by Kris Webb
I looked at the screening times and saw that the latest James Bond movie was starting shortly. Perfect. And as if I needed another excuse, it looked as though I’d have time for a glass of wine in the street-front bar before the movie started.
I twisted my skirt around so that it wouldn’t dirty the seat and sat down. Intent on the wine list, I didn’t notice the figure standing beside me until he spoke.
‘You look like you’re enjoying yourself.’
‘Tony! Hi.’ I felt a strange sensation in my stomach, as though I’d just driven over a speedbump too quickly.
‘What are you up to?’
‘Patrick kicked me out of the house and told me to come home after I’d had some fun. I’m waiting to see the James Bond movie – I figure two hours of gratuitous sex and violence should do the trick.’
As I spoke I looked behind him, half expecting to see a gorgeous redhead tapping her kitten heels. But he seemed to be alone.
‘Do you want to sit down?’
‘I’d better get going.’
We spoke at the same time and then smiled awkwardly at each other.
I broke the silence first, regretting my invitation. ‘I was just going to ask if you’d like a drink, but if you have to get going, that’s fine.’
‘Yes . . . I mean . . . no, I’m not in rush. What time does your movie start?’
I looked at my watch. ‘In fifteen minutes.’
‘Okay, I’ll grab a drink from the bar. Do you want anything?’
I put in an order for a glass of wine. While he was gone, I glanced down at my lap. Of course the gum was still there in all its sticky glory. I looked quickly at my reflection in the window.
‘I didn’t think James Bond would be your scene,’ Tony said with a smile as he returned from the bar and sat down opposite me. ‘I thought you were into movies with meaning.’
He was clearly winding me up and I decided to come clean.
‘Oh all right.’ I took a sip of wine. ‘I am actually the Queen of Hollywood Trash. I have absolutely no idea what that movie you and I saw was about. Not the foggiest idea. Are you happy now?’
He nodded, smiling. ‘Very.’
‘What about you?’ I demanded. ‘Did you understand it?’
‘Nope.’ He didn’t seem the least bothered about admitting it and I vowed to be honest about my opinions in the future.
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘I wasn’t sure whether you were pretending, or if you really liked it.’
‘Well, at least James Bond shouldn’t be too taxing. You can usually spot the bad guys because they die.’
Tony laughed. ‘Ah, except for the women. You can survive a lot longer in a Bond movie if you’re beautiful.’
‘Good point,’ I acknowledged with a grin. ‘So what are you up to? Are you on your way out?’
‘No, I’m heading home,’ he answered. ‘I met a friend for a drink in a bar over the road and was on my way home when I saw you in here. So I thought I’d stop and say hello.’
‘I’m glad you did. People would talk if I started drinking alone.’ I decided to ignore the fact that I’d already been doing a fair bit of that in private, which was probably even worse.
He smiled. ‘So is Patrick looking after Jack?’
I nodded. ‘I won a bet,’ I boasted, forgetting for a moment that I was no longer ten years old.
‘Really?’ he asked, interested. ‘What was the bet about?’
Telling him I’d picked up my ex-boyfriend was clearly not an option. ‘Um . . . I walked down to the local shop wearing my great-grandmother’s wedding dress.’
The dare was one I had won, but it had happened twenty years ago. I had a nasty feeling I’d only fit one leg in the dress these days.
Fantastic! Now Tony would think I was some kind of marriage-obsessed woman with no respect for her forebears. But he laughed and I dared to look up from the tabletop.
‘So did you win only one night out for your efforts?’
‘No, three . . .’ I broke off before telling him this was the second night and rushed on. ‘I actually started off at an art gallery up on Brunswick Street. Tonight’s the opening of a local artist’s exhibition and I stopped in to have a look.’
‘Sounds good.’
About to lie and gush about how fabulous it was, I stopped. ‘Actually, it was deadly dull. The paintings looked like Jack’s highlighter pen efforts on the sofa. And just as I was about to leave, I ran into a client whose case I think I’m about to lose.’
