"May I take your coat, my dear?" he asked smoothly, moving behind her to help her out of the heavy garment. "As soon as Bert comes back, we'll go in and sit down."
"Thank you," she said, turning to face him, but he had already taken her overcoat to the closet on the other side of the room.
Now that she was alone in the tiny entrance hall, she took the opportunity to look around and was astounded at the opulence of the decor. Although the Executive Club had looked like any other building from the outside, the interior was as plush as an exclusive nightclub, the carpet thick and soft under her feet and the walls covered with dark blue velvet. Even the wood around the doorways looked as though it had been dipped in gold. It was like a palace!
Then, suddenly, she noticed George beckoning to her from one of the doorways and, squelching her misgivings, she followed him into a large salon and bar. Even though this evening was beginning to seem even stranger than she had expected, she was determined to show Ed's superior that she could handle herself as well as any executive's wife.
Lynn gasped and had to forcibly keep herself from gazing about in wide-eyed amazement as she walked behind George to the table the doorman was pointing out. It was the most lavishly decorated room she had ever seen, done in red velvet and gold embroidery from ceiling to floor. Long, low couches were arranged in a broad semi-circle around a stage at one end of the room, and, behind them, a few small tables were placed in the dimmer light in the back of the room.
Most of the men present Lynn recognized from the various company functions she had attended. But the women who sat close to them were usually quite beautiful and much younger. The puzzled young blonde was almost certain that these expensively-dressed women were not the executive's wives.
Then, she noticed several middle-aged women, who might very well have been executive's wives, but who were accompanied by young, very handsome men. In fact, most of the young men seemed almost too good-looking, and as she walked by one of the couples, Lynn smelled a heavy cologne that didn't seem quite masculine. She was beginning to seriously doubt that any of the people here were being escorted by their legal mates.
"Thanks for saving this one for me, Bert," McHenry told the doorman as they sat down at the table in the farthest corner of the room. The short, heavy man was already moving away when George beckoned him back to the table.
"Listen, Bert, tell the others we don't want to be disturbed this evening," he quietly instructed the doorman. "Mrs. Waring and I are going to be busy discussing her husband's future with Amalgamated Industries."
Lynn looked up just in time to notice the sly wink McHenry gave the doorman and, for the first time that night, she thought she detected a certain lewdness in his expression. She hoped that Ed's boss was not planning on getting fresh with her, but then she thought about all the other people in the room. Surely the man wouldn't try anything here in front of people who would undoubtedly carry tales back to his wife.
A silver bucket of iced Champagne was brought to the table, and George popped the cork and poured them both a bubbling glass.
"Well, Mrs. Waring… may I call you Lynn? Well, Lynn my dear, let's drink to your first visit to the Executive Club," McHenry toasted, raising his glass to her. "May tonight be only the first of many enjoyable evenings here."
Lynn followed his lead and tipped her glass to her lips, savoring the feeling of the cool bubbly liquid pouring down her throat. She loved champagne, but after they had bought the house in Stuyvesant Square, she and Ed had never been able to afford it, except for special occasions.
"You know, Mr. McHenry, the club is very different than I imagined it," Lynn said hesitantly as she felt the alcohol begin to relax her inhibitions just enough so that she could express her curiosity. "I thought it would be more like… well, more like those English men's clubs where they sit around drinking brandy and playing bridge."
To her embarrassment, George stared at her for a moment, disbelief apparent on his face, then roared out laughing. By the time he began to regain control of himself, Lynn's face was red with humiliation and she wondered what she had said that was so funny.
"No, no… it's nothing like that, believe me," McHenry gasped out between lingering chortles. "The executives wanted a place where they could really enjoy themselves… and a bridge club was not at all what they had in mind, as you'll soon find out."
"Then, what?" Lynn asked in bewilderment. "They must have some activities here."
McHenry's face sobered and he paused for a moment, then lifted the champagne bottle from its bucket. "You'll find out soon enough, my dear," he answered with practiced charm. "For now, why don't you have another drink and then, we'll dance, if you don't mind. It's been quite a long while since I've had the opportunity to hold anyone as young and lovely as you in my arms."
Lynn smiled sweetly at the compliment and nodded her consent, although something about the way he had phrased the invitation to dance made her a little uncomfortable. She finished her second glass of champagne, then rose from her chair as the small combo in the front of the room began to play a romantic old song she had always liked. The bubbly drink was beginning to have an effect on her and, for the first time that evening, Lynn was beginning to feel like she really might be able to relax and enjoy herself with Ed's superior.
As she seldom drank alcohol, Lynn suddenly felt a little dizzy as she followed McHenry out onto the dance floor. She had a terrible feeling that she might stumble when she tried to dance, but her middle-aged escort quickly wrapped his arm tightly around her, steadying her until she caught the rhythm of the music and began to follow his steps.
With the fizzy warmth of the champagne drifting through her veins, Lynn unconsciously cuddled up against the executive's chest, until the ripe full mounds of her breasts pressed tightly against him. After Ed had been busy with his work for what seemed like years, it felt wonderful to dance with a man, to feel his arms around her as they moved slowly to the music, to feel like someone was really interested in her again.
Then, suddenly, with a terrible burst of clarity, Lynn realized how close McHenry was holding her. He was a very good dancer, but the way he was pulling her against him, she knew that she had better be careful or he would get the wrong idea about her. She tried to pull away from him a little, worried that other people in the room might be watching, but he just seemed to draw her even tighter against him. She didn't want to ruin Ed's chance for the vice-presidency by some stupid action on her part, but she was beginning to think that McHenry might be entertaining some immoral ideas, and thinking that she was agreeable. For a moment, she was very frightened and she felt a flash of anger at Ed for not trying harder to arrange to be with her on this crucial evening. She had never experienced a problem like this before and wasn't exactly certain how to handle it without insulting him. Lynn knew that Ed expected her to please McHenry, but not if that meant being unfaithful to him!
"You dance very well, my dear," George murmured softly into her ear. "That's a very important skill for an executive's wife to have. Sometimes, a little feminine charm can land an account, or just bring in some priceless goodwill to a corporation, that couldn't have been gotten with all the sales figures and production statistics in the world."
As they glided through the dimness of the dance floor, Lynn suddenly bit her lip as she felt McHenry slyly move one of his legs between her thighs so that the soft mound of her pubic area rubbed hard against the top of his thigh. The soft silkiness of the dress Ed had chosen hid nothing from her startled senses and she could clearly feel the coarse fabric of the balding man's trousers pressing tightly between her legs. Against one of her hips, she felt a growing pressure as the softness of his penis began to slowly harden in response to the motion of her pelvis grinding lightly against it as they danced.