The Bracelet

by Fredrica Alleyn

  At one o’clock she rang Ben, checked that he was coping and then popped across the road for a sandwich and a coffee. She’d just sat down at one of the plastic-topped tables when she saw Jackie walk in, but it was a very different Jackie from the one Kristina was used to seeing.

  She raised a hand in the air. ‘Jackie! Over here!’

  Jackie turned, and for a moment hardly seemed to know who Kristina was but then she smiled and brought her rolls over to the table. ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked.

  ‘I could ask you the same thing!’ exclaimed Kristina. ‘What’s happened to your hair! It looks as though you’ve been swimming!’

  ‘Does it?’ asked Jackie vaguely. ‘I suppose I got it wet. What’s the time?’

  ‘One o’clock. How did you get it wet?’

  ‘In the shower. I’ve just left Laurence’s house. I got there at six yesterday evening, but I didn’t realise how late it was. I thought this was my breakfast.’

  ‘You look terrible,’ said Kristina. ‘Didn’t you get any sleep?’

  Jackie laughed. ‘Of course not! Laurence doesn’t believe in wasting time on sleep. Is it really one o’clock? No wonder I feel so shattered.’

  Now that her friend was closer, Kristina could see that despite being exhausted and having wet hair plastered to her head, Jackie still had the strange luminous glow about her that her sessions with Laurence seemed to cause. She also saw tiny love bites at the base of her friend’s throat, but when Jackie realised that Kristina was staring she adjusted the scarf that was knotted loosely round her neck and hid them from view.

  ‘Why are you here, then?’ asked Jackie. ‘You don’t normally work on Saturdays.’

  ‘I’ve just dumped Ben. It seemed better to clear off out of the way until he’d had time to get used to it and sort himself out.’

  Jackie nodded. ‘Kinder to get it over now. I knew he wouldn’t last once you joined the society. What have you done to your wrists?’ she added. Kristina blushed. ‘It happened yesterday afternoon. I was at Tarquin’s.’

  Jackie’s eyes brightened. ‘Tell me more! Was it as good as the previous time?’

  ‘It was even better – I thought I’d die of pleasure!’ said Kristina, and then in a low voice she told Jackie everything that had happened.

  ‘He sounds very interesting,’ admitted Jackie when Kristina had finished. ‘If I weren’t seeing Laurence I’d be interested myself! Isn’t it bliss when they won’t let you come? Sometimes Laurence keeps me on the edge for an entire evening and then sends me home. The last time he did that I finished myself off in the back of the taxi. Must have given the driver a treat.’

  ‘I don’t think I’d like that,’ said Kristina.

  ‘I don’t like it, but it isn’t up to me, and he always makes sure that the next time we meet I have so many orgasms that I end up begging him to stop. That’s what happened last night. He just wouldn’t leave me alone. I got to the stage where I was begging him to stop all stimulation, but he refused. He only stopped when he couldn’t make me come no matter what he did, and that’s never happened before.’

  Kristina found she was getting aroused merely listening to her friend. ‘You won’t tell Laurence about what happens between Tarquin and me will you?’ she asked anxiously. ‘I don’t mind telling you, but I wouldn’t want anyone else to know.’

  ‘Of course not! This is girls’ talk, strictly confidential. I bet I look terrible, don’t I?’

  ‘Pretty exhausted, but very satisfied! Jackie, did you feel bad when you ditched William?’

  ‘No, I quite enjoyed it, but then William wasn’t like Ben. He was very smug and it gave me great pleasure to see that self-satisfied look vanish from his face.’

  ‘He did love you, Jackie.’

  ‘I don’t think he did; I think I suited him. He soon found himself a replacement, and they’re getting married in September so I didn’t exactly break his heart.’

  ‘Let’s hope Ben gets over it as quickly then,’ said Kristina.

  Jackie yawned, and then covered her mouth. ‘Sorry! Look, I’ll have to go or I’ll fall asleep here at the table. We must have lunch next Friday, compare notes on how our week’s gone, all right?’

  ‘Fine,’ agreed Kristina.

