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  “We need to get these clothes off her, there’s stuff all over them,” I suggested.

  Frank looked vaguely horrified,

  “Well, don’t look at me, I can’t do it, that wouldn’t be right.”

  “Doesn’t she have a maid ? How about Marcella ?” I asked hopefully.

  This suggestion clearly amused Frank,

  “Marcella ? That I would like to see..just make sure I’m there when you ask her... can’t you do it ?”

  He looked hopefully at me, I sighed,

  “Well....OK then, I suppose I don’t have a lot of choice.”

  I knelt down in front of Vanessa, Frank stood watching for a moment, but almost as soon as I had undone a couple of buttons, he turned away to face the opposite wall. I was almost finished when Vanessa started to stir and her head lifted,

  “What the fuck ?” she began, “Frank ? Are you there Frank ?” her voice slightly panicked.

  “I’m here, honey ,we’re just getting your clothes off,” he replied, trying to sound reassuring. I slipped the blouse over her shoulders and tossed it on to the bed, despite my better judgement, I then reached around her waist to find the fastening of her skirt, almost as soon as I did, Vanessa's head lifted once more and suddenly our faces were almost touching, her almond-shaped eyes were instantly filled with anger,

  “What the fuck ? Who the hell are you ?”

  Frank edged forward, despite still facing the wall, he attempted to pacify her,

  “It’s OK, this is Carrie, she’s just trying to....”

  Vanessa was not listening,

  “I know what she’s trying to do..get the fuck away from me..,” with that, she pushed me backwards, then turned her attention to him,

  “What the hell are you doing Frank ? Making me some kind of freak show...”

  I felt I should try and say something,

  “I was just helping you...” I started, putting my hand on her arm to try and reassure her of my good intentions, but this action only seemed to make things worse.

  “Don’t fucking touch me !” she yelled menacingly ,I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender, attempted to stand up ,but unfortunately, I lost my balance, as I reached out to the bed to stop myself falling, Vanessa slapped me hard across the face,

  “I warned you !” she yelled again, spitting her words out like venom. Frank rushed forward to my side, I felt his strong arms around my shoulders as I tried to stand,

  “What the hell is wrong with you ?” he glared at Vanessa angrily,

  “Are you OK ?” turning to me, his concern, seemed to enrage her even more,

  “What’s wrong with me ?” she screamed, “You’re selling fucking tickets to watch strangers strip me, and I’m the one with the problem !”

  I leapt to my feet and stormed out of the door, however rich, or how famous this woman was, I was done here, I heard Frank speaking behind me,

  “This time you’ve gone too far.”

  “Fine Frank, if you don’t like it, you can fuck off too with your girlfriend,” Vanessa yelled aggressively. Frank didn’t answer her, instead, I heard him come out of the room behind me and slam the bedroom door with such force the gold handle rattled violently. Once back in the main room, I could hardly contain my own disgust at the whole situation , I searched angrily for my jacket and handbag. I glared at the hapless Frank, who stood watching me rampage around the room,

  “That woman.. she’s actually worse than people say she is ..and, believe me, that takes doing,” seeing my bag on the floor, I fiercely grabbed it from its resting place.

  “You don’t know her,” Frank began slowly, ”She’s not a bad person...not really.”

  “Saint or not, I swore a long time ago that no-one was ever going to hit me again,” I yelled, almost as soon as the word ‘again’ tumbled out of my mouth, I wanted to shove it back in, but it was there between us, almost visible in the air, so we stood motionless, neither quite knowing what to do next.

  Just then Marcella re-entered the room she was carrying two large A4 sheets of typed paper and a pen. She glanced around the room at the scene and a sly smile spread across her face,

  “I gather from all the commotion, Ms Bonart has awoken,” she said smugly. She noticed the slash of red across my face,

  “Oh and I can also see the two of you have finally met, how lovely.”

  I self-consciously touched my cheek, Marcella was clearly enjoying my embarrassment, but was in no mood to let that get in the way of her desire for my swift departure.

