Tuesday 24 September 2013

Casting out the Devil

Casting out the Devil

Someone asked me the other day – did I believe the Devil existed as a physical entity.

No I don't – was my reply.

I do however, believe the concept of the devil is far more sinister than the physical manifestation of that evil.

Why do I believe this? Just look at all the incredible evil man is capable of.

To blame the devil is to belittle the appalling acts of cruelty, injustice and all the base things humanity is capable of dragging into the chaotic world.

Chaotic because man makes it that way.

On my Facebook page, a fellow animal lover has posted a plea to pet owners not to let their animals out on Halloween because they are in danger of being tortured and killed. Black cats seem to be particularly at risk. I guess because of their past misguided reputation as being witches cats.

Man is the only creature that murders their own children.

Man is the only creature that hunts other creature's for 'sport' and not just to eat.

Man is capable of inflicting great pain on other human beings for pleasure.

And after centuries of war– man is still engaging in conflict after conflict.

So where's the devil in all this – unfortunately resting inside all of us.

The devil is an idea thought up to control the populace by a minority through fear, isn't using fear against people – devilment? I think so.

An idea does not have to be a reality to be real just have enough people to believe in it.

I think it is better to take hold of a another idea and believe in Angels.

Turn on the light and the darkness goes away.




Friday 20 September 2013

The Spider Paradine a short novella by Josephine S. Vanner - the final chapter



The Spider Paradine
a short novella by
Josephine S. Vanner

The characters and events in this book are a work of fiction from the author's imagination and in no way reflect any real events or real people.

The final chapter

The skimpy thong revelation.


Diane looked down at Gerry's collapsed body lying prone of the floor, her emotions towards him flat-lined. She felt not the slightest concern that something dreadful had just happened to her husband. His eyes stared back up at her without seeing beyond unconsciousness. He was no longer moaning, which all things considered she decided was a good sign as the noise was very irritating.

Thankfully, he'd also stopped moving. Of course, she told herself that could have had something to do with the handcuffs and ankle cuffs. He couldn't say anything to her because the little red ball attached to the leather straps in his mouth was preventing him from speaking. Again, it was, she decided, a good thing he couldn't talk to her. He was bound to be rude if he could.

She had played her part in the game, she consoled herself. The meal as Larry had said so often was stunningly delicious. By the time they all trooped into the living room they were well and truly mellow with copious amounts of champagne, red wine and brandy.

I fancy a gin and tonic.” Diane said to the prone Gerry. He'd never liked her drinking gin and tonic. He'd said gin and tonic was common and that vodka and tonic was so much more sophisticated.

She poured herself a large measure from the bottle of gin she had hidden in the kitchen cupboard and sat back down on the sofa to look at Gerry and drink his health.

Cheers.” She said as she raised her glass. Gerry's lashes fluttered as he attempted to gesticulate at her with pleading eyes.

She took a large swig of her drink and asked, “Is there something you want me to do for you?” This time his eyes didn't move.

Obviously not. I think I done more than enough for you, don't you think so Gerry?”

She did wonder if she should do something for her stricken husband. What was it? When a person has, what she suspected was a stroke, it was very important to get help quickly. Now was it, 6 seconds, 60 seconds or 6 minutes.

666 Gerry dearest, 666.

Diane decided to err on the side of caution and wait before she called the ambulance. It gave her time to relive the events of that evening.

Gerry had never allowed her to arrange his toys for him. Clean them, polish them and oil them, yes - but touch them in any other way and she would be on the wrong side of his temper.

He'd put the trestle table, he called his 'love alter', covered with a bright scarlet red satin cloth in front of the fireplace. Arranged on it in order of fun were his toys.

Number one, his riding crop, glistening, it shone brightly from her efforts. Springy and stingy he would say as he bent it almost double before swinging it down on her bare backside.

Next in his order of fun, the stubby handled whip with long soft leather lashes.

Last in his collection, handcuffs, ankle cuffs and a varied assortment of gags and hoods.

Behind the 'love alter', Gerry had set up the clothes rail. Batman and superman costumes, hung beside two French maids outfits and a nurses uniform, all arranged neatly in order of length.

Ta-da.” Gerry had said excitedly waving his arms in the direction of his toys as his guests entered the living room.

Reactions, apart from Anna's, did not go according to Gerry's plan.

