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  “...because if there’s nothing there, doing anything else is going to be pointless,” I chipped in.

  “Exactly, but if we kiss them and its all bells ringing and fireworks, the knickers come down faster than the speed of light !” Kat continued, “Agreed ?” she offered her hand which I shook warmly,

  “Agreed.”

  We hugged, I watched as she ambled down the road, when she was out of sight, I turned and started for home, feeling just so thankful I had her in my life. I had never really been one for lunches with the girls to talk about shoes, fortunately, neither was she, which was undoubtedly why we had found each other to be such kindred spirits.

  Chapter 7

  A week or so later, just as I was leaving work one evening, Kat raced over, she was clutching a newspaper,

  “Look, honey, we have to go,” she gasped breathlessly, thrusting the paper at me. As I read, it was an advertisement for a speed dating night, to be held the following weekend, at first, I hoped she was joking, but as I handed it back to her, it quickly became apparent she was serious,

  “Oh come on, it will be fun..might give us a chance to test our new theory ?” she suggested hopefully, grudgingly I agreed, after all, I had learnt over time, it was near impossible to say no to her.

  Within days, the pair of us were sitting at the bar , after a few introductory words, we took our places within a row of tables and waited for the evening to begin. After over an hour of being confronted by possibly the most diverse group of men I had ever met, we were told it was time to take a break, I found Kat and gulped down the wine she had sensibly ordered.

  “I take it , it’s not going well,” she laughed, pointing at the empty glass. After ordering another, I listed the people I had met, which included one guy who talked about his love of quilting with his mother and another, who spent his three minutes extolling the virtues of the modern combustion engine, I was shamelessly exaggerating, but there really had been no-one I found remotely attractive. When I had finished, I asked Kat to tell me about her experience which seemed remarkably similar to mine, just as we were agreeing we were going to sneak out before the next round, two young men approached us, carrying more wine.

  “Thought you two ladies could do with some refreshment,” one said, carefully placing the glasses between us. Kat and I exchanged glances, although these two were obviously considerably younger than us, they were a definite improvement, so I invited them to join us. They flirted outrageously, but their easy-going charm was so appealing, they made what had begun as a desperate evening much more pleasant. When the dating organiser announced there was five minutes until the event restarted, Kat and I decided we would sneak out after all, our two new companions followed eagerly. Almost as soon as we were outside, they offered to walk us home,

  “After all, there could be all kinds of weirdos about,” Tom announced, decisively taking Kat's arm. I resisted the temptation to say he would be hard-pushed to find anyone ‘weirder’ than her, instead, I took Jack’s arm, and the four of us started for home. I was very wary about allowing Kat to disappear with some stranger, so , as my daughter was staying at a friends for the night, I invited them back to my place, believing there was a degree of safety in numbers, although neither Tom or Jack had given us any reason to believe they were anything more than two guys out for a good time.

  I told them to make themselves comfortable, while I made some coffee , Kat followed me into the kitchen on the pretence of helping me.

  “So what do you think ?” she whispered excitedly.

  “Well, it’s obvious Tom fancies you, so why not put him through the test ?” I replied.

  “What about you ? That Jack is really sweet, and I am loving that earring.....” she grinned.

  Before taking the coffee into the living-room, we agreed this was the ideal time to put our theory into practise, so I suggested Kat took Tom into my room, leaving Jack with me, but, if either turned ugly, we agreed to call out and the other would race to the rescue. Effortlessly, almost on re-entering the room, Kat had Tom following her into my room, and I sat down next to Jack, he suddenly looked nervous.

  “Are you alright ?” I asked, genuinely concerned. He glanced up,

  “Me ? Yeah great,” he replied, rather unconvincingly.

  “Look, we don’t have to do anything, we can talk, if you want,” I suggested, wanting to do something that would make him feel less anxious.

