by K O'Hanlon
He quickly logs onto Chessbyte and sends a message to James. “Hi sexy, hope you cooled off in the shower. I might be logged off for a day or two as the devil here will be watching me. He’s off work with a cold, man flu, so I don’t know how long I’ll have to suffer his company. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Love & kisses, Sam xxxx.”
That should do for now and it gives him time to sort himself out for the upcoming meal on Friday. He also needs to make some more entries in his diary. He’s got a bit behind lately and needs to keep it up to date as best he can for his own reference. All the stories he tells can get slightly confusing and he mustn’t get caught out by his own deception. He must stay focused.
Chapter Five
F riday morning starts late, around 11 o’clock for Sam. It’s looking cold and wet but the forecast is for sunshine later in the afternoon and evening. Jeans and a jumper should be just right for the occasion.
He burns two slices of toast whilst contemplating how he can possibly make the meal at Mike’s house profitable. His camera is all charged and ready with a blank SD card in it. If he can get a few good shots of his brother’s place he can pretend it’s his. That should impress the pants off dear old James. Oh yes, he can’t believe he didn’t think of that sooner. A pretty slim blonde with money! Who in their right mind wouldn’t want that? And more to the point, how far would they go to get it?
The time is passing quickly today, he must snap out of his day dreams and get some things sorted. First he must iron his best designer jeans and rake that jumper out from the back of the cupboard.
He finds lots of tops that don’t fit him anymore, maybe they never did. Whatever possessed him to buy most of this stuff. Tee shirts in every colour known to man. One size fits all! Really?
He finally sees the cashmere jumper right at the back under his old trainers. It doesn’t look good. It’ll have to do, he has nothing else and no time to go out and shop. A quick iron over might make it look a bit better and a squirt of deodorant should freshen it up. It’s not like he’s ever worn it.
The sound of barking from next door alerts him to the fact that the postman is near. That dog only ever barks at the mailman. Within a few seconds he sees him walk up the path towards the front door holding a letter and a bunch of leaflets. The sign on the letter box says “No Junk Mail” in bright red letters. It might just as well say “Stick as much crap as you can in here” for all the good it does. He pokes his head out the door and there on the mat in the entrance hall is a pile of advertising flyers and what looks like one white envelope that is actually proper mail. He picks it up and dumps the numerous adverts for pizza, double glazing, cheap broadband, and the local taxi firm in the rubbish bin. The letter is addressed to him so he opens it. Oh great! One of his paintings has sold for £250. The cheque enclosed is for £225 after the shop taking 10% commission. He only put that painting up for sale a few weeks ago in a local art shop. He previously had it on sale in another shop for four months at £50 but nobody seemed interested. The art world can be very strange and unpredictable. It would seem that the higher the price is the more interest it gets from the buyers. He’ll put an even higher price tag on my next one and see if some wealthy fool will part with their cash.
The time is still flying by but he wants to log onto Chessbyte and see if any messages are in his box.
The instant he goes to his profile page he sees three messages flash up in the corner. None are from James so he logs off. If he hurries he can get his cheque paid into the bank before it closes for the weekend. After throwing on some old tracksuit bottoms and his lucky Fcuk tee shirt, he slips into his trainers, grab his bank card and cheque and heads out the door.
Within five minutes Sam is at the bank waiting in the queue behind six people. After another ten minutes he is still waiting behind the same six people. He’s thinking….. ‘Whatever is taking so long? Why can’t these people just cut the chat about the weather and get on with it? Who cares if it’s going to rain next Monday? At this rate we’ll still be stood here on Tuesday.’
Finally, the queue shuffles forward in anticipation after a woman labelled as Sally looks up from behind the glass partition. She decides to help her co-worker deal with the ever growing queue of unhappy customers who look towards the overhead camera whilst tutting and eye rolling at each other. They are all thinking the same thing. ‘Just hurry it up, we’ve waited long enough. We didn’t come here for a polite chit chat. We all have better things to do. We are all rather angry now and we display our anger by looking at our watches and adding a few more tuts and upward eye movements to make our feelings known. We won’t stand being treated like this. We could take our custom elsewhere. We are all boiling up with anger now, ready to complain and give these banking personnel the sharp end of our tongues. It’s just not good enough. Who do they think they are? We’ll give them a tongue lashing they’ll never forget!’
