by Rosie L
“Yes, please,” Sarah, said, giving him a smile, she could really do with the loo, that tea had gone right through her, but she had felt too embarrassed to ask him to stop. Rick indicated and pulled over to the slow lane, the BMW followed. He grinded his teeth, he had a tail. He pulled off into the services and parked up, the BMW parked a few cars behind them. As Sarah undid her seat belt, Rick reached down under his seat, and slipped something into his boot, before getting out. As he pushed the remote, he glanced to the BMW, but no one got out.
Placing his hand on the small of her back, Rick ushered Sarah towards the services.
“Shall we just grab take out?” he suggested, as they walked over to a stand.
“Up to you, you’re driving,” she said. As he looked at her, he glanced over her shoulder, and he watched as a man emerged from the BMW.
“Can I just nip to the loo?” she asked, now feeling beyond desperate. He smiled at her.
“Sure, coffee?”
“Can I have a hot chocolate?”
“Of course,” he replied, watching her as she went towards the women’s toilets. The second man emerged from the BMW, taking his phone Rick pointed it towards them; he zoomed in and took a picture.
“Latte and hot chocolate, please,” he said, placing a tenner on the counter. Running the picture through an ID scanner, his nose screwed up.
“Fuck,” he muttered, he knew that name.
“With cream and marshmallows?” the man asked.
“Sorry?” Rick said, looking up from the phone.
“In the hot chocolate, cream, and marshmallows,” he repeated. Rick had no idea if she liked cream.
“Just marshmallows, in a separate pot,” he said, just in case she did not like them. He put the phone in his back pocket, and took the drinks just as she emerged from the toilet.
“There you go,” he said, giving her the chocolate and pot of marshmallows.
“Oh thanks,” she said gratefully. “I love marshmallows.” Rick turned and began walking the opposite way to Landrover.
“Where are we going?” she asked. “We are parked over there,” she added, pointing. Rick shook his head, casually.
“Of course, I was miles away,” he replied, taking her arm and slipping her around the back of the coffee stand. As he emerged around the other side, he watched the two men they were puzzling as to where they had gone. He hurried her back to the Landrover, and before she had even put on her seatbelt, he pulled off.
It only took another ten minutes and they were off the motorway and driving down the country lanes. Forty minutes later Rick checked his review mirror for the hundredth time, and they were back. He glanced at Sarah, but she was asleep. The BMW drove up fast behind him, Rick put his foot down, keeping one eye on Sarah, hoping that she would not wake. The BMW pulled to his right, and tried to overtake him, Rick swerved over, forcing them to drop back. He glanced in his mirror and saw the passenger leaning out of the window; he had a gun.
“Shit,” he cursed, as the man fired at the Landrover, putting his foot down, Rick sped along the narrow lane, he knew these roads like the back of his hand, and swerving right, he spun down a track and pulled over by a field, he looked at Sarah, she was still asleep.
Leaving it running, he jumped out, walked back down the track and stood in the middle, waiting. A few seconds later, the BMW spun the corner and drove at speed towards him. Rick continued to wait he had to be sure. The passenger hung out of the window, and took a pot shot at him. It ricocheted by his foot, Rick frowned angrily, now there was no doubt. Reaching down he snatched a gun from his ankle, released the safety, aimed, and fired. Hitting the windscreen, the car swerved, and crashed sideways into a ditch. Rick ran towards it, he yanked the driver’s door open, and looked across at the passenger, half his body hung out of the open window he was not wearing a seat belt and was clearly dead. The airbags had gone off and as Rick pushed it back off the driver, his eyes suddenly opened, and he reached for a gun. Rick grabbed his head, twisting it sharply he broke his neck, and then smashed his face into the steering wheel.
