“Don’t you believe that love exists?” asked a shocked Grace.
“I hope it does, which is why I’ve brought you here. I want to experience love, love as I understand it, and I believe you can help me through your experiences at the Dining Club.
“I want to love you, Grace, but if that’s going to happen I need you to have absolute trust in me.”
Grace was sure she could hear a note of underlying sadness in his voice, a tiny speck of vulnerability that he’d never revealed before, and moving across the room she put her arms round him. He quickly gripped her tightly too, so that they were locked in an embrace.
“You do trust me, don’t you my darling?” he said softly.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“And you understand what I’ve been saying?”
“I understand it, but I don’t know if I agree with it all,” she confessed.
“That doesn’t matter. As time passes, and you experience the trials, that’s when you’ll be in a position to discover whether you agree with me or not. As long as you understand, I know that the rest will follow.”
“I hope so,” she said softly.
“So do I,” replied David, and Grace could tell that he really meant it.
They stayed locked in their embrace for a long time, until Grace realized how time was passing and that the evening would soon be upon her. Swiftly she collected all she needed from her suitcase and went through into the bathroom, leaving her lover standing by the window, lost in his own thoughts.
* * *
It was six-thirty. Amber and Andrew took one last look round the dining room before Andrew went to strike the gong for dinner.
“Perfect,” said Amber contentedly. “This is a beautiful room. So calm and relaxing.”
Andrew smiled. “I always think that it’s rather cruel on the newcomers, so misleading when you think about what’s to follow.”
Amber nodded. “That’s what makes it so perfect. I hope Grace enjoys the meal, because I doubt if she’s going to enjoy her first evening as David’s special guest.”
Andrew frowned. “I hope she does. She might resist a little at first, most people do, but I know he’s very keen on her and I doubt if he’d have made a mistake.”
“He’s been very keen on other women, but they didn’t come here very often. The second one only ate here once. I’ll never forget her face when she had to…”
“Amber,” said Andrew gently, “you can’t keep him to yourself forever. One day he’ll fall for someone who likes it here and fits into his whole life. Then I hope he marries her and they’re very happy. He’s a nice man, he deserves to be happy.”
“He’s not the marrying kind. He needs the stimulation of the Dining Club to stop terminal boredom. He’s said as much himself. You can’t honestly imagine him marrying can you?”
“Maybe not marrying, but wanting to be with one woman all the time would suit him. He’s said as much.”
“Only one woman?” she asked sharply.
Andrew shrugged. “Probably not, but he’d like to live with a woman full-time. I suppose he’d use the Club when the need arose, or rather the two of them would use it.”
“I doubt if any woman would want to come here knowing I’m in charge,” Amber pointed out.
“True, but then you won’t be here forever will you? None of us will be. I’ll go and sound the gong.”
Alone in the room, Amber realized that she was shaking with fury. Andrew was wrong, she knew that really, but his words had scared her. No matter how involved David became with other women, he’d always need her specialized skills and abilities as a hostess. No one could replace her at the Dining Club, and certainly not the admittedly lovely but clearly relatively sexually unsophisticated Grace. Why, she’d even turned up this morning in jeans and a cropped top. Clearly she had no idea of how important clothes were when it came to keeping a man like David keen.
Running her hands down her black dress, she then checked that there weren’t any stray strands of hair falling from her French pleat before moving gracefully to the top table. Tall and curvaceous, with her fair skin lightly tanned she was, she knew, a truly beautiful woman. If she had her way, in a few months’ time Grace would be nothing more than a distant memory to David.
* * *
At the sound of the gong, Grace took a final look at herself in the long bedroom mirror, as David adjusted the knot of his dark blue tie, which he was wearing with a white shirt and blue Armani suit. “Are you sure this dress isn’t over-the-top?” she asked anxiously. “It’s not something I’d ever have chosen.”