  ‘There is one thing,’ added Jackie before she left. ‘Laurence hasn’t invited you over to wear the bracelet for him, has he?’

  ‘Of course not! Anyway, I wouldn’t go. I’m happy with Tarquin.’

  ‘Yes, I know. I just thought that Laurence … No, forget it; I’m being paranoid.’

  ‘Remember what you told me,’ said Kristina softly. ‘They run the show, and we’re not meant to get involved.’

  ‘When I get home I’m throwing my rule book away,’ retorted Jackie. ‘Laurence cheats anyway, he’s always bending the rules. Once I wanted …’

  ‘What?’ asked Kristina quickly.

  Jackie shook her head. ‘Nothing, I’m tired and not thinking straight. I’ll call you in the week. ‘Night, Kristina.’

  Kristina laughed as her friend walked out of the sandwich bar, clearly so exhausted that it seemed like night to her. She just wished that Jackie had finished telling her in what way Laurence had broken the rules.

  When she finally returned home at six, having cleared most of the paperwork on her desk, Ben was out and she was able to eat, have a shower and then an early night. She never even heard him come in. She was fast asleep dreaming of Tarquin and, surprisingly, Laurence.

  Chapter Six

  IT WASN’T UNTIL the following Wednesday that Ben actually moved out, and the three days before that proved awkward for both of them. In some ways Kristina was pleased that she didn’t hear from Tarquin, because she wanted Ben out of her life before they next met. On the other hand she found that her body craved him with ever increasing urgency and her dreams became more and more vivid. She would wake covered in perspiration, always on the brink of a climax and so aroused that she had to masturbate in order to ease the tension.

  Neither she nor Ben spoke again about the reason for their parting. They spoke about where he intended to live, and whether or not they might meet up for a drink in a couple of months’ time, but that was all.

  It was strange, thought Kristina, how intimate you could be with someone and then all at once they were no longer part of your life. For several years she had thought in terms of herself and Ben, now it was only her. She was relieved to discover that this didn’t worry her. She would rather be alone than with a man she no longer desired.

  On the Thursday morning she went to work with a much lighter heart. The Chelsea house was hers again, all traces of Ben had been removed and she was once more free. Or at least free to all outward appearances, because inside her mind she was far from free. She was in truth a prisoner of the bracelet, forever waiting for the call that would summon her to escape and ecstasy.

  ‘Nothing special on today, is there Sue?’ she called as she walked through the front office.

  ‘No, but a Laurence van Kitson has been on the phone twice already. He says that you know him and wondered if he could call in around noon to discuss an idea he has for a book on diamonds. Do you want to phone him back?’

  Kristina hesitated. No doubt Laurence did have a genuine cover for his visit, but equally he probably had another reason and she wasn’t sure that she wanted to see him, knowing how Jackie would feel about it. Then her professional side took over. Laurence was one of the world’s top experts on diamonds, and there might well be a book that he could write, specialised certainly, but there would definitely be a market for it. She took a deep breath. ‘Call him back and say that noon will be fine,’ she said.

  At twelve o’clock exactly he was shown into her office. His suit was a light beige, the shirt dark brown with a cream coloured tie and the entire outfit showed off his tanned blond good looks to the best advantage, which Kristina guessed he knew.

  She stood up and held out a hand. ‘Nice to see you again, Laurence. Sue tel
ls me you’re thinking of writing a book. Is that true?’

  His very pale blue eyes bored into hers. ‘Of course it’s true. I’m not in the habit of lying.’

  She bit on her bottom lip. Now was not the moment to tell him that he had an attitude problem, not until she’d heard his outline. ‘So, what angle were you thinking of? Is this intended for the other experts, or lay people?’

  ‘Both I thought. Details of the world’s finest diamonds naturally, and the way to value them, but there’s also the sexual side of it. You know what they say, diamonds are a girl’s best friend. I want to show why that’s true. Sugar daddies, rich old husbands who shower their young brides with stones large enough to make a river overflow its banks: I’ve got quite a stock of stories about that side of things.’

