Odalisque (24 page)

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Constance’s first partner was one of the older men. He was tall, taller even than Kai, and slim. In fact, he was quite attractive, one of those old guys who was too rich to ever look aged and worn. He reminded her a lot of Bastien, so when he found her in the laundry room and ran a hand down her arm, she acquiesced right away. They fucked on a pile of towels. He was very slow and leisurely, and very skilled. She came twice, which seemed to delight him. He spent a long time afterward just looking at her, running his fingers over her body until the hour was up. She learned later that his name was Michael, and that he was the second most powerful studio exec in Hollywood.

After that, they returned to the living room with everyone else. Kai and Jessamine stumbled out of the coat closet, both of them a bit worse for wear. When Constance grinned and eyed the scratches on Kai’s chest, he shook his head at her. Then he asked, “Did your first partner work out for you?”

Constance nodded and signed, “I won’t ask about yours.”

Jess announced the second round. Now the men had to scatter, and the girls got to do the finding. It seemed like most of the ladies already had a man in mind. Constance saw two or three go off like a shot in Kai’s direction, including his ex-wife. But Kai was a big boy, he could handle it.

Constance wandered down the hall and stopped in front of the only door that was still open. She poked her head in and almost left, seeing no one. But then a hand closed around her wrist. She almost dropped her notebook.

Mason Cooke was crouched behind the door. Hiding.

He pulled her down beside him and kicked the door shut. He took her head in his hands and gazed into her eyes. He looked miserable. Constance reached for her notebook and wrote
What’s wrong? Aren’t you having fun?

Mason read it and gave her a rueful smile. He wrote
NO
in capital letters, underlined twice.

Constance grimaced and wrote,
Who was your first partner?

Veronica.
Mason tapped the pen and thought a moment.
She spent the whole time talking about Kai. Which is fine, because I couldn’t get it up for her anyway. She wants to get back together with him. Apparently Jessamine agreed to help.

Constance’s mouth fell open. She wrote
Traitor!
and turned the page.
Kai is going to be furious.

Mason took the notebook back. He took a long time to write, but it was only a few words.
I’m not in love with my wife anymore. I don’t even think I like her at this point.
He looked over at Constance, as if to see what she thought. Constance wanted to pull him close and cradle him in her arms. He looked so devastated. She ran a hand down his cheek, over the sexy stubble that set so many hearts aflutter, while his own heart secretly ached.

Oh, Mason
, she wrote.
Does she know?

I don’t think she cares. She barely acknowledges my existence anymore.

But you look so happy when you’re together.

When have you ever seen us together? Out in public? At events? That’s all an act. Public relations. She doesn’t even look at me at home. Spends all her time out dredging up new sex partners.

Constance gave him a reproving look.
You have secret sex partners too.

You’re right
, he wrote.
At least she’s in my face about who she sleeps with. But you’re the only one, the only secret I’ve kept. To protect you. Otherwise she’d want you for herself. She loves pretty girls.

He put the pen down, and they both sat in stillness for a moment, shoulder to shoulder. Then Constance wrote,
What are you going to do?

Mason smiled a self-deprecating smile and took the pen.
Well, when I grow some balls, I’ll leave her. The tabs will have a field day. Hollywood’s premier marriage on the rocks. It’ll be a fucking mess.

Constance put her hand on the back of his and took the pen.
But you’ll have to do it at some point. You shouldn’t be so unhappy. No matter the blowback, or the expectations, you have to be true to your heart.

Mason looked up at her from the page, and she couldn’t quite interpret his expression. Some fleeting accusation was there, perhaps, and then gone. He shrugged.
It’s my problem, Constance. Don’t worry about it. But thanks for listening.

In the awkward pause that followed, Constance picked up the pen.
So, do you want to have sex? This is a scatter party, after all.

But Mason still had a faraway look. He wrote,
Constance, do you think I’m a good person? A worthwhile person?

Of course I do. Tons of people do. You have millions of fans.

He wrestled the pen from her.
No. They don’t count. That’s not really me, that person they worship. You know what? My real name is Darwin. Darwin Kulik.
He looked over at her. “It’s okay, you can laugh.”

Constance shook her head.
I like Darwin as a first name. It’s original. Why did you change it?

