"It's not that
I don't like him, it's just that I have a nagging feeling about
this whole business. I mean, it's like something out of a movie.
Your husband grabbed from the street, bundled into the back of a
car and tied up in a basement... Call it intuition, call me
cynical, but I'm sure he's involved."
Pouring the
coffee, I pondered on her words. Danny had handed the money over to
the girl on both occasions, he'd been dealing with the detective,
he'd been on at me to take the advance and write the second book,
it was down to me to take out a loan to pay her... No, the evidence
was circumstantial - it wasn't evidence at all. He wasn't involved,
I was certain. He couldn't be.
"Test him,"
Chrissy suggested as I passed her a cup of coffee.
"What do you
mean?"
"Tell him that
the girl's been round and you gave her more money."
"What good
will that do?"
"If I'm right,
and I hope I'm not, he'll ask the girl about the money and,
obviously, she'll deny it. If he's in this with her, he'll believe
that she's taking your money and not telling him."
"Chrissy, this
is my husband you're talking about."
"I realize
that. As I said before, it fits."
"It might fit
but, Christ!"
"Look, I'd
better get going. Think about it, Selina."
"Yes, I will.
But I really don't believe that Danny's involved."
"You can't
trust anyone - not even your nearest and dearest."
Finishing her
coffee, she saw herself out, leaving me with horrendous thoughts
about my husband. To test him would be tantamount to betraying him.
My mind aching, I pondered on the recent events. My suspicion
rising, I wondered where Danny went to on his long walks, what he
got up to. When the girl had first come to the house he'd got an
erection, fucked her and come. The sight of her naked body, her
cunt, had obviously aroused him and... No, I was sure Danny wasn't
involved with her. If he was, then I didn't know him at all! Only a
monster would do such a thing to his wife, a man so evil that...
Danny was kind, loving, trustworthy and loyal.
"Hi!" he
smiled as he wandered into the kitchen. "I thought I heard the
front door shut."
"Yes, the...
the private detective called," I lied.
"What?"
"He... he
called round to see you but I didn't want to wake you. He's going
to ring you later."
"Oh, right.
It's odd that he should come here."
"Why?"
"Well, he... I
don't know, I'd have thought he'd have phoned rather than come
round. In fact, he said to me that he'd never call at the house in
case the girl saw him, which would blow his cover."
"Well, he came
round."
"What did you
think of him?"
"He seems
OK."
"Yes, yes he
is."
As Danny
poured a cup of coffee, I scrutinized him, wondering whether there
really was a private detective. If there was, Danny would soon find
out that he'd not been to the house, and I'd have to dream up some
lie or other. If there wasn't, he'd be wondering who the hell had
called.
My mind
riddled with confusion, I couldn't deny that Chrissy was right. It
all fitted. Test him? I pondered. If he was working with the tart,
he'd know what I'd been forced to endure, he'd know about the
sexual abuse in the woods, he'd know everything. I couldn't imagine
my husband putting me through all that for money.
"It's best
that you go to the bank as soon as you can," he said
thoughtfully.
"Why?"
"I never know
when the girl's coming round; she changes the times to protect
herself. We'd better have the money ready as soon as possible."
"I have things
to do, I'll go later."
"Don't leave
it too long, we don't want her..."
"I'll go when
I'm ready, Danny. What are your plans for today?"
"I was going
to have a look around the second-hand bookshop and do one or two
things in town, but I'll have to wait until the girl's been."
"I'll pay her,
you don't have to wait."
"Oh, er... All
right."
If I gave her
a couple of thousand and told Danny that I'd given her five
thousand... I didn't want to have to test him but, because of
Chrissy, I now had a nagging doubt at the back of my mind. If he
was involved, the tart would tell him that I'd only given her two
thousand, and it would be her word against mine. Danny would
question me and...
No, I couldn't
bring myself to do it. I couldn't believe that Danny, my husband,
would put me through hell just to get his hands on a few thousand
pounds. Besides, he didn't have the imagination to dream up such a
scam. Bundled into a car, tied to a chair in a basement... Never in
a million years could he come up with such an idea. That was the
problem with his books - apart from the fact that he couldn't
write, his imagination was as fertile as the desert.
