Page 71 of The Unseen
Their first meeting, just after Christmas, had been a rude awakening. Valentina hated Mr. Mayhew and Mr. Gleason, but they treated her with respect and never did anything to cause her discomfort. They were ordinary men who were happy to pay for an hour of intimate female company, secure in the knowledge that theoutcome was assured. Ian Murdoch wanted much more. Not only did he expect her to participate, but he had no interest in straight sex. Valentina shook with fear every time she was meant to see him, which was unfortunately once a fortnight. She learned very quickly that denying him what he wanted would only make things more difficult for her and tried to refrain from provoking him.
The first time they met, Mr. Murdoch left her in no doubt that their meetings would not be quick and routine. He ordered her to undress fully and bend face down over the bed. He then explored her body in a way neither of the other two ever dared. The most they did was slide their hand between her legs before copulation or kiss her breast, but Ian Murdock probed and tasted her every orifice, making her inwardly cringe with embarrassment, especially when he paid undue attention to her anus after spending at least a quarter of an hour on his knees, his tongue exploring her more delicate parts intimately. But he seemed to enjoy it immensely. Unfortunately, he expected her to return the favor.
“Get on your knees,” he ordered and forced his engorged shaft into her mouth the second time they met. “Suck.”
He slapped her when she refused. Not hard, but enough to get his point across. He would have what he came for, and if she refused, he would make things very unpleasant for her. Valentina nearly gagged but eventually learned to perform the task to his satisfaction. She thought that’d be the worst of it, but that same night, he ordered her to bend over. She assumed he wished to fondle her again, but this time he slid his cock into her rectum, making her cry out in pain. He ignored her whimpering and continued, thrusting into her until she thought he’d never finish. He ordered her to turn around for round two, and lasted even longer, leaving her trembling and sore.
“You really are a delight,” he said as he began to dress unhurriedly. “You will learn to enjoy the things I do to you.”
“I doubt it,” she replied.
Ian Murdoch smiled at her, a warm, radiant smile that transformed his face. “You’ll see. Missionary sex is so boring. It’s for people who have no imagination. Give it a few months, and you’ll be aching to see me.”
“If you say so.”
He kissed the tip of her nose and smiled into her eyes. “I guarantee it. See you next time.” He walked out, leaving Valentina blessedly alone. She curled into the fetal position and pressed her legs tightly together to stop the throbbing. Suddenly, Mr. Mayhew and Mr. Gleason didn’t seem so bad.
To calm herself, she began mentally writing her next column for the ladies’ paper. This time she would write about the suffragette movement and what winning the vote would mean for future generations. Never before had she realized how desperately women needed equal rights to men. Had she been a man, no one would dare use her this way. She’d have real career choices, more than the genteel occupations of governess or domestic servant that were open to her as a woman. And she’d earn enough money to support herself and her family, not the pittance that was paid to women who were desperate enough to need to work.
Her writing was the only bright spot in her life at the moment, and last week Stanislav had actually paid her seventy pence. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. It was the first money she’d earned as a journalist. Perhaps, if demand for the paper increased, she’d begin to earn more, and maybe in time, try submitting her work to an English-speaking paper.
Valentina was about to get up when the door opened and Dmitri walked in. “What’s wrong? Murdoch left some time ago.”
“Get out. I’m not dressed.”
“So get dressed. I’m not going anywhere.”
There was no bathroom in the room, or even a screen behind which she could dress. She was forced to get out of bed anddress in front of Dmitri, who sat in the wing chair, his eyes glued to her naked form. “You really are lovely,” he said, licking his lips.
Valentina stared at him in horror. He’d never touched her, but there was nothing to stop him from forcing her to service him as well.
“Don’t worry, Valya. I won’t push you that far,” he said, responding to her obvious fear. “I’m more interested in your commercial value. Ian is very pleased with you. He might increase his visits to once a week. Won’t that be nice?” Dmitri asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He knew what Murdoch liked, of that she was sure, and he was enjoying her misery. “Come now. I don’t have all night. I’m tired.”
Valentina finished dressing and followed Dmitri out the door. She froze when she saw a woman she knew from church emerge from one of the other rooms. The woman was married, with two small children. She lowered her eyes and tried to back into the room, but Dmitri hailed her.
“Good evening, Anna Mihailovna. Do give my regards to your husband.”
The woman paled but only nodded in response.
“I lent her ne’er-do-well husband a large sum last year,” Dmitri explained, his tone conversational. “He managed to repay half but couldn’t come up with the rest. He was quite willing to whore his wife out in return for me forgetting the debt.”
“How do you sleep at night?” Valentina asked through clenched teeth.
“Very well, thank you. Everything in life is a choice, Valya.”
“Is it?” Valentina challenged him. “I don’t think Anna Mihailovna would agree.”
“Nothing in life is free. When someone does you a kindness, you must repay it. It’s only fair. If you can’t repay it in a way that was agreed upon, you must offer something else of equal value to offset the debt. Igor Lazarev could have found a way to raise the money, but he took the easy way out and used his wife as collateral. It was his choice, not mine.”
“What you’re making me do was never agreed upon,” Valentina snapped.
“I’m not forcing you to do anything. I offered you a choice, and you chose the most practical solution because you know as well as anyone that self-respect doesn’t pay the rent or put food on the table. You could have chosen to leave, found lodgings, jobs for yourself and Tanya, and made a life for yourself, but instead, you traded your so-called ‘virtue’ for a life of comfort. So, spare me your righteous indignation, Valya. It has no merit.”
“And how long do you plan to hold me hostage to your demands?”
“That largely depends on how much your dear mama spends per annum and what it costs me to support your sister and pay for your brother’s education. Kolya’s got at least ten years of schooling ahead of him.”
“I despise you,” Valentina snarled as he handed her into the motorcar.
