Free Act of Exposure by Cathryn Cooper Page A

without a darker side to their
life. It's just to remind me of my other life as Carmel - and
Jezebel Justice. Just as the wig and gown I wear in my act reminds
me of this side of my life and of the fact that I am Abigail
Corrigan. Both temper my passion for the law and my passion for sex
- in their own way.'
    In order to
control his voice and his urges, Stephen took a deep breath before
shaking his head and smiling. It was a boyish, innocent smile, one
that made her want to suck his lips between her own, invade the wet
cavern of his mouth with her tongue.
    His voice was
low, hushed. 'So in one life you are an icon of respectability,
conformity, and the process of law. In the other, you are still an
icon, but one of fantasy, myth, desire. So far you've been lucky in
your choice of men to temper those desires, to give you what you
want - what you know you want. Now you need someone more permanent,
more in tune with your desires.'
    'Are you
offering?'
    'Would you
accept? A role play. A scenario to infuse and excite both our
libidos?'
    It took her no
time to answer. 'Yes.'
    The word
trembled on her tongue. Her desire was mounting. Vividly, she
recollected all that had happened at the Railway Hotel - and all
that could happen.
    They left the
inn and drove along a forest track. Black battalions of fir and
pine on either side of them divided the ribbon of sky from the
ribbon of road.
    'Is this where
you took Valeria?'
    He didn't
answer. Something in the air, something in themselves had suddenly
changed. The division that separated their professional lives from
their private ones had crept silently into play.
    Apprehension
made her sit rigidly in her seat, made her stare out of the window
into the darkness and see two naked bodies etched in the glass of
the car window and in the dense blackness of the trees.
    Stephen could
almost taste her anxiety. He also knew that shortly it would turn
to desire.
    His
inclination was to smother her with kisses, and yet he knew she
would expect more from him - much more. This was no back-seat
Venus, no clinging vine who craved security, domesticity, or the
humdrum sexuality of a pink bedroom in a red-brick semi. This was a
woman of dramatic tastes and infinite imagination. He had to give
her what she wanted.
    The car pulled
to a sudden halt. Stephen turned to face her.
    'Take off your
clothes.'
    The tone of
his voice was noticeably harsher.
    Abigail
experienced a thrill of excitement as she first removed the seat
belt. An item of restraint. The first item to leave her body. Her
businesslike shoes, her black suit, her white blouse, and her
underwear followed.
    'Give it
here.'
    He took it
from her, and got out of her car.
    Looking over
her shoulder, Abby saw the car boot open, then felt the car shake
as it banged shut.
    'Get out,' he
said to her.
    She did as he
ordered, the earth soft to the soles of her bare feet, the night
air raising goose bumps on her naked body. She noticed Stephen was
holding some sort of straps and buckles. What was his intention?
For the first time that evening she felt very vulnerable again, and
a little afraid.
    He saw her
wary look, drew her close, and sucked her lips into his.
    As the feel of
his body warmed hers, any fear she might have had disappeared.
Again, fierce vibrations stirred deep within her. Her nipples shot
forward into the palms of his hands as she arched her back and
thrust her belly to his.
    'Don't be
afraid, Abby. Let yourself go. Let all your professional restraint
crumble away. Leave it to me to give you what you want.'
    'What do you
want?' she asked him, her lips a mere kiss away from his.
    He smiled
again like a small, but very imaginative boy. 'I want a mascot for
my car.'
    His mood was
infectious. A playfulness, a careless abandon came upon her. Like
him she became a child again, excited and happy to be losing
herself in her own imagination and a shared fantasy made reality.
Just like a mocking child, she laughed in his face, poked her
finger into the