The Hogarth Club

Roger was disturbed by a noise. It took his mind a while to catch up. The memories and Gabby's warmth soaked in at about the same rate. Gabby was spooning him, her arm possessively across his chest anchored by her hand on his shoulder. He gently disengaged her anchor and slipped out from under her arm. He hopped over to his leg tied it on and then dressed. The noise was in the kitchen, was either an industrious thief or Georgina, he put his gun in his pocket, just in case.

He walked downstairs, kitchens in grand houses were the domain of the staff not the masters and were always below stairs. He neared the door and heard conversation... female, so he kept his gun in his pocket. He opened the door and was filled with an armful of Georgina.

"We heard you creeping down the stair, clomp, clomp, clomp," she said, "did you sleep in, or forget we were meeting here?"

Lola sauntered over levered Georgina out of his arms.

"Oh, Roger," she said, "I am SO randy let's go and scratch my itch."

Poor Roger, he looked at Georgina who was managing to maintain a disappointed look. Lola, to cement her request was stroking his upper thigh. Reggie ruined it by laughing, that set off the other girls.

"Whose idea was that?"

Georgina came over a sealed the joke with a kiss.

"Do whatever you like, if it causes you to seek my lips," he said.

"What bullshit!" Gabby said angrily from the door, where she had witnessed the girl's shenanigans.

"You pay to fuck me and you already have a harem. What is this about?"

Ignoring her anger Georgina pulled her into a hug, which she didn't resist.

"Hello I'm Georgina, this is Lola and Reggie, I guess you know Roger."

"Biblically," she said.

"Strategic?" Georgina said to Roger, he nodded still uncomfortable.

"This is Gabby," he said.

Gabby swung round on Roger, her anger returned, "So what is the fucking story?"

"I'm recruiting for a brothel."

"So you think you own me because you think you saved me from those thugs?"

"No, according to you, I saved them from your retribution."

Georgina saw the tension between them, clearly Roger had managed to upset her somehow. She grabbed Gabby's hand and sat her at the table, she pushed over a cup of tea and toast. Roger joined them.

Roger explained, "We are setting up a high class brothel. We plan to entrap the men so we can extort them-"

Gabby stood, "NO!" she shouted, "I'm going."

Roger, fed up with her attitude said, "No, you are staying!"

He walked to the door and blocked it with his body. Gabby moved quickly, her hand went to a skin colored sheath on her leg. She pulled out a knife stepped behind Georgina, who was still seated, and held the blade to her throat.

"Georgina, I don't want to hurt you tell him to let me go."

With this flurry of activity no one saw Roger palm his revolver.

"Let her go!"

Gabby was surprised at the command in his voice, she focused on him.

"If you love her, why fuck me?"

"You said it was a contractual obligation."

"Well here's a new contract for you, unless you want your tart cut, get out of my way."

Roger was super focused on Georgina, he saw the tip of the knife touching her neck, concerned about the indentation it was causing. The most incongruent thing was that Georgina was smiling and her pulse rate looked normal, at least half of his.

"Put down the gun, Roger." Georgina said in her normal conversational voice.

He hesitated, he couldn't believe how he felt about Georgina's life being under threat. He would tear Gabby to pieces to save her.

"Come on sweetheart, put it down or someone will get hurt. Lola stay still."

Gabby hadn't noticed her moving. She decided to control Georgina she seemed like the voice of reason and command.

"Go on sweetheart," she said smarmily, "put down the gun," Gabby said.

Roger placed the gun on the table by the door. He walked towards Gabby keeping his body was between her and the gun.

Everyone seemed to be moving as if they were in winter honey, he watched the action in slow motion. A trickle of blood ran down Georgina's neck then Georgina's fist struck Gabby's forearm. She followed the momentum of the attack and stood clamping Gabby's arm in a lock. Georgina drove Gabby to the floor and disarmed her. Georgina looked at the blade briefly before she carelessly flicked the blade towards the food preparation area, it landed quivering in the cutting board.

"I'm sorry Gabby, did I hurt you?"

Georgina was inspecting Gabby's arm particularly her shoulder. Roger rushed to Georgina's side, he touched her neck, his fingers came away wet with her blood.

