by Karen Woods
After his brew Tony stood in the mirror and twisted his body. “These look mint. I’m probably the same size as your old man. How lucky am I?”
Sue perched on the end of the bed and twiddled her hair. “You look sexy,” she said in her come to bed voice.
Tony looked over himself in the mirror and turned to face her. “Thank you. Nobody has called me sexy in years. Are you taking the piss or what? I think you need to go to Spec-Savers and get your mince-pies checked out.”
Sue used a single finger to stroke her cream coloured silk bedding. She held a naughty look in her eyes. “Come and sit here next to me, Tony.” Oh my God, this was it, his time had come. Hallelujah.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Emily lay on the bed next to Mark. He was holding her in his arms and kissing the top of her head. She was in heaven and nothing else seemed to matter. She never wanted this moment to end. “How are you feeling?” he whispered in a soft husky tone.
“I’m still feeling a bit strange but I’m alright now. I don’t know what came over me, I just feel jittery inside and my head is banging.” Emily didn’t look herself; she was white as if someone had rubbed talc all over her skin. Even the way she was speaking was strange, she was slurring her words.
Mark snuggled in closer. His warm breath tickling her skin. “That’s good. I hate it when my baby is not feeling well. I’m here to look after you anyway, you’re safe with me.” Emily didn’t know what was up with her lately, every time she drank alcohol, she started to feel weird. Not a bad weird, just very relaxed and sleepy. Maybe she needed some iron tablets to give her more energy or to sort her diet out and eat healthy food. She was eating fast food all the time now, KFC, Pizza, kebabs, everything that wasn’t considered healthy but, why shouldn’t she eat this way. It was a treat for her and she wasn’t the one paying for it, so it was all gravy in her eyes.
She lifted her head slightly from the pillow and held a concerned look in her eyes. “I hope Jane is alright with Omar, she really hit it off with him, didn’t she?”
Mark sniggered and scratched his ball-sack under the duvet. “Omar has his way with the ladies. His smart cars and Rolex watches help I suppose. He’s a top-lad, wadded he is and he’s not afraid to spend a few quid either. Any girl who gets her claws into him will be made up, he’s a generous man. Well, that is until he’s had enough of them, then he’s a right shady bastard. But,” he smirked, “Jane should be alright, if she keeps her trap shut and doesn’t start pressurizing him.”
Emily cuddled up closer to his warm hairy chest. She played with the sprinkle of dark hair slowly, twiddling it in between her fingers. “Jane will love that, she’s not what I would call a gold-digger, but she does like a guy with money. I suppose we all like a guy to treat us to some love gestures if I’m being honest. The emperor penguin finds a lovely colourful rock for his chosen one before they mate, so us ladies are a bit like them I supposed. A token of love is nice.” Emily knew this was a fact because she’d watched a documentary about it on the TV with her dad. She loved series like that, and she always found them interesting. The chimpanzees were her favourite. They made her laugh and she was always mesmerised with them.
Mark pulled her head back with a swift movement and looked deep into her eyes. “You don’t half come out with some boring shit you do. That’s two minutes of my life that I will never get back,” he chuckled. His expression changed and he sat thinking for a few seconds. “Emily, I’m not rich. All I can offer you is love, nothing else.”
His eyes were sincere and as Emily looked closely at them, they seemed to be filling up. She was alarmed, eyes wide open, frantic. She never meant it to come across like that and she made sure he understood her. “Listen, I don’t care about money Mark. You can’t miss what you’ve never had. I love you for who you are. I don’t care about material things; love is all I need. Love is worth millions of pounds in my eyes and no amount of cash can buy it.”
Her words were from the heart and she was sincere when she delivered them. Mark pulled her nearer and kissed her again. He squeezed her tightly in his firm, toned arms and sighed. “I’m going to look after you babes. You don’t need anyone but me. Just us two, that’s all that matters. Fuck everyone else.”
