Chapter 24: “If you think I am going to leave now, you are much mistaken.”

The Turkish Salon at Hoxton Hall

Journalist Edmund Molloy is attending fellow dinosaur expedition member Lord Hoxton's birthday weekend, at his country house in Hampshire.  He is accompanied by his sweetheart Daisy and Edith, the wife of the expedition leader, Professor Challenor.  To Molloy's chagrin, Daisy's former lover, General Horace Wilkinson is also one of the dozen dinner guests on the Friday evening.  Following dinner the men have removed their clothes and are wearing only silk dressing gowns.  They are awaiting the arrival of the ladies in the Turkish Salon.

The Turkish Salon was like a glittering cave.  Lit by just oil lamps and candles and festooned with drapes, rugs and heaps of cushions, the furniture consisted of canopied low divans and small tables on which sat bottles of Champagne and dishes of dates and Turkish delight.  Next to one table stood a hookah pipe or nargile, as Hoxton called it.  Large green palms were growing in planters at the corner of the room.  I recognised a camel saddle and there were swords and shields on the walls.  A large fire was burning and even the logs for that were held in large brass oriental buckets. Over the chimney piece was a large painting on the wall of naked beauties in the harem. Photographs of naked odilisques were hung upon the walls as well. Hoxton settled into a large pile of cushions, his legs crossed.

“What a marvellous room!” I said, discovering that sitting elegantly in the piles of cushions was not as easy as Hoxton made it look. 

“This is just a small foretaste of what we have tomorrow.  I have had the whole Great Hall decorated in the Turkish manner!” Britten was struggling to sit too and looked as if he was about to fall off his pile of cushions.  Sir Gerald laughed.  

“It is a bit like trying to mount a moving horse from a balcony!  Just shove your backside in horizontally and the cushions will fall around you!” Britten wriggled and was about to topple off to one side when a figure stepped in and caught him by the arm.  It was Sutton, the butler, now wearing a pair of almost transparent diaphanous trousers and an open bolero top under which she was patently wearing nothing whatsoever.  Her wrists and ankles were festooned in bracelets and anklets.  She wore large silver earrings and a silver and turquoise necklace which sat, enticingly, between her large breasts.

“Thank you, Sutton,” said Britten. 

“A pleasure, sir!” she said, making sure he was firmly seated.

“Gosh, you look quite magnificent!” I said to her.  She smiled at me.

“Sutton is responsible for all the girl’s costumes at me birthday parties,” said Hoxton.  “You have not worn anything quite this...revealing before, Sutton, however.”

“I thought the gentlemen might appreciate it and it might get them in the mood for tomorrow!” she answered.

“It certainly gets me in the mood for something!” said the general.

“A little Champagne, I think, Sutton!” said Hoxton.

“Yes, your Lordship,” she said, stepping across to one of the silver tables and pouring six glasses.

“The ladies will be here very shortly!” she said.  As she handed me my drink I tried, and failed, not to look at the expanse of bare skin between the opening edges of her bolero.

“I have to say that me birthday really begins with this Turkish Salon night.  Sitting here like some pasha anticipating the arrival of our lovely guests who are all soft, fragrant and juicy!” said Hoxton.  I really didn’t want to think about him thinking about Daisy in that manner.  We chatted as we waited for the ladies.  Sir Jonty helped Sir Gerald rearrange the four piles of cushions into one ring in the centre of the floor.

“Don’t want to be sat so far apart from the ladies do we?  Need for them to be cuddled up close!” said Crozier.  There was a knock on the door.  My heart leapt.  Was this to be the start of everything?  The beginning of the debauchery?  Or was I guilty of letting my imagination run wild? How would Daisy and Edith behave?  I felt sick in the pit of my stomoach.  Hoxton’s casual buggering of a bound Sarah had shocked me into believing that anything was possible this weekend.

“The ladies have asked that you do not stand, gentlemen,” said Sutton, as she stood in the doorway.  “They do not wish for you to be distracted from appreciating their appearance!”

“Wonderful!” said Britten.  “I will avoid the indignity of toppling off the cushions onto the floor!”

The ladies entered, led by Lady Caroline.  I was surprised, as although I was expecting them in their underthings I had not anticipated them to dispense with their drawers, leaving them wearing just chemises and stockings.  All, apart from Lady Caroline, had their hair down as well.

“Elizabeth!” said Sir Jonty!

“Hello Daddy!” said the stunning girl, who had her reddish-blonde hair in a long pigtail.  “I arrived just in time to take my clothes off!  What good timing!”

“I’m sorry, ladies, but I must stand for our new guest!” said Hoxton. We all stood and I pulled Britten up.

“Thanks old chap!” he said, as Sir Jonty introduced his daughter to the men.

“You haven’t seen Elizabeth for a number of years, have you James?” asked Sir Jonty.

“Indeed not!  Last time I saw her she was nothing like as...”  Hoxton seemed as beguiled as the rest of us.

“Pluckable?” offered Sir Jonty.

“Of course, I wouldn’t even think of such a thing!” grinned Hoxton, patently thinking of such a thing.

“I enjoy a good pluck, Lord Hoxton!” said Elizabeth, giving him a cock-hardening smile.  “Mr Molloy, how very nice to see you again!” she said offering me her hand. “Thank you so much for keeping my photograph out of the newspapers.  Lord Ventnor is a very bad man considering such a thing!”  She had a light, girlish voice but a naughty glint in her eye. She did not project the aura of an innocent young maiden.  Elizabeth had remarkable green eyes and a lean, willowy figure. I could see why Hoxton would want such a beauty at his party but I still thought that it was very odd indeed for Smarme to be bringing his daughter to this weekend.  Daisy had obviously thought the same. 

“Surely you aren’t staying for the whole weekend?” Daisy asked Elizabeth, taking hold of my arm.

“Of course I am.  I am hoping for a number of entertaining encounters, Daisy. You are even lovelier in the flesh!”  As she said ‘flesh’ she looked directly at Daisy’s bust, which was straining against the top of her chemise, somewhat. 

“I say!  What a splendid display!” said Sir Gerald.  “Well done ladies!”  They stood before us in a line, dressed in their chemises and stockings alone.

“We had intended to keep our drawers on, at least initially,” said Lady Caroline, “but when we discovered that Edith and Daisy had dispensed with them tonight we all agreed to dispense with them too!”  

“You are all quite gorgeous!” said Britten.  “So soft and feminine! Such lovely legs!”  Indeed there was a very appealing display of stockinged calfs. 

“I like a gentleman who appreciates a fine leg.  So rare!” said Lady Crozier.  She hitched her camisole hem up to reveal the bare skin above her stockings.

“Gosh!” said Britten, clearly conflicted as to whether or not he should be looking at his Chairman’s wife on such display.  “Lovely!   Sorry, Sir Gerald!” he added, hastily.

“I like my wife being admired by a discerning chap!” said Sir Gerald.  “How about you show him some more, Daphne!”  Lady Crozier slowly lifted the hem of her camisole to reveal her slim but surpisingly toned thighs.  She looked directly at Britten and lifted the hem up to just below her belly button, revealing a golden fleece that the Argonauts would happily have quested after.

“Daphne has a particularly bushy display does she not?” asked Lady Caroline.  She reached across and stroked Lady Crozier’s gilded moss while smiling at us.

“Goodness gracious!” said Britten. “Lovely!  Just lovely!”

“Thank you, Mr Britten!  Would you like to stroke it?” asked Lady Crozier, looking down at her golden bush. Britten looked straight at Crozier who nodded, smiling. Britten was so enthusiastic that he actually pulled himself up out of the pile of cushions.

“Now look what you have done Lady Crozier!” I said.  “It took us five minutes to install Britten amongst those cushions!”

“Very funny!” said Britten. He approached Lady Crozier who gave him an encouraging smile. Daisy had moved around the room in order to obtain a better view. “Are you sure...?” he stammered.

“I would not have said so, otherwise, William!” she said. He extended his hand and gently ran the back of his fingers up her moss.  There was complete silence as we watched him.  He ran his fingers back down it, this time using his fingertips.

“Lovely!” he sighed.

“Cup it!” she ordered.  This time he did not hesitate but placed the heel of his palm on her pubic bone and tucked his fingers underneath, against her sex. “Mmm!” she said.  I swallowed, not quite sure what to think about this.  She slipped a hand inside his silk dressing gown.  “You are completely and pleasingly erect, William!” 

“Course he is!” said Sir Gerald.  “He is a proper chap. I confirm your directorship as from this point in time, Britten.  That’s what we want at Crozier Rubber!  Men who will take that leap into the unknown. Not timid men!”  I was sure that Daisy glanced at me. “Well done, Britten!” Britten removed his hand and took a step back.  His dressing gown patently bulging where his manhood was engorged. Shockingly I noticed that Sir Gerald appeared to be in the same state.

