Set in a slightly alternate universe.

Authors note

While this story stands alone, my previous tale 'A Visible Thorn' which hasn't received any reader comments to date is a useful precursor in setting the scene of how and why the laws in this 'Universe' were revised. While it may be a bit dry, but it's meant to be thought provoking. (Please feel free to send your criticisms to me directly.)

The story begins....

By some curious twist of fate two venerable old institutions happened to share the same city block, situated directly opposite one another in the oldest established part of the city. Of course these spacious buildings were erected before motorised transport or electrical lighting, and as was common at that time there was a shared rectangular space in the centre of the block, used both as a delivery yard to the rear of each of the buildings, and as a convenient light-well to all their rear windows.

Let us learn of these two fine establishments...

The Celia Montague Dance Academy had been training young ballet dancers since the mid eighteen hundreds, although nowadays they also taught modern contemporary dance in order to move with the times. Unfortunately longevity and reputation were hardly enough to compete against the modern trend of every fitness club having their own dance studios.

Aspiring classical dancers of course wanted to attend the premier school in order too gain admittance to any of the worldwide institutions that would train them through their later teenage years in preparation to join one of the leading dance companies. The economics of a modern world had been making this a harder proposition with each succeeding year.

Their neighbour across that central courtyard was the well respected Davenport Club, that had been amongst the most select establishments for gentlemen and leaders of commerce since it first opened it's doors about the same time. Modern business executives tended to meet in restaurants or bars, thinking 'Gentlemen's Clubs' somewhat staid and stuffy.

Fine wine or dining was easily had elsewhere, whilst the smoking room and the extensive library had both become victims of progress, meanwhile the billiard room remained silent.

Both these long established institutions had been facing an inevitable decline until two very fortuitous events occurred that would see them regain their former lost glory.

The 'Liberty Amendments' swept away vast swathes of previous laws relating to personal sexual freedoms. Since that enactment annoyances like Age-of-Consent, or age differential between consenting parties had been overruled, as had restrictive dress codes, along with a host of pettifogging rules which had allowed the authorities to interfere in the private lives of any individual as had previously been the case. Sensible rules were in place which ensured the protection of the vulnerable, anything else was open to negotiation.

One such negotiation occurred at the Davenport Club, where a trustee on the board of the Celia Montague Dance Academy was bemoaning it's current finances with various fellows who also happened to be on the Davenport Club's membership committee that complained they were facing similar problems regarding a decreasing enrolment plus rising costs.

While these problems looked similar, they were entirely different, because untold numbers of aspiring young dancers longed to join the Academy, but couldn't afford the rather hefty fees, but for the Davenport Club, potential membership had untold wealth, but considered the facilities to be outdated and uninspiring. Thus a new plan was formulated...

Nobody could say what Celia Montague the original founder of the Dance Academy would have thought of the new arrangements, in her time they might've said much midnight oil had been burnt in devising the finer details of this grand plan to rescue both institutions. Aside from the staff and governing trustees, current dance pupils were the first to learn of the coming changes. Shock had been their first reaction, though learning their horrendous annual enrolment fees might be decreased, obviated, or possibly even reversed to become an income stream during their education immediately garnered wholehearted support.

These pupils were naturally extroverts looking at their chosen field of endeavour, therefore this wasn't as outrageous as it appeared when considered from a pragmatic standpoint, so none of their pupils rejected the proposal. The Academy would obviously need to rewrite their prospectus allowing each prospective new annual intake to decide if they were willing to join the Dance Academy under these new arrangements. It was generally agreed from the response of their existing pupils that future rolls would always be fully booked!

Andy Pennington was a rising star in the brokerage company, many of the useful contacts he forged were through social media, and of course meeting face to face in the happening restaurants or clubs within the upmarket locations around the city. His entrance into the firm had been via Patrick, a sort of uncle figure who was in fact some distant relative from his mother's side of the family. Andy had just turned thirty, and Patrick was probably some twenty years older, though he couldn't understand why Patrick thought he'd be interested in this crusty old gentlemen's club, insisting his sponsorship would ensure Andy gained one of the very few remaining membership placements now left available.

