by KT King
“I still don’t see why we had to drop everything and come away so quickly!” Varsity moaned, as she rearranged her seat. “I had so much planned this week and next week. You always say we should never go to Barbados ‘til March.”
Collins wasn’t listening and kept looking at his watch every ten seconds. “Your phone’s switched off, isn’t it?” he asked Varsity. She nodded. “Let me check it!” he insisted.
“Yes, I turned it off,” Varsity assured him, but Collins took it off her and shook it this way and that, turned it over, and then on and then off again, until he was satisfied that no one would be able to get in touch with them.
“I should never have listened to Shilty ‘bloody’ Cunningham,” he said, under his breath and into his drink. He had a flashback to the night before, when Shilty Cunningham had appeared, unannounced, at his club.
This is a snippet of what had happened:
Since the residents had voted to save Little Eden, and Robert had awoken from his coma, Lancelot had contacted Shilty to enlist her help. As always, Shilty was a willing player, but she was not in the game for nothing! When Lancelot had agreed to Shilty’s terms - off she trotted to find Collins.
When she arrived at his Gentleman’s Club she found she was barred entry by the Maître d’. “Ladies are not allowed within the inner chambers, madam,” he told her, in a haughty manner.
“Really?” Shilty replied. “You can enforce that legally can you? No! I thought not!” She pushed her way past him and tottered up the stairs, flinging open the double mahogany doors into the main smoking room. Collins was sitting in a racing green leather wing chair, drinking old malt. There were a few gentlemen there, and they all looked up from their newspapers in alarm! Standing before them, in a low-cut dress, her fur coat provocatively falling from her shoulders, and wearing impossibly high-heeled shoes, Shilty was an extremely unexpected sight!
Collins stood up and rushed towards her, still carrying his whisky.
“Shilty!” he said, under his breath. He looked around at his fellow club members and whispered, “Ladies are not allowed up here!”
“Don’t talk such 19th Century tosh!” Shilty replied, as Collins manhandled her out onto the landing. “I’m surprised Robert allows you to still run this place like something out of the dark ages!”
“You want me to join the Women’s Institute to make it equal?” Collins laughed. “What are you doing here?” he asked her, downing his drink.
“We need to talk!” she said. “Somewhere private! Very private!”
Collins smiled. “Really?” In his mind he was about to get lucky! He led her down a burgundy carpeted and heavily decorated corridor, which was lined with portraits of distinguished club members from the distant past. He took her into a small reading room and locked the door. He was sure he was in for an unexpected treat and sat down in a big chair and started to undo his trousers.
Shilty took a cushion and knelt down on it in front of him, resting her hands on his knees. She slid her hands up his thighs and took him gently but firmly in her hands. Smiling up at him, she slowly revealed her breasts, one at a time, from under her vermillion dress and said, in a soft voice, “Now Collins, how about you and I have a little chat?”
“Whatever you say!” Collins smiled, and leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head, ready for pleasure.
“You”…Shilty said, as she caressed him…“You…will accept any deal that Robert puts in front of you…is that clear?”
Collins kept smiling. He was enjoying the glorious sensations rippling through his body.
“You will agree…to whatever Robert wants!” Shilty continued.
“Will I now?” Collins smirked and leaned forward to gaze at her large, soft breasts.
“Yes!” she continued. “You will!”
“And why should I do that?” Collins chuckled.
Shilty suddenly gripped him tightly and he gasped! For a moment he thought she was going to hurt him, but her touch became tender again.
“Because…” she paused and brought him near to climax but then pulled back again… “Because…it’s the right thing to do!”
A few minutes later, Shilty licked her lips and stood up. Then, leaning in so she was face to face with him, she looked him in the eye and added, “And because if you don’t, I will tell Varsity what you get up to behind her back!”
Collins suddenly felt very sober and zipped himself up quickly; almost catching himself in his flies as he did so.
“You can’t!” he stuttered. He was trying to take in what she was meaning. “Besides, if you tell Varsity, Robert will find out about us and you will lose him!”
Shilty smiled. “We both want money, Collins, and I for one do not intend to wait twenty years and go through all that legal wrangling to get it! I see it this way. You give me fifty million for brokering the deal and you’ll be a billionaire within two years. Lancelot is offering to buy you out. No long wait, no court, no costs. You get your money and your freedom and Robert gets to keep his precious Little Eden, so it’s a win, win!”
“That’s blackmail, or extortion, or something of that sort!” he replied, his mind racing.
“Collins! Darling! It’s just a little gift from one friend to another - nothing more than that,” Shilty replied. “I mean, if you would rather give Robin Shaft forty percent - then be my guest.”
“I’ll tell Robert about you and me first!” Collins threatened.
“No, I don’t think you will tell him. You don’t have the balls. And as for Varsity, it’s not just me, now, is it? I wouldn’t want her to find out about all the others you play around with as well.” Shilty had a wicked twinkle in her eye. She loved life! She always saw it as a constant game of poker. You win some, you lose some: but you always have to take a chance!
