Chapter 2 – The Seven Dragons Lounge

I departed the Jade and hailed a taxi, directing the driver to the address listed on the napkin. The ride was uneventful as the man weaved in and out of traffic like a pro. I had the cab drop me a few blocks away. Unnecessary to announce myself.

The street was quiet, a little too quiet. I walked toward Seven Dragons Lounge. A bouncer was posted outside the entrance. I figured there would be. I strolled up to him, chilled as a cucumber.

“Password?” he said gruffly in an Aussie accent.

“I’m expected,” I replied.

“You’ve got the wrong place, dearie. Move along.”

“No, seriously,” I said. “I’m supposed to meet someone.”

He looked at me skeptically.

“What’s the password?” he asked with a hefty attitude.

“The password is ‘go fuck yourself.’”

“Ha-ha. Nope. That’s not it. Now get lost, or I’ll make you.”

“The lady is with me, Banjo,” a voice said from behind. I could have spun around in surprise, but I kept my cool, chill as a cucumber. He appeared beside me—the guy who maybe gave me the note. He looked younger in the club’s rubicund light.

I nodded and said, “Oh, you’re finally here.”

He smiled and then ushered us quickly inside.

“This way,” he said, leading me down a flight of stairs. “It’s best we move quickly. We can’t have any distractions, not now.”

“Who are you?” I mumbled.

“The name’s Jack. I’m a friend.”

“Caroline,” I answered.

“I know your name, dummy. I’m a friend of Wilhelm.”

He was referring to a past lover, a contentious relationship I once had.

“Oh Christ, what does he want?” I asked, fearing the answer, and also wondering how Wilder knew about my move to China.

We arrived at the bottom of the stairs. In front of us, a large poker table rested, a bar to the right, and some booths to the left. All were bathed in the same crimson light as outside.

“We need to win this pot,” he murmured.

“Why?” I scanned the room for potential threats.

“It’s important for national security.”

“Whose nation? Not mine. You sound American, but…”

Suddenly he yanked me into an empty booth.

“Keep it down,” he hissed.

“Fine, fine. Whatever. Let’s get this over with.”

“Shh. They’re on to us.”

“Who?” I said as I scanned the room a second time.

“Kiss me. Make it look real,” he whispered into my ear.

I frowned at him.  But, cute in his way, Vic.

He grabbed the back of my head and kissed me forcefully. His tongue forced itself into my mouth, exploring. It was an odd sensation but not unpleasant. My eyes scanned the room a third time, wondering if this was just a ploy to steal a smooch. After a few more seconds … a few more seconds longer than appropriate … I pushed him away. “That’s enough, lover boy. Save the rest for our honeymoon.”

He grinned sheepishly.

“I’m sorry, it’s just … we’re being watched. This is our cover.”

“Our cover? Really? Domestic American honeymooners on their way to the Great Wall, sidetracked into an illegal poker game in one of Shanghai’s shadiest underground clubs?”

He shrugged. “When you put it that way…” He looked around slyly and then darted in for a second kiss. This time, I kissed back. If he wanted to smooch, I’d show him a doozy. Our tongues tied as my hand slinked down to his cock. Startled, he almost pulled away.

“Surprised a woman is this forward?” I whispered into his ear. “Don’t worry. Nobody can see.”

“Okay,” he said, squirming a little. “I’m glad we’re on the same page,” he whispered into my ear as I squeezed his cock more gently. It hardened under my touch. Not bad. Not bad. Size-wise, I mean. I kissed him again. This time, I got into it. My lithe dancer’s body pressed against his. I wanted to feel his skin against mine. I was ready to go. My beetle’s bonnet down below started humming. My fingers slid into his belt, undoing the buckle. I unzipped his pants under the table.

I whispered again, “I never mentioned this but I may have studied as an escape artist.”

“What are you doing?” he murmured back into my ear with panic. “You’ll get us caught!”

“I’m making sure nobody sees.” My indulgent voice accompanied my reaching into his pants and grasping his cock tightly. “I don’t joke about the escape artist thing.”

“They’re watching us. If they see us doing hanky-panky, we’ll never get into that table,” he protested, but without much force.

I looked him in the eye. “Yes, we will. You doubt my charms. Who would grasp cock under a table at a gangster club?”

“You might,” he replied.

“I wouldn’t,” I said, giving his hardened member a firm tug.

“You would.”