“I know, which is why I chose it for you. Your dresses were nice, but I realized I hadn’t explained quite how formal dinner is here and brought this along in case of emergencies. You look beautiful in it, truly beautiful,” he added.
Grace blushed. She felt beautiful. The pale lemon chiffon dress, with lace over the bottom half, fitted her like a second skin. Thin spaghetti straps exposed her creamy shoulders, and a small piece of trailing lace encircled the top of her left arm, like a bracelet made out of material. She thought it looked as though she was about to undress, but on the other hand it was also very sexy, and made her feel sexy too.
“It’s amazing,” she admitted. “I look…”
“Ready to be ravished,” murmured David, standing close behind her so that their eyes met in the mirror. “Unfortunately we have to eat first, but I doubt if I’ll be able to control myself after that!”
“I thought that the first trial was after we’ve eaten?”
“Yes, that’s what I meant. Now, let’s go down shall we?” He ran one finger across the exposed, sensitive skin of her chest, pushed the lace arm bracelet a fraction lower and then, with an arm round her waist, guided her out of the door. “At last the evening begins,” he murmured to himself, and hearing his words Grace’s pulse quickened with a mixture of fear and excitement.
The dining room was almost full when they walked in, and Grace realized that David had been right. The dresses she’d bought wouldn’t have been right, but the dress he’d bought for her was perfect. Because of the cut and fit it even made her walk differently, and she loved the sensuous feel of the material against her skin.
David led the way to table one, where Amy was already sitting. Her dress was the same color as the one she’d worn earlier in the afternoon, but it revealed more of her legs, and round her neck she had a matching fabric collar, studded with tiny diamond chips.
“Gorgeous dress!” exclaimed Amy, as Grace sat down. “Where did you get it?”
“David bought it for me,” said Grace, and she saw a look of surprise cross Amy’s face for a fleeting second, before her expression changed to one of amused understanding, which made no sense at all to Grace.
A tall blonde woman then came over to them from the top table, introducing herself as Amber. “I’m in charge of this part of the Dining Club,” she explained, “and it’s always a pleasure to meet a guest of David’s. He so rarely brings anyone here. I hope you enjoy your evening. You’ll find everyone is very friendly, isn’t that right, David?”
He nodded. “Oh yes, extremely friendly!” Grace didn’t miss the brief, knowing glance that passed between the two of them before Amber glided away again, and there was something about it that increased her nervousness.
“She’s beautiful,” said Grace. “A classic beauty too, like one of Hitchcock’s heroines.”
“I hope not, they either end up dead or half-dead with fear!” replied David. “Now, shall I order some champagne?”
The three of them chatted quietly during dinner. David surprised Grace by feeding her olives and tiny slivers of smoked salmon from his fingers at the start of the meal, and later on did the same with the asparagus tips that accompanied the lamb cutlets.
The subdued lighting and quiet murmur of intensely private conversations in the dining room were an arousing background to these small acts of sensuality, and Grace was thoroughly relaxed and enjoyi
ng herself when Laura, Amy’s twin, arrived at the table with some cards in her hands. “The dessert choice,” she explained, handing them to David.
Amy sat up very straight, her eyes on Grace. David glanced briefly at the cards, put three down on the table and passed the rest back to Laura, who then stood waiting for their order.
“Grace, these dessert choices are coded,” he said quietly. “Each of them hints at the type of trial you want this evening. Here, look at them and you’ll see what I mean.”
Grace’s stomach tightened with fear. For a short time she’d forgotten what lay ahead, but now there was no way out. If she wanted to keep David, and after their conversation earlier she knew without doubt that she did, then she had to go through with this. All around her other women were also looking at cards and making choices. One looked excited, but the others looked as nervous as Grace was feeling.
“Tantalizing Tiramisu, Obedient Orange Sorbet or Controlled Chocolate Delight,” she read aloud.
“I think you should leave the Controlled Chocolate Delight for another month,” said David quietly. “Choose from the first two.”
Grace began to tremble. “I don’t want either,” she whispered. “I don’t know what they mean. I don’t think I can do this.”