He thought these old places were closing down, literally dying-off with their old members, as they held no interest to guys like himself. Patrick wasn't being forthcoming, first rule of Davenport Club, was nobody spoke of Davenport Club – that sounded like an old movie tag-line. Andy couldn't imagine the silent oak panelled rooms and dusty book-lined shelves held anything to alleviate the boredom of such an ancient institution, yet Patrick seemed insistent that he'd been extremely fortunate to secure Andy a potential membership.

These days Andy wasn't desk-bound, while video-conferencing was commonplace, he still spent plenty of time outside the office environment on meetings with business colleagues, or leads to garner new clients. Nobody gave it a second thought when Patrick came by to take him off for an early lunch, suggesting they wouldn't make it back that afternoon.

During their brief cab journey Patrick excitedly announced Andy's membership had gone through, mentioning he only needed to authorise a payment mandate when they arrived.

Great he was stuck with a recurring fee for a membership he hadn't wanted in the first place, nevertheless he smiled and politely thanked Patrick for sponsoring his membership into such a revered city institution. Patrick roared with laughter, stating it wasn't the dull old place it had been a short while ago, giving a subtle nod towards their driver indicating he couldn't elaborate any further for the time being.

Pulling-up outside it looked the part, a liveried doorman stepping forward to open the cab door, then holding open the massive entrance door with polished brass fittings set in a dressed stone portico. Coming in from the busy street it was a quiet haven of tranquillity as if stepping back in time, only the modern technology of the reception area giving a lie to that initial illusion. In a side office Andy signed the necessary paperwork, Patrick saying he'd give Andy the tour himself, then suggesting Andy ask for a wristband loaded with a minimum of forty credits, both he and the membership secretary laughing at some private joke between them.

Realising he wasn't going to learn anything further until Patrick was good and ready he played along, knowing he'd discover the truth soon enough. These new wristbands were a fairly recent variation of an existing technology, transferring cash between a purchaser and a vendor in predetermined amounts, whatever “one credit” was set for, just tap them both together for one second, back off and tap them again to transfer a second or third credit.

The tour of the building didn't take long, finishing up in a coffee lounge, frankly Andy was not impressed, though it had been far busier than he expected, and the members covered a much wider age range than he'd anticipated. Andy couldn't understand why everybody he'd seen appeared so jolly when the place was dullness itself personified, feelings he was unable to conceal from Patrick who seemed to be enjoying some ongoing private joke.

Refreshing their coffees Patrick mentioned the nearby Dance Academy, together with news of the 'philanthropic' relationship that existed between the two long-standing organisations which enabled both to weather modern economic realities. Soon they'd wander across to the neighbouring building, let themselves in, then via a double tap from their wristbands on an internal door sensor, they could progress to enjoy delightful shows on offer inside.

Obviously having dance pupils as young as eight they couldn't apply for a red-light permit, but providing none of their patrons actually had sex with any of the girls, almost anything else was permissible within the realms of consensual activities. Some elderly members of the Club merely paid the entrance fee to observe the various dance classes if they had any blood pressure or heart issues, whereas chaps like themselves might visit to enjoy a whole smorgasbord of special diversions.

“Such as Patrick?”

“The changing rooms, the showers, though I don't want to spoil all the surprises, if you're ready let's wander across.”

A corridor to the rear once used only for deliveries looked to have been decorated recently in line with the traffic from members, as they bumped into some grinning fellows who had doubtless been visiting the establishment under discussion, coming back in good spirits.

After passing through the turnstile Patrick explained some payments went to the Academy directly to defray running costs for their pupils, whereas other services provided by young dancers would garner fees shared between the Dance Academy and the girls themselves who each wore vendor type wristbands.

Patrick likened the Dance Academy to a themed amusement park for the Davenport Club members sole enjoyment. Obviously these days they could ogle eye-candy of any age on the street or in public parks, but here they could do so with discretion, also they had some options that went beyond looking, as Andy was now keen to discover for himself.

