And then, incredibly, for days there was nothing. No recognition from James, no contact at all. He would disappear into his office, the door would close and he would only emerge after everyone else had gone home.
Helen and Judith greeted one another in the corridors, finding themselves in an incredible, unforeseen situation: their only contact had been in the most intimate of circumstances. They had barely spoken to one another, but under James gaze (and camera) they had kissed each other, undressed one another, caressed each other's breasts and examined one another's pussies, posed in the most revealing poses imaginable and finally been penetrated – fucked – in turn for his pleasure. Perhaps even more humiliating than knowing this was all filmed, was the realisation that there were moments in that dreamlike experience that had been absolutely erotic.
Judith recognised an essential personal truth in her response, but for Helen it was deeply troubling. She had always considered herself independent, capable, a maverick even. She would never have contemplated taking directions from a man, and the thought of being sexually with a woman seemed so alien as to be beyond comprehension. And yet, when they passed in the passageway her eyes would be drawn to Judith's breasts, remembering the warmth of flesh in her palms. Once Judith was caught momentarily in a doorway and the light shone through her skirt, outlining her legs – and Helen's thoughts flashed back to the moment she had pulled Judith's panties open and looked down, past the curve of her belly, to see naked, almost hairless lips waiting.
Rumours were filtering through the grapevine that James was bidding on a big contract, and an air of expectation settled on the company as always happens in these circumstances. Occasionally, delegations of men disappeared behind the doors, giving rise to speculations. All of this activity was secondary to the two women, for whom this was all just a pause in a disturbing unravelling sequence of events.
Then late one afternoon the e-mail message crossed their desks: you'll be working late tomorrow – dress for a cocktail party. During the course of the next day people wandered in and out, and when James finally called them into his office there were four men sitting around in his lounge and behind his desk. As always, there were tumblers and drinks, and the women had barely entered the office when they were each given a glass laden with whisky.
"Ah!," James said with a flourish. "The ladies have arrived!" He gestured towards them with a sweep of his hand. "Of course you've seen them before, but may I introduce Helen and Judith. Judith is the blonde."
She couldn't be sure, but she thought she heard one of the men murmur "With the big tits…"; and then James turned around, saying "This is Mike, Fred, Keith and Dean," without giving any indication which man belonged to which name. "They represent a company which may be giving us some work. A lot of work." There was some laughter around the room, male in-joke frivolity, "if we are chosen as their suppliers."
The women had moved into the centre of the room now, sitting on the only open seats in the couch where everyone could face them. "Competition is very tight, though, and so we have had to compile an offer which is extremely attractive. We have been obliged to look for a differentiator which nobody else could offer. Luckily we have one. Or rather, two."
As the men laughed again – evidently the whisky had been in attendance for a while already – a chill descended down Helen's back. And James confirmed her fears: "I have been able to market you very effectively through the film we made together. Everyone here applauded your performance."
Again the laughter. Helen wanted to stand up, to run away, but they were surrounded by men – and where would that get her? Nothing had changed. She was still obliged to do as he chose if she wished to retain her freedom. She could not look in the men's eyes, but listened with a heart that beat painfully in her chest.
"Keith has an interest in cards – he suggested that you play some poker with each other for us. Strip poker, of course. And once all your clothes are off we'll have some drinks together. And a nice chat."
There was the slightest tremble in Judith's hands. As she put her glass down it rattled against the table. Her mouth was parched but she wasn't sure whether she could lift the glass to her lips without spilling. She realised that the men were watching, but in place of sympathy was an electric sense of expectation in the air. James was prepared, of course: a pack of cards was thrown on to the table before her and it struck her hand as it came to rest.
"The rules of the house!" James was enjoying this now. She recognised the superior tone in his voice. "Jewellery doesn't count. One item discarded for every hand lost, of course. And no modesty allowed. The game continues until you are both naked. If you lose a hand and you are already naked, you pay a forfeit."
"What kind of forfeit?" snapped Helen.
"Never you mind Helen – you'll know soon enough if it happens. Time to play I think. Who wants to deal first?" At this point he switched on the video camera, as he had before. The moment of truth had arrived.
The offices were very quiet now. The men had fallen into a silent expectation, seated in a semicircle, watching every move with predatory anticipation. When Judith looked up finally, there were smiles across their faces, leers in their eyes. Someone said softly: "No need to be shy – we just want to take a look"; but nobody in the room believed it. She looked into Helen's eyes – the women once again being forced to share a pact of secrecy and submission. Judith gave a half-smile of encouragement, and with the subtlest of nods, Helen leaned forward and opened the pack of cards. A thrill shivered in the air – the audience leaned forward slightly, somebody cleared his throat and another took a swig from the glass.
Helen dealt the hand, the shake still evident in her hand. They turned up the cards, selected carefully, looked into each other's eyes over the deck. Not a word was spoken. After the discards the men looked expectantly to see who the luck had favoured, and as the cards were laid out Helen realised with relief that hers was the better hand.
Judith had to ante up, but she was not going to capitulate that easily: she raised one foot, and the shoe dropped off and fell to the floor. The impudence of the act caused the room to break into laughter: even Helen let out a giggle. The tension in the room dissipated momentarily.
But it returned for the women as the game progressed. It seemed for a while that the luck stayed with the dealer: after another three rounds both women had bare feet, but in the next hand Helen lost on her own deal. The men had become marginally restless, frustrated with the lack of exposure, but they realised that flesh was now going to be put on display, and sat up to attention. She looked around at an array of eyes, intently peering at every inch of her body. Slowly she stood up, reached under her skirt and pulled off her slip, jerking it off her hip in a practised motion. It fell to the floor in a puddle of lace and sheen, and even though no skin had been displayed the men showed evident pleasure at the sight of feminine underclothing. An appreciative murmur could be heard, while Judith said, with a rueful laugh, "Not fair – we didn't all wear a slip today."
Judith picked up the cards, shuffled and dealt. The men knew, now, that some primary article of clothing had to be discarded now, and when Judith lost they could be seen to be smiling amongst themselves. She unbuttoned her blouse with slightly trembling hands, thinking to herself: you'd think I'd be used to this by now. The blouse parted with each button, and her pink brassiere, pushing her breasts upwards into erotic mounds, became incrementally visible. The men could no longer contain their comments – once the first one spoke the others seemed to follow in rapid succession.
"Open up honey, those hills look gorgeous."
"Pink bra, huh? You pink somewhere else baby?"
"Oh yes – don't hide those tits behind your hands. Take – them – a-way!"
