heavy dark hair back from her shoulders and whispered, “Beautiful.” She went to speak, but he put a finger to her lips. He shrugged off his jacket and loosened his tie. His eyes were drinking in her perfection. He unbuttoned his shirt and yanked it off. He pulled at his belt, then in one fluid movement, stepped out of his trousers and boxers. Laughing, they tumbled onto the bed. She kissed him, her head moving down his body until she took him in her mouth. He gasped. He had almost forgotten the sublime pleasure of it. There had been no one since Anna. Had he been punishing himself? Had these two years been his atonement? Her warm soft mouth held him and he groaned in pleasure. As her lips tightened and sucked, he pressed his hand on her head, gasping. As she worked her mouth up and down his thickened shaft, it took all of his control not to climax.
His mind refocused and her face registered surprise as he gently pulled her up. Moving his hand over her breasts, his mouth explored her neck and body as she moaned with pleasure. He turned her over, running his hand down her smooth skin. She pushed her rear up provocatively, her face mischievous as she teased him, her arms reaching forward to rest on t
he bed. He moved behind her and slipped his fingers inside her while his other hand cupped her behind. She was drenched with desire and he felt himself swell as he pushed inside her. He placed his hands on her slender hips leisurely, taking control as he moved back and forth, bringing them to the brink time and time again. She grinded furiously against him, panting, until frustrated, she jerked away and pulled him down.
Straddling him, her need for release urgent, she rode him hard. He squeezed and teased her heavy breasts until her climax ripped through her. She slumped forward onto his chest, limp, as his own release followed shortly afterwards. A fine sheen of sweat covered their skin. His body was on fire—he was hungry for more.
He laid her down and worshiped her with his fingers, exploring every inch of her body before repeating the process with his lips. He just couldn’t get enough of her as she moaned and gasped beneath him. His tongue flicked over her hardened nipples again and again before travelling down her stomach. He wanted to taste her.
Her body stilled as he knelt between her legs. She was completely hairless and for a moment this surprised him before turning him on even more. He bent his head and placed a kiss on her leg. She moaned. He ran his tongue between her thighs before slipping his hands under her buttocks. His arms pushed her legs apart and he brought his mouth down.
Her core was slick and swollen as he kissed it. Her taste on his lips was deeply erotic as his tongue continued to probe and tease. She was incoherent, her hand over her mouth as his tongue pushed her further and further, thrusting into her again and again. She climaxed again, her body shuddering, and he lifted his head to watch the ecstasy on her face, but he wasn’t finished with her. He’d held on as long as he could, lifting himself above her, his engorged and heavy length nudged at her core before he thrust hard and went in deep; she was so ready for him. His rhythm was fast, his need for gratification making him pound into her. Her body responded instantly. She matched him, back arching, fingers gripping the soft flesh of his rear, urging him on. He felt all control leave him as he thrust harder and harder, faster and faster. His orgasm, when it came, shook his body with its intensity, but his mind was crystal clear, focused. As his body sagged against her, she was already slipping from his mind. He was consumed by thoughts of the Braille Club.
Rolling away, he told her she could use the shower if she wished, reminding her she was due for her sensory lesson in less than fifteen minutes. She flashed him a smile, her eyes dazed, her body sluggish from the sex as she reached for her clothes. When she returned he could see how young she was, her face was bare of the heavy makeup. With her hair extensions pulled back into a ponytail, her resemblance to Anna was striking and his breath caught. He put a finger on her lips to seal her silence.
“You remember the rules…”
She nodded, and he unlocked his office door and led her down a corridor.
“You will need your card,” he told her as she opened her bag and searched inside. She handed it to him, he swiped it through, and the door popped open.
“This is where I leave you, but Grace will take care of you.” He smiled. He watched her slip through the door, his eyes and mind remembering the body beneath. Anna filled his thoughts. She’d try anything…do anything he desired. She had given him her body like a gift. Given him everything except the one thing he craved the most…her love. That emotion was locked away exclusively for her husband, and suddenly he burned with all the old jealousies.
Grace did not see Guy behind the two-way glass. He was still, his back against the wall as he watched her slip the hood over the girl’s face. He wanted her experience to be something she would not forget but how could Grace possibly do that after what they’d just done? His mind was in turmoil as he looked at the rise and fall of her chest. The clothes she had changed into clung to her and images of her heavy breasts and erect nipples flashed through his mind. How could he give her the sensation of really being touched? The clothes against her skin were the key, he mused excitedly. Reproduce touch…he thought of his mouth sucking, licking, and teasing, driving her wild with desire, and knew what he must do. To achieve this experience he must find a partner. He slipped out of the room and headed for his office. Pouring over his notes and workings, he was unaware of time. His thoughts were interrupted by Grace knocking at his door, her look of concern told him all was not well.
