Helen had been looking forward to the party for weeks but now that she was actually there she felt a little disappointed – it seemed like Julian was nowhere to be found.
Julian was a friend of Helen's husband, Graham – actually his best friend and co-worker – and he and Helen had been flirting shamelessly for months. As yet nothing more had really happened between them other than a lot of sexual innuendo and a few steamy looks across the room. But Julian had made it quite clear that if Helen ever wanted to take things any further, well, then he would be more than agreeable.
Helen had thought long and hard about the situation. She knew that sleeping with Julian would endanger her marriage to Graham – possibly irreparably. Did she really want to risk everything for sex with a good looking man? Was she prepared to change her whole life for a fling with a guy with smouldering eyes, dark, rugged good looks and an ever present bulge in the front of his pants that seemed to promise untold excitement and inevitable satisfaction? The answer was simple: yes, she was!
The annual party hosted my Graham and Julian's boss had seemed to Helen to be exactly the right time and the right place to satisfy her growing lust for this man. She knew that her husband would be mingling with the other guests and would hardly notice if she and Julian slipped off for an hour. In fact, Helen mused with a deep sigh, Graham hardly seemed to notice her much at all these days.
But Julian was nowhere to be found. Helen had virtually scoured the large rambling old house of her husbands' boss in her search for him and had all but given up hope that he was there.
Grabbing a glass of cold white wine from one of the circling waiters, Helen found herself standing outside the back door and facing the sprawling, carefully manicured lawns. It was getting late and there was a slight chill in the air. Helen had selected her outfit for the evening with precision and, after trying on most of her wardrobe, had decided on a simple black dress that hugged her body tightly and accentuated her generous breasts. She felt a shiver run down her spine as the cool evening air played fleetingly around her bare legs and reminded her that the dress was the only thing covering her – she had also decided to dispense with any form of underwear for the party. She stood silently sipping her wine while the breeze worked on her. For a brief moment she felt the air swirl gloriously around her upper thighs and tickled the short hairs that covered her mound. Her eyes closed as a tremor of excitement shivered through her body and she imagined that the whispered touches on her legs and groin were Julian's strong hands.
When Helen reopened her eyes the breeze had died and she looked around feeling a little guilty. But the few other guests that were outside seemed more intent on their own private conversations and jokes to have paid Helen's little sexual fantasy any attention and she relaxed gratefully.
Turning back to the house, Helen's eyes were drawn to the almost medieval splendour of the building. Her neck craned backwards and she looked up at the soaring turrets and buttresses that seemed to reach eerily like fingers into the night sky. In her minds eye the concrete and brick columns became the flesh and bone of male fingers as they groped towards a darkened sky. Heavy clouds mingled around the "fingers" and seemed to form the shape of the opening between a woman's legs. Helen watched as the clouds were probed and teased and again felt the stirring between her loins. She shook her head as she tried to dispel the sexual stimulation from her mind.
She was just trying to remember if she had ever felt so horny before when she noticed a light on in one of the upper rooms of the house. Had she missed a room, she wondered? She knew it was a long shot but maybe, just maybe, she would find Julian yet.
The door of the small room creaked noisily opened to a darkened interior and Helen immediately wondered if she had the right room. She knew that there had been a light on only a few minutes ago. Stumbling slightly she felt her way to the window and looked down onto the gardens. Looking through the glass she could see exactly where she had been standing and knew that there was no doubt that this was the right room. She sighed deeply as she prepared to go back downstairs, disappointed again.
Suddenly everything in Helen's world turned completely black. Fear gripped her whole body as she realised that a large hand was clamped over her eyes and mouth and was holding her head tightly back against a chest. Images of raped and abused women flashed through her mind at the speed of light as she tried in vain to struggle free. But the hand that held her was strong and firm and Helen quickly realised that there was no way she was to escape its possession unless the hand so wished. Remembered snippets of information then started to infiltrate her mind; don't struggle; don't fight; try to stay calm. The voice in her ear made her hold her breath.
"You know I'm not going to hurt you. Lie down on the bed"
Helen wheeled around, relieved, excited and angry all at the same time. Julian's smiling face looked down at her.
"You scared the fuck out of me, you bastard!" Helen cried as she lightly beat her fists against Julian's chest. Her mind was in turmoil, she was so happy to see Julian but so furious with him for being so insensitive. "And if you think I'm going to do whatever you say now, then you've got another think coming!"
"Oh, I really think you should, darling." Said another, disembodied voice from the darkness.
Immediately Helen recognised the second voice.
"Graham? Is that you? What the hell is going on?"
Slowly, Helen saw her husband and a tall, blonde female in a gold coloured dress walk forward and out of the shadows.
"What's going on?" She repeated. "And who is that?"
"This is Ingrid," Graham said calmly, "and I really think you ought to do as Julian has asked. We all know that you want to."
Confused thoughts and emotions were jostling for position in Helen's mind. She could feel her body tingling all over as Julian stared at her unashamedly. Had she really been that transparent? How long had her husband know about her infatuation with his best friend? All of a sudden, and for the first time in months, she valued her marriage more than Julian.
"I'm sorry, darling." She said with a genuine lump in her throat. "I never meant…You know I always….oh God, I'm so sorry…. I'll forget him…please forgive me!"
"We both know that that is not going to happen." Graham answered in the same cool voice. Helen noted with a little surprise that the blonde woman was standing very close to him and silently watching the proceedings. "I really think that you should do as Julian has asked now. It's the only way, you know."
As if in a dream-like state, Helen walked slowly to the bed in the centre of the room and, as if by rote, kicked off her spiked shoes and climbed up onto that quilt. The bed felt comfortable and the linen smelled fresh and clean. She was aware that there were three pairs of eyes trained on her but she seemed unable to resist now.