  “Talking’s good,” he answered, unable to hide his relief, so for the next hour, we talked about his hopes, dreams and fears, the more he talked, the more relaxed he became and the more convinced I became, that nothing was going to happen between us. As he explained his desire to travel, I sat back and took the opportunity to really look at him, he was certainly a good-looking guy, although there was maybe a touch to much gel on his short, spiky hair, but all that rugby he played, had certainly given him a great physique. He had almost cat-like green eyes that caught the light when he smiled, he was now undeniably more relaxed now, as I noticed he had started touching my leg or my arm, allegedly to emphasis a point, but we both knew what this contact could lead to, given a little encouragement.

  So , I concluded, he liked me , now whether it was the wine or the half-light, the idea of sex with him started to seem like a good idea, but how to make this obvious without causing him to run for the hills in panic, after all, he had been distinctly uneasy earlier. Well, there was only one way to find out, when I noticed the edge of a tattoo just visible at the edge of his sleeve, I reached across and traced it with my finger,

  “What’s this ?” I asked quietly. He glanced down,

  “It’s Chinese, means strength,” he replied, then obligingly pulled up the sleeve to reveal the rest, then looked at me,

  “I’ve got another, would you like to see it ?” he said quietly. I nodded, and he slipped his t-shirt off, there was a stylised dragon swirling across his broad chest, without speaking, I traced the lines, then allowed my hand to wander across the defined muscles, I felt him breathe in sharply, then exhale audibly. I said nothing, I looked into those eyes, then leant slightly forward and gently kissed the dragon, he pulled me towards him and we kissed deeply, his tongue explored my mouth with a gentle force, it felt good, not amazing, but good enough that those fireworks Kat and I had agreed were essential, seemed not so important anymore.

  He lifted me effortlessly on to his lap, he sat back for a moment, and watched steadily as I removed my top. He gently took hold of my breasts and with intense concentration, started to massage them, I could feel his strong erection growing between my thighs, I put my hands behind his head and eased forward, he then began sucking one nipple, his tongue circling before surrounding it with his eager mouth. I bit my lip, it was slightly painful but I didn’t want him to stop, watching the sheer urgency of his lips greedily eating, made me want more of him, I half-stood and started to slip my panties down my thighs, he took them and ripped them down. Before I had a chance to get back on to his lap, he unzipped his fly to reveal a huge erection, he then pulled me on top of him, he slipped easily into me, then sharply thrust his whole body into me, over and over again, I clasped my hands around his neck, he gripped my breasts, ravenously feeding on them,

  “Can’t get enough of these , gonna make me come,” he gasped, “I’m gonna fuck you, right now.”

  He lurched up, again and again, then with one last breath-taking push, I felt him come, his strong hips grinding against mine to release every last drop into me ,then exhausted, he sank back into the chair, breathing heavily, tiny beads of sweat across his forehead, he smiled up at me,

  “Fucking amazing.”

  I kissed him gently on his forehead, before gently lifting myself off his lap, as I moved a trickle of warm come oozed out of me on to his jeans. He looked down,

  “Oh shit.”

  I reached across to a box of tissues on the table and passed them to him, he nodded gratefully, as he lifted his penis, I bent down and licked the very tip, it res
ponded instantly to the touch of my tongue, gently forcing Jack to release his grip, I took it in my own hands . I heard him sigh deeply, so without looking up, I just licked and sucked, easing back the foreskin before taking him into my mouth, within a few moments, I felt him shudder, he arched his back as he came again. I lifted my head, wiping my lips with the back of my hand as I looked up at him, his eyes were closed, but after a few moments, they opened slowly,

  “Fuck me, that was awesome,” he whispered admiringly, he held my face in his huge hands, reached down and kissed my still-moist lips.

  I gently lifted myself off his lap, and after once more, wiping himself with another tissue, he zipped his fly, pulled his t-shirt back on, then looked at me, as if he was waiting for me to say something.

  “Well, it’s very late...” I began slowly.

  “Yeah it is, I should probably get going,” he replied, “But what about Tom ?” he asked nodding towards the bedroom.

  “He’ll be fine, I’ll tell him you’ve gone, when he comes out,” I assured him.

