Buying Thyme Read online

  “Lemon and Thyme Chicken wit’ caper mayonnaise.” The chef pronounces. I giggle into my napkin.

  “What’s so amusing Miranda?” Tench asks with a curious smile.

  “Oh… you’ve just enticed me with this dish. Thyme is one of my favourite herbs.” I smile at my private joke.

  “I’m glad you like it.” He says with an air of satisfaction in his voice.

  Our torrent of meals finally seems complete. I’ve tried to finish as much as I can, in a sign of appreciation to the wondrous food that’s been laid before me. I lean back in my chair, trying to keep my crammed, and naked stomach held in so that it remains flat. We sit in silence, enjoying the view of the glittering moonlight dancing across the harbour’s surface. The concealed music sounding out from the garden fills the air around us, playing a mixture of modern soulful songs and some of my favourite classical pieces. I’m lost in the moment as I gaze out across to the twinkling Harbour Bridge with Schubert’s Ave Maria’s haunting melody surrounding me.

  “This is just picturesque out here Joe. I never knew you were a fan of opera? Ave Maria is a favourite of mine.” I continue looking into the distance.

  “As do you continue to surprise me Miranda. You are a very smart girl. You seem to know a lot about classical music. How?”

  I look down at my folded hands in my naked lap, not wanting to discuss my life outside of work and look back up at Tench with a soft smile.

  “I guess I just appreciate it.” I try to avoid further questioning with my vague answer.

  I gather Tench recognises the hesitation I have with divulging my personal information, and gets up out of his seat.

  “I think I’m far too over dressed.” He says, pulling at his hand-tied black tie, he unbuttons his shirt. Tench continues to strip down to his glorious exposed body until he is completely naked. He takes a sip of champagne and gives me a wink before he leans over and dives into the pool beside us. I’m mesmerised by this unfamiliar but entertaining man in my company tonight. He bobs back above the water, running his hands through his wet hair.

  “Come on in, the water’s fine.” He coaxes me in an all to clichéd manner.

  I can’t help but wonder if there’s almost a double meaning behind his statement. I don’t want a relationship with this man, if that’s what he’s alluding to. I couldn’t. He’s a boss of a major crime syndicate. Yes I am essentially a hooker, but I don’t do anything illegal. Not like the awful things I have heard that Tench has done to people. I shake the thoughts from my mind and try and live in the moment. Maybe he just wants to be nice to me, my naïve self asserts. I try to stop over analysing this evening. I take off my underwear, slip out of my shoes and stockings, but leave the stunning stone sitting securely around my neck. I unravel my hair so that it falls around my face. Purely just to impress, I stand up on my toes and flick my leg out to the side in a ronde de jambe. Bringing my hands above my head, I slowly move into an adagio and bend over with my hands on the ground beside the pool, and back handspring into the water.

  When I come up from under the water, I hear Tench overwhelmingly laughing and clapping.

  “Bravo, Bravo.” He yells, “Come here you gorgeous thing.” He swims over to me and grabs me in his arms, pulling my naked body to his.

  His skin feels amazing. I wrap my legs around him easily in my buoyant surrounds. I feel his erection press up against the back of my leg as we lurch into each other’s mouths with a passionate kiss. My subconscious springs from the back of my mind and reminds me that I have forgotten to bring condoms with me again. Some working girl I am! My clitoris rubs along Tench’s lower abdomen. The water starts to swell around us, forcing us to gently grind against one another. Tench kisses around my neck and comes down to where the diamond sits.

  “I like that you left this on. For so long, I’ve wanted to watch you underneath me with this on while I fucked you.” He coos into my skin. Tench slowly moves me over to the edge of the pool and lifts me up onto the ledge. The water laps around his waist as he rises out of the water, lowering me comfortably onto the sand stone pavers. The pavers are warm on my back, the afternoon sun heating the stone beneath me. I lay back and rest on my elbows as Tench’s kisses continue to roll up my inner thigh. My legs hang over the edge and into the water with Tench delightedly in between them, caressing me with both his touch and his tongue. His mouth wraps gently around my clitoris and he sucks lightly on it. He then works his way down my outer lips, and slides his tongue smoothly inside, rolling it around the edge of my entrance. I tilt my head back and feel a build up rising within me. I feel a couple of his fingers glide inside me and he slowly pulls them out again, liking his fingers, “Mmmm… You taste so sweet Miranda.” He says.