Hurrying back to the Landrover, he opened the boot. He glanced at Sarah; much to his relief, she was still asleep. He grabbed a jerry can and a box of matches from his rucksack, ran back to the car, and poured the fuel all over it. Darting back to the Landrover, he put the jerry can back inside, and closed the boot quietly. He jumped back inside, released the handbrake, and turned the Landrover around. Sarah stirred. He glanced at her in panic, please do not wake up, he begged. As he drove slowly past the BMW, he struck a match, lit the rest of the box, and threw them onto the fuel, the car immediately burst into flames. He put his foot down, spun out of the track, and shot off down the lane. He glanced in his review mirror, and turning the radio up he covered the noise of the explosion. Sarah woke up.
“Hello sleepy,” he said casually. “We are nearly there.”
“I am so sorry,” she apologised, as she pushed herself back up in the seat, a little embarrassed. She had been up most of the night before contemplating what to do with her miserable life, and it must have suddenly caught up with her. God she hoped she had not snored! He smiled at her, and then took a deep sigh, wondering whether those men knew whom he really was, or if Zeb had sent them.
Chapter Two
As they drove down the long winding drive, Sarah stared in awe of the mansion in front of her. He was a huge, medieval looking building with mullion windows and roses, which covered the imposing front door.
“I thought you said it was a camp?” she said, as she looked at him. He sideways glanced at her.
“It is, kind of, that’s the manor house. The owner lets the charity use the back wing. There are dormitories for the kids and private rooms for the staff. We do camp out too. This estate has over a thousand acres, including woodland and a private beach.”
“Wow,” she mumbled as they drove around a large central fountain, and followed the drive around the back of the mansion.
They parked up, and Rick grabbed her holdall and his rucksack out of the boot.
“Don’t I need a CRB or something to work here?” she asked as they walked towards a separate wing.
“You were a teacher right?” he asked. She nodded, raising her eyebrow a little.
“Yes.”
“So you have a current CRB?”
“Yes but I do not have the paperwork.”
“It does not matter, I have a friend who works for the police, and we can get a copy easy enough.” She shrugged and followed him into the building.
“That is the common room,” he said, opening a door and pointing. Sarah stuck her head inside. There was a TV, a pool table, and half a dozen comfortable chairs. He continued.
“The kitchens are down there,” he said pointing to another corridor.
“The games room, the art room,” he stopped whilst she had a quick look. “That will be your domain,” he said with a smile. She returned his smile and followed him as they continued.
“Another classroom, and another,” he said. Then entering through a double set of doors, they came across an oak staircase. She followed him up.
“Okay to the left is the girls’ dormitories,” he said pointing, to a number of doors. “And to the right is the boys,” he added. “And this will be your room.” He opened the door and walked in. Sarah glanced all around. It was only small, but pretty. He walked to the window and opened the curtains, as he did sunlight flooded the room, and rippled across the double bed, either side of which were tables with lamps and on the other side, a small desk and wardrobe. At the back of the room was another door.
“It has a great view,” he remarked, as he gazed out to the woodlands beyond. “This is your own bathroom, and it actually has a bath and a shower, most only have showers.” Sarah poked her head into the room. She smiled. A bath, she had not had a bath for ages. He watched her smile, and his heart did a little skip.
“If you like I can take you to the village and we can get you some toiletries,
” he offered. She shook her head.
“Rick I do not have any money,” she replied, her big emerald eyes looked at him sadly.
“It’s okay I will get them for you,” he said, as he placed a hand on her arm. She shook her head.
“No, you have already done enough for me Rick.”
“Look, I tell you what. I lend you the money and you can pay me back, how about that?” he offered, seeing she was not one to take charity. She thought for a moment and then nodded.
“Thank you,” she said gratefully. “Where is your room?” she asked.
“Just across the hall, I’ll show you.” She followed him back out, and it was literarily, just across the hall.
“Do you want a bath before we go, you can use my shower gel, if you like?” he offered.
“Yes, please,” she agreed, a little embarrassed, quite clearly, she whiffed, and she did not want anyone to know she was a down and out. He walked into his bathroom and grabbed some shower gel, and a new razor.
