Dark Obsession

by Fredrica Alleyn

  ‘Tell me what you think of my place then,’ said Lord Corbett-Wynne as Sir Matthew talked softly and intimately to the lord’s wife. ‘Like it?’

  ‘I think it’s got tremendous character,’ said Annabel with total honesty. ‘I’d want to keep the atmosphere too. I had thought in terms of very subtly shaded surfaces and I’d use artificially faded fabrics, anything too obviously new would clash horribly.’

  ‘Do you admire Marina’s wing?’ he demanded abruptly.

  ‘I like the French romantic style,’ Annabel said carefully, ‘but it has to be used in the right rooms.’

  ‘Seems to keep her happy. She’s a romantic type of woman, of course. Are you?’ He pushed his face close to Annabel’s.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ responded Annabel, who felt anything but romantic with her sexual desire for Sir Matthew occupying every spare thought.

  ‘Glad to hear it. Ruins everything that does. She’s not a physical woman, you see,’ he added, dropping his voice. ‘Now me, I’m very physical. I have needs, if you take my meaning.’

  Remembering his son’s comments, Annabel took his meaning only too well, but she kept her face expressionless and didn’t answer him.

  ‘A man needs someone to warm his bed now and again,’ persisted her host, his hand reaching beneath the tablecloth and gripping her left knee tightly.

  Annabel glanced down the table to where Lady Corbett-Wynne was sitting but she was still in intimate conversation with Sir Matthew and totally oblivious to anyone else at the table. As Annabel moved her legs to one side her right foot pressed against Sir Matthew’s. Although he continued to keep his gaze on his hostess Annabel felt the pressure returned softly.

  ‘Not engaged, are you?’ asked Lord Corbett-Wynne, draining his glass of Chablis and refilling it before the waiting maidservant had the opportunity.

  ‘No,’ said Annabel with a polite smile. ‘I think perhaps I’m too fussy.’

  ‘Doesn’t do, doesn’t do! It’s astonishing the number of women I’ve bedded who’ve turned out to be extraordinary once you got them going. Be more adventurous, my dear, that’s my advice to you.’

  Across the table Crispian looked at Annabel and grinned. ‘Ignore him; he’s only hoping you might decide to try the more mature man. Isn’t that right, Pa?’

  Annabel shifted uneasily in her seat, still worried about Lady Corbett-Wynne. Crispian understood her fear. He leant across the table, narrowly avoiding knocking over one of the vases of freesias. ‘Don’t worry about Step-mama, she couldn’t care less what he does as long as he leaves her alone. Besides, it seems she’s having a good time for once in her life.’

  Annabel could see that for herself. She only wished it wasn’t with the first man to have literally set her own pulse racing.

  The second course was rather over-cooked pheasant, served with parsnips, carrots, and game chips. The vegetables were horribly undercooked and this time Annabel could scarcely eat more than a few mouthfuls.

  ‘Not hungry?’ asked Sir Matthew as the plates were removed.

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘You ought to take more exercise. Are you naturally pale, or is it the company?’ he asked with a smile.

  ‘I’m always pale. In fact I only get colour in my cheeks when I’ve got a temperature.’

  He looked thoughtfully at her. ‘I’m sure I could bring some colour to them without making you ill in the process.’

  Annabel knew that he could, she only wished that he’d put his hand on her knee as Lord Corbett-Wynne had done. But he didn’t, contenting himself instead with resting his hand on the top of Annabel’s arm. ‘You must come and look over my place before you go. Some of the ground-floor rooms are in a sorry state. I’d like your advice on them.’

  ‘With pleasure,’ responded Annabel. ‘I’ll be here for at least three weeks, so there’s no rush.’

  ‘Well, don’t leave it until the last minute. We might need to spend a little time discussing things,’ he said quietly. Then his fingers travelled in a slow line down her arm and over her hand before he picked up his spoon for the dessert.

  After that he spent the rest of the meal talking to his hostess again. Annabel began to wonder, as she fended off more and more suggestive remarks from her host, whether this was the way the family always behaved or if the presence of Sir Matthew had brought about some kind of change.