  “Anyway..I’ve drawn this up,” she continued, indicating at the sheets in her hand,” Perhaps not as formal as I would have liked, but satisfactory .. under the circumstances.. I think even you will find it simple enough.. if you just want to sign here and here.”

  She pointed at two dotted lines, one on each sheet, without hesitation, I took the pen and scrawled my name, then handed them back. Marcella examined them carefully,

  “Excellent, well, that’s everything,” she added happily.

  “Can I go now ?” I asked, with all the charm of a belligerent teenager. Marcella felt no need to acknowledge my tone, instead she just smiled,

  “Frankly, I can see absolutely no need for you so stay,” she answered, she once again spun on her heel and walked triumphantly back through the interior door. Feeling totally humiliated, I marched out and headed down the carpeted corridor towards the elevator. I just wanted out of there, as I pressed the call button, I heard Frank call me,

  “Hey Carrie, wait up !”

  Almost instantly, he appeared next to me,

  “Look I’m sorry about Marcella....and Vanessa...in fact everything...” he apologised sheepishly,angry as I was, when I looked at his large brown, soulful eyes, I was unable to vent any more anger at him.

  “It’s alright, really,” I conceded.

  “At least let me take you back to your hotel,” he offered.

  “Frank !” Marcella’s shrill voice shot through the air with all the gentleness of a shrieking bird.

  “You’d better get back, otherwise Marcella will start eating her young !” I smiled ruefully, Frank returned the smile, he then reached into his pocket and pushed a crisp £20 note into my hand,

  “Take this, for the cab fare...least I can do.”

  I was about to protest, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for answer, so I thanked him and stepped into the waiting elevator. As the doors started to close between us, I heard another screech from Marcella,

  “Good luck Frank,” I uttered quietly, he nodded his gratitude and turned back.

  Chapter 3

  It was with some relief I finally got back to my own hotel, as I reached the reception desk to collect my key, I was still trying to make some sense of it all. The young woman at the desk gave me the key, then paused,

  “There are a couple of messages for you, Madam,” she said, reaching behind her. I took them gratefully then headed towards the elevator, while glancing at the neatly-written notes, both calls were from Kat– I suddenly felt a pang of disappointment , I would never be able to tell her about Frank and Marcella, not to mention, Vanessa. Although I trusted her completely, if even the barest mention appeared anywhere publicly ,undoubtedly, Marcella would take great delight in suing me for every penny.

  Once in my room, I soaked for a long time in a warm bath, the hotel had provided those tiny bottles of bath foam, for some reason, I had poured both in, and was now luxuriating in foot high , soft white bubbles. As I lay back, I glanced round the room ,it was nothing like as luxurious as Vanessa's suite, but the water was warm and – best of all- there was no Marcella. I tried to remember the last time I had actually been alone with no possibility of interruption. For as long as I could remember, whether it was the phone ringing, or Lainie, or, in fact, anything, it seemed life itself seemed hellbent on intruding on any precious moment of potential peace. But none of that was here now, no-one was going to walk in, I had wondered for a long time, if I could s
till feel something, anything, and now was the ideal time to find out. I hesitated , slightly anxious, as it occurred to me I would try and feel nothing, maybe something that had once been so natural was permanently forgotten, lost somewhere. There was only one way to know, so I closed my eyes, forcing out all the doubts and reached out tentatively to myself.

  As I gently massaged the creamy foam on to my dampened skin, I almost immediately started to feel aroused. As I stroked my glistening breasts, the nipples rose through the white bubbles, I caressed them gently, completely unable and unwilling to avert my gaze. It seemed a lifetime ago when I had last been touched, really touched, while I slid my hand around the lush curves under my breasts, I sighed deeply, appreciating, feeling the rich fullness, something few who had been close to me lately had taken the time to really explore. My hands slipped under the warm water, sliding effortlessly down my body, over the curve of my hip, resting between my thighs. By now, I was totally lost, as my fingers entered , there was no sharp pain, no frantic groping, just the gentle ,firm pressure of my hand, unfolding the sensitive skin and plunging into the damp recess of my welcoming body. I arched my back, knowing this would allow my fingers to reach further, the sheer pleasure of the sensation coursing through my body was almost over-whelming.

