Kelly came to them uncertainly, and Shirley steered her into the store room behind the bar. “Midge says to take your clothes off, and she"s gone for some towels.”
“Towels? Why?”
“Er – I don"t know. Anyway, undress and she"ll explain everything.”
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Kelly pulled her top off over her head and threw it onto a stack of beer cartons. Her denim skirt followed, and she unhooked
her bra. Her breasts were small and soft, with large dark nipples. She was standing in panties and stay-up stockings when Midge returned, carrying towels.
“Oh, that"s good. The guys like stockings. Just lose the panties, love. You can keep your shoes on.” She turned to Shirley. “Shirl, Japan wants you to take care of her. I"ll go and put this towel over the edge of the table, to make her comfortable. You hold her hand, right? We don"t want to hurt her, but don"t talk to her or interfere or Japan"ll go nuts. Now, Kelly, you ready?” Kelly bit her lip, and nodded.
“Right, Shirl. Wait a minute and take her out.”
Shirley reached for Kelly"s hand. The girl came to her and stood close enough for their shoulders to touch. Shirley steered her to the doorway and pushed her through. The room erupted into cheers and clapping, and Kelly hesitated. She looked smaller without her clothes, and now Shirley could see she had an ornate blazon tattooed across her back, just below her waist.
“Come on, Virgin!” ordered Japan. “Round this side of the table.”
She walked uncertainly towards the men waiting on the other side of the table. An incongruous plate of condoms sat near one of the corner pockets. Midge had placed the folded towel over the table edge, and Kelly went to it and bent forward to settle her hips. She rested her elbows on the green baize and looked at Shirley. Her face betrayed nothing. “Way-hey! Look at that arse!” exclaimed Japan, and gave it a slap. “I"m going to enjoy this.” He moved behind her, unzipping his jeans.
From the other side of the table, Shirley reached out and held one of Kelly"s hands as Japan lined himself up. He butted his hips against Kelly, and she winced and lowered her head to the table.
“OK?” whispered Shirley. Kelly closed her eyes and hid her face as Japan moved hard and fast inside her. Soon, much sooner than she had expected, Shirley saw Japan stiffen and push forward,
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holding himself still, eyes closed and an expression of concentration on his face. Abruptly, he relaxed and moved away. He had not worn a condom. Heading for the exit, he zipped himself up and left. Shirley heard his feet on the stairs.
Their leader gone, the rest of the men were in a hurry to take their share of pleasure. The first of them had already rolled on a condom and settled into place. He too was a man in a hurry, simply wanting to climax as fast as possible. Kelly gave no sign of life when his thrusting accelerated and stopped, or when he was replaced by another man, and yet another.
They were standing silently around Kelly, staring at her naked body as they waited their turn. Their zips were open and some had rolled condoms on ready for action.
Kelly looked up. Her face was flushed and she had a remote
look in her eyes. They had been using her for some time now, more than quarter of an hour Shirley thought, and most of the men had taken their turn. The crowd behind her had not diminished. They were waiting for a second chance.
Shirley squeezed her hand and she was alive enough to squeeze back. “I"m OK,” she said quietly.
Kelly was being hammered by a wiry old man. He was taking much longer than the others, perhaps already having a second helping.
“Come on, John,” someone said, “Let her have it.”
The old man grunted, “Oh, to hell with it!” and stepped back to let another man in. He stripped off his condom, fastened his zip and went to the bar. On the pool table, the game continued. Kelly was resting on her elbows, and she looked uncomfortable.
“You OK?” asked Shirley.
“Yes .” and she lowered her forehead to the table.
The men had begun talking now, urging each other on and cheering a good finish. “She looks fucking lovely,” said a voice. “I could fuck that all night.”
“Get in line, you bastard. There"s plenty for everyone.”
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“She"s getting loose,” said someone else. “I"d like to have
her arse.”
“No chance! You heard what Japan said. You want her arse, you"ll have to be polite to her tomorrow, and bring her roses or something.”
“An arse like that"d be worth it!”
Kelly was looking at Shirley now. Tears were running down her cheeks. She wanted help and she gripped Shirley"s hand hard with both of hers.
“Stop?” whispered Shirley, and Kelly nodded.
Without thinking about it, Shirley went around the table again and pushed her way between the girls and her admirers. “That"s it, guys. She can"t take any more. No more tonight.”
“Get out of the way, Shirl. We haven"t finished.”
“No, you can"t. She"s crying. It"s over.” She took Kelly by the shoulder and pulled her upright. With an arm around her shoulders, Shirley led the weeping girl back to the store room and her clothes. Japan was back and standing behind the bar. He watched without saying anything. She closed the door to shut out the noise of the bar, and sat Kelly down on a stack of beer cartons. She slumped to put her face between her hands and sobbed.
Shirley slipped out to retrieve the towels from the pool
table. When she got back, Kelly was still sniffling. She moved some cartons beside her and sat with her arm around the girl. “How are you feeling now? Better?”
“I couldn"t do it. I wanted to join and... It"s no good now.”
“What are you talking about? You did it. Everyone there had you, at least once. What more do you want?”
