Chapter 1

Jessica sat at the bistro window and sipped her coffee. Outside, the street was almost deserted and the road gutters were running like little rivers as the drizzling rain gusted against the wooden screen guarding the Herbertstrasse.

It was so different from the last time. 'God!', she thought, "that was only two weeks ago.'

Her brow furrowed as she recalled the event from that holiday week-end that had brought her back here. She pushed a strand of her blonde hair from her face as once more she tried to make some kind of sense of why she was doing this.

'I don't behave like this, ' she thought.

Of course it had been Dorothy's idea to go off on a jaunt to the continent to celebrate the end of their twenties. 'We have to mark it', Dorothy had protested, 'it's a milestone. It'll be the BIG 4-O next!'

The choice of Hamburg had been Dorothy's as well - and the walk down the Reiperbann that Sunday afternoon: 'It'd be better at night, though, ' she had pleaded - but even Marjorie was not persuaded that that was a good idea!

'Three women on their own? We'd be likely to finish up in white slavery', she had prophesied.

'Great! Great!' Dorothy had yelped, 'sex six times a day!' And even she, - some-what staid, some-what solemn Jessica - had laughed at that.

The plans for the three day trip had gone surprisingly well: Reginald, her own husband - aged forty- going-on-sixty - had approved, after some thought, sucking on his pipe and shifting his large body deeper into the chair, ' Fine with me, old girl. I can manage. Do you good!'

'Reggie gives 'some thought' to everything', she mused. 'Nothing is spontaneous with him, not even sex once a week!'

The others of course, had had to use much more persuasion, as well as doing all the planning for their children during their absence. Jessica, the non-mother, had no such concerns. And so, on a lovely Thursday, they had set off for the ferry, in high spirits.

Back now in the Reiperbann for the second time in a fortnight, Jessica recalled, with wry amusement, Reggie's parting words on the morning of that first departure: 'Have a nice time, dear'. Then, leaning forward in a confidential way - although the nearest human beings were Marjorie and Dorothy in the car twenty-five yards away - he had whispered, 'you'll be a steadying influence, old girl. Marjorie's too easily led - and that Dorothy, well I ask you... ' But he didn't. He never did!

They had enjoyed themselves immensely, the three of them. Jessica had felt swept along with the others' sense of fun and adventure. Not that they had been very adventurous at the start, as they did all the tourist stuff, and on Saturday afternoon they had had a shopping binge. But they had found lots to laugh at, and all three were imbued with a wonderful sense of freedom: Freedom from home with its daily chores, freedom from children, freedom from husbands. They had revelled in the light-headed sense of it. The sheer relief and release of it. They were free!

And so it had been that during their Saturday night 'midnight' feast, after a few brandies, Dorothy had brought up a visit to the notorious Reiperbann on the following day.

Marjorie, as usual, had agreed at once, and Jessica, against her instincts, had acquiesced - as always.

'I've never had much spark', she thought now, two weeks later, as she drained her coffee cup and prepared to risk her umbrella against the German rain. 'At least not till now. But I did this one myself. This is my adventure. For me.' And she slowly made for the door. It was ten to four...

... The walk down the Reiperbann that earlier Sunday was one thing, but the idea of entering the Herbertstrasse, with its reputation, was something else. They had argued in the street. Even Marjorie was dubious, " What if someone sees us?" Jessica and Dorothy had stared at her for a moment then resumed their argument.

'What for?' Jessica had asked, 'I can't see any pleasure in walking down a street, shop-window-gazing at poor exploited women putting themselves up for sale. Besides, the street will be full dirty sex-starved men with their tongues hanging out!'

'Oh, Jessica!' Dorothy had snapped, 'You're are such a stick-in-the-mud. Where would we be without your steadying influence?'

It was those words - Reggie's words on Dorothy's lips - that sealed it of course. Jessica had an image of herself as others - including her two best friends - must see her : a twenty-nine year-old barren woman, going on fifty in her attitudes. Sensible old Jessica. Trusty old dear that she is.