Andy could see signs of some recent refurbishment works, realising the interactive screens by the doors to each room were recent additions to inform their patrons of the timetables. Which type of class, and the age-group of the participants for both current and upcoming sessions, he'd even picked up a little map of the building by the turnstile, but he imagined his mentor Patrick was familiar with the layout from the number of times girls had greeted him by name. Tapping themselves in they watched a charming bunch of ten year olds in their leotards doing their stretching and limbering for a class that was just beginning.

Patrick said they could use the seats provided or wander around provided they didn't get in the way of whatever was happening in the various dance studios. For their part pupils and teachers alike ignored their audience, although applause or a few words of praise at the end of a session was permissible.

Sally Johnson saw the two men enter, she knew the older man was Patrick a regular visitor

though the other one looked like a newcomer from his startled expression. Sally had now carefully embroidered her name on all her workout costumes so these visitors would know her name, and possibly remember it, in or out of costume. Regardless of what she wore, the wristbands were fortunately waterproof, because many girls earned the majority of their patron gratuities while they were otherwise naked in the changing rooms or showers.

Andy had heard the expression 'Every man is either gay or a paedophile' although recently that term was falling from favour in being so tainted. The acronym MAP having joined the rainbow alliance of sexual proclivities – Minor Appreciating Person. The libertarian faction that had forced the Liberty Amendments to revise many laws in that area had proved that any perceived 'deviance' was in fact a hard wired and a very common psychological aspect of the human condition, which had previously been trampled underfoot by the PC lobby. Nowadays only a somewhat minor faction of hard-liner Fems pursued having those laws reversed, which effectively proved they'd always been the minority faction shouting louder.

That fleeting thought was quickly replaced as the girls went through their routine of bends and twists, he could almost imagine they were deliberately being provocative, those tight fitting leotards seemed so thin, hugging the line of camel-toes clearly displayed with such grace and elegance of movement. Although Andy could have happily watched the entire lesson from beginning to end Patrick insisted there was plenty more worth seeing.

They did look through the small glass observation panels on several dance studios, a sort of precursor as to if you wished to tap yourself in to observe the performance in close-up, or to move onwards and enjoy the delights on show elsewhere. In one studio they stayed to watch the youngest class of eight year olds who performed their more basic routines wearing just their ordinary everyday panties. The reasoning behind this being they were only novices, therefore buying leotards or costumes could be an unnecessary expense if somehow they didn't want to continue with their dance training.

Everyone could see this was merely a feeble excuse for the youngsters to wear the least possible clothing, thus to appear more tempting than if they were actually performing with nothing on. However sweet and innocent they looked superficially, those naughty knowing glances towards their visiting audience told another story.

Following that entertainment Patrick with a gleam in his eye suggested a visit the school's charming eatery available to visiting guests for a plate of nibbles. Realising nothing was as might be expected in comparison to a time before Libertarian reforms he happily followed his mentor's lead, wondering what surprises awaited him.

The tastefully furnished dining area was divided into semi-enclosed booths, being staffed by a rotation pupils timetabled to cover shifts throughout the day. First they 'tapped' their entry into the dining room then they each chose themselves a 'plate' from the selection of girls currently available. Their chosen nibbles would be served once their desired plate was laying upon the table. Being gentlemen Patrick and Andy helped their chosen platters onto the table after having tapped wristbands with their interesting lithe bodied tableware.

Both the girls delivering their food, and those lying on the table acting as plates wore only the tiniest of G-strings which proved they were naturally hairless like the youngest girls, or they'd received some professional help in maintaining a smooth hair-free appearance from the neck downwards. Seeing as they'd both chosen girls of around eleven or twelve they must've received assistance to facilitate removing their nascent pubes, now laying supine directly in front of him Kimberly, Andy's plate was a delightfully charming girl who wanted to become involved in live theatre or musicals, whereas Patrick's platter Heather was more into classic dance.