“But they hadn"t finished.”
Shirley found it hard to believe what she was hearing. “Don"t be silly. Of course you did it. I"m sure they"ll let you stay now.” She did not add that she was sure Kelly could have stayed even without offering herself around.
“Really? You think so?” Kelly looked at her earnestly, tissues still bunched in her hand.
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“Of course. You"ve done really well. Midge told me that she did not do that much, and look at her now. Come on, cheer up. Let"s get your clothes on, and we"ll go back to the others. Show them you don"t care.”
As soon as Shirley opened the door to lead Kelly out, the room broke into cheers and clapping. Kelly stood straighter and smiled. Clearly she felt she had gone from despair to stardom in seconds, and she stepped happily into the crowd of men competing to buy her a beer.
Shirley joined Midge behind the bar. She felt shaken by the whole experience. “So that"s Makepeace River Pool.”
“Yeah. Makes you want to join right in, I don"t think! And look at her now, as if she"d just won an Olympic medal or something. At least I wasn"t that bad.”
“She"s so stupid. She was crying because she had to stop before they had finished.”
Midge snorted. “She"d have to have a leather cunt to outlast that lot. I think I"ll give her some antibiotics and cream. You can score yourself a nice little bladder infection or thrush when you"ve been that enthusiastic.”
When she climbed the stairs after shutting the bar down, she found Midge waiting for her.
“You"ve pissed him off, Shirl. He says you shouldn"t have stopped things without asking him first. I"ve got to chain you up again.”
Now Shirley could see Midge was holding the handcuffs again. “Oh no! Can"t I... Can I speak to him?”
“Don"t bother, love. Better to do what he says or you"ll really upset him. Come on, I"ll make sure you"re comfortable, and I"ll come and get you early.” She followed Shirley up to her platform and waited until she had rolled out her b
ed, before chaining her wrist to the base of a stanchion. “See you then, Shirl. I"ll try to get up here early. Sleep well.”
Once she had gone, Shirley experimented. She could sit or kneel to peer through the rails, or she could lie in her sleeping bag.
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She might be able to wave to Tom, but could not go down to meet him.
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Chapter 21
Waiting for Tom was difficult and Shirley let herself doze. It was a disturbed sleep, limited by her cuffed hand. The moon came up and she positioned herself to scan the car park through her railings. She saw nothing moving in the washed out colours and deep shadows below.
Tom woke her when he climbed up her ladder. A wave of joy flooded through her at the sight of his big round face and dishevelled hair. She could see his teeth twinkle as he smiled, and she held up her shackled hand for him to inspect.
Moving carefully, he climbed on the platform and leaned over her. He smelt sour and unwashed. He twisted the chain
between his fingers for a moment, and brought his mouth to her ear.
“Bugger!”
He sat back and thought for a moment. He came to her ear
again. “Tomorrow, same time. I"ll cut it.”
She put her free hand around his shoulder and pulled herself
close to his ear. “No shoes,” she whispered. He nodded.
She tried again, “No clothes.”
He smiled at her and whispered “I know. Pretty!”
She hugged him and he held still for a moment before
leaving.
From her sleeping bag a long time later, she saw his shadowed figure slip across the car park and down the road.
Midge came for her late, and that meant an undignified dash for the toilet. Midge was frying bacon when Shirley returned.
“Sorry „bout that, Shirl. He wouldn"t let me come any earlier. You definitely pissed him off last night.”
“Oh well, not much I can do about it now. I wonder how Kelly is this morning. She looked as if she was really hurting at the end.”
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“I expect she"s walking around bow-legged, if she"s out of bed at all. I hope she took that medicine. Anyway, it"s her own stupid fault.
“Shirl, Japan"s not finished with you yet. I could see he was thinking up something to punish you, and just now he"s told me you"ve got to get a tattoo. Something to remember him by, I suppose. Raylene"ll do it. She"s a real artist.”
“But I don"t want a tattoo!”
“Oh, they"re not so bad. Look at mine – I love them.” Midge stood with arms wide and pirouetted to show off her ornaments. The curlicues entwined her body, flowering from her hips and making her look as if she were emerging from a giant blue orchid. “But you don"t have to do yours like this. I heard him on the phone to Raylene and he didn"t say anything about size. He only said „a tattoo". Just get a small one, and hide it away somewhere. You probably won"t be here long enough for Raylene to do anything big.”
Shirley thought about it. She"d considered getting a tattoo, of course. They were very fashionable, but mostly for young and crazy girls. None of her friends had got one. Still, they seemed pretty common in Australia, and she wouldn"t have minded if it had been her own choice. Japan was invading her again. Just as in her house, and making her get rid of her hair. He wanted to tame her, let her know even her body was not hers any more. She thought about resisting, but could not imagine how. She shrugged and lied. “Oh well, I was thinking about getting one anyway. I hope your Raylene has some pretty patterns.”
Midge seemed relieved. “Oh yes. She"s the best. We"ll call
her as soon as you"ve had your breakfast.”
Raylene was a tall, skinny woman with a severe white face and long hair, dyed jet black. She was waiting in an armchair outside her caravan when Midge and Shirley pulled up on the quad.
