Fantasy Pt. 07: Alice's Story

In any event, they weren't through with her. Justine and Juliette changed sides of Alice, so Alice was now kissing downwards, kissing a woman with larger breasts. The kissing was different and Alice was exhilarated. She had lost track of time and wanted this to go on--oh--forever. Justine, unlike Juliette, played less with the breasts and more with Alice's body, hands up and down her abdomen, around her ass, and just brushing around her puss. Mostly outside, toying with her lips, not just plunging in like a man might do, but leading by indirection, using the ointment and pulling her lips, letting them pop free, brushing oh-so-lightly over her mons, keeping the high sustained until it itself had decided on its very own that the time was right and Justine was able to pull another, full, gasping O from Alice's body. After which, if the two girls had not held her up, she surely would have collapsed.

They held her until her gasping subsided, each gently taking an arm. Then they sat her on the little bench they'd used earlier and let her rest. Finally they untied her arms, and began to dress her. They left off her panties and pantyhose, and they left the blindfold in place.

Richard gave her parting orders. "You're to buy sheer stockings and garter belts. Do not wear panties. Do not wear slacks. Skirts and dresses only. And shave. Your body must be smooth. Not just your legs. Shave your pubic hair. You may have to find a video on how to do it right, but your pudendum must be smooth to the hand and the mouth. Nod if you understand."

She nodded.

"And...you need to prove yourself before we take the next step. You can talk now."

"What do I have to do?"

"You need to agree."

"I will. I will. What do I have to do?"

"How often have you drunk semen?"

"I've never done that."

"My. You're almost a virgin. Well, you will, before we meet again. And your first will be your husband's. Henry's."

She didn't say anything at all, but the high, well, you know what happened to it. She swallowed hard.

"Let me know when you've done it. You have three days. No more. Don't consider lying, not to me. Remember today. You can experience so much more, or always regret what you've missed. It's entirely your choice, lovely Alice. I'm glad you came--pun intended--and I look forward to seeing you again. Good evening."

Richard was gone.

Justine and Juliette led Alice to the front door, where they removed the blindfold. They were both dressed as they had been when she had arrived. They handed her a brown paper bag that contained her panties and pantyhose. Finally, they each gave her a deep kiss before they unlocked the door, let her leave, and locked it behind her.

*****

That's the end of her story of the first time, at least the end of the shortened version she told Henry. She left out the part about the test, though he'd long-since guessed it. Even hearing a less thorough version than you have gotten, it was more than enough.

'Okay," said Henry, when she was finished with the episode. "I see. And...and did you see them regularly, Justine and Juliette?" For the moment he couldn't think of anything else to ask.

"They were my minders."

"Minders?"

"Richard wasn't around all the time. They kept me, and they had instructions on what to do."

"So, they did things to you, and you..."

"Yes."

"So, you're bisexual?"

"I... I never thought of myself that way. But they had a way. I don't know. I guess, maybe. Maybe I am."

*****

How did Alice get home that evening? Badly. At one stoplight the car behind honked at her to get moving. She almost ran another. She came down from her high and became flat, even dull, finally depressed. The Vegas world of blazing sunshine looked gray. She didn't want to go into the house but sat in the car pretending to listen to the news, really playing back the afternoon. She avoided Henry as much as she could. Guilt? Sure. Could he tell anything? And: longing for what wasn't here? Yes. The house felt empty. She felt empty. She passed the evening playing on her phone in front of the TV, finding a place that sold sexy stockings and garter belts, one she could visit at lunchtime; then looking for instructions on how best to shave your nether regions. She sat in the shower for the longest time, a new razor in her hand, pretending to herself that she was still making up her mind about the next step, pretending she hadn't agreed to an ongoing affair. Affair? Was there another word? Ongoing assignations. And: thinking about how, and where, and when to suck Henry.

*****

"When did you decide to leave me?" This may have been the most important thing, no?