“Then you simply refuse the dessert, my darling, but of course you know what that will mean for us.”
“I’m scared; doesn’t that matter to you?”
“Don’t be scared. You don’t have to choose anything, you know that. If none of them appeal to you, then all you have to do is tell Laura. There’s no pressure on you, Gracie, it’s only that…”
Trembling, Grace looked at him, and saw the regret in his eyes. She wanted to go on, to take the final step into the unknown, but the descriptions on the cards didn’t give her enough of a clue for her to dare to choose anything with any confidence.
“The tiramisu should be nice,” murmured Amy, leaning close to Grace so that no one near could hear. “Choose that. You’ll be fine.”
As Grace hesitated, Amber came to their table. “Is there a problem?” she asked.
Looking up, Grace saw that Amber had guessed what was happening and was enjoying it. She also noticed that Amber had rested one hand possessively on David’s left shoulder. “No, I’m spoilt for choice, that’s all,” she said brightly. “I think I’ll go for the Tantalizing Tiramisu. It sounds fascinating.”
Laura wrote it down and went away and Amy smiled and touched Grace’s arm encouragingly while Amber merely nodded before walking off. All around them groups of three were getting up from their tables and making their way out of the dining room.
“Well done,” said David. With a sigh of relief he pushed back his chair. “We’re in the study for dessert tonight aren’t we, Amy?”
Amy nodded.
“Aren’t you coming too?” asked Grace.
“No, I’m hardly ever involved at a guest’s first trial. My skills are for the higher tables. Good luck though,” she added more quietly, “and try to enjoy it. It’s one of the best choices you can get.” With that, Amy hurried off to join another group.
Grace felt bereft as she watched her go. Now she knew that whatever lay ahead she had to cope with it on her own, because she was certain that no one else was going to help her in any way at all.
Silently David guided Grace out of the dining room, down the hallway and along a short corridor. He then opened a concealed door and she stepped inside.
“Hello,” said Amber, getting up from a chair to greet her. “Do come in. Andrew and I are both so pleased you chose the tiramisu.”
Grace took a step backwards, feeling her heart racing and aware that the palms of her hands were damp with fear, but David was standing behind her, and before she could say anything he’d locked the study door and dropped the key into a jar on a high shelf.
“Welcome to your first trial, my darling,” he murmured. “I’m sure we’re all going to have a wonderful time.”
Chapter Three
The lighting in the room was turned off, leaving it in darkness apart from the light provided by the many jasmine-scented candles, whose perfume filled the air. Flickering shadows moved on the walls, and Grace stood motionless, wondering if this was how a fox felt when it was caught in the headlights of a car. She wanted to run, and yet she was hypnotized by the all-pervading air of sexuality that filled the room.
Andrew held out his hands. “Come here, Grace,” he said, smiling at her. “Don’t be nervous. This will be a wonderful evening for you. Tantalizing Tiramisu is one of my favorite scenarios, because it gives the woman so much pleasure.”
Pleased to see him, she allowed him to draw her close, and then as he turned her round and his lips caressed the sides of her neck in tiny, circular motions she jumped with shock. It felt all wrong. She only wanted David to kiss her in that way. She shivered, and his hands moved to the tops of her arms, as he drew small circles with his fingers, while his tongue continued to move over the delicate flesh of her neck.
Grace was mortified to feel her body start to soften, and she was very aware of David standing on the far side of the room, watching her keenly. When Andrew began to unzip the back of her dress, kissing each bone of her spine as he peeled the top down, she felt heat spreading between her inner thighs.
Someone gave a tiny moan, and it took her a few seconds to realize that the sound had come from her.
Reaching in front of her, Andrew spread his fingers over the undersides of her swelling breasts, and he scratched lightly on them with his nails for a few seconds before cupping them again.