He nudged her with his shoulder and wrote,
If you ever tell anyone I’ll kill you.

Then, in a lovely release of tension, they both started to laugh. Constance watched Mason’s chest expand and contract with what must have been roaring laughter. But then he wiped his eyes. Constance sobered and scooted around to the front of him.

He shook his head at her, and let her read his lips. “No, no, I’m not crying. I’m just tired. Tired of feeling like a piece of shit ornament on my wife’s arm.”

Constance reached down for the notebook.
You’re not an ornament. You’re not a piece of shit. You’re a warm, loving man and a faithful friend. You’re funny and talented. And very generous in bed.

Mason took her hand. “You know, it’s been so long since anyone’s said anything like that to me. When they weren’t, you know, obviously trying to suck up.”

Constance shrugged.
I call it like I see it
, she wrote.

Mason looked back at what she’d written, running his fingers over the paper.

“Can I tear out these pages and keep them? For when I need to read those words?”

She nodded and wrote,
Maybe you should show them to Jessamine.

Mason chuckled as he ripped out the pages of their conversation and gave the notebook back. “I don’t know if I’m brave enough to do that.” He folded them over and held the paper in his palm. He rested his head back against the wall and toyed with his half-hard cock. “Ugh, one more round of this.” He looked at Constance. “How was your first guy?”

She lay down on her side, resting her head on her arm. She wrote,
He was a very good lover. But a lot less enthusiastic than you generally are.

Mason leaned down to read her writing. “I’m not at my best tonight. Although things are looking up.” He gave her wry smile and gestured to his cock, which was definitely perking up. He came down over her, nudging her legs apart with his knees. Constance stroked his cock and caressed his balls. Within moments Mason was fully erect. He grabbed a condom and rolled it on.

Right before he entered her, Mason pulled back and touched her cheek. “Thank you, Constance. You’re so good at what you do.”

They fucked on the floor, there beside the door, and ended up returning to the living room a few minutes late. But Constance was heartened to see that by the time they did, Mason was nearly back to his normal cheerful self.

After the second round, Constance expected everyone to be winding down, but they all appeared to be going strong. The guests had more drinks and grabbed some of the finger foods and sushi Kai laid out.

Kai came to meet Constance by the piano. “So you snagged Mason, huh? What took you guys so long in there?”

Constance frowned. “I’ll tell you later. And it’s not what you think. Who found you?”

“I ended up with your odalisque sister. She was lovely.” He leaned down to drop a kiss on Constance’s forehead. She shivered as his fingertips grazed her nipples in a teasing touch. “Lovely, but not nearly as lovely as you.”

“Such flattery,” Constance signed.

“You’re the loveliest girl here.” Kai tapped her chin, making sure he had her attention. “Jeremy noticed the bruises on your ass, and he happens to be a serious kink player. He’s already snuck up to the saray, waiting for you to ‘find’ him during the next round.”

Constance glanced around the room. No sign of Mr. Gray. “That was very forward of him.”

Kai smiled. “I told him to do it. He can be trusted. He’s a good guy--and from what I understand, very fun to scene with.”

“You share your toys so nicely.”

“Which toys?” Kai asked. “The ones in the cabinet or the one currently snarking at me? Anyway, he told me where his wife would be hiding, and I hear she’s pretty fun too.” Kai pulled Constance close and gave her a squeeze. “Just save some energy for after the ball drops, because you’re all mine then.”

Constance gave a little shiver at the promise in his eyes, and then lurked around the shadows of the room until all the other guests had headed off into Kai’s hallways for round three. Then she scurried up the stairs and snuck into her suite. It was dark in the odella, but a faint light issued from the adjoining saray.
Jeremy Gray, the movie star, is waiting in there for me...
Jeremy Gray, who must have been staring at her ass pretty intently at some point to notice those bruises, as they were nearly faded to nothing.

She walked in, searching for him, and found him standing beside Kai’s cabinet. Wow. She’d been surrounded by naked bodies for the last two hours, but something about Jeremy’s nakedness was impressive indeed. Maybe it was the authoritative nature of his stance, or the fact that his body didn’t have an ounce of fat--only lean, gorgeous muscle. Or maybe it was the size of his--
oh my
! She blushed when her gaze finally meandered up to his eyes. She found him watching her with a knowing smile.

