Karen Ziegler

The blackmailed couple

"Oh, darling, couldn't you please just wait until he gets here?" Lynn Waring plaintively asked her husband as she saw him pull his heavy overcoat from the closet near the front door. She sat tensely on the living room couch, her hands clasped tightly together as she added, "I hardly know your boss and, to tell you the truth, I'm a little scared."

"Don't be silly, honey," Ed scolded her, a vague look of annoyance clouding his face as he turned around to face his wife's worried frown. "Now, you know very well that I have to meet an important client for dinner tonight and, with a promotion just around the corner, I can't afford to be late. So, snap out of it, sweetheart. If you want me to be an executive, you're going to have to act like an executive's wife!"

Then, noticing the crestfallen look on Lynn's pretty face, he sighed and walked over to her, dropping his coat on a chair. Lynn's face brightened for a moment as she saw him approach, then fell again as she saw him steal a look at his watch.

"I'm sorry, Ed. I know I shouldn't be keeping you," she murmured apologetically. "It's just that I don't even know the man very well, and the way he looked at me when I met him… I just don't understand why I have to go out with him alone, even if it is to the Executive Club!"

"Because they don't make men executives in Amalgamated Industries unless they know their wives are good material too. I've told you that before, Lynn," Ed said in exasperation. Suddenly realizing that his tiny blonde wife was close to tears, he playfully reached down and caressed her breast through the clinging knit cocktail dress she wore. "Look, honey, all you have to do is relax and just be your charming self. And if old George McHenry likes looking at you, that's fine. It can't hurt my chances for that vice-presidency."

"But, Ed, don't you… don't you…" Her voice trailed off into silence as she realized the answer to her question. She had been about to say, "Don't you care if another man looks at me like that?" but she knew that he was too engrossed in his career right now to even worry about such a thing.

Not realizing her true thoughts, Ed unthinkingly confirmed them as he breezily said, "Don't I love you? Of course, I do, honey, but that has nothing to do with it. Remember, this is business!"

"Of course, darling," she smiled up at him, hoping her bitterness didn't show in her voice. Except for the first few weeks of their three-year marriage, it was always business. As Ed had worked his way to the top of Amalgamated Industries, Lynn had watched their life together changing, becoming planned and patterned around what was "best" for her husband's career, until it got to the point where they only made love on weekends because Ed wanted to stay "sharp" for work during the week. Now, at the age of twenty-eight, her handsome, ambitious husband was almost there, just a promotion away from the position of third vice president in charge of industrial relations, whatever that was. And she prayed with all her heart that, once he had it, she and Ed could stop climbing and start being married again.

"Discussion over?" Ed grinned down at her, startling her out of her thoughts. He had his overcoat on and Lynn could see that he was impatient to leave.

"Yes, darling, only… are you absolutely positive about this dress?" she said hurriedly, not wanting to annoy him again. "I don't want anyone to think I look cheap and after the way he looked at me…" She anxiously tried to pull down the short, short skirt of the revealing black dress she wore.

"For Christ's sake, Lynn, I picked the dress out because I know McHenry likes to look at you. Now, cut out the little girl act – I don't have any more time," he snapped.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, staring down at the carpet in misery. "I promise I'll do everything right. I know you want your key to the Executive Club too."

"Good. I'm glad you're over this silly sulk of yours," he said with obvious relief.

Lynn felt the quick, almost impersonal pressure of his lips against her forehead and then he was gone. The call of the cuckoo clock beside the door reminded her that Ed's superior would be there any moment and she hurriedly rose from the couch to make a last-minute check on her appearance.

She walked back to their bedroom, wondering for the thousandth time why George McHenry had wanted to take her to the Executive Club the very night Ed had this important meeting. Even though she had only met McHenry once before, the idea of being alone with him made her nervous and apprehensive. But, then again, she soothed herself, what could possibly happen at the club?