She might know the day, maybe even the approximate hour. But was there a tipping point? Well, yes, and we'll get to that. But did you ever wonder how a woman gets stolen away? Is it all at once? It's not--quite--like losing yourself one evening or having an affair. There are people who've done one or the other and kept it secret their whole lives. Leaving, though. It can't be covered up and it's not a short-term thing. There are causes any of you could list or perhaps have experienced: abuse, mutual dislike or disinterest, and so forth. Maybe they're going through a rough patch. Maybe it's money. If you follow the woman herself, you sometimes find what we might call a track record. There's sometimes an extensive one, though in my understanding that most often leads to a simple, though acrimonious, divorce.

But Henry and Alice? They seem to have loved each other well enough. Their sex was--not terrible. It was all right. Better than some folks' and worse than others'. You just saw Alice swear she'd never cheated before or done anything to make Henry worry, and since she was in confessional mode we might as well believe her. They should have been fine except that she had this peculiar weakness--one that's frankly not all that rare, at least to some degree--and a guy who could exploit it.

"I didn't plan it. I fell that first time. Then I realized...it was going to keep happening. Richard swept me up."

He 'swept her up.' You're probably asking yourself if she really used such a romantic phrase. Yes, she did. It's like she wanted to slap Henry's face with the romance of what she did. She didn't. If you need more evidence that her mind still wasn't quite there, that will help make the case. She simply didn't think the line through. Richard 'swept her up' indeed! But it's accurate. It was like a whirlwind caught her. What a piece of work is Richard. Successful. No, rich. Yes, that's it. And powerful. Dominant. Politically connected. Smart. And cleverer than smart, endlessly inventive, with the resources to make things come true. They had a second meeting. A third. Something new and hot each time.

Do you think it was only the sex? Hoo-hah, this is a sex story so it's only the sex. Well, fuck it all to hell with a blow torch. Do you really think Richard is that simple? Consider this: during the third encounter Alice was spread across a wall, toes barely touching the floor; wrists, ankles and waist secured. There was lovely sex going on, the very stuff of her fantasies. Richard rolled out a full-length mirror, so she could see herself. "You're such a beautiful woman, and you can be even more." He fastened on her neck a deep-blue, solitaire, sapphire necklace in a platinum setting. "Observe yourself." Then he held out matching, pierced earrings. "I don't want you to be noisy while I attach them. You can moan." They weren't going to her ears. He played with her nipples until they were nicely swollen, then pushed the earring pins through the meat, first the left side, then the right. When he stepped aside so she could see herself he called her 'beautiful' again: "You're so beautiful. Such a lovely woman. Exquisite." She stared at herself as he commenced to play with her body. Yes, on her pale skin they were exquisite. As--she knew--was she, herself. I happen to agree with both of them, and I'm the author. Richard had made her so. Afterwards he told her the jewels were hers to keep.

"But I can't! Where will I put them?"

"You'll have to hide them."

And he knew people. Two nights later he took Alice to a cocktail party when she was supposed to be on a girls' night out and Henry was home thinking he'd done something wrong, and there Richard introduced her to--among others--two state politicians, a casino owner, a novelist, and a couple of HBO stars. She wore a new dress Richard had just gotten her and the necklace and earrings. Several women of quality commented on them.

Richard said he'd take her to Europe. Then to Morocco. Why Morocco? It was exotic.

She got used to lying, and to being with not-Henry. That happened awfully quickly. Her main problems--she thought--were keeping Henry from noticing her still-swollen nipples or finding her new jewelry.

When Richard suddenly asked her--told her?--to come away with him, she didn't know what to say.

"But...I can't. Henry..."

"Alice, I can't build my life around your schedule. Choose. You're already halfway here. Come or stay. It's your choice. I'll take you the rest of the way. Or not. Stay behind in your blah, little life with your mundane events and your dull sex."

"But..."

"And don't be so sure he'll be that unhappy. He's always bitching about you."

"Bitching...?"

"You always want this or that. You don't want to do things. You've faded. There are new models he'd like to try out. Frankly, he simply doesn't know what he has."

"When...?"

"Almost whenever we speak."

"You speak?"

"More often than you know."

"But. But I couldn't..."

"Face him? You pack and leave. I'll handle him."

"What about my job?"

"I have far more money than you could ever spend. And I'll handle your employer."