“Hey, Midge. Come do the Lord"s bidding?” She spoke with an American accent.
“Well, you know,” said Midge, with a touch of embarrassment. “He calls the shots, I suppose.”
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“What about you, Shirl? You OK with it? I"m not meant to do tattoos on anyone who"s drunk or forced to it.”
“Yeah – I"m OK, I think. As long as it"s not too big. And I want a gentle one, no Death"s Head or spikes, or anything.”
“That"s the way. I"ll show you the book in a minute. Like a coffee?”
While they sipped their coffees, Raylene spread her work folder on the table between them. “What do you think you"d like? A flower? Animal, bird? Or just curls – I can do them without a pattern if you give me an idea of what you like.”
“How big will it be?”
“Exactly the same size as the pic. What you see is what you get, „cept for the colour. I can change that a bit, but I don"t have the full range. Keep it simple"s my advice. They age better when they"re simple.”
Shirley leafed through the thick folder. It was packed with sheets of black and white designs, arranged by size and by subject. Between them were much large pictures of ornate, stylised figures surrounded by curls and drapery. Some of these were in striking colours. Fit to be framed and hung on the wall.
Now she had resigned herself, Shirley did not want to hurry. “You"re American, Raylene?”
“Used to be, Hon, used to be. Been in Oz for years now.”
“Do you ever go back?”
Raylene grinned at Midge and said, “No chance. Got out of there one step ahead of the fuzz. That"s what you get for hanging around with dope-head boyfriends. They never charged me, thank God, so I could settle here. Japan got me a police report from over there, and here was no problem. I"m a True Blue Aussie now. Couldn"t go back anyway. They"d probably throw my ass in jail for not paying taxes or something.”
“You must like it here.”
“Yeah. Not so bad. I"ve got friends in Cairns, I can run
down there in the season and work flat out in a tattoo parlour for all
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the foreign students. Make a bunch of money, and come up here to recover again. Get some peace on the Makepeace.”
Midge put in, “Raylene writes. Books and things.”
“Yeah, well. I try. There"s no money in books. Sometimes I do a bit in a travel magazine, send down a few pics as well. I get more out of that than books, but it still wouldn"t feed you.
“Come on, girl. What do you want?”
The folder was open at a page of moons and stars. A Man in the Moon stared across the page. He came in several sizes. Shirley liked his knowing grin, and pointed him out. “What size would I want?”
“Depends where you want to put it? Put that one in the middle of your back, and it"d get lost.”
“I hadn"t thought. Somewhere out of sight, though.”
Shirley looked down at her naked body. Where could she hide a Man in the Moon?
“I could put it here,” said Raylene, touching the side of her breast. “That"d be hidden when you"re wearing a bra.”
Shirley winced at the thought, but Midge rescued her. “No, not there. Put it here.” She spread her legs and pointed at a spot high up on the inside of her thigh. “That way, he"ll be out of sight, but anyone who sees him will think he"s peeping at your pussy.”
Raylene clapped her hands. “Yes! Great, Midge. Let"s do that.”
As they rode back to the dredge, Shirley was pondering on her life on the Makepeace. She had caught herself thinking about work that needed to be done to the bar, and ways to make it more homely. Only a few days, and already she was settling in. Not for much longer, she told herself. Tom will come for me tonight and you won"t catch me on the Makepeace again. Not that she"d mind visiting Midge, of course. Midge was nice. There was a little of the mother hidden in her.
Shirley had a bandage around th
e top of her thigh. Bigger than necessary, but they had done that as disguise. They did not want Japan to question the size of the tattoo. The quad swayed and
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bumped as Midge negotiated the sharp corners of the track. Shirley was holding onto her hips. Being naked felt quite normal now and she thought little of it. Getting back to Port Bruce and wearing clothes would be an imposition. They parked the quad and climbed up into the dredge.
“That Raylene seems nice,” said Shirley.
“Yes, she"s good. I always go to her if I need to talk about something. She"s very calm. I don"t think you could really piss her off if you tried. Except by calling her Morticia. She doesn"t like that.”
Shirley clapped her hands in surprise and laughed. “You shouldn"t have told me. It"s exactly right, and I won"t be able to think of her any other way now.”
“Don"t try it,” warned Midge. “No, she"s alright. Got more brains than most of the folk here. Don"t know why she stays. I suppose the quiet up here can get hold of you. She"s got the internet, you know. You saw that satellite dish? Well, she"s all hooked up and she can send emails. She"s like our Post Office, and we all chip in a bit. I can write to my kids and so on.”
“Where does all the money come from, Midge? I mean, you"ve got a little town here, with electricity and so on. It all costs money.”
“Yes, well... The stuff they make, you know. That brings in quite a bit. Japan hands out cash every month to all the guys and some of the girls too. Most of them are on Centre Link as well. You know, social security, but they keep quiet about that because they don"t believe in the government, even if they take its money. Some of them have got bits of property around the place. If you"ve got rent coming in from a house in Sydney, you"ve got plenty of money to live up here. Some of them do things, rebuild bikes and stuff, but I think they spend as much as they earn on that.”
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