"Milk? Sugar? Lemon?" he inquired politely.
"Lemon, please," Nora said, reaching out to take a tiny silver fork to snare the round, and put it in her tea.
"At this time of night I far prefer cambric tea," Mr. Nicholas said, liberally adding sugar and milk to his cup. He smiled at her, and nodded to another plate on the tea tray. "Biscuit?"
Nora reached for a chocolate biscotto. "Thank you," she said. "I love these, but they are so expensive. It"s a lovely treat." She took a bite, crunched it down, and then sipped at the tea, which had the faint aroma of peach.
They sat in silence for a short while, drinking their tea and eating the cookies on the plate. It was a bit, Nora considered, like the Mad Hatter"s tea party. She had to swallow back a giggle at one point. Finally her companion spoke.
"Kyle tells me you have some questions regarding The Channel," Mr. Nicholas said, engaging her with his dark eyes. His eyes were mesmerizing.
"I would like to know," Nora said, coming right to the point, "if it would be possible for me to remain in The Channel for a short time."
"Why?" he asked her.
"I am in the midst of a rather nasty divorce," Nora began, but he stopped her, waving his hand.
"I am aware of that, my dear. My question was, why do you want to remain within The Channel for a time?" he said.
"I have never been happier than when I am here," Nora said. "I just want to get away from my reality for a little while. Not forever. Just for a little while."
"Anything is possible here," Mr. Nicholas began. "Yes, you could remain with us for a time."
"How would my absence be explained in my reality?" Nora wanted to know.
He smiled a brief cool smile. "You would appear to be unconscious," he answered her.
"They would move me if I were unconscious," Nora said. "How would I return to my own reality if that happened?"
"When you wished to leave us you would indicate your desire to do so, and you would wake up wherever you were, my dear. There is really no mystery to it." He took a deep sip of his sugared tea. "The use of the television is a technology you understand, but it is not really necessary to The Channel."
"If my son came home, and found me in front of the television, what would he see on the television?" Nora asked Mr. Nicholas.
"Of course you would not want J. J. to see you amusing yourself with Kyle, I understand, my dear. These are private pleasures you enjoy, and not for general consumption. Your son would see what appeared to be an unavailable channel, as if you had punched in the wrong station. The zigzagged screen," he explained.
Nora did not bother to ask him how he knew her son"s name. He would have said what Kyle said, she suspected. "Is The Channel available everywhere?" she queried him.
"We are given different names in different locations, but yes. We can be accessed all over the world in one way or another," Mr. Nicholas told her as his dark eyes danced with amus.e.m.e.nt. "Do you know when you would like to join us?" he said to her. "Now that I know your wishes, we need no further notice. You may come when you choose to come, my dear."
"Not yet," Nora said. "I just wanted to know if it were possible, and I may never remain longer than an evening."
"Ah, but I think you will," Mr. Nicholas told her. "Kyle is very charming, and so much nicer than what you have been used to, my dear. Since you have not changed him, I can a.s.sume he is performing his duties in a satisfactory manner. Have you grown bored with Rolf? You have not used him recently."
Nora felt a blush heating her cheek. "Rolf is delightful," she said coolly, "but Kyle needed more of my time. Rolf will return to join us soon."
"How intuitive you are," Mr. Nicholas noted, "to understand Kyle"s needs as well as your own. He will serve you well under those circ.u.mstances. Have I answered all your questions, my dear?"
"Not all, but all I mean to ask you for now," Nora said. Should she be afraid of this man? And yet he was very charming, cultured, and mannerly. There was nothing to be afraid of from Mr. Nicholas.
"One final thing, my dear," he said to her. "If I do you the favor of allowing you to remain within The Channel at your pleasure, is it not reasonable of me to a.s.sume that you would owe me a favor one day? Would you agree?" The dark eyes looked directly into her gray green ones.
"Of course," Nora agreed even as a small shiver touched her spine.
He smiled, and then he arose. "Then our business is concluded for now, my dear. I shall look forward to seeing you again one day. Our tea party has been a delightful interlude for me. Shall I call Margaret to escort you to the elevator?"
"I can find my own way," Nora said. She held out her hand to bid him good-bye.
But instead of shaking her hand this time he took it in his small soft hand and, raising it to his lips, kissed it. "It has been a pleasure, Nora. Good-bye."
