‘You okay?’ Lynne asked. ‘You look a little flushed. Not coming down with anything, are you?
Finding that she couldn’t contain her thoughts, she nodded her head in Aaron’s direction. ‘We had a thing on Saturday evening,’ she said.
Lynne gasped. ‘You had a thing! That’s fantastic news. Although about bloody time, if you ask me. He’s been laying it on so thick that everyone knows how much he fancies you. He adores you and worships the ground –’
‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ Charley broke in. ‘And fancies? That’s such a teenage word.’
‘But it’s true! You don’t see what I do. I’m so glad you got together. Are you seeing him again? Please tell me you are.’
Charley smiled. ‘I am.’
‘And what about the whole working together thing?’
‘We’re only going out for a pizza.’
‘I know but a-one-a-pizza-leads-a-to-another.’ Lynne’s phoney Italian accent had Charley practically spitting out her coffee.
‘Very funny.’
‘I suppose the only thing I really want to know is,’ she leaned forward for more privacy, ‘is he good in the sack?’
‘I can tell you, but I would have to kill you.’ Charley smirked. She knew that Lynne would be after the gossip straightaway so she would enjoy holding back from her. And she’d have to let people think otherwise rather than tell them the truth. Stripping off and then passing out – she was never going to admit to that!
‘At least that explains your chin.’ Lynne pointed an accusatory finger at her. ‘Stubble rash!’
Charley’s fingers touched the spot where her skin felt raw. She’d tried her best to conceal the redness with foundation that morning. But she grinned at the memories it brought to mind.
‘I haven’t had a proper snog like that in a good while,’ she admitted.
‘Tell me about it,’ Lynne piped up. ‘I don’t miss a man for some things but for others…’
‘So have you never since Derek?’
‘No.’ Lynne sighed. ‘I’m not sure I’d trust a man again after what happened. I feel much safer on my own. Sad, but it’s the way it has to be. But, you,’ she pointed at Charley again, ‘you, my dear, deserve a little happiness. You’re far too young to be on your own forever. I have twenty years on you.’
‘Oh, no, he’s coming over with Gavin,’ Charley whispered. She bobbed her head down behind the computer screen, feeling the heat building up on her cheeks again.
Lynne twirled round in her chair with a crafty smile. ‘Morning, guys. Did you have a good weekend?’
‘Yes, ta, Lynne,’ said Aaron.
‘Me too – or at least I think I did, from what I can remember.’ Gavin screwed up his face. ‘I don’t think I’ve slept since Friday.’
‘Sounds like someone else not so far from me.’ As Charley glared at her, Lynne turned her attention back to Aaron. ‘Get up to much, did you? Anything new and exciting?’
‘No – pub with the lads on Saturday and football on Sunday.’
‘And did you score?’
‘Oh, I scored,’ Aaron nodded. ‘But it was a bit of a home goal. I’m hoping to get a better shot at it next time, though.’ He grinned at Charley. ‘Did you have a good weekend? Fun in Hanley?’
‘I did.’ She felt her cheeks burning up again and cursed inwardly.
‘Did you score a home goal this weekend too?’ Lynne asked with mock innocence.
Gavin turned with a frown. ‘Have I missed something?’
‘She was definitely playing away.’ Aaron threw his head back and laughed. Charley felt her eyes immediately drawn to the neck of his shirt where a few dark hairs curled up sexily on display. She remembered seeing them on his chest yesterday morning, running a hand over them as they had snuggled up together. She wondered when she would see them again, if…
She jumped as he waved a hand in front of her face.
‘Dreaming of someone wonderful?’
‘I – I…’ She picked up her mug, which was still full of the drink she’d made only fifteen minutes ago. ‘Coffee, anyone?’