Collins felt sick. He really thought he might throw up. “You wouldn’t!” he said, trying to read her face. He knew full well that she was right about Varsity. She wouldn’t stay with him if she found out he had been sleeping with other women, on a regular basis, behind her back. She was already getting disappointed with him in so many other ways. He couldn’t quite make up his mind which he was most scared of - his mother’s disapproval, missing out on being a billionaire, or losing Varsity and his unborn child. He didn’t like losing in general, and he felt between several rocks and a hard place on this one.
Shilty pulled her fur coat around her. “Rather settle to suit Robert and settle quickly! Then you can walk away with your share, sooner rather than later. And, I suppose you have heard that you might not get a penny if they find your mysterious Uncle Frith.”
“Who?”
“Some uncle of Lucas’s apparently,” Shilty replied. “Lancelot tells me they thought he was dead but turns out he may well be alive and kicking, and if they can locate him, Lucas will have to give up his place on the Trust. Who knows, maybe this uncle will have a soft spot for heritage and old chateaux? I would take the deal on the table and not risk waiting to see if this Frith can be found.”
Collins grumbled under his breath and looked around to see if there was anything to drink in the room. He saw a decanter of port, near the window, and poured himself a glass. “When did you become so bothered about Little Eden?” he mumbled.
“Oh, I don’t know!” Shilty replied, in a smooth voice. “Maybe I fancy being lady of the manor after all!”
“But it’s not up to me!” Collins bleated and turned to face her. He suddenly looked like a naughty schoolboy. “It’s Mother who calls the shots!”
Shilty got her phone out of her handbag and started scrolling down the contacts. “Now, where is that number?” She said, out loud, “V…v…ah…”
“Alright!” Collins exclaimed. “Alright! I’ll make a deal. Tell Lancelot to put something on the table.” He had to admit that being a billionaire in just two years, without a legal
fight, trumped his mother’s disappointment that Little Eden would not be destroyed as she had hoped after all.
“Good boy!” Shilty said, patronisingly. “Lancelot will be waiting for you at the law offices in one hour.” As she opened the door, she suddenly turned back and added, “Now that didn’t take much, did it? Just some big tits and a blow job!”
She winked and closed the door behind her.
~ * ~
The plane finally started to taxi along the runway and Collins heaved a huge sigh of relief. When they were airborne he admitted to Varsity that he had signed a deal with Lancelot to wait for a cash sum in place of selling Little Eden.
“You haven’t told your mother, have you?” Varsity guessed.
Collins shook his head and held her hand.
Varsity leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. She felt a sudden wave of nausea come over her at the thought of Jennifer’s wrath. She wondered if this was to be just a couple of weeks at their villa or if she might never see London again!
~ * ~
Meanwhile…lying in her oversized bed in Bartlett Crescent, Jennifer watched Robin Shaft button up his shirt.
She was in shock!
Robin had just received a phone call which had caused him to jump out of bed. His surprise soon turned to anger. He threw the phone onto the chair and began getting dressed. He was too furious to speak at first. Looking at Jennifer, lying amongst the peach silk sheets, he felt pure hatred towards her. Without money, she was no use to him, and yet she was the most stunningly beautiful woman he had ever had on his arm - or on top of him, for that matter! In that moment, however, he despised her and desired her, in equal measure. He had to restrain himself from wanting to strangle her, whilst at the same time wanting to thrust himself inside her.
He stormed out - still half dressed - carrying his jacket and tie with him.
Jennifer pulled on her yukata and followed him downstairs. She begged him not to leave and to explain what the phone call had been about.
But Robin Shaft has three very strong principles, from which he never veers, under any circumstances:
1.Get money
2.Get more money
3.Get some more money
He slammed the front door behind him and was gone.
Jennifer sat down on the bottom step of the stairs and stared blankly at the doorway. Dyson came quietly out of the kitchen carrying a cup of tea and he handed it to her, without saying a word. Jennifer absent-mindedly took it from him and sipped it.
Then she burst into tears.
~ * ~
Back at the hospital, Robert had had extensive tests and there was no sign of brain or lasting nerve damage - much to everyone’s relief!
The welcome news that Collins had agreed to take the cash payoff helped him feel better much quicker, and whilst he did not like the idea of being a suspect for manslaughter, he was sure that justice would prevail.
Whilst unconscious, Robert had had some amazing and indescribable visions. In fact, you could say, that Robert had been on a transcendental adventure. Out of the confines of his physical body, his consciousness had been able to expand in a way that takes most people years of practice. Robert had seen the universe from the inside out, and he had witnessed Old Father Time holding the solar system in his hands like a child’s mobile. He had talked with Mother Mary and Merlin. He had taken tea with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. He had gone walkabout in the Australian desert and he had ridden on the back of Ganeshe, through forests and up into the snowy mountains. He had travelled through the history of human consciousness, as if he were seeing the whole cosmos from inside a pop-up book.
He had started out lying on a beach. He just gazed out at the ocean and the stars for several days. Then he found a cave, in which there was a pharmacy of coloured bottles and potions, laid out on stone shelves, in front of a shallow pool of water. Once he had dived into the pool, or rather, had been pushed by an invisible hand into it, he had arrived at the edge of into a deep and vast canyon. Slowly, a rainbow bridge had materialised and he had spent several days crossing the enchanted arch to visit various dimensions and timeframes.
