Circus Excite

by Nikki Magennis

  ‘I need you to fuck me.’ Julia was in charge now, impatient to be filled with the swollen weight of his cock, heedless of the cold and the dirt underneath them.

  As his length slid suddenly into her, Julia inhaled sharply, a rush of pleasure taking over and compelling her to lean even further into the mud, wanting to feel her face against the wet grass, to feel herself sink into the earth and be surrounded by the sensations of hot flesh, cold earth and black night. She lay her cheek on the ground and let him fall into a hard urgent rhythm as he fucked her, the only sound now the noises from the campfire and Joe’s low grunts, his body concentrated solely on pumping into her, pulling her back and forth on his cock.

  ‘This is what I need.’ Julia felt words spilling out of her open mouth, a desire to hold a conversation with Joe welling up in her, wanting to hear him talk again as Robert had, with that authoritative perversity that had got her so horny. ‘I want him to watch while you fuck me, Joe’.

  She felt Joe bang hard against her hips, grinding his cock into her, her words seeming to encourage him to fuck her even deeper, as though he wanted to drive Robert out of her head with the force of his thrusts. Though he was silent he gave her all the answer she needed with the relentless pounding of his hips, working gradually faster. Julia felt him stiffen inside her and knew he was on the brink of coming.

  ‘Think of him and play with yourself,’ he said, voice low. In the dark, a twisted smile grew on Julia’s lips as she reached to finger herself, imagining Robert watching as she crouched naked on the ground, mud smeared over her knees, pushed under her fingernails and smudged on her cheek as she rubbed her face against the ground. As Joe slowed his movements and started fucking with huge drawn-out thrusts, she pictured Robert’s face, intense with jealousy and burning to watch her come. Would he talk to her as he fucked her?

  ‘Are you thinking of him? While I fuck you? Do it. Think of him and bring yourself off.’ Joe’s voice was commanding and Julia felt herself rushing into a well of dark ecstasy as she lost herself in her fantasy, rubbing her clit roughly while Joe heaved into her, whispering encouragement, willing her to join him as he reached his climax, the two of them thinking of the ringmaster, working each other to a point of frenzy as they shared their fantasy.

  As Julia came she stretched forward, sprawling face first into the mud, her hips writhing against the ground and Joe’s cock pulsing into her as he shared her orgasm, both of them barely managing to conceal the noise of their climax as they fell together, each holding tight to the hard warm body of the other and clinging on, rolling into the dark on a wave of oblivion.

  They lay together panting for a moment, Julia feeling the grit digging into her hip as she regained awareness, realising she was now covered in mud and grass stains. Shakily, she reached behind them to where Joe had dropped her wrap on the grass, suddenly feeling the cold breeze again and anxious that someone might have seen them. She held the wrap round herself and turned to Joe who lay on his back, breathing heavily.

  ‘I guess that makes two favours I owe you,’ she said. ‘You’re some performer.’

  ‘Star of the show,’ he replied, pulling Julia down to give her a warm, affectionate kiss. ‘I’d like to see Robert follow that act.’

  ‘With some constructive criticism, no doubt,’ Julia agreed grimly. ‘In fact I think I’d rather have a hot shower and an early night.’

  ‘Ah yes, you’ll need your beauty sleep, darlin’. First show tomorrow.’

  Julia sighed, remembering the real reason she was stuck in a field near Brighton. The memory of her disastrous rehearsal was still a sore point.

  Joe propped himself up on his elbow and put his arm round Julia’s neck.

  ‘Sweetheart, you’ll knock them dead. All you need to remember is how angry Robert got you tonight, and how much I’ll want to fuck you again after the show.’ He looped a strand of her hair behind her ear. ‘We’ll be watching you, babe. Don’t forget.’

  6

  PEOPLE HAD BEEN arriving since half eight. Buses from Brighton Pier pulled up at the entrance, emptying crowds of flamboyant audience members at the gates. People filed through the box office before being released onto the site, rambling through the sideshows and beer tent. A growing, excitable babble built up. The crowd was a varied mix of Bohemian queens, trendy art students and dressed-up partygoers; many wore feather boas, glitter and false eyelashes. Everyone was hyped-up and mischievous.

