She didn’t answer while I felt her pushing me into the corset but finally as she stood back and inspected me I saw an expression I recognised in her eyes. It was desire but it was mixed with power and satisfaction.
‘I get it,’ I said quietly. ‘You don’t just like being bound, do you?’
She smiled. ‘You catch on fast, honey. No, I love to play both parts. Not that I get the chance with Carlos. He’d rather have his ass roped to a bucking bronco than be tied up by a woman.’
An interesting thought went through my mind. If Carlos was telling the truth about not wanting me to prostitute myself for him with his ‘contacts’, had he brought me here to be Susie’s plaything? Did he need to keep her sweet from time to time? What about her relationship with Jorge – did he get to be the one in chains from time to time?
I decided it didn’t matter much as Susie placed a tight gold choker on me. It was made up of a dozen thin chains and I wondered if later one of those would be clipped to a wall or even a lead. How far did she go?
Right then she went far enough for the time being as she stroked my pubes below the corset.
‘I guess you’ll have to do without panties, hon, with that high split. Stockings would be a little too vulgar. But a garter would be nice. Just something those boys can see through that split.’
So, that’s how I came to be sitting with Miguel on one side looking down my cleavage and Mr Big on my garter side. I should explain that it was less a garter than a bracelet, expandable like those slave bracelets, thin white metal in a wave-like pattern. Susie had made sure it gripped tight, and had spent some time adjusting it around my leg, her fingers grazing the soft flesh of my inner thigh, close enough to my sex to make me shudder with delight. My only disappointment was that she hadn’t let me dress her. I supposed Carlos had that pleasure.
While I would have been happy lingering over coffee and brandy, though frankly cigar smoke has never rung my bell, Susie suggested we leave the men to it and repair to the sitting room. Although I had to smile and agree politely I cursed her; whatever they were going to discuss now was just what Red and Robbie might be interested in.
‘How long will they be?’ I asked as we settled ourselves on the sofa. I wondered whether I dared make a quick move on Susie while the machinery of bribery and corruption was set in motion, though I guessed she wouldn’t want to risk jeopardising the deal by having three shocked Catholic men finding their two hostesses
in flagrante delicto
.
‘I don’t suppose they’ll be too long, hon,’ she said. ‘Knowing Carlos, he’s researched this thoroughly enough so that all he needs to do is give them sufficient inducements and they’ll be only too happy to help things move along.’
‘What sort of inducements?’ I asked innocently.
Susie touched my bare shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, sweetie. Carlos told me you’d made it clear you weren’t going to be one of them.’ She laughed softly and moved her hand down my throat and on to my breasts. Reaching in gently she scooped one, then the other, out of the small cups of the corset and toyed with my rapidly stiffening nipples.
‘I did just wonder if you’d be averse to putting on a little show with me for our guests, however.’
‘Hang on a minute.’ The mixture of vodka, wine and brandy has never been one of the better cocktails for keeping a clear head. ‘You mean Carlos wants me and you to – Jesus, what? A bloody table-dancing act?’
She giggled. ‘Oh my gosh no. That would be totally tasteless. No, I mean more of a cabaret act, if you see what I mean.’
The penny dropped. ‘Of course I see what you mean,’ I said grimly. ‘Carlos suggested it to me himself. The only thing is, he didn’t tell me there would be more than one in the audience.’
You know what? I was suddenly turned right off. Despite the fact that my body was betraying me, my nipples hard as bullets and my sex heating up and liquefying, my mind said no. It detached itself and suddenly felt crystal clear and sober, considering my plight as though it was someone else’s. It wondered with cool interest whether my body would continue to respond to the mere mechanics of the situation, were I to be persuaded or forced into it somehow, if only to try to get some more information for Red and Robbie.
‘He told me you liked an audience,’ said Susie, moving one hand to the split in my skirt. ‘It wouldn’t be the same for them as it would with just the three of us, of course. Just a little sexy stripping and kissing and fondling, like a soft porn film. Lots of gasps and loud orgasms, you know the kind of thing. Later on we could get into the real thing.’
‘You don’t sound too fazed by this. Is it normally part of your job?’