... 'Not true though', she said to herself, as she sheltered now in the bistro doorway, 'No! I look a lot better than they do, and I dress more fashionably, however girly-like they pretend to be! Thank God for the gym! And Mum's money ! And I've done this! I'm here again - myself!'...

And so at about three-thirty on that sunny Sunday afternoon they had rounded the barrier, Dorothy in the lead of course, with Marjorie holding her hand and reaching behind in turn to clasp Jessica.

'In case I took fright and ran away, I suppose', Jessica now smiled to herself, as for the second time in fifteen days she entered the Herbertstrasse.

The secret pedestrian street, bathed by the autumn sun, had been busy that Sunday, but not crowded, and as the friends had stood just inside the barrier, a couple entered and the eyes of all three women women had widened in surprise.

The man was a dapper middle-aged distinguished-looking man with greying hair, visible as he raised his black Homburg to them and beamed through his gold-rimmed spectacles. His black cashmere overcoat and his general air of fashionable male elegance, spoke of easy-resting wealth. His partner was equally elegantly dressed. She was slightly taller than her partner and wore a full-length exquisitely tailored coat with matching hat. Her black kid gloves and stylish high-heeled shoes rounded off an outfit that must have cost a lot of deutschmarks. She had smiled warmly at them from an aristocratic face as she passed arm-in arm with her husband.

'Gut en Hahn', she had murmured to them as they strolled past and went over to one of the windows. They had stammered some kind of response but it went unheard by the couple.

'See!", Dorothy had said fiercely, to no -one in particular, "I told you it would be O.K. Look there's another couple down there. And there's two women together. Come on! Let's have a look round. It'll be a laugh!'

And she had taken Marjorie's arm and strolled off in the direction of the elegant man and his very elegant wife. And Jessica had trailed along in their wake. As usual.

Chapter 2

The trio had gone less than half-way up the street when they came to a place where two little side-streets opened up, one on each side of the main road. The elegant couple paused at one of these and stood chatting for a moment before turning off into one of the side streets.

'Let's leave them to it and do some exploring on our own', Dorothy had said. And she had set off arm-in-arm with Marjorie.

Jessica had stood for a minute then called out, ' I'm going down the other way. I'll meet you back here.' Marjorie turned and waved, nearly falling over, as Dorothy, holding her hand, marched on.

Left to herself, Jane took stock. The elegant couple was standing a few yards down the side street, just where it turned off into what appeared to be a courtyard. Just as in the main Herbertstrasse, the houses there had large windows with women sitting or lying on couches. Jessica walked slowly into the side street. As she passed quite close to the elegant couple, the gentleman nodded and once more raised his hat,.His partner, it seemed to Jessica, gazed at her somewhat appraisingly then smiled and Jessica had been held for a long moment by a beautiful pair of grey eyes before she stammered a greeting then lowering her gaze and walking on.

She had turned into what was a quaint little courtyard where the houses were of an older style. The women here were more elegantly dressed than their colleagues on the main street; some wore evening dresses, while others were simply smartly dressed as if going for a walk, while others, clad in a blouse and fitting pencil skirt, could have been at work in any large office. All of them smiled at her as she passed, and she, feeling less self-conscious than she had with the others, smiled back and, a bit hesitantly, returned a wave when one was given.

Near the end of the street, one of the windows was set back from the uniform alignment of the others, and she was almost directly in front of it before she saw the figure inside. What she did see stopped her in her tracks.

Sitting upright and on a high-backed wooden chair, with one large leg crossed over the other, big hands on her muscular thighs, was a tall statuesque woman, clad in an ankle length loose-fitting black leather coat and thigh-length leather jack boots. Beneath the open coat her prominent breasts were encased in a purple coloured bra which matched the stockings; her tight knickers were a bright scarlet which displayed rather than hid her tight round buttocks. She wore no skirt, and in one hand she clasped the end of a black riding crop. But it was the woman's head and face that riveted Jane. Her head was wholly shaven, while the fine bone structure of her face with its high cheek-bones, together with a slightly hooked aquiline nose and her dark sloe eyes, gave an Oriental appearance that caused a shiver to run up Jessica's spine. The woman's wide mouth with its full sensuous lips painted a rich dark purple bespoke a simmering sexuality while black mascara and purple eye-shadow, heightened the striking effect of those dark lustrous eyes.