Andy found this very amusing, never having spoken with tableware in the past, learning from Patrick that the softer, squidgy, semi-liquid nibbles were the most popular because it involved a good deal of licking to remove any remaining food residue from your plate, and often caused the plates themselves to giggle and squirm in a pleasing manner. When their food arrived the servers arranged the tiny individual nibbles from upper chest all the way down to the upper thighs, Andy hardly knowing where to start first, grazing from one end to the other, noting how Patrick seemed such a messy eater spreading the sauce about as he then sought to lick it all away – a ideal role model to copy!

Though totally enchanted by young Kimberly, his eyes flickered across to catch the action at the other side of the table, interested to discover the etiquette involved with this novel form of dining experience, as he chased one tiny nibble around both of the shallow cones that adorned his tableware, watching her nipples respond to his avid attention. It seemed playing with your food had garnered a whole new meaning as he headed for another nice nibble near her inny belly button. First he availed himself of a unique service where these 'plates' themselves helped by licking away any excess sauce on face or lips. Kissing a girl of such tender years took him back to his own youth, although back then stolen kisses had been wasted on the callow clueless boy he'd been at that time.

Continuing with his meal as he nudged one item towards her G-sting he could feel that her mound was exceptionally smooth, leading him to think it had been recently waxed, maybe she'd even had those youthful pubes removed electronically, creating a permanent zone free from any unwanted pubic foliage. Momentarily ignoring any nibbles he concentrated on licking the delicate skin either side of the narrow strip of fabric that hardly contained her girlish pre-teen labia, drawing in her subtly growing feminine essence, thinking how it would make the ideal dessert course.

Eventually all the nibbles had been eaten, and Andy had scrupulously cleaned his plate as she wiggled to the attentions of his agile tongue. He really couldn't recall ever having such a memorable meal, though he'd be hard pressed telling anyone what he'd actually eaten!

Helping Kimberly down from the table, he thanked her for being his plate, saying he'd be sure to look out for her on coming visits, then tapped her wristband twice as a tip to show how much he'd appreciated the meal. As they ambled towards their next destination Andy told his friend that the dining room experience itself had justified the Davenport Club fees alone, and he could hardly wait to see what else was on the menu.

Kimberly and Heather found their stints in the dinning room particularly rewarding, getting far more taps than the girls on waitress duty, unfortunately any girls being too ticklish just couldn't manage this very lucrative position she shared with some of her friends.

A triple tap from their wristband gained them entry into the main locker-room area where girls from eight through to fifteen could be seen as they undressed to use the showers or change clothing, either into their street-wear, or into their skimpy Lycra dance apparel for their next class. Patrick opined that in most cases for a tap of the wrist these girls would allow you to assist them dressing, undressing, or helping them dry from the shower unless of course they were running late on their schedule.

He was living a boyhood fantasy come to life, or maybe one of those science fiction novels where invisibility allowed the voyeur to wander at will through the women's locker-room, though actually these females were all desirable pre-teens or adolescents in their prime.

While they'd seen numerous Club members about 'enjoying' the facilities Andy had hardly given them a second glance as his attention had naturally been focused elsewhere though he had recognised a few faces from the city, people he knew in passing or by reputation. One such fellow who many always assumed to be gay was actively and enthusiastically in the process of helping one of the youngest pupils in getting dry from the shower, and from his own state of damp nakedness had probably shared a shower with the little nymphet.

Patrick confirmed these speculations, two taps would get you an invite to share a shower, and another might make it a 'happy' shower providing you were discreet and circumspect so as not to spoil the fun for everybody. While having sex with a consenting youngster was no longer fraught with the dangers of statutory rape charges providing it caused no harm, that didn't override current city ordinances regarding red-light permits. Basically you could not fuck any of these girls on the premises, but the odd unseen hand-job or blowjob might only be bending the rules providing it wasn't blatant and in plain view of passing staff.

It was also interesting to learn that many Academy staff were renown for their blind spots.