  The backstage area was separated from the public gaze by a tall fence, behind which the circus people were still working, making last-minute adjustments to costumes and stage lighting. Julia noticed a subtle difference in the atmosphere – since the patrons had started arriving she felt for the first time less of an outsider. She sensed an underlying jubilance among the crew, noticing that even Rachel allowed herself a sultry smile as she surveyed the crowd. The other performers curtly acknowledged her presence, their earlier curiosity vanished now that it was show night.

  As she hurried from her caravan to the tent Julia peered curiously through the wire grid at the audience outside. She caught the eye of a couple of guys in check shirts standing by the fence, who nudged each other and whispered loudly as she hurried past. She was secretly delighted at their reaction, as though she was part of a mysterious secret cult that the world stared at in fascinated awe. She couldn’t help giving her ass a sexy little wiggle as she passed them, a tease just to intrigue them further.

  Long before the show started the circus was already in full swing, people spilling from the beer tent to wander round the sideshows. Small tents around the midway housed ‘teaser’ acts – pole-dancers and fire-eaters working the crowd up with mini-performances. Meanwhile ‘Butchers’ – cigarette girls in mini-skirts and bobbed platinum wigs – circled the crowd. Trays hung round their necks, carrying glossy programmes and chocolate kisses, while their low-cut tops afforded tantalising glimpses of flesh. The sound of loud dance music floated around the field. Although the warm evening sun still lingered, lights glittered over the tent and the whole site had taken on a lively dangerous feel, as though the game of teasing the audience had just started. Julia felt her senses sharpened with the excitement she only got before a performance; as though everything were more vivid, colours brighter and sounds louder. It was a similar thrill that she felt when preparing to meet a new lover, nervous energy making her wide-eyed and shaky, while her mouth watered and tingles rushed over her skin. At the thought of writhing about onstage half-naked, she felt another lurch of nerves, this time a sexually charged jolt that made her clench her thighs together and bite her lip. Her fear had turned into impatient anticipation. A fresh, jittery sense of daring seemed to have appeared within her, as though her fear were compelling her to reckless confidence. When Sylvie reminded her sharply that she had to make it perfect tonight, Julia smiled and blew her a kiss. It was all a matter of attitude, she reckoned.

  The air was close, hot and perfumed. Hubbub from the audience, occasional whistles and claps interspersed the music that throbbed from the vast speaker stacks. With a live restless audience cackling and shouting, the stage waiting and lit up, and Sylvie ready on the altar, Julia felt a sudden change. Waiting in the wings, she could virtually feel the desire emanating from the audience. She knew exactly how she must move, exactly how her body should feel. It was as though the expectation of the audience gave her new courage.

  As Robert dragged her on she felt the white-hot lights on her skin, the stirring of the audience as curious eyes fixed on her pale white figure. The music infused her movements with a wanton sensuality, compelling her to let the wrap slip further over her shoulder, enjoying the sense of transgression as her naked breast threatened to spill out. A murmur from the audience rewarded her daring, and she managed to slip a wink at Joe as she passed his motionless oiled figure, waiting to start the acrobatic sequence. With a flicker of recognition, he acknowledged her new confidence by raising one eyebrow. The gesture was imperceptible to anyone else, but to Julia it
meant she was on track for a dazzling performance. Tossing her hair back, she approached the altar, ready to dance.

  Julia stood over Sylvie, holding the wine jug high over her body, letting a thin trickle of liquid pour into the glass below. Not a drop spilt. Sylvie held her pose perfectly as Julia filled each glass; both of them tense with the knowledge of what would follow. A roar of applause started, filling the tent as Julia poured the contents of the wine jug over Sylvie, one hand loosely on her hip as she slowly started over-filling the glasses, allowing the liquid to spill over and run down Sylvie’s skin in dark red rivulets. She let the noise of cheers and whistles wash over her, enjoying the response and the energy of the crowd who had been fired up all night and were now letting go uproariously. The volume grew as the drumming increased in tempo and pounded out over the speakers, the act approaching its climax as Julia liberally glugged wine over Sylvie’s body and elegantly reached down to lick it from her skin. As she did so she met Sylvie’s eyes and the barest flicker of a satisfied nod passed between them. Julia allowed herself a surreptitious smile as she put her lips to Sylvie’s in a lingering kiss, knowing that the performance had been a well-oiled machine. As the girls sank into their kiss a raucous barrage of heckles swelled with the applause. Julia could taste the powdery make-up on Sylvie’s lips and the slight tang of salt from her sweat, and the heady sensation mixed with the clamorous reaction from the crowd tasted like the sweetest success. The girls held the pose as the lights dimmed and darkness veiled their intertwined figures. In the shadows, still bent over Sylvie’s body and panting with exertion, Julia felt the adrenaline speed through her veins and a vast surge of pride well within her. She had not disgraced herself – in fact, she had excelled. The drawn-out applause from the pit confirmed what she already knew, and she left the stage with a joyful bounce in her step.