Jess, almost wet herself laughing.

Harry, said nothing.

Gerry had mistook Harry's silence for approval and began to strip off his shirt and pants. He'd chosen for the occasion his favorite lime green, skimpiest thong with an orange colored furry dick pouch. His anticipation of the game to come had filled the fluffy pouch to a fully upright position.

Anna had whooped with delight and copied Gerry, wasting no time in stripping down to her kickers, she gave the room full view of her large sagging bosoms.

What the 'ell.” Larry shouted, “Put your bloody clothes on woman.” He commanded to Anna.

Shan't.” Anna had responded petulantly.

Yes you bloody will.” He grabbed her blouse and roughly slung it around her shoulders.

And what the 'ell do you think your doing?” He shouted lunging at Gerry stabbing a finger at the space in front of his increasingly horrified host.

I...I...I...thought you were all up for my game.” Gerry stuttered, “Jess only didn't swing with her hairdresser's husband because she didn't fancy him. And you like to crawl the kerbs looking for hookers...” His voice trailed off as he looked from one to the other of his astonished guests.

I was only joking. I didn't fancy my hairdresser's husband because we're not into that sort of thing.” Jess answered between gulps of laughter, tears running down her face, “Silly sod, put your clothes on.”

Harry had not been so understanding. He pulled Larry out of the way and told Gerry, in a cold even voice, “If you ever come near Jess and me again, I will have you arrested as a sex pest. Understand?” With that he took hold of Jess's hand and left. Managing with a supreme effort to contain himself until they were in their own hallway and behind their closed front-door,then he too fell about laughing.

Who the 'ell do you think you are? You, jumped up piece of something I scrape from my boot. I may not want to screw my wife but I'm bloody well sure you're not going to.” Larry yelled his voice rising several decibels as he too yanked his wife out of the room, and pulled a semi naked, Anna, back to their cottage.

Gerry had stood for a long time after they had all left, saying nothing. Diane, almost felt sorry for him but was more concerned, however, with what his reaction to her would be, once he'd overcome his shock.

She lifted the handcuffs and ankle-cuffs from the table putting them on him saying, “Never mind darling, look I've put these on for you. Would you like me to whip you?”

When he didn't answer her, she placed the gag with the red ball in his mouth and tightened the strap, “How about this then? Will this make you happy?”

Diane took hold of the riding crop and whacked him across his buttocks, “Take this you bad bad boy.” She chastised bringing the crop down as hard as she dare.

It was on the third thwack of the riding crop that his eyeballs went up into his head and he'd made a strange rattling sound, just before he fell forward onto the carpet. He had thrashed around for several minutes before he went very still.

Diane finished her gin and tonic and knelt on the floor next to Gerry, placing an ear against his mouth, she strained her hearing to see if he was breathing - he was – barely.

For the greater part of her marriage, Diane had to do as she was told. “You will toe the line.” Gerry would say to her whenever she looked like rebelling at his control over her.

Do you want me to take the gag off?” She asked in obedience mode.

Diane took his non response as, no.

An idea flashed itself through her brain, “I know what I'll do.” She told him.

Empowered by a sudden sense of being in control she removed the duvet and pillow off the spare bed. Placing the pillow under Gerry's head and covering him with the duvet she left him to sleep the night peacefully on the floor.

How comfortable the bed was without him. How hugely spacious. She could stretch out without being told she was causing a draft or that she bounced around too much and best of all she could scratch the night time itches without being made to stay still and endure them.

Next morning, after the first night's peaceful sleep, in she didn't know how long, Diane went downstairs to check on Gerry. He was as she left him.

Good morning Gerry.” There was a brightness to Diane, that only the downtrodden who had been set free can explain.

His eyes followed her across the room with an unaccustomed dullness, staring blankly at her as she pulled back the cover. She undid the buckle at the back of the gag and waited as he tried and failed to speak.

Best get rid of all this before anyone comes.” Diane waved a hand at his 'love alter'.

She placed his toys in the box, collapsed the trestle table, folded the costumes and undid the clothes rail. When everything was put away, she removed the hand and ankle-cuffs from Gerry and then put those away too.

He lifted a weak hand up to her then let if fall back to the floor.

Oh dear. I don't think you are very well. I'd better call the doctor. Do you want me to leave your thong on?”

