Guilty

by Heidi J Thomas

  She led him by the hand back to his now stunned mates. “Look after my friend and see he gets home safe boys, right? Oh, and Danny?”

  “Yeah?” he managed to say, with what little air he could find in his lungs.

  “I got Monday off, if ya still wanna take me out?”

  He grinned and nodded. “Monday it is.”

  “Great, it’s a date. Pick me up from here at half seven.”

  Chapter Four

  On Monday night he got to the club at quarter past seven to find her already there, waiting outside for him. She looked at her watch and nodded approvingly.

  “Ooh, early. That’s good.”

  He looked her up and down and smiled. She was wearing a tight little black dress that stopped short mid-thigh, her trademark stilettos and a fur coat. She had left her hair down and it sat over her shoulders.

  “You look beautiful…”

  “Awe, thanks gorgeous,” she beamed, “you’re looking pretty fine too.” She linked arms with him. “Right, where are we going, and can we move fast, cause I am freezing.”

  He walked her round the corner and stopped, pointing to his car, his pride and joy, his black Ford Capri.

  He had only been driving for a couple of months, and his mother had been horrified when she had seen the car, calling it a ‘bloody great tacky lump of scrap metal’ but Danny thought it was amazing.

  Natalie’s eyes lit up and she ran to it, peering through the window.

  “Oh…my…God! Is this yours?”

  He nodded proudly. “Uh huh. Ford Capri laser-”

  “Three litre injection?”

  He frowned, surprised. “That’s right. Just over a year old, cost a fortune but worth every penny.”

  “I’ll say! Wow, are we going in this?”

  “Yeah, course. Can’t have you walking, can I?”

  He opened the passenger door for her, helped her in and climbed in the driver’s side. She was putting on her seatbelt, looking around her in awe.

  “I love these cars, Danny boy. So where are we going anyway?”

  “Martino’s. It’s a very nice restaurant across the river, only the finest in Italian cuisine.”

  She raised her eyebrows, her turn to be surprised. “A restaurant, huh? Am I dressed okay? Only I don’t do posh too well.”

  “You look fantastic.”

  “Will the menu be in Italian? Cause I did French at school, and I only know how to swear.”

  He laughed. “I’ll help you. Are you ready?”

  “Let’s see…money…lippy…ciggies…okay I’m ready, let’s go.”

  He started the car up and couldn’t help himself, speeding up immediately as he hit the road. It seemed to take Natalie by surprise, and she laughed.

  “Woo!! This is fucking awesome! Ooh look, there’s Lisa!” she pointed to a girl walking past, leaned over him, her arm across his face almost punching him in the process and causing him to swerve. She tooted the horn, shouting out of his open window, “Yoo-hoo! Lisa, check this out, how cool is this?”

  The girl (Lisa, apparently) looked up and waved, though Danny thought she had no idea who she was waving at.

  Natalie sat back and grinned. “Sorry…this car brings out the animal in me.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “I’ll have to remember that!”

  “Seriously though, very cool. How much money do you have, anyway?”

  “Enough…enough that I can afford you…”

  She frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He frowned too, glancing at her, back at the road and back at her, realising his mistake. “Oh, I didn’t mean…”

  “I know what you meant,” she snapped, “I aint interested in…in what I can get from you…”

  “That’s a shame,” he said with a grin, knowing he was pushing it.

  “Oh, so now you think I’m easy too?” she yelled and he laughed, couldn’t help it.

  “Wow, you’re feisty…”

  “Yeah, damn right I am! Especially when some guy thinks because he’s loaded he can chuck money at me and I’ll jump into bed with him! I’m a dancer, not a prostitute. Pull over.”

  He smiled incredulously. “What?”

  “Pull over!”

  He hesitated, unsure if this was some sort of joke. She was just looking at him, pouting, unimpressed. He reached a decision and shook his head. “No.”

  “What?” she said, and he knew she was surprised. He doubted any man had ever dared say no to her before, she was not used to this.