The evening that Melanie had nearly killed him, he was back on the beach and a shimmering staircase, made entirely of droplets of water, materialised out of the ocean waves. He climbed the set of ghostly and ethereal steps and found the mystical stairway took him up to a luminous palace, carved out of mist and sea spray. He was faced with monumental gold doors, which seemed so tremendously high, as to disappear into the Milky Way. Once inside, he found himself in an imposing chamber, which appeared similar in design to an immense Gothic cathedral. The floor was so shiny it looked as if it would be as slippery as an ice rink. Vast columns rose upwards into the stratosphere and an imperial golden throne awaited him in the middle of this majestic chamber. He sat for a few moments, before eight glimmering lions walked slowly out from the shadows and sat, like guardians, around his grand seat.
Suddenly, the imperial chair felt as if it were being plunged into the earth like an elevator falling out of control. Energy rushed through his body from head to toe! It was as if every atom in his body was racing into the centre of the planet at an alarming rate.
Just as suddenly as the sensation had begun, it ceased and he came to rest, still sitting on his throne. He realised that he was inside another chamber, similar to the first, only now the gigantic pillars were made of luminescent crystal and they were holding up the centre of the Earth.
A tall wizard dressed in a midnight blue hat and cloak, studded with silver stars and moons, appeared in front of him. The wizard seemed to have been expecting Robert and strangely, Robert felt quite at home. What he was shown there would change his perspective on life forever.
Coming out of the chamber he arrived back on the beach, just as Melanie arrived in his hospital room.
As for the rest, dear readers, you already know what happened next!
~ * ~
Over at the Daisy Chain, Minnie and Alice tried to persuade Linnet to come to the Memorial Concert, but to their dismay they had found her passed out on the living room floor, surrounded by several empty wine bottles. She was too heavy for them to lift, and after a few minutes of trying to roll her over, with no success, Alice finally fetched her a pillow and a duvet and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. She sat on the floor next to her mum for a while, listening to her breathing and occasionally snoring. Then she snuggled down onto her mother’s belly, she was so afraid that she was losing her mummy forever and began to cry.
When Linnet finally woke up, Minnie made her some milk thistle and ginger tea, and gave her copious amounts of water and some headache tablets. Minnie helped Linnet shower and then held back her hair as she threw up, put her back into the shower again, and plied her with more liquids.
“You can’t go on like this!” Minnie told Linnet, when she was finally able to eat some hot buttered toast and actually listen to her. “It’s not just about you!” Minnie lowered her voice, so that Alice could not hear her from her bedroom, where she was getting ready for the concert. “Alice took the worst of it and she isn’t acting like it’s the end of the world. You mustn’t let Marcus get into your head like this! He’s dead now! He can’t hurt you anymore, but you are hurting yourself and Alice by not letting go.”
Linnet began to sob into her tea and toast. “I can’t seem to get him out of my head!” Linnet wailed. “He’s all I think about. I have nightmares that he is still trying to kill me. They are so real, Minnie, I can feel someone pressing down the mattress next to me and then the duvet seems to move on its own. I can hear someone breathing and I start to panic and it’s like I’m paralysed! I try and reach for the lamp but I can feel invisible hands around my neck and sharp finger nails cutting into my skin. I have to scream at myself to wake up! Oh! Minnie, I’m so frightened!”
“Why don’t
you go and see Silvi Swan for some therapy? It might help,” Minnie said, kindly; not really knowing what else to suggest - never having had such night terrors herself.
Linnet sniffed and pulled her hand away from Minnie’s. “I had therapy seven years ago and it didn’t do any bloody good. Talking about it! Talking about it over and over till I got bored of my own voice! Ten sessions of: What do you think? How does that make you feel? How do you think you’ll move forward? Blah, blah, f**king blah!”
“But, you only had ordinary counselling!” Minnie replied. “Maybe you need something more in-depth?”
“What, like lock me up in looney bin you mean?” Linnet said, angrily.
“No! That’s not what I mean at all!” Minnie replied, a little frustrated. “I meant inner-child work, past life therapy, post trauma therapy maybe. I don’t know what exactly. Sophie would probably say that you need to clear some karma between you and Marcus - that kind of thing!”
“Well, you won’t get any of that on the NHS!” Linnet scoffed.
“No, you won’t, but Silvi can help you,” Minnie replied, pouring Linnet some more tea.
“And where do you suggest I get the money from to go and see Silvi Swan?” Linnet moaned.
Minnie shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know! Maybe if you didn’t spend all this money on wine, you’d have enough for some therapy sessions?” Minnie said, impatiently. “And then, there’s your gym membership - that you never use! I can think of several things you could do to find the money. You could give up shopping for clothes for a few months whilst you concentrate on getting well on the inside.”
Linnet just looked aghast at Minnie and pushed away the rest of her unfinished toast. “You have no idea what my life is like!” she said, with venom. “You! With your vintage dresses and your bunting, and everything so goddamn perfect! You don’t know what suffering is! What real pain is!”