The lime green Lycra thong had rucked up under his paunch and the furry orange dick pouch hung limp. It made her think of a bird's wing that once soared high in the sky but was now broken and useless, an empty sack of nothingness between his legs – but then it had always been empty – for her.

Then another idea struck her. She went back upstairs and got Gerry's pajamas and placed them on the floor beside him. Next she cut off the skimpy thong and threw it in the kitchen trashcan.

Acting as if she was genuinely upset at her husband's collapse, she rang for an ambulance.

999 an upside down 666.” She giggled as she pressed the buttons on the phone.


***


Diane poured herself a large gin and tonic and sat watching daytime TV in blissful euphoria.

Gerry had never allowed her to watch daytime TV, “It's common watching television during the day. It's something only the unintelligent do.” He would remind her should she dare reach for the television remote before 6 pm.

She was never quite sure whether he was making a sarcastic stab at her lack of education or he really was that stupidly pompous, either way it didn't matter what Gerry thought any more.

Thanks to Gerry's pajamas lying next to him on the floor, it had generally been assumed he'd had his stroke whilst getting ready for bed and that Diane, asleep upstairs, knew nothing about it until she came down the next morning. She decided it was best people thought that way and left it at that.

That had been one happy year earlier.

She put her feet up on the footstool and turned the sound of the TV up to drown out the noise from the vacuum cleaning being pushed around in the next room.

They had of course, moved away from Swanley and bought a house of their own. It was Diane who chose the new house, a neat little detached bungalow in cul-de-sac of similar properties. She chose the colour scheme and style of furnishings, in fact, Diane decided everything she and Gerry did.

Jess, Harry, Anna and Larry, all of them, been very kind to her whilst Gerry was in hospital but she could tell, not from their expressions but what they hid behind their eyes that every time they met her, their thoughts were on the evening Gerry had tried to introduce them to his game.

It was for the best Diane had decided that she and Gerry move away to somewhere, where nobody knew them. And Diane made sure, it stayed that way.

He was not the same man after he came home from the hospital. “The organic wires of his brain have probably suffered damage. He'll most likely be a completely different husband to you.” One of the doctors at the hospital had told her.

Her gratitude to the doctor's accurate prediction was limitless. The year since Gerry's stroke had been a year of peaceful normality.

But something was troubling her. Something she would have to deal with and very soon. Gerry had begun to show signs of recovery. True nothing significant but they were there, signs that the old Gerry might return.

She didn't want the old Gerry back, she liked this new version so much better than the one she had married. This version didn't hand out orders but obeyed hers instead. He did the cooking, cleaning, ironing and had no interest in sex, with her or anybody else.

Having Gerry back the way he used to be was unthinkable. Something would have to be done. She sipped thoughtfully at her gin and tonic, not tasting it, she watched the flickering images on the screen without seeing them and then had a very good idea.

A small matter to replace the medication that kept him from having another stroke with lookalike pills she assured herself.

She would keep a pair of his pajamas in a draw of the living room, after all, one never knew when they would be needed. Soon she suspected.

The End?


I hope you have enjoyed reading this novella. I kept the descriptions within the story short, as a long winded blog can be such a bore.

And as this blog is an open one and accessible to all age groups, I've not been as explicit as I am in my novel -

The Warlock's Woman, by Josephine Sanchez-Vanner, for sale on Amazon.

It's got wickedness, humor, sex, an intriguing story line with a twist at the end.


Many thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Friday 13 September 2013

The Spider Paradine - chapter 3

The Spider Paradine
a short novella by
Josephine S. Vanner

The characters and events in this book are a work of fiction from the author's imagination and in no way reflect any real events or real people.

Chapter Three

Spider, spider, hanging in the web – who is the naughtiest fly of them all.


Harry picked at the invitation card he was holding from Diane and Gerry, as if the envelope contained Anthrax.

Over that past six weeks, Diane and Gerry had been a constant, if unwelcome theme, in Jess and Harry's lives. At first, they both enjoyed the hospitality of their new neighbours.

Dinner followed on from 'Drinky poos', a barbecue, then Sunday lunch and every time, way too much wine and far too much food. Harry got the distinct feeling he was being fattened up for something.

Then there were the constant sexual innuendos Diane and Gerry passed between themselves.

If that damn woman mentions, blow jobs and spanking, one more time. The blasted female is fixated with the idea.” Harry had said after one particular evening of Diane's insinuations.