  He looked at her again, amused. “I said no, we’re going to dinner.”

  “Pull over, or so help me God…!”

  “What?” he said, still smiling. She was challenging him and he couldn’t help but enjoy it. “What will you do to me while I’m driving?”

  He could see her thinking about that, trying to work out some way to get the upper hand and now he was smug, knowing fine well she had nothing left, the upper hand was firmly his.

  Without warning she grabbed him, between the legs and cupped his balls with a firm grip, squeezing hard. He yelped in almost-pain, jumped up, and banged his head on the roof of the car. He grappled with one hand, trying to pry her fingers away, his other hand on the wheel. He lost control of the car for a moment, swerved and then managed to pull over to the side of the road, bumping up the curb. She immediately let go, and sat back as though nothing had happened. He turned to her, stunned.

  “What the hell were you thinking?”

  She shrugged nonchalantly. “I got you to stop.”

  “You’re a maniac, woman!” he shouted, stunned.

  “And you’re an arsehole!” she countered.

  He glared at her, his heart thumping furiously, adrenalin pumping through him. “I never said…” he stopped and closed his eyes, taking a moment to calm down, his balls were throbbing. “I never said you were after my money! That came from your mouth, not mine. That’s not what I meant at all!”

  She sighed. “This was a bad idea…this aint gonna work…”

  “Why, because I stood up to you? You want someone who’ll just…fold on you? Come on, you’re like me. You like the challenge, you want someone who’ll fight back…well here I am.”

  “How do you know what I want? You don’t know anything about me!”

  “Whereas you presume to know me, to know what I mean when I say something?”

  She scowled. “You’re infuriating!”

  He raised his eyebrows. “I’m infuriating? All I wanted to do was take you out to dinner. Instead, I have you grabbing my balls and squeezing them which would ordinarily be cool and quite…pleasant if I wasn’t driving at the time!”

  She stared at him and then burst out laughing. After a moment he laughed too and shook his head.

  “Do you want to go for dinner or not? I can take you home if you want, but…I’m quite a catch. If you don’t snap me up soon, someone else will…”

  “You are so damn arrogant…”

  He nodded, grinning, his eyes sparkling with promise, oozing sex appeal. “Yes I know. And you are so damn aggressive and bossy. Together I predict good times, fireworks and fucking awesome sex. Go with it, let’s enjoy ourselves and just…be, huh? See if we can make something here. I can see nothing is gonna be easy with you…”

  She scoffed at that and shook her head, “Honey, you have no idea…”

  “I’d like to try this, try us. So…?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Do you think they’ll have pizza?”

  “I think that’s a distinct possibility.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Okay then. But watch your step, and your manners. Don’t assume nothing, right? I don’t care if you’re a big bad boxer, I will knock you on your backside…got it?”

  He smiled and nodded, excited and more than a little turned on by the fight and her threats. “Understood. Now are we gonna have a good night or what?”

  She sat back in her seat. “As you were…”

  * *
* *

  2007

  Danny looked up at Kate, who was laughing, and smiled. “And what’s so funny?”

  She giggled, composing herself. “I can’t believe she grabbed your balls like that!”

  He nodded, smiling too. The memory was a good one, something that at the time had driven him crazy but after had always made him laugh, and Natalie too.

  “I couldn’t believe it either. Oh, she was a proper redhead alright. Very feisty, I loved it. But…she also had quite a vulnerable side, and I reckon I was the only person who ever got to see it. That’s what made us so special I reckon.”

  * * * *

  The table they were given was right in the middle of the restaurant. Danny took a bite from his lasagne and looked up at her. She was looking around her at the other diners.

  “Danny, I look like a tart.”

  “You do not, you look stunning.”

  She looked round again. “I feel really underdressed, everyone’s looking at me.”

  “Aint you used to that, in your profession?”

  “Yeah, but this is different.” She grabbed at the bottom of her dress nervously trying to pull it down a little. “Here they’re looking down at me.”