“You are a lovely young woman, Lady Crozier.  No wonder Sir Gerald wanted such a prize for his wife!” said Britten, overdoing it a tad, I thought.

“Thank you, William.  Particular thank you for the ‘young’ epithet!   It is much appreciated when in the presence of all these lovely young girls!”

“Now, let us sit down, ladies!” said Lady Caroline.

“Oh no!”  I said, “We will need to get William installed in the cushions again!” I was trying to make a joke as I realised that this intimate tableau, seemingly accepted without demur by the others, had given me another hint at what might be expected in the hours to come.  Should I leave now? Although it was clear that both Hoxton and Sir Gerald would see me as lacking in the adventurous spirit that Agnes had said I did not have. What prevented me from ignominious flight was more the belief that if I left, both Daisy and Edith would stay and then I would have no idea as to what might transpire.  Lady Crozier and Lady Caroline carefully helped Britten back into his pile of cushions.

“I say!  Thank you, ladies! I am sure I will get the hang of them before the end of the evening!” said Britten.

“I am sure we will get the hang of you before the end of the evening, William,” said Lady Crozier, patting the bulge in his lap.

“One might think you are pretending helplessness in order to get yourself assisted by two barely dressed beauties, Britten!  A cunning stratagem I must say!” said the general. ”Good tactical decision!”

“Is there anything we can assist you with, general?” asked Emily, pulling her chemise up to the top of her thighs as she sat down on a cushion next to him, her leg pressed against him.

“I think, young Emily, that you are offering all the assistance I need just by your delightful contact!” he replied, putting his arm around her waist.  I looked at Daisy who was frowning, which annoyed me.  Emily slipped her hand inside the general’s dressing gown.

“Oh my, general!  It seems that no assistance is required here.  You are completely ready for action!” said Emily. I looked at Daisy, who looked even more upset as Emily obviously caressed his manhood, inside his silk gown.  I looked across the space in the middle of the circle of cushions to where Lady Crozer was sitting.  She caught me looking at her and, shockingly, instantly opened her thighs and flashed her groin at me.  I had a quick impression of her shadowed sex before she closed her legs again.  She smiled at me.

“I gather that tomorrow we will all be in Turkish dress!” said Edith, who had also hitched her chemise up to display the bare skin above her black stockings.  She certainly appeared to want to keep up with the younger women.

“I told Daisy and Edith that I would help them select an arousing costume for tomorrow,” said Lady Caroline.

“Do you have any more transparent trousers like Sutton has?” asked Daisy taking a piece of Turkish Delight, which Sutton had offered her on a silver tray.

“I have made several pairs, Miss,” replied Sutton.  They will show off your lovely derriere to great effect!”

Sutton offered me some Turkish delight and as she leant forward her breasts swung down enticingly, barely covered by her sleeveless bolero jacket.  I swallowed. Edith poked me in the side.  

“Edmund does love breasts!” she said.  I blushed, of course but hoped it was too dim for anyone to notice.

“Sutton’s are a work of art!” said Lady Caroline.  “Like mine were twenty years ago!”

“Your mature upper works are still a wonder, Caroline!” said Hoxton.

“You deserve a kiss!” she smiled and planted a big wet one on his lips, although he looked slightly embarrassed by this display.

“This room is just wonderful.  Did you collect all these things yourself?” asked Daisy.

“Yes, mostly. I have a house in Constantinople!” replied Hoxton.

“With a harem!” said Lady Caroline.  “Or so I have been told!”

“You are very welcome to travel there to see for yourself!” said Hoxton.  “You can travel on the Orient-Express, as I do!  Or perhaps on me yacht,from Marseilles.”

“That we must do, girls!” said Lady Caroline.

“I’d love to be a harem girl!” said Emily.  “Lying around all day with other half dressed girls!”

“Naked girls!” said Sarah.

“Naked girls,” said Emily.  “We would lie around indolently on cushions like these.  Eating Turkish delight, taking sherberts, smoking nargile and waiting to be summoned to service our master! Our parts all warm and moist!”

“We would probably masturbate constantly.  Waiting to be summoned!” said Sarah, putting her hand between her legs under her chemise.

“Masturbate is Sarah’s new favourite word,” explained Emily. “She has just discovered it!”

“Not masturbation.  I’ve been doing that for years!” Sarah laughed.  “Since I was ten!  I just didn’t know the proper word for it!”

“You would spend time washing and perfuming each other.  Also you would remove all your body hair.  It is said that many of the girls in the harem formed relationships with each other,” said Hoxton, “possibly because they were responsible for grooming each other’s intimate areas. A large number of women and just one man would lead to great sexual frustration and they would relieve their tensions with each other!”

“So we would lie round naked, eating Turkish Delight, taking sherberts, smoking nargile, masturbating, washing and grooming and having languorous sexual relations with each other?  When can we go?” asked Emily.

“After we return from South America!” laughed Hoxton. 

“I can’t wait!” said Emily.

 “I want to try the nargile now, though!” said Sarah.  Lady Crozier was taking a puff and it was making the distinctive hubble-bubble sound.

“You will not!” said Lady Caroline.  “It has marijuana in it!”

“Only a little,” said Hoxton.  Lady Crozier removed the mouthpiece between her lips and blew smoke out of her mouth, sensuously.

“Not fair!” said Sarah.

“I know!  Why don’t we set up a small harem in here tomorrow!” said Lady Caroline.

“Excellent!” said Hoxton.  “Give the ladies all the assistance they need tomorrow morning,   Sutton.”  Sutton nodded.  I tried not to stare at her cleavage. I looked at her smooth belly with its protruding, knotted naval, so different from Daisy and Edith’s deep, recessed ones.

“You men will be banned and we can prepare ourselves for the evening!!” said Lady Crozier. “We can help you choose and try on your clothes, Daisy and Edith!”

“Sounds lovely!” said Edith.

“Two of the ladies coming from the Babylon Explorer’s Society tomorrow morning are Turkish,” said Hoxton.  “I am sure they can help you choose the right attire!  I hate to disappoint you girls but these days the women of the harem all wear European dress.” 

“That is disappointing.  We can wear whatever we like though, can’t we?” said Sarah.

“Indeed both here and in Constantinople!” said Hoxton.

“We can try on lots of different costumes tomorrow!” said Emily.

“We can wash each other too!” said Elizabeth, looking at Daisy, who smiled at her.

“I have four ladies from my house in Constantinople arriving tomorrow,” said Hoxton  “They are musicians who will play Turkish music tomorrow night.  They can assist you too.  They all speak English or French.”

“What is Turkish music like?” asked Elizabeth.

“Unlike anything you will have heard before,” laughed Hoxton.

“Will there be music for European dancing?” asked Edith.

“Yes, of course. Four of the girls from the Babylon are accomplished musicians.  They will play a selection of Waltzes and polkas,” replied Hoxton.

“Any of us dancing will be quite naked, of course,” said Lady Caroline.  “Although we will wear masks.”

“That sounds intriguing!” said Edith.  “At least you will be able to tell if your gentleman partner likes you!”  The others laughed.  I did not. 

“Do many people dance?” asked Elizabeth.

“Most dance at some point,” said Lady Caroline, “Although to be honest after one or two dances they tend to go off to...”

“Do it?” asked Sarah.

“Amuse themselves in a more intimate way, would be a more ladylike way to say it, dear.” said Lady Caroline.

“Do people find a quiet space or do they tend to...” began Daisy.

“Do it in front of everyone?” asked Sarah.

“Both, Daisy dear.  Although from my recollection, of the only other birthday party I attended here ,two years ago, most go at it with not a care for who is watching!” said Lady Caroline.

“Golly!  What fun!” said Daisy, to my horror.

“We do reduce the level of the lighting considerably as the night progresses,” said Lord Hoxton.  "We have one room with no lighting at all, although you enter that at your peril!"

"Although, people will enter you!" said Lady Caroline.  "For the very brave and libertarian it can be something of a transcendent experience!  Utter sensual depravity with no chance for second thoughts or sense of who you are with!"

"I intend to try it!" said Edith. 

"Me too!" said Daisy, to my horror.

“So, if we are ensconced in our harem tomorrow, what are the gentlemen going to do?” asked Elizabeth.

“Frig themselves in anticipation!” said Emily.

“Masturbate!” sighed Sarah.  "Pumping their hard cocks and thinking about our pussies!"

“Actually, I thought we chaps might ride over to Winchester in the morning and have lunch in town,” said Hoxton. “They do a splendid steak and ale pie on Saturdays and cook has to prepare dinner and needs all the time she can get.  The other girls will be finishing the decorations in the Great Hall.”  

“So do you always decorate the Great Hall for your birthday party?” asked Edith.