This dinner would be the third time Jess and Harry, met Anna and Larry, whilst they both found Larry boring and Anna, strange, they couldn't think of a way to say, no thanks, to the dinner, without hurting Diane's feeling.

Diane used strategy to avoid her invitations being rejected, she was over generous with her hospitality, to such an extreme point that polite minded folks felt obliged to accept her invites in order not to appear rude.

We could just say no.” Harry half pleaded with Jess and half to himself.

She's gone to so much trouble.” Jess took the gold guilt edged card from Harry's hand, “Diane's obviously planning on a very special evening and I've no doubt she's invited Anna and Larry as well. I really can't see how we can get out of it with hurting the poor woman. I always feel there's a sense of pathos about her. Beneath that mountain of flesh is a very small and frightened person.” Her tone said they'd have no choice but to accept.

***

Diane, listened to Gerry's contented singing from the upstairs second bedroom, as he rummaged through his toy box of pleasure. He loved to check his toys and did so with great care. She didn't need to see his face to know his lips were pulled into a rare smile.

Each toy would be carefully scrutinized as he decided which ones to show off after dinner, then she was expected to clean the toys he had chosen. She would have to polish the metal ones and oil the leather straps of the others. Gerry would inspect her work to make sure it was up to his standard after she'd finished.

As if I don't have enough to do. Diane grumbled as she chopped, mixed and single handedly prepared the food for that night's special celebration.

Her mind wandered in the direction of how things would go that evening. Maybe Jess and Harry would surprise her and be the most enthusiastic of the group to play the game. Somehow she didn't think so, though.

Larry and Anna, she had no such doubts about. She was sure they'd be more than happy to participate in playing along with Gerry.

Of course, the game hadn't always gone smoothly. It was why they now rented a house. Diane's cheeks reddened with the memory of the last time the game hadn't gone according to schedule. Her plans had been meticulous. She'd chosen two couples who had the appearance of being bored with their lives and their marriages. She wined and dined them, made best friends with the wives and encouraged Gerry and the husbands to enjoy a few nights 'out on the town' before the subject of the game was broached.

The whole unfortunate affair had been a complete disaster. Of course, Gerry laid the blame firmly with Diane. It was all her fault he told her that neither couple were interested in acting out his sick fantasies.

It wasn't her fault, she told herself, it was Gerry's. He'd played golf with one of the husbands and tennis with the other, he should have known their sexual tastes weren't the same as his.

Gerry's humiliation was total. Overwhelmed by shame he moped around the house for a month and stopped going to both the golf and tennis clubs. Diane was left to cope alone with the smirks and snide, behind hands, comments.

In the end, they'd sold their house and moved away from the area. Gerry insisted from then on they rent.

That had been ten years earlier, for Diane, ten long years without her own home.

Enough is enough, she spoke out loud to the empty kitchen as she put the goose in the oven to roast, I want my own home again and I don't want to have to keep moving because Gerry can't get his rocks off any other way than playing his stupid game.

The stairs reverberated with the thud of his size ten shoes coming downwards. She stopped muttering. Thinking quiet rebellious thoughts instead. Diane beat the cream for dessert into submission, the way Gerry had a nasty habit of doing to her.

***


Following his philosophy of never passing up an opportunity, Larry did not share Jess and Harry's reluctance to accept Diane's invitation, “I can't stand the simpering pair of them but she does put on a lovely spread of food. I'll send her a text to say we'd love to come.”

It never occurred to him to ask Anna if she wanted to go. Under the circumstances it was a good thing he didn't. Better for Larry to remain ignorant of his wife's feelings on the matter.

Anna, for her part, relished the idea of meeting Gerry. They'd met each other the day before, quite by chance, in the local supermarket car park.

Fancy a coffee?” Gerry asked. He'd insisted on helping Anna as she put the shopping into the boot of her car, pushing his front against her back as he did so.

Why not?” She replied as his hand found her breast. Making sure none of the others shoppers were watching, he'd unobtrusively slid his hand under her jumper and squeezed her nipple. She'd responded with a yelp of pleasure. The feeling that had pounded between her legs was a sensation, Larry, had never managed to arouse in her.

Sounds okay good to me.” Anna answered her husband trying not to give away her eagerness as the heat between her legs began to throb from the memory of Gerry's warm pinching fingers.