The Executive Club was situated in a nearby old brownstone town house, very much like the home in which she and Ed lived, in fashionable Stuyvesant Square. Almost all the corporation executives lived in this part of the city, delighting in remodeling the old row houses until the interiors were as modern as the brownstone fronts were old fashioned. The Warings had barely been able to afford this home when it came up for sale a few years ago, but Ed had insisted that they buy it, claiming that it was a "business necessity" to live in Stuyvesant Square. Actually, Lynn liked it too – the lovely tree-lined streets with no big stores or offices to bring noisy traffic into the neighborhood and the tiny wooded park that filled in the center of the square. In fact, only the Executive Club interrupted the perfect square of turn-of-the-century homes and, even then, the club's owners and sole members were all the top-drawer executives at Amalgamated Industries, one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the country.

Lynn was certain she was simply working herself up over nothing, but she still wished that Ed had been able to tell her more about what the club was like. The place looked like all the other houses from the outside, with just a discreet brass plate near the door to announce that it was a private club, yet none of the men Ed worked with had been able to give him any information about it. Apparently, the top executives wanted to keep their club activities a mystery from all the other employees, and Ed hadn't wanted to show his ignorance by asking his superiors about it. Oh well, she thought resignedly as she switched on the bedroom light, whatever happened, she would just try to get through it as gracefully as possible in the hopes that Ed would soon be a member too.

The petite blonde housewife started back in surprise for a second as the bright overhead light suddenly illuminated the darkened bedroom and she came face to face with her own image in the big mirror across the room. Lynn had allowed Ed to pick out the dress she would wear tonight and she still hadn't quite gotten over the shock of seeing herself in the one he had chosen. She wondered again if the dress was really the proper thing to wear to the club and she moved closer to the full-length looking glass to obtain a better view of herself. After studying her reflection for a minute or two, Lynn was forced to come to the conclusion that she undoubtedly did look quite striking and lovely in the daring dress.

Lynn had almost forgotten how attractive men had found her before she had gotten married to Ed and now, for the first time in many months, she allowed herself to critically survey the full rounded curves that had made her one of the most popular girls in high school and college. The pretty blonde had begun to suspect that her husband might be losing his sexual interest in her because she was starting to age a little, but now she saw that that was far from true. At the age of twenty-five, Lynn had lost none of her youthful charm and freshness and, if it was possible, her body had matured into an even greater perfection than it had attained when she married Ed three years ago. Her eyes paused for a moment at the high-set round breasts that jutted provocatively out against the tightly-fitted bodice of her black cocktail dress. Above the low-cut neckline, she could see the narrowest of valleys running between their magnificent firmness and she marveled to herself at how well they were keeping their shape, despite their unusual size. Lynn remembered how Ed had noticed them as well the first time they had met, at a beach picnic where she had been wearing only a tiny two-piece bathing suit. Both she and Ed had shed their own dates that afternoon, preferring to be with each other, and they had been married a few months later. But, things had changed quite a bit since those days and the only times her husband seemed to notice her breasts now was like tonight, when he wanted some favor from her, always something to further his career.

Lynn sighed deeply as her gaze moved down over her slender girlish waist to the enticingly rounded hips that led to the delicious sweep of her full-swelling thighs and perfectly formed calves and ankles. Lynn knew that her body was still fantastically desirable to men and, if she didn't love Ed so much, she might be tempted to leave him and find someone else who might appreciate her a little more. But, she continued to cling to the desperate hope that once her husband finally was given the long-awaited key to the Executive Club, he would again begin to pay a little more attention to their marriage. Even though, like many other attractive housewives, the petite blonde had received more than one subtle proposition from friends and even delivery men, she had never considered being unfaithful to her husband. She was determined to wait until Ed realized that his career was not everything in the world and turned back to his loving wife again. Since George McHenry had invited her to the Executive Club, Lynn knew that that day couldn't be far away.