“I wouldn’t,” I said. In a child’s voice, I murmured, “I like getting caught.”

“Prove it,” he said, taking the bait.

“Gladly,” I answered, kissing him more deeply. Our tongues danced in a sloppy French kiss. I unzipped my jeans with my free hand. Escape artists are ambidextrous, you know. A server brought us a few drinks we didn’t order, but we ignored her. I guided his hand down my jeans.

He looked startled and then whispered, “No panties?”

“Never. Well, maybe sometimes,” I whispered back.

His fingers brushed against my clit, making me extremely wet.

“You’re soaked,” he murmured.

“Mm-hmm. Tends to happen often, I’m afraid.” I hummed, nodding.

“I’d like to get a closer look, but if we get caught, it’ll blow our cover.”

“Let them come,” I said. “Besides, they can’t see anything. It’s too dark in here.”

He kissed me again. Our hands explored private areas. My fingers grasped his cock tightly, jacking him. His digits found their way inside me. I’m soaked. I can’t wait anymore.

“Take me,” I moaned softly.

“Here. Are you sure?” he asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” I said a little too loudly, pulling his cock out of his pants. It was average but nice and thick.

“We can’t.” He squirmed. My musky scent became apparent.

Without warning, I dropped my head under the table. My lips wrapped around his cock as he diddled my vagina. I glanced up at him as I did my best work. His eyes darted all over the place, wondering if anyone had noticed. I went back to my work, sliding my tongue around his prick, slobbering it, using my fingers to grasp the base as I blew him something fierce. Public sex always revs my engine. I can’t help it. Bad girl, Vicky.

Jack tried to pull away, but I was stronger than him. His hips bucked involuntarily as he neared climax. I’ve got you now. My head bobbed up and down, faster and faster, like a piston.

“Oh God, I’m coming!” he clenched his teeth, holding back a pleasure yelp as he exploded into my mouth. His hot semen hit the back of my throat. I swallowed every drop of his load. He murmured, “Get up here. It’s time.”

Chapter 3 – Follow the Queen

An hour passed as we played Follow the Queen—a stud poker variant where the wild card changes depending on the card dealt after a queen appears. The shifting wild card mirrored the elusive and ever-changing alliances in the game. The players were Jack (the man I blew), Mei Lin (a madame from across the town), Lei Huang (an affluent businessman), Dmitri (a Russian barge worker), Vivienne Sterling (an English aristocrat slumming around Asia), Kenji Nakamura (a mystery man from Roppongi), and myself. I played dumb and pretended I was another bored American expat looking for a thrill. The dealer called out the next round.

“Three of clubs. Five of hearts. And seven of spades.”

Everyone exchanged glances.

Being my usual daring self, my foot inched under the table, sliding across the floor, and ended up in Jack’s crotch. My toes massaged his hardening prick. He shifted his leg and allowed me to continue. His weapon grew harder beneath my toes, and I giggled softly. Lei Huang gave me an annoyed frown as my knee bumped him. Jack didn’t say anything, and neither did I, as I stroked his cock with my toes. The other cardplayers had no idea what I was doing under the table. Jack squirmed. I caught Vivienne’s eye and noticed a curious, queer expression on her face. Did she know? My heart raced, and I became aroused; my pussy dripped under the table. Jack glanced briefly at Vivienne and then returned his attention to the game. I slid my foot around, feeling the contours of his erection. I massaged the shaft’s base, rubbing it up and down. I moved my toes around the bulbous tip and squeezed it lightly. Jack looked at me with his heart rate increasing, but I kept staring intently at the cards before me. I stole a glance at him. By his expression, I knew he was getting close to orgasm. I wanted it to happen here, in front of these people, so I stroked him more vigorously.

“Follow the Queen,” the dealer said, flipping the top card on the deck.

Vivienne eyed Jack.

“Two diamonds,” the dealer added as the players placed bets.

Then she said, “Queen hearts.” More bets and more rounds came.

Everyone showed their cards, except Jack.

“What … have you got, Mister?” Mei Lin demanded in broken English.

“You first,” Jack said, stalling for time.

“Three jackmen,” she said.

“Three aces,” Vivienne added, her eyes darted to mine and then back to Jack’s.

“Pair of fives,” said Dmitri, throwing down his cards in Russian disgust.

“Two pairs,” Kenji announced.

“A low straight,” Lei Huang added, revealing his hand.

“Two pairs,” I furthered, showing my hand with a shrug as my toes did their work.