"Good-bye," she said, feeling a burning sensation where his mouth had touched the back of her hand. She hurried to the door and, opening it, went into the outer office. "Good-bye, Margaret," she told Mr. Nicholas"s a.s.sistant, and the woman smiled and nodded a farewell. Nora almost ran to the elevator. It opened at once, and stepping in, she saw there was only one b.u.t.ton to press. She pushed it with her finger, and the doors closed, and the sensation of rising filled her. When the elevator finally stopped and the doors opened again, she stepped out into her penthouse.
Outside the large windows, the cityscape glowed with a clear night. She drew a deep breath and turned, startled to find Kyle there. "Oh! You frightened me!" she said.
"I"m sorry," he apologized. "You look pale, Red Rover. Come and sit down, and tell me about your visit with Mr. Nicholas." He drew her to the couch, and pulled her down into his arms. "You"re shivering."
"Who is he?" Nora asked Kyle. "Who is Mr. Nicholas?"
"I don"t understand," Kyle replied. "Mr. Nicholas is Mr. Nicholas."
Nora bit her lip. "He is so urbane. He treats this as if it were a normal occurrence, and d.a.m.nit, The Channel isn"t exactly your everyday recreation."
"Do you really want to question the very thing that brings you so much pleasure, Red Rover?" he asked her gently. "Ask yourself what your life would be without me, without The Channel? When you return to your own reality, Nora, don"t you feel stronger for having been here?"
"Yes!" she said. "Yes, my life has been so much better since I found The Channel," Nora agreed.
"Then don"t question how this has come to be, Red Rover. I"m here The Channel is here just for your enjoyment. No more second-guessing, okay?"
"Okay," Nora agreed. "Now, kiss me, slave!" She raised her face to him.
His lips brushed hers tenderly.
"Take off your shorts," she commanded, and she helped him remove the single garment, twisting her body so that she might begin to kiss and lick at him. He stretched his length, his heels pressing into the carpet. Nora"s tongue lapped at the flesh of his chest. She would lick, and then she would blow, and then she would tease him with her hair. Inch by inch she covered his torso with her homage, moving slowly, slowly until she buried her face in his dark pubic hair, breathing in the scent of him, kissing his mound. Her hand wrapped about his p.e.n.i.s. Her tongue swiveled about its head several times. She licked at it. Then she put the tip in her mouth, and sucked on it. "Mmmmm," she said, and drew him deeper into her mouth and throat.
His big hand began to caress her bottom, smoothing around the pale flesh. Her mouth was driving him wild. She would draw on his k.n.o.b until he was at the point of explosion, and then stop, letting him throb within the cavity of her mouth unfulfilled. Then when the tension had eased, at last she would begin again, teasing him to the point where he thought he would burst, only to stop. His hand wrapped itself in her hair, and he pulled her head up. "It"s time for madame"s riding lesson," he told her. His d.i.c.k was sticking straight up. "Get on, Red, or else!"
"Or else what?" she taunted him, and then she shrieked, as he pulled her over his knees and smacked her b.u.t.t hard several times.
"Get on," he said again, pulling her over, pushing up her skirt, and lowering her onto his c.o.c.k. "Ahhh," he breathed as he slid inside her hot silken v.a.g.i.n.a. "Now, that"s better. "Now I think we"ll go for a trot, a canter, and a gallop, mistress."
Nora began to ride him. Slowly at first, then increasing her tempo until he began to moan. His eyes were closed, and the look on his handsome face was utter bliss. "Good horsey," she teased, and her fingers dug into his shoulders. His hands wrapped themselves about her waist.
"Lean back so I can go deeper," he told her.
She arched her body, leaning backward, and felt his d.i.c.k slide deeper into her fevered maw. She squeezed him with her v.a.g.i.n.al muscles, and he groaned low. "Oh, very good horsey," she told him. "Ohh, that"s nice, darling."
Suddenly to Nora"s surprise Kyle released his hold on her waist, and sliding his palms beneath her b.u.t.tocks, he slowly stood up, still impaled within her. She wrapped her arms about his neck so she wouldn"t fall as he carried her to the end of the couch and pulled his swollen p.e.n.i.s out of her body. Before she could ask he was turning her facedown and laying her across the wide rolled arm of the couch. He pushed her legs apart, and she felt his c.o.c.k pushing between the cheeks of her a.s.s. "Kyle!" she gasped.