Ella lay alone in her bed, not wanting to get up to face the day. Her fingertips trailed across her chest and up and down her stomach, sending aches through her body. Even though she’d gone out for sex the night before, she couldn’t stop thinking about Charley: the way she held her head when she laughed; her bare shoulders as they’d sat close when they were chatting in The Exchange; the way she’d tried to encourage her to look at the positive in everything. She was playing hard to get, Ella was sure.
Last week she’d imagined them going out again this evening or, at least, sharing a bottle of wine and having a giggle. Like friends do – everything together. But that had all stopped because of Aaron. She wondered if Charley had even thought about her the night before, or had all her feelings been about him? Damn the man for getting under her skin. She hoped it would all fizzle out after a couple of dates.
The photograph thing mustn’t have worked either. Had the cube stayed balanced on the edge or had it toppled over before she’d got back? Ella had hoped it would upset Charley enough for her to come knocking, distressed by memories and feeling unfaithful towards Dan. But there had been nothing, so at eight thirty she’d gone out. It hadn’t been spectacular but at least she’d satisfied the urge – just like old times.
She stretched. What on earth was she going to do with her day? Ah, yes, Google time. With a purpose now, she jumped out of bed. Then she paused – where the hell would the file be? She glanced around the chaos of the room before spotting a yellow cardboard folder on her desk, in the middle of a pile of newspapers. She pushed it all to the floor and flicked through its contents. Then her hand fell on the rent agreement.
She located her laptop and logged onto the internet, clicking first on Google Street Maps. Within moments, she was looking at the house Charley had shared with Dan. It was nothing special in size, one of several detached properties in a line, but it was a home to be proud of. All fresh paint and weed-free block paving on the driveway, with room for two cars. The front door was painted a welcoming pillar-box red, the garden neat and tidy. It had certainly had some love and attention given to it.
But the one thing that stood out to Ella was that it looked homely and inviting. Her eyes brimmed with tears. Why couldn’t she have had that? She knew she might have settled if she had.
Like hell you would. You’re a waste of space.
‘How would you know?’ Ella wiped at her tears and clicked on print. She’d keep the photo to look at. One day she would have a home like that.
Yeah, IF you can ever act like a normal human being.
‘I am normal!’
Not if you stop taking those tablets.
Tuesday evening came round before Charley knew it. Absent-mindedly, she wrung her hands as she glanced up and down the avenue, waiting to spot Aaron’s car. Her mind was obsessing over whether it was better to go straight out to greet him or for him to call in for her. If she went out to him, he might think she didn’t want him inside her flat. If she invited him in, would he think she was offering more than she was willing to give yet? But then he had been really sincere on Saturday night. And despite the banter with Lynne and Gavin yesterday morning, Aaron hadn’t mentioned it to anyone else.
What should she do? It felt as if she hadn’t known him for years, as if he was someone she was meeting for the very first time. Should she go out or stay in? The question ate her up inside so much that she felt a little queasy. She rushed to the bathroom, holding onto the sink for support, praying that the nausea would pass.
She grinned at her reflection in the mirror, eyes all bright and shiny despite how she was feeling: better not tell Aaron that she was sick at the thought of seeing him again.
Her mobile phone beeped and she rushed to it, all of a panic aga
in. Don’t say he was going to be late – or worse, call the whole thing off. She opened the message: it was from Ella.
‘Do you fancy meeting up tonight? I’ve made too much pasta this time.’
Charley sighed. It was the second night in a row she’d had a message like that. Last night, she’d genuinely been tired after the weekend’s events caught up with her so she’d had a long bath followed by an early night in bed with Ian Rankin – she’d found it hard to put down his latest book.
At the time, she’d sent a message back to decline but had received no reply. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to spend time with Ella, just that she didn’t want to be with her too much. They were only neighbours – it wouldn’t do to be too friendly. She decided not to text her now.
But a few minutes later, there was a knock at her front door. She frowned and went to answer it – had she missed Aaron’s arrival?
Ella stood in the hallway smiling at her, barefoot and wearing only a dressing gown. Charley noticed a bruise on her right knee before catching her eye.