“Oh yes,” replied Hoxton.  “A different theme every year.  Last time we had an undersea fantasy.  Mermaids and mermen...”

“How do mermaids fuck?” asked Sarah.  “I have always wondered!” Lady Caroline shook her head in despair.

 “I do apologise for my daughter’s language, Sir Jonty, in front of your lovely daughter!” said Lady Caroline.  

“It is all part of Elizabeth’s education this weekend.  Curse as much as you like!” he replied. 

“Gosh, Daddy!  Really?” said Elizabeth.  “How do mermaids...fuck?” she said, slowly, obviously relishing the forbidden word. She giggled, naughtily.  “How do mermaids fuck?  It is a good question!” 

“If you had been here two years ago you would have found out!” joked Hoxton.

“Do you choose the theme for your birthday yourself, James?” asked Daisy.

“Actually, the girls in me staff do, led by Sutton here!  They are already planning an Ancient Roman theme for next year. They decorate the room themselves, which they enjoy very much.  It takes about a week, although there are months and months of preparation of course.  They say it is like Christmas!” said Hoxton.  “They are now so skilled I shouldn’t wonder that they couldn’t get jobs in set design for the London stage!  Sutton designs the staff’s party costumes and arranges those for the rest of us. She designed this year’s from prints of paintings by French painters such as Gérôme.  They have all been made in Turkey.”

“What will we wear?” asked Britten.

“Long robes or baggy trousers and jackets!  No modern underthings permitted though!” replied Hoxton.

“No underthings for anyone,” added Lady Caroline. “Everything bounces free!”

“Turkish Delight, Sir Gerald?” asked Sarah as Sutton proffered the plate to her.  She was sat right up close to him. 

“Don’t mind if I do!” he said.  “But after you!”

“This is how we have it in the harem!” said Sarah and took the pale pink lump delicately in her fingers, slipped her hand under her chemise and rubbed it in her groin. She then popped it into his mouth,

“Mm, mm!” he said.  “It has a delicious musky piquancy I have not tasted before!”

“Sarah you are either going to marry an aristocrat or be a whore.  I am not sure which!” said Hoxton.

“Maybe both!” said Sarah.

“Like mummy!” said Emily.

“Cheeky little bitches!” said Lady Caroline, laughing.

“Let me take a piece!” said Elizabeth.  Sutton presented the plate and she selected a piece of the sugar dusted confectionary.  She looked straight at me as she parted her thighs and placed her hand under her chemise. “Oh!” she sighed, rubbing it against herself.  She looked at me again and knelt forward, holding the Turkish delight in between her thumb and forefinger and made her way on her knees towards me.  I could see that some wetness had removed much of the white frosting. Daisy grinned at me.  I wish she had frowned, as she had when Emily caressed the general. She was jealous of him, but not me, it seemed.  Just as she approached me she turned to the side and settled in front of her father who was sat next to me.

“Here you are, dear Daddy!” She popped the Turkish delight into Sir Jonty’s mouth.  Edith caught my eye and raised an eyebrow.  “I had to give the first piece to Daddy!” she said to me.  “You can have a taste later!”

“Such a delicious girl!” said Sir Jonty, proudly. “As you will no doubt discover later, Molloy!”  Elizabeth sat down on a cushion again and began to remove her stockings.

“It is warm in here isn’t it?” said Sarah, following suit.  Soon all the ladies were hiking up their chemises and revealing their creamy legs to us.  There was more than one ‘inadvertent’ glimpse of feminine moss during this activity.  Sutton carefully collected the stockings in pairs and said she would take them up to the various bedrooms.

 “It seems to me,” said Daisy, “that we women are all displaying our charms but the gentlemen are rather more covered up.  Equality dictates that this situation should change!” 

“I couldn’t agree more, young Daisy!” said Lady Caroline.  “As hostess it is down to me to take the lead, so now we will instigate the little stratagem we planned earlier!”

“I do think that we should offer our new guests the opportunity to retire at this point.  Things are about to get rather intimate, I suspect!” said Hoxton.

“If you think I am going to leave now, you are much mistaken,” said Daisy.  “I am a game girl and came here for a weekend of carnal pleasure and debauchery!  If the gentlemen are about to get their cocks out I am staying right here!”

“I must agree with my young friend,” chimed in Edith. “The saucier the behaviour the better!”  I looked over at Britten and he showed no sign of moving but that was probably because Emily had sat on his lap, slipped her hand inside his dressing gown and was caressing his chest.  At this point it only seemed to be me having reservations.  I had been quite happy to participate in group activity at the Babylon Exploration Society but, and I hated to admit it, that was with whores.  Here, with independent women who were present of their own volition, I was nervous.  Two of these women I was very close to and the prospect of seeing them engaged intimately with others, particularly as some were friends, was, I admit, of great concern.  Was I worried that they would just discard me like yesterday’s newspaper, if someone better (or wealthier) came along?  I was very conscious of being the least well off amongst the men here.  Was I hoping for and expecting more emotional connection and, dare I say, loyalty from Edith and Daisy?

“Now gentlemen!" said Lady Caroline.  "We are going to blindfold you all!  But first we are going to rearrange you evenly around this circle.  Sir Jonty, why don't you come over here and William, if you can remove my daughter from your lap, why don't you come and sit next to your friend Edmund.” Lady Caroline had sent Sarah out and she had returned with a large cloth bag from which she withdrew half a dozen lengths of thick black cloth.  Lady Caroline made us men sit on the cushions; spread around the room in a circle some ten feet across, all facing inwards.  We were spaced as if at two, four, six, eight, ten and twelve on a clock face. Daisy, I noticed helped the general settle into his cushions with rather more hand to body contact than I felt necessary.  He looked up at her and she smiled at him in a very affectionate way.  My heart pounded in anger.  I looked across at a smiling Elizabeth and smiled back at her.  Two could participate in that game, I thought, angrily. 

“Elizabeth dear would you mind unbinding your hair from that sweet pigtail.  It is important that we all have loose hair for our game!” asked Lady Caroline.  Sarah and Emily helped their mother let her hair down too and soon all seven ladies long locks were cascading down their backs.  The women then set to and blindfolded us, very effectively, I have to say.

“I can’t see a thing!” said Britten,

“Me neither!” said Sir Jonty.

“We are all literally in the dark as to your plans, Caroline!” said Hoxton.

“We worked out what game we were going to play while you took your port,” said Lady Crozier.

“And we had our own port!  Why should it be confined to men?” said Daisy.

“Gentlemen, you will be at our mercy in our game!” said Lady Crozier.

“And what game is that, madam?” asked the general.

“You will soon find out general!” said Lady Crozier. “Right, Daisy my dear! Time to employ your skills!”

“Hands behind yoiur back, Edmund!” she said from behind me.

“Why Daisy?” I asked.

“Do not argue.  Do as you are told or you will be severely punished!” she said.  “Remember what happened to you last time you crossed me!”  I put my hands behind my back and she tied my wrist together in a few seconds.  The binding was tight but not painful.  I sensed her leave and move to the general next to me.  “I might have known you would react in that way to the prospect,” said Daisy, laughing.  What way, I wonderd?  Ther could be only one reaction I could imagine.  How dare he!

“Now, gentlemen all games have rules!” said Lady Caroline who must have stepped into the circle around which we were seated. “They are simple enough.  I will explain while Daisy ties the rest of your hands behind your backs.  “During the game you will not stand up or move from where you are seated.  You will not attempt to free yourself from your bonds. You will not speak.  Gasps of pain or, perhaps, pleasure will be permitted!  Transgressors will be punished!”

“Will we be beaten?” asked the general.

“Nothing that you will enjoy will be given to you as punishment!” said Daisy.

“Right, ladies,” said Lady Caroline.  “We will retire briefly!  Gentlemen we will not be long!”  I sensed them move and leave the room.  The door closed.  We sat in silence for a time.

“They better not be opening any of me Margaux nineteen hundred!” said Hoxton, after a while.  We laughed.  

“Do you know what they are planning, James?” asked Crozier.

“No.  This must be a new idea of theirs,” said Hoxton.  “I have to say it reminds me horribly of when I was taken prisoner by some Afghan women.  That didn’t end well!”

“Oh dear!” said Britten.

“Well I don’t know about you chaps but I’m stiff as a pole!” said the general.  I was not.  We sat there for some five or ten minutes although it felt much longer. Eventually, we heard the door open.  Somebody had come into the room. I sensed them step past me into the centre of the circle.  What was going to happen now?

