Dark Obsession (26 page)

‘You’ve got ten minutes starting from now,’ said Tania.

‘Are we allowed to touch?’ asked one woman.

‘Only if you need to re-arouse,’ explained Tania. ‘The actual judging has to be done using your eyes only.’

Annabel turned to Amanda, ready to commiserate with her, but to her astonishment the other girl had already walked over to the sheeting and begun writing on her paper.

Annabel walked up and down the line, studying the phalluses with increasing interest. It was easy to pick out Lord Corbett-Wynne; his massive erection, thick and dark with the throbbing veins, brought back vivid memories of the scene she’d witnessed in his bedroom and she quickly noted his letter against his name on the paper.

The man next to him had a far less impressive erection; it was short and slim and already starting to droop. Remembering Tania’s words, Annabel reached out and ran the tip of her fingernails along the underside. Immediately it sprang upright again and she heard a quick intake of breath from behind the sheeting. A feeling of power swept over her, and she couldn’t resist one final touch before moving on. As her encircling fingers gripped the unknown man just beneath the rim of his glans a drop of fluid appeared in the opening and she knew that if she was allowed to continue he would quickly reach orgasm.

‘Move on, Annabel,’ said Tania, trying to suppress her amusement. ‘Either you recognise him by now or you don’t!’

Annabel smiled and reluctantly released the man, who gave another sigh, but this time of relief. She had no idea who he was, and didn’t really care, but his helplessness and her position of power had aroused her even more and she longed for the moment when she joined the others upstairs.

Next in line was Crispian. There was no mistaking his
long
, circumcised penis which, although not thick, was impressive due to its length.

The next two were unknown to her, but she hesitated by the third because, despite never having seen it before, she was convinced that this was Sir Matthew Stevens. The erection was rock hard, standing proudly upright, with the swollen glans a dark purple. It wasn’t as long as Crispian’s, but it was far thicker and Annabel could imagine it inside her, filling her as it moved rhythmically in and out. There was no reason for her to touch it, no hint that re-arousal was needed, but she found it impossible to resist and quickly caressed the swollen sensitive tip between her thumb and first finger. The veins throbbed and the outline of the heavy testicles was clear behind the sheet. Annabel longed to drop to her knees and take it in her mouth, to lick and suck at it until Matthew was driven to the edge of ecstasy, but behind her another woman was trying to push her away and she realised that she was holding everyone up. Quickly she scribbled the letter against Matthew’s name, then wandered down to the end of the line and back again. She made a haphazard guess as to which one might be Luke before finally handing her paper over to Tania, who glanced at it and smiled.

‘Was Sir Matthew a good guess or have you had a private viewing already?’ she enquired.

‘A good guess,’ responded Annabel.

‘Well, you won’t win the prize but I’m sure you’re more interested in what comes later anyway.’

‘I can’t wait,’ Annabel assured her.

‘You’re not nervous?’ queried Tania.

‘Only that it might be cancelled!’

‘You know, I’m beginning to understand why Crispian’s so taken with you,’ Tania murmured, turning away to take a paper from another woman. ‘I think you might be rather a dangerous opponent.’

‘We’re not after the same prize,’ retorted Annabel.

‘Just the same, I’d hate to think Crispian would have chosen you if you’d been interested.’

‘I think Amanda’s the only competition you have to face,’ said Annabel, losing interest in the conversation.

‘Amanda doesn’t worry me,’ said Tania beneath her breath, her eyes cold as she watched Annabel walking away. ‘But you do. I shall have to make quite sure that before tonight’s over Crispian understands that I’m the only woman who’ll ever keep him totally satisfied.

Finally all the papers were in and the women left the room again while the men got dressed and Tania checked the papers. When she called them back to announce the winner she had a strange expression in her eyes, an expression that Annabel couldn’t quite analyse. The men were all sitting round the table again, chatting and joking as they drank the port. They only fell quiet when Tania tapped on the table for silence.

‘I’m sure you’re all anxious to know who the winning lady is,’ she said slowly. There were shouted suggestions, names that meant nothing to Annabel, and Crispian and Luke continued whispering together despite Tania’s glare.

‘The winner,’ she said loudly, ‘and the only lady to correctly identify every single gentleman in the room, is Amanda.’