Sam eventually takes his turn at Sally’s counter and hands over his bank card and cheque.
Sally leans forward and speaks into a small microphone. “Sorry to keep you waiting. We’re short staffed today.”
He gives her a half smile and words tumble out of his mouth. “That’s ok, no problem.”
Sally feeds his cheque into the system, swipes his card and hands him a receipt.
With eyes focused on the floor Sam heads towards the exit shuffling past the ever growing queue of miserable moaning customers. The sound of children squabbling in the kids play corner doesn’t distract him even as a large red Duplo brick hits him on the side of the head.
He really should get something to take with him this evening for Toni as she’s cooking his dinner. A small bunch of flowers from the local florists bargain bin should do the trick. Mike said not to bring wine so that’s good enough for him. He knows he isn’t trusted to bring the good stuff.
His local florist has been displaying a large red poster in the window saying ‘Closing Down, everything must go’ for at least six months now. They’ll never really close as long as people shop there for a bargain.
He chose a nice pink and yellow spray of chrysanthemums for £3.99 wrapped in polka-dot cellophane. Sometimes being the poor relation can actually work in your favour as nobody expects you to spend a fortune. With his cheap bunch of flowers in hand he makes his way home.
As he puts his key in the front door he hears Doris making her way down the stairs. He’s not quite quick enough to get into his apartment before she calls out to him.
“Sam! Sam! Did you get a letter from the landlord? I got mine a couple of days ago. He’s putting the rent up again. I think he wants us out so he can sell to a developer. I can’t afford to pay more rent. My television and broadband subscription will have to go. I don’t know what else I can cut back on.”
Well that sure got his attention. “No, I haven’t seen any letters about a rent increase. I think it’s over priced now. Let me know if you hear anymore about it. Gotta hurry now, I’m in a bit of a rush. See ya.”
The smell of talc with a hint of piss follows him into his own apartment. Once inside he starts to panic, but not before he opens a window to allow some breathable air into the room. He can’t afford broadband. If Doris cancels hers he’ll have to find an alternative. He’s not sure he could even afford to pay higher rent. He sublets this place from the real tenant so no doubt he’ll stick the rent up even higher if his housing benefit doesn’t make him a profit. He can do without all this hassle at the moment. He’ll deal with it later, but first he needs to get through this evening. He must stick to his plan. If all goes well he’ll not need this place for much longer.
Sam exits the shower with wet hair dripping water down his back and onto the tiled floor of his tiny bathroom. He neither has the time nor the inclination to clean it up. He pulls a large black bath towel from the hot radiator and wraps it around himself and just stands there waiting to feel the warmth spread over him. He wraps his hair in a small towel and rubs it vigorously. It’s coming
up to 4 o’clock so he must get a move on if he wants to be at his brother’s on time. The rumble from his hungry stomach makes him hurry. It’s not long before he’s dressed and ready to leave. He grabs hold of his camera, the bunch of bargain flowers, and heads out the door towards his parked car which luckily starts first time.
Mike’s electric gates open as he approaches them. His house is always a stark reminder of how low down the food chain he is compared to him. Well hopefully that will change soon but he still has work to do before he can sit back and relax. As he draws nearer to the house he sees a small silver coloured Mercedes sports car parked on the gravel drive. Mike has two nice cars but he doesn’t recall him ever liking small cars. His guess would be that it belongs to Toni. He pulls up next to the small Merc and walks with flowers and camera in hand towards the front door which opens just as he’s about to ring the bell.
Mike gives him a brotherly hug and pushes a glass of wine into his hand before closing the door. “Glad you could make it. Toni will be pleased that you’re here. Come on through to the dining room I think the first course is almost ready.”
