by Lucy Wild
“I have performed in a number of plays,” Audrey lied. “But would you mind explaining why that’s relevant to this post?”
“All in good time,” he waved her question away with his hand. “How far would you go for a story?”
“How far sir?”
“Say you had to commit a crime to gain the trust of an informant, or kiss a married man perhaps, strike a child? Could you do those things?”
“I don’t rightly know sir.”
The editor burst out in a roar of laughter. “Do you know,” he said when he’d recovered, still wiping his eyes, “I’ve interviewed twenty seven young men this morning, twenty seven. Every single one told me without blinking that they would strike a child to gain a story. What is wrong with the world? I’m all for impressing your employer but we’re not monsters here. You are the first person who has been honest with me instead of merely telling me what you think I want to hear.”
“Thank you sir.”
He began rifling through a pile of folders on his desk. “Ah,” he said, settling on one and drawing it out, “here we are. I’ve been trying to find someone to get me the story on this fellow and so far nothing. I think you might be perfect.”
Audrey sat up straight, a smile forming on her lips. “You mean I’ve gained the position?”
“Hold on,” he replied, tapping the folder. “Not yet. Consider this a trial. Complete this assignment and you’ll be the first woman on the reporting staff of the Herald.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“I want you to go undercover.”
“You want me to go undercover? I’m a trainee journalist, not a detective.”
The editor slid the file across the desk towards her. “Take a look.”
She turned to the first page. A portrait photograph of a handsome man stared back at her. He was in his late thirties or early forties, a prominent frown on his brow as if he were irritated by the photographer. Strong jaw, trimmed beard, cravat just nudging into shot. Turning the page, she saw a business card glued into place in the centre of the paper.
Vitality. We take you back to move you forward
“What’s Vitality?” Audrey asked.
“No one knows. That’s the point. I want you to go undercover, gain his trust, find out what goes on behind the doors of 71 Canal Street and bring me back a story.”
“How do I do that?”
“You said you’ve acting experience. Act.”
Chapter 2
With a Vitality business card in her pocket and few clues to go on, Audrey made her way towards Canal Street. The editor had taken her through the remaining few pages of the file. It hadn’t taken long. Vitality was a whispered word amongst the gentry of town and country. Many had heard of it, few knew what it did, even fewer were willing to talk. If there was a black sheep in a noble family, a gambler, a whorer, a cheat, send them the way of Vitality, leave them in the care of the man with no name, and await their return revitalised, cured, wholesome and good once more. The main clause of the treatment was that nobody must ever know what took place at 71 Canal Street.
Audrey reached 69 and stopped, glancing up and down the road. It was a nondescript part of the city, a row of terraced houses along one side and a few detached in their own grounds on the other. A man in a suit was climbing into a hansom cab outside 69 as Audrey approached him. “Excuse me sir?”
“Yes, what is it?” he replied impatiently.
“Your neighbour sir, I believe I found his wallet and wish to return it. Do you know if he’s presently at home?”
“Found his wallet did you? Where is it then?”
Audrey stumbled over her words as the man let out a mirthless laugh. “On driver!” The hansom rolled away down the street.
She kicked herself as she walked towards 71. You’ll need better acting skills than that to keep this post, she thought. Quick on your feet, quick on your feet. She stopped by a huge pair of wrought iron gates with no discernible method of entry. Looking through she observed a long gravel drive leading to a white stone squat house with tall but shuttered windows and no sign of life anywhere. The grass was strewn with leaves, an occasional weed poking up into the air. Might as well try the gate, she thought.
To her surprise when she turned the handle, the left hand gate swung open silently on well-oiled hinges. Closing it behind her, she walked up the few steps to the door and yanked the bell pull. An echoing ring resounded within.
Half a minute passed before the door opened and an ancient butler loomed over her. “Yes?”
“Hello. I have a card from Vitality. I believe I have the correct location, do I not?”
“Have you an appointment miss?”
“Yes, of course. Who’d be foolish enough to come here without an appointment?”
The butler raised his bushy white eyebrows. “Indeed miss. Your name?”
“Rebecca Yates.” That’s better, she thought. Quick on your feet, quick on your feet.
“Step inside Miss Yates and I’ll send for the master.”
Audrey followed the butler through a thickly carpeted hall into a parlour where he left her. Sitting in a leather armchair, she looked around her. There were signs of great wealth here but also indications of incongruity. The top shelves of books all spoke of obscene practices for one thing, enough to make Audrey blush just to look at them.
The decorum of threesomes, etiquette for the modern practitioner.
Becoming an aficionado of posterior entry.
Semen and its many uses.
Nappy folding for adults.
The female orgasm. Myth or obvious reality?
By the window was a small table topped by a silver tray. Several baby bottles were lined up neatly on the tray and on the floor beside that was a selection of wooden blocks and cylinders. Were there children in a house like this? Where was the noise? The life? Everything about this place spoke of bachelorhood, there was no woman’s touch evident anywhere as could be seen by the rumpled nature of the curtains and the creases in the rug by the unswept fireplace.