Annabel couldn’t believe that she’d heard Tania correctly, but when she looked at the men she saw that they were all averting their eyes from each other and there was a lot of throat clearing and low muttering from the older guests.

‘She couldn’t have known everyone!’ exclaimed Crispian, who looked totally shell-shocked.

Annabel turned to look at Amanda, who was slightly pink in the face but otherwise looked exactly the same innocent, out-of-place girl she’d looked earlier. ‘I was lucky,’ she said in an apologetic manner. ‘I made inspired guesses a lot of the time.’

‘You might think things should be done in private but
clearly
you don’t mind variety,’ murmured Annabel, remembering Amanda’s earlier comment.

Amanda’s eyes were guileless. ‘That’s right! All I meant was, what goes on between two people should be done in privacy.’

Tania looked almost as stunned as her stepbrother, and suddenly the light-hearted tone of the game seemed to have died away and there was an air of awkwardness in the room, an awkwardness shared by everyone except Amanda, who smiled happily at Tania.

‘Is there a prize?’ she asked brightly.

‘I can’t think of anything you haven’t had,’ Tania responded.

Before Amanda could think of a reply the men had risen from their seats and were once again mingling with the women so that the moment passed without further embarrassment.

Matthew joined Annabel. ‘Couldn’t you wait?’ he teased softly, one arm going round her waist.

‘I don’t know what you mean!’ she protested in mock-innocence.

‘You broke the rules; you touched when there was no reason.’

‘How do you know it was me?’ challenged Annabel.

‘Let’s just say that I sensed it. After all, how did you know it was me?’

‘Intuition,’ she admitted.

‘It seems we’re well in tune with each other,’ he murmured. ‘How much longer is this damned dinner going to go on?’ he added irritably.

‘I think some of them are leaving,’ said Annabel, noting with relief that the women who’d left with Lady Corbett-Wynne had now returned to reclaim their husbands and were putting on evening wraps over their dresses as they prepared to leave.

She’d expected Marina to look annoyed or disapproving, but surprisingly she seemed quite tranquil, even managing
a
smile for her husband as she stood with her arm through his bidding their guests goodnight. However, as soon as the last guest had gone she removed her arm and the smile faded. ‘I take it the games were a success,’ she said coolly.

Her husband nodded. ‘As usual a great success. It’s a pity you haven’t more sense of fun, my dear. If you’d only learn to loosen up a little you might be surprised at the result.’

A slight smile played about Marina’s mouth. ‘I’m sure you’re right, James. However, your idea of fun and mine are not the same. Did you invite that girl, what’s her name, Sandra? Yes, Sandra, to join you?’

‘A groom?’ Lord Corbett-Wynne looked suitably affronted. ‘Good Lord, no! What would the others have thought?’

‘Much the same as they think now, knowing that you spend every possible spare moment with the grooms, I imagine. Why should it be any different at the dinner table? You’ve never baulked at inviting them into your bedroom, which is after all a more intimate setting.’

Crispian and Tania looked at each other in astonishment as their respective parents argued in front of everyone. ‘What’s got into your mother?’ asked Crispian, turning to Tania in amazement.

She sighed. ‘I think it’s more a question of who!’

Next to Annabel, Sir Matthew Stevens stiffened slightly as he strained to hear the reply. He hoped that the wretched girl wasn’t going to go and name him as her mother’s lover just as he was about to start making love to the deliciously exciting and sensual Annabel.

‘Well, who then?’ hissed Crispian as his father marched out of the room looking thoroughly discomfited while his stepmother also returned to her own part of the Hall, but looking a great deal more cheerful than her husband.

‘She’s having a fling with her riding instructor,’ said Tania.

‘Jerry?’

‘Yes, he seems to be teaching her more than how to mount a horse! Amazing, isn’t it? I find it rather hard to imagine the pair of them together, but obviously opposites do attract.’

Matthew didn’t know whether to be annoyed or relieved to hear who’d replaced him in Marina’s affections. Aware that for him she’d only ever been a challenge, he decided that he should be relieved. She was clearly the kind of woman who needed a man as part of her life rather than simply as a lover, and he had never intended to become deeply involved. He wondered if Jerry was willing to make such a commitment either, but then put the thought aside. It was nothing to do with him, and right now all he wanted was to join Annabel and the others in Crispian’s rooms.