He listened to Grace as something clicked into place. Upset, she recounted the session with Niven, how she had failed to get a reaction from the girl. Guy knew he had found what he was looking for. He reassured Grace that he would speak with Niven. Trying to contain his excitement, he knew she may not agree, but if she did, he had just found his zone partner.
The clothes he would design must deliver the sensation of touch without the physical contact, an interesting and exciting concept. As he sat he realised it was dark outside, and he remembered what he had done out there. He smiled and wondered if Grace had noticed the rumpled look of her clothes, her mussed up hair and the look on her face. The scent of sex still oozed from him but he’d shower later. Lifting the glass of wine to his lips, he took a grateful sip. After Anna he had stopped everything: the smoking, the drinking, and the casual sex. Like his body and mind had entered a deep freeze, the thaw had been slow, but now he felt himself coming back to life. The wine tasted so good, why had he stopped drinking it? He thought of the girl and how her body had felt…why had he stopped wanting that?
With a start he finally understood he was in recovery. At last he was over Anna. He sipped the wine and smiled. It was time to start living again and he had a lot of catching up.
Chapter 17
The Braille Club, London, One Year On: There was a new addition to the existing sensory equipment and perhaps it was the simplest. Patrons now had several sensory gloves to choose from. Each would give the assignee a unique sensation. The most sophisticated gloves connected with the sensory suits and allowed the patrons to experience what the assignees experienced…the first chance to be truly linked to a joint sensory encounter.
London 2014
Anna
Anna lay until she heard the regular breathing of her husband before she opened her eyes. She would wait a bit longer before she slipped from the bed. In those early days after her affair had been so brutally revealed, she would have done anything, said anything, to save her marriage and properly had.
Robert went through the full range of emotions and at first she worried he would throw her out of their home, but he hadn’t. Instead, he wanted to know why? Why had she betrayed him? When she said it was a purely physical need, he grew quiet.
“So it’s my fault after all? You’re saying if we made love more, you would have been faithful?” he asked, his face tortured. “Anna, you were somewhere else when we made love. You endured it instead of enjoying it.”
Looking away from the hurt and betrayal in his eyes, she accepted it; they were both to blame. There was something wrong with Anna. She needed something her husband could not and would not supply. She felt the guilt wash over her and rubbed her eyes. He was right; she’d had to steel herself to go through the motions of their lovemaking. Sensitive, Robert picked up on her lack of arousal and gradually he stopped making advances. The relief Anna felt didn’t last. A question consumed her. If she didn’t want sex with her husband, who did she want sex with?
She burned with a raw passion, throwing herself into work as a distraction. Then she met Guy and found the perfect balance. Anna couldn’t stop herself and at last embraced her dark side; her fantasies coming to life as Guy fulfilled her unusual desires while she lived with the husband she adored. Just thinking of their time together got her aroused, and it was how she got through life now.
When Robert wanted to make love again, how could she refuse? She tried to be more responsive, but when he asked her if she was thinking of Guy, she froze. How did he know? That put an end to their physical relationship. Two years later Anna would give anything to be free. Although she still loved her husba
nd deeply, her own desires were becoming an issue. Anna knew she had dark powerful needs. In fact, it was those needs that attracted her to Guy. She sensed a similar quality in him and she let it cloud her judgement. Why didn’t she manage things differently? She had been stupid. She hurt Robert and lost the one thing in her life that made her feel alive.
Severing all ties with Guy was one of Robert’s first conditions. When she returned from her extended leave, fortunately he had relocated. Stupidly she thought it would make it easier but she longed to see him, to be with him. She missed him desperately. The craving for him rocked her; she had not anticipated the depth of her own feelings. Those feelings still haunted her. Two years later they were stronger than ever, but she had treated him badly. She knew he was in love with her but ignored it because it suited her. It was a complication that often came with the territory, but she thought Guy would be different. That fateful day of discovery, his face said it all. She hoped he had moved on and found someone who would love him. It’s true; you don’t really love someone until you lose them. Anna realised too late she did indeed have strong feelings for Guy, but it was too late by then. He had already relocated and with no alternative, she was forced to get on with her life without him.
Despair had started to seep into every aspect of her life and she was struggling to focus on work. The lack of sex, of release, was her penance and punishment but she was finding it harder and harder. She knew she should leave Robert, they were both miserable and yet she couldn’t. Only the whisper of a club with a difference gave her hope. Anna kept in touch with an old mentor from law school and he mentioned it to her. She’d had a brief fling with him in her youth and it had been passionate but short-lived. He had told Anna that complications were inevitable; therefore, it was best that they enjoyed their time together for what it was, and for what it would give them both. She never regretted it and he had taught her well.