Deprived of my sight I focussed all my sensory effort into my hearing.  I heard a soft impact upon the rug and knew that a piece of fabric had been dropped.  Was it one of the women’s chemises?  Was she now naked?  Or perhaps it was a skein of rope and more bondage was in prospect.  I thought I detected the sound of the person sitting down. I listened carefully and soon could hear a quiet lapping noise.  A soft, rhythmic, wet sound. As if someone was licking something. Like a cat eating from its bowl. It sounded familiar.  Of course!  I thought back to Daisy that afternoon.  The person was frigging!  I imagined one of the women and I could not tell who, lying openly in the centre of our circle, her hand a blur. I became tumescent at the thought. Her breath became more rapid and after a while there was a quiet ‘hah’ noise.  More a sigh than a vocalisiation.  A woman had just spent right in front of us and we had no idea who.  My mind imagined what all the women would look like frigging, there in the room, although of course, I had no idea of what Lady Crozier and Elizabeth Smarme might look like as, unlike the others, I had not seen them caress themselves intimately. The woman then got up and walked past me; her leg just brushed my shoulder.  I heard the door open and then close. We waited.  I expected one of the other men to break the silence but I heard nothing, apart from the general, on my right, shifting in his cushions. I supposed he was tumescent as well and tried to obliterate the thought from my mind.

The door opened again.  Whoever entered the room must have crossed into the circle next to someone else.  There was the same sound of something soft being dropped on the floor and then something harder being put down with a soft thud. I waited but heard nothing for perhaps half a minute.  Then there was a trickling sound which became stronger.  Someone, I was sure, was pissing in a pot, right in front of us all.  My manhood throbbed as I tried to imagine which woman was squatting before us.  There was a soft ‘mm’ sound from the woman at the end of her micturition but it really was impossible to work out who was who. I heard a creak in the floorboard as she moved to the far side of the circle.  Next, I heard her on another creaking floorboard on my left side, where Britten was sitting. Suddenly I felt a finger brush my lip, horizontally.  I almost jumped out of my skin at this contact.  Her finger was wet.  Instinctively I put out my tongue but her finger had been drawn away.  There was a salty taste on my lips.  Had she just anointed my lips, perhaps all of us, with her piss? I immediately thought that that was something that Edith might do.  Or Sarah.  Surely not Daisy?  I heard the door open and close and the woman was gone.

It was just a few seconds before someone else entered the room.  This time I could sense two women, passing each side of me.  One of them smelt strongly of sexual arousal and, indeed, I was soon regaled by the sound of kissing in the centre of the room.  I could also hear the sounds of hands running over bare skin.  Was it Daisy and Edith? Or Daisy and one of Lady Caroline’s daughters? Not knowing was enticing and my arousal increased at the sounds of the passionate kissing. I heard the general shift on his cushions next to me, again, and tried not to think about the general’s swollen manhood and that manhood plunging between my lovely Daisy’s thighs in the past.

The door opened again, although the other women had not left and I think all the others entered the circle.  The amount of kissing and stroking sounds increased and there were some wet lapping sound, whether of frigging, mutual fingering or gamahuching I could not tell.  I wondered whether I might spend from just the sounds alone and wished I could caress my length. Within a few minutes I sensed the knot of women if front of us breaking up.  I heard sounds all around the room.  I jumped when I felt a hand brush the back of my neck. The invisible bodies ebbed and flowed around us like incoming waves around rocks on a beach. There was a rustle of silk next to me from where the general was seated and then the unmistakable sound of kissing.  As soon as it had started it disappeared again.  Then I heard someone in front of Britten, to my left.  The silence from the women was rather ominous and increased my tension.  From across the circle, in the direction of Sir Jonty Smarme and Sir Gerald, I heard a quiet, masculine groan.

I darted my head about trying to catch any sounds I could.  There was now quite a lot of kissing going on, I thought.  Next to me I started to hear the distinctive sounds of Britten being gamahuched, wetly. Please let it not be Daisy!  I suddenly realised that, perhaps, I too would have my manhood exposed in front of the other ladies.  I had been awaiting this moment with trepidation but at no point did it occur to me that I would not know who I was with.

I jumped as I felt fingers undo the belt of my dressing gown and push it back to expose my naked body.  I felt warm breath on my belly and then upon my chest.  I was kissed on the lips briefly and I felt fingers roaming over my skin. Darting in and out; touching different parts of my body, yet avoiding my intimate areas. The fingers were stroking the inside of both my thighs and then I felt two hands clasping my shoulders, where my dressing gown had been pushed back.  Two women!  Daisy and Edith, I assumed.  My manhood was, of course, still at full tumescence so I was only too aware that any of the women there could see me in my vulnerable, aroused, state, as my phantom lovers teased my body.

The woman in front of me disappeared and the woman behind me stroked my cheeks and reached down to my chest and belly. I felt her long hair hang over my face and then she too was gone. I heard Britten moan and guessed that he must have spent, due to the actions of the woman who had been gamahuching him.  I expected my turn to come shortly but instead I heard the sound of a man, the general I was sure, having his cock massaged rapidly.  This was then replaced by the sound of some liquid sucking and then more rapid hand work. I prayed that it was not Daisy.

I felt a woma sit astride my thigh, her hot wet parts moving up and down my leg.  I leant forward to try to kiss her or otherwise identify her by using my mouth but I was shoved firmly back by a hand to my chest.  There was a sudden swish and I felt a sharp blow on my bare shoulders. I winced and leant back into the cushions.  The woman put her hands around my neck and continued to grind her parts against my leg.  I couldn’t feel the caress of any fabric so I assumed that she was naked.  I did what I did for Edith and tensed my thigh muscles to give her something firmer to push against.  I was rewarded with a kiss.  The woman’s breathing was coming in rapid ‘huffs’.  Was it Edith?  I just could not tell.  She was flowing copiously but then she stood up and left me.  I could feel a rivulet of her juices running down the side of my thigh.  Had she spent?  Was that to be my only interaction?

A loud grunt from my far right sounded like Hoxton. Another pair of lips clamped on to mine and I opened my mouth slightly to receive her probing tongue only to find her spitting something into my mouth.  It didn’t taste like saliva.  Surely it wasn’t...? I spat it out in disgust, feeling the viscous liquid dribbling down my chest. I received another blow across my shoulders and then felt a second tongue on my chest. licking up what I realised, in horror, was another man’s semen.  The owner of the spunk disgorging mouth departed and the woman kissing my chest moved down to my belly.  I felt soft fingers wrap themselves around my manhood.

“Christ!” murmured what sounded like Crozier, from across the room.  Another swish and a grunt, as he was obviously lashed too.  The sting of what I assumed had been the horsewhip had encouraged me not to break any of the women’s rules.  What it must have felt like for poor Sarah I could not imagine, yet she had appeared to thoroughly enjoy the process. Two strokes was more than enough for me.

The soft hand carried on gently moving up and down my throbbing phallus.  I felt two hands on my shoulders, again. Someone else was behind me.  I felt a bracelet on my skin.  Was that Daisy?  Perhaps the other women wore them. I had not looked.  But this bracelet felt like a loose chain not the close fitting flat metal pieces of Daisy’s emerald jewellery. I was firmly pulled down into a horizontal position and someone put other cushions under my shoulders so I was lying horizontally on top of my tied arms, slightly head down. The woman behind me kissed me lightly on the lips. I felt a mouth envelop my knob.  The woman gamahuching me was outside of my right hip, kneeling I imagined.  I was surprised to feel my thighs gently pushed apart and another mouth started to kiss and lick my ballocks.  It was obvious that the women were taking it in turns and, of course, with the arrival of Elizabeth there was one more woman than there were men.  Although I reasoned that Elizabeth was almost certainly not participating, as surely she would not want to see her father in a state of arousal.

My musings were interrupted by the touch of soft skin pressing against both my ears.  A musky smell filled my nostrils and soon a moist damp Venus mound settled upon my face.  The hairy groin was being rubbed up and down my face.  I experimentally extended my tongue and delved between the slippery labia.  The tip of my tongue found the woman’s bud and I knew for certain it wasn’t Daisy.  Neither did it feel like Edith.   I tried to recall the appearance of Lady Caroline’s and her daughters’ parts, as I had drawn them, but this slit seemed tighter and less fleshy.  Was it Lady Crozier?  It was a good thing that her husband could not see me as I attacked her vulva with a will, as she squirmed upon me.  The girl who had been gamahuching me had withdrawn but the other girl kept licking my ballocks, sucking one into her mouth and playing with my length at the same time.  At least I assumed it was one woman and not two again.  I could not hear what else was going on as my ears were clamped between two firm thighs.  I decided that it must be Lady Cozier given the voluminous bush I had my nose pressed into.  Her feminine scent was strong, almost fishy and she tasted like bottled anchovies.  Even as I gamahuched her, I wondered if I had now taken an inexorable libertarian step in sexually attending to a woman whose identity I did not know.  I thought of Sutton’s comment about the men who attended Hoxton’s parties pursuing women as objects not people.  However, I have to say that in this case the lady was slaking her lust, to use Sutton’s evocative phrase, upon me, not I on her, although I was enjoying the musky, salty experience. I was the object!

