For Christopher it was incredibly exciting. He knew that Esther really wanted him to stop but he could also tell by her responses that she was capable of more orgasms in this way before he even started to penetrate her. Very gently he drew back the hood that was covering the clitoris and allowed his lips to fasten around it. Then he sucked very gently while at the same time his hands firmly massaged her abdomen. Again the result was spectacular and he felt her heaving and shaking as her muscles rippled with the force of her climax. She was uttering strange animal-like sounds and, even when the last ripples of her orgasm had died away, her hips continued to move slightly, which he knew meant she was capable of more.
Eventually he decided that the time had come for him to have an orgasm as well, so he slid himself slowly up Esther’s sweat-drenched body, making sure that he kissed every possible inch of her skin as his head travelled upwards until it was resting next to hers on the pillow. His hands entwined with hers and for a few moments he continued to kiss her cheeks, forehead and the corners of her mouth before raising himself up on his arms.
To Esther’s surprise Christopher didn’t immediately enter her. Instead, he used his penis to continue caressing her clitoris, and all the soft moist tissue around it, driving her half crazy with need. ‘Please, I’d like you inside me now,’ she whispered.
‘In just a moment,’ Christopher promised her.
‘I don’t want to wait any longer,’ Esther begged him.
Christopher ignored her and continued thrusting between her outer labia until he felt her body writhing beneath his and knew that he’d managed to give her yet another orgasm before penetration.
For Esther, this climax was more intense than the previous ones but the ache between her thighs was growing steadily worse and she knew the only thing that would ease it would be the fullness that would come when Christopher finally entered her. Unable to stand it any longer she wrapped her legs around his waist and tilted her pelvis upwards so that Christopher was sliding into her, even though she knew he’d intended to wait a little longer. For Esther the bliss was indescribable. At last she felt really full, and as he moved slowly in and out of her, his own pleasure mounting, she felt him adjust his upper body slightly until he had freed his right hand, which he then used on her left breast. He cupped it carefully from beneath and then, using his fingers, squeezed it rhythmically in time with his pelvic thrusting.
The shards of pleasure seemed to be all over Esther now and she felt that at any moment she would explode. Christopher was an expert at prolonging the build-up to final release and she was becoming quite frantic. She heard herself begging and moaning for him to hurry up and let her come but still he continued to move slowly and easily while his hand continued the matching pressure on her breast.
Then, suddenly, the rhythm changed. Christopher’s breathing became harsh and gutteral and his hips moved faster and faster. He had positioned himself so that every time he moved his pubic bone was stimulating Esther’s clitoris and she knew that she was only seconds away from reaching yet another orgasm. For Christopher the point of no return came suddenly and she heard him give a gasp and then, just as she was afraid that she would be left behind, his fingers gripped her breast almost cruelly. At his moment of orgasm he tweaked her nipple fiercely and caused a searing burst of pleasure to shoot through her and she too convulsed in an ecstasy of release.
As soon as it was over Christopher withdrew from her but he made sure they remained physically close, wrapping his arms around her and gently stroking her back and buttocks for a long time until she had finally come down from the excitement of it all. ‘There,’ he said with a charming smile, ‘I don’t suppose that’s how Kay would have behaved but it was fun, wasn’t it?’
‘It was fantastic,’ Esther assured him truthfully.
Christopher glanced at the clock on the bedroom wall. ‘God, is that the time? I shall have to be going or Rebecca will kill me,’ he said.
Esther didn’t mind; it had been wonderful and she knew that it would happen again. Furthermore, it was exactly what she’d planned from the start and it was merely an additional bonus that it had proved so highly enjoyable.
‘You don’t mind if I stay in bed I hope,’ she said with a laugh.
‘Not at all. I take it as a compliment,’ Christopher assured her.
When she heard the front door slam Esther gave a small sigh of contentment and promptly fell asleep.
Christopher was feeling very cheerful as he made his way home. If only Marcus could know, he thought to himself, and then he smiled as he realised that by the end of the tour, when he and Esther would hopefully be a permanent fixture, Marcus would know and would have to imagine for himself what the pair of them had been doing during their weeks together.
Chapter Eight
The final rehearsals on the Friday went well. Both Esther and Theresa gave their best performances so far, and Esther in particular felt very pleased with herself. At last she really was coming to grips with the character and she felt that all she needed now was an audience to make her performance a realised success.
The company’s meeting with the press had also gone well and, although Christopher had done most of the talking, each of the members had been allowed to talk to one reporter. Esther had been careful to praise Christopher’s dedication and stressed how much time he had given to all of them in order that everyone performed to the best of their ability. She spoke about the happy company atmosphere and how all of them were ‘united in their ambition to take the plays to the people’.
Unfortunately, while Esther was talking, she couldn’t help noticing that Damon was listening to her and the expression on his face nearly made her lose her train of thought. It was utterly sardonic and she sensed that he totally despised her and all the rest of them who were gushing forth praise both about the project and Christopher himself. She did see that Damon exchanged a few words with a reporter but wasn’t able to hear what he said. When she asked him later he said that, as he felt Christopher and the company had already received more than its fair share of praise, he’d talked about what he hoped people would enjoy most if they came to see them.
On the Saturday the whole company got on the move. As usual there were numerous complaints that the women had brought too much luggage and that it would be quite impossible to fit it into the car and mini bus. Nevertheless, and this was a miracle that regularly occurred within the acting profession, everything was finally safely stowed on board and they set off for Leicestershire. They arrived at four in the afternoon and Esther was astonished at how imposing the estate was.
All that any of them had known about it before was that it was called The Small House and this had conjured up a vision of a rather cosy house with sufficient grounds and space to accommodate visitors winter and summer. In fact, it was a total misnomer. It was only called The Small House to distinguish it from the original big house, which had been demolished in the 1950s. The estate had been in the same family for over 500 years but the owner at that time, following a fire, had decided to adapt two large stable blocks and form a new country seat for his family’s future.
The result was very grand indeed. Quite apart from the sheer size of The Small House there were over five acres of ground and, as they drove along the side of the west wing in their somewhat battered mini bus, Esther and Rosie exchanged glances.
‘It’s a good job I bought a posh frock for meeting the local press tonight,’ commented Rosie. ‘This doesn’t look a leggings and tunic sort of place, does it?’
‘It certainly doesn’t,’ agreed Esther. ‘I wonder what on earth it looks like inside.’
All the company had assumed that they would be living in cottages in the grounds but this didn’t turn out to be the case. As soon as they drew up outside the main entrance a man of about thirty emerged. Christopher leapt down from the driving seat of his car and went across to shake hands with him. Watching through the windows of the mini bus Esther deduced that this man must be qu
ite important because Christopher was being both charming and slightly obsequious – highly unusual for him. After a short conversation he strolled over to the mini bus and Damon wound down the passenger window.
‘It appears we’re staying inside the house,’ said Christopher, looking quite excited at the prospect. ‘Apparently the family live in the north wing and shut up the rest. When they’ve got people here they open up the rooms in the south-east corner and those are the rooms we’ll be using.’
‘And where do we perform?’ asked Damon.
‘That’s on the south side too. It’s a converted orangery tacked on to the side of the house. It seems there’s a ballustraded gallery, so it will be quite like olden days.’
‘Do you mean the days when you first started acting?’ asked Damon with apparent sincerity. Rosie giggled.
‘I meant Elizabethan theatres,’ Christopher said coldly. ‘They’d like us to park our vehicles round the back, out of sight of any visitors because the grounds are open all the year round. Once we’ve done that, one of the maids will show us where to take our things.’
‘And are we still meeting the local press tonight?’ asked Esther.
‘We certainly are,’ confirmed Christopher. ‘From what Sir Michael said it seems that it’s going to be quite a smart do so all you girls had better put on your gladrags and full war paint. I’m sure you won’t mind,’ he added with a smile. ‘It’s what ladies like doing best, isn’t it?’
‘I’ve heard it isn’t just ladies,’ said Damon in a low voice.
Christopher turned smartly on his heel and walked away from the mini bus. ‘What do you mean by that?’ asked Esther.
Ellie, who was sitting next to Damon, smiled. ‘Damon’s just being horrible as usual. Last year Christopher developed this nervous rash and apparently he used to wear make-up even in the day when he was giving interviews and things, to hide it. Then he decided that it suited him so much he’d always wear it.’
‘But he doesn’t, does he?’ asked Esther.
‘I think he uses what we would call a tinted moisturiser,’ said Ellie. ‘Not that I think there’s anything wrong with that. I like a man to look as good as he can.’
‘I suppose so,’ Esther agreed doubtfully. She knew that in theory there wasn’t anything wrong with it but she still felt it was excessively vain even for an actor.
Fortunately there were plenty of rooms for them, all large and incredibly plush with highly expensive pictures, gorgeous drapes at the windows, and magnificent four-poster beds. The entrance hall had enchanted Esther; it had an iron staircase balustrade copied from an eighteenth-century Irish design and a beautiful crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. According to Christopher there were originally two libraries in the house although the second one had been converted into a drawing room in the past year. All in all, the surroundings were so sumptuous that the entire company felt uneasy. It was an incredible contrast to their rehearsal room in London.
Esther was relieved to find that she wasn’t expected to share her room with anyone. She knew that Christopher and Rebecca were sharing, as were Ellie and Damon and Noel and Michael. Both Mary and George had their own rooms but Theresa and Rosie had doubled up. Esther felt utterly spoilt. Her room was so vast that it could have slept three since it contained a double bed and a chaise longue large enough for any of the company to use.
After she’d unpacked she joined the others on their official tour of the house but, like all the rest of them, it was the converted orangery that really interested her. All of them were relieved to find that they were acting on a proper raised stage. The acoustics were good and the lighting excellent. The room probably seated about 200 people, possibly 250 at a push, which meant that they really needed to play to full houses for most of the week if they were to make a good profit.
‘According to Sir Michael the tickets are selling very well,’ Christopher told them. ‘That doesn’t mean that we haven’t got some work to do still. Remember, while we’re here we’re not only doing Time and the Conways but two potted Shakespeares.’
‘That’s rather lucky,’ said Nicholas. ‘If we weren’t, I can’t imagine what I’d have to say to the press.’
‘Where are you sleeping?’ asked Rosie.
Nicholas hesitated. ‘He’s sharing with me,’ George said quickly.
‘George has asked me,’ admitted Nicholas. ‘I suppose I might as well – it seems a bit greedy to take up a whole room to myself,’ and he looked meaningfully at Esther.
‘I can’t remember, which other Shakespeares are we doing while we’re here?’ asked Rosie.
‘My dear, we’re doing Macbeth and Lear!’ exclaimed George. ‘I’m not just here to admire you all, you know; this is going to be my finest hour.’
‘I hope so, George,’ said Christopher. ‘Make sure you remember which night you’re doing it and stay off the bottle that day.’
‘It’s Wednesday, isn’t it?’ asked George.
‘No it isn’t; it’s Thursday,’ said Christopher irritably. ‘For God’s sake at least get that right when you talk to the press. Now has anyone got any questions?’
‘What time do we meet up tonight and where?’ asked Damon.
‘Seven thirty for eight in the drawing room,’ said Christopher. ‘If you get lost just ask one of the servants; there seemed to be plenty of them around.’
‘I think I could get used to living like this,’ said Ellie.
‘Well I’m sure your friend in the West End will do his best to allow you to,’ said Damon, rather too loudly for Ellie’s comfort.