***

Diane leaped at the sound of the doorbell, it rang through her with a hot needle of expectation. The first night of the game always made her nervous. Tonight she hoped would be different. She planned this would be the last time they played the game – ever. The thought of the game's finality was giving her a sense of anticipation she hadn't expected. For once her sexual desires were aroused by the game.

Gerry, Diane knew by experience had started to play the game. He'd been cool to the point of coldness to Anna, and overwhelmingly warm to Jess as the two women entered the house.

That meant he had already made his first approach to Anna. And by Anna's puzzled expression, she'd reacted to him in the way he'd wanted. Jess on the other hand pulled away when Gerry's kiss on her cheek began to travel towards her lips.

Diane, as coordinator of the game, diverted Harry's attention from Jess, as Gerry made the provocative move on his wife.

Champagne?” Gerry asked the room with a benevolent smirk as he popped the cork on a bottle of Moet.

Diane passed the glasses around and waited for Gerry to make his usual toast.

Here's to good friends and pleasurable encounters with them. Cheers.” He lifted the glass to his lips with a nod of satisfaction as his guests did the same.

The starter, lobster bisque, was delicious, Larry praised the chef between noisy spoonfuls.

He ate through the roast goose constantly commenting on what good a cook Diane was and how rotten a cook, his own wife had turned out to be.

Dessert an elaborate affair of chocolate layered cake, stuffed with succulent ripe strawberries and thick whipped vanilla cream, gave Larry a gourmet's orgasm with the first mouthful.

Unused to such lavish compliments, a delighted Diane drank far too much wine. She was over full from eating large portions of her own efforts and perilously drunk from mixing her drinks of champagne and red wine.

Coffee, mints and brandy?” She asked slightly slurring her words. She pushed her chair backwards and slung herself around and away from the dinning table.

Diane's bowels loosened by the excess of food and wine, trumpeted from out of her insides, a loud fart.

A stunned silence passed around the table until it was broken by Larry sniffing the air and Gerry bursting into laughter.

Red faced and wishing she could die on the spot, Diane breathed her apologies in between Gerry's raucous laughs.

I could hear your bum cheeks flapping as you trumped.” He tormented at her embarrassment.

Forcing herself not to cry, she fled to the sanctuary of the kitchen and made coffee. It took Diane sometime to compose herself, when she did come back to the table, the topic, thankfully, had moved away from her flatulence.

You were telling me about the people you know who enjoy extra marital sex.” Gerry was asking Larry.

She noticed he wore his composed expression, as if it wasn't the content of the subject that mattered - but the person telling the story. He'd become an expert at getting people to tell him more than they intended.

Couple of the lads who work for me are always at it. And of course, my brother. I don't think he's been faithful since the day after he got married.” Larry chortled 'what a lad' laugh.

What about you?” Gerry asked Jess and Harry jointly, “Do you know anyone who likes to play away, as it were?”

He's leading the conversation towards the game, soon he'll talk about his toys - then we'll see who will play.

Diane had heard all this before, she felt an intense weariness crawl over her as she waited for her husband to begin winding his path toward his real interest - the game.

My hairdresser where we used to live. We thought we knew them really well, until her husband asked us if we'd like to join them at their swingers club. I didn't fancy him, so we didn't bother.” Jess replied.

Gerry produced a dazzling smile and his eyes shone with a lively hope.

Anna, now very drunk, waved away Diane's offer of coffee and took a brandy, gulping it down in one quick swig, motioning her glass for a top up, she blurted out ,“My husband likes prostitutes.”

Five pairs of eyes swiveled in Larry's direction, “She's pissed. Doesn't know what she's saying.” He mumbled into his coffee.

Yes he does. It's the only thing he's happy to pay for himself.” Anna's resentment at having married a rich miser rose to the surface of her dissatisfaction.

Gerry pushed his chair away from the table. “I think we'd be more comfortable in the other room. I've got some things I'd like to show you all.”

Diane waited for everyone to leave the room before she raised a large buttock and let rip the second fart she had so desperately been squeezing silent, then she went to join them.


Next week - The final chapter

The skimpy thong revelation.






























Friday 6 September 2013

Rejection don't let it bother you......


No point in pretending otherwise, rejection is hellishly painful, especially when it happens to you about your writing.

