Divertissement (4 page)

Dammit,
no! She was not going all introspective and angst-ridden about their
relationship. Life was too short. She’d learned that in spades watching Edward
sicken and die. She’d found John, or rather with her niece Annie’s help, they’d
found each other and Ellen was hell-bent and determined to take each day as it
came and draining it to the dregs.

But she
did itch to know where exactly where they were going. The “seaside and country
walks” left things rather wide open, but she’d always been rather partial to
alfresco sex.

* * * * *

He
arrived, almost to the minute, and tossed her bag in the boot before stroking
her
arse
very thoroughly as he held the passenger
door open.

 
“Nothing underneath there.
Good.” He kissed the back of her neck as she stooped to get in the car.

As
promised, he had a soft cushion on the seat. It helped.

“Are we
going far?”

His
chuckle cued her she should have worded that less ambiguously. “I’ll take you
as far as you’ll let me.”

“I meant, are we driving far?”

He closed
the door after fastening her seat belt and walked around to his side before
replying. “We’re on our way to Cornwall,” he said, “but we’re stopping for
lunch on the way.”

“Oh?” They
were, were they?
“Where?”

“With friends of mine.
Alan and Jane
Branis
.
They live in Ham. Old friends and they’re kinky.”

“I see.”
A lie.
She didn’t or rather wasn’t sure what was planned,
but Ham wasn’t far. Not long to find out. “Are we just eating there? Or do you
have anything else in mind?”

“What
would you suggest?”

It drove
her bonkers when he answered her question with another. “I’d suggest getting to
know them first.”

“I’ve
known Alan since he was in short trousers.”

“I
haven’t.” She paused to let that point sink in. “If you’re suggesting playing,
I want to know them first.”

Now he
went quiet. She’d swear he only did it to play with her mind. “I imagine Jane
feels the same. It’s just lunch. But…” There was often a “but” with John. “I
will want you naked.”

“Just me?”

“Jane will
be too, that’s what we’re arranged.”

She should
have guessed. No doubt they sorted it all out over a drink at the pub or
someone’s club. “‘We’ as in you and this Alan, I suppose.”

“And Jane,
she was in the planning. You’ll like her.”

She’d
reserve judgment there. “Just lunch then we get on our way?”

He paused
at the light. “Jane’s a good cook. I guarantee she’ll provide a good meal.”

And what else?
“Have you played with her before?” Asking showed insecurity
but it came out.

“Have I
had sex with her, do you mean? Or have I played with her?”

“Either or both.”

He
considered the question a minute. “I’ve played with Jane several times. Helped
Alan treat her to a threesome once, and I’ve helped flog
her
a
couple of times. She’s a nice woman and makes Alan very happy, but…”
He reached out and pushed Ellen’s skirt up above her knees. “I don’t lust after
her. Never have, and you, my dear Ellen, are fast becoming an obsession with
me.”

She was,
was she? That had to be good news. “I’m rather chuffed to hear that last bit.
Nice to think I’m on your mind.”

“Christ
almighty, Ellen.” He ran his hand through his hair and grasped the other around
the steering wheel. “Are you trying to drive me up the wall?”

“Not
intentionally, but it is nice to know you think about me when I’m not around.”

“Dammit,
woman, I have a hard time not thinking about you. You’re a bloody distraction.
I think about having sex with you, about you sucking my cock, about tying you
to my bed and fucking your mouth, about flogging you and watching the pink rise
on your skin, about tugging on your piercing and seeing you squirm, and about
hearing you cry out when I drive in hard and bugger you.”

Seemed she
really was making an impression on him.
Wonderful.
“What about making me soaking wet between my legs?”

 
“That too!”

She didn’t
say “Good!” but she thought it, and she leaned back in the seat and shut her
eyes. She hadn’t been kidding about her pussy. She was half afraid there’d be a
damp patch on her skirt. Thank goodness it was lined. There was no mistaking
the scent of her arousal.

“Are you
wet?” he asked.

“Very.”

“Good,
nice to know I can get you wound up.”

“John,
with you I’m permanently wound up. Only the degree varies.”
Shouldn’t
have said that.
He looked downright smug. But darn, it was the truth.

He didn’t
say another word until they pulled up in the circular drive of a double-fronted
house.

“Want me
to strip in the car?” she asked.
Mostly to get a rise out of
him.

“No!” He
was quite curt about it. “Don’t be cheeky or I’ll tan your backside for you.”

“Just
asking and you’ll probably do that anyway.” She grinned at him.
Couldn’t help it.

Nor, it
seemed, could he. “I used to dream about a sweet, demure, obedient sub who
spoke when spoken to.” He took her hand in his and kissed it. “What was I
thinking!
”

He leaned
closer, took her face in his hands and pressed his lips on hers. She didn’t
need any asking. Her mouth opened and her tongue curled over his as he pressed
in deep, taking her with his mouth, lips hard on hers as his hands cupped the
back of her head, holding her steady as he kissed. Her lips would be red and
puffy when he finally stopped. That thought kept her kissing. Her clit throbbed
and her cunt flooded as he held her steady. Making darn certain she—and any
neighbors who happened to be cutting their lawns that morning—knew exactly how
things stood.

She was
close to running out of breath when a tap on the passenger window got both
their attentions.

A
brown-haired man, thirties or so, Ellen guessed, peered in at them as he opened
her door. “Come on in,” he said “before one of the neighbors calls the police.”

What a way
to be introduced and, damn, her cheeks were burning. Would she ever get over
blushing? She stepped out and offered him her hand. “You must be Alan. I’m
Ellen Forsythe.”

His
eyebrows shot up as he took her hand and gave her the oddest look. Give her
strength! If he was one of those Dominants who thought all subs should kneel to
him, he was in for a shock.