All of a sudden both women were gone, leaving me with ballocks on the edge of spending, a throbbing cock and a face wet with musky excretions.  I heard sounds of movement and felt myself being pulled back into a seated position once more.  Someone was undoing my bonds.  Were we about to progress to another phase?  I wanted to pull the blindfold from my eyes but dare not risk another blow from the riding crop. The women were withdrawing I could hear, one or two brushing against me as they left the room.

“Gentlemen, you may remove your blindfolds and converse!” said Lady Caroline.  The door closed. We were alone once more.

Chapter 23: "Now that is an exciting hunt indeed!"

The wild boar

Journalist Edmund Molloy is visiting the country house of his fellow dinosaur expedition member, Lord Hoxton.  Increasingly concerned about the debauched activities he has heard about, he discovers that one of his fellow guests at dinner, General Horace Wilkinson, is a former lover of his sweetheart, Daisy

After dinner, Lady Caroline stood up and the other ladies and gentlemen rose.

“Ladies we shall retire to have coffee, attend to our needs and disrobe!  Gentlemen we will see you shortly!”  After the ladies had left, Sutton appeared with port and cigars.  I demurred on the cigars but felt that I needed the port.  I had not drunk much in the way of wine at dinner as I was becoming increasingly nervous of what activities might transpire afterwards. Sutton served Stilton to each of us as Hoxton addressed the men.

“Now that the ladies have left to relax, I just wanted to brief you chaps on the girls from the Babylon who will be arriving tomorrow.  We have nineteen girls. I think, and Madame Nathalie will be accompanying them.  She is also bringing the lady who she thinks might be suitable to run the new branch of the Babylon in Berlin.  A German, I suppose.  She would like our opinion on the woman. We also have several new girls compared with my last party, two years ago.  For example, a delightful Japanese called Hoshimi, who Mr Molloy has had the pleasure of.  How d’ya find her, eh?”  I was taken by surprise by the question as I had been gazing at the painting over the chimney piece.  I was both pleased and concerned that Hoshimi was joining the festivities

“Er.  Ah.  Well.  Goodness." I stammered.  What was I supposed to say?  Enticing?  Sweet but assertive?  Lovely smile?  Or would these men expect something jovially crude?  "She was just wonderful, Lord James!” I said, trying to give an impression of a man of the world who had been on the receiving end of a transcendent sexual experience, which, of course, I had. At that point I looked up and caught Sutton’s eye.  She raised one eyebrow at me and made me feel guilty and ashamed.  What was I doing trying to mix with this group of much more sophisticated and experienced men?  I was completely out of my depth.

“Haven’t had the pleasure, meself, but I hear good things!” said Hoxton. "A tad quiet, perhaps."

"She has very expressive eyes," I offered.

“I've heard good things as well, although I don’t get down to the Babylon as often as I would like these days!” said Sir Gerald.

“Next we have a new Spanish girl, Carmen, almost inevitably," continued Hoxton.  "Very enthusiastic.  A screamer!” said Hoxton.

“Sounds like one for Lord Ventnor, your publisher, Molloy.” said Sir Gerald.  “He does like them vocal!”  I didn’t need reminding that Lord Ventnor would be attending.  My heart sank. I was relived to see that Sutton had left the dining room, closing the door quietly behind her.

"There is a new Italian girl called Gina," added Hoxton.

"Ah, I have had her!" said the general.  "Remarkable gamahuching technique.  Soft, gushingly wet and a tongue that goes at it like a basket full of cobras!   Do you enjoy being sucked. Molloy?  Course you must with young Daisy!"  I clenched my fists under the table.  He was deliberately taunting me.  Hoxton frowned at him.

"Yes, of course." I replied.  "She was performing on me only just before dinner."  Hoxton grinned and gave me a slight nod.  Yes, general, I thought.  She is with me not you, now, you odious man.

“Finally, we have the new Turkish twins.  Molloy and Britten have heard about them,” said Hoxton.

“News to me but sounds enticing!” said Sir Jonty.  “Do you think they like being tied up?”

“I am sure that that can be arranged,” said Hoxton.

“We should get your Daisy to do it!” said the General to me.  “An absolute wizard at binding people!  Learnt it from her uncle who was a navy man!  She tied you up, yet, Molloy?”

“Er, yes, actually!” I admitted, although the memory was not exactly a happy one.  I really didn’t want to learn any details of Daisy’s adventures with General Wilkinson.  Bound or not.

“Splendid!” said the general.  

“Nothing like being bound and used by a strong woman once in a while!” said Hoxton.  “Finest feeling on earth!  Apart from hunting wild boar in Sicily!” 

"Wasn't that where you hunted the Contessa di Spagno?" asked Sir Gerald.

"Indeed so! That was fun and games!" said Hoxton.

"Hunted the Contessa or hunted with the Contessa?" asked Britten.

"Ha Ha!.  Hunted the Contessa!" said Hoxton.  

"I think you need to tell the tale!" said the general.

"I will.  But not without some more port.  You greedy buggers have drunk the whole decanter!"  He rang the bell on the table and Sutton appeared once more.

"Have you got another bottle of port decanted, Sutton?"

"Of course, my lord.  I will bring it immediately!"

"Oh and find some writing paper and a pencil.  Mr Molloy can take notes!"  She nodded and left.  "Now don't think I am treating young Molloy here like a clerk!  He is very much an honoured guest but he is going to be writing up me sexual memoirs!  We will have them published by Johnny Dupont!"

"It will be a bally long book!" said Sir Gerald.

"I envisage many volumes!" said Hoxton, steepling his fingers and looking at the ceiling.

"Like Casanova!" I added.

"Indeed!  Casanova!  That's it exactly!" laughed Hoxton.  "Thought you could jot this one down as a sort of test version!"

"We could circulate it to the members of the Babylon!" said Sir Gerald.

"Do you have a newsletter or magazine?" I asked.

"No, we don't!" replied Sir Gerald.

"Gerald owns one quarter of the Babylon Exploration Society," explained Hoxton.

"It might be worth considering as a service to the members.  You could have news for them, such as new girls joining, for example. Perhaps an in depth profile of a different girl each issue.  What she likes..."

"What her specialties are," added Sir Jonty. 

"Exactly.  Perhaps highlight particular things on the menu," I added.  The others laughed and I remembered the 'menu' of girls from my first visit to the Society.   "New wines in the cellar, perhaps.  Have an erotic story or poem.  Now if you could afford illustrations..."

"I say that is a cracking idea!" said Sir Gerald.  "Just what we need!  A newspaperman behind it.  How would you like to be its editor, eh?  You can write some of these pieces!"

"I could indeed!" I said, wondering if they would pay me.

"Molloy is an excellent artist of the female nude!  He can do some drawings!" said Hoxton.

"I brought my drawing things this weekend!" I said.

"Perfect!" said Hoxton.  "You can be our roving artist.  Smaile, the photographer, cannot take pictures in the dark but you can do drawings of copulating couples in diminished light, I would imagine!"

"I am sure I could!" I said,  wondering whether I could.  I knew I could manage it technically but could I sit there and dispassionately record a couple in the throes of passion?

"Excellent!  An illustrated magazine!" said Sir Jonty.

"Let's do it properly and have some photographs too.  Smaile can do 'em!" said Hoxton.  "Dupont will know where we can get it printed in France!  This is a capital idea, Molloy!"

"You are not a member yet, are you, Molloy?" asked Sir Gerald.

"No, Sir Gerald!" I said.

"Well, who will propose young Molloy for membership!" asked Sir Gerald.

"I will!" said Hoxton,

And I will second him!" said Britten.

"Right!  We'll sort the paperwork out in London!" said Sir Gerald.  "Welcome to the Babylon Exploration Society, Molloy.  All here are now members!"   The others gave me a round of applause.

"But the membership fees?" I said.  I had no idea what the fees would be but I suspected they would be substantial.

"I think the editor of our magazine gets free membership, don't you, Gerald?" said Hoxton.

"I am certain that is right.  Along with a fee for each piece and drawing too.  I gather you know Smaile so you can discuss his fee with him." said Sir Gerald.  I was sure Smaile would be delighted. 

"He still has to pay for the girls' services, though," said the general.

"Of course," I replied.  "Not that I really need them now!"  The general scowled.

"It is always useful to cast your net widely, even if you have a treasure to yourself/  You can learn much," said Sir Gerald.

"We'll talk to Smaile tomorrow, when we chat with Johnny Dupont!"  said Hoxton.