"It's only a nick, Roger, I'm fine. I'm worried I may have dislocated Gabby's shoulder."

"Fuck Gabby," he said, eloquently.

"What again?" Georgina said with a wicked grin.

Beaten again, he knelt by Gabby's side, she volunteered her arm. Roger meanly flexed her forearm and pulled on her shoulder, if it had been broken he would have rubbed the two ends of the bone together, it would have been excruciating. It's not broken," he said.

"Why did you hurt her?" Roger demanded of Gabby.

"She didn't, I moved in to her and she was trying to draw the blade away."

"Why?"

"Because her muscles were withdrawing the blade, it gave me time to strike her forearm, but I doubt I was in real danger."

"Couldn't you have escaped without hurting yourself?"

"Yes but Gabby would have been hurt and we need her. Tell her the truth."

"I can't, she has no clearance."

"Gabby, we are trying to catch a gang of German spies, who are leaking shipping movements -"

"Georgina!" Roger interrupted with an exasperated tone.

"Roger, she has enforced a contract to her own detriment, and was willing to kill or be killed to avoid spying on her own country. I'd work with Gabby in preference to any of your CLEARED individuals and we saw what troubles half truths caused."

Georgina looked away from Roger, back to Gabby, "Yes... shipping movements which is costing many lives. They extort through sex, we are trying to build a business which they will try to infiltrate, when they do we will have them."

Gabby jumped off the floor and threw herself at Georgina, Roger had again failed to protect her. He spun round to rip her away but was surprised to find them hugging. It was obvious both were crying. Before he could decide what to do, Reggie and Lola joined the scrum. Fuck it, he thought, he managed to get his arms around all of them. Having shared the love, they all peeled off. Georgina still held Gabby. Gabby smiled for the first time this morning.

"What is the name of the girl who just smiled at me?" Georgina asked.

Gabby's smile grew, it possessed her whole face, it was a revelation. Roger realized she was really stunning, he puzzled why he had explored most of her body and not discovered that, a smile was all it took.

"Brielle," she said almost too quietly to be heard.

"Oh, Brielle that is beautiful," Georgina said, and pulled her back into her arms. All the girls assembled again and reassured each other with touches, smiles and hugs. Roger decided that men were silly with their macho stand-off-ishness, women seemed to understand bonding much better. The women drifted towards the table and food. Roger joined them, the clatter of cutlery was the only sound.

Georgina noticed Reggie was on edge, "What is it, Darling?" she said.

"Brielle, will you be Gabby when you are working?" Reggie asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It's not me. Gabby can be a slut but inside I know it's just a necessity. Gabby does it to live while Brielle remains detached and aloof."

"Roger, who is in control, the girl or the men?" Reggie asked.

"The girl."

"How," Reggie asked, with her experience, she didn't understand how that was possible.

Georgina explained, "Roger and I set some rules yesterday. The girl always has the right to refuse, if all the girls refuse the bloke is banned. Finally Roger is going to get a bouncer to enforce the rules."

"We will set up cameras in all the rooms and a bell, if it is rung the bouncer ejects the client."

Roger smiled, "Unlike other establishments where money is the first priority, for us the girls are first and second."

"If I can get another name, I'll fuck for you Roger," Reggie said unexpectedly.

In moments Georgina was on her knees at her side. She grabbed Reggie's hand, "You are safe here with us, you don't have to work to stay."

Reggie nodded, "Roger, you made me feel so good the other night, I'd like more of that. Is that possible?"

Roger knelt at her other side and captured her spare hand. He had been really moved by her story.

"You can, as frequently or infrequently as you like. Even if you want to stop in the middle that's OK too."

Reggie smiled and resumed eating.

Brielle noticed her sheath had slipped exposing a wicked scar on her leg, she tried to replace it before her disfigurement was noticed.

"It doesn't matter, Brielle," Georgina said, "we are all disfigured in some way or another."

"Easy for you to say!"

Georgina stood, un-tucked her blouse and released the bottom buttons then also the bottom buttons of her bodice, she pulled the clothes away from her stomach to reveal a vicious scar. It was raised and red and ran from her belly button to her right hip. She looked at Reggie. She stripped the top half of her blouse to reveal cigarette burns on the top of her breasts, then slipped her arm from the blouse to reveal a scar from her bicep to her wrist.

