Stephanie's Castle (22 page)

Patting
herself dry, careful to avoid the whip marks, Stephanie had only
just walked back into the bedroom when there was a knock at her
door. Wrapping the bath towel around her body and praying that the
visitor was not Gianni or Devlin she opened the door. Her heart
lifted when she saw it was Venetia carrying a vast tray of
breakfast - coffee, blood-orange juice, croissants and brioches and
a plate of sliced melon nestling on a platter of crushed ice.

'I thought
you'd like breakfast on your terrace this morning,' Venetia said.
She looked fresh but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

'You must be
psychic. I don't think I'm ready to face Devlin just yet.'

Venetia
carried the tray out on to the terrace and laid its contents on the
table, starting with a well-starched white linen tablecloth. She
laid two places and poured steaming black coffee for them both. She
was wearing a cream silk negligee over a matching nightdress. The
nightdress was short, revealing most of her thighs, and a deep
inverted V of lace at the front did little to hide her full
breasts.

Stephanie,
still wrapped in the towel, sat and drank the coffee eagerly,
pouring herself a second cup the moment she had finished the
first.

'I needed
that,' she said. She discovered she was hungry too and applied
butter and jam to a croissant.

'We've got a
lot to catch up on,' Venetia said. Stephanie looked into Venetia's
green eyes. She looked uncertain, as if not sure where last night
had left their relationship or indeed what their relationship was.
Their experience in London could have been as nothing more than a
sexual fling. Stephanie had felt it was more than that but until
now there had been no opportunity to discuss it. And what had
happened last night had clearly added a new dimension.

'I wanted
to...'

'Can
we...'

They both
spoke at once, both wanting to clear the air.

'You first,'
Stephanie said.

Venetia was
about to say, 'No, you,' but stopped herself. 'I just wanted to
say, about last night. I was glad you were there. It helped me,'
she said instead.

'Is that
true?'

'Yes.'

'I thought I
should have tried to stop them.'

'There was
nothing you could have done. Nothing.'

'But you tried
to help me. If you hadn't...'

'That was
different. Devlin had no right to do that to you. You were his
guest.'

Stephanie
wanted to be honest.

'Venetia, I
wanted to see what they were going to do to you. I wanted to see
it.'

'I know. I saw
it in your eyes. It doesn't matter. It was bound to happen
sometime. I've been lucky so far. And I've only got myself to
blame.'

'You're a...'
Stephanie could not bring herself to use the word.

'I'm a slave
like the rest of them. Did Devlin tell you?'

'Only in
general.'

'I worked for
his export business. I'm very good with computers. I was in over my
head. I'd taken a big mortgage to buy this apartment in Docklands.
It had everything. Wooden floors, view over the Thames, jacuzzi in
the bathroom, swimming pool and gym in the building, private
security, car park. I could manage the mortgage but then I got a
bill for the first quarter's service charges. They were ten times
what they'd said they would be. I couldn't cope. So I found a way
to divert incoming funds from abroad into my bank account through
the computer. It was foolproof. I got away with it for a year.'

The sun had
rounded the corner of the castle wall and for the first time that
morning Stephanie felt the gentle morning heat on her face.

'And Devlin
found out?'

'I got
overconfident I suppose. It was too easy. I started taking more
than I needed to cover my costs. I bought a new car, new clothes,
silk underwear, Gucci handbags. I went completely wild. And someone
at work started to take notice. There was this guy who'd always
been after me - little weasel with bad breath and crooked teeth.
Well, he followed me home one night. Told me if I didn't let him in
and sleep with him he was going to tell the managing director where
the money came from for all my perks.'

'So what did
you do?'

'I threw him
out. Next morning I went to see Devlin. I'd never met him. Never
even seen him. But I knew he was the overall boss. Chairman of the
group that owned our company, all that. So I rang his office and
asked if they were expecting him that day. Fortunately they were. I
put on my best Valentino dress, best tights, Bally shoes, make-up,
the works, and went up to his office. I sat in reception pretending
to wait for a friend. I knew they'd never let me in to see him. I
had to wait all morning before he finally came out on his way to
lunch. I followed him down in the lift and when his chauffeur
opened the door of the Rolls I got in ahead of him. Just sat in the
back of the car. He was astonished. Then I told him.'

