Rolf"s hands had finally departed her bosom, which felt firmer as his fingers moved away to slide over her belly. Tonight she possessed a belly only slightly rounded, and not pulled out of shape by childbirth and too many years of comfort eating. The pressure of his facile hands was stimulating, particularly when he pressed the heel of one palm down on her pubic bone. A jolt of sensation shot through her, and her eyes flew open. "Oh!"
"Eyes closed!" he ordered her sharply. "You don"t want to look. Just sense, sweetie." He cupped her c.u.n.t with the same hand. His fingers played gently with her l.a.b.i.a, rubbing oil into the twin lower lips with a light touch. A finger slipped between her moist nether lips, finding her c.l.i.toris. He used the ball of that finger to rub the tiny sentient bit of flesh until she began to squirm with her rising pleasure. Bringing her to a quick c.l.i.toral o.r.g.a.s.m, he moved on and began to ma.s.sage her thighs.
d.a.m.nit, Nora thought. I want more. Aren"t I supposed to be the boss here? Then she smiled to herself again. Don"t be impatient and greedy, girl. Rolfie is doing just great without any instructions from you, so just enjoy. The night is young. She purred with pleasure as his fingers kneaded her calf, and then began to ma.s.sage her foot. Why had she denied herself the delights of ma.s.sage until now? she wondered. Because Jeff wouldn"t have approved of a man ma.s.saging her, and he would have made suggestive remarks if she had a female ma.s.seuse. He would have told her that a respectable woman didn"t do things like that. Well, she wasn"t so sure of that, but now she had her fantasy, and oh, yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Ma.s.sages were wonderful.
Rolf had finished with one leg and began to work on the other. He was skillful, and he was efficient. When he had finished with her legs he said, "Over we go, sweetie," and he helped her turn onto her stomach and get her face down into the headrest.
Nora felt the warm oil flowing onto her shoulders again, and she sighed appreciatively. The gardenia fragrance was subtle yet haunting. She absolutely loved it. It was definitely her scent, but next time she"d use the almond oil. And was there such a thing as freesia oil? She adored the smell of freesia. Rolf"s fingers dug into her flesh as he worked to ma.s.sage the knots away.
The hands moved slowly down her back, smoothing away the tensions of twenty-six years of marriage to Jeffrey Buckley. Nora suddenly realized that she didn"t care if he left her for another woman. They had nothing in common anymore, if they ever did. They had done what was expected of them in the time in which they grew up. It was what their families wanted. What generations before them had done.
Jeff had chosen a respectable virgin several years his junior. He wooed her, won her, and had then gone off to grad school and the military while she remained safe and loyal in her college dorm, studying diligently, and just waiting for the day when they would marry. He could trust her to be faithful. Nora Edwards was what was known in their youth as a good girl. And after their marriage came the house, the two children, and the membership to the right country club.
And while she remained at home raising the children, and making it all perfect for him, and Jeff made a great success of his career. The golden boy became a partner within five years of joining Coutts and Wickham Advertising. With each success he had made it his goal to top himself in the next campaign for the next client. He had quickly grown away from the wife he had so carefully chosen, the two children he had sired. Work and other women became the most important things for Jeff Buckley.
And she had never noticed because she had been so busy with Brownies or Boy Scouts; Little League or soccer; Sunday school or the church choir. Nora had taken pride in her children because Jeff never discussed his work with her. Work and Nora were two different things in his mind. So she had focused on their children, who needed her, especially as their father came home less and less. Now Nora Edwards Buckley, who had graduated summa c.u.m laude with a degree in English literature, was suddenly forced to face the fact that she had no husband and no life.
What the h.e.l.l was she supposed to do with the rest of her life? She wasn"t fit for anything. Not in this new century with all its technology. A degree in English lit with a minor in home ec. What the h.e.l.l had she been thinking? But how could she have known it would end up this way? She had no teaching skills. But she didn"t want to teach. No computer skills, but she would need them now. Whatever happened with Jeff, she had to make a new life for herself.
h.e.l.l, she wasn"t fifty yet. Close, but not there yet. No one retired at sixty-five anymore. Not if he or she could help it. She wasn"t brain-dead. She could work twenty or more years, have a nice little 401(k) and collect her own Social Security. She could build a separate investment portfolio as well. She could do a lot of things if she could just get her act together and decide just what it was she really wanted to do.
