The Madam of Maple Court

by Joan Elizabeth Lloyd

Genres: Women's Fiction

Synopsis

In the exclusive cul de sac known as Maple Court, luxurious mansions nestle among sweeping, landscaped gardens. But beyond the tree-lined driveways lies a secret, sensual world. In the first in a two-book series, Joan Elizabeth Lloyd escorts readers on a journey into the heart of desire, as one woman learns the joy of reinventing herself--and of giving and receiving pure, delicious pleasure. . .

When Pam DePalma's husband, Dom, dies, she's left with a huge mortgage on the house she adores, and a job that barely pays the bills. One of Dom's business associates offers an astonishing solution: hosting lavish parties that feature beautiful women willing to provide special services for out-of-town guests. Shocked at first, Pam gradually becomes intrigued and then amazed as her decadent parties unleash her own hidden passions. . .

Now Pam is discovering a seductive world of illicit delights--from the wanton thrills of Manhattan's sizzling sex scene to exotic, erotic vacations all over the globe. And as she embraces her wild new side, Pam has an encounter with one man who will lead her to face a few hard truths about herself—and the new life she's chosen.

Release date: May 1, 2008

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 304

Sample

Thirty-four year old Pam DePalma strode through the ground floor of her beautifully decorated, almost palatial home on Maple Court and smiled. Good. The cleaning crew had been through and everything looked perfect. The silver gleamed, oak and cherrywood had been polished to a high shine, windows sparkled, carpets were free of any trace of tread marks, and furniture pillows had been plumped to the correct softness. Wonderful.

The following morning the caterers would arrive and take over, prepare the hors d’oeuvres she’d selected, then carefully arrange them on silver and crystal trays and plates. She’d listened to the reports on the radio and knew that the mid-July weather would cooperate, as it always did for Chase’s parties. She wondered whether it would dare do otherwise, although, as always, she had a huge tent on standby just in case.

At three that Saturday afternoon the uniformed staff would begin to circulate as she greeted guests and made sure everyone had been introduced to everyone else. She’d done this dozens, maybe hundreds of times before and was sure everything would progress like clockwork, with none of the guests aware of the amount of planning it took to bring off a party for a hundred people and make it look effortless. And as always, Linc would arrive early and tend bar in case of any trouble.

She heard a car pull to a stop at the top of the long driveway and walked toward the front door. As she opened it, a strong masculine hand was reaching for the doorbell. Chase Hobart jumped slightly, then a wide grin spread over his strong features. “Pam. You always know everything, don’t you.” He hugged her and bussed her lightly on the forehead. “How are all the arrangements going?”

“Come on in and have a look around. Everything’s great, and you’ll particularly love what I’ve done in the back. I took your suggestion and had the garden service put several more large potted ferns and jungly flowering plants around the spa. It really does give a lot more privacy and makes it look like some secluded forest glade.”

“I thought it might,” he said. Chase exuded power and wealth. He was not very tall, with very short, prematurely gray hair, neatly trimmed chestnut brown beard and mustache, and surprisingly blue eyes. He was the major stockholder in the Wall Street firm started by his father and already thriving when he had taken over about ten years before. Now it was almost legend in the business, as was he, and he encouraged that image with wealthy and lavish entertaining.

Together Pam and Chase walked through the house and out the sliding glass door, onto the large flagstone patio, and into the early evening. Since it was midsummer the sun was lowering toward the horizon, slowly painting the sky in ribbons of gold and pink. Pam smiled with pride. The backyard was as well manicured as the inside of her home. The grass was freshly cut with the light smell of clippings still filling the air. Summer flowers bloomed everywhere, her rose garden was in full bloom, and large oak and maple trees provided areas of deep shade that felt private. Tables had already been set up, some in bright sun, others in the semidarkness of fully shaded areas.

Her gaze took in the entire lawn and pool area, then they strolled around as Chase, the perfectionist, carefully examined everything. Pam smiled to herself. He trusted her skills but never left anything to chance. “It looks fabulous,” he said finally, as she’d known he would. This was the third party she’d thrown for him and his various business associates, in addition to the occasional private entertaining she did for him. “Everyone should be tremendously impressed. I assume you have arranged for a few extra ‘ladies’?” Although he didn’t wink, there was mutual understanding in his voice. The “of the evening” following the word “ladies” was understood.