“Well, Jack? What … have you got?” Mei Lin asked, growing annoyed.

“You’ll never believe me,” he said, laying his cards on the table. His voice broke a little. “A full house. Three Kings and two fives.”

“Impossible!” Mei Lin said, incredulous.

“Congratulations,” Lei Huang smiled, extending his palm. “That was an impressive hand.” His English was excellent, but a strong accent tainted it.

“Gracias,” Jack said, shaking his hand. And at that moment, he pulled away his cock from my foot pleasure.

Jack went for the pot. That’s when I noticed the tiny film canister that someone had bet. Microfilm?

“You’re not going anywhere,” Mei Lin hissed.

“Oh, and why not?” Jack asked.

“Because I’m going to kill you, you filthy cheat!” she shouted, brandishing a gun from somewhere.

A brawl ensued. Cards, whiskey glasses, and fists flew across the room, illuminated by the dim glow of the flickering neon sign, a red luminosity of hatred.

Amid the chaos, a shot rang out. Lei Huang collapsed, clutching his chest, blood pooling on the green velvet table. In the commotion, the lights flickered, and the microfilm vanished. I noticed one player, Nakamura, slipping something inside his coat. Realizing we were outnumbered and that someone had tipped the authorities, I grabbed a bottle of rye from the counter, downed a shot for courage, and made a daring escape through a hidden back alley, reluctantly dragging Jack with me.

Chapter 4 – Queen Takes Rook

Jack shredded the black stockings I put on to arouse him. He fashioned a haphazard hole in them to fuck me from behind. I was on the floor, and he loomed above me like a feral animal. His face was pressed into mine. His breath was hot and wet against my cheek as he fucked me with his thick cock. The way it felt made me scream through my gag—my bra he stuffed inside my mouth. My body shook all over with pleasure while his rough hands seized my hips, making sure I didn’t get away from him.

All my nerves cracked with sexual fire; I couldn’t think straight. Yet I had no choice but to allow him to ride me until he decided to stop or he came inside. I spit out the bra. When I begged him to put my legs up so I could wrap them around his waist, he laughed at me. “You’re not getting any more out of me than you already have.” He grabbed a fistful of my hair and forced my head back.

“No!” I cried out. “I want to come too, lover boy!”

He pushed harder into me, and my pussy spasmed around his cock, gripping him tightly. After another few thrusts, he came hard inside me. My lissome body shuddered from the orgasm when he finally pulled out. He yanked the stockings and plunged his dick through the hole in the fabric to hammer away at my vagina again. On and on, he fucked me through the night, pounding me without mercy.

It was so … fucking … good. I couldn’t stand it. When he gave me one last, long, deep stroke, I came for the third time. I bit my lip in ecstasy. Then he pulled out and wiped himself off with a pillowcase. Without addressing me, he said, “Fetch me a drink.”

I answered, “Fetch it yourself. Just because I let you fuck me doesn’t mean we’re going steady.”

He laughed. We returned to our hotel room’s bed. Jack lit a cigarette. I stole a puff and said, “I called her before we bumped uglies. Yu, one of my informants around town, said Kenji turned up dead in a grimy waterfront dive, his throat slit, and no sign of your microfilm.”

“It’s a good thing you have connections,” he said between puffs.

“Yeah, but something has been bothering me. What’s on the film, Jack?”

He shifted on the bed and answered, “State secrets. The usual Blaise thing people die for.”

“My friend, Yu, told me ‘Vicky Valentine’ has been whispered in shadows around town. They’ve been saying I might know too much. You got me into it, didn’t you?”

Then a lone knock at the door interrupted us. Jack and I exchanged glances.

I bit my lip. Paused. Then another knock came.

“Who is it?” I asked in a deeper voice than normal.

“It’s Vivienne. Let me in.”

Jack and I exchanged glances again. He nodded.

I opened the door.

“Hello, darling. May I come in?” she said, striding into the room without waiting for an answer.

“Sure. Come on in,” I motioned like a maître d.

“What do you want?” Jack demanded as he extinguished his cigarette. A plume of smoke passed between the three of us. The grey wisp felt like the start of a Mexican standoff.

“Nothing. I came to offer my condolences. You’ve made some dangerous enemies,” she said, brushing a stray black hair from her face.

“What do you know about it?” I replied, suspicious. “And how did you know our hotel room?”

“I know quite a lot. My family has a long history in British Intelligence. God Save the Queen, and all that.”

