‘Here we are! Best seats in the house!’
Sally smiled politely. ‘Yes, they are. Thank you.’ She pecked his cheek and enjoyed watching him blush.
‘Sally, we’re having a sophisticated night. Control yourself!’
She laughed and sat down next to him, taking his hand and holding it, leaning her body against him.
The show started promptly on time and Sally enjoyed it. She enjoyed sitting where she would never normally sit as it gave her a view of the stage that she would not normally have. The scenes and acts rolled by, and the glances she gave David showed her that he was enthralled with the show and Hugo’s story of Jean Valjean, Javert, Fantine and Cosette. She was sure that at the end of the show he applauded louder than anyone else in the theatre and he even threw in a few bravos too.
Impressed with this show of a cultural side to him, she wrapped her arm around him as they left the theatre. Suggesting a walk along the river to which she agreed, they walked and talked, stopping occasionally to exchange kisses which increased in passion the further they walked. They crossed a bridge and walked back through the streets, through the business area of the city. Sally was amused to note that this area would take her past her father’s head office. As they approached the office she noticed a limousine parked outside.
She was going to cross the street but David would think this strange as they would have to cross back again in not more than a hundred yards to continue their walk in the right direction. She decided that the chance of the limousine being for her father was remote; there were always clients coming and going from the office in the company’s limousines, so they continued to walk past the office.
As they reached the bottom of the steps up to the doors of the buildings there was a commotion and two security guards indicated for them to stop walking so there was a clear path from the bottom of the steps to the now open door of the limousine. Sally’s heart skipped a beat as she glanced up towards the doors of the office and saw her father approach with James, both of them dressed in tuxedos. She had nowhere to go. She could not go forwards and she could not go backwards as this would confuse David.
Just as she was about to turn away and pretend her mobile had rung James noticed her. With a look of surprise he gently touched her father’s elbow and discreetly nodded towards her. With a look of bigger surprise and a big smile, her father started to walk towards her. Panicking now, Sally took half a step back out of David’s line of sight and started to vigorously shake her head and mouth the word no. They carried on walking towards her, her father and James looking confused at her actions, until at the last moment something clicked in her father’s head and he quickly veered away from them and disappeared into the back of the limousine. James gave a quick confused glance over his shoulder to Sally and then he too got in the large vehicle. The guards waited until the car had moved away until they allowed the pedestrians to walk past. Fifty yards past the building Sally’s heart skipped another beat.
‘What was that all about? Those two rich guys walking towards us at that building with big idiotic grins on their faces like they knew one of us?!’
Sally could not help laughing as she heard her father, one of the richest, most successful business men in the country, described as having an idiotic grin. ‘I don’t know. Mistaken identity. It was quite gloomy there.’
‘It wasn’t that gloomy. Their teeth were giving off more light than a power station! I’d like have their cosmetic dentist I know that much! They hurt my eyes!’
In between laughs Sally was able to say, ‘Well, they must have both worked very hard in order to be able to afford, erm, such nice teeth!’
‘Hey, I’m not criticizing, just a bit bright at this time of night!’
‘Fair enough!’ Sally laughed again. ‘I love being with you David. You make me laugh so much!’
‘Well, I try my best!’
‘Keep on trying, doing and succeeding and I think me and you may go far.’
David looked surprised. ‘Do you mean that? I mean, are we going to start seeing each other, well, you know, properly?’
‘And tonight hasn’t been properly?’
‘Well, you know what I mean.’
‘Definitely.’
‘Boyfriend and girlfriend?’
‘Definitely.’
‘Woo hoo!’
Again she laughed as she watched him skip down the exclusive city street, doing a passable impression of Morecambe and Wise’s end of show dance, as he skipped down the street putting alternate hands behind his head. He received plenty of funny looks as he skipped back towards Sally, took her in his arms and planted a firm, lingering passionate kiss on her lips. Sally gently moved away from him, remembering that she was still in view of her father’s office. ‘David, someone might see us.’
‘So what? Let them see.’
He tried to kiss her again but she moved gently away from him and she was disappointed to see a flash of confusion pass across his face.
‘Hey David,’ she said gently, ‘let’s go to my relation’s apartment. It’s just down the road and we can spend some more time together.’
‘Your relation has an apartment here? They must be rich!’
‘Yeah, the rich side of the family, not my side unfortunately.’
‘How come you’ve got a key?’
‘She works overseas a lot and I go in and water her plants and stuff, check her mail. I’ve got the key with me.’
Sally always had the key with her. It was her apartment. Her father had bought it for her a year or so ago to give her more independence. She hardly ever used it, preferring instead to stay near her father and offer him some company when he was home.
‘Okay, that sounds good. Do you want to eat somewhere first?’
‘We can order in.’
‘Sounds even better.’
‘David,’ she said his name gently again as she took his hand and led him to the nearby apartment, ‘you can stay if you want, there are two bedrooms, well four, but you know what I mean…’ Sally left it hanging for him to draw his own conclusions.
‘Yeah, of course Sally. Separate bedrooms. One step at a time hey?’
‘Sorry, I know what you men are like!’