“Marcy and I have five women selected and I know you’ll approve. Actually, two of them have been at your parties in the past,” she said.

“I always admire your taste, love.”

“Thank you, kind sir,” she said, inclining her head. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing great, especially now that I’m here. I need some of your tender loving care.”

“You know that love has nothing to do with what we do.” She had known from the start that Chase was that consummate lady’s man who made every woman he met, no matter how casually, feel like his one and only.

“Just a turn of phrase, darling. You know I love my wife. You’re just a sex object.”

“And I don’t object,” she said, repeating a teasing phrase they used often. She was, in fact, with him for no reason other than sex and friendship and she liked it that way. Her life was complicated enough without another entanglement. Of course there was money involved, too. “Have you talked to your wife about your sex life?” she asked.

“Stop hounding me, Pam,” he snapped. “Anna has nothing to do with this. She likes her upmarket life with sex only every now and then. She’s even suggested we redo her dressing room so we’d have separate bedrooms. She’s content with the way things are, and so am I.”

“You keep telling me she’s content, but content isn’t happy. And from what you’ve told me, I’m not so sure she’s even content.” She thought back on her years with Vin. She had been just like Anna, content but never happy. At least Anna had her children.

“She loves my money, and the kids, and that’s that. She doesn’t really care what I do as long as the bank account is sufficient for her and the children. Butt out!”

“I’m sorry, Chase,” she said, lowering her voice. “It’s just that I care about you and I don’t—”

“I said butt out.” His voice had an angry ring to it. “When I need a marriage counselor I’ll hire one. For now, you’re hired for other things.”

Phew. She’d obviously hit a nerve, as she had a few times before when she’d brought up the same subject. She was indeed hired for other things, so why was she beating her head against a wall? It just made her head hurt and made Chase angry. After all, she wasn’t in this to be a marriage counselor. If he was convinced that his wife didn’t care about their life, so be it. “I’m sorry, Chase. I’ll back off,” Pam said, taking Chase’s arm and pressing it against the side of her unfettered breast. She wore a flowing deep purple and gold caftan, with nothing beneath. At just five feet tall, Pam’s lush body fit snugly against Chase’s side. “Do you have to run off or can you spend a few minutes in the hot tub?”

“Mmm,” Chase purred. “I thought you’d never ask.”

“I don’t have to do the asking, you know. I’m always available.”

“I know, love, for a fee.”

“A woman’s got to make a living,” she said with an upward quirk of the corners of her mouth.

“I totally understand.” They walked to the spa and stepped into what appeared to be a rain forest glade. “This came out exactly as I thought it would. I’m glad my suggestions worked out.”

The glade had been his suggestion, and a few clever additions by her landscaper highlighted the effect. Right here, thirty miles north of New York City, stood this little slice of heaven. She flipped a switch and hidden lights came on, barely noticeable now in the late-afternoon sun, but very effective if people stayed late the following day and wanted to soak after dark. Hidden devices would also fill the area with almost odorless insect repellant spray. Everything had been considered. “I think it’s gorgeous,” Pam said softly. “Shall we try it?”

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him lightly on the lips. It took only a moment for him to bend over, slide his arms around her, and deepen the kiss. Since he was only five seven, she knew her diminutive size made him feel tall and physically powerful. Making a man feel like more than he really was made her size a great asset to her profession.

He’d left his suit jacket in his car, so she unfastened his tie, unbuttoned his shirt, and pulled it from his shoulders. She placed it on one of the wooden benches around the large tub, then deliberately removed both his cell phones from their belt clips. She raised a quizzical eyebrow, and after a few moments’ hesitation he nodded, and she turned them both off. “Much better,” she said, her voice low and throaty. She backed away from him and sensuously unzipped the caftan and let it fall to the paving stones until she stood before him, gloriously naked.

“God, you always overwhelm me,” he said, unbuckling his belt.