The minutes on the grandfather clock in the corner ticked away but there was no other sound and Audrey began to grow nervous. To distract herself she pulled a book from the shelf beside her and began to flick through the pages, stopping at random to read.
‘Though there are some who would still doubt the methods I have espoused thus far, to them I can only reply that they must judge me by my results. The most detailed examinations of my patients have been carried out in the utmost secrecy and the outcomes have been universally positive. Despite this, the establishment seek to denigrate my techniques and smear my character with imprecations as to both my medical expertise and also my personal life. As such, I would recommend any physician who seeks to make use of the methods mentioned in previous chapters maintain a level of secrecy and confidentiality so they do not also have to suffer the slings and arrows of the jealous and ignorant. New medicines have always struggled to overcome suspicion, new treatments are shunned, as if the very notion of the new were enough to suggest inferiority. If they had their way we’d no doubt still be making use of leeches and bleeding fleams instead of electricity, science and my new technique of…”
As Audrey went to turn the page she felt a shadow over her and looked up to see the man from the editor’s photo glaring down at her. “Making good use of my library are you?” he snarled.
“Excuse me good sir, I beg your forgiveness,” she replied, scrambling to her feet and offering him a curtsey.
“I have no record of an appointment for this week. Who sent you? Was it the Gazette? The Herald? The London Time and Press? Come on, out with it.”
“None of those sir. My parents were given your card by a satisfied client in return for a promise of anonymity. It was suggested I come here to overcome my childhood fears although I must confess I am in the dark as to your methods.”
“Your parents? Your name is Yates is it not? I do not think I know of them.”
&n
bsp; “Yates is an affected surname sir. They would prefer not to have it discovered that one of their children suffers in such a way as I do.”
“I see. Well Miss Yates if I am to treat you I must have your real first name at least.”
“Rebecca sir.”
His face turned purple. “Liar! Do you think I cannot detect falsehood when it stares me in the face? Either you give me your true Christian name this instant or you leave this house and never return.”
“Audrey sir. My real name is Audrey.”
His glare lessened although he continued to frown. “That’s better. Now Audrey you will follow me.” He walked out of the parlour and up a flight of stairs, along another long hallway before unlocking a door and twisting the handle, stepping aside to let her pass through. “Into here Audrey, and we will begin your treatment.”
Chapter 3
“There must be some mistake,” Audrey said, looking around at a fully equipped nursery.
“Problem?”
“What is this place?”
“Have you never seen a nursery before? Over here is your cot. Down there is where you will be changed twice daily. The feeding station is by the fireplace which is hot so you must not touch it. In those drawers are a selection of toys which you may make use of if you perform well during the treatment period.”
Audrey was already formulating the story in her head ready for the editor. Shocking secret treatment, exposé of Vitality inside by star reporter Audrey Winfield.
“What kind of treatment is this?” she asked as she walked slowly around the nursery, trying the drawers but finding them locked.
“A most efficacious one I think you’ll find. I’ve yet to have a single failure. Now we shall begin with the medical examination to ensure you are ready. Through that door.”
Audrey bristled at his lack of manners but at the back of her mind was the thought of being homeless and jobless, and so she allowed herself to be ordered about at least for now. She followed him into a whitewashed room containing wooden table and cabinet and little else. “Strip,” the man said.
“Excuse me? I don’t even know your name and if you think for one minute I’m…”
He grabbed her arm, pain flaring as he tightened his grip. “I’m not locking you in here. There’s no torture, no imprisonment. You can leave at any time but if you stay, you do as I say. I need to examine you and prepare you. You need to show me you are ready for this. Think of it as your upcoming birth for you are currently not of this world and I am about to bring you into it.”
“You’re hurting me,” Audrey whined.
“You’re hurting yourself and your parents no doubt with these imagined fears and phobias of yours. Strip or leave. You choose.”
He folded his arms and tapped his foot impatiently.
Every instinct inside Audrey was telling her to leave but then where would she go? What would she do? Her body had never been revealed to a man before but if not him, would she end up a common whore stripping for all and sundry to stay alive? At least there would be a joyful conclusion to this trauma as she would have a secure position at the paper if she successfully completed this assignment. Still, she found it impossible to agree to remove her clothing before his staring eyes.
“I can wait no longer,” the man snapped, striding over to her. He pulled off her jacket, buttons flying left and right. Tossing it aside he spun her round, ripping her top apart to get to her corset, her only one, not that she would be willing to admit that. He untied the bonds holding it in place before sighing. “Too slow,” he muttered, reaching into the cabinet and drawing out something Audrey could not see. A moment later he had sliced through the remaining bonds and her corset slackened, leaving her body tingling as it fell away. Her hands flew to her breasts, folding her arms across them although he hardly noticed. Moving on to her skirt, he sliced through that, great rending tears that made Audrey weep to think he last outfit in the world was being destroyed in such a wanton manner. When he reached her Crinoline, he lifted it over her head, his hand brushing up her back and making her shiver at the contact. He yanked down her knickers and if he was surprised to see she wore no stockings, he did not mention it.