Jessica had stood rooted to the spot, a metre or so from the window. The woman had slowly uncoiled her six-foot body from her chair and had come to the little grille set in the window. She seemed to emanate power and latent energy. She said something in German, then, when Jessica clearly did not understand, spoke in English, in a rich, deep, melodious voice.

'Good afternoon, my little liebchen. Have you come to visit me? I will enjoy that. Very much. And so will you! Eva will please you. I promise.'

The woman did not smile as she spoke There was something in her face however that drew Jessica, and she found herself transfixed by those dark, hypnotic eyes. Eyes which seemed to look into her very soul. Her throat was dry and she was aware of an unusual heat and a dampness between her thighs.

As she stood struggling for words, the woman, had beckoned Jessica nearer and as the latter edged up to the window, moving as in a trance, she spoke again,

'Look at me, my little dove! Look. I think you like Eva.' She undid the catch and opened the window and motioned Jessica closer. Jessica caught and whiff of a heady musky perfume. The woman smiled, and her eyes gleamed as she saw the direction of Jessica's look.

She reached out of the window and touched Jessica's cheek, "Mein little English rose. How I should love to tend you", the deep contralto voice murmured... 'Come! I will let you in by my door.' And she moved swiftly back inside and closed the window.

'No! No! I can't! I'm sorry, ' Jessica had blurted out the words in a panic. Her heart was thumping and a pulse beat in her dry throat, 'I'm with friends they're waiting... No... no... ', her voice trailed away.

From the other side of the glass window Eva's eyes seemed to peer into the deepest recesses of her mind. She reopened the window and gazed into Jessica's eyes.

'Then come again, soon, liebchen. Come on a Sunday at four. I will be here, little one. I will take away your sadness.' She pursed her lips in a kiss and Jessica had found herself drawn so near that their lips almost touched.

'Do not be afraid, mein liebchen'. the deep whisper seemed to resonate in Jessica's head, 'with Eva you will be only yourself!'

Almost immediately she had straightened and Jessica became aware that the woman was now looking into the courtyard beyond where she herself stood. She turned and saw the elegant lady and her husband standing quite close, viewing the little scene. Moving away from the window, head bent, Jessica crossed the courtyard, feeling thoroughly embarrassed to have been observed. As she did so, the elegant lady gave her husband a peck on the cheek and walked towards her.

As they were about to pass, the lady halted and, taking Jessica by the arm, gazed intently into her face. Jessica's breath caught in her throat at the sight of the woman's beauty. The lady spoke, her beautiful eyes searching Jessica's. Her voice was husky. She spoke in perfect English and with an unexpected soft musical tone so different from the harsh guttural German Jessica had expected.

'We meet again, my dear. I watch you speaking with Eva. I see she is taken with you - and why not when you are so... how do you say?... desirable. And you I think find Eva so? Yes?'

Jessica had stammered something, had smiled back, them blushing furiously, had walked quickly on. The lady's husband meanwhile had disappeared from sight round the corner out of the courtyard.

Jessica stopped at the corner, turned and gazed back down the courtyard. She could not see Eva's window because of the end of the wall but she could see the elegant lady, standing at her window, obviously talking to her. As she watched, the lady took a few steps backward from the window and then stood facing it, adjusting her hat and smoothing down her expensive coat. Then Jessica saw a door open in the wall next to the window, and the elegant lady entered and the door was shut.

She felt a sadness fill her. A wishing. A need. She quickened her pace and walked out of the courtyard without a sideways glance at the other windows.

Just as she had regained the Hebertstrasse she saw Dorothy and Marjorie emerging from the opposite courtyard. They were giggling and hugging each other, nearly tripping over their feet, as they laughed with such glee. Just passing them was the elegant husband, and, as Jessica watched, he gave a little bow and raised his hat to the giggling girls before walking on.

She hurried across, and, as soon as they saw her, they came running. 'Jessica! Jessica!' Marjorie exclaimed excitedly, 'you must come back with us. Come on! What a surprise you'll get'.

