Human Conditioning (18 page)

She went to leave the room, but
Roy grabbed her by the arm. “I’m in deep shit, G.”

Gina stared at him. She wanted
to feel sorry for him – he
was
her dad – but she couldn’t. Dad or not,
he was an arsehole. “After all the shit you give me, why do you think I’d
care?”

“Because you might find your
old man in a dumpster if you don’t think of a way to make some money...”

“How much debt have you got us
into?” she asked, perplexed.

Roy was suddenly angry. “Never
you mind. I don’t have to answer to me own daughter.”

“You do if you’re asking her
to bail you out again!”

“Watch it, you!” he spat,
pointing a stiff finger in her face.

“If it’s more than five
hundred then I’m gonna have to borrow it.”

Roy sighed irately and walked
into the living room. Gina followed on his tail and halted at the door as he
slumped onto the couch. “Five grand,” he muttered.

Gina’s eyes widened. “What?”
She was completely bowled over. She should have asked where he’d got five grand
from in the first place, but she didn’t dare – for the sake of her sanity as
well as her safety.

“It was supposed to go towards
some diamonds. It was kosher... I was gonna make at least 15K.”

“FIVE GRAND!”

Roy wiped a hand over his
face. “Fuck!” he muttered.

“You’ve really done it this
time, you absolute idiot!”

“Mind who you’re talking to,
girl!” Roy bellowed. Gina held her tongue. There was only one way she was going
to sort this. She would have to ask Aiden for the money. Oh, that would be fun!
But she couldn’t tell her father. He’d rather them be murdered in cold blood
than admit to Aiden that he needed him.

“I’ve gotta get out of here,”
she said, storming into the hallway and slipping on her jacket.

“Yeah, well, look for a job
whilst you’re out!” Roy yelled from the living room.

“I’VE GOT A FUCKING JOB!” she
screamed over her shoulder, slamming the front door on the useless bastard.

************

Gina waited anxiously at the front door of the Fosters’
flat. When the door swung open, it was Kate who stared out at her with an
expression of disinterest. “Is Aiden in?” Gina asked.

“Aiden!” Kate called from the
door. When he appeared, Kate walked away, giving Gina no further acknowledgement.

“She still likes me, then?”
Gina muttered.

Aiden didn’t answer. “Why are
you here?”

She took a deep breath. “I
need a favour...”

He regarded her for a moment
then stepped aside to let her in. “I’m off out in a sec. Come up, I need to get
ready.” He led her up to his bedroom and closed the door. “So, what is it?”

“I need money.”

Aiden turned to her and raised
his eyebrows. “How much?”

Gina gulped hard and lowered
herself onto the edge of his bed. “Five grand...”

He sighed loudly and pulled
off his t-shirt to reveal his bare chest. Gina couldn’t help but take him in.
Aiden noticed and said jovially, “Oi, we’re meant to be talking money?” and
threw his t-shirt at her. She caught it and grinned, absorbing every ounce of
his jollity. Sliding on a white shirt, he pressed, “You know I ain’t got that
kind of money at me disposal, G...”

“I know, but if you could get
it...”

He sat beside her on the bed and
began buttoning his shirt. “And you know what I’m gonna ask next, don’t ya?”

Gina closed her eyes and
sighed. “I know.”

“And?”

She opened her eyes and,
distracted by Aiden’s struggle to do up his buttons, she brushed his hands out
of the way and began the task herself. “I can’t say.”

Aiden was momentarily
distracted by the tips of her fingers pressing lightly against his chest and he
inhaled a deep breath, trying to still the immediate stir in his loins. As she
closed the top button, he took her hands.

“What’s the money for, G?” he
asked seriously.

Gina hesitated for a moment,
savouring the feel of his warm hands against her cold fingers. “A debt,” she finally
admitted.

“Roy,” he muttered and
released her hands.

“Please, Aiden!”

He surveyed her, thinking,
considering. She looked genuinely desperate and he felt bad for her. He finally
nodded. “Alright, but this is the only and last time I get that prick out of
trouble.” He paused for thought then added, “And I want him to know it was me
who bailed him out...”

“No, Aiden, he won’t take the money
if he knows where it’s come from!” she pleaded.