"It will be very expensive to get photographs printed in a magazine," I said.  "What would be more affordable is to have a magazine with pen and ink drawings and enclose a separate photograph or two, like French postcards.  Then you can obtain the best quality!  People will collect them!"  I added, thinking of the dinosaur pictures we published in the Courier.  "Mr Smaile has contacts in the saucy French postcard publishing industry."

"In Paris you get sets of six or eight!" said Sir Jonty.

"We could give away one and members could, perhaps, buy the rest of a set for their collections," I suggested.

"I say, brilliant!" said the general.  "We could make the first set of young Daisy.  I am sure chaps would buy those!"  Oh no, I thought.  Daisy would just love that.

"Ladies too, don't forget!" added Sir Gerald.  "I can see my wife wanting to collect pictures of attractive naked girls!  She has quite a few French postcards!"  

"Mr Smaile takes photographs of couples.  Intimate photographs!" I said, regretting it as soon as I said it.

"Of course he does!  He'll be taking some tomorrow, no doubt!" said Hoxton.  "We must get him to take some of the Babylon girls in sapphic action!  Everyone loves to see two lovely girls getting down to it!"

"What is this exciting magazine going to be called?" asked Sir Jonty.

"Something innocuous, I suggest!" I said.  "In keeping with the Society itself.  How about The Explorers' Journal?"

"Spot on, young man!" said Sir Gerald.  

"Capital!" said Hoxton.  

"We could have Daisy on the cover!" said the general.  I wish he would stop suggesting Daisy appeared in it.

"We'll ask her if she wants to pose for Smaile tomorrow!" said Sir Gerald.  I knew what the answer to that would be!

"Perhaps we could have a picture of her bound with rope," suggested Sir Jonty. 

"She is a modern woman!" I said, firmly. "An independent woman!"

"Well, we would ask her if she wants to be photographed bound!" said Sir Jonty.  "Then it is her independent decision.  I am sure an independent woman like Daisy would not want to be told what to do!"

"Even by you, Molloy!" added the general.

"You could write an accompanying story, Molloy.  The suffragette enslaved!" said Sir Jonty.

"We could have Caroline standing over her wielding a whip!" said Sir Gerald.

"Dressed in just riding boots!" added Hoxton.  "Caroline would love that!"

"Splendid!" said Sir Jonty. 

"My pego is twitching at the thought!" said the general.  Stop thinking about Daisy, you disgusting man, I thought.  I sat there trying to compose some acid put-down to employ on the general when, perhaps fortunately, Sutton returned with another decanter of port.

"Ah Sutton!  Well done!  We have just established a new magazine!" said Hoxton.

"Really, my Lord?  How very exciting!" said Sutton, smiling at me, again, before placing the decanter next to Hoxton.

"It is!  It is!  Young Molloy is going to be the editor!" said Sir Gerald.  "What do you think of that, eh, Sutton?"

"He is well qualified, I should imagine," said Sutton.  "I have found a small notebook and a pencil for your notes, Mr Molloy!"  She produced them from her trouser pocket with a flourish.  I turned and looked her in the eyes.

"Perfect!" I said.  She smiled at me again before leaving the room.

"Don't think I have ever seen Sutton so enamoured of one of me guests before!" laughed Hoxton,  "Very taken with you, Molloy, she seems to be!"

Really?" I asked.

"Oh yes.  Can't stop talking about you!" said Hoxton.  I was extremely pleased at this revelation.  The general muttered something about 'servants' and 'demeaning' under his breath.

"Now we have set up a magazine for the Babylon, perhaps Lord Hoxton should continue with his story of the Sicilian hunt!  Perhaps it could be the very first article!" said Britten, looking at the general and changing the subject, thankfully.  I nodded at him, gratefully.

"Excellent idea, Britten!" said Sir Gerald.

"I am ready to take notes."  I said, pencil poised.  "Once I have done so I will speak to you later for your recollection of other helpful detail to add colour, rather than interrupting your story now!"

"Perfect! Right ho!" said Hoxton.  "Well as Gerald rightly observes, I was in Sicily back in oh six.  Been invited to the Barone di Gabrieli's palazzo there, for a week's boar shooting.  Excellent wild boar in Sicily and the Barone made it more exciting by insisting on muzzle loading flintlocks.  You get one shot and if you miss you're buggered!"

"Good Lord!" said Britten.

"Yes!  Nasty tykes, boar.  Vicious, aggressive and carnivorous. The key is to absolutely keep your nerve  and not panic!" said Hoxton.  I was grateful, once more, that Hoxton would be protecting us in South America. "Well it was something of a glittering array of aristocrats and industrialists from across Europe and even America.  Prince Heinrich, who should be here tomorrow. was there.  In fact that was the first time I met him!  Splendid chap!"

"He is investing, with James and I, in the new Babylon Exploration Society in Berlin," explained Crozier.  "There will be a special room with iron rings on the walls, tables with leather straps and other such accoutrements, which he is designing."

"Sounds exciting.  I think I had better visit as soon as it is open!" said Sir Jonty.

"As you are attached to the War Office I am sure that you can get sent there under the pretext of assessing the German military build up!" said the general.

"An excellent idea!  I'll have a word with Lord Haldane," said Sir Jonty.  "Despite being a Germanophile he is realising that the Germans are pushing us, especially on the naval front."

"Shame he didn't realise that before he cut the army's numbers!" barked the general.

"No politics, this weekend, gentleman," said Sir Gerald, firmly.  

"The Babylon Explorationsgesellschaft will be open for business in the Autumn," said Lord Hoxton. "It will be within a short walk of the Adlon Hotel, you will be pleased to know!"

"Been to Berlin, Molloy?" asked the general.  He would know that of course, I had not, I am sure.

"No general!" I said.

"Splendid city," he said.  "Too good for the damn Germans.  Don't trust the chaps.  Building up their armed forces like there is no tomorrow!"

"Personally, I've always got on with the Germans" said Hoxton.  "Trust 'em much more than the French and they're relations of course."  I knew that the German Kaiser was the eldest grandson of Queen Victoria.  I also knew he had done an interview with The Daily Telegraph a few years before and said that the English were 'mad, mad, mad as March Hares', which hadn't gone down too well in England.  I remember my father reading the piece out to me at home, however, and rather approving of the Kaiser's viewpoint.

"Well we had a splendid week in Sicily.  Great company, great shooting, great food and great wine.  Opened me eyes to Italian wine, I have to say!  Also, the Barone being what he was, lots of pretty girls for the evening.  He died last year, sadly, between the thighs of a fourteen year old gypsy girl.  The way I want to go!" laughed Hoxton.

"Not being eaten by a dinosaur?" asked Sir Jonty.

"Everyone agrees that Molloy is going to be much more delicious for dinosaurs!" laughed Hoxton.  "No, don't want any game to get the better of me at the end.  Women, fair enough!"

"Women are more likely!" said Sir Gerald.

"Anyway, on the third or fourth morning, we were all taken out to the edge of the woods again but it was mid morning, which was odd, as the best time to shoot boar is sunrise or sunset, when they come out of the woods." continued Hoxton.  "Quite a warm day, too, for November.  Sunny, for once. Rains a lot there that time of year.  Over sixty degrees.  Anyway we get out there and there is the usual  camp set up with food and wine but no guns.  We all look at each other, wondering what's going on."   Hoxton took a sip of port and I could see his mind travelling back to that day.

"And...,"  prompted the general.

"Well, the Barone arrives with Countess di Spagno, dressed in a black fur coat a little black cap and fur boots.  Now I didn't know who she was back then, other than a lovely guest of the Barone's but I since learned that she is the most famous and expensive whore in the world.  Although to call her a whore is like calling the Titanic a boat.  It is rumoured that di Spagno women have been whores back to ancient Roman times.  If you want a woman to find out a country's military secrets you pitch a di Spagno woman at a general or a minister or even higher.  Political secrets, industrial secrets, blackmail and even assassination, it is rumoured.  They have started wars and ended them,  Brought down emperors, kings and popes.  Someone once told me, in  all seriousness, that they are descended from Helen of Troy!"

"Helen of Troy was a daughter of Zeus, who came to her mother, Leda, in the form of a swan!" I said.

"Yes, indeed.  Got a painting of 'em coupling in me bedroom.  Didn't know Helen was the daughter, though!" said Hoxton. 

"The sister of Clytemnestra and Castor and Pollux.  All conceived on the same day.  Helen and Clytemnestra by Zeus and the twins by Helen's husband the king of Sparta," I added.

"Busy girl!" said the general.

"It's typical of the Sicilians that they claim to be descended from the Gods.  Met a family there who claimed they were descended from the sun god.  Not modest people, the Sicilian aristos!" said Hoxton.  "Interestingly, whomever the di Spagno women marry they keep the di Spagno name."

"I have never heard the name!" said Sir Jonty.