“Here,” he handed it to her. She looked at the razor and he shrugged.
“I do not suppose you have been for a wax in a while?” She laughed, and shook her head.
“I will knock for you in an hour. I will just pop to the office and sort out your pass.” She turned to leave and then stopped, turned back around and placed a hand on his arm.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, as his eyes wandered all over her beautiful face.
Sarah threw her holdall onto the bed and opened it. She took out a couple of photo frames, one of her sister and one of her parents. She smiled at them and put them on the bedside table. There was not much left of her life, the hairbrush the girl had given her, her passport, driver’s licence, an old blanket that she immediately threw into the bin. Most of the stuff in her flat was included in the rent, the rest stolen from her, or sold to buy food.
Squeezing some of the shower gel into the bath she watched as the bubbles formed. She could not wait to get into it. She pulled off her t-shirt, and jeans and then her knickers. She sighed they were disgusting so she threw them in the bin. She thought to ask Rick if he could lend her fifty pounds, she was sure he could afford it, and she would pay him back. At least then, she could get some underwear and maybe a couple of cheap pairs of shorts and t-shirts. She stopped and stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. She had lost a lot of weight. She had always been slightly overweight, with a podgy tummy and a big butt, now her stomach was flat, and her hips shapely. She ran her hands across her breasts, and admired them. She had a boob job for twenty-first, so against her new slim frame they looked quite huge. She smiled, she like them. She pulled the scrunchie from her hair and shook it loose. Despite being disgustingly dirty, she had to admit she looked good.
She climbed into the hot water and it felt so nice that she almost purred with happiness as she lowered herself into the bubbles. For a while, she soaked herself, melting the city grime that stuck to her skin. Squeezing out some shower gel into her hand, she inhaled it; it smelt of Rick and she smiled at the image of him in her mind. She lathered herself, shaved her legs and armpits, and washed her long hair. Pulling the plug on the dirty water, she stood up.
She stepped out of the bath and switched on the shower. As she rinsed herself, she thought back to last night. She was glad she had not had sex with that stranger, she was no prude, but neither was she a whore, and sex with a drunken stinky shit of a man she did not know, did not turn her on. She thought of Rick and even though she knew she ought not too, her body trembled as she imagined him touching her, kissing her, making love to her. She had not had real sex for ages, years even. Sure, she pleasured herself, and her sister had even brought her a vibrator for her twenty-second birthday as a laugh, because she had not had a proper relationship for such a long time, but it was not the same as being with a man. Opening her mouth, she drank some of the water from the shower, before turning it off and stepping out.
Wrapping a towel around her hair, and another around her body, she walked into the bedroom. For a moment, she stared out of the window, and looked across at the woodlands, thinking how lovely it was, and then she saw Rick walking back from the main house. She pulled the towel from her hair and shook it lose, letting it drip down her back. She watched him with a thoughtful expression, he seemed so kind, so nice, even the way he walked gave her heart cause to beat harder. He was so bloody sexy, she sighed heavily she could not let herself be taken in. Why could he not have been a mean, evil, nasty s.o.b, it would have made it so much easier. Instead, she found herself liking him a lot.
Rick had a sudden urge to look up at the window. When he saw her, he smiled and gave her a wave. His eyes took in her wet hair, the white towel wrapped around her naked body; he felt his cock harden at the mere thought of it. For fuck’s sake, she turned him on so much that he had no control over his bodily functions what so ever.
Brushing her hair, she gave him a wave back, and watched as he hurried back inside the building. Taking her tatty old jeans, she slipped them on, and then put on her t-shirt. She checked at herself in the mirror, her nipples were still pert and poked out like the tip of a mountain - she needed to buy some bras.
Five minutes later Rick knocked on her door. She opened it. His eyes smiled as he took her all in. She was absolutely, stunning.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes, thanks again Rick,” she said gratefully as she shut the door and locked it. She slipped the key into her jeans pocket.