‘Some men Sally, some men. I like to think, well I work at being different. A few more kisses would be nice though!’
‘Not that different then!’
It was David’s turn to laugh as Sally led them down a small side street to a block of modern apartments. Sally opened the door and they entered the elevator. David could not keep his surprise off his face as Sally placed her entry card onto a scanner and then pressed the elevator button marked PH.
The lift took them up quickly to the thirtieth floor and the duplex penthouse apartment. The elevator stopped in the apartment and when the doors opened David was greeted to sight of a large apartment spread out before him, with stairs leading to the upper floor and floor to ceiling windows looking onto a huge balcony. From the balcony one could look down onto the river and over the city.
It was a truly impressive place to live and David jumped a little when Sally stepped out of the elevator and said loudly, ‘Lights!’
On her voice command the lights turned on brightly and Sally said, ‘Three!’ and instantly the lights dimmed.
David looked around him looking slightly bewildered. ‘That’s a neat trick. Lights!’ And the lights turned off. ‘Lights! Ten!’ And all the lights turned on, dazzling David. ‘Crikey! Like those guys’ teeth! Three!’ And they dimmed again. ‘I’m very impressed. What does your relation do?’
‘Banker for a Swiss bank. She’s good at her job and gets the pay to reflect that. But, to balance that out she’s never home. In fact, I couldn’t tell you the last time she was here!’
‘Not much good having the money if she can’t enjoy it.’
‘Yeah, but she’ll be retired by forty!’
‘Looking at this place she could retire now!’
‘Maybe. Come
on. It’s a nice night. Let’s go out on the balcony and chill out there.’
‘Sounds like a plan.’
He followed her across the apartment and could not help admiring her tight bottom in the tight jeans as she meandered through the furniture to the glass balcony door. She opened it and they both settled down onto the comfortable chairs. They made small talk until Sally suggested ordering some food and by then the temperature outside had dropped so they made their way into the lounge and cuddled together on the large settee.
‘Music. Volume five. Track ten.’ She looked at David and said, ‘This doesn’t always work.’
‘It’s still impressive that it could work!’ After a slight pause the music started. ‘It has worked! This is all very impressive.’
‘Costs a fortune.’
‘Yeah, I don’t doubt it for a second!’
‘Lights. One.’ Some of the lights turned off, the rest dimmed giving a romantic air to the room.
The food quickly arrived and they ate together at the dining table and then they retired back to the lounge and the settee. As soon as they had settled down, Sally quickly turned to David and kissed him deeply and passionately. Not only did she find this fine young man attractive physically, more and more he was attracting her mentally, so she was not surprised when she felt her body react instantly in a manner it had never done before.
The top of her thighs became slick and she pressed them together enjoying the feeling. She was also enjoying feeling the affect she was having on him. Clearly she could feel his hardness growing and growing as his hips pressed against her.
As quickly as she had started to kiss him she finished, knowing that if they carried on both of them would not be able to stop. They talked for a while, and later that night, after many more kisses had been exchanged, they each retired to their separate bedrooms. She wanted it all to carry on, to not stop at just kisses, but she forced herself to stop because she was simply not ready, nowhere near ready yet, but she would be in the not too distant future.
Chapter 30
Winter rolled on for everyone and quickly turned to spring. Michelle and Simon’s love for each other grew and grew over these months spending as much time together as they possibly could. After the Saturday night when they had made love into the early hours of Sunday morning, they dated and made love whenever they met, their relationship growing and growing, blossoming like the flowers of the new spring.
Sally had received a couple of calls from the police which basically stated their investigations were ongoing, but she did not expect them to catch anyone. Almost forgetting the frightening circumstances in which she had met him, Sally and David’s relationship also blossomed, but physically a lot slower than their friends. They had plenty of dates together, enjoying the cinema, theatre, meals out and they loved each other’s company. Yet, Sally sensed that David was getting frustrated at their lack of a stronger physical relationship but she wanted the night that she lost her virginity to be perfect. She thought she knew when that night would occur but it was still a few months away.
Sally had managed, just about, to keep her real status in life secret from David but she knew that she could not keep the pretence up for much longer. Indeed, she had recently made the decision to inform David, take him to the mansion and introduce him to her father, a day that she was not looking forward to. The day she had chosen was the Saturday after her holiday in Monaco. Mr. Gallagher would, well should still be off work and he had, after seeing them that Saturday night, been eager to meet David.
Whenever the girls were together they talked incessantly about two subjects, their relationships and their upcoming trip to Monaco. Sally had not been surprised that Michelle had enjoyed a night of glorious sex with Simon and Michelle was eager for her friend to start a sexual relationship with her new partner so they could talk properly about their experiences, which for now were very one-sided conversations.
They frequently went shopping together, when each of them could be persuaded to leave the side of their respective partners, preparing for their vacation. Michelle insisted on paying her own way, but occasionally a pair of shoes or other such item would be out of her price range so unhesitatingly her friend would buy them for her.
