by Kate Allure
Candi: Tell u what. I’ll ask Sandy and we’ll see. It’s all I can promise
Randy: TY, TY, a thousand times TY :) I’ll be waiting to hear
Candi: Keep your knob at the ready LOL
She kept him waiting most of the day on Wednesday. Diana, although surprised by her request, had easily agreed to take her the next evening. “I never go on Thursdays, so it’ll be fun to see who’s there,” she said.
Tori thanked her profusely and then sat on the information, wanting to make her man earn it. Midafternoon, after she’d adjourned but before leaving the courtroom, her mobile buzzed.
Randy: Well?????
Chuckling, she tapped out a retort.
Candi: Patience, patience
Randy: You’re killing me
She laughed aloud. The clerk gave her a funny look—Judge Whittingstall wasn’t known for her jolly personality. She waited until she’d made it to her chambers and shut the door.
Candi: Thursday 22:00 I’ll be the lady in a mask
Randy: Ha-ha. I’ll be the man jumping up and down w/excitement
Unadulterated happiness flooded her. While she tried to think of a cute response, he buzzed again.
Randy: A part of me is already up
Candi: Full or half-staff?
Randy: Full, baby, full
Candi: Candi’s ready to play with a randy Randy
Randy: OMG. Tonight? Please!
Candi: Tomorrow
Randy: Pouting
She laughed, big belly laughs in the privacy of her chambers. Pleasure filled her, making her more effervescent and lighthearted than any martini ever could.
Candi: I’ll make the wait worth it, I promise
Randy: Brilliant! Till 2moro then
It was Thursday afternoon at last! The day had dragged so slowly she’d wanted to pull her hair out at times—or perhaps her constant state of semi arousal drove her impatience. Finally, it was over. She took off her black silk robe and headed home to prepare.
Walking from the Canary Wharf Tube station, she couldn’t stop thinking about the coming rendezvous, although she did spare a few minutes on her nemesis. A last-minute change in the docket had had Ian appearing before her for a motion earlier this afternoon. As he’d approached the bench, she’d girded herself for another dose of his sexual innuendo, but nothing had happened.
Perhaps he had finally accepted that she was off-limits. Although, the more she thought about it, the more it seemed he’d been distracted, not completely present.
Well, it didn’t matter. She had more exciting things to think about. And playing with her mystery man came without consequences—the club’s secrecy would protect her career and free her to finally become the sexual being she’d longed to be.
She’d waited all day for her mystery man to text her, but her mobile had remained silent. As she was walking home, her phone vibrated, and she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to whip it from her purse.
Randy: Hey sexy. Super busy day. Sorry couldn’t txt b4 but u were on my mind all day
Candi: No problem but glad to hear you aren’t losing interest
Randy: Not a chance. Had a boner all day thinking about tonight
She grinned, fingers poised to reply.
Randy: Hope you don’t mind me saying that. But if you could see me…HUGE!
A passerby jostled her. She’d been completely lost to her surroundings, and her eyes went wide at seeing the throngs of pedestrians hurrying around her. Here she stood on the busy sidewalk, a dame commander of the Order of the British Empire, breathless and excited, her knees mush. She needed to sit down before her legs gave out. And she was wet! In the throes of passion…with her mobile phone.
Her gaze swept the crowded sidewalk, taking in the expressions of those nearest her. No one paid her any attention, although she got a few glares as people had to swerve around her. Once again, her vibrating phone caught her attention.
Randy: R u still there?
Candi: Yes, sorry. An interruption
Quickly she typed another.
Candi: But as to your HUGEness. You have a high opinion of yourself LOL
Randy: You can judge my amplitude yourself anytime sexy thing
Candi: A hands-on appraisal would be the most accurate test. Perhaps a tasting, too?
Randy: STOP! I’m going to blow my wad right here at work
Candi: Well, don’t! Save it for me
She stunned even herself with her brazen demands, but she loved this new side of her.
