by Woods, Karen
John dragged her in closer. She was lay on his chest and he was stroking her hair. His head dipped and he smelt her hair. His stomach was shaking with laughter. “Yeah I can smell lemons, is it Fairy?”
She lifted her head up. “You’re just the medicine I need, you know.”
John stopped her talking and sank his lips onto hers, he was confident now. Two bodies lay entwined on the sofa. You could see John’s hand up her skirt, and she wasn’t fighting him off. Clothes were soon flung onto the floor and they were both hungry for each other’s bodies. The television drowned out the groans of pleasure as John inserted his erect penis inside her. With every jerk, he kept his eyes on her face, she was so beautiful. Their eyes were locked and he could see he was pleasing her. Fallon forgot about all her problems for the moment and she enjoyed every minute of their lovemaking. Her legs were wrapped around his back and her fingernails were sinking deep into his toned body. Just before he ejaculated he whispered to her. “I love you. I have for a long time.” Sexual groans could be heard. Fallon also found heaven and her toes were curling as he penetrated deeper inside her for the last few minutes.
Two hot sticky bodies lay on the sofa exhausted. Fallon was uncomfortable and lifted her arse cheeks up from the sofa with a screwed up look on her face. Her eyes focused on an old bit of toast stuck to her leg. John burst out laughing and covered his face with his hands. “I don’t know, is that what you were groaning at, and not my lovemaking?” She smiled and placed the toast on the table at the side of her. John ticked all the boxes for her now. Why hadn’t she seen this before, was she blind or something? This guy was hot. Lying on his chest she played with the dark patch of hair on his lower stomach. John seemed like he wanted to say something, he knew what he’d said during their lovemaking and wanted to set the record straight.
“Fallon”, he whispered. “I meant what I said before you know. I do love you. From the minute I set my eyes on you, I knew I wanted you. Do you think we could make this work?” There was no reply, twisting his head slightly he looked at her in more detail, she was asleep. Gripping her closer he held her close to his chest; he never wanted to let her go, ever.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Dalton sat watching his daughter climb up onto the sofa. He was wearing his tracksuit bottoms and his chest was bare, he looked rough. His hair was greasy and the stubble on his face suggested he hadn’t shaved for a few days. Connie was nearly three years old now; she was the apple of her father’s eye and just looking at her made his heart melt. Dalton looked thin, his cheekbones were prominent from his face and he held dark black circles underneath his eyes. Married life had taken its toll on him for sure. Every day it was a struggle to live with a woman he had no feelings for. He blamed his own mother for his downfall and told her straight he only married Kirsty for the sake of his child. His relationship with his mother had changed dramatically; he blamed her for losing the love of his life. A voice shouting from upstairs shook the walls. Dalton raised his eyes to the ceiling shaking his head.
“What the fuck does she want now?” he mumbled to his daughter who was stood at his feet playing with her dolls. With a quick squeeze of her cheeks he stood up and made his way to the door. “What are you shouting at?”
Kirsty hung her head over the banister and looked distressed. “I’ve been shouting you for ages, are you going deaf or something? I need you to phone my Dad and tell him we’re going to be late for tea. I can’t find anything to wear.” Kirsty had a white bath towel wrapped around her body. Droplets of water were visible on her pale skin. She looked like she’d gained some weight, her cheeks were fuller and her arms were flabby, she had bingo wings.
Dalton pulled a sour face. “You’ve got loads of clothes; just find something to wear for crying out loud.”
Screaming came from the top of the stairs, his wife was hysterical. “What do you know about my wardrobe? When I say I don’t have anything to wear, I mean it. I don’t have anything, trust me,” her face was distraught. “Will you just make the bloody call” He trudged back into the living room. Kirsty was a brat, and every day he lived with her it seemed like he was babysitting a stroppy teenager. Her father Ted was to blame; he’d given her everything in life, and treated her like royalty. She never wanted for anything.