Emily was melting in his arms, lost in his eyes, so in love. Emily and Mark had both stayed the night at Alex’s house again. This gaff was massive, seven bedrooms in total, hot tubs, steam rooms, en-suite, it was top-notch and like nothing she had seen before. Jane had stayed the night too and after meeting Omar a few times now she was already saying she had feelings for him. Emily didn’t believe her though. How could she fall in love with this guy when she’d only known him two minutes? Was she just saying it, making it up because she knew Emily was in love and wanted to be the same as her? Both girls had planned to stay here for the full weekend. They’d told their parents they were going to Blackpool with one of their friends who had a relation with a B&B, nobody questioned them.
Mark stretched his arms over his head and checked his silver wristwatch. “I better get up. I’ve got to nip out, but I’ll be back in a few hours. That’s alright isn’t it?”
Emily nodded, there was no way she was acting like a moaning girlfriend. No, she was going to be perfect. “Yes, I will chill with Jane. We can watch a film on Netflix if Alex doesn’t mind?”
Mark started to get out of bed. “Alex will let you do whatever you want, he’s sorted. He never stresses, he loves the company.” Emily lifted her head from the pillow, it felt like a lump of lead, it was heavy, blurry vision, pounding. Maybe, she was getting a migraine or coming down with the flue. Something wasn’t right. She’d suffered with headaches in the past and this felt like the symptoms of migraine. She felt sick in the pit of her stomach, pains, shaking inside, eye sockets aching with pain. She was fine last night though, dancing, singing, full of confidence and then, nothing, she couldn’t remember a single thing. It was all a blur to her. “I might just stay in bed for a bit longer. I feel groggy. Honest, I just don’t feel myself. If I have a nap, I might be able to shake it off.”
Mark looked at her suspiciously. He leaned over and kissed her on her red rosy cheek. “Orr, my poor girl. You just rest and get better,” he pulled away from her. “I better get a quick shower before I’m late.”
Emily was puzzled. Every day and night he always disappeared for an hour here and there, he was constantly on his phone. She watched him closer and wondered if there was something she was missing. If he was cheating on her it’d break her heart. She couldn’t cope with that, no way. Her heart was racing at the thought of ever losing her man. Mark went into the shower. She could hear him switch the water on. He was singing, pelting out a few tunes as he washed his body. Emily peeped to make sure he couldn’t see her. Quickly, she picked up her mobile phone and rang Jane who was only a few rooms down the corridor from her. She held the phone close to her ear and whispered. “Jane, can you hear me? Jane,” she stressed. There was a voice at the other end of the line, but she couldn’t make out if it was Jane’s or not. She repeated herself. “Jane, it’s Emily. Are you alright?” There were rustling sounds and muffled noises.
“Emily, come to my room, I’m ill.” The line went dead, there was no sound whatsoever. Emily sat thinking for a while. Jane was a drama queen and she always over-reacted, she’d probably got period pains or something like that. Yes, she could wait until Mark had left and then she would go and see her. Emily snuggled into Mark’s pillow and inhaled his scent; she could smell his aftershave. It smelt so clean and fresh, like nothing she’d ever smelled before. Her dad was still using “Old Spice” or anything he could get his hands on. Cheap shit usually. The bathroom door opened and there he was in his full glory. God, he made her heart skip a beat. Every inch of him was lean and toned, mint he was, sex on legs. His skin was lightly tanned too. Although, he said he hadn’t been on holiday, he definitely had a tan. He was a golden colour. Maybe, he used a sunbed. She watched him closely as he dried his body with the w
hite fluffy towel. Emily rolled on her side and rested her chin on her hands. “Why does Alex let everybody stay here? If this was my house, I wouldn’t let anybody near it. I’d be scared to death of it getting wrecked.”
Mark never made eye contact with her as he replied. “Alex is lonely I suppose. He likes to have people around him. I’ve been like a son to him. He’s a kind-hearted person. He just loves people.”
She sat thinking, digesting everything he had said. It was a strange set-up here and she wasn’t sure how to put it into words what she wanted to say next, so she just said it anyway. “Why does he have young girls here? I’ve seen quite a few over the last few months. Are they his daughters or relations?”
Mark started to get flustered and changed the subject very quickly. “Are you staying again tonight? There is no need to go home. I’ll take you into town later and buy you a nice dress to wear tonight. Something sexy that shows off your curves. I love you in red, you look amazing in that colour.”
