Henderson Manor

by Emma L. Clapperton

  “So, what do you say we go somewhere quieter?” he leaned in close to her face. He could feel the lust to. But that was all it was for him. For Deborah, the desire to have him had grown so strong for all of the time she had followed his success that at times it physically hurt.

  “Where do you have in mind?” she asked. She wanted to tell him exactly how she felt but she knew that it could destroy any chance she had of being with him.

  There’s no need to tell him. You have him right now and that is all you have ever wanted. Just take what is here and enjoy it, she thought to herself.

  “What about going back to my place?” he asked.

  “Sounds like a good idea to me.”

  They slid out of the booth and Sam took her hand and led her down to the street. It was cold outside and Sam could see that Deborah had goose bumps on her arms. The little blond hairs stood on end and she trembled in the November breeze.

  “Here, you can have my jacket,” Sam said wrapping it around her. As his fingers gently brushed off her shoulder she felt the urge to kiss him but she fought it off. She couldn’t believe that she was going to spend the night in Sam Leonard’s flat.

  A taxi pulled up outside the Lounge bar and Sam opened the door to let Deborah in. As it pulled away, she could feel every pulse in her body thumping and she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. She knew she should have had another vodka to stay calm but when he had offered to take her back to his flat she just wanted to get out of the bar and into a taxi as fast as her legs would carry her.

  “So do you live far?” she asked, trying to take her mind off what was about to happen between them.

  “I’m only in Merchant City and not far in either. We will be there in about five minutes,” he replied.

  The taxi pulled up outside a set of new build flats and Deborah didn’t have time to look around the street as she was gently but quickly being led up the four flights of stairs to Sam’s flat.

  “Do you live by yourself?” she asked.

  “No, my flat mate is out till tomorrow,” he replied as he put his key in the door.

  He allowed Deborah to go in first and as she looked around she couldn’t quite believe that she was in Sam Leonard’s home. It was so clean and tidy with photographs on the wall of friends and maybe family; she wasn’t entirely sure. He guided her into the kitchen and she sat down on a bar stool.

  “Drink?” Sam asked as he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine.

  “Yes please,” Deborah replied, noticing a gentle quiver in her voice.

  He poured a large glass and handed it to her, again his fingers brushed her hand as she received the glass. She felt like an electrical charge ran through her fingers at the feeling of his touch. As he turned to get himself a glass she gulped the large glass of Rosé wine down and felt it burn in her chest.

  He turned and walked towards her and she felt her body begin to tingle. “So, how long have you lived here then?”

  “About a year,” he replied.

  Now their faces were close together, she could feel his breath on her face and it smelled good.

  “You smell great,” he said as their noses brushed together.

  “Thank you. So do you.” She noticed that she was whispering.

  He took a sip of wine from his glass.

  “I don’t normally do this you know,” Deborah said with a gentle smile.

  “What’s that?”

  “Come back to a guy’s flat who I’ve only just met.”

  “How does it make you feel?” he asked pushing his lips to meet hers but ensuring that there were still a few millimeters between them.

  “It feels good,” she whispered again.

  She couldn’t be sure who started the kiss but at this point in time she did not care. It was gentle at first, tender in fact. But as the kiss lasted she felt Sam push hard on her lips and his tongue very gently searched for hers.

  If lust could create electricity then Deborah would have enough to generate power to Sam’s flat for a week. She felt weak under the passion in his kiss and he began to take control of her.

  He slid his hand under her thighs and lifted her from the bar stool. She closed her eyes and allowed him to carry her to another room, what she assumed was the bedroom.

  He laid her down on his bed and gently pushed down on top of her. He was heavy but she liked the feeling of him on her. He pulled his shirt over his head with one hand and with the other gently unbuttoned her blouse. He opened it wide and she slid her arms out.

  Deborah pulled at Sam’s belt and slid his jeans down as he slid his thumb through the space between her skin and underwear.

  Deborah relished every second with Sam, taking in every part of his body as they spent the night together.

  As Sam slept, Deborah familiarized herself with his home, looking at photographs on the walls and memorizing everything around her.

  There was nothing that she could not know about Sam Leonard.

  2

  Jenny Lawson was sitting at the breakfast bar in the flat which she shared with Sam. She skimmed through the newspaper as she sipped at her mug of black tea. She had heard Sam getting up earlier and he had been in the shower for around thirty minutes. As he entered the kitchen he saw the large grin that Jenny had on her face.

  “What are you so smiley about this morning?” he asked her as he pulled a box of cereal out from the cupboard.

  “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” She pointed to the small black handbag that was sitting on the counter. “So, she didn’t fancy staying all night?”

  “I guess not. When I woke up she was gone but to be honest I am glad. I can’t be bothered with the small talk once the alcohol has worn off and the sex has been had,” he said smugly.

  “Oh, you dirty stop out!” Jenny laughed. “Well, she may have left but she clearly wants to see you again because she left a note with her number on it.”

  Jenny and Sam had been best friends since they were in high school and had never been anything more. A lot of people had asked them if they had ever kissed, or wanted to try it. Their answer had always been the same. “Would you kiss your best friend if you didn’t fancy them?”