As pleasurable as it was observing the cream of healthy nubile females in various states of undress from such a close and privileged viewpoint, Patrick insisted they visit an adjoining room where physiotherapists aided those girls requiring a soothing therapeutic massage.

A further double tap at that particular door terminal gained them entry where they were able to watch the experts at work on a couple of young dancers, while several additional naked girls awaited their own turn upon one of the massage tables.

The two physiotherapists themselves were fit young women in their early to mid twenties who would easily attract male attention in almost any other setting. Nevertheless it was fascinating to watch their oiled hands sliding up and down such lissom slender thighs to help relieve the aches or strains bought about by constant dance practice.

A tap to the physio, and a double tap to the supine girl on the table allowed Andy to take over, with ongoing instructions from the professional. It seemed neither instructor nor the girl receiving his ministrations were at all concerned about how often his fingers caressed her buttocks, inner thighs, or her glistening girlhood, eliciting some appreciative wiggles and moans from his willing patient. Julie a fourteen year old also turned over allowing him the pleasure of tending to the muscle groups on her lower legs and the front of her thighs. He followed this by moving up her lithe body to include her flat tummy and her generous A-cup breasts so that they wouldn't feel unappreciated.

Having enjoyed himself so much, he magnanimously 'volunteered' to tend to another girl in need of some hands-on healing, again tapping relevant gratuities, the physiotherapist whose name he missed helped with Karen a remarkably cute girl of ten with tiny emerging breast buds which were in dire need of attention from their growing pains. The poor girl was positively aching in so many delicate places that required his soothing touch.

Andy was beginning to think he might be spending more time in the future taking further lessons to help relieve the plight of young dancers, almost as a civic duty – as if, he could hardly bullshit himself.

Emerging again into the locker-room Andy was feeling somewhat hot and bothered no less so than Patrick who'd also partaken of the healing arts, also having come to the assistance of two girls himself. Looking around to view the current collection of eye-candy around the room he noticed his earlier assessment over nibbles was unequivocally born-out being that none of the girls had the slightest hint of pubic hair. His smiling companion mentioned one of the nearby rooms dealt with that issue among many other treatments available, and like the physiotherapy you could either watch or assist for a most reasonable consideration.

Andy noticed something else seemingly out of place that had escaped his attention earlier, the presence of an ATM machine. This was hardly the standard high-street model, instead it could be used to refresh the credit available to dispense from one's wristband, Patrick saying how it would be incredibly inconvenient to be without funds at the wrong moment.

Almost as if to punctuate his statement another new batch of girls entered the room, one spotting Patrick skipped over to kiss him quite passionately, then apologise and demurely state she was all stinky and badly in need of a shower. The lowered fluttering eyelashes and her possessive grasp of his arm left little doubt about what might happen next.

He bent to whisper in her ear, her eyes going wide, then calling over to one of her friends, as Patrick and two girls who couldn't be more than thirteen began stripping off in order to share one of the many shower cubicles.

Patrick indicated he intended to have a 'happy' afternoon before returning to the club later and grinning broadly suggested Andy make a selection and do likewise. From the comings and goings Patrick wasn't the only Club member availing himself of the opportunities that were so conveniently on display, furthermore he hadn't seen any of the men receiving any negative reply from the girls however young they appeared.

For a while he simply enjoyed the voyeuristic delight of seeing so many young darlings in various states of dress, and noting their interactions with their male benefactors in order to gain the courage to make an approach himself. The newly arrived bunch looked just the sort he liked to watch while out and about, only here he could discuss becoming physically intimate without any comeback. Although Libertarian Amendments had changed behaviour during the last few years, he'd always felt awkward about propositioning girls in public.

He went over to speak to this new bunch of classmates, discovering they were all either nine or ten years old. All six girls were happy to tap wrists for him to undress them one at a time, being as they wanted to shower anyway before going home. They giggled in turn sitting on his lap as he slowly unwrapped them, his hands sliding beneath the thin stretchy fabric of their dance leotards, feeling flat chests or nascent breast buds before groping his way downwards peeling off a tight second skin as he played with pert bottoms and rather damp humid girl-clefts.