"You"re thinking again," Rolf chided, giving her b.u.t.t a smack. "This is supposed to be relaxing for you, sweetie."
"I"m trying to figure out my future," Nora told him. "Carla and the girls are right. I have to make a life for myself. Rina"s probably right too. Jeff is going to dump me. Besides, I have to be someone other than his wife and my kids mother. I have to find me again. I know I"m there somewhere, Rolfie. What do you think?"
"I think you"re a very smart lady, Nora," he replied as he kneaded her b.u.t.tocks. "You just need a little time to figure it all out. You need to restore that confidence you once had before you met Jeff. You don"t need a man to take care of you, sweetie. You can do it yourself."
"Yep, Rolfie, but I still need time. I wonder if I"m going to get it. I guess the first thing for me to do is take a computer course, but the high school adult ed doesn"t kick in until autumn. Still, that"s the logical place for me to start, isn"t it?"
"You"re thinking again," Rolf said. "This is supposed to be relaxing for you." He was ma.s.saging her b.u.t.tocks now, and the heel of his hand slipped deeply between the twin halves of her a.s.s.
Nora caught her breath as he rubbed her. "I"m thinking about my future," she told him. A single finger was now gently rubbing at her a.n.u.s. She tensed, but when he did nothing more than continue to rub her there, she began to relax a little bit.
"That"s better," he said softly. The oily finger pushed itself one joint into her a.s.s.
Nora gasped, and tensed again.
He bent and kissed the back of her neck, whispering, "Not yet, Nora, but one day that s.e.xy little a.s.s of yours is going to take my c.o.c.k. You"ll like it, I promise."
"Will I?" Her voice was tight.
"Yep, you will," he promised. Then he removed the invading digit, and smoothed his hand over her b.u.t.t. "All done now, sweetie."
She drew a long breath, feeling a strange loss as the finger had been withdrawn. She had never considered a.n.a.l s.e.x, or had she? How much of what was happening came from her subconscious, and how much was just spontaneous? "All done?" she repeated.
"I don"t think so, Rolfie," she told him boldly.
Rolf was at one of the sinks washing his hands. He laughed. "I can see you are a very bad girl, Nora. I really do believe you need a good spanking. That cute little a.s.s is just begging for it, I"m thinking."
"Kyle," Nora called. "Rolfie wants to spank me. Then I think he"s going to f.u.c.k me. Come and watch like a good boy, darling." Good Lord! A couple of delicious bangs and an erotic ma.s.sage, and she was talking to these two men as she had certainly never talked to any man. But Carla always said men loved it when a woman talked dirty to them. She really couldn"t believe herself. She suddenly felt strong. Maybe she always had been.
Kyle stood in the bathroom door. He was handsome in a roughhewn, almost barbaric way. Her eyes couldn"t help but go to his male member. It was so wonderfully big, and so deliciously talented. His eyes were still jealous as he spoke. "You probably do deserve a spanking, Nora. I"ve never known a hotter little b.i.t.c.h than you. If you"re through, Rolf, we can all adjourn to the bedroom."
They helped her from the ma.s.sage table, and led her back into the bedroom. There was a roll-armed love seat in a seating area before the fireplace. They brought her over to it, bending Nora over one of the arms.
"Are you going to tie me down?" she teased them.
"A couple of good smacks shouldn"t bother you, baby," Rolf said, "but Kyle will be kneeling on the love seat and holding your shoulders down for me," he told her as Kyle knelt on the silk cushion before her, his groin at eye level. Rolf delivered the first smack on her round bottom, causing Nora to squeak with surprise, for she hadn"t been expecting it quite so soon. "Just a few little love taps to warm you up, Nora," he told her. His hard hand descended again, and again, and yet again.
"Ohhh!" she squealed, but strangely it didn"t really hurt. Rolf"s big wide palm just stung. She began to feel a rather sensuous and delicious warmth spreading across her b.u.t.tocks, not to mention a faint tingling in her s.e.xual organs. And then came the startling knowledge that she liked it. G.o.d! Her conscience kicked in. What kind of a pervert was she that she liked this tender abuse? She wiggled her bottom at him, and his hands grasped her hips to steady her. He leaned over, murmuring hotly in her ear, "I am so hot for you, Nora. I"m going to f.u.c.k you now, sweetie."
"Where?" The words were out of her mouth before she knew it.
He chuckled, and dropped a kiss on the nape of her neck. "You"re not ready for that yet, but I suspect we"ll get to it eventually. Right now I"m going to stuff your c.u.n.t, and you"re going to love it."
Her heart was beating with excitement. She had never in all her life been taken in this position. Jeff had never let her off her back, and when once she had tried to mount him, he had thrown her off him roughly, slapping her angrily, and demanding to know where she had ever gotten such a d.a.m.ned disgusting idea. She hadn"t dared to tell him that the girls had been talking about s.e.xual positions, and other things unmentionable.
"Wooo!" she exclaimed, feeling Rolf"s p.e.n.i.s penetrating into her hot, wet softness. His member was shorter than Kyle"s, but thicker. But he was extremely skillful with it. He moved very slowly into her, withdrawing himself as slowly. Over and over and over again. It was an incredible tease. She was close to screaming with the pure unadulterated pleasure he was giving her. "Oh, G.o.d! That is so good, Rolfie!" she sighed. "Don"t stop, and that"s an order! Don"t you dare stop. Ahh! Yes! Yes! Yes! Ohhh, that is sooo good." She wiggled her b.u.t.tocks into his groin, unable to stop herself.
"What a divine wanton you are," Rolf said, laughing. "I think she can take both of us, Kyle. What do you say?" His fingers pressed into the tender flesh of her hips.
"Yeah," Kyle agreed. "Naughty Nora needs two c.o.c.ks because she is very, very hot tonight, aren"t you, darling?" He stroked her hair gently. Then his fingers closed about her hair, and he pulled her head up. "Open your mouth, Nora." He rubbed his p.e.n.i.s against her lips. "Ah, there you go, baby." He pushed his p.e.n.i.s between her two lips, and into her mouth. "Nice and easy does it, Nora. Keep your teeth away from it. Just use your tongue, and then your throat. I"ll bet Jeff never let you suck his c.o.c.k, although plenty of other women have." His eyes closed a moment. "Ahhhh, that"s it, darling. G.o.d, Nora, you"re a natural at this," he told her.
At first Nora thought she was going to choke, but then as she became intrigued with the realization that she had a p.e.n.i.s in her mouth, she felt him burgeoning, and her throat relaxed. Fascinated, she began to lick and suck him. The taste was fleshy and salty with just a hint of musk. She could hear both of the men moaning with their own rising pleasure. They were going to all come together she knew it! This was incredible. She felt her climax exploding even as she found herself being spermed from both ends. Rolf kept coming, and coming and coming; and Kyle"s c.u.m was so copious she could barely swallow it fast enough.
Then without warning Nora"s head began to spin. There was a feeling of aloneness. She was being reluctantly dragged through time and s.p.a.ce. Or at least that was how it felt to her. Suddenly her eyes flew open, and her body jerked with an o.r.g.a.s.m that suffused every inch of her body. But she was in her chair. In the den. Her eyes went immediately to the television. The screen was blank. The set was off.
"OmiG.o.d!" Nora gasped. What had happened to her? What the h.e.l.l had happened? Who had turned off the television? The remote lay on the table next to a melted pint of caramel praline ice cream. "OmiG.o.d!" she said again. She distinctly remembered turning on the television. She remembered kneeling before it. Matching her hand to Kyle"s and being with him. There. In that gorgeous apartment with the incredible skyline view.
But it was obviously a dream. It must have been. None of it had really happened. It couldn"t have. Stuff like that didn"t really happen. She had let her imagination run away with her. But she suddenly smelled the fragrance of gardenias on her skin. No! It was a dream. But then why was her hair damp, and why did it smell freshly washed?
Nora tried to stand up, but fell back into her chair. Her legs were weak. She was taken aback by the slick and salty taste in her mouth. By the fact her v.a.g.i.n.a was very sore. Like she had had s.e.x. Lots of s.e.x. The house was quiet. Outside it was still dark. The clock on the fireplace mantle struck the half hour, but what half hour? Reaching for the remote, she turned the television back on and saw that it was four thirty in the morning. Where had she been for the past eight and a half hours?
Nora turned the set off again, and sat in the dark of the den. It hadn"t been a dream as much as she needed to believe it had been. It had all been very real. Kyle and Rolf had taken her a total of four times. Nora could never remember being f.u.c.ked more than once in a night in her whole life. And she had been so wanton. She shivered with the chill of the predawn hour. Her brain felt as if it were going to explode with the knowledge of what had happened to her during these past few hours. She had to stop attempting to a.n.a.lyze and understand it or she was going to go nuts.
Nora breathed slowly, deeply, in an effort to calm the frantic beating of her heart. Then she attempted to stand up again. This time she was successful. No lights, she thought. If anyone is up peeing and sees lights at this time of morning, theyll come running over. I can"t face anyone right now. Carefully she made her way from the den to the center hall of the house, and up the stairs to her bedroom. She literally fell into the bed and was instantly asleep.
She didn"t awaken until the sun was shining brightly in the room. She didn"t need to look at the bedside clock. It was after noon. The sun only came into the bedroom in the afternoon. She rolled over onto her back. She was exhausted. And she was still sore. She hadn"t ever in her life had such a workout as she had last night. And she smelled of s.e.x. She hadn"t smelled that odor in years, but it wasn"t a scent you forgot. I want to go back, she thought. But Jeff would probably come home tonight because she had made him feel guilty yesterday. And she couldn"t go to The Channel if J. J. was in the house. What was today? Oh, s.h.i.t! It was Tuesday, and she hadn"t put the garbage out for the weekly collection. If Jeff came home, he"d b.i.t.c.h at her over it. She"d have to make a dump run so he didn"t know.
The school Athletic a.s.sociation awards were Friday. Jeff would definitely be home then, because how he appeared to the public was very important to Jeff. And he"d probably stay for the weekend. Could she annoy him enough so he"d go back to the city, and his girlfriend? Maybe. Maybe not. d.a.m.n! She really wanted to go back to The Channel. The place was an aphrodisiac and she had been quickly hooked.
Nora got up and showered, soon smiling at the dried s.e.m.e.n she found in her matted pubic hair before she stepped beneath the water. It had been real! Oh, yes! It had been very real, and she could hardly wait for it to be real again. She winced as she accidentally banged her elbow on the tile wall. It was like bathing in a coffin, she thought. No lights. No view. She needed to talk to Carla. Getting out of the shower, Nora wrapped herself in a towel, grimacing as she realized that her body was back to normal! The sides of the fabric didn"t overlap on her frame.
I don"t have to be fat like this, she thought. I"ve really let myself pork up in the last few years. I need some exercise. Maybe I"ll start walking with Carla. I hate the way I look in my clothes. My height is all in my torso, and so is the fat. She pulled on a pair of cotton briefs, fastened her bra, squeezed into her stretch jeans, and yanked a bright yellow T-shirt on over her head. Then perching herself on the edge of the bed, she called Carla.
"Hi, it"s me. We"ve got to talk before the kids get home from school. Yeah, I"m here. Just barely. Come on over. I"ll get out the wine. It"s afternoon, and I need wine."
Several minutes later Carla Johnson came into the kitchen with a plate of turkey sandwiches, and sat down at the table across from her best friend. "It"s only one, and I"ll bet you haven"t eaten. You"re going to be sick as a pig if you drink wine on an empty stomach. You went to The Channel, right?" she said matter-of-factly.
"I went to The Channel," Nora said. "Perfect night for it. Jeff stayed in town. First time I didn"t mind he did. J. J. stayed at his girlfriend"s house to meet some bigwig from State." She sipped the wine nervously, and then began to eat one of the sandwiches, surprised to learn she was very hungry.
"Well?" Carla demanded, c.o.c.king her head to one side, her brown eyes curious. "What did you find there? And did you like it?"
"It"s my dream apartment," Nora began. "The one I"ve always talked about. It is so beautiful there, and I"m not a plump matron pushing fifty either. I am this s.e.xy redhead about thirty. And I had s.e.x with two men. Wild animal s.e.x!" Nora laughed.