'Come on, ' urged Dorothy and took her other arm so that between them they frog-marched her into the courtyard they'd just left. As they entered, Jessica saw that the women in the windows here were more garishly dressed than any she had seen hitherto.

Dorothy saw her staring. ' They're men, Jessica! They are! You know! Transvestites!' Seeing the disbelief on Jane's face, she continued, 'They really are!' She giggled. ' We had a good look, didn't we, Marjorie?'

'Yes we did! chortled Marjorie, ' but that's not all we looked at!' And off they had gone, into another giggling fit.

They were now getting near the end of the courtyard and her two friends slowed down as they saw that the elegant husband was standing at one of the windows. Jessica realised with a start that it was the identical arrangement in the alignment of windows as in the other courtyard where the man's wife had talked with Eva a few minutes ago.

The girls had then kept close to the middle of the street and walked on, till they had a full view of the elegant husband and the window he was facing.

Jesica caught her breath. In the window was a very beautiful young man. The youth could not have been more than twenty. He had very blonde hair above a face like an angel and with his slim, tanned, hairless torso, he looked like a young Greek god. Apart from a pair of tight cotton briefs and a pair of openwork leather sandals, he was quite naked. His legs and his thighs were beautifully muscled and exquisitely shaped, while the large prominent bulge at their juncture indicated that he was very much a man.

As they watched, he turned, displaying as he did so a small rounded hard bottom 'God! Imagine what I could do with that', Dorothy had whispered. But there were no giggles this time.

The youth disappeared from the window as they looked, and they saw a little door open next to it. And just as Jessica had seen his wife do minutes before, the elegant man entered. And the door was shut. The three women stared at each other. Then as one they turned and walked in silence to the exit.

The rest of their adventure that long week-end had passed without incident. But all the way back to the hotel and throughout dinner, and during their final midnight feast and drinking session in Dorothy's room, the talk had kept coming back to the Herbertstrasse and the Greek god and the elegant man.

But of his wife, or of her own experience, Jessica had said nothing.

Chapter 3

The rain was now just a light drizzle as Jessica slowly walked down the Herbertstrasse. She had felt no embarrassment this time as she rounded the barrier and surveyed the near-empty street. A number of the windows were empty. ' Perhaps they've got customers - or should it be clients?' Jessica mused. A few men, umbrellas hoisted against the wet, were chatting to the women at other windows but no-one paid Jessica any attention.

She let her mind go over the steps that had led her to the decision to return here:

Despite every effort to rid her mind of the memory of her encounter with Eva she had found herself thinking about it whenever she had a moment to relax. At nights she had lain in the darkness beside Harold as his snoring reverberated through all of his seventeen stones and she had heard again that guttural whisper:

'"Do not be afraid, mien liebchen. With Eva you will only be yourself!"'

'What had she meant?' And then had come those questions, slowly emerging, from some where deep and dark inside her mind, ' What does it mean to be myself? Who am I anyway? Am I mad to be thinking like this? I'm nearly thirty for God's sake!'

But try as she might she could think of little else.

And then Reggie had spoken of his wish to go on a golfing holiday, to Spain, with some of his colleagues in the office. He had been surprised by the alacrity with which she had concurred with his desire to go: 'It's ten days, old girl. Are you sure you can manage?'

'Of course I shall, ' she had replied. Then without even thinking she had continued, 'I may go and visit an old school friend down in Surrey. In fact that's what I will do. Would you mind, darling?' And Reggie his mind wholly taken up with his trip to Spain had given what she had interpreted as a grunt of assent.

Reggie's friends had come to collect him in a hired minibus at 9.00 a.m on Saturday morning and Jessica had flown out to Hamburg at 3.00p.m. that day, having booked by telephone a double room in a small hotel she had noted during her previous jaunt.

She had not slept well that night but after a brisk morning walk, a light lunch and a long long soak in a very hot bath, full of delicious scents, she had felt much better. She had dressed with great care: the black silk underwear with matching suspender belt and stockings were sheer extravagance. She had bought them on a trip to a big town on the Thursday before Reggie had gone, and had dreaded him finding them.