  I could hardly breathe but, I couldn’t stop, the foaming bubbles were now lapping over the edge of the bath as I slid back and forth, my head tipped back, I was audibly moaning with pleasure, but I didn’t care who heard me, this felt so good. At last, I just gave in to the tide of emotion, the long-forgotten waves of pleasure rippling through my body, it was so intense, it felt as if every cell was charged with some kind of divine electricity. After one last surge, I collapsed back, almost banging my head on the rim of the bath. My chest was heaving, for the next few minutes even the very act of breathing seemed laboured, but I didn’t care, I felt my whole body was buzzing with life and, as I lay there, catching my breath, I knew I wanted more...much more.

  I slumped on my bed still wrapped in a large towel, a deep warmth filled my body , no need to get dressed, in fact, no need to move at all, I just wanted to lie here ,damp and satisfied ,stretched out like a cat. Suddenly the phone rang, disturbing my mood, but I felt too good to get angry, so I lazily reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the receiver,

  “Hello,” I said drowsily.

  “Carrie ? Is that you ?” it was Kat, and she sounded concerned.

  “Hey Kat, what’s up ?” I replied, smiling at the obvious entendre.

  “I just wanted to make sure you’re OK...I rang earlier, but they said you were out,” she continued.

  “Oh right,” I answered, still in something of a dream, which the ever-watchful Kat didn’t fail to notice.

  “Are you alone ?” she asked suspiciously.

  I suddenly sat bolt upright, quickly wrapping the towel tightly around myself, as if she could see me somehow.

  “Of course, you idiot, who would be here ?” I joked, attempting to divert her attention.

  “Hmm, well, if you say so...anyway, where were you ?” she pressed.

  “Oh I just went for a walk, thought I’d check to see if everything was still here...” I answered, attempting to sound casual.

  “Oh right...and is it ?”

  “Thankfully, yes, so what’s happening back at the ranch ?” I asked, deciding a change of subject was called for, before she asked me anything else.

  “Well, it all kicked off after lunch, Phil Weeks got caught in the warehouse with his trousers down and I do mean that literally.....seems he was allowing Big Cheryl to check his inventory !” Kat laughed. I gasped, then realising I was still on the phone, laughed as well,

  “What’s going to happen ?” I asked, desperately trying not to sound too interested.

  “They’ve got a warning each, that’s all, although you know what Val’s like, if she gets to hear about it, we’ll be visiting him in hospital ,that’s always assuming Cheryl doesn’t kill him first!” she laughed again.

  ”What do you mean ?

  “Well, it seems she heard Phil tell one of the lads afterwards, that it hadn’t been worth all the aggravation ‘cos he would have had more fun sticking it into a....”

  “Hole in the wall,” I clamped my hand over my mouth, hoping Kat had missed the comment.

  “How the hell did you know ?” she asked incredulously.

  “Oh..I just guessed,” I replied weakly, “ Anyway, got to go, there’s someone at the door.”

  With that we quickly said our goodbyes, I knew Kat would be still be curious, but, with any luck, by the time I returned to work, there would be another scandal to hold her attention.

  Later, as I lay in bed, I briefly thought about Phil standing there, at the top of those dark stairs, with some woman on her knees. As I turned over to sleep, my mind drifted back to my own evening, it seemed like it had all been just some kind of bizarre dream, but I didn't care any more. I felt at peace and easily drifted off to sleep.

  I awoke early the next morning, still not entirely sure whether any of it had actually happened, but there was no time to dwell on it all now, I had a course to attend, after all, that was the reason I was in London in the first place. So I reluctantly left the embrace of the warm bed and tried to focus on the day ahead, as I dressed. Only an hour or so later, I was back out in the city sunshine, still remembering the delicious warmth of my bath and the sheer pleasure of just being with myself.

