JAMESMichael, raising a finger to his lips, stands to rummage in the drawer for a moment, then takes out a small vibe. Holding it close to her ear, he turns it on, upping the power a couple of times, letting her hear the rising whine. Touching the tip, just barely, to her skin, he slips it across her cheek and over her lips, then slides it back to the nape of her neck and down. Tracing the outline of her spine, he follows the curve of her back, diverting for an instant around her bound wrists, lying between the twinned dimples at the base, and south.My fingers are slick, and the air laced with the tang of her growing excitement. Michael raises a questioning eyebrow and I withdraw my thumb which he replaces with the vibe. She rocks against me, wailing, but he pushes it home, twisting the base to turn up the power as he does so.Smiling as he stands back, he surveys her. I pull away too, leaving her unsupported, rocking and swaying as she tries to remain upright.Offering me hi

MICHAELCharlotte's wearing loose joggers and a vest and moves like a cat. Normally I admire her movement. While Beth sashays, Charlotte strides, moving with a fluid grace that says 'Damn the world. This is what I am'. Her pony-tail swings behind with her movement, emphasising her long lovely neck.But right now, it occurs to me that her expression is predatory."I'll put some mats down," I say, "then no-one gets hurt.""Fine." There's a glint at her mouth, her teeth showing.I gesture the audience to back off while I lay out a good large area of mats. Charlotte watches me, almost imperceptibly stretching muscles; arms, legs, spine; and winding her head in a circle.She knows I'm going to have to pull my punches....Does she think that rule applies to her too???Why should she have all the fun?"Perhaps," I suggest, "we should start with a demonstration of what can happen when a woman is assaulted. Who's going to volunteer?"Not a man moves, but abruptly, two

JAMESI follow them towards the house, to see Michael looking back........ Checking they're out of sight of the guests...?.... then turn and make a grab for Charlotte. She shrieks as he hauls her in by the waist and slings her over his shoulder."Michael! Charlotte?"He turns, his expression somewhere between severity and laughter.... "Madam here has a debt to settle." Then he spins back to march away through the house, Charlotte dangling upside-down and ponytail swinging down his back, Christ, is she alright?He looks like he's really going to lay into her....But as I follow, she looks up to me with a happy little smile and a wriggly wave of the fingers.Michael turns back to me again from the bottom of the stairs. "Hold the fort back there will you. This won't take long."And what can I do but laugh?Thirty seconds later there is a wumph - the kind of noise that might be made by - to take a purely hypothetical example - a body being dumped unceremoniously on

RICHARDMy mouth is dry....Come on man. You're not scared of one little girl....Liar....I suck around my teeth and gums trying, fruitlessly, to work up some saliva, then settle for popping a mint and sucking it for a minute before knocking on the door."Come in."She's there, looking out of the window. It's a view worth looking at, a vast cityscape, over old and new, demolished and rebuilt, my vision and James' for the new City.This isn't the average trainee's office. Charlotte has earned, more than earned her privileges, and I made sure that in our new office building, built after the last one was gutted by fire, that she was given an appropriate working space.She reacts as I enter....Not expected the Boss to drop by...."Hello, Richard. I didn't expect to see you here." She shifts from one foot to the other. "Um, is there something I can do for you?""Hello, Charlotte...."Oh, God... Where to start...?My nerve fails. "You like your new office?""Yes

JAMESThe wee small hours of the morning........ and I lie awake, staring into the darkness.Charlotte lies nestled against me, but from her breathing, I don't think she is asleep either. Beyond her, Michael's breathing is slow and steady.The sleep of the virtuous?Charlotte stirs in my arms. My face close to hers I murmur, "Are you alright?"Her voice is muffled against my chest, but I can hear the tears in her words. "I don't want you to be angry.""I'm not angry with you.""I don't want you to be angry with Michael either. He really did do nothing wrong.""Are you sure of that?""Yes, I'm sure. Richard asked me first. He was so nervous So embarrassed. He said if I was upset or offended to just forget he'd ever said anything. Michael wasn't there. By the time he arrived, I'd already told Richard I was happy with it so long as Michael was too. Master.... at first, he refused. He said all the same things that you did, about having just got married and being faithf