She decided on a dark red Vera Wang. It was made of exquisite layers of silk and was a backless number that had a thin strap around the neck. The bodice separated into two narrow bands that cupped the breasts. The neckline plunged to the navel. The hemline would brush the instep of her feet, which would perch on strappy Liz Claiborne high-heeled sandals. The dress was slit on the left side from hem. to hip. Unless Tao exhibited tight control when walking or sitting, she would be flashing anyone who
looked at her. And Tao would wear nothing under the dress.

Ji, already dressed in his Armani suit, waited patiently downstairs. Finally, Tao descended the staircase in her stunning outfit. Ji had to admire her. She was a youthful 46 year old who looked like a 25 year old model clothed in elegance. Her narrow-waisted body filled the dress to perfection. Her hair was casually set in a windblown style that suited her. She was wearing ruby earrings and a simple gold chain that nestled in her cleavage. The glimpses of her shapely legs and pretty feet were enough to stir his masculinity.

The air-conditioning in the Bentley were enough to stiffen Tao's nipples as they sped along the streets of the city towards the exclusive neighborhood where Gong Shi and her husband lived.

They pulled up to the driveway of a large traditional two-story house. Tao had never seen it before. She noted idly that it was at least equal in stature to her own house. Financially, most of the women in the club were equals. Once you got past a net worth of ten million, there wasn't much point in counting.

Ji parked by the side entrance and got out of the car. Tao waited while he came around to open her door. She stepped out, and despite the heat pulled her mink coat around her shoulders. They stepped up the door and Ji pushed the doorbell.

It was Wong who opened the door. He was dressed in a dark-blue Saville Row suit with a traditional striped tie. He said, in a booming voice, "Come on in! Hello, Ji, it's good to see you again!"

Ji shook hands with the other man. He stepped to one side, and Tao came forward.

Wong smiled broadly. "Well, my dear, I can see why Ji just keeps talking about you. How wonderful to finally meet you."

Tao smiled broadly and leaned forward to allow her cheek to be kissed. Like Ji, Wong was a dark-haired man in his early fifties. He had a pleasantly handsome face and a charming manner.

She said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I imagine Gong Shi has told you that we know each other slightly."

Wong said, "Yes, she said you belong to some of the same clubs. Well, I'm sure this is an opportunity to get better acquainted. Gong Shi should just be a few minutes. Why don't you come to the living room and we'll have ourselves a short one?"

Tao and Ji followed their host down the hall. The living room was furnished in rich leather and dark polished woods. Wong busied himself about the bar as Tao and Ji took seats on the sofa.

Tao heard the quiet tocking sound of high heels on a hardwood floor. She looked at the other entrance to the living room as Gong Shi walked in. Tao had never seen Gong Shi really dressed up, and she had to admit, the 47 year old bitch looked good.

The petite dark-haired woman was wearing a long Calvin Klein dress made of beaded blue fabric. The top was suspended by spaghetti straps and gathered itself over Gong Shi's round breasts. The bumps of the nipples could be clearly seen. The dress had an empire waist that emphasized the bust line. It descended in folds toward the floor. It had several slits, and one of Gong Shi's bare legs was visible up to mid-thigh. Like Tao, she wore high-heeled sandals that stressed the fine lines of her calves. Her toes were painted in a lustrous dark red. Diamonds glittered at her ears and throat.

Ji stood up when she came into the room. Wong turned around, and said, "Hello, dear. My, you do look superb."

Gong Shi walked over to the couch, extending her hand. She turned her head to her husband, and said, "Oh, thank you, dear. If that's a martini you're mixing, I'd love one." She turned to Ji and looked up. "It's so wonderful to meet you. I've really been looking forward to this evening." She moved her cheek forward to be kissed as she held Ji's hand.

Tao stood up, a perfect smile on herself. "Hello there, Gong Shi. You look fantastic."

Gong Shi turned to Tao, her smile matching the other woman's. "How kind of you, dear. You look gorgeous in that dress." Both women leaned their cheeks forward and touched them briefly, making slight kissing noises.