  Kristina nodded. ‘Interesting, but it could end up as neither one thing nor the other. Lay people won’t want to know how to value a stone, and the experts won’t be interested in the other side of it.’

  Laurence smiled a thin smile. ‘Everyone’s interested in sex, as I’m sure you know. Experts are no different from anyone else. Diamond dealers, psychologists, they all have their little hobbies.’

  A warning bell sounded in Kristina’s head. ‘I’m sure they do,’ she said briskly.

  ‘I must say I was a bit surprised when Jackie told me exactly what the famous Dr Rashid liked doing in his spare time, but I suppose it’s a release for him after listening to neurotics all day. Just as it’s a release for you to cast aside your business woman’s suit and dangle from a beam without your clothes on.’

  ‘Keep your voice down!’ hissed Kristina. ‘The girls might hear you.’

  ‘It’s a thick door and I don’t speak loudly. I was very turned on by what Jackie told me. I’ve been thinking about how you must have looked ever since.’

  Kristina was furious. ‘She had no right to tell you. I told her in confidence.’

  ‘But she had no choice. I waited until she was wearing the bracelet and then asked her what she knew about you and your lover.’

  ‘She could have taken the bracelet off,’ retorted Kristina.

  ‘She’d already been waiting two hours for me to let her come. I think taking the bracelet off was the last thing on her mind.’

  Kristina felt her face go hot. He was so relaxed, and yet his eyes were watching her intently, judging her reactions, and although she was the one on home ground she felt nervous.

  ‘I think we should stick to talking about the book,’ she said firmly. ‘Why don’t you prepare me an outline and …’

  ‘How long did Rashid make you wait? One hour? Two hours? Or was it more? Were you begging him to let you come? What did he make you say? I make Jackie crawl at my feet when she’s begging. And she enjoys it, once she climaxed even before I’d touched her she was so excited by it.’

  Kristina’s stomach tightened and she felt her nipples brush against the body that she was wearing beneath her summerweight suit. ‘I honestly don’t want to hear this. It’s private, and Jackie never discusses any of it with me.’

  ‘That’s because she’s still ashamed to admit her true desires. But you’re not, are you? You accept them as just another part of yourself. That’s what I’m trying to make her do. Unfortunately it’s taking a long time.’

  ‘I’d like you to go away and do an outline for me,’ said Kristina, her voice almost inaudible. ‘Then, if I like it, I can show it to some people and get their opinions. You wouldn’t get much of an advance, but sometimes books like this can really take off. Sometimes though, they don’t!’

  ‘I don’t need the money,’ he said, his South African accent thicker than usual. ‘The book interests me, but you interest me more. If I ring you, will you wear the bracelet for me?’

  ‘No,’ said Kristina firmly. ‘I’m too busy with Tarquin.’

  ‘Don’t you think variety might have some advantages? Who knows, I might be more to your taste than he is.’

  Kristina shook her head. ‘Sorry, Laurence; you’re not my type.’

  ‘I don’t think that’s true,’ he said with a laugh. ‘Still, I can wait. Tell me, had you ever been blindfolded before?’

  Kristina swallowed hard. ‘Would you please keep your voice down and stop talking about things that aren’t strictly business. I keep my private life separate from work you know; I thought that was the whole idea of the society.’

  ‘And so it is. I’m quite happy to take you out without the bracelet on, you know.’

  ‘Thank you, Laurence, but I don’t have any free time these days. Are you going to do that outline, or was the whole idea just a way of getting to see me here?’

  He shook his head. ‘No, I’ll do the outline, but first I’d like to make love to you on your desk.’

  Kristina smiled to herself. ‘Would you really? How very unoriginal. I think perhaps you’d better go now, Laurence. I do have quite a lot to do today.’

  ‘We could do it now; no one would know,’ he said, getting to his feet. ‘You’re aroused, I can tell. Surely you’d like to know what Jackie’s getting? After all, she knows all about Tarquin.’

  ‘She what?’ said Kristina in amazement.

  ‘Didn’t she tell you? He called her soon after she joined, but he wasn’t her kind. Not sufficiently rough probably, although from what I’ve heard of your last session she may not have given him enough time! Come on, Kristina. You look incredibly sexy in that working woman’s outfit. Why waste it?’