Anyway, she was certain that she was going to get some attention tonight, even if it wasn't from Ed. McHenry had already shown, if only by the look in his eyes, that he was very interested in Lynn, and she was sure that when he got a look at her in this dress he would be even more excited by her appearance. Well, that was what Ed had wanted, and Lynn only hoped she wouldn't have any trouble with her husband's middle-aged boss. She had vowed to make this evening go well, and she didn't want to ruin Ed's chances for the promotion by making McHenry angry with her by being too obvious in fending off his passes.

"Now, stop that worrying, you nit," she suddenly chided herself out loud, hoping that the sound of her own voice would snap her out of the creepy feeling of apprehension she could feel moving like a dark cloud over her mind.

"He's probably just a nice old man with a roving eye," she chided herself, adding, "Anyway, how could he make a pass at you at the Executive Club?"

* * *

George McHenry hummed happily to himself as he strode briskly along the icy sidewalks from his side of Stuyvesant Square to the row of houses that contained the Waring residence. It was really too short a distance to drive and, besides, he enjoyed walking through the tiny park, even now in the dead of winter when the trees were covered with snow. Also, the stroll gave him time to re-check the plans that George and his wife, Marian, had carefully worked out for the seduction of young Waring and his lush-bodied little wife.

From the first moment he had seen Lynn Waring at a company cocktail party, McHenry had waited for an opportunity to get his hands on her luscious body. And, after he had managed to get her husband transferred to the Employee Relations Division that he headed, George knew that he had her all but in the sack. Ed Waring was obviously the ambitious type and, though Ed would never admit it, McHenry knew that he would gladly trade his young sweet wife's exciting body for the promotions he was so hungry for.

Yes, George had seen many bright young men like Waring, and he knew just how to handle them, teasing them along with little promotions and salary increases until they were absolutely drooling for that key to the executive washroom. Waring was just like all the rest. In fact, George mused, Waring was such a hard worker that he might even make it to that third vice presidency he had his eye on. But that was up to old Erwin Doud, the president of Amalgamated Industries, though George made certain that Waring thought that he, McHenry, had the final say.

McHenry decided that he wouldn't mind if Waring did get that promotion. After all, the boys at the club would really like to dig into that little blonde wife of his. But even if he didn't make it, George knew that he and Marian were going to have a hell of a good time with the two of them before Waring ever got wise to the game they were playing.

A little snow flurry was just beginning to swirl down to the ground as the paunchy, balding man found the Warings' house number. Chuckling softly to himself, George McHenry mounted the stairs and pressed hard against the doorbell.

"Just a minute, I'm coming…" he heard a feminine voice call from somewhere in the house.

Not yet, baby, McHenry thought to himself with a lewd grin. But don't worry, we've got all night to let you blow those sweet little nuts of yours.

CHAPTER 2

George McHenry took Lynn's arm and guided her up the stone steps and to the large oaken door of the Executive Club. It had taken them but four or five minutes to walk from the Waring home to the club building and Lynn had been surprised to find that Ed's superior was extremely polite and an interesting conversationalist. Of course, he had looked at her very admiringly when he first came into the house and saw her in the black cocktail dress. But, Lynn didn't object to looks like that. Now, she was beginning to wonder if perhaps she hadn't simply imagined the lewd look in his eyes when she had first been introduced to McHenry at the company cocktail party.

"Well, good evening, Mr. McHenry," a voice seemed to come from nowhere. Lynn looked around, then saw that a panel in the heavy door had been pulled aside and a round face peered out at them from where the panel would have been. As she stared in astonishment, the panel was suddenly closed again and the door quickly opened to them by a short, but powerful-looking man in a tuxedo. He waved them inside, saying, "It's nice to see you again, sir, and how's the missus?"

"Fine, Bert, just fine," George answered jovially as he pressed a five-dollar bill into the man's palm. "This is Mrs. Waring. She's the wife of one of our brightest young men and she'll probably be coming quite regularly to the club very soon. I've brought her tonight to show her around."