As he passes the lounge area the strong smell of new leather fills the air. White sofas have replaced the brown ones that were there the last time he was here.
A very feminine voice calls out in greeting as he approaches the dining room. He is totally unprepared for the beautiful body and familiar face that appears before him. He stands there speechless with his mouth open. Several seconds pass before his brain kicks in and switches to auto pilot.
Two arms wrap around him in an affectionate hug crushing the flowers within their polka-dot wrapping to his chest, swiftly followed by a light kiss on his left cheek. The smell of expensive perfume fills his senses and transfers itself to his own clothes. Toni breaks contact first and studies his face as though she’s seen him before but can’t quite figure out where.
“Hi, you must be Sam. Mike said you’re an artist but that’s all he ever tells me. Maybe I could take a look at your work sometime. I have a friend who owns a small gallery in Greenwich. He might be a good contact for you.”
Sam nods his head like an idiot and pushes the crushed flowers into her chest. He can’t believe this lovely creature standing before him is the same girl that he saw running her hands over the white leather sofa in the shop. The same girl whose photo he sent to James.
She could tempt any man with those looks of hers. James, you poor thing. This girl really is to kill for. He opens his mouth to speak just as Mike calls out.
“Ok you two, time to eat I think. Sam, you can sit this end and I’ll refill your glass. Toni, the timer just went off in the kitchen, I’m guessing that means something is ready to be served. If you need a hand, give me a shout.”
Sam sits at his designated spot around the large oak table and starts toying with his cutlery. His mind is working overtime. Now he’s over the shock he can see a clear advantage of having Toni close by. He is so pleased he brought the camera. A golden opportunity awaits. He can now prove to James that this beautiful person with her immaculate figure and long blonde hair is Samantha.
Toni brings in the first course and lays it before him.
“Thanks, Toni. This looks great. Prawn cocktail is always a good starter, one of my favourites, I love prawns.”
He picks up the tiny starter fork and starts rearranging the small offering of food that’s displayed symmetrically in the lead crystal glass bowl. The lettuce is cut in thick strips and won’t stay on his fork. He knows he’ll be wearing Thousand Island dressing on his face before too long. He slowly eats his way through the jungle of green salad that hides the half dozen tiny pink prawns. The small triangle of buttered brown bread which accompanied his starter is used to mop up the sauce.
The instant their starter course ends Toni gets up to clear the dirty glass bowls away. She vanishes into the kitchen for what seems like ages before returning with the main course.
He watches Mike closely as she lays his plate of food before him. He smiles and says thank you, but Sam knows him better than Toni and he can see the disappointment written quite clearly on his face. Toni has managed to overcook the steak and burnt the chips. He holds back a laugh, and tries to keep a straight face. Mike has grown accustomed to fine dining since becoming wealthy. If anyone was to dare serve him overcooked fillet steak with burnt fries in a restaurant he would blow his top and demand to see the manager.
Luckily for Sam, his steak arrives and doesn’t look too bad. They all sit quietly while they eat the food. The only sound in the room is coming from Mike’s end of the table. His steak knife is trying its best but is no match for the black chunk of leather on his plate.
The dessert that follows is obviously shop bought, thank heavens. They all take their time eating it because it’s the best course by far.
No sooner have their spoons touched down, Mike stands and beckons Sam through to the lounge. He makes his way over to the large wall unit that contains various bottles of fine red wine and a cut glass decanter of brandy all ready to drink at room temperature. Before Sam can say no he pours him a rather large glass of wine. He knows he doesn’t like brandy.
Mike wastes no time and gets straight to the point. “Ok, Sam. I have a job offer for you. I see you brought your camera. I want pictures of Toni and myself. They have to be very up market and good quality. I’ve asked Toni to marry me and the date is all set. I’m giving you the opportunity to cash in if you like by getting an exclusive before the wedding. I have negotiated a price with a top London magazine and they will pay two thousand pounds for twelve top class photos. It’s all yours if you want it. So, drink up, let’s get to it while we have some daylight. The patio is all set and ready.”
