The Arrangement [Box Set] (17 page)

She could tell he was surprised at the challenge. He knew he was out of control and he didn’t enjoy it any more than she did. Walter was a man who thrived on being in control. He was weak but control made him feel strong. She realized that fighting him would get her nowhere. It would just make her position worse and worse. She had better let him feel in control if she wanted to resolve this situation. He’d come very close to putting her out on the street yesterday and that was the one thing she had to avoid. She knew it would cause difficulties for him if he kicked her out. The more she pleased Frank and Herb and Pete, and the closer she got to the other wives, the more difficult it would be for Walter to kick her out. But still, she had to be careful. She couldn’t face a life on the streets, running from place to place as her mother had done. That was the one thing she couldn’t face.

She softened her tone. She let her face grow kind and conciliatory even though she felt nothing but disgust for Walter. She found him weak and repulsive now and she couldn’t remember why she ever married him. He was the father of her children and she was tied to him for life and now she thought he was the vilest man she’d ever met.

—Honey, she said, as sweetly as she could manage. You have nothing to worry about. Frank has nothing on you. The entire night I was wishing I was here with you. I was picturing you when he was inside me. Honestly I was. All I ever want is you. None of the other men compare to you, darling. You’re the only real man I’ve ever been with. You’re my king.

She got down on her knees in front of him, so that her face was in front of his crotch, and hung her head. She wanted to look as meek and submissive as possible. It was the only way to placate Walter. It seemed to be the only thing he could be attracted to in her anymore. Humiliation and submissiveness were what he wanted and if she wanted safety and security that was what she would have to give him. She put her hand into his robe and pulled out his soft little penis.

—My king, she said again as she took the flaccid piece of white meat into her mouth and sucked on it gently.

He disgusted her. She could smell the musky scent of Midge’s pussy still on it. She thought that would probably excite Walter too, the fact that his cock had been in Midge and now was in her mouth. The idea of biting it off crossed her mind and she imagined doing it. She sucked gently and rubbed the nub of his fleshy cock with her tongue. He didn’t grow hard though.

—I have to get to work, he said and went into the bathroom.

She heard the shower go on. She’d diffused the situation successfully. He’d be at the office for the rest of the day and she’d be able to breathe a little easier. Maybe she’d even get a chance to visit Midge and talk about what had happened. She’d be embarrassed to tell her about Frank’s fantasy of pretending she was his daughter but she’d be glad of the companionship. Midge’s friendship was like a lifejacket. It was the only thing keeping her above water.

She went downstairs to the back lounge, secluded from the rest of the house, and watched morning television until she heard Walter leave. She couldn’t bear to look at him for another second.

VII

O
NCE WALTER WAS GONE, APRIL
was able to breathe a little easier. She called Carla and had her run her a hot bath. When she got up to her bedroom she closed the door behind her and locked it. She just wanted to be alone. She thought about giving Midge a call but she had no phone now. Walter really was trying to cut her off from the world. He wouldn’t be able to though, not now that he’d gotten them into this arrangement. No matter how domineering and abusive he got she’d always have the other partners and the other wives to turn to. Maybe the arrangement wasn’t as big of a problem as she’d thought. Maybe it would be the source of her security, and a better source than Walter ever could be.

She must have laid in the bath for an hour. The calmness and silence was like a drug. She felt like she never wanted to leave the place. It was like the bathroom of a luxury hotel suite. There was a bath, a separate Jacuzzi, an open shower and a steam room with a door of opaque blue glass. There was also a green velvet sofa by one wall and April wondered why she’d ever need a sofa in the bathroom. It was one of the things Mark had talked her into buying and she’d gone along with it. She got out of the bath and grabbed a towel and sat on the sofa while she dried her feet. It was useful after all. She finished drying herself and picked up a magazine and lounged, naked on the sofa. Carla stocked the magazine rack with fresh magazines once a week. It had all her favorites. She marveled once again at the perks of her new life. Every detail was taken care of. There was even a vase of fresh lilies by the mirror.

