chairs in front of the television set, which wasn’t on.
She was just sitting there. Well, she probably had a lot to think about, including a massive hangover, which, I reflected, served her right for putting on such a convincing intoxication act.
“I had to chase all over town to find a quickie cleaner,” I said as I hung her suit on the rod in the little dressing alcove off the bathroom. Emerging, I said, “I hope you didn’t feel deserted when you woke up. I thought you needed your sleep. Here.” I tossed a small paper bag into her lap. “They didn’t have anything very close to what you were wearing; apparently black isn’t in, here in Miami. There was nude, beige, suntan, and brown; and petite, medium, and tall. I got you nude medium. Hope I didn’t misjudge your taste or size too badly. How do you feel?”
She was curled up in the chair, wearing only her white slip, quite clean now—I’d seen it hanging over the shower rod when I shaved, earlier, along with her freshly washed blouse. The slip wasn’t as fancy as some lingerie, but it did have a little lacy stuff top and bottom, rather pretty in a discreet way. Her bare shoulders were very nice, but they still showed the fading marks of the whip. I found that the sight made me feel surprisingly sick and angry. I’d seen people who’d been interrogated for real—I’d even participated in a few fairly brutal sessions myself, on both the delivering and receiving ends—so why should I care what this erratic, screwball girl did to herself for fun or let somebody do to her? Hell, she probably had an orgasm with every lash and loved it.
Her hair was pinned up very tidily this morning. She’d obviously shampooed it meticulously with the stuff provided by the hotel management and brushed it carefully. It was soft and shining again; and I’d, probably be finding long, light-brown hairs in my comb and brush for weeks to come. Souvenirs. It occurred to me, belatedly, that she hadn’t spoken a word since I came in. I’d done all the talking.
“Are you all right?” I asked, concerned.
She licked her lips. “I washed out your T-shirt,” she said. “I hung it in the bathroom to dry. Thanks for the loan.” She drew a long, shaky breath. “I can’t believe it was me!” she burst out with sudden desperation. “I’ve never done anything like that before, honest. I must have had… some kind of a breakdown or something, to deliberately go out and make such a dreadful little fool of myself. You must think I’m perfectly awful!”
Well, it was the logical next move. Having showed herself in a very bad light necessarily, to give her a convincing reason for calling on me for assistance, she now had to repair the damage and make me understand that she was really a very attractive person after all.
“Did you get anything to eat?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I couldn’t face it yet. Besides, I didn’t want to call the desk until I’d checked with you.” A little color came into her face. “I mean, I didn’t know if I, well, was really supposed to be in this room with you, if you know what I mean.”
I grinned. “You’re perfectly legal, Miss Barnett, in an illicit sort of way. I changed the reservation to double occupancy this morning, with a significant wink. I hope you don’t mind being a fallen woman.”
But it was no joke to her. She said bitterly, “After the way I spent the last two days I don’t have very far to fall, do I? Mama, why is that nice-looking lady lying in the gutter in her nice clothes? Did… did I really beg you to, well, rape me? Did I really perform a drunken striptease for you and ask you to admire my nude body?”
I shrugged. “Don’t sweat it, Barnett. I’ve seen naked ladies before. In fact, I once even saw another girl who wasn’t quite sober.”
“Having to drag me out of that place looking like
that
, and carry me up here practically paralyzed, and undress me like a baby… How can you ever have any
She was just sitting there. Well, she probably had a lot to think about, including a massive hangover, which, I reflected, served her right for putting on such a convincing intoxication act.
“I had to chase all over town to find a quickie cleaner,” I said as I hung her suit on the rod in the little dressing alcove off the bathroom. Emerging, I said, “I hope you didn’t feel deserted when you woke up. I thought you needed your sleep. Here.” I tossed a small paper bag into her lap. “They didn’t have anything very close to what you were wearing; apparently black isn’t in, here in Miami. There was nude, beige, suntan, and brown; and petite, medium, and tall. I got you nude medium. Hope I didn’t misjudge your taste or size too badly. How do you feel?”
She was curled up in the chair, wearing only her white slip, quite clean now—I’d seen it hanging over the shower rod when I shaved, earlier, along with her freshly washed blouse. The slip wasn’t as fancy as some lingerie, but it did have a little lacy stuff top and bottom, rather pretty in a discreet way. Her bare shoulders were very nice, but they still showed the fading marks of the whip. I found that the sight made me feel surprisingly sick and angry. I’d seen people who’d been interrogated for real—I’d even participated in a few fairly brutal sessions myself, on both the delivering and receiving ends—so why should I care what this erratic, screwball girl did to herself for fun or let somebody do to her? Hell, she probably had an orgasm with every lash and loved it.
Her hair was pinned up very tidily this morning. She’d obviously shampooed it meticulously with the stuff provided by the hotel management and brushed it carefully. It was soft and shining again; and I’d, probably be finding long, light-brown hairs in my comb and brush for weeks to come. Souvenirs. It occurred to me, belatedly, that she hadn’t spoken a word since I came in. I’d done all the talking.
“Are you all right?” I asked, concerned.
She licked her lips. “I washed out your T-shirt,” she said. “I hung it in the bathroom to dry. Thanks for the loan.” She drew a long, shaky breath. “I can’t believe it was me!” she burst out with sudden desperation. “I’ve never done anything like that before, honest. I must have had… some kind of a breakdown or something, to deliberately go out and make such a dreadful little fool of myself. You must think I’m perfectly awful!”
Well, it was the logical next move. Having showed herself in a very bad light necessarily, to give her a convincing reason for calling on me for assistance, she now had to repair the damage and make me understand that she was really a very attractive person after all.
“Did you get anything to eat?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I couldn’t face it yet. Besides, I didn’t want to call the desk until I’d checked with you.” A little color came into her face. “I mean, I didn’t know if I, well, was really supposed to be in this room with you, if you know what I mean.”
I grinned. “You’re perfectly legal, Miss Barnett, in an illicit sort of way. I changed the reservation to double occupancy this morning, with a significant wink. I hope you don’t mind being a fallen woman.”
But it was no joke to her. She said bitterly, “After the way I spent the last two days I don’t have very far to fall, do I? Mama, why is that nice-looking lady lying in the gutter in her nice clothes? Did… did I really beg you to, well, rape me? Did I really perform a drunken striptease for you and ask you to admire my nude body?”
I shrugged. “Don’t sweat it, Barnett. I’ve seen naked ladies before. In fact, I once even saw another girl who wasn’t quite sober.”
“Having to drag me out of that place looking like
that
, and carry me up here practically paralyzed, and undress me like a baby… How can you ever have any
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