Page 36 of Private Pleasures

Nora rolled over, and lay with her head on his chest. “It did, Kyle. I needed to be taken and satisfied like that.” She kissed his nipples, licking at them provocatively. “How did you know I’d had a bad day?”

“I always know how it is with you. It’s my job, Nora.” He put his arm about her.

“You do your job well, darling,” she told him.

“I spoke to Mr. Nicholas,” he said to her.

“Mr. Nicholas?”

“The administrator of The Channel. He says you may have an appointment with him anytime you want. He says he’s looking forward to meeting you.”

“Oh.” She had forgotten.

“Don’t you want to stay in The Channel, Nora? Have you changed your mind now, darling?” Kyle wondered.

“No, but I’m not ready yet. I have to get my son off to college. I have to see what kind of a deal the lawyers can work out between Jeff and me. I can’t take my vacation yet. It was sweet of you to speak with Mr. Nicholas, Kyle.”

“You really ought to see him soon, Nora. You don’t know when you’ll need to escape from your reality, and you need to know what will happen if you do, don’t you?” Kyle pressured her gently.

“You could be right,” Nora considered. “If I need to make a quick getaway, it would help to have his approval, wouldn’t it? Can we arrange it now?”

“Why not?” he said, and he reached for the phone. “Mr. Nicholas’s office,” he said, and then, “Good evening, sir. Nora Buckley is ready to make her appointment with you. Yes, of course.” And he put the phone back in its stand.

“Well?” Nora said anxiously.

“I have to call back in a few minutes. His assistants are all on a break right now. He can’t make any appointments without them, because he’s never certain of his schedule.” Kyle laughed. “You’d think someone that important would have all the information he needed at his fingertips. I’ll tell you what, Nora. Go shower and get the smell of sex off of you. I’ll pick an outfit for you to wear.”

Nora got up and went into the bathroom, where she showered, and then reentering the bedroom, she said, “What have you chosen for me?”

He held it out. “Simple and elegant,” he told her.

Nora looked at the dress. It was a wrap style, a dark green silk with a deep V neckline and long fitted sleeves. “It’s lovely,” she said. Lovely, but not like the damned floral print she had worn today to her son’s graduation.

“But first these,” he said, laying the dress on the bed and picking up a green lace garter belt. He hooked it around her, and then ordered her to sit while he rolled the sheerest nude stockings she had ever seen in all of her life up her legs, then hooked them neatly to the belt. “No bra,” he said. “Your tits are too good.”

“Panties?”

“Nope,” he told her. “Too much trouble getting off when you get back, and I’ll be waiting for you. The kid is out, and we’ve got the whole night ahead of us, Nora.”

She stepped into the dress, while Kyle pulled it up and zipped it. Then kneeling down, he slipped sling-back heels on her slender feet. When he stood again, he put her back from him and whistled. Then he pulled the mirrored doors shut, and said, “What do you think?”

Nora stared. She looked absolutely marvelous. Far better than Heidi Millar, and here in The Channel she was probably Heidi’s age. “Give me a brush. I need to do something with my hair,” she said. “I’ll put it up.”

“No, down,” he disagreed.

“I’ll look like a tart out of a 1940s movie,” she protested.

“We’ll compromise,” he said, brushing her long red gold hair out. Then he picked up a large tortoiseshell barrette, and gathering her hair into a single thick strand, he fastened the clasp. “Elegant. Goes with the dress. Doesn’t look like a schoolmarm.”

“I am hardly schoolmarmish in this dress with no undergarments,” Nora laughed.

Kyle took a bottle from the dressing table. Uncorking it, he dabbed a little perfume in her cleavage. The phone rang, and he picked it up, putting down the scent bottle. “Mrs. Buckley’s penthouse,” he said. “Yes. Of course. I’ll send her right down. Thank you, Margaret.” He put the handset down, and turned to Nora. “Mr. Nicholas will see you now.”

“Will you come with me?” she asked, suddenly nervous. She had never left her fantasy apartment other than to go back to her reality.

“I’m not invited,” Kyle said. “You’ll be alright, Nora, and I’ll be waiting for you to get back. Remember, we have a couple of hours left.” His hand went beneath her elbow, and he led her to a double door of heavy bronze. It was an elevator. Rolf came this way. Kyle pressed the button, and the doors opened soundlessly.

The elevator was of polished pecan wood. There was a mirror in its rear, beneath which was a small red leather bench. A little crystal chandelier was fitted into its ceiling. He ushered her in and, leaning over, pressed a button. “It’s okay,” he said as the doors closed softly. She couldn’t feel any movement, and yet she knew the elevator was going down. For a moment she grew claustrophobic, and then she took a deep breath. It was all an adventure, and she suddenly realized she could hardly wait to see what came next. The elevator stopped suddenly, and its doors opened. Nora stared at what was in front of her.