There was an intercom next to the sofa that connected her to the kitchen and she pressed the button. Ray’s voice answered.

—Ray, is Carla there?

—Just me and Jake.

Ray was a lot younger than Jake. He was about thirty. Apparently he’d been trained at a really trendy restaurant in New York. April was always excited to see what he’d serve her when she sat at the table. It was like sitting down at a restaurant every time she went into her own dining room.

—Can you ask him how I use the steam room?

Jake came on the line and told her there was a dial to turn. The steam room would be ready fifteen minutes later. He said he could come up and show her if she wanted. She got a little thrill at the thought of having another servant in there with her but she dismissed the idea. She thanked him and turned the dial and flicked through magazines while she waited for the steam room to heat up. She tried bringing her magazine into the steam room but it was too humid in there to read. Inside it was like being in a rain forest. The steam was fragranced with eucalyptus and other essential oils. It felt calming to breathe it into her lungs. She lay down naked on the higher tier of the tiled bench that wrapped around three of the room’s four walls and looked at the lights in the ceiling. They twinkled and transitioned in color from blue to white and back again. Through the thick steam they gave an attractive glow that varied in intensity and color in a soothing way. She lay there for about twenty minutes until she was drenched in sweat and when she got out she immediately went into the shower. She set the shower to ice and the water that poured out on her was literally ice cold. It wasn’t like the usual cold water from a shower, it was refrigerated and kept as close to freezing as possible without actually crystalizing into ice. The coldness of it stunned her but it felt so good after the therapeutic steam. She felt clean and refreshed and at last ready to enjoy the day.

She called down on the intercom to the kitchen again and asked Ray if he’d prepare her a light lunch. He asked if she had any requests and she suggested salmon. She went out to her bedroom and lay naked, flat on her bed for a good half hour before getting dressed. She wore a light blue Lacoste tennis dress and white ankle socks and went downstairs. She felt like relaxing and watching some television. She’d been through so much during the past couple of weeks and she was exhausted. She had her lunch served to her in the lounge with a bottle of chilled white wine and she watched reality shows, makeovers, home buying shows, all the things that helped her relax.

By the time she turned off the TV it was after two. It was another beautiful afternoon and she went out to the balcony and admired the view. The pool was down there and she decided a swim would be nice. She used to intercom to ask Carla to bring a towel. She didn’t bother asking for a bathing suit. She knew Ray and Jake were around but they were probably too busy to be watching what she did. Besides, after all the sex she’d been having, both in private and in public, what did she care about a few servants seeing her naked? She decided to swim naked and to hell with whoever saw her.

She went down to the side of the pool and slipped out of her dress and underwear. She took off her little white socks and laid them next to the rest of her clothes. The warm sun on her skin felt soothing and healthy. She walked naked around to the deep end of the pool and got on the diving board. She felt a thrill of excitement as she bounced lightly on the board. Her pert breasts bounced with her. It felt so good to be naked in the sunlight with no one watching her. It even crossed her mind that she wouldn’t mind if Jake and Ray were getting a good view of her perfectly tight buttocks. She dived into the water and did twenty laps in the cool, clear water before getting out.

She was breathless when she got out of the pool. Carla was there with her towel and didn’t seem surprised or shocked that April was completely nude. It was her pool after all. She thanked her and asked her to bring some sunscreen. Then she toweled off and lay naked in the sun while she waited for Carla to come back with the lotion. When Carla got back with it she was beginning to feel the heat of the sun on her skin.

She reached out for the bottle but Carla said, — I’ll put it on for you.