  They had decided to live together when they were at college and the setup was still working so they had decided to keep living together until one day one of them was ready to move on to somewhere else.

  “What do you think I should do?” Sam asked her, holding up the handbag.

  “If I were her, I would want you to phone me,” Jenny replied.

  “Really?”

  “Yep, the way I see it is she gets her bag back and you will know if you want to see her again.”

  “How do you work that one out?” Sam asked confused.

  “Well, you will see her for the first time sober and you will know if she is as good looking as you thought she was last night.”

  Sam smiled and gave Jenny a pat on the head. “You know me so well Jenny.”

  “Yes, I do,” she replied with a smile.

  Sam made some breakfast before deciding to phone Deborah and arrange to meet to return her bag. He could remember clearly what she looked like and could remember how much he had genuinely liked her.

  Swallowing the last mouthful of cereal and placing the bowl into the dishwasher, Sam patted Jenny on the shoulder as he made his way to the front door of their flat.

  “See you sometime this afternoon? Maybe we could meet up for a drink and lunch?”

  “Sounds like a plan. Text me when you decide where we’re going and I’ll meet you there,” Jenny replied as she got up to put a tablet in the dishwasher.

  Sam was already out the door. “Will do,” he called back before closing it behind him.

  Jenny pressed the button that was labelled ‘Intense wash’ and left the kitchen to go and get ready for the day.

  On her way passed Sam’s bedroom she paused when she saw that the door was open. He had actually managed to make the bed. Jeez, he must
be in a good mood, Jenny thought to herself as she closed the door.

  The flat was always quiet when Sam was not around. She did not like being on her own because the place gave her shivers but she never really understood why. The flats in Merchant City were relatively new so there wasn’t much chance that it was haunted, if you believe in that sort of thing of course.

  Jenny and Sam’s flat was decorated according to each of their individual tastes. It was modern and fresh with white and slate grey painted walls and wooden flooring. There were photo frames on the walls all around the flat and there were also frames that included photographs of Sam’s achievements, like the cast on the last night of a sell-out show. There were also posters of his shows and appearances up on the walls of his bedroom.

  Perhaps this made Sam look a little vain, although apart from the frames, Sam never came across as such. He kept himself to himself generally and tried not to be noticed when out on his daily business. He was quite well known in Scotland and not a day went by where someone did not notice him.

  ***

  Sam listened to the ring after punching Deborah’s number into the keypad on his mobile phone. It rang for a few seconds before it connected.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, Deborah? It’s Sam here.”

  “Oh, hello again.” She bit her bottom lip, stunned that he had actually called and so soon after she had left.

  Sam smiled. “You left your bag here last night.”

  “Oh really? I thought I’d left it in the taxi that dropped me home.”

  “Well, would you like it back?” His voice teased her, knowing fine well that she would.

  Deborah hesitated; she really was pleased to hear from him but she was not at all prepared for the call to have come so soon. “Yes I would like it back,” she replied trying to sound as equally teasing as Sam had.

  Sam heard the smile in her voice and he was amazed at how right Jenny had been when she said he would know if he would want to see her again. He knew right then that he did.

  “So, should we meet up and I’ll bring your bag?” Sam asked.

  “Yes, that would be good.”

  Is he asking me on a date or does he just want to hand my bag back?

  Sam knew what he was doing to her and he was enjoying it; he had no intention of hurting her though. “Let me take you out again, properly this time.”

  Deborah tried to control her breathing but felt it impossible. “Ok, where do you want to go?”

  God even his voice is beautiful. Is this really happening?

  “I’ll take you somewhere special.” He was speaking so low it was almost a whisper. “A romantic dinner, wine and maybe back to mine for afters?”

  “Sounds good.” Her throat had become as dry as the Sahara Desert. She found herself clinging to the phone as though it were the most precious thing she owned.

  “Great, I’ll pick you up at seven tonight then.”

  Deborah’s heart fluttered and she panicked. “No, we can meet in town.”

  “You don’t want me to pick you up?” Sam asked.

  “No, I’ll meet you. You could be an axe murderer for all I know. I don’t want you knowing where I live.”

  He heard the playfulness in her tone and he laughed. “Good move, Miss Bell. I’ll meet you at seven at the new Italian restaurant on Argyll Street.”

  “Ok, sounds great. See you tonight, Mr Leonard.”

  They hung up and Deborah noticed that she had backed herself onto the wall in her bedroom as she spoke to Sam. She peeled herself off the wall and made her way into the bathroom.

  As she thought about the man of her dreams, and wondered if seeing him was such a good idea. She couldn’t pretend to know nothing about him, could she? Obviously being a fan and then becoming the date wouldn’t be easy to do, but she was living her dream, so why not?

  She knew she had to, but her big secret wasn’t far from the back of her mind. She had followed Sam’s career for the last three years and watched him become a Scottish star.

  Deborah knew everything that there was to know about Sam Leonard: his career to date, the shows, the television appearances, radio interviews, past girlfriends, everything. It was her knowledge on his previous relationship that she had to keep quiet.