  His eyes gently closed in the moment of pleasure. My mind still reminds me that this can’t go any further without condoms on hand, so I take my opportunity to speak now before I completely lose myself in the moment again.

  “I didn’t…” I try and say as Tench plunges his fingers back into me.

  “Shhh Miranda… I just want my dessert.” He says, peeking up from between my legs.

  His eyes are ablaze with some kind of desire that I just can’t place. My thoughts are swept away again by the expert performance that Tench is delivering to my lower region, “You have the most beautiful tight pussy. I could just eat this all night.” He says as he comes up for a moment of air.

  I feel the burning below start to build as the sensation consumes my mind. No longer can I hold a single thought.

  “That’s the way baby, tighten around me. Let yourself go.” Tench faintly coaxes me with his deep voice.

  I feel myself start to pulse as his fingers glide themselves in and out of me. His tongue flicks and sucks my clitoris. The feeling is intense. I can’t think. I can’t move. All I want to do is release around him.

  “Ah.” I groan, not being able to withstand anymore.

  The air around me seems thick as I try desperately to inhale. I feel my body tremble and my head automatically throws its self backwards as I burst inside with a boiling climax. The weighty rock around my neck suddenly feels like it’s burning into my skin. My body releases it’s self from this intense splendour. Tench’s fingers have stopped their gentle assault and he tugs at my augmented clitoris with his lips as he pulls away. I manage to slowly lift myself back up to a seated position and Tench simultaneously removes his fingers from inside me. A mixture of chlorinated water and salty sweat drips from my body. Tench lifts me back into the water with him and I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his syrupy lips. We dip back down into the warm water. I still can’t manage to find any words to compliment what I’m feeling inside so I just continue kissing Tench. He drags us both under the water in his embrace.

  Tench launches himself out of the pool, muscles rippling as they flex and tense when he pulls himself over the edge. He disappears into the pool house and re-emerges with two fluffy white bathrobes, also with the blue ‘YSL’ symbol embroidered on the side, just like the ones in the en-suite. He throws one over himself then reaches down with both hands for me to grab. I take hold of them and he lifts me up, out of the water. I bounce out of the breast deep water and land on the side of the pool, thanks to his powerful grip. He hands me the other robe to put on. With another white towel, he wipes my face and around my eyes where my mascara has obviously run from being in the water. I feel my cheeks start to prick with heat as I realise I must look a fright. Tench holds my chin up so that I’m looking into his coffee eyes.

  “You always look gorgeous Miranda, don’t you ever forget that.” He says with sincerity.

  An unrecognisable song finishes playing and Maroon 5’s She Will Be Loved begins to sing into the moonlight air around us. Tench throws the towel down and grabs me. Holding me in a dancing pose, we move slowly to the melody.

  “This song always reminds me of you Miranda.” He says.

  My mind races as I listen to the lyrics. What does he mean? He is unexpectedly a g
ood dancer and he twirls me around, I spin under his hand with ease.

  “A gifted dancer too I see. Have you been trained?” He asks with genuine interest as he pulls me back to him.

  “In a past life.” I reply.

  “Don’t know why I haven’t noticed before.” He responds, but I know the real reason why he hasn’t noticed.

  I have always just been his whore. He books me and we fuck. There has been no reason for him to know more. He never asks and I never tell. Why has it changed all of a sudden? What has happened to you Joe Tench? He presses himself up to me and I comfortably lean my head against him. We sway to the music, flickering candles also dancing around us. Watching the moonlight across the harbour again, I think this could almost be magical and romantic, if I wasn’t his whore and he wasn’t a criminal. Or are we more suited to one another than I like to admit? Could I ever be involved with this man more than just his paid for company? I try and stop myself from overanalysing everything and lose myself in his embrace. The music seizes my thoughts, Maroon 5 surprisingly capturing my life in their song. I close my eyes and allow myself to be carried into the moment again.