Well, really. The man had nothing to be ashamed of.

He beckoned her over, and when she was close enough, he put his hands on her shoulders and looked in her eyes. “Is it true? Can you tell what I’m saying from reading my lips?”

Jeremy was quite easy to read. Something about the shape of his face and his mouth. She nodded, and then remembered her notebook. She wrote,
I can hear you pretty well, as long as I’m looking at you when you talk.

Jeremy nodded and smiled. “Fair enough. I was glad to get your owner’s permission to play with you. This seems like a pretty vanilla crowd.” He turned and picked up one of the straps, a particular favorite of Kai’s. He ran his hand over the leather a moment, then looked back at her. “But then, I’m awfully kinky. Much like your owner, I’d say.”

Kai was right. Jeremy Gray was shaping up to be pretty interesting. She eyed the strap in his hands, wondering how it would feel. Would he play with Kai’s intensity? Or with Mason’s playfulness? She wrote in the notebook,
It’s a secret that Kai is my owner. That I’m an odalisque.

Jeremy nodded. “I know. Fortunately, I’m good at keeping secrets.”

He seemed so casual about the whole thing. A little too casual. She wrote,
Is your wife really an odalisque too?

Jeremy threw back his head and laughed at that. “No, my wife is really my wife, and I love her desperately. Although, to be honest, I originally hired her on for a term of service too.” He raised his eyebrows at Constance. “Of course, that’s also a secret.”

Constance made a lip-zipping motion that even a non-signer could understand. Jeremy smiled lightly, but Constance could sense the time for small talk was over. Jeremy ran his steely, blue-eyed gaze up the length of her body and back down again. “If I’d known I would have this opportunity, I could have planned something in advance. Something very elaborate and devious.”

Constance bit her lip. Intense like Kai. Definitely.

“Well,” Jeremy said, his chest rising and falling in a sigh. “I’ve never been afraid to improvise.” He took the notebook from her fingers with a smooth authority that turned her on. “Shall we put this down? Kai told me about your safe word procedures, and I plan to keep you a little too busy for any more writing.” He placed the notebook on one of the cabinet shelves and took her arm to lead her over to the bed. His grip was warm and firm. Within moments, she was draped face down over the padded footboard.

She looked back, nerves thrumming. Honestly, she was a little scared of him. Jeremy frowned slightly and pointed forward. “Eyes front. Keep them there.”

Constance swallowed and looked ahead at the lattice of the headboard. Things could have been worse. She could have been tethered there with the nipple clamps, one of Kai and Mason’s favorite games--
Ouch!

Jeremy’s first blow wasn’t vicious, but it was crisp enough to have her clawing at the sheets. A couple more came on the heels of the first, burning both her ass cheeks. Jeremy paused, and it took every ounce of her control not to look back and anticipate the next stroke. It came seconds later, a real stinging one.

This wasn’t safe word play, not really. Constance could take this kind of pain for hours, but it was uncomfortable in the moment. She tensed her ass, which only made the next stroke feel harder. Jeremy was laying them on faster now, warming all her sweet spots to a burning hum. Her clit was coming alive, her pussy throbbing along with her heartbeat. Sex was fine, it was great, but pain added a shimmering sheen of excitement. Pain made her wild.

By the time Jeremy finished with the strap, she was grasping the sheets in earnest, stuffing them into her mouth to keep from screaming. Jeremy stroked and squeezed her cheeks, making the burn sizzle even hotter. He nudged her legs open and parted her with his fingers, driving them deep into her pussy. She grasped at the slick protrusions, ground on them, pleasure and pain combining to near the breaking point. He withdrew them before she could come, and hauled her over to the spanking bench.

Jeremy made her straddle the narrow top platform, her pussy slipping along the vinyl. He folded down the lower platforms so her legs hung down, trembling, on either side. He worked below her to fix her ankles to a spreader bar beneath the bench, then cuffed her hands behind her back. When he was finished, Constance was powerless to do anything but squirm and fidget against the padded wooden bar between her thighs. She was so close to coming, her legs clenching with the effort to tip her hips forward. If she could only rub her clit against something...