As you've guessed, she said yes. That's how it's done, at least one way, and for the most part it's an old-fashioned way. Sex is always part of the package, but there's so much else. You couldn't do it like that, nor could I, but Richard? How much practice has he had over the years? So now, when did Alice decide? Did she even, or was it decided for her? How did she answer Henry's question? She said, "I'm not sure when I decided."

*****

"So, you just up and decided to go. No word. No discussion. No explanation. Not even a note. You left me with...nothing." Nietzsche had written that if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you, which sounds about right. There was no looking away from it for Henry. The abyss would be his constant companion. Maybe it was time for finality; to end the conversation. He wouldn't hit her, but he didn't have to talk to her anymore. Alice, though, rose and went over to the cushioned bench in front of the vanity. She wouldn't have to look directly at him from there. She had no answer--did she?--but she had to say something.

"I couldn't face you. I didn't know how to tell you. What to say. That's why Richard called you, not me. When he put me on, I just said what he told me to say. And then...you never even tried to get me back."

"I...what?"

"Richard said you wouldn't, and you never did. I'm sorry. I know it's self-centered. I know I'm awful, but I was a little hurt that you never called or came by or anything. I know. After I left you. I know. I know. I'm a self-centered bitch. I didn't know what I'd say when you called or came by, but you didn't and I never had to try to say anything. So, I guessed he was right that you really were tired of me."

I bet you didn't see that coming, did you? Neither did Henry.

"You think I didn't try to call or come by? You really think that?"

"Of course. We knew you were already dating."

"Dating."

"They saw you at Gordon Ramsey's with some woman. She was gorgeous. And then you were with her at one of those showgirl revues."

Breathtaking, isn't it? The things my readers never knew! The lies my characters tell behind my back.

"And you heard all this...from whom?"

"Some friends of Richard's told us. They knew us from before. You know, Guy Robinson and his wife. The casino manager. It came up in a conversation."

"And that's it?"

"Well, except that you started harassing us."

"Harassing?"

"Having the police come by to grill us? Really Henry? And trying to accost us at the Barracuda opening? When security had to drag you away? Richard said that was the last straw and he was going to file a complaint." Alice was actually sounding miffed here, quite a change from her previous attitude. "And then you broke into Richard's house. I didn't understand why you would do those things, since you seemed to be enjoying the single life."

That's a lot to unpack. And of course, as we know, Henry did call the police and go to the casino opening and break into Richard's house. So, there were bits and pieces of truth sprinkled among the dreck. Richard had salted the mine.

"Okay. Let's stop. Just stop. I'm going to set the record straight and then we'll end this conversation. I never dated. I never went out. I haven't gone out with another woman since I met you. Ever. I did call the police, and try to get your attention at the casino, and I broke into Richard's house. The rest are lies. I tried for days, weeks, to get through to you, but Richard has the resources to keep that from happening. Hell, he talked to me often enough, to brag about taking you."

No, she didn't believe him. Not at all.

"My investigator, Mickey Edwards, suggested the police, because I didn't absolutely know you were okay and that was the only way to get someone inside to check on things. He also told me about the casino opening."

Must I repeat? She didn't believe him. Not at all.

"Well, where do you think I got the recording of that phone call? What about the video of your deep throating Richard? They came from Richard himself. To gloat!"

The conversation changed immediately. Alice took a deep breath and held it in and looked worried.

"Until I saw the photos, I hoped that maybe--just maybe--you'd leave him and come back. Afterwards...it was clear everything was over."

She exhaled. "I don't understand. Photos? What photos? What are you talking about?" Alice's eyes grew wide and she stared at Henry in the face.

"Oh, Jesus! Of course you don't know about the photos. They're of things you did at his resort. They showed me enough. More than enough. A million times more than enough. They were more of his gloating. And that's when I snapped and decided to break into his house!"

"What were the photos of?" So, Henry went through the list, during which she closed her eyes and began to swing her head back and forth and whisper "No, no, no." He went out to the living room to get the laptop and went through the pictures for her.

Alice sat silently during the photo array, but not just. She looked down into her lap and would look up only with her eyes, then would squeeze her eyes shut. You can imagine what was swirling through her mind. Then she was shaking her head again and saying "no, no, no" out loud, and then she slammed the laptop shut and was crying, and when she started she couldn't stop. She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from sobbing aloud and cried on and on. Henry brought her a box of tissues but otherwise let her cry herself out. It took a while, but she finally stopped crying enough to talk, or rather to ramble between sobs.

