Tanya Read online

  He would have to find out where she lived. That should not be too difficult. Then he would have to work out her daily routines and work out the ideal time and place to remove her from the world she knew and introduce her to the world she would spend the rest of her life in. From the looks of her tan, she spent considerable time either at one of the many beaches nearby or in a tanning salon. He rather thought that she would prefer the beach. It offered more opportunity to show off that splendid body and attract yet more male attention. He could immediately rule out most of the beaches, since they were used by the more ordinary people, blue-collar types for the most part. That left only three possibilities, and it would not be difficult to pick up her trail at one of them.

  From her activities, he could tell that she was trolling for a new wealthy boyfriend. That made some parts of his job easier. It meant that no rich and powerful man would be looking for her, angry that his lovely and expensive trophy playmate was gone. It also meant that she would be more in the open and more exposed as she went hunting. There was a chance that she might find some new lover before he could execute his plan, but there were ways to spoil her hunting without letting her know that someone was deliberately doing that. A casual word, a friendly warning, could put off most men, especially the married ones. She was a very tall young woman, so he could possibly use one of his favorite tactics: Advising her potential prey that she had originally been a man before the operation. Most men, once they had been told that, not only avoided her but went to great lengths to conceal the fact that they had ever been interested in her in the first place. It worked very well, and he found it amusing. He caught the eye of a rare waiter on the upper level and ordered himself some white wine. It had been a while since he had felt the old thrill of the hunt as he was feeling it now.

  ***

  Lana came over to Tanya ostensibly to give her a half-filled champagne flute. The fact that it was only half-filled was a signal that they had all worked out. Tanya tactfully broke off her conversation with the ardent young man who kept trying to look down her dress. She was grateful for the opportunity. He was shorter than she was, even if she hadn’t been wearing heels, and did not seem to have enough money to compensate for that. She accepted the flute from Lana and took a sip.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Maybe nothing,” Lana replied as they moved aside to get some privacy. “I just thought I should tell you that you seem to have a secret admirer.”

  “Really?” Tanya responded. She took another sip. ‘Secret admirer’ was another signal that they had developed. It could mean something as simple as a man apparently content to watch her from a distance, or something as unwelcome as possible trouble. “Where is he?”

  “Up on the second level, at a table where he can watch everything going on down here,” Lana replied. “I caught him watching me once, and I’ve been keeping an eye on him ever since. He keeps looking at you, like he’s sizing you up.”

  “What do you think?” Tanya asked. Lana had good instincts. She’d saved them all from trouble more than once, and it was a good idea to pay attention to her. It was also good to have her around. It meant that Tanya could spend less time watching out for trouble and more time trolling for wealthy men.

  “He doesn’t look rich,” Lana answered. “Not even particularly well-to-do. But he does seem to be awfully interested in you. I’ll bet he’s watching us both right now, so don’t try looking for him or he’ll see.”

  “Really, Lana, is it that unusual for men to take an interest in me?” Tanya smiled.

  “You know it isn’t, but there’s something about this particular man that makes me uneasy,” Lana replied.

  “That’s good to know,” Tanya took another sip of champagne and smiled, as if they were just having a pleasant conversation. “I’ll need to get a look at him, just in case. Can you create a diversion, something that would give me a chance to do that without him seeing me?”

  Lana grinned. She enjoyed situations like this. “How big a diversion?” she asked.

  “Whatever you think is appropriate, darling,” Tanya smiled sweetly.

  “All right,” Lana nodded. “Give me a minute and be ready. He’ll be easy to spot. He’s the only one who’s sitting alone.”

  “Thanks, dear,” Tanya nodded back. “I’ll be ready.”

  Immediately after Lana moved off, a promising-looking middle-aged man moved in. While most of the crowd here were young, there were a few of his type milling around, looking for action. Tanya took note of his expensively tailored suit and just as expensive Italian shoes. He looked promising enough to let him talk to her for a bit so she could assess his value to her in more detail. It was clear enough what he wanted, and she wasn’t averse to granting him her favors in exchange for appropriate gifts. They chatted amiably.