  ‘Look, this is ridiculous,’ protested Kristina, but to her horror she was getting more and more aroused the longer he talked, and she knew that he was right. She did want to learn what he was like. Now that she knew Jackie had been with Tarquin, she didn’t see why she shouldn’t, although since she wasn’t wearing the bracelet it was hardly the same.

  ‘Please go,’ she said softly.

  Laurence stood up and without thinking Kristina walked round to the front of her desk and stood in front of him. His hands went beneath the cheeks of her bottom and he lifted her on to her desk top, then he was feeling beneath her skirt and unfastening the poppers of her body, brushing the material aside and letting his fingers roam between her thighs.

  ‘Just as I thought, you’re ready for me!’ he said with a smile.

  ‘I’m not, really I’m not. We can’t do this, the door isn’t even locked,’ protested Kristina, but her body was completely aroused and her desire for this swift, urgent coupling was growing with every second.

  ‘Just don’t scream out when you come,’ he muttered as he unzipped his trousers and then he was pushing her back over the desk, and spreading her legs as wide as he could before lowering his head and letting his tongue roam round the entrance to her vagina.

  Kristina squirmed on the desk and pushed her hips up towards Laurence, trying to open herself to him more fully. He gripped her ankles firmly and then his tongue was touching her damp inner channel with rapid flicking movements that made her gasp as flashes of pleasure streaked through her lower body.

  ‘Do you want me now?’ he asked. ‘Or shall I leave and start work on my outline?’

  ‘No, quickly, do it now. I want to feel you inside me,’ she gasped, as without any further preliminaries he supported himself with one knee against the desk and thrust almost brutally into her soft welcoming warmth.

  He wasn’t as large as Tarquin, but the angle of penetration was such that every time he moved he stimulated her G spot and Kristina quickly felt herself tightening as her breathing grew ragged and quick.

  ‘I wish your secretary would come in now,’ muttered Laurence, thrusting rhythmically as Kristina continued to gasp with delight. ‘I’d like her to see what you’re like when you’re about to come, and you are about to come aren’t you?’

  ‘Yes,’ moaned Kristina, rotating her hips so that she could feel him touching all the walls of her vagina in turn. ‘I’m nearly there, don’t change your rhythm please.’

  ‘If you were wearing the bracelet,’ whispered
Laurence, ‘you wouldn’t be allowed to tell me what to do would you?’

  ‘No, but I’m not,’ said Kristina hoarsely. ‘Faster, do it faster.’

  Laurence obeyed, and suddenly Kristina gave a muffled cry of delight and then he felt her contracting around him, milking every drop of his sperm as he shuddered with the violence of his own climax.

  The moment they were both finished he withdrew and straightened his clothing. ‘Yes,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘I think you’re definitely the right literary agent for me. We seem to understand each other, and that’s very important, wouldn’t you agree?’

  Kristina couldn’t look at him. The almost brutal coupling had shaken her badly, because her response had been instantaneous and uncontrollable. Now that it was over she wanted him gone. While he remained he was a reminder of the way her sexuality was starting to take over her life.

  Scrambling off the desk she pulled her skirt down, leaving the body unfastened between her legs. That would have to be seen to later, in the cloakroom. ‘I think you should go now,’ she said abruptly.

  ‘I agree. I got what I came for anyway. Shall I post you the outline?’

  ‘That would probably be best,’ she agreed, still avoiding his eyes.

  ‘Fine, until the next time then.’ He held out his hand and Kristina felt she had no choice but to take it. After all, he hadn’t forced her; she’d wanted him as much as he’d wanted her.

  ‘Laurence,’ she said slowly. ‘You won’t mention this to Jackie will you? She’s my best friend, and I’d hate to think that she knew anything about it.’

  ‘I might not,’ he murmured, fiddling inside his jacket pocket.

  ‘Look, if it weren’t for the fact that Jackie’s been with Tarquin I’d never have agreed, but this isn’t really the same as that because this wasn’t anything to do with the society, which might hurt her more.’