"You can do this, Nora," he told her. "I won"t force anything, but I knew you were ready earlier. Just trust me. I"ll stop if you say the word." He put the tip of his p.e.n.i.s directly in the center of her a.n.u.s. "Just feel it there, Red. Aren"t you just a little bit curious? When I put my finger in before, you squeezed it tight. Let"s just try." He pushed her hair aside, and tenderly kissed the nape of her neck.
"You"ll stop if I say no?" she asked nervously.
"I promise," he told her, pushing her dress up.
"It feels so big," she said.
"It is big, and it"s going to feel really, really good," he whispered hotly, and he gently pushed his p.e.n.i.s against the tight little hole. "Just the tip, baby. I"ll just put the tip in at first." He could feel her muscles beginning to relax, and he moved carefully, telling her, "You control me, Nora. Push back, baby."
She could feel him, but she wasn"t in the least afraid of this so-called s.e.xual taboo. She had always been curious, but she had never dared tell Jeff. After all, a man who would call his wife a s.l.u.t because she wanted a little spanking would have gone berserk at the suggestion of a.n.a.l s.e.x. "Ohh!" Suddenly she felt the tip of his p.e.n.i.s push through. It was a unique sensation, but he hadn"t hurt her.
"Is it okay?" he asked.
In reply she pushed back on his c.o.c.k carefully. The feeling of fullness was incredible. She gasped softly. "My G.o.d, Kyle!" She was coming, and she couldn"t help it. She wasn"t certain she liked it, but she had wanted to try.
"I"m all the way in," he groaned. He didn"t move at all. Just stood encased within her denseness. The sensation for him was wonderful. She was so tight.
"I know." She squeezed him with her rectal muscles, and with a sob he came. She could feel the spurts of his juices, and finally he shuddered, finished.
It was then he withdrew slowly and carefully from her, pulling her up, and holding her tightly in his embrace. "You are the most incredible woman," he told her.
"Another adventure," Nora laughed weakly. "I think I need a drink."
"Me too. Can you pour us one while I go wash off Big Dan?"
"I"m still hot," she told him.
"Me too," he said, and she looked down to see his p.e.n.i.s still hard.
"Go wash. I"ll pour us something, and meet you in bed," Nora said.
There was champagne open on the bar. She poured them two flutes, and took them into the bedroom. She could hear him showering as she set the narrow goblets down, and pulled her dress off. He came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped about his loins, and looked at her, naked but for the garter belt and stockings.
"Don"t take those off," he said. "I love f.u.c.king a woman in a garter belt, Red."
She handed him one of the champagne flutes. "Here"s to garter belts," she toasted him with a grin.
"Garter belts!" He raised his flute at her, and drank the champagne down in a single gulp.
They put the goblets down, and sliding to her knees, Nora took him in her mouth again. Her fingers dug into his b.u.t.tocks. The smell of soap on his skin was intoxicating. Within the briefest time he was ready again, and they fell on the bed. He pushed her legs up, and thrust himself into her warmth with a sigh. He moved on her slowly, slowly as they enjoyed this nearness, and when he found himself beginning to get bored he pushed her legs straight up, and drove deeper into her, thrusting and withdrawing, thrusting and withdrawing until she was sobbing softly.
Why had she never had s.e.x like this before The Channel? Nora wondered. Every movement he made she felt acutely. When he raised her legs all the way up, leaning against them, his d.i.c.k had gone deeper than she had ever felt. She could sense the impending explosion coming. "Yes!" she sobbed, and then it happened, and they came together in a wild burst of l.u.s.t. She actually swooned with her pleasure, and when she revived she curled up against him, and he tenderly enfolded her in his embrace.
"Will it always be like this?" she asked him.
"Until you tire of me," he said softly.
"I"m not going to tire of you," she rea.s.sured him.
"Good," he told her. "I don"t want to lose you, Red."
"You"re jealous of Rolf, aren"t you?" she asked him.
"I don"t like it when you do other men, Red."
"But I may want to now and again," she warned him. "I"ve led a very circ.u.mspect life up until now, darling. But you"ll always be here for me, and I"ll always want you more than I want any of the others."