‘Hence the James Bond movie?’
‘Exactly – I should have just come here in the first place. Great news about the cooking show,’ I said, changing the subject. ‘Patrick can’t believe his luck.’
Tony nodded. ‘Yeah, Patrick and David both come across really well on film and the management committee seem keen. At least we’ve got the go-ahead to do the first series. After that, who knows?’
‘So is the new job working out?’
‘Yeah – it’s great. The only problem now is that I’m competing with everyone else. TV53 was crappy but I was practically in charge. Now I’m just one of the troops again and I need to work out a way to make my mark.’
‘Is there a rush, though? Now that you’re in, can’t you just take it slowly?’
‘I’m about five years behind everyone else because it took me so long to get started. I have to make things happen now.’
There it was again. That burning ambition. Reluctantly, I glanced at my watch, wishing I hadn’t mentioned the movie. What I really wanted was to stay here, talking with Tony and hopefully having several too many drinks.
‘Well, I’d better go. Can’t keep James waiting.’ I was conscious of the gum on my skirt and was hoping I could work out a way to leave after Tony did.
‘Actually . . .’ It was Tony’s turn to seem awkward. ‘Would you mind if I came with you? I’ve been wanting to see this one for ages.’
‘Then why on earth did we see that terrible thing the other week?’ I laughed.
‘Well I wanted to see that one too – and thought it would impress you more than taking you to see something like this.’
I tried to hide my surprise at this admission. Instead I delivered what I hoped was an enigmatic smile, unable to quite believe how much my night had improved in the last half hour.
I decided that Tony was the type of guy who might let me go through a door first – a chivalrous act that would be a disaster in my current chewing-gum-soiled state. Feeling rather strange, I left my skirt back to front and managed to hold my bag over the mess as we walked the short distance to the cinema.
We settled into our seats just as the lights went down.
As the opening credits rolled, I felt Tony touch my hand. ‘I’m glad I ran into you tonight,’ he said quietly.
I was grateful for the darkness, which hid my face. ‘Me too,’ I whispered back.
The movie was mind-blowingly predictable and sexist – the perfect choice considering I was only giving it about five per cent of my concentration. Although we hadn’t spoken again, I was very conscious of the weight of Tony’s arm against mine. I had a fleeting moment of guilt when I thought about Grant, but squashed it quickly by conjuring a mental image of him and the blonde – who by now made Christy Turlington look ordinary – lying naked on a bearskin rug in a snow-covered European chalet.
In any case I had nothing to feel guilty about – yet. I felt the small quiver of excitement in my stomach grow as I tried again to follow the not-exactly-complicated plot.
When the final credits started to roll, I looked sideways at Tony.
‘So was that an improvement on the last one?’ he asked.
Even though I was going with honesty these days, I simply couldn’t tell him that I was a bit confused about what the bad guys had been trying to achieve.
‘Much better,’ I hedged. ‘Did you like it?’
‘I did actually. I counted eight explosions and four totally implausibl
e stunts. A perfect night at the movies.’ He tactfully didn’t mention the three stunning women who had appeared in various stages of undress.
We filed out of the cinema and paused outside. I knew this was nothing more than a casual encounter but I was still reluctant for it to end.
‘Do you have your car?’ I asked.
‘No, I’ll just walk home.’
‘Well, if my car will start I’m happy to drop you off.’
‘I’m the gambling type.’ He grinned. ‘Let’s go.’
TWENTY-SIX
Miraculously the car started first go, and Tony directed me the short distance to his flat.
He turned to me. ‘Thanks for the movie – and the lift.’
I smiled. ‘My pleasure.’
Tony cleared his throat. ‘I know it’s late, but would you like to come in for a drink?’
I hadn’t wanted the night to end but neither had I been quite prepared for this. I thought of Jack and hesitated.
‘Umm . . . Thanks, but I really need to get h–’
To my great surprise, he leaned over and touched my lips with his own, cutting off my words.