‘I’ve ran out of sugar.’ Ella held up a cup. ‘Do you mind if I pinch a bit from you?’
‘Sorry,’ said Charley. ‘I don’t take sugar so I can’t help you there.’
‘You haven’t brought any in for visitors?’
‘No, sorry.’
A car horn peeped outside.
‘I suppose that’s Aaron?’ Ella snapped.
Charley frowned. What was with Ella’s sharp tone?
‘Yes,’ she told her, ignoring it for now. ‘We’re going out this evening. I’m a little bit nervous about it if I’m –’
Ella put up a hand and stopped her in mid sentence. ‘Yeah, I know. Off with him again. No time for me.’
Charley couldn’t ignore her hostility this time. ‘Ella, I think –’
‘Have fun.’
Ella was already halfway up the stairs when a knock came at the entrance door. Charley rushed to it.
‘Hi.’ Aaron smiled, looking as self-conscious as she felt.
‘Hi, yourself.’ She beamed and then blushed. Shocked by the juvenile feelings taking over her, she beckoned him in. Instantly, she forgot the weird conversation with Ella.
‘You look gorgeous.’ Aaron drew her into his arms and kissed her lightly on her mouth. ‘Mmm, you smell gorgeous too.’
‘Thanks.’
Charley cringed inwardly. Thanks – is that all she could come up with? She would have been better saying she ‘carried a watermelon’ like Baby in Dirty Dancing. All at once her skin burned up again. If she was blushing now, how was she going to get through the night?
From her window, Ella looked down as Aaron opened the car door for Charley; watched her slide into the passenger seat of the car, short skirt, legs on show but covered with opaque black tights, and heels. She scowled – Charley was all smiles and girlish flicks of her hair. A laugh came up through the open window to taunt her. It was just as well they were going out, though, as Michael would be here in forty minutes.
Earlier, she hadn’t been thinking of meeting anyone, hoping that Charley would reply to her text message and say she was available to meet this time. But she hadn’t, and she’d rudely dismissed her when she’d gone downstairs in search of sugar that she didn’t need. In her anger, she’d texted Michael with her address. He was free – although she didn’t plan on letting him stay long. Ella intended to spend the rest of the night pleasuring herself. She’d found a new soft porn website that morning. There were lots of interesting pictures and articles that would entertain her for hours.
Suddenly, she spotted a shadow in the window of number thirty-six. Ah, she smiled. Jake was on the prowl again. Ella liked Jake, thought he was cute; wondered if he was a virgin or if he’d popped his cherry yet. Not sure of his age, she recalled seeing him one night in a bar, found him attractive then, too, in an older-woman-shags-boy kind of way. She knew she shouldn’t but she really wanted to seduce him. Maybe he’d come up to her flat one day and she would let him screw her in the window, in full view of everyone who wanted to watch. Jean, for one – she was always watching.
Her hand slipped inside her open dressing gown and she began to caress her naked skin above her pubic bone. Across from side to side, gently, never taking her eyes from Jake. Knowing he could see her turned her on even more. She might as well give him something to watch.
While she stroked her skin, her eyes moved across to Jean’s window but she couldn’t see her. Now, that was a surprise, and a disappointment, she realised. She’d caught her on numerous occasions watching while she masturbated in the window, or once or twice as she’d been screwed by some young stud who wouldn’t give up until he’d come three or four times in one session.
The orgasm was quick; she was hot because she knew she was being watched. Ella moved from the window to take a shower. Whilst in there, she masturbated twice more, then again in the bedroom, and had to shower again. At this rate, when her date turned up she would be spent but sometimes the urge took over. She needed release and she needed it now.
She hated being rejected.
This was all Charley’s fault.