I made an “Oh, that explains it” gesture.

“MI6?” Jack asked nervously.

“Not officially, but … yes. Undercover or some other nonsense. I’m known as Black Rook among certain circles.”

“You’re a double agent,” Jack added.

“Good, darling,” she replied. “Bingo. And you, young man, have gotten yourself into a right old pickle.”

“Me? But I was following orders,” he said as his hand inched toward his pants hanging on the bedpost.

“Orders from whom?” I asked.

“My boss wanted me to obtain the film at all costs. A matter of national security,” he muttered.

“He’s a spy too, darling,” Vivienne said with a smile. “But don’t you worry about the film.” She produced the canister.

“How?” he asked.

“I have my ways,” she replied with a shrug.

‘What about the Chinaman and Kenji? Did you kill them?” I asked.

“Nope. That was Dimitri trying to get the canister, but I pickpocketed the poor Russki before he could leave. Lei Huang was collateral damage, unfortunately. Got in the way.”

I nodded. Jack looked out the window but his hand inched closer to his pants.

“So, what’s all this?” Vivienne motioned to the haphazard, sweaty sheets. “It’s a shame to let a comfy bed go to waste.”

Jack and I exchanged glances for a third time.

Vivienne added, “So, who’ll lick my pussy first?”

Chapter 5 – Half Bottle and the Devil’s Smile

She laid back on the bed and spread her legs, revealing her smooth, rosy lips. She reached down and parted her quivering labia with two fingers.

“Darling, you can go first if you like,” she said, smiling at me.

I shrugged, sneered back, and knelt between her legs. Why not? I inhaled deeply. Her musk filled my nostrils. My mouth watered. I flicked the tip of her clit with my tongue.

“Oh!” she exclaimed in pleasure.

I continued licking her clitoris as I felt Jack’s eyes on me. My tongue slid up and down, circling the sensitive bud. Her ample hips rose and fell in rhythm with my gesticulations.

“Oh, that feels so nice. Just like that. Don’t stop,” she whispered.

Jack stared intently as I brought her to orgasm. Her body convulsed, and she moaned loudly.

“Ah, yes! Oo, yes! Oh, my!” Vivienne panted in heat.

I ate her pussy with gusto. She had a pretty cunt. Full, round, slightly puffy lips hid under a neatly trimmed triangle of ebony pubic hair. Her love button was large and high, begging for attention. I licked and suckled and nibbled all over it and then slid down between her thighs to give her legs a thorough slobbering. I returned to her sex, slurping my tongue deep inside her vagina, loving the musky flavor of her juices. Her knees were bent, and she leaned forward, bracing herself on the hotel bed’s edge, grinding her hips into my face. She looked at me with wild eyes, panting and moaning loudly. I licked her clit harder, flicking it with my tongue and biting gently with my teeth. She shook and bucked, arching her slender back and pulling on her hardened nipples. Her generous hips gyrated wildly. Vivienne came with a masculine groan of fury.

After her powerful orgasm, she sank back onto the bed and sighed deeply. “Wow,” she said. “That was legendary, darling. Epic.”

I wiped her pussy juices from my chin as my eyes went to Jack.

“Your turn,” I said to him.

He nodded. Jack used his fingers to tease her wet folds, making her writhe in ecstasy once more. I smoked a cigarette as I watched them. Something didn’t add up. I scrutinized the Chinaman last night. They tend to cheat. I didn’t see Vivienne anywhere near him. But then again, maybe I missed her. There was a lot of commotion. Maybe she’s good at what she does.

After a while, the three of us switched places. Jack went down on me while I tongued Vivienne again. Then Jack decided to fuck me doggie-style. Loud moans and pleading escaped our lips. Footsteps walked past our room in the hall outside, but it didn’t matter. We were too busy to care about anyone else.

I continued eating her succulent hole. For some unknown reason, I enjoyed licking her English pussy. Maybe because I hadn’t licked a woman in forever. I wanted to give her everything I could, and that included fucking her with my tongue. She screamed and shook, and my patois continued until I felt her pussy clamp down on my flesh. Jack pistoned me from behind. I loved it. He pulled out and rammed his cock back inside me with fury, filling me. My eyes rolled back in my head as I moaned loudly. My keening was lost in her pussy. Jack pounded into me, and I reached up to squeeze Vivienne’s huge tits. His dick moved fast, a blur, slapping inside my vagina and sliding around my soaked pussy.