"They operate in rarified circles, indeed.  They also charge the most fabulous amounts of money,  Caroline boasted that she could get a thousand guineas a night.  You can multiply that by ten for the Contessa Maria-Fernanda di Spagno!" said Hoxton.

"Good Lord!" said Britten.

"She had a target amongst our party, it later turned out, but none of us knew that at the time, of course!  I now know who she was pursuing for certain, but not who was employing her, although I have pretty strong suspicions!  Anyway, none of us was suspicious then, as she was from Sicily too, so she was just introduced as a friendly neighbour by the Barone!  The whole week was hosted by him at her request, of course."

"What did she look like?" I asked, already thinking about how to write this tale up properly.

"Well, this was over five years ago so I suppose she would have been in her late thirties or possibly even her early forties.  Didn't look either, to be honest, but from things the Barone said I think she was born around sixty-five.  A tad younger than me.   She looked about twenty eight.  One of the other guests said she bathed in virgin's blood to keep herself looking so young.  Joke of course!  I hope!  Black hair, olive skin.  Tall,  About five six.  Big arse, narrow waist, massive bubbies!"

"Just how you like them," said Sir Gerald.

"Indeed so, Well you've met her, Gerald.  Not too good on the descriptive front, meself."

"Very dark brown, almost black, eyes," added Sir Gerald.  Arched, wicked eyebrows and long double eyelashes.  Full lips, wide mouth.  Dazzling white teeth.  Well defined cheekbones and a strong nose.  She isn't your pretty, pretty woman but she is stunningly beautiful!"

"Thank you!" I said.  "That helps a lot!"

"Well we all had a glass of Marsala or two, and asked the Barone what was the sport that morning,  Well, he told us boar hunting but this time the Contessa was playing the part of the boar!  At this point she slipped out of her fur coat and stood before us dressed in just a black sable jacket which reached to her upper thighs.  She had the black fur boots on but from the knee to the top of her thighs her skin was bare.  She was quite a sight and unabashed in presenting herself to us in such an enticing way.  The Barone explained that the Contessa would disappear into the woods and we would wait half an hour and set off in pursuit on foot too. The first chap to catch her would take her to bed that night,  However, we only had three hours to catch her and if none of us did she would choose a forfeit to impose upon us!"

"Now that is an exciting hunt indeed!" said the general.

"Quite so!  As she left to disappear into the treeline she hiked up her jacket to show us her fantastic arse, wiggled her bottom and plunged into the undergrowth.  Well we congratulated the Barone on his splendid entertainment and there was some discussion about how to find her.  This was a large forest and in half an hour she could cover a mile or more, even in the woods.  He gave us each a length of rope to tie her up with if we caught her!"

"Excellent!" said Sir Jonty. 

"Well, I have to tell you I was feeling damn confident.  The others were typical European shooting types.  Used to game being beaten towards them and then bagging it from stands.  Whereas I had over twenty years tracking and safari experience.  Although there was an American there who I was worried about, as he seemed competent.  Had shot cougars in America.  When the time came, the others charged off into the trees but I waited until last.  I had noted exactly which route the Contessa  had taken into the trees and I got down to following her trail.  After an hour I wasn't so confident, I have to say.  She was damned good at field craft.  I had real trouble following her path and quite often had to go back on meself to double check her trail. Well after nearly two hours I realised that this was going to be touch and go.  I was standing, having a piss, when I heard a twig crack.  I didn't respond, in case she was looking at me, but noted the position and went off in the other direction, taking a long loop to approach from the other side.  I was lucky.  I caught sight of a woodpecker taking off and as my eyes followed it, I just spotted what looked like her hair and jacket in a little depression amongst the bushes.  I did think it might actually be a boar at first but I watched how it moved and soon determined it was a human.  Right, madam, I thought to meself.  I ain't going to charge in but will stalk you and take you by surprise.  I suppose she was a hundred feet away, looking over a little sandy bank into the woods in the other direction.  It took me nigh on twenty minutes to cover the distance, moving silently and taking a very indirect rout to make the most of the cover!"

"I would never have the patience to be a proper hunter like you, Hoxton!" said the general.

"Learnt me patience with the Gurkhas out in Afghanistan and with the Masai in East Africa," said Hoxton. "Anyway, I was about fifteen feet from her, at the edge of the depression, when she moved back from where she had been kneeling behind the bank.  Thought she had heard me and I froze but, no, she hiked up her jacket, squatted and started to piss.  Now was the time!  I dashed forward and had a loop of rope around her waist before she knew what was happening. Pulled her over, still pissing away.  She squealed exactly like a wild boar and I soon realised she was deliberately imitating one for fun.  In fact, she was grinning away but struggled like a wildcat, scratching and biting like a mad thing.  I pushed her onto her belly and stuck my knee in the small of her back.  'You, Contessa, are caught!' I said.  'I yield, Lord Hoxton!  You have me!' she says.  'Not yet!' I reply unbuttoning me trousers.  Well she sticks her arse up in the air and wiggles it again so I decide to just bugger her there and then and not wait for the night.  Took it like a shell being loaded into a well oiled fifteen pounder. Not a hint of resistance!  She was soon gasping away and thrashing away in the undergrowth. She had her fingers on her parts, frigging herself.  Soon pumped me load into her and helped her up. Her hair was a mess, she was covered in bits of dried grass, had dirt on her knees and her thighs were covered in scratches. She is smiling away all the time and saying what a fine hunter I was.  'The better the game, the better me focus,' I tell her.  I ask her what the forfeit would have been if no-one had caught her.  She said she was going to make us chaps gamahuche each other, the saucy piece!  She said we'd all have to suck away and she'd watch, frig herself and drink Champagne!  Splendid woman!"

"A lucky escape indeed!" I said.

"Could be worse forfeits," said Hoxton, worryingly. "Anyway, I cut off a piece of rope and bind her wrists together behind her back and then tie the remaining rope around her neck and lead her back to the camp.  Get there just inside the time limit, to great acclaim.  She didn't put her coat back on but kept her lovely legs on display.   Pegged her for the rest of the week, shared with Prince Heinrich, and she sometimes comes to me birthday party, if she ain't busy working!"

"Will she be here this weekend?" asked Sir Jonty.

"Sadly no.  Caroline don't like her.  Don't like her one bit!  Doesn't mind Nat and the Babylon girls but Contessa Maria-Fernanda di Spagno?  No."

"Shame," said Sir Jonty.

"She's make mincemeat of you, old fellow!" said Sir Gerald.

"I wouldn't mind!" he replied

"Thank you. Lord Hoxton," I said.  "That will make a very good story.  I will do an illustration of her in her wild boar costume!"  I thought I might get one of the Babylon girls to pose, if I could find one with the right sort of figure."

"Damned good story!" said the general.  "You should have saved it for your confession with the ladies!"

"Yes.  Bugger!  We need to have our stories ready in case Caroline pounces on us.  I know she will get me to go first. I'll have to have another tale ready.  Keep you notebook to hand, Molloy!"

"Indeed I will!" I said.

"Good man!  We’re going to get Molloy’s score up this weekend!” said Hoxton.  "Had a few fillies but need to get him up into double figures!"

"Oh!"  I said.

“Exactly what I wish for my Elizabeth, as well!” said Sir Jonty. "She has a lot to learn!  Only just been broken in for the first time!  Don't want her being a disappointment to her future husband!"

“Well it sounds like we need to get her and Molloy together!” said Hoxton.

“I am certain that Elizabeth will be delighted to have young Molloy up her pretty cunny!” said Sir Jonty.  “Covered in lovely coppery gold curls it is.  Just like her late mother’s!  All you chaps must have a ride!  She is very enthusiastic but needs to learn technique!  You can teach her some of your Indian positions, Gerald!  Sure you can all contribute to her training.  Want her thoroughly debauched by the end of the weekend.  Up for that, Molloy?” 

“I confess that my sexual experiences have all been quite recent!” I said, feeling somewhat like a small boy on the first day of a new school, in the presence of all these experienced hunters of women.   How on earth did Sir Jonty know how his daughter conducted herself during intimate experiences?  Did she tell him?  I thought about Lady Caroline's daughters and realised that they would tell their mother anything.  I vowed to keep well away from both Emily and, especially, Sarah this weekend.  More worryingly was he offering me Elizabeth because he could then claim Daisy in return?

“Ah, of course!  Child with a new toy and what have you!” said the general.  “And what a perfect new toy young Cushions is!”  I decided that, unlike Sir Gerald and even Sir Jonty, I didn’t like the general one bit.

“This weekend will give you all the chance you want to play, although I would ensure that you check your permissions with your lovely young lady. Molloy.  Make sure you know what she thinks your limits should be.  Not everyone is like my wife!” said Sir Gerald.

“Wise advice, Sir Gerald,” I agreed.