Emily’s eyes lit up. This was love. Amazing super spectacular love like she’d never ever felt in her life before. This man was treating her like a princess, he’d already bought her so many gifts; perfumes, chocolates, underwear, she was over-whelmed to say the least. “Yes, I’d love to stay over. I thought I was anyway. Nobody misses me at home. I could be dead for all they cared.”
Mark walked over to the bed and pecked her on the cheek. He looked deep into her eyes and smiled. “Don’t miss me too much, ay?” He walked towards the door and turned and blew her a kiss. She pretended to grab it from the thin air and put it in her pocket. Mark was gone. Emily gripped the pillow and squeezed it with all her might. She was in love, nothing else mattered anymore. She’d found what she was looking for. Her dream man.
*
The room was dark and Emily nearly fell over as she made her way towards the bed. “Jane, it’s me Emily. Are you awake?” Emily was stumbling and she nearly tripped over a shoe as she finally made it over to where she was. She quickly found the switch to the light and flicked it on. She was taken back when she clocked Jane for the first time. She was sweating, her eyes were flickering, and she looked like death warmed up. “Oh my God, you look so ill Jane. What’s up?”
Jane covered her eyes with her hand. “Please, turn the light off, it’s hurting my eyes. Quick, my eyes feel like they are on fire.”
Emily looked at her for a few more seconds and turned the light off. There was a ray of light seeping in through the cream coloured window blinds that let in enough so she could see her face. Emily reached over and held her friends’ hand. “Do you want some pain-killers? I’m going to get some; I’ve had a banging headache too. I’ve just said to Mark about how rough I feel. Do you think we might have eaten something that didn’t agree with us?”
Jane murmured as she rolled her head in her pillow. “I can’t remember last night at all. What were we drinking? It’s all a blur to me.” Emily sat thinking; it was weird how she was finding it hard to remember the night before. Maybe they should stop drinking the vodka, they were necking glass after glass of it all night long. Omar and Mark kept going to the bar and their glass was never empty.
“Where’s Omar?” Emily asked.
“I don’t know. Like I said, I can’t remember a thing about last night. I’m not even sure if he stayed in the same bed as me.”
Jane lifted the duvet up and looked under the cover, she was shocked and dragged it quickly back over her body. “I’m naked, where the hell have my clothes gone? Oh my God, did I have sex?”
Emily was concerned and positioned herself next to Jane on the bed. “Are you being serious or what?”
Jane sat up and ragged her fingers through her hair. She was getting upset and you could see her racking her brains trying to make some sense of the night before. She was having a panic attack. “I don’t remember. It’s like my mind is blank. Do you think I’ve lost my memory or something?”
Emily smirked and shook her head. “Shut up, you daft cow. You know who I am right?”
Jane was stressed. “Of course I do. It’s just last night I’m having difficulty remembering.”
Emily sighed, “Mark’s taking me into town later to buy me a dress. We’re going out again tonight, so you’d better get your arse in gear and sort your head out. Are you sure you don’t know where Omar is?”
Jane lifted her head up and looked around the bedroom, she looked for any signs of her new man, there was no sign of him whatsoever. “I’ve not got a clue. When I wake up properly, I will ring him.” Jane was in shock and shook her head slowly. “Emily, if he didn’t stay here with me, why am I naked? It doesn’t make any sense. You know me more than anyone and I never sleep in the nude.”
Emily was as confused as her friend. It was so out of character for Jane to be in bed without her pyjamas on. “You were probably that drunk that you took them off. It could have been worse; you could have pissed the bed. So be thankful for that.” Jane was in a panic as she rummaged under the bed clothes and patted the bedsheets. No, they were dry. It was all a big mystery.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“I’ll fucking kill her when I get my hands on her, Tony. Six times I’ve rang her and she’s not answered me.”
Tony was lying on the sofa, watching a wild life programme about lions. He never looked at her as he replied. “What love, who are you talking about?”
Elsie launched a pillow over at his head. “Our bleeding daughter, that’s who, you dickhead. Something is not right with her Tony. Since when has she stayed out this much?”
“She’s only with Jane, where is the harm in that, just relax.”
“You won’t be saying that when she’d found dead in a gutter somewhere, will you?”