She let me go and lit a cigarette. ‘Sometimes. Things have to get done and if money’s not enough it doesn’t hurt to smooth the way with a little game. It can be quite enjoyable. I think it will be tonight.’
‘I’m afraid you might be wrong there.’
We looked up at Carlos who was standing in the doorway, smiling faintly at the scene before him. ‘He wants you, Susie,’ he said, nodding in the direction of Mr Big. ‘He’s not interested in watching, and the other guys are definitely not interested in anything but dollars and cents.’
Could be my first instinct about the good Catholic boys was right. I looked at Susie, who didn’t seem too put out.
‘Some you win, some you lose.’ She shrugged. ‘I don’t suppose he’ll be too painful. Apart from his weight.’ Stubbing out her cigarette, she smiled at me. ‘Maybe later?’
Carlos held the door for her. Before following her he looked back at me. ‘Put your clothes in order, Bliss, the other guys are coming in to say goodbye.’
I suddenly felt very small, a little girl playing at spies who’d got out of her depth, an adolescent caught up in a sex game that had turned nasty. Cursing Kip for introducing me to Carlos and cursing Red and Robbie for introducing me to espionage I pushed my tits back in my corset. I felt lost and lonely and I wanted my mum.
With an effort I put on a glitzy smile to air kiss Francisco and Miguel goodnight then sank on to the sofa as Carlos brought in his brandy. I’d gone right off the idea of booze.
He sat opposite me and looked at me coolly. ‘Susie said you weren’t keen on playing ball, Bliss. I thought when I suggested you and she got together with an audience you seemed very enthusiastic. Maria’s still trying to get the stain out of the cushion.’
It stung like a slap in the face, but before I could recover enough to come back at him he carried on.
‘I’m sorry if I don’t know exactly where I stand with you, but you seem to have suddenly moved the goalposts. In view of your delight at being groped and fingerfucked by someone unknown in San Pedro, your obvious relish at exhibitionism with your fellow backpackers and your willingness to be photographed as another woman masturbates you while describing it on tape, it didn’t occur to me that you might object to making out with Susie before a small, exclusive audience.’
His voice hardened. ‘If I had made an offer of that little tableau and you had then refused to go through with it I would have been very embarrassed. I think I’ve given you a fair idea of the importance of this project and even you must realise that it’s not something that’s going to happen without very delicate negotiation.’
Anger seeped out of every pore of him and I felt abject. He was right; I’d almost salivated at the prospect of sex with Susie, especially before an audience. I couldn’t blame him at all for assuming that the bigger the audience, the bigger the thrill. And let’s face it, if I’d not met Red and Robbie and consequently cast him in the role of baddie, I would probably have strutted my stuff with Susie glorying in the appreciation of four men.
Mind you through my contrition I did feel a flash of pride that I’d almost played a more active part in foiling his plans than mere information gathering. However, I felt it would smooth things over if I made an apology.
‘I’m sorry, Carlos. I guess you’re right and I was stupid. I don’t know why I got so uptight about it. Maybe if you’d prepared me earlier. I had just a bit of a shock when Susie said we were expected to put on a show.’
He sighed. ‘Well, no harm done. But I don’t think I’ll be introducing you to any more of my business connections.’
Well done, Bliss, I thought sourly. Mission aborted.
‘Carlos?’ I asked tentatively. ‘How did it come about, him wanting Susie? I mean, you said you didn’t expect me to screw them, so how come she has to?’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘It’s part of her job; I sometimes think it’s the part she enjoys most. And it’s very useful. Powerful men often like to be tied up by whores.’
‘But she’s not a whore, is she? I thought she worked for you.’
‘Oh, Bliss. She does work for me, and in different capacities. Tonight she’s playing the role of whore. So are you, in fact, except that I told them you were a lesbian I’d hired because I enjoyed watching you and Susie screw. If they’d showed any interest in that, I would have offered to let them watch too. Fortunately Raoul just wanted to get his rocks off with a redhead, as he’s never had one before, and Francisco looked horrified by the very idea of women making out together.’
‘What about Miguel? I thought he rather liked me.’