Dalton’s father Brian had been sacked from his job months before for stealing money to feed his gambling habit. He was caught bang to rights by Ted. Kirsty secretly loved every minute of his pain, and never once did she try to make her Dad give Brian another chance. She’d told Dalton straight that his Dad was a low-life thief and deserved everything that was coming to him. Brian was in deep shit, and the house he loved so much was soon to be repossessed. Over the last few months he had been struggling to pay the mortgage and he was always chasing his money in the bookies trying to get the break he needed. It never came.
Maria was distraught when she found out that her husband had gambled away every penny they had saved in the bank. She was at her wits end. She’d even pleaded with Kirsty on her hands and knees for her to help them out, but her words were wasted. There was no way on this earth that she was ever going to help them. Brian and Maria were both set to go back to Manchester. Dalton had concerns that his mother would leave his father once they got back home. He’d broken Maria’s heart and she could never forgive him for ruining her dream of a better life.
Kirsty always acted like the concerned daughter-in-law regarding his parents, but Dalton knew deep down inside she didn’t give a flying fuck about where they ended up. She was a bitch.With the phone held in his hand, he dialled her father. “Hiya Ted, it’s me Dalton. Kirsty is having some trouble finding something to wear, so we’re going to be late,” he held the phone away from his ear and rammed two fingers down towards it. You could hear the fury in Ted’s angry tones. “Okay, see you soon.” Slamming the receiver down, he dragged his hands through his hair. “Grumpy old fart,” he mumbled.
Dalton still loved the clubbing scene and enjoyed the drugs that pumped through his body most weekends. His wife never took drugs anymore; she’d told him straight that she was a mother now and she had to be more sensible. That didn’t deter Dalton though; he was always off his head, every weekend was the same. Before he married Kirsty he told her straight that the only reason he was marrying her was for the sake of his child and to please his family. She didn’t seem to care; she was just after the big day and all the trimmings that her father was paying for. Dalton had upped his game from Ecstasy pills to Cocaine. The white powder was the only real friend he had these days and it helped him get through the days when he couldn’t face life without the woman he loved. Dalton still posted letters to Fallon’s address but he never received a reply. He knew it was over and blamed his wife for making him lose her. Sometimes he would just sit thinking about her and wondered where she was and what she was doing with her life. After his body was pumped with drugs he would phone her number in hope she’d answer, she never did. He just listened to the sound of Beryl’s voice at the other end of the line, cursing the midnight caller. Dalton never used his own phone though; he was sly and always covered his tracks. He knew all of his mobile phone bills were paid by Kirsty’s father and that every number was checked regularly. He only used payphones.
A couple of hours later Kirsty made her entrance into the living room with a distressed look on her face, she didn’t look happy. The house was gleaming and everything inside looked top notch. Standing before the mirror hung from the main wall she stood on her tiptoes checking her hair out. Her locks were a lot shorter now and Dalton hated it, she looked like an overweight Pixie. “Do I look alright? I feel fat,” she moaned. He frowned. She was right; her fat was hanging over her pink canvass pants.
“You look fine,” he lied. “Come on for fucks sake, we’re never going to get there if you carry on like this. You look great.”
His voice was stressed and he kept checking his wristwatch. “I don’t want to look fine,” she screamed at the top of her voice. “
I want to look stunning like I used to.”
Dalton gritted his teeth, he’d heard enough. “Well that’s never going to happen is it, so just deal with it. I suggest you get your lard arse to the gym more if you want to lose weight. Every night you’re in that fridge munching on something, what do you expect?”
That was it, the house was up, Kirsty was shrieking and dragging her clothes off. “Fuck off, you heartless bastard. Phone my Dad and tell him we’re not coming,” her eyes pierced into him. “And make sure you tell him the real reason why. Tell him, you said his daughter is a fat fucker.”
Dalton’s face creased as he went nose to nose with her, he was ready for punching her lights out. Connie was asleep on the sofa, but the noise was causing her to stir. “No, you fucking phone him, you selfish cow. You’re mother’s made us a meal that she’s probably been slaving over all day, and you don’t give a toss about anyone but yourself. So, no, you tell him. I’m not your lackey anymore. I’ve had enough.”