Grace was shamed by the speed with which her body was responding. She looked apologetically at David, but it was clear from the rapt expression on his face that he didn’t mind in the least. He was enjoying seeing Andrew give her pleasure. She felt that this was wrong, that if he really loved her he would be jealous, and was deeply ashamed of the way her body was responding to a stranger’s skilled touch while the man she loved was watching.
“That’s enough,” said David as Andrew finished unzipping the dress, easing the cloth bracelet section down her arm, stroking the soft flesh of it as he did so, until the dress fell to the ground round her ankles. “It’s time we explained what the trial is all about.”
Standing alone and naked except for a pair of cream-colored French knickers, her breasts tight and her nipples rigid, Grace waited, trembling, to hear what he had to say.
“Since you chose the Tantalizing Tiramisu, I’m sure you’ve already guessed that this evening you’ll be teased and tantalized sexually,” he said with a brief smile. “It’s something you’re almost certain to find exceedingly pleasurable, judging by your response to Andrew taking your dress off. From the point of view of the trial, it’s an interestingly quick and encouraging response. You see that illuminated clock on the wall, opposite the sofa?”
Grace hadn’t noticed it in the semidarkness before, but when she looked she was surprised by the size of it. It was very large, and each minute was marked with a bright red line. She nodded.
“We’ll be in here an hour,” continued David. “In that time we will all, plus Laura who will join us later, take it in turns to give you pleasure. However, you’re only allowed two orgasms in the hour. The minutes are marked very clearly so that you can see how well you’re doing, and you’ll hear each minute click by if you listen carefully.
“If you climax more than twice, then you will fail the trial. You can’t control what we do to you, nor can you stop us unless you want the trial to end. It’s not as easy as you might imagine,” he added, “especially as we don’t tolerate disobedience. If we tell you to do something to yourself, then you have to obey.”
“What if I don’t have two orgasms?” asked Grace nervously.
“I don’t think that’s something you’re going to need to worry about!” replied David. “If you’ve no other questions, we’ll start the clock now.”
“But that’s not fair!” she exclaimed.
>
His brow darkened. “What do you mean?”
“Andrew’s already aroused me before the clock has started.”
“He was merely relaxing you,” said David. “Amber, start the clock now.”
With a brief glance at Grace, Amber did as he’d ordered, and before Grace knew what was happening Andrew had lifted her up and placed her facedown on the large sofa, which was covered with soft downy pillows.
“Rest your head on your arms,” he said quietly, “and close your eyes.”
Grace’s mouth was dry with fear. Her naked breasts were squashed against the soft pillows, and her lower body sunk into the bolster Amber pushed widthways beneath her. She waited, eyes closed and body tensed, for something to happen.
A sudden drop of warm liquid on her spine made her jump, and her eyes flew open.
“Keep your eyes closed,” David reminded her sharply. She realized he must be standing in the nearest corner of the room, watching her intently.
“Apologize,” said Amber.
Grace’s body stiffened. “Why should I? I wasn’t expecting…”
“Obedience at all times, Grace,” murmured Andrew, and then his hands began to massage the scented oil into her body.
“I’m sorry,” she said, as her breathing quickened.
His fingers were spread out, so that he covered the maximum amount of skin possible, pressing firmly with every upward stroke and then more lightly as his hands returned to their original position. When his fingers covered the sides of her body she moaned with pleasure, and felt a soft tingling begin low down and deep inside her.
“Turn over, but keep your eyes closed,” said David.
She started to move, but Andrew flipped her over in one swift movement before letting his oiled fingers glide down the sides of her neck and along the tops of her breasts. Her whole body felt hot and restless, and she moaned with the pleasure of it.
“She’s certainly responsive,” said Amber, and Grace could hear the satisfaction in the other woman’s voice. It was then she realized that she must try not to become aroused so fast, or she would never last the hour with only two climaxes. She knew her own body, and that she was multiorgasmic. It would be easy to fall into the trap of letting herself be carried away far too soon. Desperately she tried to distance herself from the wonderful sensations.
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