Lynn felt a momentary thrill of elation at McHenry's words, but it didn't quite overcome the feeling of uneasiness brought on by the strange ritual with the door panel. Of course, she knew that no one was welcome to the Executive Club except the heads of the corporation, but she didn't understand why any intruder wouldn't be recognized as soon as they walked in the door. The strange ceremony at the door, combined with the secrecy that cloaked the activities of the club from outsiders, made her wonder what in the world happened here.

Her anxiety was only heightened as the doorman began to blatantly survey her body, obviously curvaceous even under the heavy coat she wore, with beady eyes gleaming in appreciation. "Yes, sir!" he abruptly exclaimed, nodding his head enthusiastically. "They're going to like her in there. all right. There's no doubt about that!"

"Bert, Mrs. Waring is my guest tonight," McHenry said with a slight note of warning in his voice. "She's not a member yet. Make sure the others understand that!"

"Yes, sir. Excuse me, sir," the door man mumbled, instantly contrite. "I'll go arrange for a table for you."

Lynn felt a little sorry for the little man and wondered why McHenry had been so harsh. She supposed that he was worried about the members divulging club secrets or something, but still his cold tone of voice seemed to have been a little too severe. What difference did it make whether the others knew that she was not a member of the Executive Club? For a moment, she was slightly annoyed with McHenry, imagining that he had merely been trying to remind her of her place, but then she noticed that he was smiling at her with the same charm he had exercised since they had left her house.

"May I take your coat, my dear?" he asked smoothly, moving behind her to help her out of the heavy garment. "As soon as Bert comes back, we'll go in and sit down."

"Thank you," she said, turning to face him, but he had already taken her overcoat to the closet on the other side of the room.

Now that she was alone in the tiny entrance hall, she took the opportunity to look around and was astounded at the opulence of the decor. Although the Executive Club had looked like any other building from the outside, the interior was as plush as an exclusive nightclub, the carpet thick and soft under her feet and the walls covered with dark blue velvet. Even the wood around the doorways looked as though it had been dipped in gold. It was like a palace!

Then, suddenly, she noticed George beckoning to her from one of the doorways and, squelching her misgivings, she followed him into a large salon and bar. Even though this evening was beginning to seem even stranger than she had expected, she was determined to show Ed's superior that she could handle herself as well as any executive's wife.

Lynn gasped and had to forcibly keep herself from gazing about in wide-eyed amazement as she walked behind George to the table the doorman was pointing out. It was the most lavishly decorated room she had ever seen, done in red velvet and gold embroidery from ceiling to floor. Long, low couches were arranged in a broad semi-circle around a stage at one end of the room, and, behind them, a few small tables were placed in the dimmer light in the back of the room.

Most of the men present Lynn recognized from the various company functions she had attended. But the women who sat close to them were usually quite beautiful and much younger. The puzzled young blonde was almost certain that these expensively-dressed women were not the executive's wives.

Then, she noticed several middle-aged women, who might very well have been executive's wives, but who were accompanied by young, very handsome men. In fact, most of the young men seemed almost too good-looking, and as she walked by one of the couples, Lynn smelled a heavy cologne that didn't seem quite masculine. She was beginning to seriously doubt that any of the people here were being escorted by their legal mates.

"Thanks for saving this one for me, Bert," McHenry told the doorman as they sat down at the table in the farthest corner of the room. The short, heavy man was already moving away when George beckoned him back to the table.

"Listen, Bert, tell the others we don't want to be disturbed this evening," he quietly instructed the doorman. "Mrs. Waring and I are going to be busy discussing her husband's future with Amalgamated Industries."

Lynn looked up just in time to notice the sly wink McHenry gave the doorman and, for the first time that night, she thought she detected a certain lewdness in his expression. She hoped that Ed's boss was not planning on getting fresh with her, but then she thought about all the other people in the room. Surely the man wouldn't try anything here in front of people who would undoubtedly carry tales back to his wife.