  He shook his head. “No they aint. If the men are looking at ya, it’s because you’re gorgeous. And if the women are looking, it’s because they’re jealous.”

  “You sure?”

  “Course I’m sure. If anything it’s me they’re looking at funny. I’m sat here, still with two black eyes, still looking like I went ten rounds with Mike Tyson – which by the way is how it feels. I aint exactly Lord Muck myself, but I eat here all the time.”

  Natalie grinned. “You bring all your lady friends here, Danny?”

  “I’ve brought a few here, yeah. None like you.”

  “What makes me so special, huh?”

  “You’re not like most girls. You don’t mince your words, you don’t stand for my crap and my cheek, or pretend to be someone else…it’s great. You’re…”

  “Common?”

  He frowned disapprovingly. “Absolutely not, down to earth I was gonna say. You like your food?”

  She nodded. “Yeah it’s lovely…sorry, I know I’m being boring ordering pizza, but it’s my favourite.”

  “I told you, you could order whatever you wanted. You want another glass of wine?”

  “Actually, do ya think I could have a beer?”

  “Course, whatever you want,” he waved the waiter over, “alright, mate? Can we have two more beers here please?”

  They waited for the drinks and she smiled appreciatively and ate some more of her pizza.

  “It’s a nice place. Nicer than any place I’ve ever been to.”

  “I wanted to take you some place special, show you I mean business.”

  They had both finished eating and she drank her beer down in one go. She burped loudly and a few people looked up. She put a hand to her mouth.

  “Oh God…I’m so sorry! Ah, I’m such a mess.” she groaned, “Oh Danny, I’m such an embarrassment.”

  “No you aint, it’s a compliment to the chef. Or in this case…the barman.”

  She smiled a little at that in spite of herself. “I feel really uncomfortable, I’m so sorry.”

  He shook his head, concerned. “Don’t apologise for being you, there’s nothing wrong with you. You wanna get out of here?”

  She nodded apologetically. “Would you mind?”

  ‘Course not.’

  (epic fail Danny boy, one chance and you blew it, showing off)

  She stood up. “Yeah, okay. I just need to go to the crapper – I mean the ladies room.”

  Danny laughed. “Right, well you go there and I’ll settle the bill.”

  “You want the money for me?”

  “No, so don’t even try it.”

  She narrowed her eyes and smiled. “Right, okay. So I’ll just be a sec.”

  * * * *

  She didn’t say anything on the way back, only looked out of the window in deep thought. He pulled up outside the club and turned to her, smiling feebly.

  “The meal weren’t such a good idea, was it?”

  She thought about it, choosing her words carefully. “Oh, I don’t know…I mean it was nice and all. I’m just more of a curry, or doner kebab kind of girl.”

  “I’m sorry.” He said regretfully.

  She turned to face him properly and shook her head. “No, don’t you dare be sorry, it was lovely. I mean, that you would take someone like me, somewhere like that. That you thought I was worth a place like that…is lovely. Thank you, I mean it.”

  “It was a pleasure, and you are worth it, and more.”

  “Awe…Okay, my turn next. And this time, I’ll decide where we go, yeah?”

  He frowned and couldn’t help but smile. “Next time? So I’m getting another chance then?”

  “Yeah, course. You didn’t do nothing wrong this time. Besides… you’re a hell of a catch. If I don’t snap you up, some other girl will. Aint that right?” she said with a wink.

  He shook his head, completely serious. “I aint interested in no other girls.”

  She smiled and looked away. “Go on, you’ll have me blushing next. You free Saturday?”

  “I am.”

  “Good. Pick me up at ten in the morning. Keep the day and the night free…in fact, keep Sunday free too, you’ll need it to recover. Bring your toothbrush, and I’ll show you a good time like you aint never had before.”

  “So are you and I…I mean are we gonna…?”

  She smiled knowingly and nodded. “Yeah, I reckon we are. Can’t have you getting away now, can I? We’ll uh…see where it takes us, huh?”

