Note: This is a sequel to The Maltese Kitty found on my profile page, although it can stand alone. It's also a fantasy about acts that would be immoral in reality.
*****
If I'd known what I was getting myself into when I stepped out of the cab and into that rainy night, I might have done some things differently.
All I knew when it started, though, was that Natalie Hollingsworth had asked me to find her father's will, which had gone missing just after his death. The old bastard had made two copies, and somehow both of them were missing. Hollingsworth had a reputation for being a hell of a hard-nose, but Natalie was an old friend and I wasn't going to leave her out to dry.
I had other reasons for taking the case - the moths in my wallet and the bills piled on my desk chief among them. Truth be told, I could have found other things to do on a Friday night, like trying to end my long celibate streak, but most of us can't play that particular fiddle for a living. I tightened my trenchcoat as much as I could around my pregnant belly and walked up to the door.
It swung open before I could knock. I took one look at the woman standing in the light and remembered the last reason I'd taken the case.
Natalie Hollingsworth was wearing an elegant white gown that likely cost more than my office. It was cut high, but you couldn't cut a dress high enough to conceal what she had to offer. Her straight red hair spilled down over her shoulders and onto her bosom, which was closer than the rest of us were likely to get. The dress covered her curves like an inch of snow covered a fertile mountain valley - enough to accent the beauty and not enough to hide anything.
"I'm so glad you could come, Samantha," she said, her brow creased with worry.
"Sure thing, doll," I said. "I'm sorry about your father, by the way."
"At least he's at peace," she said, "and no longer badgering me to get married and start an assembly line for grandchildren."
"Small mercies," I agreed. "But what's got you so spooked? Did something other than the will go missing?"
"I'm afraid that was just the beginning," Natalie said. "One of the serving girls has been ravished."
I took a deep breath, the rain still pouring down on my hat, then nodded. "You'd better let me talk to her," I said, and stepped inside.
--
Natalie showed me inside. I walked through the entrance hall and past more statues and portraits than I could count, until she led me into the servants' quarters.
The victim was a lovely girl with hazel eyes, kinky black hair, and warm brown skin. She had a blanket wrapped around her, but she stood and shook my hand when I came in. She wore a modest black dress with a practical apron, but I could see that beneath it she had curves a lot like Natalie's. The apron couldn't quite stay flat across her breasts no matter how it tried, and no amount of pleats could entirely conceal the arc of her hips.
"This is Ruby," Natalie said.
"Nice to meet you, Ruby," I said. "I'm Samantha Harrison. I'm a private eye, and I'm here to get to the bottom of this. So why don't you tell me everything."
Ruby nodded, and began.
--
It began a few hours ago when my shift ended. I stepped out of the bathroom, into the bedroom I share with Anna, and found her tied to a chair with a gag in her mouth.
I wasn't thinking. I was so worried about someone taking advantage of her that I wasn't thinking of myself. I ran to her side, but before I could take the gag out I heard a man's voice behind me.
"Leave her there," he said.
I screamed and turned around. A man was standing between me and the door. He was blond, and a few inches taller than me, and wiry. He was utterly naked, his manhood beginning to stir as he watched me. It suddenly occurred to me that I was wearing only a thin nightdress.
"Stay back," I said. "Or I'll scream and bring the whole house down on you."
He smiled. "The walls are too thick for anyone to hear," he said. "So you can make as much sound as you want."
I did scream when he came at me, Miss Harrison. I tried to punch him, too. But it didn't help.
He grabbed my wrist as I swung at him and held me tightly, pulling me close enough to grasp my other wrist as well. I brought my knee up, but he twisted to the side and I only caught his hip. He continued the motion, spinning me sideways and pushing me onto my bed. Before I could struggle out of his grip he'd climbed up and perched on my hips.
My dress had ridden up a bit, so I could feel his bare thighs pinning mine to the bed, and feel the base of his manhood against my bush. Before I could think too much about that, he leaned down to look at my face.
Anywhere else, I would have considered him handsome. He had short blond hair, and dark blue eyes, and just a bit of stubble. He looked at me with lust and admiration in his eyes, even as I glared back.
"You almost got me there," he said.
"I'll do worse if you don't let me go," I promised.
"Oh, I'll let you go," he said. "We're just going to get to know each other first."
I screamed again and renewed my struggles, but I couldn't break his grip. He shifted his grip to pin both of my wrists with one hand and tore my nightdress open, sending buttons flying across the room and leaving me exposed.
I glanced over at Anna. Her chair was angled to face the bed, and I don't think she could tear her eyes away. I could see her struggling against her bonds, and trying to scream, but all she was accomplishing was some mild jiggling and an inarticulate moaning sound. I knew she wouldn't be able to help me.
The man stared down at me, from my curly black hair to my exposed breasts, on down to my flat belly and squirming hips. "You are beautiful," he murmured, so quietly that I could barely hear him. He shifted again, pinning both of my wrists with one strong hand, and ran his hand along my hip and between my legs.
"No!" I cried, but he was already caressing my wet lips with one finger. I gasped and stared at him, my eyes wide, as he touched my pearl. He looked at me with what might have almost been sympathy.
"You poor girl," he said. "Do they not give you enough time to check your undercarriage?"