A silver bucket of iced Champagne was brought to the table, and George popped the cork and poured them both a bubbling glass.

"Well, Mrs. Waring… may I call you Lynn? Well, Lynn my dear, let's drink to your first visit to the Executive Club," McHenry toasted, raising his glass to her. "May tonight be only the first of many enjoyable evenings here."

Lynn followed his lead and tipped her glass to her lips, savoring the feeling of the cool bubbly liquid pouring down her throat. She loved champagne, but after they had bought the house in Stuyvesant Square, she and Ed had never been able to afford it, except for special occasions.

"You know, Mr. McHenry, the club is very different than I imagined it," Lynn said hesitantly as she felt the alcohol begin to relax her inhibitions just enough so that she could express her curiosity. "I thought it would be more like… well, more like those English men's clubs where they sit around drinking brandy and playing bridge."

To her embarrassment, George stared at her for a moment, disbelief apparent on his face, then roared out laughing. By the time he began to regain control of himself, Lynn's face was red with humiliation and she wondered what she had said that was so funny.

"No, no… it's nothing like that, believe me," McHenry gasped out between lingering chortles. "The executives wanted a place where they could really enjoy themselves… and a bridge club was not at all what they had in mind, as you'll soon find out."

"Then, what?" Lynn asked in bewilderment. "They must have some activities here."

McHenry's face sobered and he paused for a moment, then lifted the champagne bottle from its bucket. "You'll find out soon enough, my dear," he answered with practiced charm. "For now, why don't you have another drink and then, we'll dance, if you don't mind. It's been quite a long while since I've had the opportunity to hold anyone as young and lovely as you in my arms."

Lynn smiled sweetly at the compliment and nodded her consent, although something about the way he had phrased the invitation to dance made her a little uncomfortable. She finished her second glass of champagne, then rose from her chair as the small combo in the front of the room began to play a romantic old song she had always liked. The bubbly drink was beginning to have an effect on her and, for the first time that evening, Lynn was beginning to feel like she really might be able to relax and enjoy herself with Ed's superior.

As she seldom drank alcohol, Lynn suddenly felt a little dizzy as she followed McHenry out onto the dance floor. She had a terrible feeling that she might stumble when she tried to dance, but her middle-aged escort quickly wrapped his arm tightly around her, steadying her until she caught the rhythm of the music and began to follow his steps.

With the fizzy warmth of the champagne drifting through her veins, Lynn unconsciously cuddled up against the executive's chest, until the ripe full mounds of her breasts pressed tightly against him. After Ed had been busy with his work for what seemed like years, it felt wonderful to dance with a man, to feel his arms around her as they moved slowly to the music, to feel like someone was really interested in her again.

Then, suddenly, with a terrible burst of clarity, Lynn realized how close McHenry was holding her. He was a very good dancer, but the way he was pulling her against him, she knew that she had better be careful or he would get the wrong idea about her. She tried to pull away from him a little, worried that other people in the room might be watching, but he just seemed to draw her even tighter against him. She didn't want to ruin Ed's chance for the vice-presidency by some stupid action on her part, but she was beginning to think that McHenry might be entertaining some immoral ideas, and thinking that she was agreeable. For a moment, she was very frightened and she felt a flash of anger at Ed for not trying harder to arrange to be with her on this crucial evening. She had never experienced a problem like this before and wasn't exactly certain how to handle it without insulting him. Lynn knew that Ed expected her to please McHenry, but not if that meant being unfaithful to him!

"You dance very well, my dear," George murmured softly into her ear. "That's a very important skill for an executive's wife to have. Sometimes, a little feminine charm can land an account, or just bring in some priceless goodwill to a corporation, that couldn't have been gotten with all the sales figures and production statistics in the world."