Being so close he took in the odours of his little munchkins, nuzzling them and enjoying the sensory overload of being surrounded by such wonderful creatures who were willing to allow him these liberties. When his last little nymphet was finally naked he was left with the agonising choice of who would be his shower companion...

They giggled at his indecision, saying he could always come back to find out which one of them gave the best back-rubs in the shower. From their naughty expressions and twinkling eyes, he guessed this was just a euphemism for another rubbing activity, probably on this occasion one that wouldn't take very long.

Bella was the girl he chose, though the others all hung about to watch as it was now her turn to do the undressing, standing on the bench seating to unbutton his shirt with calls of encouragement from her classmates. It was reassuring to find these girls so comfortable with regard to intimate activities with a grown man, obviously each having a modicum of experience evident from their joyful demeanour and teasing attitude.

Now naked himself, his clothing in Bella's locker he picked her up, her slim legs around his waist as he carried her on one hip towards the shower cubicles which most conveniently had frosted glass doors. Passing cubicles in use only a vague semblance of colour against the white tiling, plus the sounds of splashing water indicated a shower was occupied.

If watching the dance classes had been delightful, licking a meal from Kimberly's perfect young body had without doubt been delicious, and massaging two naked girls had been delectable, though having a squirming nine year old as a shower companion beat them all. Andy couldn't find the words to describe how it felt to have the girl slithering against him as they soaped one another, hands roaming freely, hers and his in a quest to ensure not one square inch remained unexplored.

Bella wasn't shy about playing with his cock or balls, even rubbing his stiff rod against her innocent looking face, then rinsing away the soap looked up as she licked her lips inviting a more fitting conclusion to their showering experience. It hardly mattered that Bella could only manage a few inches, those few inches were being laved by her active little tongue as she seemed to smile around his girth, a definite gleam in her eye as she sucked on the fleshy lollipop, the equal of any grown woman, while being more enthusiastic than most.

He gasped a warning, though she showed no intention of releasing her warm popsicle, if anything redoubling her efforts, rewarded by several volleys of male ejaculate which she almost managed to swallow down, a small trickle escaping her lips.

Andy couldn't recall ever having such a powerful release, sinking to a sitting position, now looking up towards the devilishly grinning girl who stood there licking her lips, almost as if celebrating a job well done, Andy couldn't disagree. Pulling her closer away from the spray he placed a kiss on her slim tummy, next sinking lower he kissed her slender thighs, then before long one slim thigh rested on his shoulder as he feasted on her tiny hairless clam.

Now his tongue was being the active one, seeing if he could chase the source of the thin stream of ambrosia as tiny fingers grasped him tightly. Breathing anything other than the delicate odour from the tiny girl-cleft wasn't possible, though he moved back occasionally to open his eyes to impress upon his visual memory the tasty little morsel that was Bella's cute little pussy. Afterwards Andy praised her effusively as they returned to the lockers, both a little unsteady from their exertions, giving reason to why the Club members he had seen all looked so remarkably happy.

It didn't matter that he hadn't bought a towel, because large fluffy towels were provided for everyone. He spent an inordinately long time drying between Bella's toes, as sitting on the bench this splayed her legs giving him another splendid view of her tight little pussy as the lips barely moved apart to reveal the wet scarlet flesh inside. Looking up to her pretty face he was busted, she knew exactly what he was doing, laughing, enjoying their game.

Sadly once they were both dry it was time to get dressed again, his little nymphet handing out his clothes, but at least he'd had the pleasure of helping her now get dressed holding out the small pair of panties, her hands resting on his shoulders for balance as he slipped the soft cotton up her fine slender legs then checking they were nestled snugly in place.

All the time they talked as she spoke of the changes that had happened at the Academy, explaining her older sister was also a pupil, becoming a pupil before the recent changes.

Without current sponsorship arrangements Bella wouldn't have been able to follow her sister as the costs would've been prohibitive for their parents. Now everything was much easier so they'd both be in a better situation to seek places at advanced Dance institutions of their choice by graduating from the prestigious Celia Montague Dance Academy.

