Bad Advice

by S M Mala

  Scottie grabbed her face and smothered her mouth with hers, pushing his tongue deeply through her lips. The electric bolt he felt when she kissed him back made his gut twist.

  ‘Plus,’ she said, pushing his face away. ‘I feel sick and I keep thinking about sex so this is all so weird. It’s obvious this baby is a boy and will take after you on that front. Then I keep thinking about the scan tomorrow and what if they find something is wrong.’

  Scottie smiled and gently stroked her face.

  ‘You’re still hormonal and horny then?’ he asked as she took a deep breath.

  Slowly he move his hand to cup her breast and felt a tingle of excitement as he pressed his thumb again her nipple, which was rock solid and sprung back up.

  ‘And my skin feels so sensitive at the moment,’ she sighed. He bent down and sucked on her erect nipple. ‘Even that makes me have a little orgasm.’

  ‘Oh god,’ he groaned into her skin, pulling down her straps and taking each breast in his hand. ‘You’re just turning me on.’

  ‘And you’re constantly on heat.’

  He buried his head between her breasts, feeling her hand run through his hair then down his back.

  Ruby was right.

  He was constantly on heat.

  ‘And I didn’t even get you a proper birthday present,’ she groaned. His mouth travelled up towards her neck and headed to her mouth. ‘Scottie, what do you want? I can pop out next week and get you something.’

  ‘You’ve consented to be my wife and you’re carrying my child. I’ve got everything,’ he said, kissing her gently as her tongue touched his and they were locked in an embrace.

  ‘Oh god, let’s fuck!’ she said, pushing him away and pulling off her nightdress, much to his delight. ‘If I can’t give you a present, I can certainly give you a good time, even if it is a quick one!’

  One hundred and fifteen

  ‘It’s fine,’ she said, looking at the scan from the day before and swallowing hard. ‘You just get your arse round to Scottie’s for six and all will be well.’

  ‘What should I wear?’ groaned Jacinta. ‘Will I know anyone there? Any other coppers I could bunk up with?’

  ‘What’s the point of being a fashion editor if you have no idea what to wear? And the men? Who knows?’

  Ruby looked out into the garden at the bare trees. There was a grey tinge to the sky and she let out a little groan.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ her friend asked. ‘You said all was well with the little piggy baby.’

  ‘Everything is perfect but…’ Gulping hard, she let out a deep breath. ‘Scottie wants to announce it this afternoon which means I have to tell Hugh. And lately, there’s no good time with Yates. When I see him he just grunts in my general direction and it’s pretty uncomfortable to be honest.’

  ‘Listen, he’s going to have to find out and the best thing is you say it to his face. If he finds out second hand, it’ll hurt him.’

  ‘I know,’ grumbled Ruby. ‘I don’t want to hurt him. God, I’d love to but I just can’t.’

  ‘How’s your head? Healing up any faster?’

  ‘The scab has fallen off and you can hardly see it.’

  ‘Be careful. That mad person it still out there, you know.’

  ‘I know.’

  Scottie had been so happy that week, she daren’t ask him about the case knowing he just instantly looked upset. Deep down, he was worried but was trying to put on a brave face. They were no closer to finding out who it was than they were in April.

  There was a knock on the door.

  Tentatively she looked at her watch and realised it was too early for Theo to return from swimming and lunch with his father. Peeking through the keyhole she smiled.

  ‘Hello,’ she said to Diane, who looked sheepishly at her, while glancing at the ground. ‘Yes, I have officially been sort of sacked and I’m taking the news well.’

  ‘It wasn’t me,’ her large friend said, grabbing to give her a hug. ‘How’s your head?’

  ‘Head’s fine, heart’s wonderful, job prospects dire.’

  ‘Oh dear!’ Diane said, pulling a sad face. ‘And here was I thinking that being accused of murder, several to be precise, was bad enough.’

  They both laughed as Ruby dragged her into her home and flashed a glance at the police officer sitting outside, drinking a coffee and reading something on his phone.

  ‘I don’t know why they bother to put someone there. They’re not exactly doing anything,’ sighed Ruby, closing the door. ‘Anyone wanting to attack me should know they’d have no chance in hell. To be honest they would, considering the amount of attention these lot don’t give me.’

