Park Life White Castles on King's side

White Castles on King's side

When Rudd had left Kitchener Street earlier in the evening and had made his way to The Bell, he had a clear intention regarding this night. Having spent the previous year following the pack, an innocent bystander to the main event, he had noticed that as the evening progressed the women, caught up in the general mood of competition and alcoholic celebration, seemed to turn into the hunters; and it was as though the male of the species became the prey. He had also observed that the women, over the course of the night would increasingly retire to the ladies' refreshment rooms in groups of two or three in order to "freshen up". At The Fox, the toilets were in immediate proximity to one another, where dividing partitions offered audible clarity. In here he had heard segments of female conversations which were clearly designed to agree grazing rights or, in some cases, clarify wagers based around intent, most to be delivered by the end of the evening. While Rudd was familiar with, he believed, the male psyche operating in such circumstances this insight into female motivation and intention came as an intriguing surprise to him. During the course of the year this situation had been replayed in his head on more than one occasion. For him, tonight was all about applied theory, he no longer wished to occupy the position of observer, he desired full participation.

Maggie found that Derek was very different to most of the other men she had been with. While prior experience had taught her that men tended to be the more reserved of the species, and that other than sharing kisses they tended to exhibit a reluctance to display their inner desires in public, this man was clearly wired differently. In the quasi privacy of The Star and Garter courtyard he had confidently encouraged her to remove her panties, by way of issuing her with a challenge, "Would she like to experience the physical stimulation of being without her vanity barrier so that he could partake of pleasure as and when he felt the urge." At first she was a little unclear as to the meaning of his request, but when moments later she felt his fingers beneath her skirt, shredding the translucent fabric, by demonstration he had provided clarification. She quickly obliged, and was about to place the cotton remnants into her clutch bag when he reached over to claim his trophy. Feeling as though she were offering the first of a series of trophies to him, she gladly obliged, believing that they would be added to his collection. Moments later, as they made their way out of the courtyard, towards the next location, she was suddenly surprised to see that he merely discarded them as they passed the waste bin located there. Surprised, but nevertheless intrigued. His action, at that moment created within her being a frisson of excitement. "What else might she be compelled to do?" She wondered.

Rudd stood watching the pair carrying on within the confines of the crowded room and was filled with admiration for his brother in law as he proceeded to use his newly acquired partner in whichever way he pleased. He felt that it was necessary to move a little closer to the action in order for his senses to record the events as though in full technicolour. Whilst standing slightly to the rear of Derek, he was able to fix his gaze on his fingers and their intimate exploration of the girl before him. He realised that it was indeed the woman to whom he had been introduced earlier. Closer inspection also revealed that somewhere between The Fox and their current location, she had removed her bra, or maybe it had been removed for her. As she stood next to Derek with her eyes fixed firmly on his, Rudd could see that her nipples were clearly responding to the attention Derek was providing.

Judith continued to be the centre of attention for the four men she had corralled in The Highwayman. Three drinks later it was the turn of Clive to provide a drink for her to sample. "And If I do this forfeit," he began, "what do we receive in return?" The use of the word we was not lost on Judith, it seemed as though their thoughts were moving in the direction of the space she had occupied when she first made their acquaintance in the Lounge Bar. "What would you like?" She enquired, as she found herself growing to like this form of Trivial Pursuits. "Personally, I would like you!" offered Clive whilst fixing her firmly with his eyes. "To do what?" Came the enquiring response from Judith. "Oh, that is simple" said Clive, at which point he turned to approach the bar, leaving the three of them to ponder the response he was likely to provide. In order to cover the silence until his return, Judith turned to Martin from whom she had received the first drink. "And your preference would be what exactly? The young man seemed a little taken aback by her directness, and hesitated for a moment, aware that besides Judith there were two other people, namely his close friends, likely to be asking themselves the exact same question. "Well, what I would really like would be for you to suck my cock", he offered, "both here and later in the park." Judith reflected for a few moments and responded with a curt command of "Follow me." The other two young men, Denis with the short cropped hair and Peter, the smallest member of the quartet watched as Judith led their friend by the hand and guided him towards the toilets located just outside the room. Once through the door they disappeared from sight. "Did something happen?" enquired Clive as he returned to the group carrying a tray of drinks. Five Tequila Slammers sat proudly on the tray he had manoeuvred from the bar. The group were clearly embarked on a form of alcohol induced Russian Roulette. "Did something happen?" echoed Pete, "I'll say it did, she's only gone and taken Martin off to the toilets! It seems she is happy to do whatever we wish with her. Please tell me this is real, that it is not a dream and that I will wake up covered in sticky sheets!" The others look at the smallest member of their tribe. If Pete had one redeeming feature, it was his tendency when aroused to provide too much information. "No Pete, it really is happening." Three pairs of eyes were focused firmly on the door to the passageway situated at the rear of the property, which connected the Lounge Bar to the York Room. About five minutes later Martin returned to his friends who stood with mouths slightly open awaiting the news from the front. "Well?" Enquired Pete, unable to curb his curiosity any longer. "Apparently Clive is next! Ladies room, last cubicle" and without any further delay, the tallest member of their coterie retraced Martin's steps and disappeared in the direction of the back passageway. After approximately twenty minutes, the group of five were reunited in the Lounge bar, after Denis had followed Peter into the inner sanctum; all having received and enjoyed Judith's special anointment with her own form of extreme unction. While each of the men cast the occasional glance in each other's direction displaying a little curiosity each of the other, Judith stood in their midst, a radiant angel amidst sinners. The long drink of lemon and lime with ice had served to remove the feeling of saltiness from her mouth and throat and she stood before them rather as a priest might, having delivered their last rites. "I must go", she finally announced but I will see you later in the park, by the children's play area. "After all, you have yet to deliver my statement of desire." And with an ominous sense of foreboding left hanging in the air between them, she left the Lounge Bar of The Highwayman in search of her friend. Going out of the building she recognised that she was a very different Judith to the one who entered the public house about fifty minutes earlier.