Lola walked over shucking her blouse, being Lola, that was all she was wearing, she spun to reveal her back, she had evidently been whipped. Georgina gave her a grateful smile. Brielle took off her sheath.

"Story time," Roger said.

Reggie moved next to Georgina and held her hand. She retold her story, Georgina smiled at her, a few days ago she wanted to ignore it, now she was ready to own it.

"My husband was making so much money from my uncontrollable orgasms that he allowed Tommy to handicap me, that's the cigarette burns. So instead of sucking him, I bit him. Alby was furious he had to give Tommy his money back. He borrowed Tommy's knife and cut my arm, then tied me in a chair. Before he took the boys for a drink, he rubbed salt in the cut. If I shut my eyes I can still feel the pain. The salt is why the scar is raised."

Roger's was livid, Georgina felt sure he was going to find Albie's grave and kick the bones about. Georgina continued to hold Reggie's hand.

"Me next," Lola said.

She had never told her story but she felt amongst friends.

"As soon as I got bumps, which Dad called tits, he started molesting me. I was terrified. He got really angry he said he could get more reaction from a block of stone, he tied me to a door frame and whipped me. The first time it was gentle, he just wanted to shape my behavior, he said.

"I think he liked whipping me, he would punish any lapse in my behavior that departed from his ideal. I actually looked forward to being cut. When he drew blood he was so sorry that he'd just cuddle me for the night, I really looked forward to those nights.

"I tolerated him ramming his cock inside me every-night, it wasn't even fucking, he just rutted. I even learned how to move and whimper to keep him happy. Before I totally loathed myself for playing his stupid game, I gained enough courage to tell my mother what was happening. She asked me to strip off and show her the marks so I did, hoping for intervention. She said she'd teach me about my body, she touched me gently, showing me my clit and how it worked. She said I should practice on her. She forced me to continue eating her until I thought I'd killed her, but it was just the first orgasm I had seen.

"Things didn't get any better with my dad, but on the nights my mum joined us she would make sure that I came, of course after I'd taken care of her, while Dad was ramming his cock into me from behind.

"I guess I learned that displaying pleasure was the safest course, then it occurred to me why fake. I was able to convince myself that I was lucky to get fucked every night. Soon I didn't need to pretend any more. His abuse stopped when I started visiting his bed and he couldn't get it up. So instead I fucked anyone who was willing to stick it in. Now I only feel worthwhile when I'm being fucked.'

Roger was first to her side, "No Darling you are a fabulous detective, your gut and intuition are second to none, You don't have to fuck."

"You say the sweetest things Roger, but I do."

The room was quiet while they assimilated another horror story.

Brielle was next.

"I was a trapeze and high wire artist. I lived in a Gypsy community within the circus. Gypsy girls are supposed to get married early so I was married off before I was sixteen. Gypsy men look for a wife who hasn't been even kissed by another man beforehand. My husband was older and very jealous his previous wife had cuckolded him before he killed her. He saw the son of the circus owner speaking to me so during the trapeze performance that night, to teach me a lesson, he dropped me.

"I was still young enough that the leg didn't snap, it was a green-splint fracture. That's where the edges of the bone split away because the bone bent rather than snapped. The split edges of the bone came out through my leg when the bone sprang straight again. My husband wouldn't pay for a doctor he said I was an animal and a vet would do. He gave the vet some whiskey for my pain but he just drank it and cut my leg to shreds to get the bone back in."

Brielle bravely stood and displayed her scarring, it looked like she had been savaged by a lion.

"I told fortunes while my leg healed, but I never went back to the trapeze. After being dropped I was unable to trust any one."

"What happened to your husband?" Reggie asked.

"My dad killed him. I only use men for sex I do NOT trust, they are all animals."

"Most men are," Reggie said, and laughed at Roger.

Roger was amazed at the travails these women had suffered, and quietly. They didn't moan and complain they just made the most of life, even if that was shit.

"May I?" he said to Brielle.

She nodded, he caressed her scarred leg as if it was perfect, He kissed her scarring. Brielle was touched, he brushed away her tear and kissed her forehead.

