After dinner the group retired to a drawing room, which is where they were now discussing the case.
“Excuse me, but who is Shaw?” she asked.
“Ben Shaw is a Club member,” Julian answered. “His family is landed gentry, richer than most of us. He spends a lot of time out of the country, sowing his wild oats. We use his estate for a great deal of parties.”
“Which is why it’s ridiculous to think he would give blackmail information to anyone,” Essex said. “He would suffer as much embarrassment as the rest of us.”
“But a member of his staff could be guilty,” Ellington said. “I wish he were here, so we could ask if he’s had any rows with his staff members.”
“But since he’s not, well, we have to keep the information quiet, and hopefully it will come in useful at some point.”
“So, what happens now?” Alice asked.
“Now we wait for our friends to make the next move,” Buxton said.
“But what about the threat of something being in the papers?” she asked. “Shouldn’t we be trying to keep that from happening?”
“Nonsense,” Ellington said. “It’s too late. People will talk about us, and they will have their fun with it. And we will just go on with things until we can find the person in league with Celia Howell.”
Alice took a drink from her wine glass. Julian patted her thigh and she didn’t push him away, because that would call attention to his touch.
“We have something a little different planned for you,” Julian said. “We’re going to give you a small demonstration of The Club. Relax and enjoy little one.”
She didn’t like that idea. She moved to set aside her glass, but Julian put his arm around her and held her in place.
“Let me give you background on our organization,” Julian continued. “Ellington and I started The Club more than fifteen years ago. We found several of our friends who enjoyed the more adventurous side of sex. Over the years we’ve found ladies who also appreciate amorous activities.”
Alice tried to wiggle away from him. He laughed in response and held her close.
“Relax, my pet,” he said. He pointed across the room. Charlotte and Carin were bending over a long table. Their husbands were pulling up skirts. Alice fully expected them to take down their underclothes, but they didn’t.
“Erotic spankings are one of the more popular events for our Club members,” Julian said. Alice stiffened slightly, and Julian rubbed her arms. “Relax. We’re not doing anything they don’t enjoy.”
“When you first came to see me, you said several female friends of yours were being blackmailed,” Alice whispered. “It’s because of things like this? Are they your lovers?”
Even though she hadn’t had sex with Julian, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. She hoped he didn’t notice.
“Not all of them are, and the ones that I have been intimate with happened some time ago,” Julian answered.
“If you haven’t had lovers, what do you do during Club meetings?” she asked. “Do you do nothing but sit and watch?”
The sounds of the paddle hitting the covered bottoms filled the room; that and the soft moans from Charlotte and Carin were the only thing she heard, because he was not answering her question.
Finally, he said, “I am not innocent, as you know. But anything that took place between me and female members was by mutual consent.”
“No jealous female is going to claw my eyes out if, and I do mean if, we end up having sex together?”
“No,” he said with a laugh. “I can guarantee that.”
“Do you sleep with married women?” That would be something she couldn’t stand.
“No, to me the marital vows are sacred,” he said.
“Watch but not touch?” she asked.
“Exactly.” He squeezed her thigh.
“Are there limits on what you and your fellow Club members do?”
“Different people like different things,” he answered. “I would never dream to push my desires on another person. Everyone has their own needs. It is up to them to find someone who is in sync with what they enjoy.”
“How many members do you have?” She felt as if she were firing rapid questions at him, ones that he might not want to answer, but she had so many questions about this Club.
Julian took her hand in his and gently squeezed it. “Our numbers change from time to time. Some people come and get involved and stay. Others get bored after a while and leave. Female members must be widowed or married. If they are widowed, they must have a male sponsor. Everyone who is involved knows there is the matter of secrecy. If they let the secrets of The Club out into the open, they will face the consequences.”
“Which are?”
“If everyone else denies knowledge of what is happening, then that person who has let things out will be embarrassed and ruined.” He winked at her. “We’re not talking about killing people, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Alice stiffened as the sounds of a paddle hitting the women’s behinds seemed to intensify. Charlotte moaned in approval as her husband spanked her and Alice turned her attention toward the women. Carin’s soft moans joined in. The dual slaps were loud, and Alice couldn’t help but wonder why a woman would allow that to happen. Were they truly enjoying it?
Alice stiffened as Ellington made his way toward them, paddle in hand. Without saying a word, he handed the wooden board to Buxton. Then he went back over and began spanking his wife with his bare hand.
“Well, it seems as if we are being invited to join in the fun,” Buxton said. “Shall I spank your bottom, Alice?”
Chapter 5
Julian stood and offered her his hand. At first, Alice wasn’t sure what to do. The sounds of the spanking continued, and she wondered how long the ladies could take what their husbands were giving.
The room seemed to spin and Alice wasn’t sure what was really happening. These women who were being spanked had known their husbands for a long time. She’d known Buxton for only a few days. Her thoughts whirled and her mouth went dry.
