Bill thinks it would be a good time to sell their vacation house in Tahoe. They haven't even used it well over a year, and if they sold now while real estate prices are so high, they would get 7 or 8 times more than they paid for it. Half-listening, not caring either about the property or the profit, Mercedes agrees with her husband's plan. He talks on, while she imagines another man sharing the jacuzzi with her. She nods & smiles & closes her eyes, imagining Justin talking to her in his low sexy growl. He wouldn't talk about money....

It started out simply enough, Mistress Xaviera keeps a stable of fine young bruts like Justin, ready to cater to the more extreme tastes, and while Xaviera will insist it never happens, all of them are available for more traditional services as well. Mercedes has had them all and wanted Justin & naturally assumed it was only a matter of a little extra money. If it had been that simple, he would have meant no more to her than any of the others. But he persistently refused her, he's the only man to ever refuse her. Mercedes looks at herself in her mirror, she tells herself she sees a strong, powerful woman, beautiful, with important friends. It shouldn't matter that one man, one nobody dredged up from life's gutter, would turn her down, for whatever bizarre reason, she is much better than that.

When she goes into her office, it is to be confronted by the girl who has her Justin. Of course it's about the money, he cannot possibly love the dull, mousy heiress. Mercedes doesn't resent his preying on the girl, it's just proof of his intelligence & cunning, of his worthiness of the attention of a woman like Mercedes...But how is it that he can bring himself to make love to this frumpy miss if he can't do it for Mercedes? His insistence that he 'just doesn't do that' had begun to make her think some piercing accident had perhaps left him impotent, something of that nature. But if he's got a girlfriend....

Mercedes casually asks Eleanor about her boyfriend, her tongue tripping a little over the word. It's so hard to swallow!

And of course it's painful to watch the girl light up as she hears him mentioned, and it hurts to hear her brag a little about what a great cook he is. Mercedes has known him for years, but doesn't know the least detail about him, and these little gleanings of information, told with the affection born of intimacy by his lover are thorny roses. Mercedes writhes & leans in for more, as Eleanor's loving tones lash her like the stinging slap of Justin's paddle. Justin has clearly done an excellent job with this girl, she obviously adores him, her skin glows, her eyes shine when she speaks of him. The girl has got herself a better cut of suit than is her normal fashion, showing just a hint of skin, her bit of cleavage glowing with a pink blush as she talks of Justin: Mercedes has gone from wondering how Justin can bring himself to do it, to imagining them together. It's in her nature, Mercedes' raging libido responds to any whiff of sexuality: Eleanor is turned on by talking about Justin, Mercedes is turned on by Eleanor.

Mercedes leaves Eleanor to get back to her work, and goes to her own desk. She's the editor of her magazine, she's trying to launch her first issue. Eleanor has taken care of the bulk of it, arranging the art work, getting advertisers, writing articles, doing the layouts. But the notes from the editor really needs to be done by herself. Mercedes was never much of a writer, and she's not having an easy time organizing her thoughts at the moment. Her mind keeps wandering off, alternately fantasizing about Justin making love to herself & to Eleanor, and to both of them at the same time.

It's huge relief when Corrine shows up for an afternoon visit: anything to distract herself.

NEXT