Over the last few months, their four lives had changed immeasurably, but the life that had changed the most was Sarah’s. If one was to walk into her bedroom now and compare it to a few months ago, one would see some differences. Her music system was gone. Her bed was gone and only a saggy mattress remained. Her television was gone. All her C.D.s and D.V.D.s were gone. Bizarrely, the only item that she had kept which was worth any money was her computer. In a rare moment of clarity she had decided to keep it as it helped her discover more about the drugs that helped her escape from the misery in her life.
It had not taken her long to use the drugs she had stolen from Peter. In a moment of desperation when the withdrawal symptoms were unbearable, she had called him and begged him for some more. To this request she received a torrent of abuse which concluded in him stating to her that if she ever crossed his path again she would be killed along with her mother.
So Sarah, still showing her naivety about drugs, searched on the internet to find out how she could acquire more of the drugs. She discovered it was easy enough. Go to any red light area of the town or city and there will be dealers there. So she did exactly that.
It was a chilly, early spring night when she walked the three miles from her house into the small red light area of the town. She walked along some of the streets, walking past a handful of prostitutes who stared venomously at her thinking she was going to try and steal their strip of street. When Sarah stopped to speak to one of them she was treated with hostility.
‘Excuse me.’
‘Excuse me what darling?’
‘I’m after some drugs.’
‘Drugs? This is my patch so fuck off or I’ll cut off your face.’
‘You’d cut off my face for asking you a simple question?’
‘Look, this is my patch so fuck off or I’ll cut off your face.’
From seemingly fresh air a knife appeared in the prostitute’s hand and she slashed at Sarah’s arm. Sarah somehow managed to react quickly enough and dodged out of the way of the worst of the slash, but the tip of the knife caught her arm and blood sprang from the cut.
‘Ow! Jesus! What the fuck is wrong with you?!’
‘The fuck that is wrong with me is little girls who can’t understand simple English. So, for the last time, this is my patch so fuck off or I’ll cut off your face.’
With this last warning Sarah backed away, clutching her bleeding her arm, and then ran off down the street. She reached the corner of the street and stopped running, now shaking and out of breath. Turning the corner she noticed two men stood leaning against a wall. Sarah quickly approached them. ‘Excuse me. Excuse me! I’ve just been attacked!’
‘What? Who by?’
‘A woman around the corner. She tried to stab me.’
One of the men stepped into the light and looked at her closely, instantly recognizing her for what she was; a drug addicted teenager desperate for a hit. Her gaunt expression, the dark circles and skinny body told him this in one quick glance. ‘Welcome to the area honey. That’s Crystal. She’s mad. You’re lucky to walk away with only a scratch. I’d stay away from her if I was you. Why are you in this area? Pretty lady like you could get themselves raped and murdered in a nasty place like this.’
The other man had stayed in the dark. Sarah could not see his face, but his silhouette seemed somehow familiar to her. ‘I was after some drugs.’
‘Drugs? What kind?’
‘Heroin.’
‘Heroin. Well, you’ve come to the right guys. Fifty pounds for three hits worth.’
‘Fifty? I haven’t got that much.’
‘How much have you got honey? You could always get more. Pretty young thing like you could make a killing in this area.’
‘I’m not a w
hore. I’m in college, studying. I want to become a nurse.’
‘A nurse? You’d better stay off the heroin then darling.’
‘No, I can do both.’
‘You can do both? I’ve heard that before.’ He turned and laughed with the other man who still stayed in the dark.
Sarah thought she recognised that laugh but her drug addled mind could not make the connection. ‘I’ve got thirty pounds.’
‘Thirty pounds? Let me guess. Your college money right?’ Sarah nodded. ‘Tell you what I’d do darling. Go home. Lock yourself in your bedroom with a bucket for vomit, lots of water and plenty of vitamins and minerals. Stay in your room for a week and get yourself off this drug before it ruins your life. If you are only ever going to listen to one piece of advice for the rest of your life, I’d make it the advice I just gave you.’
She appeared to contemplate this man’s advice for a moment or two. She almost appeared to be contemplating walking away and getting her life back on the right track. But then a cramp hit her gut like the knife that had just sliced her arm. She winced and subconsciously scratched at her arm. Her decision had been made. ‘How much can I get for thirty pounds?’
‘Okay. Whatever darling. This much.’ He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small packet of the drug and held it out to her.
‘Is that it?!’
‘Yep. It’s an expensive drug. If you want more then bring more money.’
‘I’ll just take that.’ Sarah handed over her cash and took the drug out of the man’s hand. ‘Are you here every night?
‘Most nights.
‘Okay. Thanks.’
‘No worries. Good luck in college.’
‘Thanks.’ Sarah turned away and walked quickly away.
Under his breath the man said, ‘You’re going to need all the luck you can get.’
As Sarah reached the end of the street she turned and looked back. The face of the man who had remained in the shadows lit up as his lighter flared for the briefest of moments. As his shadowy face was shown to Sarah, she let out a gasp as she realised it was Peter. She wanted to return and confront him, but then she remembered his threats and how she had been lucky that he had let her buy the drugs without him attacking her as he had promised. Instead she swore under her breath, swearing her revenge, and then started the long and lonely cold walk back to her home.
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