  Then there was a loud crash, followed by the tinkling of breaking glasses and a woman’s startled scream. As everyone else looked towards the sound, Tanya looked up at the second floor above, hoping to catch a glimpse of her ‘secret admirer’.

  Lana had been right. He was easy to spot, since he was the only one sitting alone. But instead of looking towards the noisy distraction that Lana had arranged, he was looking straight at her. Tanya felt a sudden chill as their eyes met. He was interested in her. That much was perfectly clear. But it was not the hot, lustful interest that she usually kindled in men’s eyes. This look was more cold and calculating, as if he was somehow evaluating her, as if she was a car he was thinking of buying, or some bit of livestock.

  Her first reaction was to flee from that reptilian gaze, but she had spent many years dealing with men, and she no longer ran from them unless she was in imminent physical danger. She steeled herself to stare back at him as coldly as he was staring at her.

  Grigori smiled down at her. He had suspected that the conversation between the blonde and her dark-haired companion had had something to do with him. He had not been expecting so loud and spectacular a diversion, but he had been ready, nonetheless. He approved of the way she stood up to him, and especially in the way her posture had changed when she had decided to do that. She had stood straighter, lifting her head and throwing her shoulders back as if daring him to stare at her like that. He raised his wineglass to her and drank off the last of his wine before getting up from his table and leaving. He knew all about her that he needed to get started. She would not be easy. Oh, capturing her should not present any special problems, but breaking and training her to lick and kiss the hand that abused her was going to be a challenge. His client said that he only wanted that. He had shown no interest in keeping her as a pet. Grigori rather doubted that the man would be able to handle her if he changed his mind. He was ruthless, but not ruthless enough to properly manage a wild animal, even if it appeared to be tamed, so it was probably just as well. In any case, he was going to pay Grigori handsomely to take this striking young woman and turn her into submissive sexual merchandise. In effect, Grigori would be paid twice for this one job, since he had every intention of selling the blonde once she had been properly broken and trained. Depending on the shape she was in at the end of her training, and how well she learned, she should at least double his income. He did not especially need the extra money, although it would be nice to have. More than anything else, though, he was looking forward to getting this Tanya James into his power. He imagined how her body would feel under his hands, how she would scream as they began her training, how she would whimper and beg at the end of that training. Those thoughts were enough to arouse him. He knew that he desired this Tanya as he had desired few other women. He also knew that that desire could cloud his judgment. Back at the manor house they had a tall, young blonde among their other captives. She was not as tall as Tanya, nor as impressively built, but she had almost completed her training and she would do for tonight. He would make her crawl to him, naked and begging, and then make her suck him off and swallow every drop of it in front of an audience of both men and women.

  ***

  Lana returned from her mission and Tanya excused herself from the man who had been paying her so much attention. He still seemed like a good prospect for gifts, but at the moment Tanya felt too distracted and uneasy to play the game.

  “Well,” Lana asked once he had drifted away, disappointed, “Did it work? Did you get a good look at him?”

  “Yes, I did,” Tanya replied. “He didn’t fall for it, though. He was still looking right at me when I looked up at him.”

  “Ouch,” Lana winced. “And?”

  “And he gave me the creeps,” Tanya said. “He just stared at me, like I was some sort of thing.”

  “Most men stare at you,” Lana said.

  “Not like this guy,” Tanya shook her head. “I felt like a deer during hunting season.” She shivered.

  “You want to get away from here?” Lana asked.

  “No,” Tanya replied after a moment. “I’m pretty sure he left. He made a production of it. I’d rather stay here ‘til the party’s over and go to some rich man’s home with him. I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

  “He really spooked you, didn’t he?” Lana marveled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so shaken.”