Carlos’s smile was patronising. ‘Oh yes, he did. But he’s married to Raoul’s niece. He would have been allowed to watch if the others wanted to, but of course not to touch. Raoul has a lot of influence. One does not upset him.’
I got the subtext; i.e. I had come close to doing just that. No wonder he was angry.
The clock ticked loudly in the silence.
‘I really am sorry,’ I repeated. ‘Can I make it up to you?’
‘No.’ Carlos got to his feet and held his hand out for me. ‘I mean, there’s no need. As I said, no harm done. Just go to bed, Bliss. I’ll see you in the morning.’
I surprised myself by sleeping well but woke feeling stupid. In one fell swoop I’d blown my chance with Susie, made Carlos angry with me and, what was probably in the great scheme of things most important of all, put him off introducing me to any more of his business connections. Without that I didn’t see that I’d be able to help Red and Robbie much, and wondered whether it would be better if I just packed my bag and headed back to the mainland.
I dreaded getting up, not knowing what reaction I’d get from Carlos and Susie. But when I finally summoned the courage to dress and go out to the pool, where I could hear their voices, I was greeted like their best mate and offered Bucks’ Fizz and croissants.
‘Looks like you’re dressed for going into town already, Bliss,’ said Susie, who wasn’t. Her pale body was still gleaming with water after a swim. To anyone else’s eye she was wearing a perfectly innocent one-piece black swimsuit, with cutouts banded with gold around the high neckline and a chain belt wrapped twice round her slim waist. I knew that innocuous-looking chain could be tightened around her arms and body, or slipped through one of those cutouts to keep her fastened tight to a wall or a post, or led around like a dog. Had I been forgiven enough to join in a game like that, or did she mean they were sending me off to town while they played without me?
‘I didn’t know what the plans were,’ I admitted. ‘Are we all going to town?’
‘Sure thing, hon. Maria’s having a night off and I thought I’d like to make some gumbo for us all so I’m going shopping. Carlos has got a meeting to go, to so if you want to come along with me we’ll all meet up for lunch after. How’s that sound?’
‘Fine.’ I felt better already. It was obviously just going to be the three of us tonight and everyone was being nice to me. The silly child had indeed been forgiven.
Susie’s shopping didn’t take long. The fish market provided nearly all the ingredients for her Louisiana gumbo – ‘Grammy’s recipe’ – and after we’d bought some bread and fruit and cheese we went to a café to while away the time until we were to meet Carlos for lunch.
As much as I was desperate to find out what had happened with Raoul, whether Carlos had discussed me with her, and if they had finished off the night after Raoul had gone, I was chastened enough to wait for her to raise the subject. Not surprisingly, she read my mind.
‘Go ahead, hon, I know you’re just dying to ask me what happened last night.’ She was smiling with barely suppressed amusement.
‘Yeah, well, quite honestly I feel a bit of a fool,’ I explained. ‘I almost expected Carlos to have my bags packed this morning. The best thing I can do is speak when I’m spoken to, I reckon.’
She squeezed my hand. ‘Don’t worry your head about it, darlin’. He was mad last night but mainly because he thought he’d come close to upsetting Señor Delgado. Once it was all just fine he calmed down.’
‘What happened then?’ I shot her a sideways glance but she shook her head.
‘I think he is planning to tell you about that later. And since you’re afraid to ask, the big guy wasn’t too bad.’
‘Did you know I was supposed to be your lesbian hooker plaything?’
Susie laughed delightedly. ‘Do I know? It was my idea. Carlos told me before I came down here that he was going to introduce you as his English cousin, so they wouldn’t get any ideas that you could be part of any deal. But then when he said you wanted a scene with me and you liked an audience but didn’t want anything to do with the guys I came up with the lesbian whore idea. It quite amused me, though I’ll keep my mouth shut in future as it could have got us into trouble.’
‘Oh Christ. So all along Carlos was going to protect me?’
‘Sure, hon.’ Her eyes watched me shrewdly. ‘What kind of guy do you think he is?’
I declined to answer that one directly. ‘But, Susie, you had to put out for Mr Big. What kind of guy expects his assistant to do that?’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘The kind who gets his assistant a profit-sharing deal, and listens to her when she suggests that if money and freebies won’t do the trick, something else might, I guess.’