As they glided through the dimness of the dance floor, Lynn suddenly bit her lip as she felt McHenry slyly move one of his legs between her thighs so that the soft mound of her pubic area rubbed hard against the top of his thigh. The soft silkiness of the dress Ed had chosen hid nothing from her startled senses and she could clearly feel the coarse fabric of the balding man's trousers pressing tightly between her legs. Against one of her hips, she felt a growing pressure as the softness of his penis began to slowly harden in response to the motion of her pelvis grinding lightly against it as they danced.

"Mr. McHenry, we… we shouldn't be dancing this close together!" Lynn managed to protest up at him in a shocked whisper. As she realized what was happening beneath his trousers, her tone became more distraught and she added, "Please! Someone is going to see us!"

"Let me assure you, my dear. No one here is the least bit disturbed about it, unless you are," George answered in a tone of amusement at her obvious distress. "And, after all, this evening was supposed to present us with an opportunity to get to know each other better. With your husband's promotion in mind, of course."

"But… but…" Lynn faltered, then fell silent. She was absolutely dumbfounded by the man's words. He was obviously propositioning her, but in a way that made her know that Ed's career was at stake. It was an impossible situation, and yet she knew she had to figure a way out of it, and quickly, before it got any worse! She was so surprised by the sudden and brazen revelation of the reason for McHenry's interest in her, that she just couldn't find the right words to answer him. She just couldn't believe that the man would have boldly set up this whole evening with her for such an obscene purpose, and yet that was what she had been afraid of when Ed had first told her about it. And what had McHenry meant when he said that "no one here is the least bit disturbed" about the suggestive way he was dancing with her? Lynn suddenly wondered. Was nobody paying attention? Or was the Executive Club even odder than she thought?

Before she had a chance to make up her mind about anything, the song ended and the combo leader announced that the group would take a ten minute break before the floor show began. Lynn sighed with relief as she realized that she wouldn't have to dance with McHenry again, at least not for a while. She was in such a state of shock that she still hadn't come to any conclusions about what to do, but she was grateful for the temporary reprieve that was about to come when they sat down at their table to watch the club's floor show.

The tiny blonde was too embarrassed even to look at her husband's superior as they walked back to the rear of the room and took their seats. But as soon as they were settled again, George poured her another glass of the champagne, ordered another bottle, and began telling her some funny stories about when he first had begun working at Amalgamated Industries. He acted as though nothing at all unusual had happened when he was with her on the dance floor.

As she politely listened to him, Lynn tilted her glass up and quickly finished the effervescent drink. She smilingly accepted another refill, knowing that she needed the alcohol now to calm her tensed nerves a bit, and hoped that this drink would give her a better idea of how to proceed with the strange game Mr. McHenry was playing. For a moment, she thought that he might be simply testing her to see how she would respond under pressure, but when the overhead lights dimmed to signal the beginning of the show, she felt his knee begin to press tightly against her thigh. Her heart sank as she realized that all her suspicions about this man had been correct. McHenry was truly vile and immoral and she didn't know how she was ever going to explain to Ed about what had happened this evening. Especially since she knew that if she didn't go along with McHenry, it would probably mean that her husband wouldn't get the promotion he had worked so hard for. Here she was in this weird club, with Ed's career in the balance, and it all depended on this lecherous man sitting beside her. If only Ed could have postponed his business meeting, this all never would have happened.

Beside Lynn, George said nothing but sat with a faint smile of confidence on his lips. He had been through this before and he knew pretty well what was going on in the lovely blonde woman's mind. He sensed Lynn's resolve not to give in to him, no matter what the consequences, but for that reason, he was giving her plenty of time to think and ponder over what the loss of the promotion would mean to her and her husband. He knew he hadn't completed the seduction yet, but he wasn't worried. A few more drinks, a little more pressure, and the special show they had here at the Executive Club would all help his project along. He could see that she was worried and confused already, and he congratulated himself on his own cleverness for arranging this evening when he knew that young Waring was meeting a client he couldn't possibly postpone. Yes, everything was going even better than he'd planned and George was certain he'd have this pretty little wife exactly where he wanted her before she knew what hit her.

