Anonymous - The altar of VVenus - The Making of a Victorian Rake

" Fine!" I exclaimed. " Exactly what I was hoping! One more question and I' ll tell you my scheme. Could you, on some pretext, arrest that chap and have him detained temporarily?"

" I could get an order to pick him up for investigation: but what good would that do?" he replied, doubtfully. " We have no kind of case against him, and he would be out in a short while."

" Okay! Now I' ll tell you what I have in mind. I propose to attract her attention with a display of money. If she rises to the bait, and does me the honor to accept me as a prospective victim, I' ll play into her hands. Now here is where you come in. When the appointment is made you' ll be on the job and follow us at a discreet distance. When we enter the building you' ll wait outside, and when hubby shows up, nab him and remove him quietly from the scene. And I' ll guarantee that if I' m assured of an hour or two alone with this tricky Lorelei, safe from the intrusion of wandering husbands, I' ll have better success than my predecessors had. What about it? Will you help me?'

" Your idea is good in theory, but it won' t work in practice!"

" Why won' t it work?"

" Because she' s too clever. When her man fails to show up she' ll know something has happened and find a way to get rid of you."

" She won' t dare make any racket and I won' t be so easy to shake. Are you willing to help me give it a try?"

" Sure! I' ll help you! Make a date with her, if you can, and keep me posted. It won' t cost anything to try, I guess, thought it will probably knock out our chances of landing the birds by frightening them off."

" What' s the difference," I rejoined, " your infernal Bastille is full enough already."

Before he left that evening we perfected the details of the plot.

All the next day, I loitered around the cafe where we had seen her previously, carrying with me a flamboyant roll of money, small notes on the inside, a few more pretentious ones on the outside. But my vigil was in vain. In the evening my friend called me by phone, and I was obliged to report an unsuccessful day.

" It' s in the neighborhood she hangs out in," he said encouragingly. " If you keep your eyes open you' ll spot her."

It was not until midafternoon of the fourth day that my patience was rewarded when suddenly, out of nowhere apparently, appeared the object of my search. She seated herself indolently at a table in front of a small cafe, and gave an order to the attendant.

With beating heart and studied nonchalance I followed her, accommodating myself at a nearby table. With but a casual glance in her direction I order a bottle of vin rouge, leaned back in my chair, and pretended to be watching the passers- by. When I had finished the wine, I summoned the waiter and asked for a second bottle. And at the same time I brought forth the " flash" roll from my pocket, peeled off one of the larger bills, and tendered it in payment. When he returned, I carelessly flipped a generous tip on the table, trusting that the damsel was observing my affluence and lavishness. A few moments later I glanced as though by accident in her direction. Our eyes met. She returned my gaze for a few seconds, and then demurely lowered her vision. I straightened up, twisted my chair about slightly, and continued to eye her from time to time, endeavoring to indicate with my glances the admiration she had inspired.

For some minutes this little farce was kept up. Finally she smiled at me – and there was an invitation in the smile.

I rose and, approaching her table, begged her in my best French to permit me to join her. She consented modestly and ws soon laughing delightedly at my efforts to pay her expressive compliments in French.

When we separated that afternoon, an appointment had been arranged for another meeting the following day.

For nearly a week our midafternoon meetings continued, and during this interval our friendship progressed rapidly. I missed no opportunities to convey an impression of prosperity and affluence, making many allusions to imaginary possessions, and business interests in England, and sighed regretfully over the fact that our acquaintance would be of short duration because of the urgency of my early return to London. And night by night, I reported the developments of the day to my companion in conspiracy.

The sixth day she confided pensively that our visits were soon to terminate as she had just received a telegram from her husband announcing his return the following Saturday, and I knew that the moment had arrived to speak my little piece. With all the passionate ardor I could summon, I exclaimed:

" Ma cherie, I just can' t give you up without something to remember you by! You know I' m returning to England next week, and if your husband is going to be here, then I will probably have to leave without seeing you. Darling, don' t think me bold, but couldn' t we go some place and have a day or two together, all by ourselves? Some nice quiet place, where we can be alone, and spend all of the time just loving each other?"

The little hypocrite wiped an imaginary tear from her eye and assured me soulfully that she had never, never done such a thing before, and that I must think she was a light woman to have even suggested any such thing, that if it weren' t for the deep affection I had inspired in her heart, she would be greatly offended, and so on.

" I know it sounds bold, darling, but I' m just crazy about you, and my only hope is that you' ll be generous!" I pleaded.

" Well," she finally agreed, " I believe my husband would kill me if he ever found out but: I' ll tell you what we can do. I' ll take you to my apartment and we can spend a few hours together. It wouldn' t be safe for me to go to a hotel because somebody might see me and tell my husband. You can meet me here Thursday afternoon."

That night I saw my friend, and advised him that the date for the trimming of the sucker had been definitely set and he promised to make all necessary arrangements to take care of his end of the program.

The anxiously awaited hour arrived, and punctually, in accordance with her promise, she was there waiting for me. And across the street idling before a shop window was my detective friend. She and I got into a taxi, and though I did not look behind I knew he was not very far in the background.

After a winding drive we drew up before a tall edifice, and as we got out another care passed us slowly and came to a stop near the next corner.

We entered the building and stepped into an automatic lift. At the touch of a button the car moved silently upward and a few moments later she was conducting me down a lengthy corridor, before the last door of which she stopped, lifted a key in the lock, and we were inside.

Evidently there was no intention to delay things, for she lost no time in getting down to business. Seating herself on my lap, she pressed her lips to mine, favoring me with a voluptuous tongue caress which aroused every primordial instinct in my body, in fact was so ravishingly intoxicating was the caress that for a moment I forgot, in the swirl of my emotions, that it was simply calculated to render me an easy victim to a blackmailing scheme.

Her next move was to withdraw her breasts from its silken shield. Tilting it upward with her hand she pressed the nipple between my lips. To the accompaniment of expressive sighs and voluptuous shivers on her part I sucked the protuberant little tit and played my tongue over the rosy circle which surrounded it.

The movement was emotional and one of my hands, which had been resting on the bare flesh of her leg, just above the hose, began an upward exploration under the semi- transparent garment. But before it got very far, she detained me, suggestion that we retire to the bedroom where I could remove my clothing and be more comfortable.