It was not only the four men who watched as she departed from their midst; away in the opposite corner of the room stood Rudd. He had noted the other girl, Judith, surrounded by four young men almost as soon as he entered the Lounge bar. Furthermore, he had noticed the drink buying protocols followed by the process of departure and subsequent return of each of the participants, ending with the return of Judith accompanying the guy with the close cropped hair back in to their midst. Intrigued by the coming and going, it was only after the departure of the second guy that the body language and gestures of the first person who accompanied Judith out of the room were demonstrated to the others, that clearly offered to Rudd an insight and clarification of what appeared to be occurring. Rudd did find some amusement that the young men had purchased for her and presented her with a long cold iced drink. "No doubt" he thought, "she had deserved it."

He decided to make his way out of the Lounge bar and would spend his time tracking her. He hoped to be able to affect a subsequent re-introduction with her, for having watched the recent exchange of "love tokens" he felt that he too might be worthy of some recognition and gratification. Emerging out on to the street he looked up and down the high street but could see no evidence of her existence. He went about twenty feet in either direction just to check on the alleyways that sat to either side of the pub. "Perhaps she had doubled back to the York Room", he thought, and was just about to move in that direction when he saw her once again emerge onto the High Street before him. She seemed pre-occupied with her thoughts and therefore did not initially notice him. "Oh hello again!" He began "I was hoping to bump in to you. Your friend not around?" While he clearly knew that she was not, having previously observed her offering herself as a personal plaything for his brother in law in the York Room, nevertheless, he felt it was a correct response which might offer him some further information. "No!" She responded, "Don't know where she has got to. It was her I was looking for just now. I've no idea where she might be". She continued, "I was just about to check out The Vaults, it is where we had arranged to meet, by the off licence entrance. If not there then our final rendezvous was to be the park. The Children's Play Area to be precise." "Do you mind if I tag along? Enquired Rudd. "I find myself at a bit of a lose end, as it happens. Plans, as they say, haven't quite worked out thus far." "Suit yourself," offered Judith and so they both left the vicinity of The Highwayman and moved along the high street heading in the direction of The Vaults and the park beyond.

Maggie could feel the various alcoholic components of the evening slowly making their way through her blood stream. Whilst not feeling particularly ill, she could sense the subtle changes occurring to her nervous system. She found herself leaning against Derek as they stood almost squashed against the decorative coving and wood paneling which adorned the walls and ceiling in The York Room. She could feel his hands travelling across the plains, canyons and mountains of her body whilst to the outside observer they appeared to be what might be termed smooching were it not for the lack of music. The removal of her panties, whilst it had occurred with her blessing had nevertheless seemed to bring out in him some form of warrior, engaged in conquest; her body was clearly seen as the spoils of war. The removal of her bra a little later in the episode, had taken place in the ladies' toilets in The Highwayman, and while she enjoyed the sensation of silk on her bare flesh, especially when it, or he, focused attention on her nipples she did nevertheless feel a little apprehensive when through misting memory she realised that she possessed only one layer of clothing between nudity and decency. Again she had quite liked the sensation at first, but now wished that the two articles had been retained rather than discarded. All the time Derek continued to party the night away, fondling and caressing her whilst also making the situation visible to those whom he knew. Maggie was clearly a trophy for the top tier of his display cabinet. In the midst of the evolving events he leaned over to her and whispered "Are you sure you are up for this? Willing to go all the way?" Whilst not exactly sure of his meaning, uncertain of the specifics of "going all the way," she genuinely felt herself to be in a good place and was certainly enjoying the physical attention he was paying her. Tonight was the first time she had had an orgasm whilst standing amongst others in a public space. Whilst not full on, it was nevertheless enjoyable. In her mind she was thinking of later when she would repay the compliment. She carried an image of him with arms gripping the top rail of the bench, embedded within her up to the hilt. "All the way" she repeated, "and maybe a little further". Whilst locked into the image of the fallen angel and the bench she failed to see Derek signal confirmation to his associates standing across from them in a different part of the room.