But he
recovered quickly. “Awfully glad you could come. Jane’s been dying to meet you.
Come in.”

The front
hall rather reminded Ellen of her sister’s—pale peach, rag-rolled walls, a pair
of convex mirrors in gilt frames, a reproduction mahogany hall table and some
rather nice watercolors of what looked like Cornwall, or perhaps Brittany.

She only
got a quick look around though. Once Alan closed the front door, John squeezed
her hand and said, “Get naked, darling.
Everything off.”

He’d
warned her. She should have been prepared but she wasn’t. Not if the clenching
deep in her cunt was anything to go by.

He
expected her to strip right here, in front of Alan?

She met
John’s eyes in the silence that hung between them. A silence punctuated only
but the ticking of a clock somewhere nearby and a discreet cough from Alan.

She
steadfastly ignored the latter. The only man who mattered was John. She looked
him in the eyes, smiled, kicked off her sandals and pulled off her blouse.

“You
permit her to wear a bra?” Alan asked, sounding so scandalized she almost
giggled.

Instead,
as she reached behind to unhook, she looked his way and said. “At my age, it’s
a necessity.” He’d see that for himself in a minute. Perky was no longer the
word for her tits. Not that John had ever complained.

Bra off,
she put it on a hall chair with her top and eased down her skirt. Elastic
waists came in so handy.

John took
her skirt from her and added it to the pile. “Let’s go and meet Jane.”

As she
followed the men down the hallway, she offered thanks to Edward for the times
he’d as good as bulldozed her into walking around naked at play parties. The
first few times she’d almost died of embarrassment, now she could handle it.
Apart from that comment about wearing a bra.

Still, he
was no doubt playing Dominant.
Made her doubly thankful for
John.
He didn’t need to work at being dominant. It was in his bones, his
heart and his mind.

“Hello,
Jane!” John went forward and hugged the fair-haired woman, naked except for an
apron and gold barbells in her nipples. “This is Ellen,” he said.

“Hello,”
Ellen said, holding out her hand.

Jane gave
her an enormous smile “You’re Annie’s aunt, right? I’ve heard so much about
you. I’m thrilled you could stop on your way.”

It’s hard
to rebuff a genuine welcome and Ellen wasn’t about to try. Besides, she liked
Jane on sight, and when Jane offered a sherry while she finished getting lunch
together, Ellen gladly took a stool by the countertop. John and Alan
disappeared and Ellen saw a chance to get a word in without being overheard.

Jane beat
her to it. “Look, I bet neither of them mentioned this so I’m going to warn
you. Annie and Mark are due to arrive any minute.”

Shit!
“Well, I never, I somehow doubt they forgot to mention it.”

Jane shook
her head. “It was Mark’s idea. Not that Alan or John tried to talk him out of
it.”

“Oh dear.
Inevitable eventually, I suppose, given how close John is to
Mark and the rest of you.” She sighed. “Try as I will, I still see Annie as a
schoolgirl in pigtails, bottle green blazer and straw hat. I have a difficult
time seeing her as a grown woman, and a sexual grown woman at that. Silly of
me, I know.” The rather good sherry had loosened her tongue.

Jane was
staring, mouth gaping. Oh dear! What had she said wrong? “You know, I’ve never
thought of it that way,” Jane said. “Mark’s reasoning was the flip side, so to
speak. Apparently, Annie is worried about you and John, the idea was to get her
to accept John isn’t exerting some sort of compulsion over you.”

“Dear
saints in heaven! I should have gone to see Annie but I’ve been so busy with
moving and work and…oh damn! Silly girl! I know John scares her a bit…”

“Not just
Annie. I’ve been with him and, darn, he’s unrelenting.”

“That’s
what I like about him. But Annie said much the same. I suppose I should be
thoroughly thankful I won’t have to fight either of you for him.”

That got a
smile on the girl’s face. No! She had to start thinking of Jane and Annie as
women. They were after all.

“No,” Jane
agreed, “he’s not my sort of Dominant, but also, you’re not what I expected.
All my aunts are old ladies.”

A
compliment, Ellen supposed. “My sister, Annie’s mother, is fifteen years older
than I am. I was one of those tagalong children turning up after our parents
thought they were through with nappies and school fees and riding lessons.”

Jane
nodded, absorbing that, it seemed, and then said, “I wanted to warn Annie that
you were here but that will rather screw up the men’s plans.”

“A silly idea like that needs to be
kiboshed
,
in my opinion.
But there’s not much point in calling Annie now that she’s on her way. We’ll
just have to take care of it when they get here. It’s just lunch, right? No sex
play or games.
At least according to John.”

Jane
chuckled.
“Since John tends to run the show when he’s around,
then yes.
I suppose. All I was told was to get lunch for six and who was
coming.”

“How about
I help? May I lay the table or slice bread or something?”

“The
table’s laid, but if you’d like to put the strawberries in the dishes, that
would help.” Jane opened the fridge and produced a bowl. “Dishes are the glass
one over there.” She nodded toward the counter.

“I’ll be
glad to do that much.”

“You
know,” Jane went on as she sliced a joint of cold roast beef and arranged slices
on a platter. “John is different with you. He’d got a twinkle in his eye I’ve
never seen before.”

“Oh that!
That appears when he’d devising some new torture or sex play.”

Jane
laughed. “You have changed him.”

As he’d
changed her, but she wasn’t going into that with a woman she’d just met.
“People change each other. It’s part of life. The best thing to do is hope it’s
a change for the better.” Cripes, she was waxing philosophical. No wonder Jane
gave her such an odd expression. Most likely thought she was going gaga. Better
stay practical. “When are you expecting Annie and Mark?”