  “Look, he was just a really creepy guy and he caught me off guard, okay?” Tanya snapped. “I’ll be fine in a minute.” She scanned the crowd for the older man who had been paying so much attention to her earlier and spotted him chatting up a pretty little blonde. He had his hand on her arm, and she didn’t seem to mind his attentions. Tanya shrugged inwardly. Pussy was pussy, and it seemed like that man didn’t like working too hard for a slice. It was probably just as well. If he didn’t want to work too hard to get it he wouldn’t want to work too hard to keep it, which meant that it would be very difficult to extract gifts from him.

  “So…what now?” Lana asked. Tanya turned back to her.

  “Now?” she laughed. “Now we go back to doing what we were doing before. See if you can find out if anybody’s having a party somewhere after this one’s over, and see if you can get us invited.”

  “Okay,” Lana nodded. “I’ve heard talk about somebody doing just that. I’ll fish around. You’re still stalking, in the meantime?”

  “Oh, yes,” Tanya smiled. “Always.”

  Lana drifted away. If there was any after-party party that they could get invited to, she would ferret it out. It was handy to have her around, Tanya thought. It saved her so much work.

  “Hey there, babe!”

  Tanya looked towards the source of the greeting. The man coming towards her was young, but quite well-dressed. He was also visibly drunk, and carrying two champagne flutes. He offered one to her. Tanya accepted it without hesitation. She had already sized him up as not worth her time, but free champagne was free champagne.

  “Drink up,” he smiled, hoisting his own glass and draining it in one gulp. Tanya’s radar kicked in immediately. As her benefactor had his head tilted back she quickly dumped the contents of her own glass into a nearby potted palm. More than one man had tried to drug her in the past. She was taking no chances. She held the emptied flute up as if she had just downed the contents herself.

  “So,” the young man swayed on his feet as he smiled at her. His eyes appeared to be having trouble focusing. Tanya smiled back. This guy was a waste of her time, but there was only one quick and foolproof way of getting rid of him.

  “So?” she let her smile widen into suggestiveness as she toyed with the glass.

  “So why don’t we go someplace more private?” he grinned. He was still swaying, but now he didn’t appear to be quite as drunk as he was pretending to be. Tanya smiled at him sweetly.

  “Why, whatever do you have in mind?” she asked. He moved in closer.

  “I’ve been watching you, babe,” he grinned. This close, his breath smelled of alcohol and shrimp. Still smiling, Tanya backed up coyly as he moved forward, allowing him to steer her towards an alcove. There was a metal door at the end of it, probably used only by the wait and cleaning staff. “You’re the hottest girl here by a long shot. I say you and me ditch this party and go have one of our own.”

  Tanya sized him up as she kept moving backwards. He was obviously American, probably very well-off, and likely had some friends waiting somewhere beyond the service door. She had encountered situations like this before too. It would have helped to know just what extra ingredient he had added to her champagne might have been so she would have a better idea of just how quickly she was supposed to pass out. As it was, she would just have to wing it.

  Her suitor reached forward, obviously trying to grope her breast through her dress, or perhaps reach under the dress and do it that way. She batted his hand aside clumsily, giggling.

  “Don’t do that!” she protested. She kept smiling at him though, so that he would try again. Just to make it look good, she acted as if it was getting hard for her to keep her balance. He bought her little act and moved in again, no doubt looking forward to getting his hands on her tits.

