Penthouse of pleasure - uncertain desire (German Edition) (20 page)

from: [email protected]

     to: me

Tomorrow, 3 pm at the café in the arts museum.

Google Maps link attached

Can you make it?

Don’t forget to delete your emails

N.

Phew!

I heave a sigh of relief. With all the excitement, I’ve held my breath the whole time. I don’t quite know yet how to manage it, but I must absolutely make it to our meeting.

There’s so much I don’t know yet. If there’s anyone who can tell me more about the three guys and give me some advice, it’s surely someone who’s been in the same situation I find myself in now. I have to somehow lose Marcus for a few hours tomorrow afternoon and meet Nicole.

The Google Maps link reveals that the café is roughly three quarters of an hour from our apartment. If I take my journey there and back by public transport into account and sufficient time for an in-depth chat, I’ll be away for at least three to four hours.

I stare at the email. What will I tell Marcus? He’s bound to be suspicious.

Come on, Kate, think!

Perhaps I could tell him that I have a doctor’s appointment I can’t miss.

I’ve got to think of a plausible lie and deliver it convincingly. Not that easy! But I have to pull it off. I doubt I’ll get a chance like this again.

from: me

     to: [email protected]

Will be there.

K
.

I don’t actually think that one of the guys would snoop around in my emails and I don‘t really understand Nicole’s paranoia, but I still delete the mail.

Then I decide to distract myself a little. A hot bath and some romantic tearjerker would be just right. I always have my best ideas in the tub.

Having all your stuff with you has its advantages, I think when I find a couple of really schmaltzy novels. I select one of them and quietly sneak into the bathroom. I don’t want Marcus to hear me. He might just want to join me. You never know with Marcus.

I let in the water, sit down on the edge of the tub and listen to the bath filling up. I could do with a little relaxation. The day with Marcus has been pretty exhausting.

When the bath is ready, I slip out of my clothes and let myself slide into the water.

Bliss!

“Kate? Are you okay? Where are you?“

Shit I think. Has he already taken care of his business? Must be in the bath much longer than I thought. Sometimes I completely forget the time when I’m relaxing in the water. An hour and a half is nothing without me getting bored. I love the combination of warm water, scented bubble bath and some light reading. I just keep on topping up, so the water doesn’t get cold. My lengthy sessions never failed to grind Andrew’s gears. “Do you have any idea how much it costs to keep on refilling the tub?” he used to gripe and regularly fucked up my relaxation.

I hope Marcus isn’t going to deliver a similar lecture now. He won’t mind about the money, but his inner environmentalist will hardly approve. However, I’m not done yet – I still have to come up with a plausible excuse he will swallow. I’ll simply refuse to come out yet. Ha!

“Kate?” he shouts again.

“I’m in the bath,” I tell him reluctantly.

I hear determined steps approaching and a few seconds later Marcus’s head peeks through the door.

“Is everything alright?” he wants to know.

“I’m fine,” I mumble. “And you? Did you have enough time for yourself?”

“Why do you always have to be so flippant,” he sighs and sits down on the edge of the tub. “I simply don’t like discussing my past. Can’t you understand that?” 

“I can, actually,” I back down. “It’s okay. And thanks for still telling me a bit more about yourself!”

Marcus shrugs. “Let’s just change the subject. I just got a call to inform me that one of my charity projects isn’t going so well. I’m flying to Tunisia tomorrow and I still need some things from my own apartment. That’s why I’ll be sleeping there tonight. Shame about our movie evening. But more than likely I’ll be back as soon as Tuesday. And Alex is expected back on Monday. That means from tomorrow on you’ll be on your own with Liam for a few days. I guess you are happy now!“ He eyes me critically, waiting for my reaction.

But I don’t let him see how glad I am about the news when I quickly dive into the foam.

Excellent! Some problems just solve themselves. Now I’ll have enough time tomorrow to meet Nicole and don’t have to think of an excuse for Marcus.

I’m so delighted, I even manage to ignore his stupid comment:
That means from tomorrow on you’ll be on your own with Liam for a few days. I guess you are happy now!
Could Marcus be jealous of Liam? Or is he just putting on his macho act? I’m better of not knowing. It would get even more complicated if I start analyzing my roomies‘ strange interpersonal relationships.

Snorting, I re-emerge from the water. “Pity you have to leave,” I say, trying to sound as if I mean it.

“Right.” He doesn’t seem convinced. “I’ll be back in a bit to say goodbye.”

Before he walks out of the bathroom, he turns around once more and gazes at me imperviously through slit-like eyes.

Phew, I think. I really have to learn how to control my facial expressions. I hope Marcus didn’t notice how glad I am to spend some time on my own with Liam. Liam is far less demanding than he is. And I’m into having sex with Liam. Sure, I also have fun with Marcus, but it’s less complicated with Liam. And the ideas he has when we’re making love are so imaginative and incredibly erotic.

After Marcus has left the apartment, I put on my sweatpants and a comfortable top and decide to watch TV. It feels strange being alone in this place, but also quite restful. I pour myself a glass of red wine and root around the kitchen for some candy.  The spoils aren’t great. My roomies seem to be extremely diet-conscious. All I find is a bar of dark chocolate in one of the drawers and the spray cream in the fridge. I grab the chocolate and the wine, sit down in front of the TV and channel-surf. One of the stations is showing a rerun of Apartment 23. I love that series. I’m particularly fond of Chloe. Sometimes I’d like to be just as cocky and blatant as she is. But I’d say I’m more like June, her roommate, although I’m definitely not as naive. Those two ladies‘ living arrangements are also pretty special. But not as special as ours. In the episode I’m watching right now, Chloe is snooping through June’s private stuff. 

