Allen Chase - The mirrored den

Actually, he had planned very carefully. That, combined with his uncanny ability to judge human nature, made Leo sure of Carol. From tapes he had made of Mona and Bob he knew that Carol, despite her appearance, was a very moral and inhibited girl. He also knew, from watching her at work, that she was a very ambitious girl. She filled the job of manager beautifully. Leo had watched her work the cars, taking orders in that revealing costume she had to wear. Carol did not approve of showing so much of her body but she did it. Moreover, when she knew that there was money to be made and places to go with the McKern organization, her attitude changed. She flirted more with the men even when they were with women, she bent lower at a car window to take an order, revealing more cleavage and her walk from car to order counter was something to see with her buttocks twitching provocatively back and forth.

No, Carol was too ambitious and that, as far as Leo was concerned, was her soft spot. For Leo, Carol was going to be easy. All he had to do was bide his time.

First of all, he waited for the situation between them to get critical. He knew it would and he was right.

When at home, Bob found he could be critical of Carol and get away with it now that he had the upper hand financially. He felt that he was a young man who was going to go places and if Carol wanted to come along, she'd better snap to. The situation grew tense enough for Carol to give in on many things. After all, he was her husband and he was obviously, overnight, going places. Leo's judgment of Carol was true: she was ambitious and she wanted to have money and things and excitement in her life. Bob now represented those things.

So, even though she secretly resented Bob for making his success through her boss, she decided to try and please him. After all, Leo must think a lot of him and it wouldn't be good business for Leo to see them divided. So she gave in on any number of subjects except one: bed. At night. Bob had taken to stripping naked in front of her and going to bed, brazen and drunk. He could get rough when drunk and he demanded things of her and alluded to other things that made Carol at once suspicious and frightened and jealous. How did he know about such things? Was he having an affair with some woman? What kind of woman would do the things be asked? Had he finally given in and found a prostitute?

There were long hours when the two of them would lie side-by-side, wide awake, staring up in the dark. Bob would try hard to control his black fury, because his wife had spurned his advances and Carol would be lying there feeling hurt and insulted and afraid he was going to try again. What little love-making they managed was tense and unenjoyable for both of them, over almost before it began with Carol's body stiff and unresponding and Bob enraged with her seeming rejection of him.

Their home life built to the point of frosty insults and cold ignoring by Bob. Carol put up with it and dreaded the day when he would leave her. It was coming, she could feel it coming closer day by day.

For Bob, things weren't the same. Not even his success had the sweetness to it that he imagined it would. Something was missing, something was lacking. The whole world was changed from that first night with Mona. He himself had changed. After one night with Mona, he knew that what had been "normal" sex in the past would never appeal to him again.

Each meeting with Mona was harder than the last and, when he got away from her, when he had time to think, his mind reeled under the impact of many implications. Mona both disturbed and fascinated him. The woman was obviously a nymphomaniac with some disturbing ideas yet she was the wildest thing he had ever dreamt of in bed. He wondered if there were other women like Mona? According to her easy answer, yes. As a matter of fact, she offered to introduce him to some. She offered all kinds of things to him, all sorts of perversions and delights. She offered to do anything he wanted of her and she was aggressive and lewd, suggesting certain positions and ideas: like getting women for him. She asked intimate and embarrassing questions about his wife and their sex life. She even offered to invite him to an orgy.

At first, there was no doubt in his mind that she was crazy, but she was beautiful and she was hot. And, when she talked lewd, when she hinted at things, he found himself getting hotter than he ever had before in his whole life.

After awhile, just thinking about her and what they did together and what she offered to arrange, Bob found himself so hot, felt his crotch swell and feel torrid, and he just had to get some relief. Turning to his wife, gritting his teeth with passion, his head full of thoughts of Mona and what they did together, he would hold Carol close, crush her against his naked body and full throbbing cock with the blood pounding in the mushroom head like it was going to burst and he would mutter a demand in her ear.

And she would stiffen.

And he would roll away and his hands would make tight, angry fists as he fought back his rage and thought that Mona might be crazy but she sure knew how to please a man and he would see her just once more just to get even with Carol.

And Leo waited, patient observant of Carol when at the drive-in, watching Bob keenly when they talked of insurance matters and getting reports from Mona on how Bob was feeling.

Leo waited, patient biding his time and calling his shots perfectly. Just when Bob had made up his mind to tell Carol he was moving out, Leo called. He invited the two of them for a weekend at their home in L.A.. He hinted at some more business. Naturally, business or not, Bob would go. He accepted immediately.

Carol walked in the room just as he hung up. "Who was that?"

He looked at her steadily. "Leo. He wants us to come down and be their guests in L.A. for the weekend. I said we'd come."

Carol didn't say anything. Somehow, it didn't seem right. She was full of dread yet she nodded her head finally and said, "That will be nice."

As if to bear out her feelings of ill and had to come, Bob insisted on stopping for dinner on the long drive to L.A. and having three martinis with dinner. Later, they made another stop and Bob had two more before continuing on to the McKern house.

Part of her dread vanished when she saw the house and surrounding grounds Carol was easily impressed with wealth and money and she allowed Mona to show them around the house on a kind of grand tour. She was impressed with their wealth and with their taste, for each room seemed separate, to have a personality all its own. Even the cellar romper room was different, being or looking oddly unfinished until Mona explained that the walls were used for projecting movies.

Upstairs, on the patio, by the pool, they were served cocktails and were surrounded by other guests of the McKern's. "This is just a little get together of old friends, you might say," Mona explained, gesturing around. "We all know one another and like to get together from time to time. So, you two being the newcomers, you might say that this party is in your honor."

"Yes," Leo agreed, looking at his wife and raising his glass. "I'll drink to that. Let's make Bob and Carol our guests of honor. Everybody," Leo said, turning to face the patio. "Can I have your attention for a moment?" He stood, grinning first at Bob and then Carol before he turned back to the group. "Here-they-are folks," he chanted imitating a carny barker, "Here they are Bob and Carol and we're dedicating this little party to them. They're the reason, the excuse, for this little get together."

There were cheers and handclaps and many a welcome as glasses were raised and one voice called out, "Bob and Carol, huh? Where's Ted and Alice?" There was general laughter and Bob thought he heard Leo say, "Later, later for that."