While Toni rushes off to the bathroom to check her hair and make-up, Sam picks up his camera and follows Mike outside to the terrace. The sun is getting low in the sky but that will give a nice colour balance.
The outside furnishings are top quality with baskets of hanging flowers that match the colour scheme perfectly. Sam takes up his position with the sun over his shoulder and waits for Toni to join them.
Once the two love birds have taken up their positions he shoots as many photos as he can before the light starts to fade. He can’t wait to get back to his laptop so he can go over all the photos and select the dozen that will earn him two thousand pounds. But the real excitement will be selecting pictures to send to James. He quickly finishes his drink and says goodbye. He knows Mike won’t argue or ask him to stay any longer as he is just as keen for him to leave. Toni gives Sam a kiss on the cheek and Mike gives him a half-hearted hug before he opens the front door and sees him out.
As usual, the front door closes before he even turns the key to fire up the ignition. He exits the grounds passing through the electric gates with a big grin on his face. It’s all he can do not to shout out loud but once he gets on the open road he selects Song2 by Blur on the CD player and screams along with the lyrics.
“Woo-hoo!”
Back in his apartment he quickly gets the laptop switched on and connects the camera to it. Up pop pages and pages of photos of Mike and Toni. Some are of Toni on her own, they are the best and most useful. Mike will never see those, they were never intended for his eyes.
Sam’s plan now is to sweet talk his dear friend James and tempt him with some lovely photos of Samantha. How can he possibly resist this beautiful creature with the long blonde hair, long tanned legs, big blue eyes that look straight into your soul and steal your heart?
He logs onto Chessbyte and sees three messages flashing in the top corner. One is from the chess site asking him to pay for a membership. For just fifteen pounds per year he could have the basic members package which as far as he can see gives him the same as he already gets for free but without all the adverts. He laughs out loud and moves onto the next two messages. Both are from James. The poor soul is going frantic.
“Hey, Sam. What is happening? Where are you? Are you ok? Please get
back to me ASAP.”
More lolling from Sam as he opens the next message.
“I’m starting to worry about you. I don’t know how to contact you apart from this site. Please!!!!! Get in touch. Missing you so much. James xxx.”
He types his reply to James. “Hi, so sorry but I couldn’t escape from the devil to talk to you. He watches me constantly now. I think he knows something is wrong. I have to play my part as his dutiful wife or he will punish me. Here are some photos of me that were taken today. The smiles are for you and you alone. Without the thought of you being there for me I don’t think I could carry on. If only there was a way out for me I would grab it with both hands. Every time I hear his footsteps on the stairs I pray that he will fall and break his neck. Maybe one day I will have the courage to push him but I know that he would beat the hell out of me if I ever tried and failed. I’m not strong enough to fight him. Please don’t give up on me, James. One day we'll be together. All my love. Samantha xxx.”
Now he just plays the waiting game again to see what dear old gullible James has to say. If he can make him angry, protective and full of rage his plan might work out just fine.
When James first started chatting to Samantha he was expecting her to go down the same route as all the others. He was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t. This girl obviously had a bit of class and he found himself drawn towards her. He would look for her most recent posts in the forums and had eventually plucked up the courage to offer her a game.
The banter they shared was playful and funny. He looked forward to their daily exchanges so much so that his computer was the first thing he switched on every evening when he got in from work. He really liked her, in fact, he more than liked her. He was totally obsessed by her. Thoughts of her kept him awake at night yet he couldn’t sleep without thinking of her.
The bombshell had really hit home when she told him she was married. He spiralled into a deep depression when that bit of news signalled the end of their online encounter, the end of his dream. There was no way that he wanted to get involved with a married woman. He didn’t need all the hassle that came with it. He did however, grab the olive branch with both hands when she told him about the monster that she was married to. There was a glimmer of hope that maybe she would leave the beast. He could take her to a new life, marry her, have children, be a proper family.