Everybody, in all walks of life, face rejection in one way or another, everyday.

And who of us hasn't handed out rejection in someway or another?

Let's face it – firstly – you could actually be a no talent writer.

What if you are not a no talent writer – then sooner or later (if you keep working at it) someone will recognize your talent. AND THOSE YOU DON'T - WELL – WHO CARES ABOUT THEM.

The list of well respected authors that have been rejected is long.

Stephen King, all but gave up his book writing career when his first book 'Christine' was rejected by yet another publisher. He threw the manuscript in the trash can. His wife had faith in him, she retrieved the manuscript and sent it off to one more publisher. To coin a cliche – the rest – as they say - is history.

And then there's J K Rowling......she's the first to tell you it took several publishers AND agents before she found someone to believe in her.

I wouldn't like to be the agent who passed over the fees that J K, brought in.

So, if those two respected and talented authors were rejected, then don't take it to heart when you are.

Keep plugging away – my friends and who knows, maybe, just maybe your turn will come. Then it's two fingers to those who were either too stuck up themselves to answer your emails or too busy to give you a chance of finding your dreams.


And above all have faith in yourself.









The Spider Paradine - chapter 2.

The Spider Paradine
a short novella by
Josephine S. Vanner

The characters and events in this book are a work of fiction from the author's imagination and in no way reflect any real events or real people.

Chapter Two

The young well fed baby bovine schematic.

Anna and Larry Appleton, had no idea they were being very carefully scrutinized as they drove their open top Mercedes, into the driveway of their holiday cottage. They didn't come to the cottage very often. Anna had bought it on a whim several years earlier. It was in the south and Larry a northerner, didn't much care for the 'snotty nosed', Hampshirites as he called the locals living in Swanley. He didn't like the countryside either, the city had so much more to offer him, he couldn't see the point in burying himself in rural peace for a day, let alone a whole dreary month.

He'd come to the cottage under sufferance and only because Anna's family were threatening to visit from Poland. He reasoned, if he wasn't at home, then he wouldn't have to put up with the bunch of scroungers, his wife called family.

A self made millionaire from dealing in scrap metal, Larry was a short, bald, vain man, who thought sucking in his paunchy stomach made him look virile. Crude manners and an unbelievable lack of sensitivity to the feelings of others, made him very dislikeable. He had no friends and didn't want any. He'd met Anna when she came to his office as a temporary assistant. At the time, he was forty and had begun to imagine people thought him gay. He married Anna, not out of love but to dispel any doubts as to his sexual preferences, as she didn't love him, it was arrangement that suited them both.

Anna, eight inches taller than her husband, never made any pretense - she married Larry, for his money. Not the archetypal blond Polish beauty, her body carried a heavyset frame that gave no evidence of working out at a gym. She hid under the dye of her dark brown hair a colour combination of grey and mouse and with a complete lack of dress sense she managed to make expensive clothes look cheap. All of which Larry didn't give a damn about, his wife had one outstanding quality above all the other woman he had considered marriage material. She forgave Larry's habit of night time kerb crawling looking for prostitutes. They shared the same seedy appetites and sexual deviations.

Diane, gave this unexpected new opportunity an hour before she called at their front door with an invitation to dinner.

It was Anna who answered her knock, “Yes?” she asked in her thick Polish accent, “Can I help you?”

It gave Diane, a chance to appraise if the female of the pair would be suitable for Gerry. She could hardly contain her delight at the woman standing on the doorstep. Not slim like Jess and nowhere near as attractive, she was just the type Diane preferred to entertain her husband.

Hello, my name's Diane Ward, I'm your neighbor  well almost neighbor  we, my husband Gerry and I, live next-door but one. As you have just got here, I thought instead of you having to cook tonight, why don't you and your husband? Come and have dinner with us?” Diane gabbled pleasantly hiding behind friendly chatter her dark ulterior motive.

She waited with mentally crossed fingers as Anna went to ask Larry if he wanted to accept the invitation.

Why not? Saves having to go out to some blasted fancy overpriced restaurant.” Larry replied, never the one to pass up a freebie meal.

Shortly after renting Foxglove cottage, Diane had filled the freezer and cupboards with every conceivable delicacy she might need for an impromptu dinner party. Dripping with anticipation at the possibilities this new couple might offer, Diane raced back, as fast as her bulk allowed, home.