  Ruby turned to see Diane looking at Scottie’s bag thrown to the side then grinned.

  ‘Has he moved in? Aunt Jean said he’s been practically camped here.’

  ‘Cup of tea?’ she asked, moving towards the kitchen, knowing his family were in for a shock that evening. ‘He’s been very sweet and wants to stay. Theo understands, though I’m not sure what he really thinks about it all. It’s happening all so fast and we’ve only been together ten weeks which was less than last time.’

  She felt a hand on her shoulder and smiled at Diane’s very cheerful grin.

  ‘I didn’t come to talk about my cousin. I came to explain what happened with you losing your role with us. After I was released, they wanted to see me. They had been speaking to everyone and your name came up. This publicity has made them wary and now it’s common knowledge you work for the Samaritans plus at a national newspaper, they thought it looked bad.’

  ‘Why? I never told anyone I worked for them. They said there were complaints and you know who that was from, don’t you?’

  ‘He’s getting the sympathy right now as he was attacked too.’ Ruby noticed the insincerity of Diane’s tone and scowled. ‘You got it worse so I can’t see why they’d want to get rid of you.’

  ‘Annette tried to cover my back. Let’s be honest, it was my guilt about that policeman dying and the paedophile murders that made me want to do something to help.’ Diane pulled a face. ‘Okay, attempt to help.’

  ‘You don’t think that someone is seeking revenge?’

  ‘Doubt it,’ she laughed, seeing Diane shake her head from side to side. ‘I got a lot of support for what happened all those year back so I can’t see how or why.’

  ‘And me being a suspect hasn’t helped,’ sighed Diane. Ruby made the tea and sat with her at the dining table. ‘They want to know why.’

  ‘And why were you a suspect?’ Ruby asked, sipping her tea and staring at Diane. She noticed a slight resemblance to Scottie which made her smile. ‘Your skill at keeping in touch with people is a little dubious, I admit.’

  ‘I’m a friendly person,’ she huffed then grinned. ‘Is my little cousin making you happy?’

  ‘He’s making me very happy. Anyway, aren’t you coming to his party? I hear Sebastian is organising the whole thing within an inch of its life. I emailed him and wanted to help out but he told me to bugger off.’

  ‘Said the bloody same thing when I volunteered to make a birthday cake.’

  ‘Ah well,’ smiled Ruby, not wanting to criticise her friend. ‘You need to let your hair down and enjoy yourself tonight.’

  ‘Nana Gwen is coming,’ scowled Diane. ‘She better behave.’

  ‘Doubt it.’ Ruby looked at Diane for a moment. ‘You’re not the only one that knew all the people who died so why didn’t they pull in a whole host of others? Do you think they wanted to stitch you up because Scottie’s misbehaving with me?’

  ‘It had crossed my mind but in all seriousness, Gary and Annette didn’t have anything to do with it either. These police, they haven’t got a clue, have they?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she said looking at Scottie’s bag and wondering if they were missing something so obvious. ‘But I’ll find out.’

  One hundred and sixteen

  ‘You are joking? Sebastian said, his mouth droppin
g open as they loaded the car with drink. ‘She’s pregnant!’

  ‘Yes,’ he said delightedly and promptly handed his phone over with the footage of the scan. ‘Due at the end of May and it’s amazing.’

  Scottie glanced at his friend who looked stunned.

  ‘Why can’t you do anything by halves? You’ve only been back together a matter of months. It was bad enough me getting my head around the marriage thing. But a baby!’

  ‘I can see you’re happy for me and if it’s a boy, I’ll name it after you,’ grinned Scottie, trying to soften up his friend. ‘It’s a shock and we discovered when she was attacked. It put everything in perspective for me. This is what I want, what we want.’

  ‘I need to sit down,’ Sebastian replied, plonking his arse on the back of the open boot. ‘Have you thought this through?’

  Piling the rest of the boxes in, Scottie then returned the trolley. He sat next to Sebastian and put an arm around his shoulders.

  ‘I have thought it through and I know what I want. Then I have another problem. Helen Trott knows about us and isn’t happy.’