  “OK then, well....” he stood up and I led him to the front door, I kissed him on the cheek and we said goodnight, there was no talk of seeing each other again, or even exchanging numbers, we both knew what this evening had been, so there was no point in pretending otherwise.

  After he left, I glanced at my bedroom door, there was now no light visible, so guessing Kat was here for the night, I wandered back into the living-room and cleared everything away. Once I was finished, I picked up the discarded cushions and lay down on the sofa, there was no question sex with Jack had felt good, nothing had been forced, it had been surprisingly easy to just enjoy being with him, so much more fulfilling than those dark moments with Phil, which had only ever been about his desire to be satisfied. But there had been something missing, yes, I had been aroused, but I had still been in control somehow, and thanks to Vanessa, I knew what it was like to be totally lost in another person, and that had not happened tonight, but, that was more about me than Jack.

  I turned over in an effort to get comfortable, I ended up deciding whatever it may have lacked, it had certainly been so good to feel something, with the thought that maybe the rest would come in time, I drifted off to sleep.Tom must have left some time later, because the next morning, I was awoken by Kat padding out of the bedroom, wearing one of my t-shirts, she slumped on to the armchair,

  “How was your night ?” I asked, slightly amused by her dishevelled appearance.

  “Jesus, young guys certainly have plenty of stamina..I’ve slept and I’m still knackered,” she admitted, wiping sleep from her eye, “How ‘bout you, you OK ?” she asked lazily.

  “Fine thanks,” I replied, deliberately not going into the detail I knew she would want to hear,

  “Orange juice or coffee ?” I asked politely.

  “Juice for me, I think my poor old body could do with some vitamins....” she smiled, “..and while I’m drinking it, you can tell me about your night with pirate Jack.”

  I sighed, it was obvious I was going to have to tell her everything after all, but I didn’t really mind, after all, the whole experience was entirely down to her, so perhaps I owed her.

  Chapter 8

  Over the next few weeks, Kat and I went out again, but Cher had been right all along, the kiss was the thing. On our way home ,after one more unsatisfying night, we compared notes,

  “That guy who was chatting you up looked alright,” she began curiously, “I saw him kiss you.” I shook my head,

  “Once was enough, it was like having a sink plunger stuck on my face ! No, more like that thing in ‘Alien’”

  “What the thing that sucks everyone’s face off except Sigourney Weaver ?” Kat cackled.

  “Exactly..in fact,” I continued, “It wouldn’t surprise me if that guy was the inspiration !”

  We collapsed into a giggling heap,

  “Who knew you’d have something in common with Sigourney ?” Kat asked, trying to wipe the tears away without smudging her mascara. We almost fell on to a bench, still trying to catch our breath,

  “You know, fun as this is, I think it’s time to quit..for a while at least,” I suggested.

  “Wait for new blood ?” Kat added.

  So we resolved to stay home for a while and then try again, or, as she put it, wait for some new delights to rise to the surface. After the excitement of both my trip to London and the encounter with Jack, I found it quite difficult to do very little more than watch movies at home, but she was right, just to have sex for the sake of it, would do nothing for either of us.

  However, early one morning, while we were in the cloakroom at work ,she revealed some news that might change things,

  “By the way, a new guy’s starting today, seems he’s on some kind of placement thing, God knows what he’ll be like...probably like a ‘Lord of the Rings’ extra,” she grumbled. I was about to answer when a tannoy announcement interrupted me, I was being summoned to the manager’s office, I quickly dismissed Kat's assertion, I was about to be revealed as hopeless and get unceremoniously fired. I had barely reached the door, when it swung open to reveal Brian standing with Matt, completely forgetting myself, I gasped,

  “Oh my God, what are you doing here ?

  Matt smiled back,

  “Seems I’ve got to complete a management module, and Brian has kindly offered me a place here,” he explained. My boss stepped forward, and asked me to show Matt around and ushered us out of his office. As soon as we were at a safe distance, I hugged him,

  “Anyone would think you’re glad to see me !” Matt exclaimed at the warmth of my welcome,

  “Of course I am,” I assured him, meaning every word, he looked at me for a moment, as if trying to see if there was more to words than it seemed. I felt slightly awkward so opted to move on briskly,

  “OK then, let me show you the asylum.”