‘Will it really matter that much if you are home a little late?’ he asked.
Maybe it was the remaining adrenaline from the James Bond movie, or maybe it was the memory of the gorgeous nuclear physicist who managed to sleep with every man she met and still maintain her professional integrity. In any event, something made me shake my head.
‘I guess not.’
‘Stay there,’ he commanded. He climbed out of the car and walked around to open my door. Feeling faintly foolish, I stepped out, surreptitiously swivelling my gum-laden skirt back to its normal position.
‘Thanks.’
‘My pleasure,’ he said, smiling.
Tony unlocked the security door, letting us both into the dimly lit foyer. The lift doors opened as soon as he pressed the button and we stepped inside. Although we didn’t speak, he took my hand and his palm felt warm against mine.
When we reached his apartment, Tony turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open, releasing my hand as he did so. He flicked on the lights. I followed him into the living room, which had white walls and stark black furniture upholstered in suede. My first thought was of the devastation Jack could cause here in less time than it took for Tony to throw his keys on the table.
I caught myself. This was my time off. Right now I had enough to worry about; I didn’t need to add what Jack would do here to the list.
‘So – this is home.’ Brilliant comment, I thought.
‘Come and I’ll show you around. As you can see, the kitchen is here.’ He gestured towards the chrome bench, which was all that separated the kitchen from the living room. ‘The spare bedroom is in there.’ He threw open a door leading off to the left and I saw a flash of colour. ‘And mine is over here.’ He strode across the living room and slid back a door, which opened onto a bedroom that was even more stylish than the lounge.
The dark timber of the built-in cupboards matched the bedside tables, and the soft-looking throw on the perfectly made bed completed the picture.
Tony’s apartment was about as different from my house as it was possible to be.
I had a vision of how my bedroom had looked before I’d left and for a moment I forgot my nerves. ‘Please tell me you don’t always live like this?’ I’d tried to keep my voice casual, but even I could hear the note of desperation.
Tony laughed. ‘Well actually, the cleaner did come today – trust me, I hardly ever make the bed.’
Given the decor, I found that very hard to believe, but decided the less said the better.
‘Can I get you a drink?’
Tony closed the bedroom door behind us and we moved back into the lounge. He dimmed the lights, then stepped behind the kitchen bench and opened the fridge door.
‘A glass of wine would be great, thanks.’
Pulling out an open bottle of wine, he poured two generous glasses.
‘Take a seat.’ Tony opened some cabinet doors to reveal the stereo.
As strains of Massive Attack floated through the room, I pondered whether I should choose the single armchair or the couch and downed half the wine trying to decide.
Although it seemed pretty clear that Tony was interested, I certainly wasn’t comfortable enough with him to sprawl across the couch. But then if I sat in the armchair, surely I was sending out a message that I wasn’t keen?
Taking the coward’s way out, I chose the armchair, but just as my rear connected with the suede, I remembered the gum. Instantly I sprang up. But it now seemed to have reached its maximum elasticity and stretched from my skirt to the chair.
At the same instant Tony turned back towards me.
Not seeming to notice my dilemma, he came over to stand beside me. His glass made a hollow knocking sound on the coffee table as he put it down. He leaned over and kissed me on the lips, one hand behind my head.
I was still traumatised by the gum situation and the kiss caught me off guard, but after a moment I relaxed and began to enjoy it. It felt like a lifetime since I’d been kissed properly and I’d forgotten how good it felt.
Pulling back, he looked at me. ‘I’ve been wanting to do that all night. Do you mind if I do it again?’ His voice was low as he whispered in my ear.
‘Um . . .’ My hesitation broke the spell and I knew I had to come clean.
Tony looked hurt. ‘Is there something wrong?’
‘No . . . Well actually . . .’ Not looking at him, I pointed at the gum behind me.
I was willing to bet Nicole Kidman had never found herself in this situation.
He burst out laughing. ‘Is that all? I can fix that.’
I gasped as I felt the zip on the back of my skirt slide downwards.