  After the delicious fig-fritters, the men tucked into stilton and port but Annabel sat back and sipped at her orange muscat dessert wine. This wine was new to her and she decided she’d get David to try it.

  At last the meal was over, and they withdrew to the library again for coffee, although now the evening was clearly drawing to a close and Tania kept looking at her watch.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ whispered Crispian as he passed behind her. ‘Are you bored?’

  ‘A bit. Mother hogged Sir Matthew’s attention, and you hardly said a word to me,’ she hissed.

  ‘How can I when Pa’s about? You know how he feels about us! Tell you what, why don’t we go to the stables later, have ourselves a different kind of party?’

  Tania’s eyes gleamed. ‘Even better, why don’t you get our house guest to come along and look at the horses? She’s pretty worked up already. I think Sir Matthew’s had an effect on her. She might even enjoy herself once we persuade her to join in!’

  Crispian looked startled. ‘Is that wise? Suppose she says something to your mother?’

  Tania’s lip curled. ‘Not scared, are you? What could she say? That she’d joined us for a threesome and felt Mama ought to know?’

  Crispian could feel his own excitement growing, but it was always this way with Tania. She didn’t seem to have any sense of self-preservation, and sometimes he wondered what would become of them both.

  ‘Go on,’ Tania urged him. ‘It will be fun.’

  ‘Okay,’ he said swiftly. ‘Leave it to me. You go on ahead in about twenty minutes, get things prepared, and then I’ll bring her round a bit later on and we can “bump into each other”!’

  Tania laughed excitedly. ‘Heavenly!’

  ‘Crispian, I thought you were going to fetch another bottle of port,’ said his father. It was evident that he was irritated.

  Crispian deliberately caught Annabel’s eye and gave her an intimate smile. ‘Sorry, Pa, forgot. Annabel, let me show you where our cellar is.’

  ‘Annabel doesn’t need to know her way to the cellar,’ Lady Corbett-Wynne said sharply. ‘I’m sure she has no interest in it whatsoever.’

  Annabel hadn’t, but the blood coursing through her veins had more than a passing interest in Crispian, especially since it was plain that for this evening at least, Sir Matthew’s charms were being directed at his hostess and not his fellow guest.

  When Tania finally slipped out of the room only her stepfather noticed her go, and he merely gave an inward sigh of relief. She unsettled him. Normally he would have found her blatant sensuality highly erotic, but the knowledge that his son was besotted with her when he was meant to be out and about finding himself a wealthy wife took the edge off her charms.

  In any case, he sensed that she wouldn’t enjoy the kind of sex he liked, and she lacked the fragile allure of her mother. If he had his way he’d get her married off, but to his annoyance his wife stood firm over that, telling him that she had no intention of pushing her daughter into the kind of mistake she’d made.

  Eventually the day’s activities and a long evening of heavy drinking took their toll and Marina, who was listening with rapt interest to Sir Matthew’s description of his latest equestrian acquisition, despite having no interest whatsoever in her husband’s horses and having long since given up riding, gave a tiny polite yawn behind her hand.

  Immediately Sir Matthew looked at his watch. ‘Good Lord, is that the time? I must be on my way. Thank you both for a delightful evening. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such agreeable company.’ He took Lady Corbett-Wynne’s hand in his, letting his fingers care
ss her palm.

  She shivered, but didn’t remove her hand, merely smiling politely. ‘We enjoyed it too,’ she said warmly. ‘I’m afraid we don’t entertain as often as we should, but perhaps once the Hall has been redecorated that will change.’

  ‘Didn’t know it had anything to do with the wallpaper,’ grumbled her husband. ‘Thought you disliked all my friends.’

  Sir Matthew looked sympathetically at his hostess, at the same time wondering what would be the best way to make his next move.

  ‘You must come over and see my Dalmatian’s litter of pups,’ he said with a smile. ‘Two of the dogs are already taken, but I’m sure I could find one that you’d like out of the rest.’

  ‘Step-mama loathes dogs,’ said Crispian.

  ‘Nonsense,’ responded Marina, her palm still warm from the soft pressure of Sir Matthew’s fingers. ‘I think a little spotty dog would be enchanting.’

  Her husband laughed. ‘A little spotty dog! God, you can tell she doesn’t know a damned thing about animals, can’t you!’

