Watching Over You (16 page)

20:24 Ella had a male visitor.

He’d arrived in a dark grey hatchback, the suit he wore practically the same colour. Jean thought he looked more like he was dressed for work; from what she’d seen of the visitors Ella usually invited, he seemed too smart for a date.

She’d dropped a stitch when she’d next looked, spotting Ella bent over the settee with him standing behind. She’d reached for her binoculars to take a closer look, but by this time they were apart, facing each other like alley cats about to pounce. She’d leant further forward to see what was going on just in time for them to drop onto the settee and she hadn’t been able to see any more.

But she’d been surprised to see him leaving some five minutes later. Some date that had been! He must have had his fill and left. Not a very nice man in her eyes.

20:57 Ella’s male visitor left.

It was wrong what Ella got up to. Jean didn’t disapprove of women having sex, not at all, but she couldn’t understand why Ella felt the need to sleep with so many men. She wondered again about her sexual appetite. She obviously used sex as a comfort blanket – Jean had seen it so many times during her working life. Kids and women abused by men whom they should have been able to trust.

Nothing to see at Ella’s window now; she looked up and down the avenue and sighed, wondering why she expected anything else. Apart from the odd erotic display from Ella, nothing of interest ever happened in Warwick Avenue. But then again, it was everyday events that triggered off bigger problems, most of the time. She doubted many of the people who committed atrocities got up thinking ‘I’m going to kill someone this morning.’

Still, she mused, her knitting needles clickety-clicking away, it wouldn’t do for everyone to live the same, day after day. And she should know. The day she lost her job at Ravenside Children’s Home had started out like any other but it had ended as an
ything but.

And she would always keep that hush-hush.

Chapter Seventeen

Ella couldn’t believe it when she’d messaged Charley on Saturday afternoon and again she said she was going out with Aaron. She speculated whether she was trying to tell her something in a roundabout way but at the same time didn’t really want to know. Trying not to dwell on it, she lined up a date for that night with a client from
One Night Only.
Soon she’d be heading to watch a show in the Cultural Quarter of Hanley and then on to a club afterwards.
Dirty Dancing
was showing at the Regent Theatre and if her date was lucky she might get some dirty dancing of her own.

It had been a long time since she’d gone out on a date for anything but sex. Even so, she dressed carefully in anticipation of what was to come later. Her thoughts returned to Charley as she put on a vivid-blue scant bra and brief set, feeling the silkiness against her skin. Ella wondered if Charley and Aaron had fucked yet; had he tasted her, run his tongue all over her, felt every inch of her? She lay back on her bed, seeing them in her mind, almost feeling she could reach out and touch them. It led to a delicious thought which took her to orgasm twice before she’d finished the fantasy. Maybe they would let her watch, she surmised – maybe they would let her join in! It had been a while since she’d had a threesome. Most of the time, her partners found her enough on her own.

She was meeting Sabrina that evening. Her profile picture looked that of a young woman, quite butch in stature but feminine in looks. Her face was fresh – no more than twenty at a push.

She slipped into her heels, knocked back the vodka, and poured another. She wanted to be pissed by the time she got there so she wouldn’t be thinking of Charley.

Aaron took Charley out for dinner to a restaurant just off
Piccadilly
. Marlon’s had been in Hanley since 1985. Charley had been a few times with Dan before he’d died but not since. It was a small, intimate restaurant, two-thirds full already when they arrived, and would, no doubt, be overflowing come ten o’clock once the show was over. Aaron ordered Quattro Stagioni and Charley chose Pizza della Casa.

Over the past few nights, Charley had enjoyed herself so much with Aaron that her nerves had gone and she felt comfortable with him now. She glanced at him covertly as they sipped coffee afterwards. There was so much she didn’t know about him, yet so much she wanted to learn. And she realised, with a childish sense of excitement, there was going to be time to do just that.

The air between them became electric with expectation.

Aaron reached forward and ran the tip of his finger over the top of her hand. ‘I’ve had another great evening,’ he said. ‘I can’t believe you’re this much fun!’

Charley snatched her hand away in mock indignation. ‘And there was me thinking you were trying to seduce me with that one finger thing.’

Aaron gasped. ‘You said the “S” word. You are so naughty.’

‘Well…’ Charley kept her eyes locked on his, ‘it’s bound to happen, isn’t it?’

‘I bloody well hope so!’ He grinned. ‘But, you take your time. I’ll wait another week maybe.’

‘You’re impossible!’

‘Irresistible!’ He sighed loudly. ‘You should have said I’m
irresistible
.’

‘I wouldn’t be telling the truth.’