  He nodded, trying to come across cool and calm, although inside he was buzzing. “Yeah…I look forward to that.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek and she kissed him on the lips in return. “Night, Natalie.”

  ‘Goodnight, Danny.’ She said and she was out of the car and gone.

  * * * *

  2007

  Danny looked at Kate and she was smiling. “Wow, what a gentleman.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I tried to be. Only a gentleman wasn’t what she wanted, not really. I mean, she didn’t want all the fuss, she wanted something more real. She was rough round the edges, just wanted a laugh, to be shown a good time.

  So I went to her flat on the Saturday and she was waiting. She took me ice-skating of all things. I spent most of the morning on my arse, with her standing over me laughing but I didn’t care, cause out of nowhere she grabbed me and kissed me and…told me she loved me. Surprised us both with that one, but I said it back. It scared her to love me, and it scared me too, but it was good fear. There’s this girl I can’t get out my head, who I think about day and night, and she’s telling me she’s falling for me. Almost instantly, like love at first sight, how rare d’ya suppose that is? I was like…wow.”

  “I’d say that’s very rare, Danny…” Kate said, wishing she could have someone feel that way about her.

  He nodded his agreement. “Then, she took me for a curry and paintballing in the afternoon. She shot me in the balls and it hurt like hell but I still didn’t care. Come the evening, I was done in, but she still weren’t finished with me. We went to a club and danced until three in the morning. We got a kebab and in the taxi back to her place, she said to me ‘did you bring your toothbrush?’ and I told her I did and she said, ‘good, cause you’re staying with me tonight.’ We squeezed into her single bed, and the rest as they say, is history.”

  * * * *

  They stumbled through the door into Natalie’s bedsit, kissing furiously. Danny kissed her hair, her neck, her lips and her shoulders, savouring the taste of her, his hands exploring her body through the thin material of her dress. She expertly undid his belt buckle and the button of his jeans with one hand, and then yanked the zip down somewhat impatiently. She slipped her hand inside his boxers as his jeans dropped to the floor and he kicked them off impati
ently. Her hand, there, sent him spiralling into oblivion and for a horrible moment he thought it might be over with there and then. He ached with a need for her like he had never felt before in his life.

  Sensing his overwhelming arousal she moved her hand away, sliding it up his chest before grabbing the hem of his tee shirt and lifting it off over his head in one swift motion. She pulled back from the kiss to look at him, smoothing both hands all over his chest, across the defined contours of his solid muscles, biting her lip, obviously liking what she was seeing. His hands were on her back, at work on the zip of her dress and it fell to the floor, pooling at her feet. She kicked it away and launched at him again, covering his mouth in a deep, passionate kiss. Again she pulled away from his kiss and they stood staring at each other, both panting, filled with an incredible lust. She pressed her forehead to his, her arms up around his neck.

  “I want you Natalie…” he breathed in her ear and she put her head back, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.

  “I’m yours…all yours…” she muttered.

  With those words, spoken with total sincerity, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her through the open door to the bedroom, throwing her on the bed as she shrieked and giggled in mock protest. He leapt on top of her, pinning her between his thighs, planting his elbows on the pillow either side of her head.

  “I have been thinking about this all day…” he said with a smile, kissing her nose. She frowned back up at him.

  “Foregone conclusion was I?”

  He frowned too, and then shook it off. “Shut up, Nat. Kiss me.”

  For a split second he thought she might protest some more, and then she grabbed his face with both hands and planted her lips back on his. He slid into her with one thrust, and she let out a sharp gasp. He searched her eyes and raised an eyebrow.

  “Again…?”

  She moaned in response and nodded. “Don’t you dare fucking stop Danny Edwards...”

  He grinned and thrust into her again, enjoying the look of obvious pleasure on her expression as her nails dug into his back. He slowly increased speed and she reached out with both hands, grabbing a hold of the headboard for leverage, meeting his every movement. His kissed her belly button and looked up at her with big blue eyes. She looked down at him, her green eyes wide and he realised, full of fear. He frowned.