  ‘She knows Dalmatians have spots,’ said Sir Matthew calmly. ‘Just ring me, Lady Corbett-Wynne. I’m usually free in the afternoons.’

  ‘I will,’ she said softly, ‘and please call me Marina.’

  He nodded, and knew that providing he was careful he was well on his way to a satisfying seduction.

  Crispian ran a finger down Annabel’s bare spine, ending at the top of her zip. ‘Fancy a walk?’ I could do with some air before going to bed.’

  Annabel nodded, said her goodnights and then followed him along a passageway and out through a side door into the grounds. She breathed in the cool evening air with satisfaction, but then shivered slightly. The contrast with the library, where a log fire had burned in the grate, was marked and her evening dress wasn’t meant to keep her warm.

  ‘Here, wear this,’ said Crispian, and he draped his evening jacket over her shoulders. She pulled it tightly round her and they walked along the gravel path towards the stable block.

  ‘Did you enjoy the evening?’ he asked, merriment clear in his voice.

  ‘It was certainly interesting,’ conceded Annabel. ‘I wasn’t sure at one point whose hand was on my knee.’

  ‘Almost certainly Pa’s. Sir Matthew doesn’t look like a groper; he’s got a far more subtle approach. Good-looking, the women seem to think.’

  ‘Quite attractive,’ agreed Annabel, her heart pounding at the thought of what he might be like in bed, with his hands on her breasts and his mouth covering hers.

  They came to the corner of the stable block and here Crispian turned so that Annabel found herself with her back against the wall while he stood in front of her, his hands resting on the wall above her shoulders.

  ‘You looked bloody attractive tonight,’ he said huskily, bending his head towards her.

  Although it was Sir Matthew who’d stirred her into sexual awareness, Annabel found Crispian very attractive, and when his mouth softly touched her lips she found that she responded instantly.

  Slowly he eased his jacket off her and ran his hands down her back, pressing her closer to him until her hips were thrust against his upper thighs. He moved his hands across her naked shoulders, down her arms and then over her hips and all the time he continued kissing her slowly and sensually, moving his mouth to the delicate skin beneath her ears and at the base of her throat.

  ‘Let’s go into one of the empty stables,’ he said at last as he broke free for a moment.

  Annabel went willingly, suddenly needing more than just kisses and light caresses. She wanted more intimate contact, wanted to feel pressure on her breasts and above all some kind of stimulation between her thighs where she was damp and aching.

  The stable smelt of leather saddles and fresh straw but Annabel didn’t care. Crispian took a rug off a peg and spread it over the straw before laying her down on her back. He then eased her stockings off her legs, pushed the full skirt of her evening dress upwards and crouched between her legs, lowering his head to her most intimate parts.

  She was wearing tiny silk bikini briefs and when Crispian let his tongue glide over the material she nearly spasmed on the spot at the delicate pressure. He allowed his tongue to play around the edges of the bikini, gliding into the creases of her thighs and then across the small strip of silk again before tugging at the edges with his hands and finally pulling them down her legs and over her feet.

  Annabel sighed with satisfaction as she felt his arms pushing her knees apart and his hands gripping her thighs, but suddenly she opened her eyes in astonishment as another pair of hands slid circles of rope over her ankles and then she was being spread-eagled even wider as her feet were pulled outwards.

  Struggling to sit up she saw Tania expertly fastening the ropes to two conveniently situated wooden poles. ‘Don’t worry,’ said the auburn-haired girl, her eyes glittering. ‘No one will come along and spoil your fun. We often use this place and there’s never been an interruption, has there, Crispian?’

  ‘Let me go!’ exclaimed Annabel, hitting out at Crispian, but he only caught her hands and pushed them backwards. ‘Tie her hands as well, Tania. I need to concentrate.’

  ‘You can’t do this!’ protested Annabel.

  ‘Of course we can, and it’s fun. Just you wait and see,’ Tania reassured her, pulling some more rope round the slim wrists and fastening the other ends round two metal rings in the stable wall. ‘There, you look lovely. We should have taken her dress off first though, Crispian.’

  ‘Just cut the straps,’ said her stepbrother.

