Nathan Brendell was most punctual. He rang her buzzer at precisely five o'clock and smiled down upon her as Karen opened the door. She had forgotten his exact appearance, having met and seen him only the one time, and she guessed that he, too, was refurbishing his memory bank.
"Damn," he said suddenly. "You're even more lovely than I remember you."
She felt her face flushing. "Well… thank you, Mr. Brendell," she managed, then, spun around to pick up her overnight bag. There was little one could ever say to such a compliment.
"Here, let me have that," he said, moving his big frame into the room and taking the bag from her. "All set?"
"Yes, I think so," she said and he stepped out ahead of her to wait while she set the lock and pulled the door secure. She smiled up at him. "Ready."
He took her arm and they walked down the one flight of stairs to the street, while he began to enlighten her on what had happened since she had sent him her manuscript five days before. He helped her into his sports car parked at the curb, and picked up the conversation once he was situated behind the wheel and they moved out into traffic.
"… Mac Dolan, he's senior editor at Brusk-Lowell, was really excited over it, but he was trying not to show me," Nathan Brendell said, his eyes straight ahead on the road. "He was shooting for all rights, which is par for the course, and knew damned well I wasn't going to give them to him." He laughed pleasantly. "Anyway, to make a short story of it, honey, the Plain of Granada will be on their late fall list in time for Christmas, and that's good."
Karen watched him, her hazel eyes expressing her complete jubilation. "I-I still can hardly believe it's true," she said, shaking her head.
Brendell glanced over at her, letting his eyes quickly devour her once more. "Oh, it's true all right, baby… and Monday I'll have the movie-rights end of it straightened out. So… any more questions?"
"Only one… How much money will I get?" Karen questioned, finally getting to the most important point of all and the one particular he had completely overlooked telling her.
"Didn't I say?" He chuckled. "So, now you know how an agent's brain runs… Frankly, I think mine's been too overcome with the luscious sight of you…" Again, he let his eyes drink of her beauty. "How a little doll like you ever wrote such a book is beyond me. I wouldn't take you for the intellectual type… you're… you're constructed for more… more intimate things, if you don't mind my saying so…"
Karen felt the flush in her cheeks once again. "The money, Mr. Brendell…?" She smiled.
"What? Oh… yeah, the money… Well, I figure with movie-rights and all, roughly… upwards of four hundred-thousand, probably half a million…"
"My God! Are you serious?"
"Serious? Of course, I'm serious, and I'm serious about you calling me Nat, too. No more of this Mr. Brendell business." He took his eyes from the road, as they swung onto the freeway, to steal a fleeting glance at her. "I plan that our relationship will be considerably less formal, eh? Don't misunderstand me, honey… it's just part of our way of life in this business."
Karen saw the brief flicker of lechery flash across his face. Momentarily though, she was too overcome by the casual figure he had tossed at her. It was overwhelming… unbelievable! And, then, she again caught the near-licentious gleam and came back to immediate reality. Oddly enough, his underlying meaning hadn't surprised her. In fact, at the back of her mind she had wondered just how long it would be before they reached this point of the game. She had learned much, it seemed, in a short time but she said nothing, purposely ignoring the remark while she toyed with the idea.
He was far from being a repulsive man… a Karl Fletcher, and at least sex with him wouldn't be an abominable perversion such as she had known with Claudia Gray. Since then, there had been no one, and abstinence had certainly peaked her desires more than one night when she lay alone in her bed, but she had long ago learned to control it. Nevertheless, here she stood, the vestal virgin with bowed head, before that long sought after goddess… Success… ready to be anointed and led into the realm of the chosen few… It had been a long, grueling, arduous quest, filled with heartbreaks and disappointments… She didn't intend that anything would deprive her of arriving now… anything at all…
"Hey, are you in some kind of ecstatic coma?" he asked, his voice softening without looking at her, his eyes glued to the heavy lanes of traffic.
"I suppose I am," she replied. "But it's all your fault. You've put me there." She paid particular attention to the white at his temples, his strong chin and the hair on the back of his band as he gripped the small steering wheel. Sex… it was, after all, the hub of everything wasn't it? He gave her a quick look and she smiled warmly. It was then that his band moved over to pat her thigh affectionately.
"You know, I think we're going to get on well, you and I, baby," be said meaningfully. "Make lots of money together… have lots of fun together… What do you think?"
She continued to smile warmly at him and he kept stealing quick glances at her. He was truly a handsome man. "I shouldn't be surprised," she answered softly, almost suggestively… but at the moment she was thankful for the bucket seats.
"Hell…" he said all of a sudden, licking at his lips. "How would you like to stop off somewhere… have a couple of drinks… a little party, maybe?"
Karen felt her breath catch in her throat. Perhaps, she had played it just a bit too easy. She forced a smile, trying not to show her fear or hesitation to his suggestion.
"Should we?" she heard herself say. "I mean, you do have guests you said…"
"Yeah… A whole damn house full, too." For the hundredth time he looked over at her, his eyes beginning to overflow with the lust brimming there. "Okay, baby, we'll wait… let it build… But I'm warning you, you're going to contend with me before the night's out. Otherwise, I'll burst."
Karen swallowed tightly. A mixture of apprehension, and yet, forbidden excitement surged through her, with a measure of inherent revulsion that she quickly put from her. She had only to dwell for seconds upon this new full life unfurling before her to put down any qualms…
"Well?" be said.
Automatically, she reached to him, placing her hand on his arm. "Whatever you say, Nat… darling…"
He stared, then glued his eyes back onto the road. "Goddamn!" he blurted."… And to think, you can write too!"