'Told him
what?'

'That I'd
stolen approximately £750,000 from his company to date.'

'That
much?'

'Perhaps a
little more. And I told him Bill Giles, the little weasel, wanted
to fuck me in return for keeping quiet.' She paused.

'And?'

'He took me to
lunch at the Savoy Grill. A very good lunch actually. He asked me
how I'd done it. He asked me if I could write a computer programme
to prevent it being done again, from any of his companies, since
they all used the same mainframe. Then he asked me why I'd come to
him direct.'

'And why had
you?'

'Because if I
was going to be fucked by anyone, especially as I had a preference
for women and had never been fucked by a man,' her voice faltered
but then she carried on, '...it seemed to me it should be him. He
thought that was very amusing, I remember. He couldn't stop
laughing.'

'So what
happened?' Stephanie was intrigued by the story.

'Well, first
he fired the little weasel.'

'And
then?'

'He told me I
wasn't the first. And that he had devised a rather unusual
alternative to prosecution and jail.'

'But you
didn't go to bed with him?'

Venetia was
quiet for a moment remembering things she would rather have
forgotten.

'He was
involved with a French woman at the time,' she continued. 'She was
older, maybe sixty, it was hard to tell. She had one of those tough
suntanned faces, wore gold jewellery, not an ounce of fat on her
body, long painted fingernails, low-heeled shoes, you know the
type. Anyway, she had Devlin exactly where she wanted him. He took
me to his house...' She couldn't help shuddering at the memory.

'She took you
to bed?'

'Devlin
watched. She was all hard and bony. Not soft like most women. She
hurt me. She hurt me more than a man ever could. She wanted to make
me pay for what I'd done. And Devlin watched it all. Night after
night. It was a long time before she was bored with me.'

'Then you came
here?'

'I think
Devlin was sorry for me. We came to a sort of agreement. I'd deal
with the women and be a sort of roving assistant. That's why I was
sent to you.'

Stephanie
looked at the beautiful woman who sat in front of her at the table,
her long blonde hair flowing over the silk negligee, her breasts
half exposed by the lace.

'London was a
special experience for me,' Venetia was saying. 'I wouldn't want
you to think I did it all the time.'

'I didn't. It
was special for me too.' But as she said it Stephanie realised her
feelings for Venetia had changed. The events of the last two days
had changed them. She still felt affection for her but it was not
as complex as it had been when she had ridden down in the lift on
Friday expecting Venetia to be outside waiting. Perhaps it was the
revelation that Venetia was a slave that was subtly changing the
way she felt.

Stephanie
sipped more coffee. The early morning sun was surprisingly hot but
it was soothing too. 'So why didn't you pick me up on Friday?'

'I wanted to.
Something came up.'

'To do with
Gianni, no doubt,' Stephanie said, allowing a bitter tone into her
voice as Gianni's presence seemed to have changed so many plans for
this weekend.

'Devlin was in
trouble. He overreached himself on a property deal. Borrowed too
much to buy it because he thought he had a certain sale worked out.
The sale fell through and he was left with all the property and the
colossal interest charges. Gianni offered to take the whole thing
off his hands. The loans are called in tomorrow. If Devlin can't
produce the money...'

'And Gianni
came through?'

'Apparently.'

'So Devlin's
off the hook?'

'And swears
he'll never do anything so foolish again.'

'How much did
Gianni pay?'

'I don't know
exactly.'

'About?'
Stephanie persisted.

'A hundred
million sterling. Plus all the charges.'

Stephanie
laughed. 'Well if I am going to be treated like a whore, then at
least no one can say I was a cheap whore.'

Feeling hot in
the sun Stephanie stood up and unwrapped the towel from her body.
The weals from the whip were all too visible in the bright sun.

'Do they
hurt?'