  Backstage Sylvie rewarded her with a furious hug and an earnestly whispered ‘Bravo, girl’, before she left to clean the make-up from her body and change costume. After the interval she was on again, this time on trapeze. Julia knew that as the new girl she was being broken in gently, only appearing in the temple act and the finale. For the moment, it was all the excitement she needed. She sat on a crate in the wings and allowed herself to relax, feeling the sweat dry on her skin and her heart rate return to normal.

  She cracked open the beer Henri handed to her as a congratulatory drink. The cold fizz had a welcome, refreshing taste, and it could have been champagne as far as Julia was concerned. She’d made it. Her first professional performance, with Robert, Joe and three hundred strangers watching closely. Just as it had the day before, the act had turned her on. Only this time, she’d had the howls of a full house to raise the temperature and keep her pushing herself to give the sexiest performance of her life. She could see now why Sylvie loved it so much. From her perch in the wings, Julia watched, as thrilled as the audience to see the daring and skill of her fellow performers.

  Even if Robert was a strange sadistic control freak, she had to concede he knew how to put a show together. Every act revolved around a theme, involving massive set changes and elaborate costumes, each time drenching the stage in a new atmosphere and intense, lush surroundings. Robert himself was the thread that pulled the whole thing together, and Julia grudgingly admired his charisma as he played with the audience, whipping them up to fever pitch as he narrated. Around him, the performers worked so hard the sweat dripped from their bodies.

  The act that followed the temple scene was based on acrobatics, a towering human pyramid growing gradually from centre stage. It was built of a solid wall of muscular guys standing on each other’s shoulders, bodies oiled and glistening. Julia watched with a tinge of envy as Sarah ran past her, to somersault onstage before being caught and hauled hand-over-hand up the pyramid, passed between the men. She obviously enjoyed feeling their strong arms enwrap her and roll her towards the top, planting her feet on their bare chests and sliding slowly upwards. Robert walked round the pyramid, cracking a whip and shouting incitements to the men to hold firm. Julia admired the grace of the men as well as their physiques – although they must have been straining under phenomenal weight their faces remained utterly impassive, tense and stock-still, proudly staring straight ahead. She craned her neck back to see Sarah reach the top of the pyramid, where she sat on the shoulders of the two men beneath her and stretched languorously, before suddenly flipping over, tumbling through the air and landing square on her feet.

  Henri’s knife throwing act blew Julia away. The lighting was strong and dramatic, catching the angular planes of Henri’s face, throwing his silhouette into striking relief. Rachel, in a long red dress, was strung up on a six-foot square target, bound to the metal slats with black silk scarves at her ankles and wrists. In the dark pooled shadows around the stage motorbikes circled, the riders hooded and wearing fingerless leather gloves, revving the engines loudly. Everything was black and red – the scene reminded Julia of a modern vampire flick; Henri with a floor-length cape and high collar, strutting around with a cool unflappable demeanour. Dry ice filled the stage and drifted round his ankles as he opened his cloak to show a row of glittering knives tucked into the lining. Rachel twisted in her bonds, as if fearfully trying to escape, while Henri stood tall and erect, taking aim.