  ‘She still came on to you!’

  ‘She was drunk and I let her down gently. Like I said, Ruby wasn’t impressed.’

  ‘Of course she wasn’t going to be. That woman slept with her husband.’

  ‘Which I will be eternally thankful for because it released her to be with me.’

  ‘Did someone hit you on the head? Are you having some sort of romantic breakdown? I need to know,’ he said, scowling at Scottie. ‘You know your career will be truly dead and buried if Helen Trott not only tried it on with you but finds out you’re going to marry her former step-daughter, and have knocked her up in the process. Why couldn’t you have gone out with a nurse or a traffic warden like normal people?’

  Laughing out loudly, Scottie stopped to look at Sebastian, who was trying not to smile.

  ‘I think your fetish for women in uniform has something to do with why you like me,’ Scottie whispered into his ear.

  ‘I’m not gay and I’m not desperate,’ Sebastian sniffed then turned to look at Scottie. ‘You can’t have Ruby and keep your job, you do know that? The complication level is off the radar.’

  ‘But so is my love for her.’

  ‘Oh please! Enough of your romantic bullshit!’ groaned Sebastian. ‘I dread to think what hair colour your next sprog has, I really do.’

  People were arriving and there was no sign of Ruby and Theo. All his family had descended on his home and Sebastian was hosting the thing along with Gemma. The kids were playing in a separate room.

  ‘She dumped you yet?’ Nana Gwen said, snuggling up to his side.

  Today she was wearing a gold lame dress with a white vest underneath topped up with a black fur shawl.

  ‘You look nice,’ he said sincerely as she grinned. ‘Mum must be relieved you’re wearing something suitable.’

  ‘I’ve still got my trainers on. Bugger on the corns those strappy sandals. Where’s Ruby?’

  ‘She’s-.’

  Then he noticed she walked into the room, wearing a beautiful dark blue dress covering most of her skin but you could still see her curvy shape.

  He was breathless for a moment and smiled.

  ‘Oh for god’s sake, will you just put the drool back in your mouth,’ hissed his grandmother. ‘You’re dripping onto my fur.’

  ‘Hello,’ he said. Ruby walked up to him. ‘You look beautiful.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she sighed, holding onto Theo’s hand. ‘

  ‘Come with me,’ the old lady said, extracting Theo from Ruby. ‘I’ll introduce you to the brats in the other room. If you get bored come and find me. I can teach you how to play poker.’

  ‘Nana,’ Scottie hissed, seeing Ruby raise her eyebrows. ‘Leave him alone and keep out of trouble.’

  ‘I’m not trying to swindle the children,’ she replied mischievously. ‘Little buggers are tight with their cash. The modern generation. Come with me Theo.’

  Forgetting anyone was around, he bent down and wrapped one arm around her waist. They kissed then looked at each other for a few seconds.

  ‘Just put her down will you,’ Sebastian said as Scottie let go. ‘Give me a hug. I need one after what he just told me.’

  ‘What?’ she asked suspiciously. ‘Scottie?’

  ‘I mentioned about getting married weeks ago and I told him about our news,’ he whispered, looking around so no-one could hear. ‘I had to tell him. He’s my best friend.’

  ‘Not a word,’ she said quietly and he felt her stroke his arse. ‘Seb, I mean it.’

  ‘I’ll wait for him to announce it and I’ll be on hand, to catch the exes and children shocked with dismay. I take it Katya and that mother of hers are still away?’

  ‘Yes,’ he replied and eyed Ruby up and down. ‘Don’t you think I’m a lucky man?’

  ‘That’s debateable. You’ve not told her ex yet. I dread to think what he’s going to do to you.’

  Before Ruby could say something, Sebastian had swanned off to mingle. Scottie looked down at her.

  ‘Ruby, let’s have nice time and forget about the outside world for today, okay?’

  One hundred and seventeen

  Ruby was laughing her head off the following morning. She was sat in the living room waiting for Scottie, Theo and Sebastian, who Gemma refused to travel back home with as he was so drunk, to wake up.