Randy: Sexy Thing, I want you so much I could polish my knob all day long & I’d still be ready, willing, and able…for you
Candi: Mmm! Can’t wait!
Randy: To quote Usher, Ooh baby baby
She tittered and started walking. She didn’t know who Usher was—a singer, most likely—but still it made her feel old. Definitely older than her mystery man.
How old was he? She silently asked that question more each day but had no intention of ever actually asking him.
“Don’t worry about it!” she admonished herself.
She wasn’t marrying Randy, just screwing him, and didn’t men date younger women all the time?
I won’t let the old me ruin this. It’s finally time for my inner goddess to live.
And a goddess would be bold and assertive—she certainly wouldn’t worry about age. She would thrust and parry instead.
Candi: I think you’ll know exactly how to make me whisper Ooh
Randy: Whisper? I’m going to make you scream
Oh my! She shivered in delight, her insides curling and tightening.
Candi: I’ll hold you to that
Randy: I’m a man of my word. See you ASAP!
In a daze, she waved hello to her doorman, Johnny, and rode the lift to her flat. It was hard to believe that only a little over a week ago she had felt defeated, old, and worn-out. Not any longer—she had taken a chance, pushed her boundaries, and now life had become something she looked forward to. It blew her mind.
She gazed out at her favorite view of the Thames and hugged herself. Tonight, she’d risk her heart, but she wasn’t afraid anymore. Finally having been given this chance, she’d explore with her whole being the thrust and parry of human sexuality. She would play the game full out.
Whatever else happened, she would finally have her wild sex.
Chapter Sixteen
Tori and Diana removed their coats and put on their masks. Now that Tori stood in the entryway of Club Exotica, her anxiety level shot to the heavens—her stomach cramping and palms sweating. The reality of having sex with a stranger, even if he didn’t seem like one anymore, stared her down, but she shook her head against her fears.
“You look fabulous, Tori. But are you sure you are ready for this? A few days ago, you didn’t even want to step foot inside the club.”
“I feel fabulous!” She said it loudly, as if that would make it more true.
She strutted a small circle in her new stilettos to show off her scarlet dress, purchased on a whim during her lunch break. The tight, glittering number barely covered her bum and showed off her voluptuous figure like a shimmery second skin. Underneath she had on the sluttiest lace bra and knickers she’d ever worn.
“I’m like a new woman. Alluring, exciting, desirable.” Squaring her shoulders, she told herself that this new woman would also be brave.
Diana nodded approvingly. “You’re all that.”
Tori hoped she could actually muster the bravery, otherwise her new look—everything she’d done, all of it—would be a big waste of time.
After the doorman took their coats, they entered the club’s inner sanctum and headed toward the Watering Hole.
“I’ll admit there’s a part of me screaming that I’m crazy, but I want a new start after Rupert,” she said. Was she reassuring her friend or herself? “Which reminds me, I’ve decided that to go with the new me, I want a new name. From now on”—she dropped her voice to a low whisper—“I’m go
ing to be Tori Whittingstall everywhere. Over time, I’ll change it at court, as well.”
Maybe she’d even tell her mystery man someday.
“Excellent idea. But remember, here you’re officially Candi.”
“Thanks so much for that. I can start my new career as a stripper now. It’s the real reason I spent so many years studying law.” She stuck her tongue out at her friend. “And what’s with you…Madame Sandy Bovary?”
Diana laughed, the cultured bell sound Tori loved. “I’m Bovary most of the time, but here I can be anyone or anything I want…and can change it up on a whim. That’s the beauty of this place.”
When Tori didn’t see her date in the room, they wandered up to the bar.
“Welcome, beautiful ladies. What can I get you?” asked Chase, the white-uniformed bartender.
The second he set their orders on the bar, Tori grabbed the lowball and took a big gulp. “By the way, Sandy, I want to repay you for all my expenses charged to your account.”
“You know that’s not necessary…Candi.”