'This one
especially,' Stephanie said, parting her legs to show the mark on
her inner thigh.

'There's some
cream in the bathroom that'll help. I'll get it.' Venetia went
inside as Stephanie lay out on the double-width lounger after
swinging it out to get the full force of the sun. She touched the
two weals on her breasts so close together they were impossible to
distinguish, and felt a sting of pain. The pain was in direct
proportion to her anger at Devlin.

Venetia
returned carrying a jar of expensive-looking unguent. She stripped
off her negligee and knelt on the lounger beside Stephanie.

'This will
hurt a little at first,' she said, dipping her finger into the jar
and then spreading the thick white cream as gingerly as she could
on to the weals on Stephanie's breasts. Stephanie winced and tears
welled up in her eyes, but as Venetia's fingertips worked the
lotion into her skin the initial stinging effect miraculously gave
way to a warm soothing sensation.

'I'm not going
to let him get away with it, Venetia,' Stephanie said as the
soothing fingers moved from breast down to thigh. 'I'm going to get
my revenge.'

'Your
revenge?'

'For drugging
me. Using me. Who the hell does he think he is?'

'He had no
choice.'

'Don't be
ridiculous. I'm his guest. I'm not one of his thieving slaves.' As
she blurted the words out she realised at once what she had said.
'I'm sorry. I didn't mean...'

'That's all
right. It's true, isn't it?'

'Yes. I
just...'

'I have to
live with what I did, Stephanie.'

'I suppose you
do. But it doesn't change what he did to me. I can't pretend I
didn't enjoy it in the end. Ahh...' she winced as Venetia's hand
massaged cream into the weal on her inner thigh. 'But I wasn't
given any choice. And I told him I was not going to let Gianni near
me. Then there's what he did to you. You were only trying to help
me. If you hadn't intervened I'd have been covered in these things.
No, Venetia, he's going to pay.'

'What can you
do?'

'I know
exactly what I'm going to do.' Stephanie smiled. Gianni was out of
the picture now. It was just her and Devlin. She knew exactly how
she was going to make him pay for what he had done to her - payment
in kind.

'Open your
legs a bit more,' Venetia requested. Stephanie obliged and felt the
cream being spread down along her inner thigh. She looked at
Venetia's elegant body, hardly covered by the silk and lace of the
short nightdress, her fair hair brushed out and free flowing,
shining with health in the sun. She remembered last night and how
she had looked in the cellars. She remembered how she had screamed,
that thin haunting scream, as she had been penetrated by a man for
the first time. Of course, she was right. She had only herself to
blame. What had happened last night was her punishment, for
interfering with Gianni certainly, but ultimately for what she had
done in stealing from Devlin in the first place.

'What happened
to Colette?'

'Devlin sent
her home. There was a flight this morning first thing.'

'For helping
to drug me, I suppose?'

'She didn't
have any choice.'

'Oh, I don't
blame her. She reminded me of you. I'd like to have spent more time
with her.'

'Did you sleep
with her?' There was no hint of jealousy in Venetia's voice.

'Briefly. I
was trying to use her to get Gianni off my back.'

'He only
wanted you.'

'I know. Well,
perhaps I'll be able to get my revenge on him too,' Stephanie
mused. Devlin was first on her list of priorities, however. Gianni
would have to wait.

Venetia took
another pat of cream from the jar and directed it to Stephanie's
clitoris.

'This is sore
too isn't it?'

'Emm... That's
nice...' Venetia's fingers massaged the cream deep into her labia,
into her clitoris, right down to the puckered rosebud of her arse.
The tender flesh was immediately soothed and relaxed, every hint of
soreness smoothed away by Venetia's gentle fingertips and the
miracle cream. The warmth of the sun helped too.

'Better?'

'It feels so
good.'

'Just enjoy
it. Tell me when you've had enough.'

Stephanie
reached up to touch Venetia's breast under the cream lace of the
nightdress. She could see her nipple through the lace and it was
already hard. But Venetia took her hand and put it back by her
side, kissing Stephanie lightly on the cheek and whispering: