George McHenry took Lynn's arm and guided her up the stone steps and to the large oaken door of the Executive Club. It had taken them but four or five minutes to walk from the Waring home to the club building and Lynn had been surprised to find that Ed's superior was extremely polite and an interesting conversationalist. Of course, he had looked at her very admiringly when he first came into the house and saw her in the black cocktail dress. But, Lynn didn't object to looks like that. Now, she was beginning to wonder if perhaps she hadn't simply imagined the lewd look in his eyes when she had first been introduced to McHenry at the company cocktail party.
"Well, good evening, Mr. McHenry," a voice seemed to come from nowhere. Lynn looked around, then saw that a panel in the heavy door had been pulled aside and a round face peered out at them from where the panel would have been. As she stared in astonishment, the panel was suddenly closed again and the door quickly opened to them by a short, but powerful-looking man in a tuxedo. He waved them inside, saying, "It's nice to see you again, sir, and how's the missus?"
"Fine, Bert, just fine," George answered jovially as he pressed a five-dollar bill into the man's palm. "This is Mrs. Waring. She's the wife of one of our brightest young men and she'll probably be coming quite regularly to the club very soon. I've brought her tonight to show her around."
Lynn felt a momentary thrill of elation at McHenry's words, but it didn't quite overcome the feeling of uneasiness brought on by the strange ritual with the door panel. Of course, she knew that no one was welcome to the Executive Club except the heads of the corporation, but she didn't understand why any intruder wouldn't be recognized as soon as they walked in the door. The strange ceremony at the door, combined with the secrecy that cloaked the activities of the club from outsiders, made her wonder what in the world happened here.
Her anxiety was only heightened as the doorman began to blatantly survey her body, obviously curvaceous even under the heavy coat she wore, with beady eyes gleaming in appreciation. "Yes, sir!" he abruptly exclaimed, nodding his head enthusiastically. "They're going to like her in there. all right. There's no doubt about that!"
"Bert, Mrs. Waring is my guest tonight," McHenry said with a slight note of warning in his voice. "She's not a member yet. Make sure the others understand that!"
"Yes, sir. Excuse me, sir," the door man mumbled, instantly contrite. "I'll go arrange for a table for you."
Lynn felt a little sorry for the little man and wondered why McHenry had been so harsh. She supposed that he was worried about the members divulging club secrets or something, but still his cold tone of voice seemed to have been a little too severe. What difference did it make whether the others knew that she was not a member of the Executive Club? For a moment, she was slightly annoyed with McHenry, imagining that he had merely been trying to remind her of her place, but then she noticed that he was smiling at her with the same charm he had exercised since they had left her house.
"May I take your coat, my dear?" he asked smoothly, moving behind her to help her out of the heavy garment. "As soon as Bert comes back, we'll go in and sit down."
"Thank you," she said, turning to face him, but he had already taken her overcoat to the closet on the other side of the room.
Now that she was alone in the tiny entrance hall, she took the opportunity to look around and was astounded at the opulence of the decor. Although the Executive Club had looked like any other building from the outside, the interior was as plush as an exclusive nightclub, the carpet thick and soft under her feet and the walls covered with dark blue velvet. Even the wood around the doorways looked as though it had been dipped in gold. It was like a palace!
Then, suddenly, she noticed George beckoning to her from one of the doorways and, squelching her misgivings, she followed him into a large salon and bar. Even though this evening was beginning to seem even stranger than she had expected, she was determined to show Ed's superior that she could handle herself as well as any executive's wife.
Lynn gasped and had to forcibly keep herself from gazing about in wide-eyed amazement as she walked behind George to the table the doorman was pointing out. It was the most lavishly decorated room she had ever seen, done in red velvet and gold embroidery from ceiling to floor. Long, low couches were arranged in a broad semi-circle around a stage at one end of the room, and, behind them, a few small tables were placed in the dimmer light in the back of the room.
Most of the men present Lynn recognized from the various company functions she had attended. But the women who sat close to them were usually quite beautiful and much younger. The puzzled young blonde was almost certain that these expensively-dressed women were not the executive's wives.
Then, she noticed several middle-aged women, who might very well have been executive's wives, but who were accompanied by young, very handsome men. In fact, most of the young men seemed almost too good-looking, and as she walked by one of the couples, Lynn smelled a heavy cologne that didn't seem quite masculine. She was beginning to seriously doubt that any of the people here were being escorted by their legal mates.
"Thanks for saving this one for me, Bert," McHenry told the doorman as they sat down at the table in the farthest corner of the room. The short, heavy man was already moving away when George beckoned him back to the table.
"Listen, Bert, tell the others we don't want to be disturbed this evening," he quietly instructed the doorman. "Mrs. Waring and I are going to be busy discussing her husband's future with Amalgamated Industries."
Lynn looked up just in time to notice the sly wink McHenry gave the doorman and, for the first time that night, she thought she detected a certain lewdness in his expression. She hoped that Ed's boss was not planning on getting fresh with her, but then she thought about all the other people in the room. Surely the man wouldn't try anything here in front of people who would undoubtedly carry tales back to his wife.
A silver bucket of iced Champagne was brought to the table, and George popped the cork and poured them both a bubbling glass.
"Well, Mrs. Waring… may I call you Lynn? Well, Lynn my dear, let's drink to your first visit to the Executive Club," McHenry toasted, raising his glass to her. "May tonight be only the first of many enjoyable evenings here."
Lynn followed his lead and tipped her glass to her lips, savoring the feeling of the cool bubbly liquid pouring down her throat. She loved champagne, but after they had bought the house in Stuyvesant Square, she and Ed had never been able to afford it, except for special occasions.
"You know, Mr. McHenry, the club is very different than I imagined it," Lynn said hesitantly as she felt the alcohol begin to relax her inhibitions just enough so that she could express her curiosity. "I thought it would be more like… well, more like those English men's clubs where they sit around drinking brandy and playing bridge."
To her embarrassment, George stared at her for a moment, disbelief apparent on his face, then roared out laughing. By the time he began to regain control of himself, Lynn's face was red with humiliation and she wondered what she had said that was so funny.
"No, no… it's nothing like that, believe me," McHenry gasped out between lingering chortles. "The executives wanted a place where they could really enjoy themselves… and a bridge club was not at all what they had in mind, as you'll soon find out."
"Then, what?" Lynn asked in bewilderment. "They must have some activities here."
McHenry's face sobered and he paused for a moment, then lifted the champagne bottle from its bucket. "You'll find out soon enough, my dear," he answered with practiced charm. "For now, why don't you have another drink and then, we'll dance, if you don't mind. It's been quite a long while since I've had the opportunity to hold anyone as young and lovely as you in my arms."
Lynn smiled sweetly at the compliment and nodded her consent, although something about the way he had phrased the invitation to dance made her a little uncomfortable. She finished her second glass of champagne, then rose from her chair as the small combo in the front of the room began to play a romantic old song she had always liked. The bubbly drink was beginning to have an effect on her and, for the first time that evening, Lynn was beginning to feel like she really might be able to relax and enjoy herself with Ed's superior.
As she seldom drank alcohol, Lynn suddenly felt a little dizzy as she followed McHenry out onto the dance floor. She had a terrible feeling that she might stumble when she tried to dance, but her middle-aged escort quickly wrapped his arm tightly around her, steadying her until she caught the rhythm of the music and began to follow his steps.
With the fizzy warmth of the champagne drifting through her veins, Lynn unconsciously cuddled up against the executive's chest, until the ripe full mounds of her breasts pressed tightly against him. After Ed had been busy with his work for what seemed like years, it felt wonderful to dance with a man, to feel his arms around her as they moved slowly to the music, to feel like someone was really interested in her again.
Then, suddenly, with a terrible burst of clarity, Lynn realized how close McHenry was holding her. He was a very good dancer, but the way he was pulling her against him, she knew that she had better be careful or he would get the wrong idea about her. She tried to pull away from him a little, worried that other people in the room might be watching, but he just seemed to draw her even tighter against him. She didn't want to ruin Ed's chance for the vice-presidency by some stupid action on her part, but she was beginning to think that McHenry might be entertaining some immoral ideas, and thinking that she was agreeable. For a moment, she was very frightened and she felt a flash of anger at Ed for not trying harder to arrange to be with her on this crucial evening. She had never experienced a problem like this before and wasn't exactly certain how to handle it without insulting him. Lynn knew that Ed expected her to please McHenry, but not if that meant being unfaithful to him!
"You dance very well, my dear," George murmured softly into her ear. "That's a very important skill for an executive's wife to have. Sometimes, a little feminine charm can land an account, or just bring in some priceless goodwill to a corporation, that couldn't have been gotten with all the sales figures and production statistics in the world."
As they glided through the dimness of the dance floor, Lynn suddenly bit her lip as she felt McHenry slyly move one of his legs between her thighs so that the soft mound of her pubic area rubbed hard against the top of his thigh. The soft silkiness of the dress Ed had chosen hid nothing from her startled senses and she could clearly feel the coarse fabric of the balding man's trousers pressing tightly between her legs. Against one of her hips, she felt a growing pressure as the softness of his penis began to slowly harden in response to the motion of her pelvis grinding lightly against it as they danced.
"Mr. McHenry, we… we shouldn't be dancing this close together!" Lynn managed to protest up at him in a shocked whisper. As she realized what was happening beneath his trousers, her tone became more distraught and she added, "Please! Someone is going to see us!"
"Let me assure you, my dear. No one here is the least bit disturbed about it, unless you are," George answered in a tone of amusement at her obvious distress. "And, after all, this evening was supposed to present us with an opportunity to get to know each other better. With your husband's promotion in mind, of course."
"But… but…" Lynn faltered, then fell silent. She was absolutely dumbfounded by the man's words. He was obviously propositioning her, but in a way that made her know that Ed's career was at stake. It was an impossible situation, and yet she knew she had to figure a way out of it, and quickly, before it got any worse! She was so surprised by the sudden and brazen revelation of the reason for McHenry's interest in her, that she just couldn't find the right words to answer him. She just couldn't believe that the man would have boldly set up this whole evening with her for such an obscene purpose, and yet that was what she had been afraid of when Ed had first told her about it. And what had McHenry meant when he said that "no one here is the least bit disturbed" about the suggestive way he was dancing with her? Lynn suddenly wondered. Was nobody paying attention? Or was the Executive Club even odder than she thought?
Before she had a chance to make up her mind about anything, the song ended and the combo leader announced that the group would take a ten minute break before the floor show began. Lynn sighed with relief as she realized that she wouldn't have to dance with McHenry again, at least not for a while. She was in such a state of shock that she still hadn't come to any conclusions about what to do, but she was grateful for the temporary reprieve that was about to come when they sat down at their table to watch the club's floor show.
The tiny blonde was too embarrassed even to look at her husband's superior as they walked back to the rear of the room and took their seats. But as soon as they were settled again, George poured her another glass of the champagne, ordered another bottle, and began telling her some funny stories about when he first had begun working at Amalgamated Industries. He acted as though nothing at all unusual had happened when he was with her on the dance floor.
As she politely listened to him, Lynn tilted her glass up and quickly finished the effervescent drink. She smilingly accepted another refill, knowing that she needed the alcohol now to calm her tensed nerves a bit, and hoped that this drink would give her a better idea of how to proceed with the strange game Mr. McHenry was playing. For a moment, she thought that he might be simply testing her to see how she would respond under pressure, but when the overhead lights dimmed to signal the beginning of the show, she felt his knee begin to press tightly against her thigh. Her heart sank as she realized that all her suspicions about this man had been correct. McHenry was truly vile and immoral and she didn't know how she was ever going to explain to Ed about what had happened this evening. Especially since she knew that if she didn't go along with McHenry, it would probably mean that her husband wouldn't get the promotion he had worked so hard for. Here she was in this weird club, with Ed's career in the balance, and it all depended on this lecherous man sitting beside her. If only Ed could have postponed his business meeting, this all never would have happened.
Beside Lynn, George said nothing but sat with a faint smile of confidence on his lips. He had been through this before and he knew pretty well what was going on in the lovely blonde woman's mind. He sensed Lynn's resolve not to give in to him, no matter what the consequences, but for that reason, he was giving her plenty of time to think and ponder over what the loss of the promotion would mean to her and her husband. He knew he hadn't completed the seduction yet, but he wasn't worried. A few more drinks, a little more pressure, and the special show they had here at the Executive Club would all help his project along. He could see that she was worried and confused already, and he congratulated himself on his own cleverness for arranging this evening when he knew that young Waring was meeting a client he couldn't possibly postpone. Yes, everything was going even better than he'd planned and George was certain he'd have this pretty little wife exactly where he wanted her before she knew what hit her.
"Mr. McHenry, how can a private club like this afford a floor show?" Lynn asked him, no longer able to hold her curiosity back. "Why, there's only one nightclub in town that has an entertainer, and that's horribly expensive."
"Well, my dear, our performers don't come from the regular entertainment circuit," George explained with a strange twinkle in his eyes. "To tell you the truth, they're mostly local talent, but extremely talented nonetheless." Lynn thought she saw a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth as he added, "Sometimes, we even have an amateur night for the members. Most of us, whether we know it or not, are secret exhibitionists, you know."
The tiny blonde beside him smiled uncertainly at his comment. He had put such an emphasis on the word "exhibitionist" that she was not sure of exactly what he meant. But before she had time to question him further, the curtains on the stage began to open and soft, rhythmically seductive music filled the room.
The club was perfectly quiet now except for the occasional sound of ice clinking against a glass or a momentary whisper. The stage was decorated to represent a city street at night in what looked like a poor section of the town. The street looked deserted and dark, with only the dim light from a street-light at one end of the stage giving feeble illumination. Lynn could barely make out a sidewalk running past the stage props that were painted like shabby old buildings. It really was a beautiful job of stage-setting, she thought to herself, complete right down to the dark shadowy doorways.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lynn noticed McHenry pouring her another glass of champagne. She knew she had really had enough to drink and yet, the cigarette smoke was beginning to be a little thick in the room and it made her throat feel parched. At last, she decided that one more glass wouldn't matter and gratefully poured the cold liquid down her throat.
She saw George lean over to fill her glass again and, through the warm haze the alcohol had brung, she thought about how lovely it was to have a man really looking after her again. For a long time, Ed had been too involved with his work to bother about such unimportant things and she had almost forgotten about how good it felt to be taken care of. Feeling completely contented and relaxed, she turned to McHenry and sweetly smiled her appreciation in the dim light.
George smiled back, moving his chair a little closer to her and nodded toward the stage. The tempo of the background music had picked up just a little and Lynn saw a young, innocent-looking girl appear, slowly walking through the old city street set up on the stage. She did not look over seventeen and was the most lovely girl Lynn had ever seen. She had a melancholy look on her face as though she were walking on the street to relieve the deep loneliness she felt. It touched Lynn to her heart, because she too often felt that way when Ed seemed to have no time for her. She identified with the girl at that moment and concentrated completely on what was happening on the stage.
The dark-haired girl arrived at the lamp post at the other end of the stage and paused, leaning against it for a moment. It was obvious that she had nowhere to go and no one to go home to. As she stood under the light, the audience could clearly see her youthful figure, clearly outlined by the tight sweater and skirt she wore and Lynn heard several audible gasps of appreciation throughout the room.
Nevertheless, despite the young girl's thrillingly sensual body, Lynn was beginning to fidget a little. What kind of floor show was this? she wondered. Just some pretty girl walking back and forth on a stage?
Then, abruptly, the background music began to seem a little louder and the beat became stronger and more demanding, as if emphasizing that something new was about to happen. Lynn looked up again, just in time to watch four huge black men slip silently out of the darkened doorways on the stage. It was obvious that the lonely young brunette was frightened, as she suddenly realized that she was no longer alone on the deserted street, but she still stood quietly by the street-light as if hoping that her own presence would go unnoticed. It was a futile attempt, for the four powerful-looking Negroes were already eyeing the girl who stood alone and defenseless at the far end of the stage, and the sly, leering smiles on their faces clearly indicated that there were sinister thoughts brewing in their minds. As if sensing the trouble in the air, the dark-haired girl suddenly turned and began walking hurriedly back across the stage, clutching the tiny purse she carried and averting her eyes from the insolent grins the Negroes wore. She had passed one of them and was approaching the second when the four men began to move closer together, quickly forming a wide circle around her. She apparently didn't notice the maneuver, but Lynn could already see that the black men were going to try to block the young girl's path and, for a moment, the young blonde housewife in the rear of the room had an impulse to cry out and warn the unsuspecting girl of the danger that was surrounding her.
Suddenly, one of the Negroes stepped right in front of the hurrying girl, and there wasn't a sound in the club as she suddenly looked up, her eyes wide with fright. She quickly tried to move around him, but the monstrous Negro rapidly reached out and grabbed her slender arm, flinging her back across the stage toward the others. The atmosphere in the club was almost electric with tension and Lynn gratefully clung to George McHenry's hand as he slipped it down into her lap. She was pleased and amazed that the Executive Club would present such a moving drama for its members, but she hoped that someone would soon rescue the girl on the stage, because Lynn herself was becoming a little frightened at what was happening. If those men were poor and just wanted to steal the girl's purse, why didn't they just take it and let her go, instead of taunting and laughing at her? Lynn wondered fearfully.
Then the lovely blonde wife almost gasped aloud as one of the black men grabbed the young girl's arms and brutally pinned them behind her back, while the other three slid closer to her with lewd, evil smiles contorting their dark faces. The terrified girl writhed and twisted trying to free herself, and tears of helpless frustration filled her eyes as one of the Negroes clapped his huge hand over her mouth so that she could not scream out for help. Another one reached down to her knees and jerked up at her skirt, filling the room with a low tearing noise as it suddenly ripped loose, fanning up the full length of her firm full thighs and up over the rounded white panty-covered fullness of her buttocks. As the torn and useless garment fell fluttering to the sidewalk, the same Negro grasped her sweater and yanked it up over her head, tearing her arms out of the grasp of the other. The garment was hurriedly pulled up over her shoulders and face, then completely away from her body, leaving her beautifully rounded torso naked except for the thin strips of fabric that made up her black bra and panties and the long black hose and garter belt she wore. The hand that covered her mouth had been pulled away in the hurried struggle and Lynn heard the girl suddenly break out into piteous supplications for her freedom.
"Oh God, please don't! Let me go please! Don't do it to me, I can't stand it!"
But her pleading cries were cut short again as the black man's hand clamped down hard over her lips. Further muffled cries were choked back, deep down in her throat, until only slight broken moans of anguish could be heard coming from her flaring nostrils as the men began to run their hands over her body, cruelly pinching and teasing at her soft white flesh. Sheer sadistic lust blazed out from the bulging eyes of the four Negroes and their teeth flashed whitely in the stage light as they laughed at the girl's terrified sobbing.
Lynn stared in horror at the stage as she saw the men lustfully tormenting the captive girl. Even though her mind was dulled by all the champagne she had drunk, the petite housewife was certain that this play was more daring than anything she had ever seen before, and she wondered if she shouldn't ask McHenry to take her home now, before it got any bolder. She had heard that there were some very explicit plays dealing with sex playing in New York City and California but this drama was beginning to look like it belonged more in a brothel than in a club run by high ranking corporate executives. Still, she had to admit that, for some reason, the very helplessness of the cowering girl surrounded by the leering Negroes fascinated her and she couldn't look away. The very thought of those four men pawing and handling that defenseless girl's nearly naked body sent shivers of macabre curiosity tingling through her and a rash of goose-pimples erupted on her sensitive skin. Barely able to stand the tension in the room, Lynn wriggled down tighter in her seat and felt the edge of the cushion brush electrically against the soft swell of her pubic area. She jumped at the unexpected contact and even more at the unexpected shock it had sent racing up her spine. Her breath involuntarily quickened.
Beside her, George frowned to himself as he saw the troubled look on Lynn's face as she sat with her eyes glued to the stage. He watched her reach out for her glass and quickly gulp down the refreshing liquid, attempting to cool off some of the warmth the suggestive scene had transmitted to her body. McHenry quickly refilled her glass.
With each drink, Lynn could feel that she was losing more and more control over her body and emotions. The heat and excitement in the room were beginning to stimulate her against her will. Then, when she saw the girl on the stage begin to cease her struggling and slowly surrender, obviously enjoying the stroking, probing hands of the four Negroes, Lynn became even more confused and upset. If the girl didn't fight against what was happening to her, there would be nothing to stop those men from taking advantage of her beautiful young body and, as she saw the cruel lust gleaming from their eyes, Lynn didn't even try to imagine what the black men would do next.
She began to notice scattered groans and sighs throughout the room and, tearing her eyes away from the stage, peered around the salon to the show. To her amazement, she suddenly realized that many of the audience weren't even watching the obscene exhibition, but then, as she squinted harder into the dim light of the smoky room, she realized that something even more shocking was happening off the stage.
On the long leather couches that surrounded the stage, many of the people were kissing and, even more astounding, Lynn could barely see that some of them had removed part or all of their clothing! There was no illumination in the club room except for the weak street-light on the stage but the young blonde was almost certain that she was seeing various members of the audience actually making love, right here in front of everyone else!
Her mouth agape in disbelief, Lynn leaned forward over the table to get a better view of the front of the room and realized that she hadn't been imagining things. Off in one of the darkest corners of the salon, she saw one of the beautiful young women arching over the back of one of the long sofas, her face a mask of lust and excitement as one of the older men – one of the executives! – bent over her chest, his teeth clamped harshly around the tip of one of the woman's bare breasts! It can't be, it just can't be! Lynn repeated over and over in her mind as her eyes searched the room for more evidence of the unbelievable public depravity.
A thin whine of ecstasy rising from somewhere in the front of the salon made Lynn stare harder at the part of the huge couch that was right in front of the center of the stage, and Lynn's hands clutched the edge of the table, her knuckles whitening, as the shock of what she was seeing penetrated her incredulous mind. It was a woman in a bright green satin dress and Lynn could see coppery glints of light reflecting from her elaborately curled hair style. Although the mesmerized blonde couldn't really determine the redhead's age in the indistinct light, she could see that she was a very attractive woman with large full breasts that were joggling madly right now beneath her dress as she bounced up and down on the couch. At first, Lynn had not realized what the woman was doing, but then she noticed the two trousered legs that hung down below the couch and gradually understood that the gorgeous redhead was actually making love to a man that was lying there, straddling him and allowing him to shove his penis inside of her, before the eyes of everyone in the room! The woman's mouth hung loosely open and her head rolled on her shoulders as she pumped madly over the man on the couch, keeping rhythm with the now-primitive beat of the background music.
Lynn's mind could not accept what she was seeing and her gaze darted frantically around the room again as she mentally tried to deny what was obviously going on around her. There was no doubt about it – other couples were locked in lewd embraces, showing by their wanton, writhing motions how the obscene "floor show" was affecting them. Everyone seemed to be losing control over their passions and yet no one else seemed to even notice what was happening in the room. An unmistakable warning bell sounded ominously in Lynn's brain and she knew that she had to get out of this awful place before she too succumbed to the atmosphere of debauchery that made this room feel as electric and dangerous as the inside of a thunder cloud.
As if suddenly inspired by what was occurring all around them, her husband's boss abruptly placed his hand on Lynn's bare leg and began pushing the hem of her dress up toward her panties. He was more than halfway up her thigh before Lynn reacted and dropped a hand to her lap, tugging hard at his wrist to tear it away from her already-tingling flesh. She was afraid that he could sense the powerful erotic sensations that had begun to burn and throb in her loins, and she was too embarrassed by her own weakness to even look at him. The Executive Club was making her unbearably uncomfortable and, in fact, she was beginning to be very afraid. Lynn looked back to the stage for a moment and saw that the brunette girl was now completely naked and, worse, she was spreading her legs apart and pressing her hips forward toward the audience until the down-covered lips between her thighs parted and the pink, moistly glistening furrow between was clearly displayed. Lynn felt a hot flash shoot over her body as she watched one of the Negroes slowly insert a thick black finger into the hot, wet slit, stroking the girl's tiny bud-like clitoris at the same time.
Lynn had never dared to imagine that they would go this far on the stage, and the audience was going even worse things, including McHenry. She struggled unsuccessfully to dislodge his hand from where it had wedged itself between her own tightly-clenched thighs, but then a series of delighted feminine gasps made her look up at the stage again. The tiny innocent blonde cringed back in horror as she saw that one of the black men had dropped his trousers to the floor, revealing an erected penis so gigantic that she imagined it must be at least half-again as large as Ed's, the only one she had ever seen. Something inside her snapped and she knew she had to go home now, before she went entirely to pieces and allowed Ed's boss to have his way with her.
"Mr. McHenry," she whispered weakly, wringing her hands in nervous apprehension as she saw the brunette girl on the stage fondling the monstrous black penis with both hands.
"Mmmmmmm?" George murmured dreamily, not taking his eyes from the stage. She felt him try to work his fingers up closer to the crotch-band of her thin nylon panties and also noticed for the first time that his breathing had become hoarse and heavy.
"Mr. McHenry! Please!" she urgently whispered again, feeling herself become annoyed at this man for taking her to this perverted club and then actually trying to get her to participate in the same disgusting things the rest of the audience was beginning to do.
As if hearing her for the first time, her husband's boss started and looked over at her, tearing his gleaming eyes from the stage with obvious effort. He had heard her speak his name before but had hoped that if he ignored her, she would once again allow herself to become caught up in the excitement around them. Now, he could tell by the expression on her face that he hadn't much chance of getting at the lush young body tonight and his crafty mind immediately began to work out another plan to get to this innocent young wife of his top junior executive.