After that they all went back to their various rooms and had a rest before the evening’s events. Esther couldn’t decide what to wear. She finally settled on an outfit that she’d bought for one of Marcus’s opening nights. It was an incredibly expensive trouser suit, dark beige in colour with a silk and wool jacket that had a high Mandarin collar and black double-button fastenings across it. They were a fiddle to manage but the effect was very striking. The jacket was long-sleeved and tight-fitting as far as the waist where the buttons ended and the jacket then fell loosely to just above her knees. The matching tapering trousers had a black seam down the outside of each leg and beneath them she wore a pair of opaque tights with satin-heeled loafers on her feet.
Just before she went down to join the company she looked at herself in the mirror and was delighted with the overall effect. Her blonde hair, freshly washed and blow dried, flicked up perfectly on her shoulders and she’d swept the front back slightly to give herself a more sophisticated look. She’d also taken extra care over applying her make-up, accentuating her eyes but playing down her mouth to allow her bright-blue eyes to have maximum impact. The tight-fitting jacket accentuated her voluptuous figure and she knew that she should certainly appear in any photos. Wondering what the other girls had decided to wear, she finally left her room.
She was one of the last to arrive in the drawing room and the Clifford family, the owners of the house, were all there mixing with the rest of the group. It was impossible not to notice Ellie, who had decided to play the vamp and was wearing a highly seductive evening dress in black velvet with a satin ribbon tied in a bow around her waist and a frothy chiffon skirt that ended well above her knees. The dress was sleeveless and the deep plunging V of the neckline was highly impressive, although it would have been more so if she’d had the right figure for it, thought Esther. As it was, it rather emphasised the fact that she was relatively slim. Nevertheless, with her dramatically scarlet mouth and long silver earrings worn with a matching necklace she certainly made an impact. Rosie was wearing a fairly simple long skirt and blouse, as was Mary Puller, but Rebecca couldn’t fail to catch the eye.
She was standing next to Christopher – who was resplendent in a dinner suit – and had swept her raven hair back off her face but allowed one long strand to fall behind her left ear and down over her shoulder while the rest was pulled back into a sleek, tight chignon. Her dress was very unus
ual. The top of it was rich black satin; around her waist there was a highly dramatic jewelled translucent panel, rather like a cummerbund, while the bottom half of the dress was dark-blue satin cut at an angle in a wrap-over style which, considering that it was above her knee at its lowest point, meant that she showed an incredible amount of extremely attractive and slender thigh. There were a lot of men gathered around her and Christopher, and Esther suddenly wondered if her own outfit was too tasteful and not dramatic enough.
This thought was confirmed when a young woman sidled up to her awkwardly. ‘Excuse me, but can you tell me who any of the actors are?’ the woman asked. ‘I’m new on one of the local papers and I haven’t a clue who anybody is. Are you a reporter too?’
‘No, I’m one of the actors,’ said Esther with a smile.
The reporter went scarlet. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said quickly. ‘To tell you the truth your face looked a bit familiar so I thought you must be from round here.’
Esther shook her head. ‘No, I’m Esther Reid and I play Kay Conway in Time and the Conways.’
The reporter quickly got out her notebook but then, as she was about to begin writing, she suddenly looked Esther straight in the face in astonishment. ‘You’re Esther Reid? That’s why I recognised you! You used to go out with Marcus Martin, didn’t you?’
Esther wondered if this was ever going to end or if she’d spend the rest of her life being known as the woman who once went out with Marcus. ‘That’s right,’ she said with a strained smile.
‘So, why are you here?’ asked the reporter tactlessly. ‘It’s a long way from Hollywood isn’t it?’
‘It certainly is,’ agreed Esther. ‘The truth is that Marcus and I are following rather different career paths now. Basically, I’ve always felt that I’m a stage actress at heart and that’s why I was so delighted when Christopher invited me to join the company.’
Dramatic Affairs Page 14