  If she was going to go on this date, it may turn into something serious. She asked herself if she was prepared to deal with a serious relationship with such a high profile man. She may become high profile herself and if she did, she would have so much explaining to do, to a lot of people.

  Deborah put that thought to the back of her mind and decided to enjoy the moments that were to come.

  3

  Sam walked into the café and if he wasn’t hungry before then he was now. He loved the smell of fresh bread and coffee and that was the scent that was invading his nostrils as soon as he was inside the door. He looked for a table and sat down just as a waitress approached him. “You’re Sam Leonard aren’t you?”

  Oh, here we go, he sighed inwardly. “Yes, that’s me.”

  The girl blushed a shade of crimson and handed Sam the lunch menu. “Uh, erm if you need anything at all just ask; my name is Claire.”

  “Thanks Claire.” He took the menu from her, careful not to make skin to skin contact, worried that it may tip the girl over the edge. “I’ll decide what I am having once my friend arrives.”

  Claire, the waitress, scurried back to the counter just as Jenny walked through the door.

  The sound of teacups clinking on saucers and coffee machines hissing made Sam feel relaxed. The cafe was empty except for the waitress, which he was glad for. The surroundings were decorated a mocha colour with leather couches at the waiting area next to the door. There were picture frames all around the place with fifties style photographs inside them.

  “Sorry I’m late; I got sidetracked,” Jenny said as she sat down, fighting with shopping bags which refused to go under the table.

  “By a shoe sale no doubt?” Sam replied.

  “Ha, you know me so well. Fifty percent off, so I bought two pairs.”

  Sam rolled his eyes and raised his hand to alert the waitress. She was at the table in an instant and had an expectant smile across her face. “Yes Sam, what can I get you?”

  Jenny looked at her, then to Sam with a confused expression across her face.

  “I’ll have a chocolate cappuccino and Jenny will have ...”

  Jenny was still confused. “Erm, I’ll have a black tea please.”

  Claire didn’t make eye contact with Jenny as she spoke. She only watched Sam, unaware of his discomfort. She continued to stand at the table after they had given their order, almost in a trance like state.

  “That’ll be all,” Jenny said with a little force.

  Claire snapped back from her trance and blushed a shade of crimson again. “Oh, yes sorry. I’ll be right with you.”

  Sam laughed quietly and shook his head as Claire walked away from their table.

  “Do you know her?” Jenny asked.

  “No,” Sam was still laughing gently.

  “So, how?”

  “A fan most likely. I don’t know. She asked me if I was Sam Leonard and when I said yes she went all weird on me.”

  Jenny began laughing. “We can’t take you anywhere. So how did it go with, Deborah is it?”

  “Actually, I asked her out again,” Sam replied, aware that he was being watched from the counter by the star-struck waitress.

  Jenny followed Sam’s gaze. Jenny caught Claire’s eye and again, her skin became red and blotchy through a mixture of embarrassment and excitement.

  “What is with her? You’d think that she’d never met a famous person before.”

  Sam frowned. “I’m hardly famous, Jenny.”

  “Well she seems to see it that way. I mean look at her. She can’t take her eyes off you!” Jenny raised her tone, knowing Claire would hear her.

  Sam cringed. “What are you doing?”

  “What? She needs to to
ne it down and stop making you uncomfortable.”

  Sam wasn’t sure how to take this one. He knew that Jenny was just looking out for him, but for Christ sake she didn’t have to do it like this.

  “Jenny, it’s fine, honestly. She’s just a little shy. Wouldn’t you be if you were in the presence of someone famous?” He said using his fingers to make inverted commas.

  Jenny sat back in her seat and took a silent, deep breath. Sam looked up at Claire, who had turned her back to their table.

  Sam knew that Jenny was protective of him, especially since the incident from the beginning of a few months ago. “Jenny, it’s ok. We’re just having lunch. It’s all cool, nothing’s wrong here.”

  “I know. I just don’t want you-know-what to happen again.”

  Sam smiled gently. Jenny had been his rock when it had all gone wrong. He knew in his mind that it was unlikely to happen again and Jenny probably did too, but sometimes when it crossed his mind, he couldn’t help but worry about it.

  “Hey, as long as you’re around, I don’t think I have anything to worry about. And don’t you go getting all worried for me. I’m a big boy Jenny; I can handle things on my own.”

  Jenny seemed to relax at his comment. “I know you can. You know what I’m like, and I just couldn’t bear to see you go through that again.”

  “And I won’t. I ended it for a reason and I haven’t heard from her since. It’s all fine now — she’s gone.”

  A few silent moments passed before Claire returned to the table with their order. She smiled gently at Jenny, who returned the smile but only briefly.

  “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Mr Leonard. I didn’t mean to,” Claire said quietly.

  “You didn’t. Thanks,” he replied. He felt sorry for the waitress. The poor girl was only doing her job. He didn’t want Jenny thinking of every female the way she thought about her.

  ‘Her’ was an ex, sort of. Sam had gone on a few dates with her and they had become an item. Sarah was her name, and a nice girl she was too … at first.