Andy saw inside her locker beside some cards bearing an e-mail address was the shrunken inverted leotard, the gusset liner well stained with the sweet essence of this woman-child imagining it would make a fine reminder of his first memorable visit, for undoubtedly this would be the first of many repeat visits. Almost as if reading his mind Bella talked about the school outfitters shop on the lower floor where she bought her dance-wear. Although he had given generously already he learned about the scheme whereby girls would donate their old worn garments to anyone kind enough to provide suitable new replacements!

What the hell it was only money, besides he could help her in the fitting room to ensure her new leotard fitted nicely in all the important places. Visiting the shop he discovered he wasn't the only sponsor who couldn't resist the temptation of helping one of the waifs in choosing a new item of apparel, the sound of laughter coming from the changing cubicles as assistance was rendered in checking the fit of said garments.

Tired and satisfied from a truly splendid introduction to the Davenport Club's newest range of additional recreational facilities Andy returned to the members 'quiet lounge' in search of Patrick, finding him snoozing in a deeply comfortable armchair. Catching the attention of a nearby steward Andy ordered himself a fine large single malt, while asking the elderly retainer to also deliver Patrick's preferred tipple.

Fortunately Patrick awoke just before their drinks arrived looking smug and asking if Andy had enjoyed their visit across the way. Andy thanked Patrick for his intervention to ensure he gained one of the few remaining membership places, now laughing about his original thoughts regarding any 'stuffy' old gentlemen's club.

While the Liberty Amendments had altered many aspects of how people behaved both in private and in public, this mutually beneficial arrangement wouldn't have been possible at any time previously because it would've broken countless laws, which would see everyone in jail at the first careless remark. And while that wasn't any longer the case, they saw no valid reason to boastfully advertise their scheme to all and sundry when discretion seemed to be the more acceptable option.

Patrick went on to give further tantalising details of the Dance Academy facilities which were open to Davenport members, then enquired if Andy had ever heard the Japanese term 'Enjo kosai' which hadn't really spread to the West due to formerly restrictive laws.

Andy said the term was unfamiliar to him.

“It's apparently a common phenomenon in Japan, and popular from what I understand, it translates as 'compensated dating' whereby schoolgirls advertise over the internet or even via local magazines to date salary-men for a fiscal consideration. The girls state plainly at the outset whatever limits they place on physical activities, therefore the fellow knows well in advance just what will be expected as the outcome of the 'date' he has arranged.”

“The reason I mention this is that the Dance Academy of course couldn't permit their girls to have sex with any of their generous Davenport Club sponsors. On the other hand what those charming girls get up to during their own free time in the evening or weekends does not concern the Academy. So maybe if they want to meet somebody they already know and like, it remains a private arrangement between themselves.”

“How does one discover which girls might be amenable to this 'Enjo kosai' arrangement?”

“Well every girl has her own personal locker, so those willing to meet outside of the school for more adventuresome games usually keep a stack of cards with an e-mail address they reserve solely for their dating assignations, therefore watch out for the cards in any open lockers, and ask to exchange business cards if one takes your fancy for a more leisurely encounter at a mutually convenient time and place of your choosing.”

Andy felt a rush of heat, almost tempted to hurry back across the way to deposit his own business card in locker 237. That was silly, it would probably wipe-out his few remaining credits just to seal a possible meeting, probably best to wait until later in the week when he expected to return for a second much longer visit anyway. That reminded him that he aught to ensure he topped off his wristband as it wouldn't do to run short of credits if he wasn't within reach of an ATM terminal.

After a couple more drinks Andy couldn't see any good reason he shouldn't treat Patrick to a fine meal at the Club's well respected dining room, though of course the fine bone china flatware would be boring in comparison to the tableware provided at the Dance Academy!

Sorry did I fail to mention the name of the city.

I shouldn't worry, word is they're thinking of opening a franchise near you soon...