"Mr. McHenry, how can a private club like this afford a floor show?" Lynn asked him, no longer able to hold her curiosity back. "Why, there's only one nightclub in town that has an entertainer, and that's horribly expensive."

"Well, my dear, our performers don't come from the regular entertainment circuit," George explained with a strange twinkle in his eyes. "To tell you the truth, they're mostly local talent, but extremely talented nonetheless." Lynn thought she saw a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth as he added, "Sometimes, we even have an amateur night for the members. Most of us, whether we know it or not, are secret exhibitionists, you know."

The tiny blonde beside him smiled uncertainly at his comment. He had put such an emphasis on the word "exhibitionist" that she was not sure of exactly what he meant. But before she had time to question him further, the curtains on the stage began to open and soft, rhythmically seductive music filled the room.

The club was perfectly quiet now except for the occasional sound of ice clinking against a glass or a momentary whisper. The stage was decorated to represent a city street at night in what looked like a poor section of the town. The street looked deserted and dark, with only the dim light from a street-light at one end of the stage giving feeble illumination. Lynn could barely make out a sidewalk running past the stage props that were painted like shabby old buildings. It really was a beautiful job of stage-setting, she thought to herself, complete right down to the dark shadowy doorways.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lynn noticed McHenry pouring her another glass of champagne. She knew she had really had enough to drink and yet, the cigarette smoke was beginning to be a little thick in the room and it made her throat feel parched. At last, she decided that one more glass wouldn't matter and gratefully poured the cold liquid down her throat.

She saw George lean over to fill her glass again and, through the warm haze the alcohol had brung, she thought about how lovely it was to have a man really looking after her again. For a long time, Ed had been too involved with his work to bother about such unimportant things and she had almost forgotten about how good it felt to be taken care of. Feeling completely contented and relaxed, she turned to McHenry and sweetly smiled her appreciation in the dim light.

George smiled back, moving his chair a little closer to her and nodded toward the stage. The tempo of the background music had picked up just a little and Lynn saw a young, innocent-looking girl appear, slowly walking through the old city street set up on the stage. She did not look over seventeen and was the most lovely girl Lynn had ever seen. She had a melancholy look on her face as though she were walking on the street to relieve the deep loneliness she felt. It touched Lynn to her heart, because she too often felt that way when Ed seemed to have no time for her. She identified with the girl at that moment and concentrated completely on what was happening on the stage.

The dark-haired girl arrived at the lamp post at the other end of the stage and paused, leaning against it for a moment. It was obvious that she had nowhere to go and no one to go home to. As she stood under the light, the audience could clearly see her youthful figure, clearly outlined by the tight sweater and skirt she wore and Lynn heard several audible gasps of appreciation throughout the room.

Nevertheless, despite the young girl's thrillingly sensual body, Lynn was beginning to fidget a little. What kind of floor show was this? she wondered. Just some pretty girl walking back and forth on a stage?

Then, abruptly, the background music began to seem a little louder and the beat became stronger and more demanding, as if emphasizing that something new was about to happen. Lynn looked up again, just in time to watch four huge black men slip silently out of the darkened doorways on the stage. It was obvious that the lonely young brunette was frightened, as she suddenly realized that she was no longer alone on the deserted street, but she still stood quietly by the street-light as if hoping that her own presence would go unnoticed. It was a futile attempt, for the four powerful-looking Negroes were already eyeing the girl who stood alone and defenseless at the far end of the stage, and the sly, leering smiles on their faces clearly indicated that there were sinister thoughts brewing in their minds. As if sensing the trouble in the air, the dark-haired girl suddenly turned and began walking hurriedly back across the stage, clutching the tiny purse she carried and averting her eyes from the insolent grins the Negroes wore. She had passed one of them and was approaching the second when the four men began to move closer together, quickly forming a wide circle around her. She apparently didn't notice the maneuver, but Lynn could already see that the black men were going to try to block the young girl's path and, for a moment, the young blonde housewife in the rear of the room had an impulse to cry out and warn the unsuspecting girl of the danger that was surrounding her.

