The Bracelet
Page 24
As they drank the champagne Kristina finally found the courage to voice her fears. ‘Are you happy, Tarquin?’ she asked.
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Of course I am. I told you, you deserved to win.’
Kristina shook her head. ‘I didn’t mean about this, I meant in general. Are you still happy with me?’
For the first time in many months he tilted his head to one side and looked at her thoughtfully. ‘What do you mean exactly?’
‘I mean what I say,’ she said sharply, nerves making her sound more aggressive than she felt.
‘Of course I’m happy with you. We have a wonderful sex life and two interesting careers. You’re witty, self-sufficient and incredibly sexy. What more could a man want?’
‘I don’t know. I could say the same about you, and ask the same question about a woman.’
He nodded. ‘I see. So you feel it too?’
Terror dried her mouth but she managed to keep her voice softer this time. ‘Yes, I probably do. Something’s changed, but I don’t know what it is.’
Tarquin sighed. ‘I think I do. It’s probably just human nature, but because we’re the kind of people we are, I suspect we’re both a tiny bit bored. Not with each other, not with our work, but with the predictability of it all.’
‘What can we do?’ asked Kristina. ‘I want it to be like it was.’
‘So do I.’ Tarquin assured her. ‘I’d be lost without you, but I sometimes think we need more than we’ve got.’
‘You mean, something like the society of the bracelet?’ asked Kristina softly.
His eyes glittered and she knew that she’d said the right thing. ‘Yes, probably something very like that.’
‘Well, we still belong, don’t we?’ asked Kristina.
‘You know we do.’
‘Then why not use our membership again, only this time we’ll both take part? After all, lots of women get very turned on by the idea of a threesome with a man and a woman.’
‘Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?’ asked Tarquin slowly. ‘Have you really thought this through?’
‘Yes,’ said Kristina. ‘I’ve thought about it a lot and the idea turns me on too, but it was something that happened today which convinced me.’
‘What was that?’ asked Tarquin with interest.
‘I’ve got this new author. She’s set up her own business from scratch, it’s a mixture of aromatherapy, beauty products and some kind of oriental massage technique. The combination of the three is meant to have incredible results on how you look and feel. Her business is doing so well we got her signed up to do a book and DVD about it. Well, when we were talking she happened to mention that her long-term partner had left her because he couldn’t cope with her success, and she said how difficult it was to find men who could.’
‘And?’
‘And I thought, since she’s very attractive and sexy as well as clever, that she would enjoy wearing the bracelet.’
‘Perhaps she would,’ agreed Tarquin.
‘And if she did, if I told her about it and got Jackie to put her name forward before she left for the States, then you could send for her.’
‘But she’s your client!’ protested Tarquin.
‘I know, that somehow makes it all the more exciting. I’d like to see you touching her, Tarquin. I’d love to see her being made to wait for an orgasm, to hear her begging for release with every fibre aching with desire. You’d like her, I know you would and together we could have a brilliant time as well as giving her what she’s looking for.’
‘I’ll think about it,’ promised Tarquin. ‘Right now, I want to make love to you.’
It was clear to Kristina that her words had rekindled the intense passion of their early days together because he made love to her for over two hours, giving her one mind-shattering climax after another before finally taking his own pleasure. When it was over he propped himself up on one elbow. ‘What’s the name of this new client of yours?’ he asked softly.
‘Marianne.’
Reaching into the bedside drawer, Tarquin drew out the familiar thin gold bracelet and held it up to the light. ‘Let’s hope the bracelet fits Marianne, then,’ he said slowly.
Kristina shivered with keen anticipation and rubbed her naked breasts against his chest. ‘Somehow I know it will,’ she said with assurance, and when she fell asleep that night she was once again content.
At last, thanks to the bracelet, Kristina truly did have it all.
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First published in 1996 by Black Lace, an imprint of Virgin Books
This edition published in 2013 by Black Lace, an imprint of Ebury Publishing
A Random House Group Company
Copyright © Fredrica Alleyn, 1996
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