She finally placed her hand in his, but did not stand. “I can’t do this in front of people I do not know.” Her hand shook, but he squeezed it gently.
“You must trust me,” he said.
She stared at the paddle in his other hand. True, he’d smacked her bottom last evening, but they’d been alone, and she’d thought they would consummate their deal. But they had not. And now he wanted to apply the paddle to her behind in front of the others.
The others. It took her a moment to realize the room was now quiet. Had she been so focused on him that she hadn’t realized the spankings had stopped? She looked toward the table. Not only had the spankings stopped but the four people who had been in the room were now gone.
“Where are they?”
“You’re too new at this to have an audience,” he said. “But I wanted to watch your reaction. You are excited. Your nipples are hard, and your quim is wet. I suggest we retire to my home, where I will make good on our payment arrangement.”
“But I haven’t unmasked the blackmailer.”
“You will,” he said, “and I fear it is I who cannot wait. My body is too eager for you.”
She wanted to believe what he was saying, but she thought that maybe it would be a ruse. When they got to his house he would refuse like he had the last evening.
Something about the look on his face told her he would not, though. He bundled her in his coat and led her toward the door.
“I need to talk to Carin about her dress,” she said.
“I’ve explained it, and she laughed,” he responded. “Plus, I think she and Ellington are a bit busy now.
Alice couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that these people knew so much about each other’s intimate lives. This Club they belonged to made no sense to her, even though she’d received answers from Julian that should have cleared things up for her.
But should she be worrying abo
ut that now? As he handed her into the carriage she knew The Club was not what she should be worried about right now. She would be alone with Julian now. The Club was not involved in her business dealings with Julian.
Business dealings. She felt strange thinking about losing her virginity as being payment for doing something that could be considered business.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, his voice soft.
“That I’m selling myself,” she said.
“Nonsense.” He put his lips next to her ear. “You’re doing this for you, not for me. You’d be selling yourself if I demanded your virginity for payment. So, don’t think of yourself as a prostitute.”
“I never thought of using that word,” she said with a nervous laugh.
“You’ve wanted this and now that it’s at hand you’re not so sure, right?”
“I’m sure, but I’m nervous.”
He chuckled. “If you’ve change your mind let me know. I will be disappointed, but I will understand.”
Julian gathered her in his arms, pulling her close. The heat from his body made her forget all of her concerns. She nestled against him, and when he lifted her chin and kissed her she gave herself up to lips. His hand slipped under her wrap and found her breast, but this time his touch was gentle.
Alice moaned into his mouth. She didn’t want to wait, now. She wanted to feel him inside her, filling her, moving, giving her what she’d wanted for so long.
“I want to take you now, but this space is so small, and it would be more uncomfortable for you than it already will be when I pierce you.” His voice was breathy, and it made her hotter than she’d been before.
“I don’t care,” she said.
“Then lift your skirts,” he said as he took his arms from around her and started to undo the stays on his breeches. She understood what he meant, but she wasn’t sure she had the courage to do it.
But she worked swiftly, lifting her skirt and then pulling the ties on her pantalettes.
“Come to me,” he said, urgently. “Put legs on either side and lower yourself gently. We might hit a bump that will take things in the wrong direction, so grasp the back of the seat and let me guide you when I put my hands on your hips.”
She followed his directions and when he grasped her tightly to him and guided her down she almost pushed away his hands and rammed down onto his length.
The carriage rolled gently down the road, and when she felt him inside her, pushing at her core she gasped. He tightened his grip and pulled on her and he broke through her barrier.
Alice cried out even as she pushed down.
“Hurts,” she said, tears flowing out of her eyes and down her cheeks.
Julian held her close. She put her head on his shoulder and fought back the urge to cry out again. After a few moments the pain subsided and, to her mind, Julian realized it. He bucked his hips and she took the lead, lifting up and going back down gently. The movements were uncomfortable, but there was no going back now.
This was not near as pleasant as what had happened last night. After a few times of going up and down he lifted her off him and put her on the seat next to him. She watched as he grasped himself and jerked his cock, bringing himself to orgasm quickly.
“I’m sorry for your pain,” he said. He handed her a linen that he’d taken from his pocket. “I didn’t want to increase the pressure, to cause you even more pain.”
“Thank you,” she said. She put the cloth between her legs and when she brought it back she noticed blood. She knew there would be but somehow the sight shocked her.
“We’ll be home soon, and we’ll take care of that,” he said. “I am sorry for your pain.”
She didn’t say anything but she nodded. She’d waited so long for it, and now she was no longer a virgin.
And it hurt like hell.
When Alice woke the next morning she was sore but smiling. They’d come home and he’d ordered a bath, and she’d soaked in it until the ache truly dulled. Then she’d crawled into bed beside him and settled in his arms until she fell asleep. She knew he was still awake because he stroked her body as he held her close.