“Fuck me Elsie, why are you saying that?”
“Because I’m worried, that’s why.”
“So ring Jane then, simple isn’t it?”
Elsie scrolled through her phone and found Jane’s contacts number. She held the phone to her ear and stared in front of her. “Tony, she’s not answering either. This is a joke. What are they playing at? Hold on, I’ll ring Jane’s mam to see if she’s had any contact with her.” Elsie sat chewing on her fingernails. Tony continued watching the TV, but he was still listening to his wife. “Hiya, it’s Emily’s mam. I’m just wondering if you have spoken to Jane. I’ve tried ringing Emily a few times and she is not answering.”
Tony held his stomach and sniggered. He started mimicking his wife’s posh tone of voice. Elsie was smiling and she was trying her best not to burst out laughing. “Right, if Jane rings you will you tell her to tell Emily to phone home?” The phone call ended and Elsie plonked down on the sofa next to her husband. “You should hear her voice, the posh cow, she seems stuck right up her own arse that one. I bet her farts smell of polish, or pine gel.”
Tony grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down to where he was lay. “Shut up now and watch this with me. The lions have just fucked up a big buffalo, that’s what they’re eating now.”
“Ewww, Tony, you don’t half watch some shit. Why would you want to watch animals being killed like that?”
“It’s the circle of life love, that’s how it all works. It’s a dog-eat-dog world.”
Elsie cringed as she watched a bit more, she covered her eyes and screamed out. “Tony, turn it over, I can’t watch this, it’s rotten. Don’t tell me you can’t hear that poor animal crying as they sink their teeth into it?” Tony jumped on Elsie and pretended to bite her; she was laughing her head off. “Stop it, you daft bastard, orr, stop it, I’m going to piss myself if you carry on.”
Tony roared like a lion and pinned her down, he sank his teeth into the side of her neck. He was acting the goat and loving every minute of it. He yanked his t-shirt off and banged his clenched fist onto his chest. “Me Tarzan, you Jane.”
Elsie wasn’t laughing anymore, something was wrong. She used all her strength and booted him from her. Her eyes shot to his chest. “What the fuck are them scr
atches on your back, come here, let me have a closer look at them.”
Tony froze as she gripped him from the side. “What are you doing you barmy bastard, get off me.”
Elsie pushed him away and stood with her hand on her hips. “So, where have they come from? They weren’t there the other day, so where have they come from?” Tony twisted his head to the side and examined his body. He pulled at the skin and raised his voice. “They must have been from the rose bushes. I was cutting them down yesterday and I fell into them. I’m lucky they didn’t have my eyes out.”
Elsie sucked hard on her gums. “Do you think I came over on the banana boat?”
Tony reached over and gripped his t-shirt and quickly put it back on. “You always have to go and spoil it, don’t you? There we were having a bit of a laugh and you go and get all paranoid.”
“If I had scratches all over my body, you would have something to say, wouldn’t you?”
“Sort your head out woman. Fuck this, I’m going out.”
“Go on then, off you trot, don’t let me stop you.” Tony was in a huff and marched over to the set of drawers in the front room. He dug his hand deep into the drawer and picked something up, quickly he shoved it into his pocket. “Don’t expect me back anytime soon you stress-head.”
Elsie sat down and rammed her middle finger in the air to him. “Sit on that, you prick.” Tony was gone. The moment he’d disappeared, Elsie grabbed her coat from the back of the chair and headed towards the front door. Wherever she was going she was in rush to get there.
Tony marched down the road like a man on a mission. He rammed his hands deep into his pockets as the wind picked up. His hair was blowing up in the air and his nose was starting to dribble slightly with warm clear liquid. Tony seemed to know everyone in the area. As his feet pounded the pavement every person he passed nodded at him. It was “hiya love, hiya mate,” non-stop all the way down the road. He was well known for sure, maybe for the wrong reasons but still they all knew him. Tony reached the shopping fort and smiled. This was going to be his first instalment on the family holiday he’d promised his daughter. It was the first task he’d ever completed without messing up. He could never be trusted with money in the old days and here he was with two hundred quid in his pocket doing something sensible for a change.