  For a moment, just as I walked towards the tall, glass building where the course was to be held, I had the sudden urge to turn round and rush in the opposite direction. Whether it was because the sun was shining, or I was still feeling the effect of the night before, I could not be sure, all I did know, the prospect of a day listening to health and safety lectures did little to inspire me, when there was a whole city just waiting to be revisited. I hesitated by the revolving door, pondering on how I would possibly explain my absence from the day to my boss, my thoughts were interrupted by a cheery voice next to me,

  “Hiya, I’m Amanda...you here for the course, are you ?” she chirped. I turned to face her, her bouncy blonde hair and sparkling eyes perfectly matched the bubbly tone of her greeting.

  “Yes, I am,” I replied.

  She clapped her hands together,

  “How fab ! One of my willing disciples is early,” she gushed, she then took my arm and led me firmly out of the sunshine. The huge lobby was cool, enormous pot plants were dotted strategically around the space, probably in an effort to make the whole building look slightly less sterile. Amanda’s towering heels clacked across the floor as she made her way to a reception desk, where a particularly-bored looking woman was sitting, drinking coffee from a reusable cup.

  “Morning, I’m Amanda Jesson...I’m the training officer for the course being run today on the fourth floor,” she began enthusiastically, “but you know that already, don’t you ? ‘Cos I’m always here !” she giggled. The woman looked up at her with a world-weary expression tinged with more than a hint of annoyance ,neither of which Amanda chose to acknowledge.

  “So my people will be arriving shortly, except this early bird, she’s already here !” she said pointing at me,“ So can you sign them in, then direct them up to Room 402 ?”

  “Of course,” the receptionist replied flatly.

  Amanda then turned her attention to me,

  “OK then, I’ve got a few bits and bobs to set up..so why don’t you grab yourself a coffee ? Then pop up in about ten minutes, that should give me enough time to set everything up,” her eyes seeming to search my face for approval for this idea.

  “OK then,” I answered.

  “Super, see you in a bit ,” she finished, she wiggled her way towards the elevator, clearly enjoying the admiring glances from the various men meandering around the vast hallway. When she dropped a sheaf of papers, three young guys sped across the polished floor to help her, almost careering into each other in their haste. She giggled girlishly,

/>   “What am I like ?” she sighed, she gratefully accepted the papers back from the winner, touched the lapel of his jacket,

  “Aren’t you lovely ?” she added before stepping into the waiting elevator. When the doors closed, the three men walked away, the lucky one seemed to be blushing slightly as the others exchanged some friendly banter at his expense.

  “God she’s annoying..” the receptionist began, then looked up at me apologetically, “ She’s not a friend of yours, is she ?”

  I laughed and shook my head,

  “No, I just met her outside, is she always that ...er... chirpy ?” I asked.

  The receptionist sighed, then leant forward conspiringly,

  “Oh yes..I have to say, between you and me, of course, I’ve often wondered if she’s on something, after all, it’s not normal to be that perky first thing in the morning, is it ?”

  I laughed again,

  “Well, if I find out, I’ll let you know, now, where do I sign ?”

  An hour or so later, I was sitting at a long, polished table, there were around twelve others both sexes, who had also been signed up for the same experience. Amanda had been in full flow the whole time, armed with flip charts and computer presentations, she had chirped her way through a seemingly-interminable speech about why this course was going to change our whole perception of our role in the company. I glanced around at my fellow students, just to see if they were as ‘enthralled’ as I was, I say enthralled, because it was clearly one of our trainers favourite words. One rather intense young woman seemed to be attempting to record every one of Amanda’s utterances on a legal pad, frantically scribbling at a remarkable pace, but she was in the minority, others were either gazing listlessly out of the windows or furtively playing games on their iphones concealed under the table ,the whole scene reminiscent of being at school.