As she saw the cool, calculating look in his eyes, Lynn suddenly remembered the thinly-veiled proposition he had made to her while they were dancing and the possible consequences to Ed if she angrily berated him for what he had been trying to do under her dress. Desperately trying to restrain her indignation, Lynn forced herself to smile sweetly at the paunchy, balding man.
Though earlier in the evening, she had started to think that she might enjoy McHenry's company, she now saw him for the repulsive, sex-hungry monster he was and she wanted nothing more than to get away from him and the Executive Club and all the depraved men and women who were here tonight. She almost felt like crying from the shame and humiliation of this terrible evening, but she knew that she still had to be nice to this man. Lynn was certain that her husband, ambitious as he was, would still want to put his boss in his place when she told him about what McHenry had tried to do to her. So for now, she was resolved to be sweet and not let the man know how insulted she really was. Later, she could cry on Ed's shoulder, she consoled herself, and Ed would take care of his boss tomorrow!
"Please, if you don't mind, I would really like to go home," Lynn whispered apologetically to the man beside her. "I have a… an upset stomach. I'm afraid I'm not used to drinking so much, Mr. McHenry."
"All right, Lynn. If you really want to leave…" he said, but without disappointment. This snotty little blonde was going to take more work than he'd planned on, but McHenry already had the beginnings of a scheme that would give both him and Marian a lot more fun in the long run, and be somewhat more interesting besides. "I must apologize for the show, my dear," he went on evenly. "The regular show is quite a bit more unusual, but that's only presented on weekends. Maybe we could arrange for you and Ed to come and see it sometime…"
"Yes, yes, fine!" Lynn hurriedly agreed, willing to consent to almost anything at the moment in order to escape from this terrible place. Then, realizing that she might have sounded suspiciously anxious, she smiled self-consciously and added, "Please, forgive me if I'm being rude. It's just that I almost never drink anything stronger than ginger ale."
"Of course, my dear, I understand. It happens to the best of us," George sympathized in a fatherly way, taking the opportunity to pat her knee. "Don't worry your pretty head about it. I'm certain we'll find another chance to continue our discussion about Ed's future in the corporation."
The ungentlemanly leer that accompanied McHenry's statement made Lynn's irritation with him flare up again, but she managed to hold it in check. She knew now that both she and Ed would have to be very cautious if they wanted to preserve his chances for that promotion without simply handing her body over to McHenry. She wished that she hadn't drunk so much, so that she would have known better than to have sat through as much of that lewd performance, but at least she knew now what kind of place the Executive Club was and what kind of vile beast Ed's superior was, a man who would trade upon a woman's loyalty to her husband just to get her into a bed with him. She was completely revolted by what had happened tonight and she knew that Ed would be too, when she told him. Ed would know what to do with this man, even if it meant looking for a job with another company.
Not wanting to postpone leaving any longer, the tiny curvaceous blonde quickly rose from the table and walked out of the salon, without waiting for McHenry to follow. She hurried into the anteroom where the doorman was still standing by the entranceway. Lynn started to smile sympathetically at the man, imagining how degraded the man must feel after working for all these perverted and depraved people, but then she noticed that, though he was looking straight at her, he had no idea of the expression on her face. Instead, his beady eyes were blatantly tracing the contours of her ripe, well-rounded body under the clinging black dress she wore. Blushing furiously at the man's insolent inspection of her generously curved form, Lynn frantically searched the room for the door to the coat closet, planning to leave with or without George McHenry, but the dark blue plush on the walls camouflaged the edges of the cloak room, wherever it was. After enduring the doorman's penetrating surveyance for another humiliating minute, she turned to face him again, her blue eyes dark with anger.
"Would you mind terribly getting my coat, please!" she snapped impatiently, wondering what McHenry was doing all this time. The short, hefty doorman completely ignored her angry demand, however, and continued to lounge by the front door, completely motionless, except for his gleaming eyes which were measuring every part of her lush, young body.
The doorman knew why Mr. McHenry brought these young girls to the club and, no matter what he said about the girls becoming members when their husbands got promoted, Bert had never seen any of the girls more than one or two times, and he never saw their husbands at all. So, he couldn't see any good reason to jump just because this one snapped her fingers. Chances are, she would never come back again and besides, it was more fun just looking at her. He always had enjoyed Mr. McHenry's taste in women.