Which gives me the idea to do a little snooping myself and take a closer look at the guys‘ rooms. Who knows when I’ll get an opportunity like this again.

I drain my glass, put it down and start with Marcus’s room.

I’m reminded of my childhood when I rummaged through my parents‘ closets looking for Christmas presents. I like those butterflies in my stomach and the joyous anticipation of stumbling across something exciting. I was an extremely nosy child and I haven’t changed in that department.  And I’m not really doing anything forbidden, or am I? After our first night together, when I asked Liam if Alex and Marcus also had hidden sextoys in their rooms, he more or less invited me to go see for myself. That’s what I’m doing now. 

Curious, I inspect Marcus’s room. His taste in furnishings is markedly different to Liam’s. Liam is into dark colors and expensive looking furniture. His room is quite elegant, but also a tad somber.

Marcus’s, on the other hand, looks more like a mixture of surfer den, gym and yoga room. There’s no bed. Instead he’s a tatami-mat floor with a mattress in the middle. On the right is a large bookshelf with volumes about yoga, athletics and surfing and some illustrated books about Africa. At the back of the room is some complicated looking exercise equipment. A surfboard is leaning beside the door and the walls are decorated with various photographs of Marcus surfing. No writing desk. Marcus appears to work on the floor. There are some documents and office materials strewn across the mats. If there’s anything interesting hidden in Marcus’s room, it’s presumably in the large white wardrobe.

Eagerly, I open the door and whistle appreciatively through my teeth. As higgledy-piggledy as Marcus’s room might seem, his closet is perfectly organized. Shirts, pants, jackets – everything‘s tidily sorted and accurately folded. All his clothes look casual and sporty. 

As an amateur psychologist I would say that his room reflects his character. Mad into sports, exercise and slightly chaotic, he’s still somehow looking for order in his life.

Unfortunately, I don’t come across anything interesting in his closet. That leaves the drawers. I pull out the top one to reveal neatly folded underwear and socks. The underwear is sexy enough but not all that exciting. I close the drawer again and get busy with the next one.

Ha! What’s that? This looks a lot more promising. The entire drawer is full of toys. Bingo!

I pick up a pink jar and read: ‘Strawberry flavored lubricant’. I unscrew the lid, dip my index finger in the slimy substance and taste it. Not bad!

The label on the next jar says ‘Prolong Delay Gel’. Does it make you last longer? I didn’t even know there was such a thing. “

Way out, I think, pick up a small white box and open it carefully.  What’s that? Peppermint bonbons? I extract a small package insert from the box and read: ‘OraloMint for more intensive oral pleasure’.

Mint bonbons during oral sex? Doesn’t that burn like hell? I’ve never considered using bonbons for that purpose. But who knows. Definitely worth a try. I pull the drawer out a little more. Marcus is pretty well equipped, to give him his due.  Dildos in various sizes and colorful condoms, handcuffs and a blindfold. Sexy! I wouldn’t mind trying some of these things with one of the boys. But there’s nobody here, of course. Pity! 

With a sigh, I tidy everything away again and head for the next room. Let’s see what Alex may be hiding. I’m slowly starting to enjoy myself.

It’s locked! Alex has locked his room. In wise foresight? Maybe he’s scared I’ll snitch one of his compositions. A while ago, when I was briefly inside his room, I spotted a grand piano. Perhaps he works here sometimes. There was no need for him to lock his door; I know about as much about composing as a maybug does about fly-fishing. I can’t even read sheet music.

What a shame. I would have loved to inspect the contents of his closets. Does he also have a selection of toys? And if yes, what kind of toys?

I find it extremely difficult to gage Alex. I haven’t yet spent enough time with him. Our date was very intensive, but definitely too short. Perhaps there will be a chance of getting to know him better next week. I believe I’ll get along just fine with Alex. I like his pleasant and calm manner.

On my way to Liam’s room I quickly glance into the ‘playroom’. But I see nothing apart from the mats on the floor and a few hooks on the walls. Seems that the men bring their toys in ‘as required’.

Oh, Liam, I think, back in his room. I’m holding the shirt he wore when he slept beside me and sniff it. It still smells of him; a mixture of earthy perfume and his own body odor. I love that smell. It’s so incredibly sexy!

I know Liam’s room quite well at this stage, but I haven’t examined his wardrobe and the drawers yet. I catch up with that now.

Liam’s closet is also neatly organized. His taste in clothes, however, is clearly different to Marcus’s style. Liam owns a lot of shirts and suits and not much casual gear. I guess he frequently drives straight to business meetings from here. But the black lacquered nightstand beside his bed makes up for the lack of anything unusual in his closet. Apart from various penis sleeves and diverse feathers I remember from my first time with him, he also has a selection of dildos in different sizes. But where does he keep his electronic gadgets? There must be more. I walk over to his desk and glance over the office papers. Nothing out of the ordinary here either, just some business files. I keep looking.

Ha! There it is. Looks like the door of a built-in wardrobe. It’s painted in the same light gray as the walls. That’s why I must have missed it before. Curious, I push against the door, hoping it has one of those modern trigger mechanisms and it will open. There’s no lock or handle.

I get lucky. The door obliges with a quiet clicking sound.

Surprised, I whistle through my teeth.

Behind the door is a smaller room with shelves piled with various objects.

What the heck is this? It looks like a sex toy depot.

Oh, my God!

I’ve never seen some of the things.

This one here for instance. I study the small, conical object in my hand. Perhaps some kind of anal toy?  I feel a little reassured by the fact that I don’t spot any nasty torture instruments or similar implements. Sure, he has a few sets of handcuffs and ropes, but no whips, nipple clamps or masks.