She pushed his hands away. “Let me do all the work. I’m sure you’ve had a long day, but remember our rules. No climax until I allow it.” She could tell he was aroused by the obvious bulge in the front of his slacks. She loved knowing she could get this reaction from a man.

He let out a long sigh. “Yes, ma’am.” He rolled his shoulders and Pam walked around behind him.

She pushed him down onto a bench and began to dig her thumbs into his deltoids, deeply massaging his shoulder muscles. As she felt him relax and his muscles ease she expanded her stroking and rubbing to his upper arms, then down his back. He had wonderfully soft skin. She bent over, her breasts pressing against his neck, and reached down to slowly caress his lightly furred chest. “Feel better?”

“Mmm,” he purred. “You always know just what I need.”

“I certainly do.” After several minutes of stroking, she finally said, “Stand up.”

Obligingly he stood and she quickly removed his tasseled Gucci loafers, slacks, shorts, and socks. He needed little urging to climb into the steaming water. “God,” he said, letting out a long groan as he settled onto a submerged bench, up to his shoulders in heated water, “that’s just marvelous.”

Pam turned the controls until the spa was bubbling and churning, then climbed in and sat across from him. “Okay, tell me about your day.”

He looked startled, then his face settled into a wide smile. “You do know what I need.” She understood all his needs. Some of her male friends wanted someone to talk to almost as much as they wanted sex, and Chase and his wife didn’t seem to share anything anymore.

She spent the next several minutes listening, asking the occasional pertinent question and letting him unburden himself of the problems of his always-hectic week. Pam knew how few people he had with whom he could be honest, knowing nothing he said would go any farther. What he needed as much as her body was a place and a person all his own, where he could unwind before going home to a house filled with the hollow noise of three school-aged children and a distant, uncaring wife. She also knew that despite the fact that it was Friday evening, his briefcase would be filled with work and he’d be up most of the night, on the phone to the Far East, Russia, and eventually much of Europe. Weekends were merely additional workdays for men in his position.

Finally he wound down and rested his head on the rim of the tub. She slid beside him, then kissed him lightly on the shoulder, letting him set the pace. He raised his head and smiled at her, tangling his fingers in her short, deep brown curls and massaging her scalp. “You’re so right for me. How about let’s run away together or get married when I get my divorce?”

She laughed, as she had the other dozen times he’d made the same offer. She realized that she didn’t know whether he was actually getting a divorce, although he always talked as if he were considering it. No matter. “I like it just the way it is, darling. Marriage would spoil everything and you won’t ever really get a divorce. You love your children and I often suspect you also love your wife.”

“Let’s not talk about my kids or Anna. Come here.” He pulled her so she straddled his lap and they kissed for a long while. His hands wandered over her back, then to her breasts. She loved the way her breasts felt in the spa, buoyant in the bubbling water, her flesh alive as his hands artfully caressed and teased her.

He lifted one breast out of the bubbles and licked water off the turgid tip. She felt her nipples harden as the combination of his nibbles and the cooler air tightened them and her vaginal tissues swelled. She moved so his cock rubbed her through her carefully trimmed pubic hair. They played like that, stroking, caressing, biting and teasing, for several minutes until the timer shut the spa motor off and the jets and bubbles ceased. She stood and took his hand. “Out here,” she said.

She flipped another switch and streams of heated air warmed the area at one end of the tub. She laid him on his back on one of the benches and found a condom in one of the several caches she had everywhere around the house in case she needed one.

As she leaned over him she allowed her nipples to rub over his chest, then moved away as he reached for her. Finally he growled and she remained still so he could cup one breast in each hand, kneading her heated flesh. She kissed his neck, then nibbled her way lower until she nipped at his flat nipples. Many men didn’t have sensitive nipples, but she had discovered early on that Chase’s were as responsive as hers, and she felt them become erect beneath her lips.

She straddled the bench and moved inexorably down his body, licking his belly and playing with his navel. By the time her mouth reached his groin, his cock was hard and throbbing. “Want me?” she said.

“Stop being demanding and suck me,” he said.

