disappearing with his brother Ron and several familiar faces of his entourage. They were headed for the meeting that Sylvie knew would take place immediately after the banquet dinner. With horror, she realized that her husband was sending her off with Erick, when all she asked was to be as far away from the youngest member of the clan as she could possibly get.
But Erick was already eagerly propelling her beyond the smoke-filled room and out into the night air where a chauffeur waited patiently.
Although Sylvie realized that she could easily be firm with her spoiled brother-in-law, telling him that she intended to go home and nowhere else, she decided that she must not show her weakness by letting him know just how afraid of him she was. Now would be the time that she would have to meet with him and prove herself the stronger of the two.
As Erick installed himself in the limousine beside her, she spoke to the chauffeur, not waiting for Erick's instructions.
'Take us to the club, Ben, will you?' she said in her pleasantest voice. Then settling back she turned to Erick noting with approval his surprised expression. She knew that he had expected her to protest.
'I do feel the need of a drink after that dreadful dinner. Don't you?' she asked, arching her finely drawn eyebrows.
The doorman at the club bowed and scraped as they swept in the door, and after the usual number of heads had turned the famous brother and sister-in-law were seated in the private booth reserved for members of the family. It was a very pleasant spot, giving a perfect view of everything that went on in the small room, but screened off in such a way that little could be seen of them. They sat in comfortable chairs that were molded together to give the appearance of an ordinary bar booth. That was their charm. But they were far removed from the hard wood and plastic of their distant cousins.
Although Sylvie did not otherwise betray just how nervous she was, she did consume three frozen daiquiris, one right after the other, while Erick was still working on his second Jack Daniels and water.
Erick was waiting for her to show some sign of inebriation, having decided to go along with her for a while at least. He too could pretend that they were the best of relatives… Tim Cassidy's wife and Tim Cassidy's brother having a friendly drink at the most elite club within a 500 mile radius. Certainly nothing wrong with that.
'Well, I think I'd like to be getting back now… rigid schedule tomorrow, you know!' Sylvie said. She had downed that last daiquiri a little too fast, and she could feel her head whirling. Mentally she cursed herself for having had so many so fast, she knew that she could take quite a few daiquiris in a night, but only if she spaced them carefully. Her nervous state had not allowed her to do so, and now she was paying for it.
She was not very surprised when Erick drawled, 'Oh I think I'll have another, dear sister-in-law, and I'll order one more for you too!'
Sylvie remained silent. She didn't feel that she should say too much, she was afraid she might blurt out something unwise. When the drinks came she began to sip hers silently, while Erick began to speak.
'You know, I'm glad that we have this little time together,' he began easily. 'You're a reasonable woman… one who really knows the facts of life!' he said, winking unpleasantly at her.
Sylvie was silent. Desperately she tried to keep taking deep breaths, hoping the intake of air would sober her up.
'I mean you know the kind of things that happen on the road!'
What was he getting at? Sylvie wondered angrily. Why had she been foolish enough to believe she could get through an hour or so alone with this odious man? She was thankful though that at least thus far she had somehow set the tone of the evening so that he used no lewd profanities with her. In fact he was very polite… much too polite.
Erick had thought about what he was going to say to her when he got a chance to do so. He had thought about it all day in fact. Now, it was a pleasure to him to see the young blonde woman jump in her seat as he casually mentioned, 'You know how those little girls are always aching to take down their panties for a famous cock. A man can't always refuse!'
Sylvie felt something like a knife turning inside her, but she tried to keep her voice steady as she replied…
'Of course not,' she said uneasily. She wanted to jump up and run from the room, but she knew that she and Erick must leave the place together, besides, she was hoping that she could sober up some before she had to stand up. Her vision had started to blur a little at the sides and the funny whirring sensation in her head had not let up.
'I don't really blame my brother,' Erick continued.
Which brother was he talking about? But Sylvie knew full well that her unpleasant brother-in-law was trying to taunt her… trying to get her all upset by telling her some story about her husband, his oldest brother, Tim. Probably lies… he was probably making it all up just to upset her!
But, she thought with sudden clarity, 'Why else would he show so little interest in me?' The previous explanation that her husband's exceedingly rough schedule both mentally and physically gave him little time to think of such things, seemed a vague pipe dream that Sylvie had made up for herself in order to avoid the true facts. He was unfaithful to her with other women!
Erick's voice droned on and on, and Sylvie could easily visualize her handsome husband… too handsome for his own good, and certainly for hers… sleeping with those girls… all those horrid little creatures who adored him and his brothers… putting his hands up their skirts… letting them fondle him… Making love with them!
After all, she reasoned, forgetting and taking another sip of the drink in front of her, she had once been one of those girls herself. She'd been working in the young district attorney's office, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as the saying went. She knew just how Tim Cassidy operated. Hadn't he come up behind her one day and kissed her gently on the ear, letting his hands brush casually across her breasts? Just enough to enflame her, to make her want him more than she had ever wanted anything in the world! In spite of herself she emitted a groan, and Erick sitting nearby moved a little closer to her and smiled.
He knew that his words were having the effect that he wanted. With keen interest he let his eyes rove over Sylvie's partially exposed breasts.
Her dress was not cut very low in front, but he could still see the full ripeness of her large creamy breasts, especially if he leaned over a bit. He moved over just a bit more, so that his thigh pressed close against hers beneath the table and launched into his story.
'I'll tell you a story about one politician I know… who shall of course remain anonymous. It didn't happen so very long ago really…'
Sylvie started to put her hands up to her ears, but she realized that nothing would stop Erick from telling his story. She could feel the words piercing her with their horrid meaning, and despite the efforts to block it all out, she could clearly visualize the events that Erick outlined.
'Well, you see, he asked to have this special girl sent up to the hotel room. She was just a secretary, new at that, but there was something fresh and innocent about her… not like the others who are always throwing themselves at you! This man told us… (there were two other men in the room) that he wanted to see just how dedicated she was, this new girl, and she came up trembling like a leaf, but obviously anxious to please. Couldn't have been more than 17 or 18, maybe younger and lying about her age. She was blonde… actually looked a bit like you, Sylvie, only younger. In any case, this man brought the young girl over behind the desk where he was sitting and brought out a package of pictures for her to look at. Well, Sylvie, each one was dirtier than the next. Every position in creation was happening in those pictures, and there were those nasty full close-ups of genitals… you know the ones that really get to you!
Well, In tell you they really got to that little girl. She blushed and then she blanched, and then she tried not to look at them, but this man he kept forcing her to look. By this time his arm was around her waist and he was holding her fast up against his chair, mailing her look at those dirty pics. Well, it wasn't long before the girl realized that something was expected of her and she seemed stunned by the knowledge, slumping in a semi-swoon against this famous politician, and looking at each picture that was presented to her with a slack open mouthed expression. Then we noticed that her expression was gradually changing to one of excitement. We didn't know exactly why from where we were sitting but her face began to show unmistakable traces of passion and she began to breathe hard. Then the man beckoned us closer and moving around the side of the desk, much to the young blonde girl's consternation, we were able to see that he had pulled her short skirt up slightly and had inserted his finger under