He stood. “It’s that or
nothing. Take it or leave it.”

“What if I tell him
afterwards?” Gina begged, standing up and taking the top of his arms. Trailing
her hands slowly over his hard muscles, she moved in closer. “Please,” she
whispered, blinking up at him, her green eyes beseeching and sensual. “I’ll do
anything you want.”

Aiden groaned in frustration. “Alright,
alright!” he said.

She grinned and wrapped her
arms around him. She pressed her lips on his and he responded, slipping his
tongue into her mouth and exploring it eagerly. When he pulled away, he took
her cheek in his hot hand. “I’ve gotta go, but... come back later. I want my
prize for being such a good boyfriend.”

Gina’s mouth opened to speak,
but she decided against it. She wasn’t about to screw up the moment by pointing
out that he had just called himself her boyfriend for the very first time, yet
inside her heart was swelling to bursting point.

Gina awoke in unfamiliar surroundings, but a surge of
happiness overwhelmed her when she registered the heaviness of Aiden’s arm
around her waist. She turned into his naked body, slowly so as to not wake him,
and gazed into his handsome face. She smiled, watching him breathe quietly, and
wondered how someone so serene whilst asleep could be so controlling and pent-up
with bitterness when awake.

She thought of last night and
her smile grew wider. She had met Aiden, as requested, and they had gone
straight up to his bedroom, leaving only for crisps and vodka the whole night.
When they had made love, she had felt as if she and Aiden were the only two
people in the world. She had felt safe and cherished. Aiden was a fantastic
lover. He took control, driving her wild with anticipation. His sexual appetite
was boundless. Six times he had taken her and six times he had pleasured her.
She loved it when Aiden was in a giving mood, and he had been in a great mood last
night. When Aiden was in good stride, she went with it and enjoyed every
second, because, much like her, his good humour was usually short-lived.

Aiden flicked his eyes open to
see Gina staring at him. He stretched then rubbed his lids with the palms of
his hands. “Why are you staring at me?” he asked sleepily, a bashful smile
appearing on his lips – a smile he didn’t show all that often.

He turned on his side and
leaned on his elbow. Gina fell back onto her pillow and relaxed, feeling his
hand stroke her stomach. “You look so peaceful when you’re asleep,” she said
wistfully.

“Peaceful?” He removed his
hand and ran it over his face. “I wouldn’t know the meaning of the word...”

Gina turned to see the
immediate change in Aiden’s demeanour. For just those few wonderful seconds she
had caught a glimpse of the man who would have existed if he had led a simpler
life. Now, she witnessed the reality of their environment build up on his
shoulders once more.

Aiden swung his legs off the
bed and rubbed his face. “I’ve gotta get on,” he announced, standing up.

Gina sat up and took his hand.
“Don’t rush off... please?” She pulled his naked body to hers and wrapped her
arms around his waist, nestling her cheek against his hard abdominal muscles. Peering
up at him through her thick lashes, she pressed, “Let’s just relax for five
minutes before we have to face our shitty lives again...” She pouted, but her temper
was already betraying her. Aiden was rushing off again and she didn’t want him
to. The thought only conjured the familiar feeling of rejection that always threatened
to anger her.

“I quite like my life... and
I’ve got things to do...” Aiden announced flatly.

“Oh, really?” Gina snapped. Her
temper had been provoked, and Aiden sensed this. He stepped out of her embrace
and proceeded to dress himself. Gina watched him with a bitter taste in her
mouth. “You hate your life. You’ve always wanted to get out of here, so why do
you pretend otherwise?” she goaded.

He turned to her with a frown.
“What you on about, G?”

“Well, why pretend that you’re
happy when you’re not?”

“Who says I’m not happy?”

“
You
do, all the time!”

He sighed. “What’s this really
about?”

She gulped and her cheeks flushed
with embarrassment. On some level, he knew her inside out. “Why can’t you just
spend five minutes with me?”

“You’ve been here
all night
,”
he reasoned.

“Yeah, and you got what you
wanted, and now you can’t wait to get rid of me!”

Aiden roughly pulled on his
jeans. “You’re starting to annoy me now, G...” he warned.