She shook her head slightly and smiled indulgently. “For right now you’re the boss.” She took his erect penis into her mouth, pulling and licking until he was jerking and needy. “You always taste so wonderful,” she said, his juices blending with the slight chlorine taste of the spa water. With a long sigh he gave himself up to the pleasure that her mouth gave him as she used her teeth to scratch along his shaft. Her fingers found his sac and squeezed lightly, then her fingernail scraped the tender area between his anus and the base of his sac. As she grasped his erection she heard his breathing quicken and she felt him tighten his muscles, trying to control his need.

When he grabbed for her hips, she said, “Remember the rules? You might be the boss the rest of the time, but when I have your cock in my hand you do it my way. You don’t come until I say so.”

“Of course,” he said, gritting his teeth against his urgency. Finally she unrolled the condom over his rock-hard cock and again straddled the bench. She wrapped her hand around him, found her opening with the tip of his penis, and slowly lowered herself onto him until he was just an inch inside. How many times had a man entered her like this? She couldn’t count, but it never failed to excite her.

When she grinned and held her body still above him, his hands grasped her hips and tried to pull her down. “Not yet,” she said. She lowered herself, allowing him to slowly fill her, then, when he was totally encased within her, she squeezed her vaginal muscles and felt him jerk. She knew exactly how he liked it, so she slid her hand beneath her, found his anal opening, and rubbed her finger around the rim for a moment. Eventually she couldn’t keep her body still enough to stay in contact with his ass, but she knew he was now beyond caring. And, of course, he also knew that she would not allow him to come until she had.

He growled low in his throat as he drove himself deeper into her over and over. She found his rhythm and rode him until she felt her climax deep inside her. She reached for it, found it deep in her womb, and let it overtake her, her vaginal muscles clenching and relaxing around the hard cock lodged in her.

“Now, Chase, now!” she yelled and, with a loud roar, he came, then collapsed back onto the bench. She lay atop him, their breathing rapid, their bodies wet with sweat and slightly salty water. Slowly she rose, climbed from him, and disposed of the condom. She scooped up several handfuls of hot spa water and sluiced them over his calming body, then took a towel from the heated closet beside the rock wall and slowly dried him, then herself.

As she slipped her caftan back on she asked, “Can I make you a quick bite to eat?” Last time they’d been together they’d shared a sandwich before he left.

He was almost completely dressed by then and slipped his feet back into his loafers. “Thanks, Pam, but I think I’ll just do a drive-through. I’ve got a case full of work and there will be faxes waiting at home.”

“Okay, if you insist.”

“Business before pleasure,” he said.

“Nonsense. This was all pleasure, but I understand that you don’t have much time, with the party tomorrow and everything. The invitations said three, so I’ll expect you mid-afternoon. Will you be driving by yourself or coming with some of the guests?” She knew better than inquire whether his wife would be coming. He’d snapped at her the last time she’d asked.

“I’m picking up several of the men on the way here.” He kissed her forehead. “It’s great that you do all of this for me.”

“Parties and the rest, that’s my business. I’m very well paid for these shindigs.”

“For everything else, too.” He smiled and she knew that he was not the least upset by the knowledge that an extra thousand dollars would be included in the “entertaining” charges to cover the previous hour of their special kind of amusement. Extra would be hidden in the bill as well for the ladies attending the following afternoon, and more if they made his associates “happy” afterward. He’d already told her the names of the men who might want some extra companionship, and he’d write everything off on his taxes as business entertaining.

He slid his arms around her shoulders and kissed her again. They understood each other completely. Together they walked through the elegant house to the front door. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, then walked out to his BMW.

After he backed down the long driveway, Pam wandered to the end to pick up her mail. She pulled a stack of letters, circulars, and catalogs from the box and flipped through them. In the middle of the stack was a plain white envelope addressed in block letters with no return address and no stamp. Curious, she tore it open and pulled a sheet of plain white paper from it. The words glared at her, spelled out in letters cut from a magazine.

You will be punished again and again for what you’re doing.