  CHAPTER 5

  I wake to the joyful melody of birds singing in the morning. Stretched out further than normal, I quickly remind myself that I’m still in Tench’s oversized bed. I roll over to discover Tench is not next to me. Looking up at the time it’s nine fifty-three a.m. Whoa… I must’ve slept like a baby! Then my mind flashes with scenes of the night before, recapping why I slept so soundly. The candlelit dinner in the moonlight, skinny-dipping in the pool, dancing under the stars, topped off by hours spent rolling around the bed in Tench’s arms. I reminisce the orgasm after orgasm, until the early hours of the morning. Was that all a dream? If I weren’t getting paid for it, I would assume it was. I faintly hear the Spanish tunes of the Gypsy Kings playing downstairs. I decide I’ll get up to investigate further. I find my red silk kimono in my suitcase and wrap it around me. Once downstairs, I wander through the vast lounge area in the centre of the house and venture further through to the right wing of the mansion. I find my way to where the music is coming from in the kitchen. A plump, round European woman in her fifties with grey flecks throughout her dark curly hair, dressed all in black, is happily humming away to herself as she moves her way around the massive kitchen. Suddenly, she notices me in the corner of her eye and stops dead in her tracks.

  “Oh… ah… Miranda isn't it? Sorry. You startled me. Mr Tench said you would be down, but he said I shouldn’t expect you for a couple more hours yet. I hope I didn’t wake you with my music. Would you like me to fix you some breakfast?” She says as she presses a flat screen TV on the wall, to lower the music.

  “Ah, yeah sure. Thank you.”

  Is she his mum I wonder? They do have similar features. Then I realise she called him Mr Tench, so I scrap that idea. I move towards the huge island in the middle of the kitchen and sit on one of its stools, under the enormous stainless steel range hood above. The bench is obviously the hub of the kitchen, being home to the gas stove and scattered with various bowls and vases containing fruit and herbs within them.

  “Sorry I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Mrs Oktar.” She quickly glances back at me as she clatters her way through the cupboards. So she’s obviously his housekeeper, “Now what can I get you dear?” She pauses longer this time, and looks at me.

  “Some fruit would be nice. Where is Joe by the way?” I ask, looking out the windows to see if I can spot him out on the terrace.

  From this angle of the house, I can see across to the other wing where the bar is. A huge grassed and paved terrace separating the two sides.

  “He left early this morning. Didn’t say where, but said he will be back this afternoon. He said to tell you to make yourself at home here.”

  That is strange. Why would he book me for two full days if he wasn’t going to be around during the day? Why not just book me during the night? Oh well, a girl can’t complain. I am being paid after all. So I will just have to make the most of it. Mrs Oktar notices me looking out the window.

  “Would you like me to set the fruit for you out on the terrace? Beside the pool even? You can make the most of this glorious morning sun and maybe take a dip afterwards?”

  I giggle to myself as I remember our naked dip together last night, but then I realise that I don’t have any swimwear with me. The thought didn’t cross my mind when I was packing. I usually bring an array of options too when I’m with Tench. For some reason I over looked my bikini. I didn’t really think of them last night either because… well… I didn’t need them.

  “Ah… that’s alright Mrs Oktar. Thank you, but I didn’t pack my bikini.”

  “Oh not to worry dear. There are plenty in the pool house. Go and choose one for yourself and I’ll bring you out your fruit.”

  Of course there is spare swimwear in the pool house. After all, this is Joe Tench- the party king- we are talking about.

  “Well I guess I can’t argue with that. Thank you.”