Crispian looked around him. Only Luke, Sheba, Annabel, Matthew and Amanda remained apart from Tania, and that was exactly the way he’d envisaged it, except for the presence of Amanda. However, having seen her win the sheet game earlier he was beginning to think that there must be more to Amanda than met the eye. She might well add a little something to the night’s proceedings, even if it was only the shock of someone taking part in group sex for the first time.

‘Does anyone else want to leave?’ he asked slowly, ‘or shall we go upstairs now?’

Matthew’s arm tightened round Annabel’s waist and she found that she could hardly breathe for nervous excitement. ‘Let’s go up,’ he said, his voice husky.

Tania smiled at him. ‘I hope it will prove worth the wait, Matthew.’

‘I’m sure it will,’ he said lightly. ‘At the very least I’ll find out if all the tales I’ve heard about you are true!’

‘They’re true,’ Tania assured him. ‘What about you, Amanda? Is this really your scene?’

‘I want to stay with Crispian. He chose me, remember?’ Amanda said doggedly.

‘You won’t just be with Crispian,’ Tania pointed out. ‘Everyone joins in the fun at Crispian’s parties.’

Amanda nodded. ‘Of course, I mean that’s what parties are for, isn’t it, to mix?’

‘That’s right,’ said Luke, taking hold of Amanda with one hand and Sheba with the other. ‘And there’s nothing I like more than a party with the right mix of people. Come on, I’m sure this is going to be a night we’ll never forget.’

Matthew gripped Annabel’s left hand tightly in his right. ‘Is that what you think?’ he said quietly.

‘It’s what I hope,’ replied Annabel, and swiftly the party climbed the staircase and made their way along the corridor to Crispian’s rooms.

Chapter Eleven

AT THE DOOR
to his room, Crispian paused. ‘I think we’ll use Annabel’s room,’ he announced. ‘Tania likes the four-poster bed and I like the ceiling!’

‘What’s special about your ceiling?’ asked Matthew, his hand on Annabel’s elbow.

‘It’s got an unusual mural on it,’ she replied, remembering the thrusting bare breasts of the women riders in the colourful hunt scene.

‘Fascinating,’ he murmured.

‘I think I left it in a bit of a mess,’ she protested as they all started to follow Crispian to her room.

‘Don’t worry,’ he said with a slight smile. ‘Luke and I got it ready a few minutes ago.’

‘Ready?’ asked Annabel.

‘Well, you know the kind of things we like to use, Annabel! And don’t worry, we’ve laid in a plentiful supply of little metal rings.’ Annabel felt herself going hot and she trembled beneath Matthew’s hand.

When they entered the room she saw that Crispian had been telling the truth. All her things had been tidied away and the room looked immaculate. The door into the bathroom was open and the glow from the candles around the
basin
and mirrored shelf threw shadows on the rich wood panels, adding a gleam to the copper bath.

‘What a lovely bathroom!’ exclaimed Amanda.

Tania narrowed her eyes. ‘I’m glad you like it; we’re going in there later on.’

‘But …’

Behind them, Luke turned the key in the door and at the sound of the click Amanda’s eyes widened. ‘Did you lock us in?’ she asked anxiously.

‘Of course not, I was simply locking everyone else out!’ drawled Luke. ‘Don’t worry, you can go any time you like. I’ve left the key in the lock, see.’

This seemed to calm Amanda a little, but Annabel was surprised to see that the other girl was moving closer to Crispian, apparently for protection. Of all the men in the room, he was the least likely to come to her aid, she thought, and felt a moment’s pity for her.

‘Right, first of all, you gentlemen have to undress the ladies,’ said Tania, standing in the middle of the room. ‘Annabel, you can go in the alcove by the window, Amanda can stand by one of the posts at the foot of the bed, and Sheba can be in the doorway through to the bathroom. Now, who wants to undress who? Or whom, as the case may be. I’m never certain which is correct. Do you know, Crispian?’

‘No, and I bloody well don’t care,’ he muttered thickly.

‘You do realise we’re a man short,’ said Sheba.

‘Not for long,’ Tania replied. ‘I’ve told one of the footmen to come up and join us as soon as he’s free. He’ll do exactly as he’s told because if he doesn’t he’ll find himself out of a job. He knows me rather too well, if you know what I mean, and my stepfather would never approve. He can mix with the hired help, but he doesn’t expect me to and naturally he’d blame the man!’