She stared. She’d wondered about a few recent incidents, flowers dug up, scratches in her car, feces left in her driveway. Now she was convinced that those weren’t just random acts. Her breathing quickened and she put her hand against her breastbone. Someone knew everything and was making trouble, torturing her slowly before letting the bomb drop. Her mind whirled and she couldn’t separate her fear from her anger. No, not now! Now, when everything was going so well. Someone knew. She wanted to scream. She wanted to curl up in a little ball and cry. She wanted to call someone to come over and help her. She looked again at the letters on the page.

You will be punished again and again for what you’re doing.

Screaming or crying, she knew, would get her nowhere, and there was no one to call. Not yet. Marcy? What did this mean for her? No, she couldn’t involve Marcy yet. Linc? Of course, but not yet.

Her hands began to tremble and her breathing gathered speed as adrenaline poured into her body. She felt her heart pound. It was all over. Her lovely life, her business, all over. She felt prison bars close around her and pictured the headlines. THE MADAM OF MAPLE COURT ARRESTED FOR PANDERING AND PROSTITUTION. And Marcy would be dragged into it. PROPRIETOR OF CLUB FANTASY JAILED. Pam couldn’t bear it if her best friend got into trouble because of her.

At the sound of a motor she looked up and saw a shiny black SUV slowly pull into the cul de sac and circle, the woman behind the wheel seeming to stare at her from behind large dark glasses. She glanced at the license plate. HOBART3. Chase’s wife? Could she be responsible for the note? It had to be her. That car being here was too much of a coincidence. It made sense if she really did care about him. Of course. It had to be. Shit! Was this all about to blow up in her face because of Chase’s wife? Shit, shit, shit! What now? Should she confront the woman? Find out how much she knew? Tell her it was all just sex? Should she just move, get out of town? Shut it all down? Damn, damn, damn!

She looked back at the SUV as it lurched forward and peeled rubber out of the cul-de-sac. Pam shook her head slowly as tears gathered behind her eyelids. How many people would suffer now? Gary? Rob? Linc? All her friends and clients were involved. It would all come out. Did she regret any of it? she wondered. Not really. Until now it had all been a wonderful adventure.

Who could have guessed back eighteen months ago when she got the terrible news, that she’d be here, like this now? She sighed and tried to still her pounding heart. What now? She gathered her scattered wits, turned, and headed back up the driveway. The Madam of Maple Court. Who could have guessed?

A year and a half earlier

“Pam,” Mark Redmond said, “I don’t quite know how to tell you this, but I’ve gone over all the records I could find since Vin’s death and, well, there isn’t a great deal of money.” Mark had been Pam and Vin’s accountant for more than ten years. “You won’t starve, and if you live frugally you can get along okay for several years, but I had hoped for more.”

“I’m sorry, Mark,” Pam DePalma said, shaking her head slowly and tightening her stomach muscles as if to ward off a blow. “I’m having a hard time taking this in. We’re not filthy rich, but we’re pretty well off. Right?” She’d been trying to come to terms with the reality of the automobile accident that had killed her husband of twelve years on a snowy road in Westchester County, New York. It had happened two weeks before and the numbness hadn’t lessened.

She’d just turned thirty-three. Attractive. Educated. Charming. So what? What was she going to do for the rest of her life without Vin? Her life had been so tied up with his, entertaining his clients, traveling to meet with wives of business associates, attending the right clubs, losing at bridge to the right people. My God, what now? What would she do all day? His death had left a gigantic hole in her life. Vin’s business entertaining and the charity work he had insisted would improve their image had occupied so much of her time since he’d started his own firm that she had virtually no life of her own. Neither she nor Vin had any family to speak of, so now with his death she was truly alone. How was she going to keep going? She was usually so practical, so on top of things, but this had thrown her into a tailspin. She couldn’t take it in, make it make sense.

Not much money? How could that be? It had been Vin’s decision, one that Pam reluctantly concurred with, to leave Haskell & Roth and form his own advertising agency more than three years before, and DePalma Advertising had been an immediate, raging success. He’d taken several of his largest clients with him when he left H&R and just last month, although he admitted that things were in a momentary dip, he had assured her that he was about to land several major new accounts.

Now Mark was telling her that she didn’t have a lot of money. Would she have to get a job? What did she know how to do? She could live frugally. She didn’t need much, but she and Vin had enjoyed good living:. . .