April smiled and nodded and lay with her eyes closed as Carla rubbed the lotion into her skin. She started with her legs, rubbing it gently and soothingly into her thighs and knees before doing her belly and shoulders and neck. April thought she’d better do her private areas herself but when she held out her hand for the bottle Carla shook her head and put more lotion on her hands. Then she rubbed the lotion onto April’s breasts in neat, circular motions, and even lathered it onto her vagina, making sure every part of it was nicely lathered without getting inside the lips. April turned and let her lather her back, bum and legs. She got a surprise when Carla ran her hand right inside the crack of her ass, getting lotion on her anus. She was a little embarrassed when she thanked her.

When Carla left, April thought about how much she’d enjoyed having the lotion rubbed on by Carla. It wasn’t that she was sexually attracted to Carla, she really was only attracted to men for the most part. It was more the fact that it made her feel beautiful and important, like a princess, to have another woman serve her and look after her in such an intimate way. There was something arousing and exciting about the intimacy and the control that she had over Carla. She knew that Carla would do whatever she wanted, no matter how intimate or embarrassing that might be. She also knew that she was extremely attractive and that Carla probably envied her body and her sexuality. She thought about how she would feel if she was a maid in a house like this and was putting lotion on the lady of the house who was lying in the sun naked. That could easily have been the life she’d been dealt. Given the way April’s life had started out, with such poverty and hardship, it wasn’t difficult at all for her to imagine being a servant in a house like this. But instead she was the lady of the house and had servants of her own to do whatever she wanted. There was something about the luxury and opulence and power of that position that thrilled April and gave her a sense of sexual delight.

After she’d been lying in the sun for almost an hour she felt she’d probably tanned more than enough. She got up and gave her dress just a glance before leaving it and walking back to the house stark naked. She felt so good, as if she was glowing with health and sexuality, and she wanted her servants to see her naked. She wanted to be admired and held in awe by them as she walked through the lounge and hallway and up the stairs back to her room for yet another shower.

Maybe it was being seen by the Prentiss’s butler that did it, but being seen by a servant naked just excited her now, and the fact that she was stuck up here in this mansion all alone meant she had nothing else to do anyway. She might as well get her thrills in whatever way she could, she reasoned. After all, Walter would be making certain she earned every ounce of pleasure she could get out of life, that much seemed certain.

VIII

A
T ABOUT FOUR IN THE
afternoon Jake announced to April that she had a visitor. April was so happy when she saw Midge coming in the hall behind him.

—Midge! What are you doing here?

—I just thought you might like a visit.

—I’d love a visit.

—I actually have a message to pass on, too. Midge nodded at Jake, dismissing him, and he disappeared into the house.

April watched. Midge was a lot more used to having servants than she was. She knew how to get them to come and go as she pleased.

—Oh, what is it?

—Walter called me. He said you don’t have a phone here now and he wanted to let you know he won’t be home for dinner.

—Oh. April couldn’t help letting a wide smile cross her face.

—I can tell you’re not disappointed.

April shook her head. —It’s nothing, we’ve just been feeling the pressure of all the change.

—He said he won’t be home tonight at all.

—Oh really?

—They’ve been working hard on these new clients. I’m sure you’ve heard all about it. Frank talks about nothing else. Anyway, Charmaine and Kit are going to meet them at the Saint Regis. They’re supposedly all spending the night there.

—That’ll be fun.

—You can bet. I guess they’re trying to cut a big deal and a lot of important people are involved. Senators and congressmen and what not. I’m not sure of the details but those sorts of people are always too paranoid to allow hookers anywhere near them. That’s why they like doing business with the firm. All the
entertainment
is provided by the partners’ own wives. There’s no other firm in the country that can offer that degree of discretion.

—I see, April said. So we’re basically a bunch of high-priced call girls for clients who need to maintain their privacy.

—Well, we’re more than that, Midge said and gave April a wry smile. Anyway, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re a big part of the reason the firm is so successful. You wouldn’t believe the fees they charge these people for the legal work they do. I’m not sure how many of them would be so willing to pay the bill every month if they didn’t know they were getting in on the action with the partners’ wives too. It’s a level of service that’s hard to walk away from once you get used to it.