Mortified and incensed by the doorman's obliviousness to anything but her body, Lynn was just about to walk out of the club and travel the short distance to her home without her coat when McHenry appeared in the doorway to the salon, accompanied by a tall, strikingly-beautiful woman who looked about forty years old. Lynn thought she might have seen her before, at one of the company cocktail parties, and while McHenry and the woman had their heads bent together in whispered conversation, Lynn had the opportunity to study her more closely. At first, the petite blonde admired the masses of gleaming auburn hair piled elegantly on the woman's head and her long, slinky gown of shiny emerald green satin, but then suddenly, Lynn remembered where she had seen the redhead before – she was the very same woman who had apparently been making love astride some unknown man only a few minutes ago, right in front of everyone in the club! Repulsed by even the nearness of such a loose woman, Lynn turned away, cynically thinking that George McHenry was probably making a date with his companion for later on that evening.
Curious about what sort of person would act so wanton and uninhibited before a group of virtual strangers – for she was certain that the redhead had no real connection with the Executive Club – Lynn glanced back to steal another look at the woman. At that moment, the statuesque beauty looked up and her green eyes locked for a moment with the gaze of the small lovely blonde who stood only a few yards away. The strange woman stared at her with a look so cool and dispassionate, yet so penetrating, that Lynn almost felt like she was in a doctor's office being examined for some disease. But, before she could become annoyed at the redhead's interest in her face and figure, Lynn realized that she had turned back to her conversation with McHenry. Lynn saw her smile and nod approvingly at something the man said before she disappeared back into the darkened salon where the staged drama was still in progress.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting, my dear," McHenry said as he hurried toward her. "I just wanted to have a little chat with my wife before I left. I would have introduced you two, but Marian was in quite a hurry to get back and see the rest of the floor show. She seems to be enjoying it a little more than you did, but then Marian always was a very enthusiastic woman."
"Your w-wife?" Lynn stammered feebly, wondering if the woman had seen her and McHenry dancing right before the show, when he had been so obscenely grinding his body against hers. Then, just as quickly, Lynn remembered that Ed's boss must have seen his wife making love to that other man; she was right in front of the stage and it would have been impossible to miss her. Despite the disgust she had felt toward him earlier, Lynn experienced a momentary twinge of pity for the man for having to witness such a terrible sight. "I… I didn't know she was here… Is there anything?… I mean, why didn't your wife come and sit with us tonight? I would like to meet her."
"Oh, don't worry, you'll meet her. As a matter of fact, she mentioned something about our getting together very soon with you and Ed… something about hoping that Ed's as attractive as you are…" McHenry was unable to hold back a grin at the shocked expression on her pretty face, and he mischievously added, "Marian's really very friendly. She just wanted to get back to her friends."
"Oh, yeah," Lynn said vacantly, forgetting her manners in the strangeness of the whole situation. He didn't even seem upset by what his wife had done and Mrs. McHenry hadn't looked jealous at all, even though she must have suspected her husband's intentions toward his young guest. The whole thing was just too crazy for her to comprehend it, Lynn finally decided, and she would just have to talk to Ed about it when she arrived home.
"Well, shall we go, my dear?" McHenry said, breaking into her thoughts. She looked up and saw that he already wore his heavy overcoat and had moved closer to the door.
"But my coat!"
"It's right behind you," George said with a chuckle. "Our Bert never lets anyone get a chance to ask for anything around here. In fact, he sometimes hands me my coat before I think I'm ready to leave. He always knows when I've had enough."
Lynn looked over her shoulder and saw with amazement that the doorman was standing behind her, holding her coat open for her to slip into, a wide, salacious grin etched on his pudgy features. Was this the same man who couldn't be bothered to find her coat when she asked him? the blonde wondered to herself, annoyed that the doorman had very clearly showed her the lack of status she, a nonmember, had around the Executive Club.
Lynn slid her arms into the coat and pulled it up onto her slim shoulders, coldly shrugging away the doorman's attempts to help her. Without even pausing to button it up against the bitter weather outside, the tiny housewife stalked away toward the door, tossing a deliberately icy "Thank you so much, Bert," back over her shoulder.
"Oh, don't mention it, madam," the cockily grinning doorman shot back, his voice smooth as oil. "It will be a pleasure serving you when you and your husband are regular members. I hope we see you again soon."
Lynn fumed silently at the sarcastic sound of the man's voice and she silently swore, as she passed through the door McHenry held open for her, that she would never enter this place again unless she had Ed to protect her. And she was pretty certain that, once she told him about what had happened, Ed wouldn't want to go here either, no matter how important it was to his career. Not all executives wanted wives like Marian McHenry!