  Annabel tried to protest, to tell them that the dress was expensive and she didn’t want it ruined, but then Crispian’s head moved back between her naked thighs and she felt his fingers opening her up so that his tongue could move up and down the cleft between her sex lips and she started to tremble.

  While he was working, Tania was cutting the thin straps of Annabel’s dress and then she peeled the bodice back off her breasts. ‘Nice,’ she said approvingly. ‘Not very large, but firm. What do you think, Crispian?’

  He swirled his tongue around Annabel’s rapidly swelling clitoris for a moment and then lifted his head to examine her exposed breasts. ‘Very nice,’ he agreed. ‘Use the suction cups on them.’

  Annabel began to struggle against the ropes, but he slid a hand up beneath her dress, massaging her abdomen and carefully filling her with an incredibly warm, melting sensation that overwhelmed her fear and focused her thoughts back to the delicious feelings he was arousing in her.

  Tania placed two clear plastic cups over Annabel’s breasts and then pressed on the attached bulbs. Immediately a strange sucking feeling coursed through her breasts as the blood flow increased and Tania was able to watch as the other girl’s soft mounds swelled and her nipples grew pointed and tight.

  Knowing what was happening above him, Crispian now fastened his lips firmly round Annabel’s clitoris and began to suck slowly on that, so that it felt as though his mouth and the cups were working in unison. She gasped with excitement and felt her belly tighten.

  Her thighs trembled violently and she felt them pressing against Crispian’s cheeks as her climax approached. Alerted by this, Crispian slowly eased the amount of pressure against the tiny mass of nerve endings giving her such delight and very slowly her body ceased its climb towards orgasm.

  She whimpered in frustration, but there was nothing she could do because of the way they’d tied her up.

  ‘You nearly came then, didn’t you?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes,’ she said breathlessly. ‘Why did you stop?’

  ‘We’ve got a guessing game we like to play,’ said Tania, easing one of the suction cups off Annabel’s left breast and running her fingers slowly round the swollen globe. ‘When you’ve finished it, then you get your climax.’

  The finger moved lightly, softly, circling the tight flesh before moving over the surface and teasing the already painfully hard nipple. ‘The cup worked well on you,’ comm
ented Tania. ‘I think I’ll put it back on for a while.’

  Annabel moaned, half with pleasure and half with despair because the sucking sensation of the cups was making her whole body turn to jelly and she longed for firmer stimulation. A hand closed tightly over her breasts, squeezing the nipple in a firm but arousing movement that she loved.

  ‘Did you want to say something?’ Tania enquired as she started to replace the cup.

  ‘No,’ muttered Annabel.

  Tania laughed and bending down she let her mouth close around the bright-red protrusion, sucking on it just as her stepbrother had sucked on Annabel’s clitoris. ‘There, that’s nice, isn’t it?’

  Annabel sighed. It was perfect, exactly what she’d needed, and her whole body started to quake. ‘Oh dear, too much I think,’ murmured Tania, removing her mouth and sliding the cup back in place. ‘I mustn’t spoil the game.’

  Crispian lifted Annabel’s buttocks off the straw a little so that he could flick the point of his tongue across the delicate area of skin between her front and back passages. She caught her breath in surprise and then let the incredible feelings wash over her. After a few moments he lowered her onto the straw again and then his tongue slipped into her sex, and he curled it upwards until the tip lightly brushed the area near her G-spot.

  Annabel felt her legs begin shaking violently again and at once he stopped, squeezing her buttocks with his hands for a moment as he sat upright to talk to her.

  ‘Annabel, I’m going to trace the outline of some letters on you with my tongue. You have to work out what the letter is. I shall do six, and when you’ve got them all right then you can have your climax, all right?’

  ‘Trace it where?’ she whispered.

  ‘Why here of course!’ His tongue slid up and down her damp channel and at the same time his hand moved onto her lower abdomen, gently massaging palm downwards towards her sex. Due to her mounting excitement Annabel’s clitoris had retreated behind its protective hood and he knew that this movement always brought it out again. Sure enough after a few moments it reappeared and he touched the base of its stem tenderly with his tongue causing the bound girl to quiver and groan.