They were rescued from more small talk when Wong came over with the tray of martinis. Each person took one, and they raised their glasses.

Ji said heartily, "To new friends!" They sipped the chilled and potent drinks.

They chattered a bit. Tao and Gong Shi didn't pay much attention to the conversation, nodding briefly and making non-committal noises. They stole glances at each other's bodies whenever they could and compared themselves point-to-point. The evening had begun.

After a few minutes, they laid the empty glasses on the sterling silver tray. Ji said, "Let's be off, shall we? I'd like to get to Raffle's for a cocktail before dinner proper."

There were nods and sounds of assent. They gathered their handbags and wraps, and proceeded off to the Bentley and its air-conditioned coolness, in odd counterpoint to the heat, unnoticed by the men, between the two expensively clad and bejeweled women.

The valet took charge of the Bentley as the foursome entered the sedate and rarefied atmosphere of Raffle's. They gave their wraps to the coat-check. woman. The muted sounds of the jazz quartet could be heard as the headwaiter led them to their table.

They were seated at a square table set off in an alcove. Pure white linen covered the table. Tao and Gong Shi sat at adjacent sides, and the men sat so they faced the other's spouse. A few minutes were taken with drink orders.

Gong Shi regarded the surroundings. Diners in other alcoves were visible in the subdued light. The darkness under the tables was almost complete. As she lay her handbag down by the edge of her chair, she surreptitiously undid the straps on her sandals. She let the shoes slide off her bare feet.

As if telepathically connected, Tao did the same thing. Gong Shi nodded to something Wong said, and smiled. She placed her naked foot on the firm carpeting. She edged it to the left.

Gong Shi felt the edge of Tao's foot on her own. She turned to Tao and smiled. Gong Shi raised her right foot slowly, and placed her toes on the instep of Tao's foot. She pressed down...softly at first, then with greater pressure.

Tao continued to make small talk as her foot met Gong Shi's in a silent contest. She was about to bring her right foot into play when the drinks arrived. The women brought their feet back to neutral position, under their chairs. After the drinks were delivered, their waiter arrived and gave them the menus and advised them of the specials.

After the waiter left, they perused the menu. Tao quietly moved her foot over to Gong Shi's. She curled her toes downward, lifted her foot, and brought it down swiftly on Gong Shi's instep.

Gong Shi almost gasped as she felt the painted nails of Tao's foot hit her flesh. With remarkable control, she kept her face neutral. She brought her left foot around and used it to push Tao's foot and its stabbing nails off her tender instep.

The two women raised their toes up. Their feet rested on the carpet on the bare heels. Then suddenly, silently, their feet joined under the table, the toes meshing with each other and pressing. Each woman tried for advantage, bending and twisting the digits
so that a toe could be squeezed and bent. During this silent war, they looked steadfastly at the menu.

Tao raked her toenails against the top of Gong Shi's feet. Gong Shi used her own deep red nails and stabbed at the sole of Tao's feet. If anyone could have seen under the table, the feet would have looked like wrestling hands, twisting back and forth within a
narrow range. It was a quiet battle, the only sounds being the hushed whisper of skin against skin.

The foot fight was interrupted when the waiter came back to take their orders. Both Tao and Gong Shi ordered the Trout Almandine from the still British menu. Clark asked for a veal chop, while Franklin decided on the Coq au Vin.

After the menus were taken away, Tao and Gong Shi let their feet recover from the beneath-the-table war. The blonde woman was surprised when she heard Wong say, "Say, Ji, do you mind if I dance with your beautiful wife?"

Franklin smiled, and said, "Only if I can dance with your lovely woman."

Both women looked flustered for a second, then smiled. They quickly reached down and got their naked feet back into their high-heeled sandals. A quick tug to fasten the straps, and they stood up.

Wong extended his hand to the petite Tao in her dark red dress. Tao took his hand and the made their way around the corner to the end of the room where the jazz quartet was playing a slow, smoky swing number.