"I'm going
upstairs to ring Wilkins," he said. "If he came here to see me, he
must have discovered something important."
"He'd have
told me if he had."
"I'll ring him
anyway."
Creeping into
the lounge as Danny climbed the stairs, I pressed the secrecy
button and carefully lifted the phone. The dialling tone purring in
my ear, I replaced the receiver, wondering why I was checking up on
him like this. Again, I lifted the phone only to hear the dialling
tone. Perhaps he was doing something else, switching his computer
on or tidying his desk? Tired and confused, I returned to the
kitchen and sat at the table, my head resting in my hands.
"There was no
reply," Danny imparted, appearing in the doorway. "I'll try again
later."
"Did the
detective tell you this man's address?"
"No, he
didn't."
"Why not?"
"He doesn't
want me going round to see him, interfering. He likes to work on
his own."
"Well, I might
as well walk into town and get the money. I can't get into the book
knowing that I have to go out."
"OK, love.
I'll see you later."
As I grabbed
my bag and left the house, I tried to imagine what I'd do if I
discovered that Danny was involved with the girl. I'd have to
divorce him and... Divorce? God, what was I thinking? I wished
Chrissy had never put the ludicrous notion into my head. The very
idea was crazy.
Drawing five
thousand pounds from the bank, I decided to go along with my plan,
only giving the bitch two thousand. She'd tell her boss and,
hopefully, he'd believe that the money had dried up. If Danny
questioned me about it, then I'd be sure that he'd been in contact
with her, although it wouldn't prove that he was in league.
Danny had gone
out by the time I returned home with the money. I could hardly
start writing with my mind in turmoil! All I could do was wait for
the girl to turn up. As I paced the lounge floor, I couldn't drag
my thoughts away from Danny. Why was he always out when the girl
came round? How come I'd never spoken to the detective?
Wilkins, I
mused, deciding to ring the detective as I bounded upstairs to my
den. Grabbing the phone book, I ran my fingertip down the numerous
rows of Wilkins... it was no good, I didn't even have his initials.
There was no Wilkins listed under private detectives in the Yellow
Pages and I wondered how Danny had got onto the man in the first
place.
Answering the
phone, I cringed as the bitch asked me how I'd enjoyed my time in
the woods. "I've got some money here for you," I said, ignoring her
crude comments. "Two thousand."
"I want five
thousand, Selina!" she hissed.
"Sorry, that's
all there was in the bank - I'm broke."
"My boss won't
be at all happy."
"I don't care
whether he's happy or not, Alison." She said nothing, obviously
wondering how I knew her name. "How's David Holmes?" I asked.
"David
who?"
"Holmes, one
of the men who's working with you."
"I've never
heard of him. How do you know my name?"
"I've been
digging around, doing some detective work."
"Well, it
won't help you. Even if you discover my address, it won't help
you."
"Won't
it?"
"No, it'll
only make matters worse. My boss will become extremely upset and
probably grab your husband again and... God only knows what he'd do
to him."
"Are you going
to collect this money or not?"
"Yes, I'll
come round now."
I reckoned I'd
worried her. Although she'd denied knowing David Holmes, I'd
worried her. I had to clear the cobwebs from my mind and sort my
thinking out, make my plans. If she arrived with the men, I
wouldn't let them in, passing the cash through the letterbox. If
she came alone... Why was Danny out yet again? The very time she
was due to turn up, he was out. But I'd told him not to wait, it
had been my idea. I had to stop thinking that he was
implicated.
Pacing my den,
I finally looked out of the window. I'd see the girl clearly when
she arrived; making sure she was alone before opening the door. In
my confusion, I began to wonder whether I could tie her up, whip
the truth out of her. The last thing I wanted was a fight, but if I
could manage to tie her hands behind her back...