“But I do insist.”
Sandy nodded. Reluctantly.
The win-at-all-costs barrister in Tori made her smile over her small victory.
Turning serious, she put her glass down and leaned closer. “Tell me the truth. Have you ever seen anyone here you recognized, or been recognized yourself? Even with fake names, masks, and lights so low it’s practically pitch-black, I’m still a little worried about that.”
“Dahling, that’s the interesting thing. It’s as if we’re at a seventeenth-century masquerade. People might recognize each other, but the masks provide the pretense of anonymity, allowing for liaisons dangereuses that would never happen out there”—Diana gestured, as if pointing outside the building—“in the real world.”
“Have you had a dangerous liaison?”
Diana’s eyes danced, and her mouth formed a naughty grin. “I’ll never tell, but that’s rather the whole point, isn’t it?”
Tori took another sip of her drink. Am I heading toward danger?
Her friend patted her shoulder. “With your thick hair down around your shoulders and your vastly altered clothes and makeup, you look like a completely different person. And gorgeous, too, I might add. But please, don’t do anything unless you want to, unless you feel it’s totally right for you.” Diana gave her a sly look. “And anyway, you haven’t had your new-member submissive training downstairs yet.”
Tori’s eyes widened. “What? In the dungeon?”
Diana chuckled. “I’m just teasing.”
Tori picked up her drink, gulped the rest down, and set the empty glass on the bar. Thank god. That would be a little too much liberation.
Within seconds, awareness skittered through her. He’d arrived.
She felt his approach, felt his presence behind her. Their instant connection had grown stronger over the week, as if he were a part of her already.
His hand slid around her waist, drawing her against the hard plane of his body. He placed his mouth to her ear and whispered, “You look stunning.” His tone was hot and husky.
Chase came by with their charges tallied on a tablet. Before Diana could react, Tori’s mystery man stretched out his right hand and gracefully swiped his membership ring across the scanner. “My treat,” he called over the loud music.
Surprised, they thanked him.
Diana turned away from the bar to study him. After giving the masked man wrapped around Tori a hard stare, she said, “I expect you to take good care of my dear friend Candi. You’ll answer to me if you don’t.”
Tori stiffened. She was a successful, grown woman and could take care of herself. Prepared to defend him to Diana, she twisted around to see him frowning at her friend.
“Of course.” He looked irritated that his integrity had been questioned.
“Well, then, I’ll leave you to it.” Diana blew her a kiss and headed off to join her friends.
“Finally. I get to hold you in my arms,” Randy murmured in her ear, his low timbre hoarse with desire. He turned her to face him in the circle of his arms and kissed her.
The moment his lips touched hers, she forgot everything. Where she was. That he was still a stranger. She existed only as sensation. Timeless and weightless, she luxuriated in the feel of his strong arms cocooning her to him, his warmth suffusing her, and the taste of his tongue as it entered her mouth. She pressed her body closer, needing to feel more of him. Needing more of his heat. More of his taste. More…
Too soon, he pulled back, yelling over the loud music, “Dance with me.”
She nodded, incapable of speech. She wanted so much more…as if wanting were a tangible thing, the shape and size of it overwhelming her with its immensity.
She let him lead her by the hand to the disco, his grip her tether to fulfilling all her desires. He pulled her into the center of the throng of bodies gyrating to the roaring, animalistic beat.
He grabbed her hips and turned her back to him and began to dance, grinding his pelvis against her arse. Tentatively at first, she began to move, joining him in this modern-day erotic tango, loving that it drove him to press harder against her. He nuzzled her neck, his lips grazing the sensitive skin there. Tingles shivered down her spine.
He increased the tempo, and she followed, dancing faster. She couldn’t get close enough to him.