“Gerald is far too concerned for his wife’s desires!” said Sir Jonty.  “Do what you want and if your lady objects, beat her!   They all need a good beating once in a while.  Reminds’em of who is in charge and who pays for ‘em!”  I couldn’t see Edith agreeing with that but what about Daisy?  Surely she was too much of a modern women to play such games but then I knew hardly anything about her and her past, I now realised.

As we drank more port, and most of the other men set rather disgraceful 'targets' for their weekend activities, Sir Gerald explained that he had bought a consignment of his rubber prophylactics down, to be used over the weekend.

“Excellent idea.  Most chaps are gentleman enough to pull out before the crucial moment but with such a lot of female pulchritude on display and the relaxing effect of Champagne, we don’t want any more embarrassing accidents do we?” said Hoxton. 

“Indeed not,” agreed Britten.  “Our rubber products are the very finest!”

“You are a good company man, Britten,” said Crozier.  “Time for a directorship soon, I think!"

“Thank you, sir,” said Britten looking genuinely surprised.

“Of course, Nat’s girls will have access to douches if you do accidentally spurt up a woman who ain’t one of the Babylon girls!  Don’t delay.  If you have an accident, talk to one of them straight away and they will take the lady aside and get her cunny flushed!” said Hoxton, looking at Britten and I.  

"Get them flushed!" said Britten.  "Indeed so!"  I wondered what on earth that involved.

“Don’t want any more enceinte maids, either!” added Hoxton. looking directly at me.  "Need young Ruby to keep doing her duties and entertaining me visitors not popping out a baby!"  I blushed.

"Of course, Lord Hoxton!" I said. "Such a thing never occurred to me!" I declared, wondering what Ruby's intimate hair looked like.

“Nothing like having a girl who is eight months gone, though!” said Sir Jonty.  “When poor Marjorie was that far gone with Elizabeth I took her twice a day.  Such swollen bubbies, such engorged teats and that big round belly.  On her side from the rear so I could caress that big round belly!  Or her on top, everything bouncing away!”

“And of course you can pump any amount of spunk up their cunnies!” added the general.

“One of the Babylon girls ended up like that a couple of years ago,” said Hoxton.  “Just before you came back from India, Horace.  Told Nat she should let her keep working up until the end and charge twice the price!”

“Did she?  I would certainly pay for the experience again!” said Sir Jonty.  “Haven’t had a woman in full bloom like that since that opera singer in Paris three years ago.   She was huge!”

“Excellent!  Of course old Johnny Dupont is the one for pegging pregnant ladies!” said Sir Gerald. laughing.

“And getting 'em that way! He’ll be here tomorrow, of course.” said Hoxton.  The other men all agreed that Dupont was a ‘right card’ and it was all down to his ‘garlic flavoured French blood’, of course.    The clock struck ten.

“When will the ladies be back?” I asked. I was finding the other men’s conversations about women rather disrespectful.  I was glad that Britten, like me, was not joining in the stories about women they had ravished and intended to.  I wondered, again, whether, even at this late stage, I could excuse myself and return to London.

“Well, it takes’em so long to remove their clothes of course!” answered Hoxton.

“Lord Hoxton, to what extent are the ladies disrobing?  Is this something we have to do as well?” I asked, remembering what Sutton had said earlier and that neither Daisy of Edith had drawers on.

“Good question, Molloy!  The ladies usually remove their shoes, corsets and outer clothes and present themselves in their underthings which, I am sure you will agree, will be most pleasant!” said Hoxton. “The gentlemen will also undress and wear silk robes which will be provided by my maids, shortly.  There are no rules as such but I would suggest removing everything.  Ah, here they are right on cue!”  Hoxton’s four pretty maids, who had helped serve the dinner, had appeared, led by Sutton, the butler.  The lovely redhead, Ruby, was holding a stack of folded silk, paisley robes.  I watched as Ruby carefully unfolded each robe and hung them over a chair.  When I turned back to look at the others Sutton was already removing Hoxton’s jacket and tie.  I felt a pang of jealousy as she undid the bow at his neck. One of the maids, a pretty,  petite blonde, was assisting Sir Gerald Crozier to disrobe.  Two of the others attended to Sir Jonty and General Wilkinson.  Britten and I stood, somewhat dumbfounded, as it became clear that the women were dextrously removing all of the men’s clothes. “Two of the girls used to work in the Babylon Exploration Society and I was so taken with ‘em that I hired them to work here.  Madeleine, who is attending to Jonty, is from France.”  The girl smiled at us. “And Ingrid is from Belgium and is attending Sir Gerald. The Belgian girl was already unbuttoning his shirt. “Jenny, here,” he pointed to the girl removing the general’s shoes, is a local girl from Winchester.  I thought I would leave our Irish colleen to attend to you and Britten, if you don’t mind sharing, Molloy!”  

“I am delighted to meet you, properly!”I said as she undid my bow-tie with a practised hand.  Although I realised I shouldn’t have addressed her and there was nothing proper about our situation but I was so nervous that normal behaviour seemed ever distant.  None of the others were talking to the girls, I noticed.

“It’s me who is right pleased to meet you, Mr Molloy, sir,” said Ruby.  “I does enjoy your articles, so I do!  So interesting already, let alone when you set off next week.  I do hopes you don’t get eaten by a dinosaur, though, sir!”  she said, in her Ulster accent. “Sorry, my Lord!” she said, catching Hoxton’s eye.

“Oh I wouldn’t describe Daphne as a dinosaur!” laughed Sir Gerald, stepping out of his trousers. “But she does seem very interested in gobbling you up, Molloy!”

“Oh!” I said, looking at Britten. Ruby had moved across to help Britten off with his jacket, waistcoat, shirt and tie.  Then she returned to me and started to undo my shoes.

“I can do those myself!”  I said.

“You mustn’t sir!” she said, looking up at me and smiling. I looked to one side and was presented with the disturbing sight of Madeleine pulling Sir Jonty’s drawers down to reveal a slightly engorged manhood, I thought, before averting my eyes.  I avoided looking at Sir Gerald as he stepped out of his drawers and Ingrid helped him on with his dressing gown.  Hoxton was next and, rather disturbingly, watched both Britten and I being undressed.

“I am concerned about the protocol of being naked in front of the girls,” said Britten, frowning, standing there now in just his combinations.

“Sir has a lovely stiffie.  Sir should not be ashamed of it. so he shouldn't!” said Ruby, patting his crotch.

“I know it hasn’t been that sensuous but the girl has such a lovely touch!” said Britten, shamefacedly.

“Good for you Britten.  The ladies like a virile chap!” said Sir Gerald. 

“Rejoice in your cock.  Strut around and display it!” said Hoxton.

“Exactement!” said Madeleine, who having helped Sir Jonty on with his silk robe took over from Ruby and started to remove Britten’s last veil.

“Oh yes,” agreed Ruby as she started to unbutton my trousers. Unlike the others,Ruby was taking the opportunity to gently caress me as she stripped me. By the time she had pulled down my drawers, while not fully erect, I was well on the way.

“Ooh, Sir!” she said, leaning forward to kiss my knob as I stepped out of the last of my clothes.

“You cheeky girl, Ruby!” laughed Hoxton.

“Bugger me, Molloy!” said the general.  “As a military man I know when to admit defeat!  I am comprehensibly outgunned!”   I didn’t say anything but was secretly delighted.

“Well done you two!” said Sir Gerald, as Britten and I pulled on our silk dressing gowns to, thankfully, cover our embarrassment.  “Apart from my nephew, you will be very much the youngest chaps here tomorrow, so we rely on you to give the ladies a good time!”

"Yes, fire and reload as often as possible!" said the general.  "Us older chaps need a little more time!"

“Now take the gentlemen’s clothes to their rooms and off to bed with you,” said Hoxton to the maids. “We can manage on our own from now on!   Sutton you may remain to serve us!”

“I will just assist the maids to take your clothes up, your Lordship!” said Sutton.

“Good night, your Lordship.  Gentlemen,” said the other girls, together. 

“Goodnight Mr Molloy,” Ruby added, picking up my clothes and shoes. I noticed.  

“What lovely young ladies!” said Britten, after they had gone.

“They are rather spiffing, aren’t they?” said Hoxton.  “Once a month I have maid’s bath day down in the scullery and watch ‘em soap each other up for an hour.  Harmless fun, eh?” said Hoxton.

“And you aren’t tempted to ever...?” asked Britten.

“Certainly not!  Don’t want to engender staff jealousies.  They can be bitchy enough as it is!  The reason I hired Ingrid and Madeline was because I had never touched ‘em at the Babylon Exploration Society!” said Hoxton.  “Now let’s go and have a piss and then we can enter the Turkish Salon and wait for the ladies!”