“No problem. Now what do you need, that will depend on where we go?” he asked.
“I need underwear,” she said, lifting an eyebrow at him. “And some shorts and t-shirts, do you think you could lend me fifty, until we get paid?” she asked.
“Of course, we will go into town you should be able to get everything there.” Walking out to the car park, he opened the Landrover’s door for her.
“Thank you,” she said stepping up into the seat. She watched him as he walked around the front of the Landrover. He really was very handsome, and he had good breeding she could tell, he was a public school boy without a doubt, but still he had a slight dangerous edge to his look. She sighed to herself as he jumped onto his seat and put the key into the ignition. She and her sister had come from a high profile city family. Her step-father had been a top banker, or wanker as she had often called him. Her father had been a Lord, and had died in a car crash when she was ten. Her mother had remarried two years later. Why, she did not know, as her step-father was a total utter bastard, and the following year her mother had died too, strangely in another crash. He had beaten her, and her sister, and her lip quivered as she thought of Skye, at their decision to run away from everything they knew. She could cope with the beatings, but what she could not cope with was seeing it happening to her little sister, and now Skye was gone too.
“Are you okay Sarah?” Rick asked, noticing that her eyes were wet. She bit on her lip and took a breath.
“Yes fine, I was just thinking of my sister,” she replied, looking at him as she said it, but it did not cause a reaction, he merely nodded at her understandingly. He drove slowly down the drive, sideways he glanced at her. Although again, he already knew he asked her.
“Sarah, what happened to your parents?” She looked at him and for a moment, her eyes looked fierce.
“They died, in car crashes,” she told him. “Separate car crashes,” she added, her eyes watching him carefully. He nodded as his face turned frontwards. “I have a step-father, but I hate him and I want nothing to do with him.” His left eyebrow lifted in thought.
“What about you, do you still have your parents?” she asked. He shook his head.
“No, they were killed in a car crash too.” She turned to him startled by his words. “Separate accidents,” he added, gripping the steering wheel of his car. “When I was five and nine,” he finished.
“I am sorry Rick,” she said genuinely shocked as she looked at him.
He glanced to her, and as she caught his eyes, she noticed the same pain and torment she felt reflected in his, and it confused her.
“It hurts doesn’t it?” she whispered. He nodded, his eyes returning to the road.
For years, he had been trying to prove his parent’s car crashes were not accidents, but murders. No one would believe him. His father died first, when he was five, and his mother remarried two years later. She died two years after that, and his step-father had inherited almost everything, apart from his parent’s country home and his trust fund. His father had set up a fund when he was born, and had pumped millions into it. Thankfully, his bastard step-father could not get his hands on it, even though he had tried.
It was bad enough that he had taken their London home, their estate in France, his father’s company, and then sold it all. He was a gambler and gold digger and Rick was convinced he had killed his parents for their money. Rick was what he liked to call, an entrepreneur, he had his trust money from his father, but he had never touched it, he had made his own fortune.
“Rick, do you live in Mayfair?” Sarah asked, as they drove down the main road. “I noticed, on your driver’s licence.”
“Yes I do, I have my own business, in property, it is based in the city,” he told her.
“Yet you do volunteer work?” she questioned.
“Yes, not everyone is as fortunate as me, I like to give some back when I can. I am my own boss, so I can take time when I want.” She twisted her fingers in nervous thought and then looked at him. He was so nice, why did he have to be so bloody nice!
They pulled into a car park. Rick jumped out and purchased a pay and display ticket, and then stuck it on his window. As she got out of the Landrover, she squinted at the brightness, the afternoon had really warmed up, and she would be glad to purchase some shorts.
“Come on then,” he encouraged, as he walked away from the Landrover. She caught him up and they headed to the high street.
Stopping at a lingerie shop to start with, she perused the knickers first. Rick watched her, he was not embarrassed, and in fact, he was itching to pick some out for her. She glanced at him, and then lifted a pair.