Now, she could feel him next to her, feel his warmth. Hear his even breathing. She'd never slept next to a man in her life. It was something to which she could become very accustomed to.
She sat up and stretched, the cool air feeling wonderful against her naked skin.
“Don’t even think about it.” Julian pulled her down against his chest. “In this bedroom I’m in charge, and you won’t leave my bed without my permission.”
“As you wish,” she said as she settled back into his arms. “Although, I have to say it seems a little unfair.”
Buxton laughed. “I say what’s fair.”
He kissed her hard, his tongue probing into her mouth and she sighed as she remembered last night, what had happened.
“Sometimes I wonder if you’re teasing me, or if you intend to keep me as a prisoner, your concubine.”
“Those situations do not necessarily go together,” he said. “I know of several courtesans in town who have more than one protector. Tell me which of those things would bother you the most?” He grasped a handful of her hair and tugged on it.
“I will be no man’s courtesan,” she said.
“But you would be a man’s prisoner?” He rubbed her hair between his fingers.
“Never,” she said.
“Would you stay as a man’s lover?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Yes, but are you here because of the sex, or because you don’t want to be undone by a blackmailer?”
“A bit of both,” she said.
“Oh, you have wounded me to the core!” He lay back and put the back of his hand to his forehead. “For my lovemaking to be so uneventful that you won’t stay for it one hundred percent, well, I don’t think I will ever recover.”
Alice couldn’t help but laugh. “You should join Celia Howell on the stage.”
“Do you think she would be my lover?” he asked.
“Obviously,” Alice said. “Unless she is fucking—I can use that word since we are in the bedroom—whoever is her partner in this scheme. Of course, she could be one of those women who has more than one protector.”
“Yes, I believe that would be correct,” he said.
He vaulted up so fast that she gasped. When he was on top of her, he leaned over and kissed her. While she expected a romantic overture that is not what happened. Out of the blue he said, “I’ll ring for breakfast. Then we can discuss things more.”
“What else shall we do?” she asked
“Not what you are thinking,” he responded. “You are sore, are you not?”
“Yes,” she admitted. Her cheeks blushed at the memory of what they’d done together. “But that does not mean I don’t want to do more.”
“And we shall, but you are too sore this morning. But, of course, fucking is not the only thing that can be done.”
She expected kisses and caresses, but instead he stood and strode, naked as the day he was born, to the washstand. He splashed his face with water, and after he’d dried it he pulled the bell. There was a knock on the door seconds later. He ordered breakfast for two without opening the door, and then he came back to bed. He pulled back the covers and looked over her body.
“You are quite beautiful, Alice,” he said. “Your clothing hides that. We should do something about it.”
He lay down next to her and ran his hands over her breasts. She sighed at the pleasure of his touch and closed her eyes as he caressed her stomach, and moved down to her quim.
He ran his fingers over her hair and said, “You tempt me more than any woman ever has.”
Had she just heard him correctly? “Surely, your wife… I mean, not your wife.”
“She was a beautiful woman, but I married her because my father wanted me to,” Julian said. “We were not really suited. For many years I blamed myself for her death. She was small, del
icate. My guilt over the pregnancy was heavy.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Thank you for your sympathy,” he said. He leaned over and captured a nipple in his mouth. Alice relaxed into the mattress as he sucked first one and then the other. His hand made its way back down to her quim and pushed open her lips and found her knot. They kissed, licked, caressed, probed and stroked until Alice shuddered in his arms.
“I wonder if I’ll ever get used to that incredible sensation,” she said.
“I hope not,” he said.
She giggled. His hard cock pressed against her thigh. She reached out and ran her finger up the length. “What about you?”
“After we eat,” he said. He kissed her again, and when his hand started to move again she put her hand over his to increase the pressure. Before he could stroke her again a knock came at the door.
“Yes?” Julian called out.
“Sir, your breakfast is almost ready, but I’m afraid I have some news you might not like.”
“What is it, Stevens?”
“A Mrs. Howell is here to see Mrs. Hamilton. She insists that she see her as soon as possible, and that she only see Mrs. Hamilton.”
“Making demands in my house, is she?” Julian vaulted from the bed. Alice watched as he wrapped a robe around himself and then flung open the door. “Tell her to call on Mrs. Hamilton at her home this afternoon, around two. That way she can be assured of privacy. Have our food brought up as soon as possible. I’m very hungry.”
“This is an interesting turn of events,” Julian said from the other side of the room. “It must be very serious for her to appear before calling hours.”
There was another knock and he sighed in satisfaction. “Good, the food has arrived. The second thing I want right now.”
“And the first?” she asked. She looked down to his crotch. “You don’t have to tell me, but you didn’t pursue it because you didn’t want me to feel pain.”
“Stay in bed until the food is delivered,” he said.
Alice made sure the bedclothes were pulled tight in order to hide her nakedness. When the table had been set, she got up and crossed the room without pausing for a cover.
His Little Problem Page 6