"I think you are perfect," he said.

"Only because my breasts are like Georgina's."

Roger laughed warmly, she was perceptive. He tried to hide his blush by distraction, he asked Georgina her story.

Instead, she said, "I am appalled at how brutally you have all been treated. The four of us should form a sorority, we should call it Ultra dolorem, it means no more pain."

Georgina's suggestion resulted in another scrum, Roger was beginning to like them. When they split apart Roger raised his eyebrow, Georgina nodded.

"Mine is just a scar from a knife fight. I was along way from medical care, it became infected which is why it looks so bad. Roger, eat breakfast and then you need to visit Octavian," she said.

"Oh No, you don't, you can't be modest after hearing these stories."

"OK... it was in Japan, why I was there you'd have to ask your brother. I was given an assignment to repatriate a kidnapped diplomat. I'd managed to locate him and had arranged transport, he only had one guard but by the time I stormed the building there were three. Japanese crime figures seldom carry weapons they fight hand to hand using martial arts, Judo, Karate. I managed to disable the low level guards but they were obviously being visited by the lieutenant. He fought like a high level black belt but he had only been trained in karate, I took him down in a Judo move but I couldn't finish it. He sprang to his feet with a knife in his hand. We sparred for a long while, he had more stamina than me so the longer it lasted the more disadvantaged I was."

This was a story of daring-do not abhorrent sexual abuse, everyone was on the end of their seats.

"What happened?" Reggie asked.

"I had fought him long enough to be able to predict his actions, so I gave him an opening to my stomach."

Georgina pointed to where her scar was.

"And..." Roger said.

It was as if Georgina did not want to finish the story but resigned she said simply, "I killed him."

It was not a boast and Georgina was able to hide any shame or regret. She looked hard at Roger.

"Is that OK," she said, her eyes were suddenly wet.

Roger grabbed her and crushed her against his body.

"Sweet thing, there is nothing you could have done, or will ever do that will stop me loving you."

She molded against him, his shirt was again being anointed with her tears.

The girls whooped and clapped, Georgina and Roger ignored them.

Some time later Lola said, "She can stand without your support, I've made more tea."

Roger reluctantly relinquished her, immediately missing her warmth. He was amazed that clothed contact had been so fulfilling. He took a sip of his tea, when suddenly his face darkened.

"How long have you been working for my brother?"

"Ask him."

"When did you start."

Georgina sighed.

"I met your brother at the Watson Society."

"I was in the Watson Society."

"Yes, I know. I stopped going when you joined."

"Why?"

"I rather liked you but was not prepared to be as giving as your other female friends. When Octavian offered me some adventure I took the opportunity."

Roger thought quietly, everyone let him.

"So if I had been less of an animal you would have stayed at Oxford?"

"Yes-"

"Fuck, I'm sorry Georgina-"

She stopped him talking with her lips, then breaking the kiss held her fingers over his mouth.

"Yes... but I would have ended up a boring socialite totally unworthy of your attentions."

He thought again. He had been shaped and honed by his experiences. Had he been more acceptable to Georgina's ideals they would have been too young to build a meaningful relationship.

"Yes," he said, then in a rush he added, "You are not Georgina Smith, you are Geo Winter-Smith."

She laughed, "Did you win the annual sleuthing trophy too?"

"Yes the year after you."

While they laughed together Georgina observed the other girls.

"Time for you to visit your brother," she said.

"Why?"

"You need to organize the bouncer. All these girls need to be employed by the State. I'll have account details for them by the end of the day. It will be pure savings, they won't need any money to live, and I suspect you want to shout at him about a certain female spy."

"Is that all?" he said with a grin. He knew the girls wanted to talk.

"Cynthia, did she grab the clothes or did she select them?"

Roger was shocked by the change of direction, until he realized it was a question he should of asked.

"Selected."

"You didn't find any codes in the building, maybe she planned to walk out with them."

Roger shook his head in admiration, he would not have won the Watson Trophy if she had stayed at University.

"Anything else," he said with a smile.

"Tell Eight to add another five hundred pounds to my working account. If I'm lucky it will be empty tonight."