Sitting up on his heels, Ed realized he had been holding his breath since before Rachel bit Clara’s nipple and sucked in fresh air like a man returning from a deep ocean dive. Rachel sat up on the bed with her lopsided smile and kissed Ed.
“You did great, pal. Cigarettes?”
///
Ed and Rachel, still naked and recovering from coaxing a memorable climax out of Clara, sat in the living room and made small talk while the blonde recovered. Ed, suddenly drained of any energy or motivation to move, told Rachel about being a private detective and about being hired to find Clara. He left out the parts about the Masters, but managed to include all the parts about following Clara from the restaurant and enjoying a drink and bowl of soup at the bar before Rachel had come home to find them.
Rachel sat next to Ed on the couch and stroked his hair while he talked. He realized his pants were under the sofa they were sitting on, so he offered her a cigarette from his pocket and both sat trading pleasantries until their smokes were burned down to the filter. The apartment faced east, so the light was almost gone when they realized no one had released Clara’s arms from the stockings. Both rushed to the bedroom, but there was no reason to worry. Clara was still out cold and had pulled herself up to the headboard so she could turn and sleep on one side. It was then that Ed noticed that there was only one bed in the apartment.
Rachel gave him her half smile. “We thought it easier to share one bed than have to make two each morning. Did Clara tell you why she moved in?” They walked back into the living room and sat on the sofa to avoid disturbing Clara with their conversation. Rachel had fetched a blue silk robe from a chair beside the bed and wore it loosely over her shoulders neglecting to tie it shut.
“Not really. I knew she moved out of her old place, but none of her old neighbors knew where she’d gone.”
“Our employer arranged for both of us to go to the same party a few weeks ago. We worked together for a few hours and enjoyed each other’s company. Clara has been making money pretty steadily, so we decided to move in together to save up a nest-egg. We haven’t made any long term plans, but I don’t think either of us want to stay in Baltimore.”
“So Clara’s a paralegal, too?”
“Oh,” Rachel laughed, the smile extending to the other side of her mouth in amusement.”No, hon. I’m a paralegal during the day. Clara is a full time call girl. I work when they need someone with my expertise, which isn’t as often as they need a hot blonde willing to fuck. Clara has at least one date a day, I average two or three per week.”
“I…,” Ed stammered, “I would have thought you’d both be in demand. You’re both gorgeous, and you both work well as a team…”
“My expertise is tying men up like we did to Clara tonight and either teasing or whipping them until they cum. Believe me, there are more red-blooded males wanting to fuck Clara than there are men wanting me to dominate them. I’m not saying I’m not good at my job, but there just isn’t the same market for my skills.” Rachel’s face was covered in shadows at this point, her profile black against the darkening city-scape outside the window. Ed could not tell if she was smiling anymore.
“Doesn’t it bother you,” Ed broke the silence. “Seeing Clara with someone else? Knowing Clara is with a different guy every day? You don’t seem the jealous type.”
Rachel lit another cigarette and took a long drag, watching the cherry glow and dim in the dark apartment. “Yes and no. Clara is a free spirit. She wouldn’t be happy with just one person, probably not just three persons. Our employers are good about arranging dates with safe people with enough money to pay top dollar for what they get.” Rachel reached over and laid her free hand on Ed’s upper thigh, brushing her fingertips against his balls.
“I’m trying to stay in the moment, enjoying what we have now instead of tying her down. Figuratively speaking.” Ed could tell she was smiling again. Smoke swirled through the air toward the open window, disappearing before it crossed the threshold. There was just enough light to see that one of her breasts was covered by the robe and her shaved pussy was on full display.
“I don’t mean to pry, but does dominating males do anything for you? I know what Clara gets out of it, but what about you?”
Rachel’s hand moved slightly higher up Ed’s thigh. “I don’t get the same thrill out of it that Clara gets from fucking someone. Turned on, yes. But that’s usually just because I’m naked when I work. Who doesn’t get turned on being naked in front of others? I…I had a boyfriend, we’ll call him ‘Asshole’, who borrowed money from the wrong people. Asshole took me to a party where I was the poor schmuck tied up and tortured for other’s amusement.”
Rachel took a drag on the cigarette, lighting up her face and chest in a bright red glow. “I lucked out and it was a woman who was whipping me. She knew what she was doing so I didn’t get hurt and none of the marks were permanent, after she offered to teach me. I took her up on it. Asshole probably still has difficulty sitting down, I haven’t seen him since. I was in school at the time to become a legal secretary, and used the cash I was earning at night to extend my education.
Now I have two decent livings.” Another drag lit her face, revealing her defiant eyes. “I don’t take pleasure from giving others pain, but all my clients are in it for the pain. There’s a delicate balance, a fine line you have to walk. Step over the line and people get hurt. Too far back from the line and no one cums. I’m professional.”