The rest of her attire was not entirely new: her nice black skirt and a beautiful rich red blouse with a matching silk scarf. And the same dark woollen coat with its velvet collar that she had worn that fateful Sunday.

Her high heels sounding quite loud in the near-empty street, her umbrella shielding her from the drizzle, Jessica at last reached the little side-street. Her heart was beginning to thump and uncertainty was trying to master her but she rejected it and entered the courtyard.

Eva's window was empty! And Jessica was filled with a wave of conflicting emotions: disappointment but also relief washed through her while her breath felt hot and dry in her throat.

She looked at her watch. It was 3:55 p.m. 'Was she early? No! Eva had said four o'clock. Perhaps... ' She felt a sadness fill her... 'Perhaps she has someone with her.'... A clammy cold seemed to permeate her being and chilled her. Pulling her coat round her, she turned and walked away. Her eyes filled with tears and she stumbled across the cobbles. Just as she reached the end of the courtyard and hurried round the corner head down against the rain, she bumped right into the elegant couple as they came in the opposite direction.

All three began apologising. And then the elegant lady said something in German to her husband. He responded and, just as Jessica was about to make her excuses and leave them, he lifted his hat and walked quickly back out of the courtyard leaving them. there. His wife stood close to Jessica, sheltering under the latter's umbrella and spoke, in flawless English.

'How very good to see you again, Fraulien. We met two weeks ago down there at Eva's. You remember?' She smiled, and again Jessica felt she was being appraised. ' I am Magda, and you, English rose?'

Jessica's heart gave a great thump and she felt herself colouring. 'English rose was what Eva had called her. This woman had visited Eva just afterwards. They must have talked about her. Discussed her!'

Her face must have betrayed her feelings for the woman took her arm and leaned very close, her lovely face only inches from hers.

'Do not be upset, little one. Of course Eva spoke to me of you. She was captivated by you. Enchanted. She was so disappointed that you could not stay' Jessica looked into the woman's eyes. There was only friendliness and, Jessica thought, understanding. 'She will be so pleased you have returned.'

"But I... that is, you and her. I..." Jessica stammered and stuttered trying to express what she wanted to say but unable to frame the question.

"Liebchen," the woman drew her even closer, "Otto and I come here two or three times each month. I see only Eva. We have become close friends as well as... ' Here she shrugged and smiled... 'We speak of our dreams and we talk of our - how you say it? - our fantasies. We do not talk to others. Nor do we speak of others. You are the first she has spoken of. But you are the first who has... but I have said enough. It is she who will tell you. Come! Eva will be waiting.'

And with her arm linked through Jessica's, Magda began to walk back down the courtyard. Jessica, her mind in total confusion and her heart racing, had no choice but to go with her.

Chapter 4

The window was still empty. Jessica attempted to slow down but her companion gripped her more tightly and they walked on until they found themselves sheltering under the overhang of the roof. Magda smiled at Jessica who looked at her uncomprehendingly.

'Eva will be so happy', Magda murmured and reached with her gloved hand and touched Jane's cheek, 'Komm! Let us get into the warm.'

She turned to the doorway and to Jessica's great surprise, produced a little key from her bag and opened the door... Magda ushered her inside then closed the door. It was warm in the small hallway in which they now stood, the wall paper and the thick carpet spoke money. On the walls hung prints which Jane considered rather erotic Several doors opened off the hall and at the first of these Magda stopped and knocked before addressing whoever was inside.

Jessica heard the words 'Magda' and 'Englander' and 'Rose'. Then the door opened.

The room they entered was quite large, and lovely and warm and richly furnished... A wood burning stove blazed in its centre while a large bed, its brass head against one wall, faced the stove. Two beautifully carved mirrored wardrobes stood opposite each other against the side walls and several expensive looking prints, some depicting women in erotic poses, gave the room an atmosphere of elegant decadence. The whole ambience was one of space and unpretentious good taste. There was a little door in the far wall and Jessica realised that it opened into the window-space facing the Herbertstrasse.