  I make my way out of the kitchen and decide to grab my favourite book from my suitcase. Dickens’ Great Expectations, reading it for nearly the hundredth time. Every time I read it I find myself relating to each of the different characters in the book, as I grow and evolve, and as life’s experiences change. Most of the time I feel like Estella, all cold hearted and willing to crush men after seducing them. Unlike Estella, I have never met my Pip. No man has ever been able to occupy my heart in a way Pip did with Estella. Miss Stephanie is like my Miss Havisham in ways, an eccentric old spinster, educating me in the art of breaking the hearts of men through my powers of seduction. It’s what being an escort at the Agency is all about. I make men descend into a false sense of reality. They actually believe you like them so that they want to see you more and more. The very same words Miss Havisham quotes about Estella resinate through me. It’s what Miss Stephanie and the industry have done to me:

  ‘I stole her heart away and put ice in its place.’

  The pool house is gorgeous summer chic, with classic beach hues of yellow and white, accented with greenery hanging from white pots. The same plants as the pool, and all complement the surrounds perfectly. It very much looks like the exclusive pool club Tench owns in the city. The doors to the front of the house fold open completely, creating a cabana style hut. The kitchen at the far end becomes an indoor/outdoor cooking area in the process. The change area on the other end is more like a swimwear store, with an entire rack of brand new bikinis in every colour and all in size eight of course! I choose a gorgeous black Tigerlily bikini that ties up around the neck from the middle at the front, making a ‘V’. The bottoms have a cute frill around the top of them. I search further in the white chest of draws next to the rack and find it is full of all kinds of men’s swimwear on one side and the other side is full of kaftans and various throw-overs, everything with it’s tag still on. Boy he must have some amazing parties. I can’t help but imagine the bevvy of beauties that have riffled through these very draws. I pull out a Camilla kaftan in leopard print, to throw over myself later. I adjust the bikini so that it sits perfectly and head back out to the pool, to find my position on one of the white sun lounges. They too have yellow and white striped cushions resting across them. I lay down and happily bask in the morning sunshine. Mrs Oktar finally appears with an enormous platter of fresh summer fruits.

  “Oh dear, I forgot to ask you if you would like Tea, Coffee or Juice with your breakfast?” She says as she places the enormous platter on the low, white table beside me.

  “I could definitely go a coffee. Latte with one?” I ask with a sweet smile, hoping I haven’t asked too much.

  “Absolutely. Will bring it out shortly. Now enjoy your breakfast in the sunshine.” Mrs Oktar leaves, humming an unknown tune as she walks back up to the mansion.

  I could actually get used to this, I convince myself as I bite into a soft mango cheek. No girly. This all comes at a price… Joe Tench and his
underworld life! I wonder where he could be and what he may be up to. Do I really want to know? Mrs Oktar reappears with a tray of coffee and three types of juice, and places it down. She darts back inside with nothing but a smile to acknowledge me.

  Hours pass as I occupy my time reading, eating, swimming and generally lazing poolside for the rest of the morning. I wonder how Flossy is going at home? I miss my little cat. I miss my one bedroom apartment, over in the trendy eastern suburb of Paddington. It’s only been three days since I was home last, which isn’t long compared to other bookings I’ve had. This time it feels like I’m so close but so far from home. My apartment, is only two suburbs away from where I lounge, yet feels like a whole world away. The harsh midday sun starts to sting my white skin, so I throw the kaftan over my bikini and head back indoors. Maybe I can sort out my suitcase, organise some fantasy outfits for Tench, and hang anything that needs hanging for the night. I’m glad I’ll be leaving here tomorrow evening. Will it be like this tomorrow also? Left alone in this massive compound? My mind is distant with my inner running commentary as I approach the centre French door. Tench suddenly catches my eye as he’s pacing back and forth on the phone, just inside the doorway. Hair wet and wearing nothing but white linen pants that drape perfectly from his tanned waist. His sculptured chest perfectly silhouettes his figure in the doorway.

  “…I don’t care if he can’t pay for them! He’s had long enough to test them out, now I want my money… and I don’t care how you get it out of him! They are top stock. He has two choices. Pay up or they’re all gone.” I hear Tench yell into his iPhone. He throws the phone on the cream leather couch, abruptly ending the conversation. He looks up, finally noticing me standing in the doorway. I try and act as if I didn’t hear what was being said, but I can’t help but feel a knot in my stomach when the words ‘and I don’t care how you get it out of him’ repeat in my head. Tench instantly flashes his stunning smile when he sees me.