Carla grinned. "I wouldn"t tell this to anyone else but you and the others," she said. "I"m Captain Raven, the pirate queen. I sail the Caribbean, and have s.e.x with whoever takes my fancy. Two nights ago I captured an English vessel bound for the Indies. There was a very handsome and wealthy young duke aboard. He was willing to do anything I wanted him to do to effect his release. At first he was quite difficult, but I made him walk the plank. When we fished him out he became much more reasonable."
She giggled. "Isn"t The Channel great? We can have all the s.e.x we want without venereal disease, AIDS, unplanned pregnancies, or guilt. I don"t know who invented it, but it"s terrific, and we owe them a vote of thanks."
"Nothing is for free," Nora said slowly.
"We pay for it," Carla replied glibly. "You"ll see it on your cable bill. Movie. Three ninety-five."
"Doesn"t Rick wonder about all those movies?" Nora asked.
"Nah, I pay the bills," Carla said. "And I took the twelve-dollars-a-month deal."
"I thought you loved Rick," Nora said.
"I do love Rick, but sometimes I want a change. I want to be young and s.e.xy again. Doesn"t everyone? I mean, h.e.l.l, men do it with different women. Why are women expected to confine themselves to only one man? At least our generation thought that way. Tiffany loves her harem romance novels, so she"s the sultan"s favorite. Rina won"t say."
Nora laughed. She couldn"t help it. "Yeah, I"d expect Tiff would be the sultan"s favorite. Carla! It was so real! I mean I"m actually sore."
"It is real, girlfriend. Now tell me how many times you did it with them, and who are they?" She leaned forward eagerly, her brown eyes sparkling.
"Four," Nora said, blushing with her memories. "Three times with my lover. His name is Kyle, and he"s absolutely hunky. The last time was with my ma.s.seur. He"s blond, has an Austrian accent, and is named Rolf. Kyle watched us while we did it, but he got jealous, and put his d.i.c.k in my mouth. We all came together! It was so wild, but then suddenly I was back. G.o.d, Carla, I want to go back there!"
Carla grinned. "I am so glad you had such a good time," she said. "You"re a whole different person today. How long has it been since you and Jeff were intimate?"
Nora sighed. She had never wanted anyone to know, but what difference did it really make now that she had The Channel? "Five years," she said softly.
"Jesus!" Carla swore. "Your husband really is a p.r.i.c.k."
"I can"t go back unless I"m alone in the house," Nora said. "I wouldn"t want J. J. to find me, or see what"s on the TV when I"m there."
"That"s right. The only television you"ve got is in the den," Carla said. "h.e.l.l, Nora, get a TV for your bedroom."
"Jeff wouldn"t pay for the extra hookup, and since each time I go it costs three ninety-five, I can"t go too often. Even though I pay the bills, I have to account for every penny he gives me," Nora explained. "Too many movies, and he"ll wonder why. But it"s like your favorite cookies, or potato chips. Once you"ve tasted the pleasures The Channel offers, you"re addicted."
Carla nodded. "I know," she said. "So what about Friday night?"
"We"ve got the AA awards. Jeff will probably come home. He"ll stay the weekend. Doesn"t like to look bad," Nora said.
"So you"ve got a couple of days to get all hot and bothered again," Carla teased her best friend. "I pity Kyle, Rolf, and whoever else you dream up come your next visit to The Channel." She grinned mischievously. "Monday nights at The Channel. Are you ready for some f.u.c.king?" she paraphrased a commercial for the autumn football programming.
Nora laughed. "You"re impossible, Carla Johnson, but you sure are fun. Tell me how you manage to use The Channel? I mean Rick is always home at night."
"Ah, but my darling spouse is usually asleep by nine or nine thirty. If Maureen doesn"t have a date, she locks herself in her room and plays her music with her earphones on while she does homework. Then she"s on the phone. I don"t see her from the time she finishes supper until the next morning when she grabs a granola bar on her way out to school," Carla explained. "So I just slip down to my bas.e.m.e.nt craft and sewing room, where a television is located for my soaps. I lock the door and party on. No one ever bothers me. We all have our little methods, because The Channel is addictive."
"I wish they had it in the daytime," Nora said.
Carla chortled. "Then we"d all be caught for sure. Imagine having to come home and fix dinner for a family of four after a day of you know what? Pirates, ma.s.seurs, sultans, and meat loaf. All those delicious men who spring out of our very active fantasies, and whose sole reason for being is to please us."