"Are you going to remain in The Channel?" he wondered.
"Not tonight, Kyle. I"m saving that for another time. Maybe I never will. I don"t know. The Channel has become my refuge, I think, but I"m not ready yet to disappear from my own reality. Mr. Nicholas says it will appear as if I am unconscious when I do. I"m not sure I want to frighten my family like that."
"What if I said I wanted you here with me always?" he tempted her.
"I don"t know," Nora answered. "If we were together all the time, would we grow bored with one another, Kyle? I don"t think I"d like to spend my life in this apartment, as wonderful as it is. If I could be in my reality like I am in The Channel. If you could be with me there instead of here. It would be perfect, I think, darling."
"Your husband wouldn"t like it if you looked like this and had me as a lover. He might even consider coming back to you. Is that what you want, Nora?" He was angry, and definitely jealous.
Nora pulled out of his embrace, and looked down into his face. "No, Kyle, there are no circ.u.mstances under which I would want Jeff back. He"s a pig. You are the man for me. You"re tender and gentle. You"re thoughtful of me. And, my darling Mr. Gorgeous, you aren"t bad on the eyes. And the best thing is that as long as we are here, we"ll always be the same, right?"
He smiled up at her. "Right, Red!"
She smiled back. The phone rang then, and they heard the wake-up call. "I might as well go now," Nora said. "We"ve certainly had a busy evening, haven"t we?" She got up from their bed.
"Tomorrow?" he asked.
"Yes," she promised. "J. J. won"t be home until Monday late." Then turning, she walked back into the living room, and placed her hand on the television screen. The now familiar pop sounded, and she was back in her recliner. Reaching for the channel changer, she clicked the set off, and standing up, she went upstairs to her bedroom. She needed a shower, and she was exhausted. Kyle was a tireless lover. Going into her bathroom, she pulled off her nightshirt, and then she stared shocked. She was wearing a green lace garter belt, and sheer stockings. This had certainly never happened before. Nora shivered. Well, if she had ever needed any proof that The Channel was real, this sure as h.e.l.l was it. She couldn"t wait to tell Carla. She undid the garter belt, and laid it aside, rolling the stockings off her feet. Showering quickly, she fell into bed.
She awoke early the following afternoon and, reaching for the phone, called her best friend. "Come over," she said. "I have something to show you."
"Be there within the hour. We"re just up after the party. Kids left at sunrise for the mountains. I"m bushed. G.o.d, they danced till dawn, and the music! Thank G.o.d we"re all friends, or someone would have called the cops for sure."
"Funny," Nora laughed, "I never heard a thing."
"Ohh, I know what you were doing," Carla singsonged. "See you shortly."
Nora dressed, and as she did, she felt a slight soreness in her a.s.s. I can"t believe I did that, she thought, but it was really exciting. I"m not sure I"ll do it again. She pulled on her shorts and a T. Going down to the kitchen, she considered making coffee, but she didn"t want coffee. She wanted iced tea. There was some of that mixture left from yesterday. She was still tired. Yesterday had been a big day, and then last night"s activities had added to it all. Pouring herself a gla.s.s of the cold tea/lemonade mix, she went out onto the terrace by the pool, and sat down.
It was a beautiful late June day. The sky was clear, and the sun hot on her shoulders. There was a faint breeze. The water in the pool lapped against the steps. She had roses in bloom reds and pinks and whites in one corner of the yard, yellows and peach and apricot in another corner. She got up, then sat back down on the top step of the pool, and dangled her feet in the water. It was so quiet. So peaceful. How she loved it, and she wanted it always to be this way. And it would be. She wasn"t going to let Jeff take her home away from her. She heard the gate creak, and turned.
"Hey," Carla said, coming into the yard. "Whatcha drinking?"
"The stuff from yesterday. I"m p.o.o.ped, and I always get extra thirsty when I"m tired like this. Go help yourself if you want some."
"What I want is to know what happened. You sounded really spooked when you called, Nora."
"Did you ever bring back something from your visits in The Channel?" Nora asked her best friend.
"Something? What do you mean?" Carla said.
Nora got up. "Come into the house." She led the way, going upstairs, Carla following. In her bedroom she picked up the garter belt, and the stockings. "I came home last night in these," Nora told Carla.