Dalton scanned the room for his black leather jacket and quickly put it on. She ran to the phone and he could hear her sobbing down the line to her father. Ted was probably jumping in his car as they spoke getting ready to comfort his princess. Dalton wasn’t sticking around to see it, he’d seen it all before and hated that his wife was a drama queen. The front door slammed, Dalton was gone.
Checking his wallet, Dalton knew he had the cash. He was doing well in his life now and the promotion he’d been given at work made sure he never went short. He knew deep down inside that his wife was behind his wage rise and she’d told him more often than not that he would be nothing without her, she was right. Dalton seemed as if he’d lost the will to live. Staring at the money in his hand he wondered if he should just get the train back home to Manchester and go find what his heart was craving. A few months earlier he nearly did just that. He was drunk and off his head. He sat on the platform at Euston waiting to board the train to Manchester. Just at the last minute though, he lost his bottle and chickened out. He was always the same, he never found the courage.
Walking into his local pub, he ordered a double Brandy. By the look on his face he needed it. There were quite a few punters in tonight and it seemed lively. Londoners weren’t the same as Northerners, he’d realised that a long time ago. They were all up their own arses, and thought they were better than the rest of the nation. At first it bothered him, but now he just took it on the chin and dealt with it the only way he knew how, he got pissed.
Dalton’s friend and sidekick entered the bar. He was also a Manchester lad who was working down London. He was round about the same age as Dalton and a good looking man. His mission in life was to bed as many women as he could. Every chance he got he was inside some woman’s knickers. “You alright there Dalt?” he chirped as he bounced to his side. Dalton lifted his head up from the bar and raised a half-hearted smile. Chris was just what he needed to cheer him up, he was a right joker.
“Yeah, I’m sound mate. Do you want a beer?”
Chris flung his arm over his shoulder. “Go on then lad, get me a straight Whisky, I want to get twisted tonight.”
Dalton waved the barman over and ordered his mate a drink. Two women now came into the bar and Chris’s eyes were all over them, he was horny. One of them stood next to him and he was inhaling deeply as he smelt her expensive perfume. Nudging Dalton in his waist he giggled. “Watch this; I’ll have her eating out of my hands in a few minutes.” Dalton leant forward so he could watch him in action, his charm never failed. “Are you alright there ladies?”
The blonde woman twisted round to face him. She studied his face for a few seconds. “We’re fine thanks.”
Chris knew this was his chance to make an impression and he had to work fast. “Did you hurt yourself when you fell?”
The females looked at each other, they looked blank. The blonde one answered him. “I haven’t fallen anywhere. I don’t know what you’re going on about.”
That was all he needed to hear. Chris had used this chat up line thousands of times in the past and it never let him down, it was a banker. “I mean did you hurt yourself, when you fell from heaven.” The girls loved his banter and it wasn’t long before they were sat in the lads company. Kelly and Kate were good time girls and they weren’t shy at coming forward. Kelly was the ring leader and she sat close to Dalton who seemed like he didn’t really want to be there.
Chris had them all in stitches laughing, and his one-liners were coming fast and furious. “So girls which one of you two is getting your gums around my plums tonight?” He scooped his ball- bag into his hands. “Come on you two miserable fuckers; get your smackers around my knackers, what are you saying?” Dalton was holding his stomach laughing and his own problems seemed to disappear. Standing to his feet he trudged to the toilets.