Ji took Gong Shi's hand, and led the older but still attractive in her blue dress to the dance floor. There were only a few other couples swaying to the music.

The two women danced in the arms of the enemy's husbands. They stole glances at each other as the swirl of the movement brought them into visual range.

Tao saw that Gong Shi had closed the distance between herself and Tao's husband. You could not fit a piece of paper between the two. In response, Tao pulled herself closer to Wong. She could feel his chest press against her breasts. And she smiled to herself because despite Clark's efforts to hold his pelvis away, she could feel the stirring of his erection.

Gong Shi saw her husband and her rival press close together. She countered by sliding her arm down and around from Ji's side to the edge of his buttocks. An increased pressure of Ji's arm rewarded her.

The couples continued to dance to the slow music. As they passed each other, whenever they thought they could get away with it, Gong Shi and Tao stared daggers at each other. They glared their hostility, and knew that this evening could only end in one way.

Somehow, they would do real battle. The sexual rage would only intensify to the point that their bodies must meet in urgent sensuous fury.

The music ended and the couples on the dance floor applauded lightly. The men thanked the women for the dances, and the women nodded sweetly. The foursome returned to their table.

They were deep into their entrees and on a second bottle of Merlot as Tao tried to think of a way to get away with Gong Shi for an hour or so. They made polite chit-chat about work, books and movies.

As the dishes were cleared away from the table, Tao stood up and said, "Well, I have to make a little trip to the loo, as they say in England. Care to join me, Gong Shi?"

The 46 year old stood up, and said, "Sure. Powder the old nose and such."

The men stood up briefly as they left the table. Ji turned to Wong and said, "I'm really glad that the women are getting on so well. I think that they could be great friends."

Wong sipped his wine and nodded. "Absolutely. We're lucky men. With some women, you'd think that the only thing they would want to do is slip away and get into some kind of fight."

The "great friends" made their way to the ladies room. The room was large, quiet, and empty.

They got inside, and Tao turned suddenly to Gong Shi. She grabbed Gong Shi's shoulders and brought her face within an inch of Gong Shi's. She hissed, "You know as well as I do that this can end only one way, don't you?"

Gong Shi brought her arms up and broke Tao's grip off her shoulders. She replied, growling, "Damn it you slut, I know it. The way you nearly climbed on top of my husband on the dance floor was disgusting!"

Tao curled her lips in a snarl. "What about you, bitch? Were you going to hump Ji out there until he came in his pants? Was that your idea?"

Gong Shi sneered, "Oh, he wanted me, you bitch. I could tell."

Tao raised her voice, "You should have felt the hard-on your man was sporting, slut. It's probably never been that rigid before."

"Cunt!"

"Candy-ass whore!"

Both women drew their arms back and were about to let loose a roundhouse blow when the bathroom door suddenly flew open. They quickly turned to compose themselves. To their shock, they saw Xie Ni enter the room, followed by her friend Wang Linghui.

Xie was dressed in a low-cut emerald green Halston gown. Her pixyish face was merry as she walked over to where Tao and Gong Shi stood.

"Well, hello there, dears! It's so nice to see my girls out and about. Wang, see that we are not disturbed for a few minutes."

The 42 years old, Taiwan born woman opened the bathroom door and left.

Xie gripped each woman by the upper arm and marched Tao and Gong Shi back so that their butts were against the rim of the washbasins. She stepped back and pushed with her arms.

Tao and Gong Shi got the message. They moved up and sat on the edge of the sink cabinet. The slits in the skirts opened up, revealing their legs. Xie placed her strong hands on their bare thighs and squeezed.

Saran and Gong Shi said, "Hello, Xie," in subdued voices. They didn't look at her.

Xie said, "I just came here to tell you something, darlings. The message is this: I don't really mind if a few members have some extra-curricular activities. There is nothing I can do to really stop it."

Xie worked her hands up their thighs. She squeezed and rubbed the fine flesh.

Xie continued, in her merry voice. "But if you ever do anything that brings The Club to unfavorable attention, I have enough dirt on each of you to guarantee that you and your handsome men would be reduced to poverty and professional disgrace. So a word to the wise, sweeties. Be careful."