Arriving at The Vaults Judith made her way to the side entrance which housed the off sales section of the pub. While he waited outside, she let herself in by lifting the handle that operated the catch mechanism on the door. From somewhere above her the sound of a tinkling bell could be heard, moments later a women appeared offering a smile of welcome and encouragement. "Could I have a bottle of white wine please?" Judith asked. "Chardonnay or Sauvignon?" came the response from behind the counter. "Not sure really, what would you recommend?" With a slightly perplexed look, the woman followed with, "That's a difficult one, I'm a Pinot person myself but the brewery only has Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. I like the name Chardonnay, if that helps." Whether the quality of the name helped or not was difficult to say,as Judith chose to go with the Chardonnay. "Can you open it and put the cork back in, as I don't have an opener?" The woman did as requested and then delivered the merchandise in a blue, semi-translucent carrier bag. With money exchanged and a small piece of till roll deposited in the carrier bag also, Judith exited the off sales. Whilst still unaware of Maggie's whereabouts she had at least secured some liquid refreshment for later in the evening. As she crossed back over the threshold, two other participants moved in the opposite direction. Each party smiled at the other and the customary "Excuse me's" were exchanged.

Judith took up her position on the pavement outside of The Vaults and looked back in the direction of The Highwayman. She could see others heading in her direction, twos and threes, fours, together with the occasional solitary traveller, but no one carried with them the appearance of her friend. She turned to look at Rudd who had positioned himself some ten feet ahead of her, in the general direction of the park. He saw her looking in his direction and offered her the perfunctory gesture of both arms held to each side, with only the lower arms and hands turned outwards. Accompanied with a slight shrug of the shoulders, she knew that he was none the wiser regarding the location of her friend either. The last time she had seen and spoken to Maggie was a good ninety minutes ago, she confirmed with a casual glance towards her watch. Since then she had delivered on the personal challenge she had set herself and spent about fifteen minutes or so chatting to the man whom she had met earlier in the evening. At this juncture her thoughts and concerns were centred on her friend who she assumed was ok, but nevertheless there remained a nagging doubt that something may not be quite right. "I'll go back and take a look in the last place," said Rudd, "if you like. You go over and take a seat by the park entrance. I'll be back in a couple of ticks!" Before she could offer a response, he turned and was making his way back towards The Highwayman. She remained rooted to the spot, "Should she stay here or follow his advice", she enquired of herself. She chose to remain for the time being and watched as he reached the entrance to the pub, before turning right through the grand entrance porch.

For ten minutes she continued to look back towards the pub, during this time about twenty or so people had walked past her, some making a detour into the off sales section, others continuing up the road towards "The Red Wreck" as it was known locally. Included in this group was "their leader" Quintus who seemed from his appearance to have misplaced the school bell. It occurred to her that at this point in time it was clearly more than her friend which had been missing. With each passing minute Judith's dilemma seemed to increase as did the internal sense of panic which was clearly building. She saw her "Four Just Men" emerge from the porch of The Highwayman and turn left, heading in her direction. She noticed that Martin and Clive appeared to have attracted partners since last she saw them and were moving towards her ahead of Denis and Pete. As the foursome moved past her with just a slight sideways glance accompanied by a smile of acknowledgement from the two males, the baggage train, Denis and Pete withdrew from the group and offered their assistance. While it was sweet of them to offer, they could not really help as neither of them knew or had earlier seen her friend. And while her recollection of the of the silk top and the skirt could be furnished to them by way of identification, together with the colour and style of her hair, she doubted that it would assist them, especially as she knew that their primary focus remained with her and the continuation of her earlier challenge. At this juncture, for Judith, the pursuit was anything but trivial.

Moments later Rudd returned and revealed that he had been unable to locate her friend, although he had seriously looked for her both in The Highwayman and in the previous venue, The Star and Garter, also. Unsure whether she was aware of the fact, he did inform her that earlier in the evening he had seen her in back room of The Highwayman with a tall man in what he thought was an Italian styled suit. For obvious reasons, he omitted to tell her that the smartly dressed individual was in fact his former brother in law, Derek. That piece of additional information, he thought, would only serve to complicate the situation. What was more, if relevant, at a future point in time it could be provided then. The group of four, the three men plus Judith, stood on the high street unsure of what to do next. Given that Maggie's last known whereabouts was at The Highwayman, in all honesty they were unsure whether she had made it to The Vaults ahead of them or not. One thing was certain, if it was a case of acquiring additional supplies it would have been Derek who provided the funding. Maggie, if nothing else, was an expert at soliciting "pocket money" or acquiring additional financial support. With the concept of pocket money in the forefront of her thinking, she recalled the image of Maggie's hand searching the nether regions of her male partner when she had last seen her friend in The Highwayman; so maybe pocket money was an apt metaphor, as was the location with its stand and deliver motif.