"And meat loaf," Nora added, grinning. Then she said, "I wonder why Rina and Joanne won"t say why they go to The Channel."
"Joanne"s embarra.s.sed," Carla said. "I don"t understand it, but she is. But Rina, I think she maybe thinks it"s disloyal to Sam. After all he is a most attentive husband, and there is no doubt they love each other But he is almost twenty years her senior. She"s his second wife, you know."
"I didn"t," Nora answered.
"Yeah, his first wife died. Cancer, I think," Carla explained. "I think Rina feels as if she is betraying Sam, but she still goes to The Channel like the rest of us."
The telephone rang, and Nora picked it up. "Jeff," she said, and she made a face at Carla. Then she listened. "You"ll be home tonight? How nice. What would you like for dinner? Lamb chops. Alright. No problem, I haven"t shopped yet. You just caught me on the way out. Because I"ve had other things to do, that"s why."
Carla gave Jeff the finger, and Nora almost laughed aloud.
"Yes, I"ll have dinner ready at seven the way you like it. Bye." She set the phone down. "I am not in the mood for him. I really am not. I hope he"s not forgotten he"s coming Friday."
"I"ve talked to Rick about your situation," Carla said.
"I won"t do anything until Jeff does," Nora told her friend.
"You ought to file first," Carla said. "I mean the guy is hardly ever here, and hasn"t been for years. That ain"t a marriage, sweetie."
"No, I"ll wait for him to make the first move," Nora replied. "If I"m in the terrible position that you all think I am, it"s better if I"m the victim, isn"t it?"
"You"re not dumb," Carla said. "But Nora, you"ve got to be protected. With everything in Jeff"s name, you really are in a lousy position." Carla sounded genuinely worried.
"I know," Nora agreed. "It"s beginning to dawn on me that I"ve been living in a world where nothing changes, and Jeff has been living in the real world, where dog eats dog." She stood up, swaying slightly. "I better get down to Waldbaum"s, or there won"t be any food in this house tonight."
"I"ll drive us," Carla said. "I didn"t have the night you did, nor as much wine as you"ve been consuming with the sandwiches. You"ve almost killed a bottle," she chuckled. "Never saw you do that before." She pulled her own car keys from her jeans. "Come on, babe. I need stuff too, but it wouldn"t do for the mother of Egret Pointe High"s Athlete of the Year to get busted for DUI. My G.o.d, what a scandal that would be, especially with your pristine reputation."
"The old me is gone," Nora said. "The new me is just likely to cause a scandal," she responded with a grin.
And then the two women left the house, walking out into the late May sunshine.
Chapter Three.
"We have to talk," Jeff Buckley said to his wife as they came into the house.
"Very well," Nora replied. "Now is as good a time as any. J. J. is off partying with his friends, although I have told him he has to be home by midnight." She walked through the front hall, and into the kitchen. "Do you want something to eat? I can fix you a sandwich. You didn"t arrive until just before the awards."
"Yeah, I could use something," Jeff said, and sat down. He was one of those men who just got better with age. He was tall and lean. There was hardly any gray in his dark hair, but his blue eyes were cold. They always had been.
Nora pulled out a loaf of fresh rye bread and smeared honey mustard on the two slices she cut, piling it high with Black Forest ham and tissue-thin Havarti cheese. Placing the sandwich on a plate, she cut it neatly in three slices, and plunked it down in front of her husband. Then she poured him a gla.s.s of iced tea, which she set on the table before him as she sat down. "Eat first, and then we"ll talk," she said.
He nodded, biting off large chunks of the sandwich and chewing. "You always made a good sandwich," he said, and then he swilled his tea.
This was it, Nora considered calmly. He was going to do it tonight. Would he remain then for the weekend? Or would he hotfoot it out of the house, back to the city and his girlfriend? She didn"t care, she thought, surprised. The sooner he was gone, the sooner she could get back to Kyle and Rolf, and whomever else her fertile imagination could think up. She almost grinned. And then the old Nora a.s.serted herself, and she wondered what kind of a woman threw away a longtime marriage. What would her mother think? How were the kids going to react? Wasn"t it up to her to try and save her marriage?