Read Online Dangerous Pleasures by Bertrice Small - Free Book Online
Authors: Bertrice Small
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Channel,” Nora said. “Now you can program two fantasies at a time, and live whichever suits you that evening. And you can get a yearly subscription to the Channel, too. This is a tough world in which we women now live, and we deserve a little fun. The Channel is our dirty little secret, Annie. You will love it, I promise you, but you won’t believe any of this until you’ve tried it,” Nora concluded.
There was a soft knock on the apartment door, and the silent Fritz hurried to answer it, opening the portal to admit Mr. Nicholas.
“I’ve come to escort you back to your suite,” he said, smiling. “Have you explained everything to her, Nora?”
“Everything except that the Channel is online from eight p.m. until four a.m. When it’s time to release your fantasy for the evening you’ll hear a chime giving you a two-minute warning,” Nora said. “Have fun!”
“What are your fantasies?” Annie asked Nora boldly, and Mr. Nicholas chuckled.
“My beautiful apartment, and a Caribbean island where I play pirate with a girlfriend of mine,” Nora said with a grin.
Mr. Nicholas took Annie’s hand and tucked it in his arm. “Come along, my dear,” he said. “Nora, I will want to speak to you before you retire.”
“Thank you for dinner,” Annie said as he led her from the room and back to her own suite. “Nora didn’t say where my personal remote is, Mr. Nicholas.”
“You’ll find it by your bed, but it will work on either the screen there or in your living room,” he answered her. “Good night now, my dear.” He bowed and was gone.
C HAPTER T HREE
A nnie shut the suite door. It couldn’t be true, she thought. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try it, and, going into the bedroom, she reached for the remote by her bed. Then, putting it down, she undressed slowly, took a quick shower, and put on the elegant nightgown she had bought at Lacy Nothings just for her spa stay. Fashioned of pale green silk and delicate lace, it fit her like a glove. It had cost a week’s worth of groceries, but then, no one was at home this week, she thought, soothing her conscience. You couldn’t come to an elegant place like the Spa with a worn pink cotton sleep shirt, could you? Of course not, she reasoned.
The king-sized bed had been turned down. There was a single dark-chocolate mint on one of the pillows. Annie climbed into the bed. Beneath her the feather bed shifted gently. Half seated against the pile of pillows, she drew up the down comforter and reached for the remote on her night table. There were three buttons on it. One said, OPEN / CLOSE . The other two were marked A and B . Pressing OPEN / CLOSE saw the wall opposite her bed open to reveal what appeared to be a flat-screen television. She had briefly read the suite’s instructions earlier with regard to the lights. Now she tried it. “Lights off,” she said, and immediately the bedroom darkened. Now, that was really cool, she thought. Maybe her electric bill at home wouldn’t be so high if she and the kids could do that, she thought, smiling.
Her mind now turned again to the remote in her hand. A fantasy. She had to think of a fantasy. Had she ever had a fantasy? Her father was a practical man. Her mother was a no-nonsense type. They had been good parents to her and to Lizzie, but she couldn’t ever remember a time when they had played pretend with their children, or even encouraged their imaginations. They had encouraged learning. And they had taught manners and ethics. But they had discouraged both of their daughters from anything that smacked of fancy. Annie had grown up knowing her future was already mapped out for her. She would be a wife and a mother, because that was what respectable women became.
Lizzie, on the other hand, being younger, had broken the mold when she turned around after college and got into law school. She hadn’t even told their parents she was applying, but, Annie thought, Lizzie’s summer adventures
There was a soft knock on the apartment door, and the silent Fritz hurried to answer it, opening the portal to admit Mr. Nicholas.
“I’ve come to escort you back to your suite,” he said, smiling. “Have you explained everything to her, Nora?”
“Everything except that the Channel is online from eight p.m. until four a.m. When it’s time to release your fantasy for the evening you’ll hear a chime giving you a two-minute warning,” Nora said. “Have fun!”
“What are your fantasies?” Annie asked Nora boldly, and Mr. Nicholas chuckled.
“My beautiful apartment, and a Caribbean island where I play pirate with a girlfriend of mine,” Nora said with a grin.
Mr. Nicholas took Annie’s hand and tucked it in his arm. “Come along, my dear,” he said. “Nora, I will want to speak to you before you retire.”
“Thank you for dinner,” Annie said as he led her from the room and back to her own suite. “Nora didn’t say where my personal remote is, Mr. Nicholas.”
“You’ll find it by your bed, but it will work on either the screen there or in your living room,” he answered her. “Good night now, my dear.” He bowed and was gone.
C HAPTER T HREE
A nnie shut the suite door. It couldn’t be true, she thought. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try it, and, going into the bedroom, she reached for the remote by her bed. Then, putting it down, she undressed slowly, took a quick shower, and put on the elegant nightgown she had bought at Lacy Nothings just for her spa stay. Fashioned of pale green silk and delicate lace, it fit her like a glove. It had cost a week’s worth of groceries, but then, no one was at home this week, she thought, soothing her conscience. You couldn’t come to an elegant place like the Spa with a worn pink cotton sleep shirt, could you? Of course not, she reasoned.
The king-sized bed had been turned down. There was a single dark-chocolate mint on one of the pillows. Annie climbed into the bed. Beneath her the feather bed shifted gently. Half seated against the pile of pillows, she drew up the down comforter and reached for the remote on her night table. There were three buttons on it. One said, OPEN / CLOSE . The other two were marked A and B . Pressing OPEN / CLOSE saw the wall opposite her bed open to reveal what appeared to be a flat-screen television. She had briefly read the suite’s instructions earlier with regard to the lights. Now she tried it. “Lights off,” she said, and immediately the bedroom darkened. Now, that was really cool, she thought. Maybe her electric bill at home wouldn’t be so high if she and the kids could do that, she thought, smiling.
Her mind now turned again to the remote in her hand. A fantasy. She had to think of a fantasy. Had she ever had a fantasy? Her father was a practical man. Her mother was a no-nonsense type. They had been good parents to her and to Lizzie, but she couldn’t ever remember a time when they had played pretend with their children, or even encouraged their imaginations. They had encouraged learning. And they had taught manners and ethics. But they had discouraged both of their daughters from anything that smacked of fancy. Annie had grown up knowing her future was already mapped out for her. She would be a wife and a mother, because that was what respectable women became.
Lizzie, on the other hand, being younger, had broken the mold when she turned around after college and got into law school. She hadn’t even told their parents she was applying, but, Annie thought, Lizzie’s summer adventures
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