Chapter 8. A long lesson: Spanked into Sucking
Nemorino and Adina exchanged protestations of love amidst glorious music, ending the final act of L'Elisir D'amore. The house lights came up, and the singers took their bows. Ashley had enjoyed the melodic and comedic opera quite a bit, and came to her feet along with many of those seated nearby to give the singers an ovation. She smiled happily. Her Uncle observed the comely young woman, enjoying the sight of her pleasure in the spectacle to which he'd introduced her.
He was also gratified at Ashley's ability to put the ordeals of the day behind her, so to speak. The fact that she was of such good cheer now, forgetting her anal ravishing and punishment earlier in the day, Edward reasoned to himself, meant that Ashley was becoming accustomed to being used sexually, learning to submit decorously to her sexual castigations, while being able to bounce back. All this was very positive in his mind, as it would allow him to incur into further and more extreme adventures with his step-niece, without risking her overreacting or rebelling against him. Not to mention, he smiled to himself, the pleasure it was to see the girl laughing and smiling. Though, he admitted to himself, there was a similar or even greater pleasure in seeing her crying in torment too!
Edward rose and placed his hand gently on Ashley's arm, guiding her out into the aisle of the theater, joining the outflow of the crowd which disgorged into the foyer and then out the large gilt doors into the square. He helped her to secure the lush fur wrap which he had bought her, which framed her dark hair and pretty face with a softening chestnut aura. Bundled up against the cold, Ashley lent into his supporting arm, and let herself be led to the car park, where the opulent Jag lay waiting.
Once in the car and underway, Edward turned toward Ashley.
"Ashley, you seemed to enjoy the opera... Are you tired?"
Ashley, excited by the events of the evening, and not overly eager to return to the hotel for what might turn out to be a private session with her uncle, responded,
"Oh, no, uncle. It isn't very late at all, and I'm not tired!"
"Very well, Ashley," said Edward, "perhaps then we should stop off at my club. I'm sure I could use a drink and some entertainment as well, and perhaps we can use the occasion to edify you in the minutiae of fine Single Malts, what do you say?"
"Oh yes, uncle, that sounds wonderful!" responded Ashley, loosening the fur slightly as the car's heater worked away the chill of the outside air. Edward maneuvered the plush vehicle across town, into an older area off Piccadilly where the streets became smaller, darker, and narrower. Picking up his car phone, he placed a call. Ashley heard him arranging for their arrival, and placing an order for food. Soon after, they pulled up outside an old townhouse, twin carriage lamps flanking its stately oaken door. As Edward engaged the brake of the car, a tall man dressed in an anachronistic coachman's cape mounted to the sidewalk from the stair below the entrance. Approaching the Jag, he held open Ashley's door, assisting her descent from the car, then came around to the driver's side where he took Edward's keys and drove off in the car. Edward placed an avuncular arm around his niece and walked her up the quarter flight of stone steps to the impressive entrance where he rang a small brass bell set into a glowing brass ring. Under the bell, Ashley read the script on a small shiny plaque inscribed "Private Club. Members only."
The door was opened by a stiff postured, formally dressed, butler, who greeted her Uncle by name, and took their coats as they entered the dark paneled, graciously appointed entryway of what had clearly been a grand private townhome, now the seat of some sort of very British, Ashley thought, gentlemen's club. Wood paneling everywhere glowed in the light of golden hued lamps. The entire establishment had a comfortable lack of bright lights, which romanticized the many paintings on the walls. The furniture was all wood and leather, and large oriental carpets covered most of the dark oak paneled floors.
To Ashley's mind, the ambience was that of an old and exclusive club, where the privileges of money had not been changed by the democratization of society outside the ancient doors. She also had a strong sensation that the club was not the sort of place where anyone so young nor so female as herself usually frequented. She turned to her Uncle curiously, and saw that he was watching her bemusedly.
"Come with me, Ashley, let's find a drawing room," commented her Uncle, leading the girl through a large common area room, strewn with many large, deep, leather chairs, and old dark wooden coffee table piled high with journals, magazines, and newspapers. A large unlit fireplace, with impressively heavy andirons standing by it, occupied a goodly part of one paneled wall. She followed Edward through a double wide doorway, through a bar room and down a corridor. Her Uncle opened a door from the corridor, and held it open for Ashley to enter a room. Inside, a bar graced one wall, and the middle of the room was occupied by a number of the same overstuffed leather chairs Ashley had observed in the reading room. A card table with more upright seating occupied the middle of the room, and along the wall farthest from the door, was a large buttoned leather sofa and matching ottoman.
The fireplace in this study was much smaller than the one in the main room, but it was lit, two small logs burning in it noisily. Edward brought one of the cardtable chairs next to one of the comfortable large chairs, and sitting in the latter, indicated to his niece to sit nearby him on the more upright chair. Ashley lowered herself onto the chair, in three-quarter profile to her Uncle.
At this moment, the butler who had let them in arrived, pushing open the door and wheeling in a small cart bearing a tray of plates, cutlery, and food as well as a variety of bottles and glasses. He brought this to the bar along one wall, and transferred to the contents to the long slab of wood. Edward went to the the butler, and exchanged a few comments with him, which Ashley was unable to overhear. Edward took a small plate and started placing some of the delicacies from the bar on it, then poured two tumblers of liquor. He carried them over to the card table next to Ashley and placed them on it.
An assortment of crackers with cheese, small sandwiches, sections of sausage, and stuffed leaves of radicchio occupied the plate, and Edward encouraged Ashley to try some of these. He took a couple of crackers and placed them on a serviette, then carried that and the tumbler of Scotch with him, as he sat down once more in the deep chair.
Ashley relaxed as she drank the excellent single-malt and her Uncle discoursed on the merits of the beverage. At first, the peaty flavor of the Scotch was not to her liking, but her Uncle introduced her to the more mellow exemplars of single malt. She quickly went through small tastes of Laphroiag, which she didn't care for at all, on to Dalwhinney, Glenmorran, and Lagavulin. The crackers and cheese she nibbled at only partly counteracted the alcoholic effect, which was making Ashley giggle and slump relaxedly in her chair.
Her Uncle was also enjoying himself, and getting somewhat tipsy as well. The warmth of the room suffused their cheeks, and they laughed easily together. In spite of the trials she'd had to bear at the dressmakers, the past few days in London had been quite fun for Ashley, and she felt, thanks to the alcohol, somewhat giddy.