Nathan Brendell drove into the garage, weaving in and around the maze of parked vehicles, and once inside, hopped out to circle around the car to her. As she alighted, he caught her in his strong arms, pressing her tight to him.
"How the hell I stood this all the way out here, I don't know," he said, and then he kissed her.
The captivation of his masculine dominance quickly put aside any whims Karen might have had of holding him off. His massive arms swept her tight to him and she raised her face to his naturally. His hot mouth engulfed her own and his tongue plunged between her lips, beyond the barrier of her teeth and deep to the point of nearly choking her.
Karen felt his huge hands cup her buttocks as the monstrous bulge in the front of his trousers dug into her belly. She sucked and nibbled at his tongue automatically, not at all repelled with the idea.
"God… I want to fuck you!" he hissed, raising his big face from her own to gape hungrily down at her.
Karen felt a chill of erotic stimulation shock her at the sound of the lewd word and its very meaning as he breathed it into her face. It had been such a long, long time…
"Yes… yes…" she whispered hoarsely.
"Tonight… listen…" he managed licking at his lips as his big hands caressed her buttocks and the protuberance of him pressed into her belly. "There'll be a gathering in the nursery, that's the playroom where Muriel, my wife, shows stag films and anything else that stimulates. It's a swap arrangement, baby, you know… but I just want to be sure if I get tied up businesswise, you wait for me. Understand?"
Karen tried to categorize his rush of words. "A swap arrangement?… You mean couples swap mates?"
"Exactly."
"I've heard about it… but…"
"Never mind any of it. You just wait for me, you hear?"
"Yes, Nat… Whatever you say."
He clutched her to him. "You luscious little bitch!" he gasped, and once more his hands went over her before they straightened themselves and entered the house.
There were perhaps some thirty guests milling about the splendid house when Brendell placed Karen in Muriel's care and the attractive woman showed her about, introducing her as the brilliant new young novelist her husband had discovered. Karen had also caught the twinkling expression of understanding that had passed between husband and wife when Nathan had presented her to the former movie actress, and frankly, she hadn't known whether to smile or cringe. However, Muriel had quickly put her at ease once Nathan had left them to make a few business phone calls.
"One thing about my husband," the British beauty said, "he always brightens up the atmosphere with his choice of girlfriends." She was smiling warmly and not at all cattishly, as Karen might have expected. "You are a breathtakingly lovely girl, Karen. I do hope you won't turn his head too far from me… and for too long. Really, you know, we love each other a great deal, but we like to think we're rather broadminded about one another's extracurricular activities. We think it's the secret to perfect marital bliss… don't you agree, dear?"
"Well… I-I really can't say," Karen stammered, not a little bit jolted by the woman's casual philosophy regarding infidelity… especially, her own husband's. Yet, at the same time, she quickly assumed that Muriel Brendell had her playmates also…
"You're not married, dear?"
"No… I'm divorced," said Karen. "But please don't get the wrong idea, Mrs. Brendell. I'm not after your husband…"
"Of course you're not, darling," Muriel put in quickly. "I hope I haven't given you the jealous wife impression," she added, reaching out to take Karen's hand with a sincere warmth. "Good heavens, anything but that… Look around you, my dear… This beautiful new home… it's Nathan's memento to me, and our life together…"
"It's absolutely… magnificent," Karen said, glancing about her. "I'm in love with it."
"Everyone is… and you know who built it?" Muriel said, her dark eyes dancing excitedly. "My lover… So you see how ultra modern we are, darling, my Nat and me? We've truly found the secret… but enough of this. Let me show you around and introduce you to everyone…"
Karen had sipped her way through two martinis while Muriel conducted her through her luxuriously modern home. The third drink Muriel made for them at the cozy little well-stocked bar in the nursery. It was a large, yet intimate, room of soft dark hues, indirect lighting and expensive carpeting. The erotic pictures, statuary and symbols adorning the walls and tables brought a flush to Karen's cheeks, and the suggestive looking couches and chairs left little doubt of the room's main purpose. She was thankful that Nathan had mentioned its existence earlier; it had helped soften the shocking impact.
"You like?" Muriel asked, smiling.
"It's unusual, to say the least," Karen replied, gaping at a series of paintings showing a couple in various positions enjoying sex.
"Those are by Mihael Zichy, the Hungarian painter," Muriel enlightened her. "And that is a Pierre Klossowski," she pointed; "Some erotic Japanese, artist unknown… those are from the Marquis de Sade's works… rather enticing, aren't they?"
Karen could only stare. She had never seen anything like them.
"They cost Nat a fortune, and of course there's no way of insuring them. But you see, only selected and intimate friends get into this room… and now, you're among them, darling," Muriel said, smiling meaningfully. "Well, shall we go down and join the others?"
Karen took up her drink and accompanied hr hostess to the main living room where most of the guests were gathered, endeavoring with considerable difficulty to accept what she had witnessed so far with a woman-of-the-world attitude. She hoped her prudishness wasn't showing through. But God, she had never dreamed such things…
A voice caused her to stop short in her thoughts. Its particular male timbre sent an emotional sensation rippling up her spine. Then, he laughed and she swung around to see him standing there.
"What is it, dear?" Muriel Brendell questioned anxiously as her beautiful young guest suddenly paled before her.
"My God!" Karen exclaimed. "It is Jeff!"
Muriel stared at her. "Why yes, darling… Jeff Lewis… do you know him?"
"Know him…? He's my ex-husband!"