Bounding
downstairs as I saw her walking up the path, I opened the door, a
devious plan coming to mind. She had her bag with her, no doubt
containing her whip and, hopefully, some rope. As I opened the door
wider, I donned a sweet smile, making out that I was pleased to see
her.
"Come in," I
trilled. "I'm glad you've called while my husband's out."
"Why?" she
asked, following me into the lounge.
"Because...
because I did enjoy my time in the woods. I've been looking forward
to seeing you again, Alison."
"What is this?
What's your game?"
"Game? I'm not
playing games. To be honest, I didn't really like what those men
did to me but... but I enjoyed what we did together."
"You're
bluffing," she frowned, dumping her bag on the floor.
"I've never
told anyone this but, when I was in my teens, I had a lesbian
relationship. Neither of us could come to terms with it and, in the
end, we split up."
"What's that
got to do with me?"
"Alison, after
the things we did together, I realized that I'm a lesbian."
"Whatever you
are, it won't help you."
"I know that.
What I thought was... Well, I enjoy sex with you. I've run out of
money but at least we can enjoy sex together."
"My boss isn't
interested in me having sex with you. All he wants is five
thousand."
Having sex
with her? I was entering a domain, a dangerous domain that I might
never return from. It was like walking deeper and deeper into a
forest until the towering pines obliterated the sun, all sense of
direction gone as darkness engulfed me. There'd be no way out, no
escape, only trees and the dank smell of decaying leaves whichever
way I turned. But I had to enter that forest, venture into the
unknown.
"This is about
money, Selina," she said, her eyes focused on my firm breasts
billowing my blouse.
"There's two
thousand, on top of the piano."
"When will you
have the rest?"
"I don't know.
The publisher doesn't want another book so... I don't know."
"You'll have
to sell your car. My boss will be very upset if..."
"Yes, so you
keep saying. Are you naked beneath your coat?"
"Yes."
Undoing the
buttons, I leaned forward and sucked her nipple into my mouth - the
first step into the forest. She gasped, squeezing her breast to
distend her milk teat as I gently sank my teeth into the sensitive
brown protrusion. So far, so good, I reflected, running my fingers
down over her smooth stomach and parting her fleshy vaginal lips.
If I could turn her on and grab the ropes from the bag...
"Why don't you
kneel down and lean over the table?" I asked, encircling her wet
vaginal entrance with my fingertip. Moving away, she pulled the
table into the centre of the room. Slipping her coat off, she knelt
down, projecting her buttocks, exposing her small brown hole. I
knelt behind her, stroking her rounded buttocks, teasing her
delicate anal tissue with my fingertip as I reached for her bag.
She began whimpering in her lesbian arousal, losing control as my
fingertip encircled her anal portal.
"You'd like me
to lick you there, wouldn't you?" I breathed, rummaging in the
bag.
"Yes, yes I
would," she murmured.
"You'd like my
tongue inside your bottom, wouldn't you?"
"God,
yes!"
Running my
fingertip up and down her anal crease, I couldn't find the ropes,
but pulled out two pairs of handcuffs. If I could manage to cuff
her wrists to the table legs, she'd be mine! God knows what I
thought I was doing as I opened the handcuffs. I'd have to release
her, eventually, and she'd... I didn't know what she'd do. But she
might break under torture, I found myself thinking. Break under
torture? What the hell was I doing?
Sheer madness
though I knew it was, I had to execute my plan. Licking her smooth
buttocks, my tongue venturing dangerously close to her small hole,
I reached beneath the table and cuffed her right wrist to the
wooden leg. She began to struggle as I cuffed her other wrist,
kicking and shouting as I managed to secure the cuffs to the table
leg. Spitting expletives, cursing and threatening me, she tried to
lift the table off the floor to stand up.
"You can't
escape!" I hissed, taking the whip from the bag.
"You bitch!
Christ, you'll pay for this!"
"OK, who are
you working for?"
"I'm not
telling you anything!"
"Then I'll
whip the truth out of you."
"No! You just
dare to..."
"Who are you
working for?"