Chapter Sixteen
Still naked when Michael arrived, Ella pulled her dressing gown on again and went downstairs to let him in. She opened the door, pleasantly surprised. Wearing a charcoal suit, a white shirt open slightly at the neck, and dark hair gelled back enough to look sexy as hell, her date seemed like he was ready to take her out to dinner. Ella liked that – the fact he’d made an effort for her, not knowing what to expect; not knowing whether they would go out or stay in. It was a shame that it would be wasted. All she wanted was to see him naked.
‘Cassandra?’
She nodded and he stepped in, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. He followed her upstairs. Her heartbeat quickened when she realised he’d been checking out her legs, her robe barely covering her bottom for a purpose. When his hand touched her thigh, she stopped. He left it there, inching it up while he drew level with her on the landing.
‘You smell nice enough to eat,’ he said, as she closed the flat door behind them.
Ella knew he was talking crap. She didn’t reply; she didn’t need to. That was a big advantage of being a member of One Night Only – she paid good money to behave how she wanted.
In the hallway, she grabbed the lapel of his jacket and pulled him close. ‘So, where is it to be, Michael?’ Her voice was softer than her mood. ‘In the bedroom?’ She stood up on her toes to kiss his lips gently. ‘On the floor in the kitchen?’ She kissed him again. ‘Bent over the table in the front room?’ She ran her tongue across his top lip and bit down on it playfully. ‘Or here, good and hard up against the wall?’
‘Not much room in here,’ he spoke softly back to her, untying her belt and slipping his hand inside her dressing gown.
Ella pressed her body to his as they kissed, wanting to feel skin on skin as quickly as possible, knowing this would do until they were both free of clothes. She stepped back, taking him with her into the living room. Maybe someone else would be in one of the windows. She could give them double for their money this evening, if Michael would oblige. Sometimes her lovers did; sometimes they didn’t.
She felt the small of her back hit the top of the settee and she slid off her dressing gown while his hand slipped between her legs. Still kissing, she tugged at his jacket and let it drop to the floor. A moan escaped her lips as his fingers went to work; hers undid buttons on his shirt. Once that was off too, her hands dropped to his belt. He stopped her, turning her round quickly and bending her over. He found her wetness again, and she held onto the settee as the pressure began to build. She was sore from all the earlier fun but she didn’t give a stuff. Right now it was all about being taken, being screwed. She needed to be wanted, even if it was only for a few moments.
She needed to feel him inside her.
She reached behind to touch him but he pushed her hand away. Turning slightly, she could see he was pleasuring himself at the same time.
Well, what do you know! He doesn’t need you.
Ella tried to face him but he pushed her back. It was always the same, always the fucking same – they would screw her but they would never want to look at her. Was Michael imagining she was someone else? Did the guilt of it all become too much? She laughed out loud. She’d chosen another stupid bastard. What a waste of time.
Still, she let him push her to the limit, climaxing noisily. Then, as he was about to push himself into her, she wriggled out of his way. He huffed, left hanging as she moved to the side of the room.
‘Why won’t you look at me?’
‘What?’ Michael looked perplexed.
‘You!’ She pointed at him. ‘You can fuck me but you can’t look at me. Why?’
‘It’s nothing personal. I like it better that way.’ He grinned. ‘Tighter; firmer; better for me.’
‘You can take me now while you look at me or you’re not having me at all.’
‘Really?’ His hand found his cock, moving up and down it as he stared at her. ‘Fine, I’ll shoot this across your carpet if you don’t come and finish me off.’
She watched him for a moment, her eyes never leaving his as he pumped with his hand. She wasn’t going to move. He could make as much mess as he liked; she’d make him clean it up before he left.
But a moment later, the urge to join him became too much. She needed to give him that pleasure, to be in control of when it happened. She wanted to see his face as she made him come too, know it was because of her. Disgusted with herself, she dropped to her knees to finish him off.
Once it was over, she reached for her dressing gown. She slipped into it quickly and wrapped around the belt.
‘Well, that wasn’t what I had in mind,’ she told him.
Watching Over You Page 12