"Oh, God, Henry. I'm so sorry. God, no. I...I believed everything. Everything! I never realized. I never thought. Oh, God. How could I? I didn't know you cared. I believed everything. Oh, God! How could I be so stupid? Everything! Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could I be taken in so easily?" Her crying overwhelmed her all over again. "I'm such an idiot!"

"Yes, you are, love. Yes, you are."

Henry brought a chair over and sat down facing Alice. He lightly held the hand she wasn't using to wipe her eyes. She didn't look up but she grabbed his hand and held it tightly while she stared into the abyss of her idiocy.

*****

Once Alice was calmer, Henry had a question.

"Why did you even come here, believing what you believed, after I'd gone after you with a gun? Weren't you afraid I'd shoot you?"

Alice looked up and shook her head. "What do you mean, a gun?" She sniffed.

"The gun I had at Richard's."

"A gun?"

"Yes. A pistol. I had a pistol. A Glock."

"I never saw any gun."

"It was pointed at you."

She shook her head again. "A gun? All I remember was you and the bodyguards, George and Alesandro, in the doorway. And then they knocked you down." She shook her head a third time, then stared at him and took a rather large breath.

"Were you going to shoot us?"

"You?" Henry shrugged. "Richard? Absolutely. Though it turns out I'm not a natural at these things."

A coughing fit came over her. She had to use the nebulizer to get it to stop.

"Maybe it would have been better if you had shot me. Then I wouldn't be causing so much trouble."

"Shh. That's enough of that. But, aren't you afraid of me?"

She shook her head a fourth time. "No. I'm not. Really, I'm afraid all the time. All these fits. Especially since they raped me." She squeezed his hand. "But I feel safe when I'm with you." And at that Henry laughed a real laugh.

"Then you really are an idiot!" And Alice laughed too. But she wouldn't let go of his hand. In a moment both went somber again.

*****

What else do you want to know? Henry wanted to know a lot. He wanted to know and he didn't. Alice wanted him to know everything, but she didn't. She also wanted him to take her back, but that was slipping away. She'd been even worse than she'd known, out of ignorance. Henry wanted her and wanted to be away from her. He also wanted to beat her again, and to protect her. My God, they were both messes. Summing up Henry's thinking, it seemed knowing was the most important thing.

"Why did you suck him in front of me? Why did you do it?"

I probably don't need to tell you that Alice rose again. She sat on the bed, got up, walked in a rough circle, then sat where she'd begun. She sighed. She tried to take his hand again, but he wouldn't let her.

"I didn't want to do that. I hated it."

"Well woo-hoo! I did horrible stuff to you on purpose, but I feel just awful about it!"

She didn't answer. Then she did, in a tiny voice. "I know. And I know how terrible it was. I'm trying to be honest, to explain, not to make excuses." Her eyes began to water.

"You're not going to cry again, are you?"

"No." She wiped her eyes with her palms. "I'll tell you."

"Just don't go on about how pure of heart you truly were." It's hard to fathom how supportive he had felt just a few moments before.

"I thought I had to. Before you say anything, I'd failed a test and I couldn't fail another one. I didn't think I could afford to. So, I did it."

"Yeah. A test."

"To keep my place as Richard's girl.'

"One of many."

"Yes. I knew that. It was his business. But I was his number one. That's what he called me. Number One. His companion."

"So, go on, Ms. Number One."

"I had to, oh, meet challenges to stay there, do different things. Not all sexual things. There was my diet, and how I dressed and made myself up. And the sex things weren't every day or anything, but I couldn't do less than the other girls. Some things were hot, but sometimes I just had to force myself to get through them."

"You advanced quickly enough. You say before you went with Richard, your sex life was pretty vanilla? Ours certainly was."

"Yes. He once called me his 'ice cream queen.'" She smiled at the memory. "I think...no I know that he liked it that I was so new to things." Henry wasn't smiling at all.

"So, what was a hard thing to get through? Give an example."