  And her lover had been in no better state than his best friend. She had never seen him so drunk and all he did, along with Sebastian, was get the giggles. Jacinta was no help as she just encouraged them to drink more.

  At bedtime, it had been like dealing with a pair of drunken teenage girls.

  When Scottie broke the news about the pregnancy, you could have heard a pin drop.

  ‘I didn’t think you could get pregnant at your age!’ shouted out Nana Gwen. ‘And with his little winkle, I’m surprised you did!’

  That soon got everyone laughing as the congratulations came including Charlie, who was a sweetheart and constantly blushed when she spoke to him.

  Riley, on the other hand, wasn’t so impressed but he was more eager to be friends with Theo, who seemed to be taking it all in his stride. Some of Scottie’s work colleagues were there and they seemed friendly enough, though she knew they had a good idea about her back story and what had gone on in recent months, probably years.

  Now all she had to do was tell Hugh.

  That was the bit she was dreading.

  And today was when she was going to do it.

  Again, she laughed remembering the evening and how much fun everyone had including Scottie. As everyone slept and she glanced at the clock, she opened up her tablet and did a double take.

  Jacinta had sent her a link to Hugh’s paper and there was another interview with Mick Dawson but this time the headline was worse.

  ‘Top officer sleeping with Samaritan’

  Skimming her eyes across the article, Mick Dawson accused the police of looking after a more high profile person, Ruby Marquis, all because she was sleeping with one of the Metropolitan high flyers. Then they mentioned Scottie’s name and her heart sunk.

  ‘Why that scheming fucker,’ she said, thinking about both Mick and her ex.

  Grabbing her mobile, she dialled his number. It tripped into voicemail.

  ‘Hugh, have you really sunk so low?’ she asked, seething down the phone. ‘There’s no way anyone would have known about Scottie so I take it you told Mick Dawson. You’re a fucking shit, do you know that?’

  Not wanting to wake anyone up, she was incensed and knew she had to face the man causing her grief. Leaving a note on the table, she left the house and got into her car.

  She knew where Mick Dawson lived and this was a good a time as any to make an impromptu visit.

  Parking in the road off Willesden High Street, she got out and looked at the large block of flats. You could still smell the remnants of burning bonfires and fireworks in the air.


  It made her feel a little sick but she didn’t care.

  Mick Dawson had pissed her off enough and this was the final straw.

  She buzzed his number and heard the clunk of someone picking up the phone at the other end.

  ‘It’s Ruby Marquis and you have a lot of explaining to do,’ she said and was let in without question.

  Taking her time to walk up the stairs, when she reached the top, she noticed something move in the corner of her eye. Ruby turned and saw the emergency door at the other end was closing. There was a figure walking away and she did a double take before looking around to see his door number ‘8’. She rang the buzzer.

  There was no reply.

  ‘Will you let me in,’ she said, seeing someone leave the flat next door. ‘I know you’re in. What’s the point of letting me through the security doors if you’re now going to pretend you’re not there? You own me an explanation.’

  ‘He’s definitely in. I saw him this morning. Had a party last night and what a racket,’ the old man said, double locking his front door. ‘That’s all he seems to do nowadays. He’s been in the papers, you know. All gone to his head if you ask me.’

  ‘Most certainly has,’ she said then banged the door to find it was open.

  ‘Seems he wants you to go in.’

  ‘Mmmh…’ she said, dithering for a moment, knowing her suspicions about Mick Dawson hadn’t subsided. Ruby turned to the man walking towards the lift. ‘Do you mind waiting until I come back out?’

  ‘I’ve got to get the wife some indigestion mixture.’

  ‘One minute and I’ll give you a tenner if you do,’ she said, recalling from her journalist days that was the only way to get anyone to do something from you. ‘I’ll be quick.’

  The old man shrugged and walked a little closer, putting his hand out.

  ‘When I come back out,’ she said, shaking her head from side to side. ‘Believe me, I won’t be long.’ Ruby walked in and shouted. ‘You left the door open!’

  Slowly she walked into the corridor and noticed the empty cans. There indeed had been a party. Opening the living room door, she noticed he was sitting on a chair. It was dark and the blackout blinds were pulled down, the only light coming through was from the sides