No great intellect, Diane never read books or a broadsheet newspaper. Her television watching consisted of a diet of soaps and talent shows – yet she was more lethal than any great thinker, inside her mind dwelt an animal cunning and a personality that just stopped short of being a sociopath. She had been married to Gerry for almost fifteen years, fourteen and a half of those years she had indulged his game, for sometime she had grown weary of playing to his fantasies.

This will be the last time, she told herself, I won't play any more. She was going to find away to have Gerry back all to herself again. What if, this time, the game goes wrong. Maybe I can make him hate the game, maybe. Her thoughts ran along this comforting route as she meticulously prepared the dinning table for her guests.

She hadn't invited Jess and Harry, much better to get to know Anna and Larry without any interference from them. Such a shame Gerry liked them as much as he did. If he wasn't so smitten by that wretched Jess, she could ditch Jess and Harry in favor of this new couple. Her instincts told her Larry and Anna were going be so much better suited to the game.

Well done.” Gerry congratulated her and even allowed her to give him a short hug, as she told him about their dinner guests, “Always good to have a choice.”

At precisely eight o'clock that evening, Larry pressed Diane and Gerry's doorbell, clutching like it was a bottle of Châteauneuf-du- Pape, the cheap bottle of red wine he'd bought from the local supermarket.

What can I get you to drink?” Gerry asked in greeting as his guests entered.

Gin and tonic for me and a whiskey and ginger for Anna.” Larry replied unashamedly handing Gerry the cheap bottle of plonk.

As they ate their way through the lavish five course meal, Larry did most of the talking. Gerry and Diane, nodded in agreement, successfully hiding behind Cheshire cat grins plastered across their attentive faces, utter boredom.

By the time coffee was served Larry, had long exhausted the subject of how much money he'd made from the scrap metal business and had brought the conversation around to the number of people he knew that were having extra marital affairs.

He never noticed his wife's sudden change of expression.

Diane did - immediately.

She noticed the look on Anna's face go from total disinterest to one of complete absorption.

She's having an affair. Shall I take the opportunity and ask it they enjoy playing away from home? She wondered.

No, it's too early, she told herself. Never on the first meeting had they ever suggested the game. Besides she didn't know if Anna and Larry met with Gerry's approval.

So far Jess and Harry, were Gerry's favorites  She didn't like Jess, she liked Harry even less, but Gerry did - and the game was, after all, for Gerry's pleasure.

She decided to wait and see what Gerry had to say once their guests had gone home.

Well that was wonderful,” Larry said for the tenth time as he and Anna made to leave, “I must say you put on a wonderful spread. You certainly laid out the fatted calf for us.” He patted Diane's cheek and unobtrusively took a handful of her large buttocks and squeezed.

We must do this again – soon.” He winked at his hostess and pushed himself further against her.

So you do play.

What do you think?” She enthused to Gerry as she closed the front-door on their guests.

He sipped his brandy thoughtfully, “I think.” he said slowly, “I think that pair have definite possibilities.”

Shall we drop Jess and Harry from our plans?” Diane kept her voice non-committal. If Gerry thought for a moment she didn't want Jess and Harry to join in their game, he would want them all the more.

She knew Gerry couldn't stand the sight of her. She saw it in his eyes as he looked at her and the way he shuddered as he pulled from her touch.

The only reason he stayed with her, was her compliance to the game. She consoled herself that one day, she would make Gerry pay for the way he treated her.

Gerry gave his wife a cold stare from deeply dark brown eyes that often made her feel that no soul lived behind them.

We will keep all our players on the board.” He said his tone ice.

The memory of how he'd treated her, the first time he'd shown his true nature to her, kept Diane from arguing with him.

We've been here almost six weeks. You know the rules. We gather our little band together on the sixth day of the week, of the sixth week. So get them here on Friday night. Six happy people all together for the game. 666.”

He stood up, drained the rest of his brandy, “Clear this mess up.” He said pointing at the dinning table as he went to bed, leaving her to clear away the remains of their dinner party.

I'm tired too, she muttered angrily to herself as she cleared away the dishes and empty glasses.

Diane knew better than to openly voice her dissent. He knew how to inflict pain as effectively as he knew how to give pleasure.


Next week - Chapter 3


Spider, spider, hanging in the web – who is the naughtiest fly of them all.