His hands ran over my hips, taking the skirt with them. I tried frantically to remember what my underwear looked like and relaxed when I remembered I was wearing one of my few matching sets. Sure, they weren’t exactly black lacy wisps of nothing, but it could have been a lot worse.
He tugged at my waist and I stepped towards him. As I did, my shoe tangled in the top of my skirt, which the gum had suspended off the ground. Tripping, I landed with my full weight on Tony’s chest. He staggered backwards, only just stopping himself from falling. I looked up at him and had a sudden vision of the way we’d met. At least he could never claim that I’d pretended to be in any way coordinated.
‘Sorry,’ I managed weakly.
‘Maybe it would be safer if we sat down,’ Tony suggested, pulling me with him onto the couch.
Kissing me again, he gently pushed me backwards until I felt the soft suede under my head.
His hands and body felt wonderful. As Maggie would say, it had been a long time between drinks.
Tony pulled at the top of my shirt, expecting the button to give. Which it would have had it been a button rather than a row of twenty couplets. After tugging fruitlessly for a few seconds he pulled back and looked down.
‘You’ve got to be kidding,’ he exclaimed as he saw the task at hand. ‘I only mastered bra clasps a few years ago. What on earth is this?’
I laughed and Tony smiled, eyes focused on my shirt. I certainly hadn’t considered its ease of removal when I’d dressed.
I moved to help him but he brushed my hand away. ‘It’s all right – I think I have it worked out.’
Quickly he made his way down my shirt front, rapidly flicking the couplets open with his thumb and forefinger.
‘Actually, I like it. Particularly what’s underneath,’ he added as he slid his hand under my open shirt.
He slowly touched my breasts, finally reaching around my back and unclipping my bra.
‘Ah – very masterful,’ I managed, pleased to hear what sounded like a reasonably normal-sounding voice coming out of my very not-normal-feeling body.
He pulled my shirt off and dropped it on the floor. My bra followed seconds later.
�
�Ah, no,’ I said as he went to push me down again. ‘For every piece of clothing I lose, you lose one too.’
His eyes flicked to the pile on the floor.
‘Yes,’ I clarified. ‘That means three.’
‘Uh-uh. The skirt was an emergency – it doesn’t count.’
Considering it a small price to pay for ruining his chair, I let the issue pass. I shuffled forwards, undid the buttons on his shirt and pushed it back off his shoulders.
Men’s upper bodies had always been one of my weaknesses. And despite a long scar running over his left shoulder, Tony’s was definitely one to be weak about. His collarbone led straight to nicely squared shoulders, which joined a pair of biceps bulging out at very pleasing angles.
‘That’s one,’ I announced, depositing his shirt on the floor and fumbling with his belt buckle. I tugged the belt out of his trousers and Tony took it from me.
‘That would be two,’ he announced as he flicked it behind me. ‘My turn.’
‘Okay,’ I laughed, and my knickers joined my bra in seconds.
Up until then, it had seemed like a game, but I realised it was way too late to back out now. Tony’s hands ran over my stomach and my hips and I was suddenly certain that I didn’t want to back out anyway.
‘Roll over,’ he whispered, and he lazily massaged my neck and shoulders as if he had all the time in the world.
I couldn’t remember when I’d last enjoyed being touched this much and dimly wondered where he’d learned his technique.
And then, as his mouth joined his hands, I stopped thinking completely and gave myself up to enjoying being with him.
I woke with a jolt in Tony’s bed with no idea of the time. Tony’s body was curled up behind mine and for a moment I closed my eyes and just enjoyed being next to him. We’d ended up in his bed at some point and I must have drifted off.
I was relieved to see that the sky outside the windows was still dark. I hated the thought of Jack waking up and coming into my room to discover I wasn’t there and I knew I needed to get home. But I lay still for a moment. It felt so good to be here like this.
Finally I rolled over as gently as I could. The dim light was still on in the lounge and I watched Tony’s face as I touched him.