Gina stood and whipped up her
dress from the floor. “Well, you’ll feel less guilty when I’m gone for good,
then, won’t you?” she spat. “Thanks for making things very clear, Aiden...”

Her subconscious was screaming
at her to stop. She had had a wonderful night, and Aiden had made her feel
loved.
Why was she so determined to fuck it all up?
The answer was plain
and simple. She knew that his attention would always be short-lived and she
wanted
more
.

“What have I done now?” Aiden
sighed as he pulled a t-shirt over his head.

When Gina was fully dressed,
she turned to him and announced, “I can’t put up with this anymore. I’m done.”

At that she headed for the
door. Aiden immediately followed her, taking her arm and pulling her round.
“Oi, don’t be like that...”

“Let me go! I’ve had enough!”

He had to do something, say
something to change her mind. “I love ya, don’t I?”

She laughed and pulled her arm
from his grip. “No, you don’t, Aiden. You never have...” She wrenched the door
open and left the room.

“Please, G, stay, for Christ’s
sake!”

“
For what
?” she yelled.
“What can you possibly offer me?” Aiden leant in to kiss her but she pushed him
away. “It won’t work! Not this time!” she cried and stormed down the stairs.

He caught up with her halfway
down and pulled her to him once more. “Look, I’m sorry, alright!” he begged.
“Just stay. I’ll call Reggie, tell him I’m gonna be late... we can do whatever
you want for the next hour...”

Gina glared at him. Yet
however angry she felt, she knew she couldn’t resist spending time with him. That
was what she had asked for and she had got it. Her friend Lily Summers had once
said to her, ‘You have to learn to choose your battles’, and right now her
words couldn’t be truer. Aiden had been good to her last night and still she
had found a way to fuck it up.
What the hell was wrong with her?

She sighed and, brushing past him,
walked back up the stairs. As she stepped back into the bedroom, she felt
Aiden’s hands slide up her thighs and her anger was washed away immediately by
the balm of his touch.

Taking the hem of her dress, his hands traced up each
side of her body until the dress came over her head, leaving her naked apart
from her knickers. He discarded the dress on the floor then his lips found her
neck as his hands moved around to her front and groped her breasts roughly.

Passion exploded between them.
Gina spun round to face him and pulled his t-shirt over his head, then worked
on his jeans until they were open enough for her to slip a hand into his boxers
and pull out his ample erection. She gasped as Aiden spun her around again and,
kicking the door shut, he forced her up against the wall. Her nipples hardened
as they pressed against the coldness of the plaster and she let out a groan as
his arms snaked around her waist.

Dipping his hands into the
front of her knickers, he pushed them down her legs, threw them to one side,
then trailed his fingers back up the inside of her legs, forcing them to part
to finally locate her sex. She was soaked, and he slipped two fingers inside of
her easily, feeling her inner muscles tighten around them in acceptance. Taking
a breast into his other hand, he squeezed hard and forced her further against
the wall.

Gina groaned. He knew she
enjoyed his dominance in the bedroom and he planned to give her something to
think about today, something that he was certain would hold her interest.

Sliding his fingers out from
her vagina, he immediately inserted them inside her again, this time at the
rear. The shock was evident in Gina’s gasp, but as his fingers moved slowly
inside of her, stretching her and testing her limits, she began to feel the new
and exciting pleasure of his fingers in that forbidden place. She ground her
buttocks against him with every thrust of his hand, feeling her pleasure taking
her higher, and when he moved his other hand to her sex, she cried out and
fully accepted him as he replaced his fingers at her rear with his member.

He felt her whole body tense
but he strummed her clitoris hard and fast as he trust deeper inside of her.
Gina clawed at the wall with her nails, fearing she might collapse as her whole
body shuddered with sensation. “Aiden!” she cried out, but it wasn’t through
pain. She was overcome with pleasure now, the sensation at her rear and the
slipperiness of his fingers over her sex bringing her close to orgasm. With
another few thrusts, she exploded beneath his fingers and, as if on cue, he released
his juices inside her.  

Aiden stilled for a moment,
then Gina felt his damp body collapse against hers and they together breathed heavily,
their heads resting against the cold wall. “Don’t ever leave me,” he breathed.