  Just the sight of us, generated plenty of interest, especially amongst the female members of staff who were very keen to be introduced , all eagerly offering their help should he need anything. At last, I found Kat ,

  “This is my dear friend, Kat...” I began.

  “How many times have I told you ? I don’t know you, you’ve got to stop pretending we’re friends,” she said , pretending to be scared, but when she saw Matt’s slightly bemused expression, she reassured him it was just a joke and offered her hand, which he shook enthusiastically, within moments, they were chatting and, as I watched, there was undoubtedly an instant connection between them. After a few minutes, there was an announcement calling Matt to the warehouse, as soon as we were alone, Kat grabbed my arm,

  “He is gorgeous, what a smile and that chest....” she gabbled excitedly, she paused to look me straight in the eye, “ And you bought him back for me, have I ever told you, you’re my best friend ?”

  “Oh yes...in between telling people we’ve never met,” I teased. She made me tell her every last detail about him, which fortunately, owing mainly to the fact he was single, was everything she wanted to hear. When I had finished, she asked me if Matt and I had got together during our time in London, I shook my head, and she could barely contain her relief, as we had agreed years before, it would be just too weird for us to have any kind of sexual contact with the same person, it just took ‘sharing’ too far for both of us.

  I left her to finally start work, as I walked out to the warehouse, a hand took hold of my arm and guided me firmly through the small door at the back, it was Phil. He quickly glanced around, then quickly bundled me into the semi-darkness, once the door closed behind us, he pulled me up the dark stairs, I wanted to pull away, but his grip was too tight. Once at the top, he rammed me against the wall, I tried to push him back, but he chose to ignore the fact I was unwilling and forced his tongue into my mouth, it tasted stale and I felt sick. When he stepped back, I saw he was grinning,

  “I missed you, you dirty bitch, now let me see those great tits of yours,” reaching to undo my uniform, I clamped m
y hand over his,

  “I don’t want to do this,” I said firmly, staring straight at him, but he ignored me,

  “Don’t fuck about, I’ve only got my break,” he replied impatiently, holding me firmly against the brick wall with one hand, while he fumbled with his fly with the other.

  “I said no,” I persisted, desperately trying to move away, his leering face, the stale smell of his body seemed to be pervading every pore of my body. Phil froze, his face turned from a leer to grimace,

  “What the fuck’s wrong with you ? You’re always gagging for it,” he snarled, “So stop pissing about and suck my cock like a good girl.”

  When I failed to move, he put his hand on my shoulder and forced me to my knees,

  “I know what this is, it’s that flash bastard that’s just turned up, isn’t it ? What you’ve had him and now you don’t want me, is that it ?” his voice rasped through the damp air between us. The grip on my shoulder tightened, I tried to get up, but he forced me back down,

  “Stop fucking about ,” he ordered, with that he pulled his erect penis from his trousers and crammed it into my mouth with such force, I nearly threw up, but there seemed to be no choice, so I did everything I knew, just to make him come and for this to be over, I looked up, his eyes were closed, but the vice-like grip on my shoulder only became tighter.

  After what seemed like hours, he shivered, then pushed violently forwards, I pulled my face away, only to have my cheek splattered by the hot liquid, he slumped back ,panting like a dog on a hot day,

  “Oh baby, that’s what I wanted,” he whispered, before pulling me up from the grubby floor,

  “Let’s have a look at those tits before I go,” he unbuttoned my uniform and forced my bra up, I stood there, frozen, unable to move, after roughly groping one breast , while he bit the nipple on the other, he stood back.

  “Fuck me, I’m getting another hard on,” he gasped.

  “You have to get back, your break’s over, you’ll be missed,” I replied, my voice sounded far away somehow. Phil peered at his watch,