  Wearing an elegant dress slit all the way up the side to her waist offered more advantages than giving tantalizing glimpses of her long, shapely leg to her admirers. It also allowed almost complete freedom of movement. As the man tried to close with her, she brought her leg up in a powerful snap-kick, driving the very pointy point of her stiletto heel deep into his groin. He went ashen, and his expression changed from lustful expectation to terrible shock in an instant. As he doubled over, whimpering faintly, Tanya brought her leg up again, smashing him in the chin with her knee. He toppled over and fell to the carpeted floor, out cold. In a way it was a shame that she’d had to knock him out. Now he wasn’t feeling what he so richly deserved to be feeling. She looked up the short hallway to see if anyone had noticed the intimate little scene. No one had. She crouched down and quickly and expertly went through his pockets. She turned up a billfold with a nice amount of cash in it along with a couple of credit cards and his ID…not that she cared who he was. His pants pockets yielded up a set of keys, a separate hotel key, and some loose change. She left the change but took everything else. The keys she would dispose of someplace where they would never be found. The cash she would keep. The billfold would go into the trash and the credit cards would be tossed loose into the street outside. Someone would find them and put them to good use, and if the police ever tracked them down nothing would lead back to her. Just for fun, she raked his face with her nails before she rejoined the party.

  Chapter Three

  “More coffee?” Cicely asked.

  “No, I don’t want any more coffee,” Tanya snapped at her. The past three weeks had been fruitless and frustrating for her, and her temper was badly frayed. None of her usual ploys were working and the supply of wealthy men looking for a mistress in the area seemed to have dried up. Maybe it was just a string of bad luck, but it had her worried. Every morning she inspected herself in minute detail in the mirror, first her face for any sign or hint of wrinkles, then her body for any trace of crepe or sag. Every morning, she passed that inspection. In fact, thanks to a diet and exercise regimen that had been suggested to her by an older woman she’d met recently, she thought that she’d never looked better. So why were no men rising to her bait? It was almost as if they were avoiding her, which was ridiculous.

  “Sorry,” Cicely sniffed disdainfully. “I just thought I’d ask.”

  “I have a lot on my mind,” Tanya grumbled. “I don’t need other people pestering me while I’m trying to think.”

  “I’m sure,” Cicely nodded. “But really, love, it can’t be as desperate as you’re making it out to be. It’s not as if you’re penniless now, is it?”

  Tanya gritted her teeth so that she wouldn’t explode with angry words. Lately, almost everything about Cicely was irritating, including her posh British accent. It didn’t help that Cicely was living with her without contributing anything. But Tanya also recognized that Cicely was right, and in any case she almost always leeched off of Tanya, contributing what she could when she could, when she felt like it. Lana was another matter. Lana had her own place. Lana always had her own place, thanks to a trust fund that coughed up generous checks to her every month, no matter where she lived. That was handy, because every so often Tanya needed a place to hide out for a day or two in order to punish or discipline a sugar daddy who was getting too possessive or too demanding. It was also handy to have someplace to send Cicely off to whenever said sugar daddy wanted to spend the night with Tanya.

  “You could stay on here a bit longer, couldn’t you?” Cicely suggested.

  “Yes, we could,” Tanya snapped at her. “But why the fuck should we?”

  “You’re just having a dry spell, love,” Cicely smiled. “It’ll be over soon, I’m sure of it.”

  “Maybe it will,” Tanya shook her head. “In the meantime, just make sure all your stuff is packed up and ready to go when the van arrives day after tomorrow.”

  “Must we?” Cicely pleaded. “It would be very crowded at Lana’s with all three of us.”

  “Yes, we must,” Tanya was adamant. “So stop whining. Or would you rather go find a place of your own?”

  “That was uncalled for, love,” Cicely sighed. “You know that where you go, I go.”

  One day, Tanya told herself, she’d have to find a way to get rid of Cicely. But not today. Cicely had some connections that were still useful, and spoke three languages besides her posh English.

  ***

  The van was late. Tanya fretted, pacing around as the minutes and then the hours passed. Cicely took it much better. Everything she owned sat neatly packed in two large and one small bag near the door while she herself sat on the couch flipping through the local TV channels. The satellite service had been cut just yesterday, so there were no programs on that she could understand.

  “Will you stop that?” Tanya asked Cicely at last. Cicely turned her head to look at her, shrugged, and switched off the TV. She said nothing.

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