As she talked, Xie's hands found their unclothed cunts. With consummate skill, she probed and stroked the rapidly moistening pussies. Despite themselves, Tao and Gong Shi started to breathe heavily under Xie's onslaught. They each started to lean on Xie and their eyes closed with fervent arousal.

Xie suddenly pulled her arms back. Tao and Gong Shi gasped, their eyes swimming.

Xie quickly kissed each of them in turn, her mouth warm and wet. She stood back.

"I'm sure we'll remember this, ladies. You have a good night, now." Xie turned and left the bathroom.

Tao and Gong Shi stood for a second, as their senses came back to normal. They didn't speak to each other. They went to separate stalls and urinated. They patted themselves dry (and it was more than pee that they wiped away) and came out and washed their hands.

Just before they left the bathroom, Tao turned to Gong Shi and said, "We're still doing it?"

Gong Shi nodded. Suddenly a steely determination arose. "Yes. Damn that Cavanaugh bitch, anyway. We're still going to do it."

When the women returned to the table, Wong and Ji were discussing the possibility of dessert.

The women looked at each other. Normally, this would be an opportunity to indulge in a beloved sugar-fest, but the encounter in the ladies room with Xie had killed their appetite.

Tao turned to her husband. "Ji, dear, I had a glance outside. It's getting late and there's the typhoon warning. Perhaps we should get home."

Ji nodded. "You're quite right, dear. Everyone agree?"

Both Wong and Gong Shi nodded.

Ji signaled for the check. Five minutes later, they were back in the Bentley. They drove back, the wind making the car buck a little. After a particular bad gust sent them over on the shoulder for a few seconds, Ji pulled over and set his flashers on.

He turned to Gong Shi and Wong in the back seat. He said, "You know, I'm a little worried about this. What do you say about proceeding directly to our house? It's a lot closer and we could put you up for the night."

Both Tao and Gong Shi felt a little inward quiver of excitement.

Wong said to his wife, "Dear, it's probably the best thing to do. Do you mind?"

Gong Shi glanced at Tao and saw the anticipatory gleam in her eyes. "Not at all. I think it would be fun to have a sleep-over." She grinned.

A few minutes later, after one near-skid after a savage gust, they were safely within the garage at the Beckett house. Shortly, they were sitting in the living room, and Ji went to the bar and poured four snifters of brandy. He distributed the drinks. They sipped the pleasant liquor and chatted about the weather.

After noticing a couple of half-hidden yawns, Ji suggested to Tao that they show the Walkers around the house, and particularly, the room they would be staying in.

Tao said, "Of course, dear." She rose from her seat and waited for the Walkers to follow her.

She gave them a brief five-minute tour of the large and expansive household, pointing out the necessary facilities. Finally she led them down the upstairs hall to a large guestroom furnished with two double beds and several antiques.

Gong Shi said, "This will be wonderful, Tao. Say, could you show me the kitchen again?"

Tao said, "Of course. Wong, why don't you just make yourself comfortable?"

Wong stretched out in an overstuffed easy chair. He slipped his shoes off. "That's a wonderful idea. See you in a few minutes, dear."

As soon as they were out of earshot in the kitchen, Tao turned to Gong Shi and said, "There's a large room down the stairs and into the basement. Do you think you can get your husband asleep within the hour?"

Gong Shi said, with a knowing female grin, "I can pretty much guarantee it."

Tao said, "I'll be doing the same. He'll be out like a light." She looked around, then grabbed Gong Shi's upper arms strongly. She leaned in, and said fiercely, "Then it's you and me, bitch!"

Gong Shi broke the grip with a flurry of motion. She hooked her arm around Tao's naked back, and grabbed her right breast and squeezed. Tao gasped. Gong Shi hissed at her, "I'll be down there, Beckett!"

They glared at each other, and separated. Gong Shi went to the guestroom upstairs, and Tao ambled to the master bedroom on the ground floor.