  He threw the small thin-bladed knives with incredible precision. The silver shafts glinted cruelly as they sped through the air, slicing through the silk of Rachel’s dress and falling to bury themselves in the stage. Henri’s gaze never wavered. Julia watched, rapt, as he slowly cut Rachel’s dress from her, slicing the fabric across her thigh to reveal her stocking-clad legs but never scratching her. As the bikes circled closer and closer to the target, Rachel was finally left hanging with just a few scraps of red silk covering her body. With the last four knives in Henri’s hand and his eyes fixed on his target, the stage fell silent, the bikes’ engines a low purr.

  Then he threw the knives in rapid succession, their blades flashing as they flew towards Rachel, hitting the four points where she was bound to the target, slicing instantly through the scarves. She dropped from the scaffold only to be caught, gracefully, by Joe on his monstrous black Ducati. From backstage, Julia watched closely as he held her curled against him with one arm, steering with the other. She wasn’t jealous exactly, but the sight of Rachel’s half-naked body lying across Joe’s saddle raised her hackles. The bike circled the stage one more time, Rachel clutching Joe with a smug smile on her face as the audience whistled and shouted. Then Julia realised they were coming straight for her as Joe rode his bike towards the curtains to exit.

  As they passed, Joe caught her eye and gave her a conspiratorial wink. She inhaled the mix of diesel fumes and sweat, and it gave her a delicious reminder of Joe’s skin and their last encounter.

  ‘Oh, the ballerina!’ Rachel shrieked, picking up on Joe’s wink. ‘She’s a little gauche for your tastes, Joe, surely?’ Clinging onto Joe, Rachel gave Julia a catty smile.

  ‘Hi, Rachel,’ Julia responded, as sickly-sweet as she could. ‘Great act. I just loved watching Henri throw knives at you.’

  Rachel narrowed her eyes viciously. ‘And it was great to see Robert dragging you around. He’s really got you hooked, hasn’t he?’ She slid off Joe’s lap and came closer to Julia, putting an arm round her shoulders. Julia did her best not to recoil, unwillingly letting Rachel turn her towards Robert, who stood backstage preparing his next entrance. Rachel took hold of Julia’s chin, forcing her to look.

  ‘That man, my dear, is one of the best ringmasters in Europe. He’s put on shows for royalty. He’s worked with the best performers, in the most extreme and exotic shows ever staged. What the hell do you imagine you can offer him?’

  Rachel let Julia go and walked off, her spike heels giving her a slight sway. Julia watched her go, angry yet fascinated by the power and force of the woman. Her body was long and sinewy; she moved with a controlled energy that expressed a darkly potent sexuality. The scraps of red silk cli
nging to her revealed a long complicated tattoo rising up her thigh, thorns and roses tangling across her skin. Julia noticed there was a black snake curled around the rose stem, a forked tongue flickering upwards towards Rachel’s sex. A formidable enemy. As Rachel passed Robert she placed her hand on his stomach and reached up to kiss him on the cheek. Julia was quite aware she was marking him as her possession – it was a warning.

  It was nearly 3 a.m. before the circus was finally finished. After the crowds had left, shuttled back to Brighton by the busload, the crew had a solid two hours of clear-up before they could relax. Julia was assigned to clean the seats, and found herself on her knees wiping up spilt beer in the small hours of the morning. Though exhausted, she knew she was still being given the soft jobs. As she mopped the red plastic seats, she listened to the noises of the stage guys clearing the arena and prepping for the next show. Their shouts echoed round the tent, and Julia found the empty tent’s atmosphere strange after the lush, extravagant spectacle that had been the show. A slight mist of dry ice still clouded the air – it smelt like smoking bonfires, spent fireworks. The show had been an explosive success. The whistles, howls and stamping feet of the audience when the show finished had testified to their enjoyment, and Julia’s ears were still ringing from the noise.

  ‘That’ll do for tonight, Julia.’

  She looked up to find Robert standing above her in shirt sleeves. His hair was damp with sweat, and he held two cans of beer in his hand.

  ‘A celebratory drink? Only you’ll need to forgo the glass.’ He offered Julia a can, looking at her with a wry smile. ‘You did well tonight. Time to relax.’

  Julia stood and took the beer, dropping the cloth into the bucket with great relief.

  ‘I was starting to think no one in this circus ever relaxes.’ She popped open the can and drank a long draught, aware that Robert was watching her movements. Buoyed by her successful performance, she swallowed and looked straight back at him.