I came again.

And again.

My whole body tingled, and I loved it. I could barely keep my eyes open as I focused all my attention on her clitoris. I flicked my tongue across it repeatedly, teasing her, making her squirm with elation.

“Ah, yes! Oh, fuck! I’m going to come again,” she moaned as her body shook and writhed.

I didn’t know how long we stayed locked in that position, but eventually, Vivienne stopped coming. Her fingers finally released my hair, and she reclined back on the bed, breathing heavily—spent—her hands pressed to her tummy. I noticed a tiny pitch-black chess piece tattooed on her stomach. That explains the nickname.

Jack’s dick lashed my clit, causing my own body to tense. I came hard, screaming. “Yes! Fuck, yes! Ah!” Then I collapsed next to Vivienne, gasping for breath.

“Oh my God,” I moaned. “That was incredible.”

“Thank you, darling,” Vivienne exclaimed. Placing a quick kiss on my hot lips, she added, “Jack, now it’s time to fuck me while I devour your beautiful friend.”

“Gladly.” Jack grinned.

Jack fucked Vivienne from behind, too. She moaned loudly, urging him to fuck her harder. She buried her face into my sloppy gash. Jack pounded his cock into her, slamming her pussy with his flesh savagery. She suckled and licked me. I closed my eyes, enjoying the erotic sensations. It felt incredible, but that nagging feeling remained.

“Oh, yes! I’m coming again!” I cried; my body tensed.

Jack fucked her with abandon, hammering away at her wet pussy with all his power. Finally, he pulled out and shot his load over every inch of her big ass.

“Oh, fuck,” he groaned.

“Yes, baby. Come on me,” she growled.

“Fuck, yeah,” he groaned again as his last molten drop emptied onto her.

“That was fantastic,” I sighed, laying back and lighting a cigarette.

“Yes, it was,” Vivienne said. “I’m glad we had this opportunity. However, there’s one thing I forgot to mention.”

“What’s that?” Jack asked, still breathing hard.

“You’re being watched.”

“Who?” he asked.

“Mei Lin, the madame,” she answered. “She has a network of spies and informants across China. She knows everything. It’s possible that she was the one who tipped off the authorities.”

“Why would she do that?” I asked.

“She wanted you to get caught,” she explained. “If the authorities arrested you, it would give her leverage over the Chinese government. She’s a sly bastard.”

“But they didn’t arrest us,” Jack pointed out.

“No, they didn’t,” she agreed. “But if Mei Lin finds out you escaped, she’ll probably try to kill you both.”

“Why would she do that?” I asked, but I already knew the answer.

“She doesn’t want anyone else holding state secrets,” Vivienne muttered. She rose from the bed and moved to the window, rummaging in her bag for a cigarette. Then she added, “And that’s why I’m here.”

“So why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Jack said absently.

“Because,” she answered, lighting the smoke. Her words came through her clenched lips. “I’m supposed to kill you. No witnesses, you see.” A handgun appeared from her purse, suddenly pointing at us.

Jack and I exchanged glances for the last time.

Vivienne fired, hitting Jack in the head. Blood and brains spattered across the opposite window. I lunged like a panther, pouncing on the whiskey bottle on the table, twirled once as she fired and missed, and in a single languid motion, hurled the half-full bottle at her head with as much force as my dancer arms could muster (which was considerable). Blood and bone sprayed across her window as a shocked expression froze on Vivienne’s smiling face. I rolled and ended up right beside her. Her body paused. Her ample physique trembled. Then her hand released the gun, and the metal dropped to the floor with a—thud. Her voluptuous body followed—a Devil’s smile motionless on her pretty, dead face.

A shocked moment stretched to a few seconds. Then, a scream came from a room down the hall. The gunshot.

My eyes darted between the two corpses.

“Oh, poor Jack,” I muttered. I surveyed the room, glancing back and forth between the bodies as I quickly gathered my things. I snagged the microfilm and bottle, exited the room, and sprinted to the back stairwell. Inside, I bounded down the stairs two at a time while producing my phone. I escaped the building to the alley and made a call.

“Yeah, Yu. It’s Vic. I need to get out of Dodge sooner than dead.” I hesitated, taking one more look at the bloodied hotel room window while swigging from the bottle. I wiped my mouth and added, “Also, do you know anyone who pays for state secrets? And I might need some clothes. Bring clothes.”