Dalton made sure he was alone and locked himself inside the cubicle. The noise from inside the pub could still be heard, and a UB40 song was playing called “Impossible Love”. Pulling the lid down on the toilet seat he swiped his arm across it to clean it. Within seconds he had the white powder set up in a neat line. He was snorting it up his nostril using a twenty pound note. Dalton stood up and inhaled deeply. Holding his body up against the wall he closed his eyes as he felt the rush from the drug surging through his body. The cocaine gave him the confidence he needed. Licking his lips at speed he left the cubicle. Checking himself in the large mirror on the wall facing him, he brought his head closer to it. With a quick slap on each cheek, he was ready to go. Dalton walked across the pub as if he owned it. He had a bounce in his step and swung his arms out at the side of him. Sitting back at the table he was ready for some fun. Chris knew exactly where his mate had been, and the white sniff still on the edge of his nose was a dead giveaway. Chris nodded at Dalton, and suggested the action of wiping his nose. Dalton wiped it quickly; he gave a cheeky wink to Chris. The night was alive, and Chris was definitely in with a chance of a leg-over with the blonde by his side.
Kate sat next to Dalton but she knew by the ring on his thin finger that he was a married man. She tried making conversation “So how long have you been married for then?” She gripped his finger and admired his white gold ring, it looked expensive.
Dalton yanked his hand away and left her looking embarrassed. His words were stuttered and he was aggressive. “This ring means fuck all to me,” he dipped his head low as he twisted it around his finger. “This circle of shit just reminds me of how much I’ve fucked my life up.” Kate turned away and raised her eyes to the ceiling, he was rambling. This was all she needed, another man telling her about his problems at home. She twisted her body away from him and joined the conversation with Chris.
Dalton’s was staring at the payphone on the wall near the exit. Digging deep into his pocket he searched inside it for some change. Chris knew exactly what he was planning. He knew the story about his life in Manchester and the girl he loved. Gripping his arm he pulled him closer as the girls got up to go to the toilet. “Don’t do it mate. Every week you’re always the same, just let her go. Listen,” he whispered as his eyes shot to the girls disappearing. “We’ve got two decent birds here, let’s take them back to my house and bang the fucking life out of them.” He was staring at Dalton waiting for his reply. Both the men had done this in the past and Chris couldn’t see why tonight should be any different.
Dalton sat forward and held a look of desperation in his eyes. “I just need to keep trying; tonight might be the night she answers.”
Chris shook his head and slurped at his bottle of beer. “Nar, just forget about her. Time’s gone now pal, and from what you’ve told me, I bet she’s married or hooked up with someone else. Come on, I mean, she came all the way to London and found out you were shagging some other bird what did you expect?”
Dalton screwed his face up. The truth hurt him so much and he knew what his mate was saying was true. He tried to defend himself. “I know what you’re saying is right, but I’ll never know unless I speak to her
, will I?” Dalton stood to his feet; he was staggering all over the place. He was angry. “I’m never giving up, never. Do you hear me?” A few of the punters were looking at the drunken man in front of them and Chris had to tell him to lower his voice. The girls were on their way back from the toilets and they were jigging across the dance floor. Chris smiled and watched Dalton leave; shaking his head he held his arms out to the girls.
Once they sat down he chuckled. “Right, my mate had to go, some kind of emergency at home,” he lied. “So, what do you say to us three going back to mine for a bit of slap and tickle?” Chris was used to the answer “No”, at this point and prepared himself for a lonely night. He watched the girls whispering to each other and took a quick gulp from his drink ready for the rejection. As they replied he nearly choked.
“Okay then,” Kelly giggled. “But do you think you’ve got what it takes to sort us both out?” Chris nodded his head at speed.
“Fucking dead right I have. I can go all night me.” Kelly and Kate sniggered and watched the man in front of them fall apart. He was rubbing at his crotch with a dirty smile spread right across his face, he couldn’t believe his luck. He now looked serious and nodded his head slowly as he bit onto his bottom lip. “Oh, I get it now; you’re fucking with me aren’t you?”
Kate looked surprised as she replied. “Why would we lie? If you think you can sort us both out, then let’s go for it. It won’t be the first time me and Kelly have shared a bloke.”
Chris stood up from his seat as if boiling water had been poured all over him. “Come on then, let’s make a move. I’m a shagging machine me, so be prepared for a long night of pure passion.” Laughter could be heard as they left the pub. “Result,” Chris whispered under his breath.