Audrey placed one hand across her pussy, the other covering her breasts as her cheeks bloomed pink, then red, and finally almost purple as he forced off her shoes before stepping back and twisting her shoulders so she faced him. “There,” he said, “that wasn’t so bad was it?”
“My clothes sir!”
“You will not need them for some time. Once the examination is finished, I will provide you with your first outfit for your stay. Onto the table please.”
Audrey shuffled over, feeling his eyes on her as she climbed up and lay on her back, continuing to protect her modesty as best she could.
“Arms by your sides please.”
“Sir I must protest at this in the strongest terms.”
“You can protest all you like but if you will not move your arms I must make use of these.” He reached under the table and pulled out a leather strap which ended in a buckle. He tied it around Audrey’s left ankle whilst she continued to complain about her treatment. Her other ankle was soon bound in a similar fashion.
“Remember you need only say the world and the front door will open for you to leave any time you wish,” he said as he grabbed her right arm and forced it to the top corner of the table, tying it to another leather strap. “Do you wish to leave?”
“No,” she said. “It is only…”
“Only what?”
“No eyes but mine have ever seen my naked body before this day.”
“I care not for your modesty. I care for science and to make you well. Do not concern yourself with shyness. Think of this room as the womb which protects you and these bonds as merely aids to ensure you do not fall and injure yourself when the measuring begins.”
“Measuring?”
He glanced down at her exposed pussy before grabbing her left arm and tearing it away from her breasts, tying it neatly in place as her nipples puckered in the cool air of the examination room. “I must have the right measurements for the clothing may need taking in.” He cupped her right breast in his hand and weighed it slowly. “Or taking out at the chest in your case. You are quite the buxom patient.”
Audrey could only stare up at him as he reached into the cabinet and brought out a tape measure. He began with her ankles, taking note of the length shown before sliding the tape from her ankle up the inside of her thigh, stopping just short of her pussy. “Long legs,” he muttered as he noted down the measurement.
He repeated the movement up her other leg and this time Audrey could have sworn his fingers lightly brushed over the edge of her pussy but the motion was too quick for her to be sure and his facial expression did not change even for a moment. He moved over her hips with the tape before measuring each breast and nipple, seemingly oblivious to her protests or her breathing which grew heavier as her nipples grew harder. “I must check your starting arousal levels,” he said as he put the tape measure away and pulled out a long brass cylinder with a winding handle in the base and a rounded end at the top.
“What on earth is that?”
“The latest thing for hysteria, lethargy and treatment such as Vitality. Allow me to wind it a moment and you shall learn all about it I assure you.”
He turned the handle twice round on the base before pulling it free and setting it aside. The sound of an angry hive of bees filled the air and Audrey panicked for a moment before realising it was coming from the device. The man stepped towards her and stood by her hips, leaning down towards her pussy until he was so close she could feel his breath on her skin. “What are you going to do?” she whispered.
“This,” he replied, pressing the tip of the device to her pussy.
Audrey let out a loud gasp of surprise as the device vibrated against the very top of her pussy, the motions strong enough to spread into and across her skin, making her tingle as she began to pant heavil
y. “Please stop it,” she gasped.
“Very well,” he replied, lifting it from her. “Do you wish to leave after all?”
“No, no. Put it back. Oh for god’s sake put it back.”
“Good girl,” he said, a smile flickering across her lips as he pressed it to her aching pussy. “That’s your clitoris it’s on, did you know that?”
“No sir.”
“It is the core of your being, the centre of your soul in my humble opinion. In a short while your rebirth will begin.”
“What do you mean?” she gasped.
“Hold off with your questions and allow me to complete this initial test.” He began to manoeuvre the device in tiny circles whilst Audrey craned her neck upwards to observe, her body beginning to heat up beyond belief. She tugged at the bonds holding her in place, trying her best to bring the tip of the device to bear on the tiny point on her body which cried out for attention out of nowhere. She felt her thighs become sticky as it slid in continual little motions around her core, making her breathing ever more ragged.
“Relax,” whispered the man. “Allow yourself to let go of the tension inside you. It will be worth it, I promise, you will be reborn shortly.”
His voice was soothing and Audrey felt the stress of what was happening ease as the delightful pressure inside her moved towards her pussy. It kept building until she felt she might burst. “Oh my goodness,” she gasped. “What’s happening to me?” As she spoke her hips seemed to rise into the air of their own accord, her pussy lips trembling and a deep longing for something to slide inside her filled her mind. She tried to will the device towards her hole but the man ignored her silent wishes, continuing instead to circle her clit ever faster until she clenched her fists and her toes and let out an ear piercing scream. Her whole being seemed to light up as a tidal wave of sheer bliss washed from her pussy across her body, over her legs, her arms, her chest, even her lips tingling with pleasure, her eyes closing as she began to shake in place, slamming back down into the table as a second wave of pleasure spread through her.