Suddenly, one of the Negroes stepped right in front of the hurrying girl, and there wasn't a sound in the club as she suddenly looked up, her eyes wide with fright. She quickly tried to move around him, but the monstrous Negro rapidly reached out and grabbed her slender arm, flinging her back across the stage toward the others. The atmosphere in the club was almost electric with tension and Lynn gratefully clung to George McHenry's hand as he slipped it down into her lap. She was pleased and amazed that the Executive Club would present such a moving drama for its members, but she hoped that someone would soon rescue the girl on the stage, because Lynn herself was becoming a little frightened at what was happening. If those men were poor and just wanted to steal the girl's purse, why didn't they just take it and let her go, instead of taunting and laughing at her? Lynn wondered fearfully.

Then the lovely blonde wife almost gasped aloud as one of the black men grabbed the young girl's arms and brutally pinned them behind her back, while the other three slid closer to her with lewd, evil smiles contorting their dark faces. The terrified girl writhed and twisted trying to free herself, and tears of helpless frustration filled her eyes as one of the Negroes clapped his huge hand over her mouth so that she could not scream out for help. Another one reached down to her knees and jerked up at her skirt, filling the room with a low tearing noise as it suddenly ripped loose, fanning up the full length of her firm full thighs and up over the rounded white panty-covered fullness of her buttocks. As the torn and useless garment fell fluttering to the sidewalk, the same Negro grasped her sweater and yanked it up over her head, tearing her arms out of the grasp of the other. The garment was hurriedly pulled up over her shoulders and face, then completely away from her body, leaving her beautifully rounded torso naked except for the thin strips of fabric that made up her black bra and panties and the long black hose and garter belt she wore. The hand that covered her mouth had been pulled away in the hurried struggle and Lynn heard the girl suddenly break out into piteous supplications for her freedom.

"Oh God, please don't! Let me go please! Don't do it to me, I can't stand it!"

But her pleading cries were cut short again as the black man's hand clamped down hard over her lips. Further muffled cries were choked back, deep down in her throat, until only slight broken moans of anguish could be heard coming from her flaring nostrils as the men began to run their hands over her body, cruelly pinching and teasing at her soft white flesh. Sheer sadistic lust blazed out from the bulging eyes of the four Negroes and their teeth flashed whitely in the stage light as they laughed at the girl's terrified sobbing.

Lynn stared in horror at the stage as she saw the men lustfully tormenting the captive girl. Even though her mind was dulled by all the champagne she had drunk, the petite housewife was certain that this play was more daring than anything she had ever seen before, and she wondered if she shouldn't ask McHenry to take her home now, before it got any bolder. She had heard that there were some very explicit plays dealing with sex playing in New York City and California but this drama was beginning to look like it belonged more in a brothel than in a club run by high ranking corporate executives. Still, she had to admit that, for some reason, the very helplessness of the cowering girl surrounded by the leering Negroes fascinated her and she couldn't look away. The very thought of those four men pawing and handling that defenseless girl's nearly naked body sent shivers of macabre curiosity tingling through her and a rash of goose-pimples erupted on her sensitive skin. Barely able to stand the tension in the room, Lynn wriggled down tighter in her seat and felt the edge of the cushion brush electrically against the soft swell of her pubic area. She jumped at the unexpected contact and even more at the unexpected shock it had sent racing up her spine. Her breath involuntarily quickened.

Beside her, George frowned to himself as he saw the troubled look on Lynn's face as she sat with her eyes glued to the stage. He watched her reach out for her glass and quickly gulp down the refreshing liquid, attempting to cool off some of the warmth the suggestive scene had transmitted to her body. McHenry quickly refilled her glass.