His hands traveled slowly around her body while they rocked in place. Even through her clothes, his caresses left trails of electricity everywhere he touched. She moaned when his hands gently fondled her breasts. Desperate to have his lips on hers again, she turned toward him. She raised her face to his, a silent invitation, and he claimed his prize. Their mouths merged in a hot, wet kiss even as he continued grinding his pelvis against her thigh, the firm bulge in his pants pressing into her and showing her how much he desired her.
He pulled back to gaze at her through his mask. He seemed to be searching her face for an answer, but she wasn’t sure what he was asking. The moment stretched.
Finally, yelling to be heard, he said, “I booked a private room. Would you like to go there?”
She stilled. This was it. The point of no return.
Her pulse raced faster than the music’s beat, and her chest pounded more frantically than the wild rave around her. Anxiety made her clammy.
Could she really go through with this? Have sex with a man she hardly knew?
Diana had cautioned her to take it slow, but in that moment, she didn’t want slow. She didn’t want to be judicious. Didn’t want to weigh her decisions. For once, she wanted to be the carefree spirit who let life take her along for the ride, eager to go faster around each new curve.
Still, she hesitated.
Would she be safe alone in a room with him? White-clad bouncers roamed everywhere and the members were all vetted, but she didn’t know his real name or anything about him. An entire lifetime of playing it safe, putting career and respectability ahead of personal desires, wasn’t easy to push aside. A spotlight caught her mystery man in its beam, and she stared at him as if she could glean the answers from his eyes.
Don’t do anything unless you feel it’s totally right.
“I wonder if maybe we’re rushing things,” she called out.
He looked confused. She watched for the anger that was sure to come next.
Her eyes flicked down. He was ready, clearly, but she wasn’t sure that she was.
Her eyes rose again to meet his, worried what she’d see there.
She saw acceptance. Disappointment, too. He tilted his head and shrugged.
Suddenly, he pulled her up against his body, locking her to him. Placing his mouth at her ear, he whispered, “You’re worth waiting for. I want you to be absolutely sure before I make love to you.” He dipped to place a quick kiss on her neck, and she trembled. “Tonight, we’ll just get to know each other.”
Relief flooded her. He wasn’t angry, and he still wanted her.
“Thank you,” she w
hispered, and he lowered his head to kiss her again.
For a long time, they stood locked together and motionless, kissing in the center of the dance floor surrounded by masked revelers, until finally he pulled back and released her.
“Thank you,” she repeated. This special man, so young and vibrant, was willing to wait for her, willing to put her needs ahead of his own. It made her feel closer to him than anything else he could have done, even were he to remove his mask or reveal his true name.
Wonder flooded her, and her chest felt tight. His real name, where he lived, even the tiniest detail about his background remained a mystery, but she now knew something far more important. He was a man of good character and generous spirit.
He smiled down at her. Then gestured, asking with his hands if she wanted to dance or go out. She pointed to the hallway, and he led her out, her hand firmly in his. They walked back toward the barroom, and when she spied the ladies’ loo, she pointed to it.
He dropped a quick kiss on her lips and whispered, “I’ll wait for you in the Serengeti.” Elation filled her. He’d picked the quietest spot in the entire club, and they could talk there.
Within minutes, she emerged from the loo. Spotting, Diana, she exclaimed excitedly, “I have to talk to you!”
She pulled her friend aside, away from the milling couples and single members, to rapidly explain everything that had happened and make plans to meet later. She felt a creeping sensation down her spine, as if someone was watching her, and looked about for Randy. There were a few men eyeing both her and Diana, inviting smiles on their faces. Tori smiled back but waved them off. She had someone waiting for her.
“I’m happy for you,” Diana said. She gave her a good-luck hug and headed off.
“Me, too!” she yelled over her shoulder before starting down the hall.
Then it happened.
“Victoria!”
The outraged shout from behind hit her like a kick to the ass, and she tripped over her stilettos. Her hand hitting the wall kept her from falling to the marble floor as she skidded to a stop.
Bloody fucking hell!
Rising up, she stood there ramrod straight, locked in a steel vise of disbelief.
It…can’t…be!