‘I’m deeply hurt by that remark.’ Aaron picked up his napkin and dabbed away imaginary tears.

Charley reached for his hand this time. ‘I am, however, really glad we got together last weekend. I must admit, I did think you were joking and jesting while we were at work and I’m sure I wouldn’t have thought anything more unless we hadn’t…’

‘Slept together?’ He raised his eyebrows.

‘Yes, so to speak.’

‘We didn’t do anything
but
speak,’ he teased.

‘Like I said, I’m sure we can rectify that later.’

Aaron leaned closer so that the group of women celebrating a birthday at the next table couldn’t hear him. ‘If you don’t stop with the insinuations, I’m going to push everything off this table, bend you over it, and have my wicked way with you right now,’ he said quietly.

Charley choked on the wine she was sipping. Aaron certainly drew a thin line between flirting and downright cockiness – he was determined to let her know what his intentions were, even if she hadn’t already been sure from the get-go. Still, it was good that she knew he was joking, because she might be ready to be cocky ba
ck –
well, kind of. She’d really enjoyed spending time with him that week, getting to know him better.

She held up a hand to signal she was okay as a waitress came rushing over. ‘You are too funny!’ Her voice was laced with
sarcasm
. ‘I might have to persist with the insinuations because of that.’

Aaron paused. ‘I think I’d better take you home and we can continue our conversation there.’

‘No.’

‘No?’

Charley felt a shake in her hand as she put down her wine glass. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to make love with Aaron but if she did make a fool of herself, well, she’d want it to be with him. He would understand; she’d still be able to take things slowly afterwards. He knew what a big moment it would be for her. Her stomach flipped over as she thought about it. But she wasn’t going to give up. She spoke out before she changed her mind, her voice sounding more confident than she felt.

‘You can take me home but I don’t want to talk,’ she said softly. ‘I think action will speak louder than words on this occasion.’

Another pause. Then Aaron waved frantically to get the waitress’s attention.

‘Could we have the bill please?’

Ella paced up and down in her living room. She wanted to stop the feeling of betrayal but knew it wouldn’t go away – not until Aaron left. He was downstairs with Charley. They were most probably fucking right this minute.

Desperately, she tried to hold in the scream threatening to escape. And she’d had such a great time with Sabrina. For once, the sex had been gentle and kind. She’d been fun to be with – a dream to make love to. They’d enjoyed the theatre and headed for a club, but after a heavy petting session, they’d got a cab back to Warwick Avenue. Ella had been about to take her to bed and, while Sabrina went to freshen up beforehand, she’d been standing in the window when Aaron pulled up outside the building and got out of the car with Charley. The lingering kiss he gave her on the pavement told Ella everything. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other either.

Still, it had been okay. Because while Sabrina had skilfully and gently brought her to orgasm, she’d imagined Charley and Aaron lying directly below her in their bed doing the same. But afterwards, she couldn’t get the image from her mind, no matter how much fun she’d had with Sabrina. She’d fallen asleep next to her but Ella couldn’t rest. Instead, she’d listened for the entrance door, the signal that Aaron had gone home. But there had been nothing. Shortly after three thirty, she’d got up and gone in to the living room. His car was still there when she’d looked out of the window. Damn that fucking man!

She stopped pacing and went to the window again. The car would still be there, she knew. No doubt they would be screwing. And if they weren’t screwing, they would be lying together with legs entwined, arms wrapped around each other, or he would be spooned into her back, as new lovers do.

Tears pricked her eyes. It was always the same.

Of course it’s always the same. Nobody wants to be with you for more than one night.

She didn’t know how long she’d stood in the window but, in the darkness, a hand enveloped her waist. Ella felt a warm body press up to hers, fingers gently caressing her breast and then a nipple, lips spreading tiny tantalising kisses across her shoulder. She pulled back her head and the lips found the side of her neck.

‘I wondered where you’d gone,’ Sabrina whispered.

‘I couldn’t sleep.’

‘Maybe I could help with that?’ From the light of the street lamp, Ella caught the smile on her face as she moved to her side. She smiled back; she might not be good enough for Charley but Sabrina needed her.

Ella kissed her, making it as passionate as the kiss she had seen between Aaron and Charley earlier. Then she took Sabrina’s hand and led her out of the room.

When Charley woke up the next morning, she’d been relieved to find that she was in her own bed. The relief continued when she realised that she wasn’t drunk, nor had she embarrassingly stripped her clothes off or passed out shortly afterwards like she had last weekend.

Her clothes had been removed, though.

She glanced up at the man whose chest she’d been snuggled up to since and smiled. She had never met anyone who had such a positive outlook. Even in his sleep, Aaron looked happy. She knew she was a moody cow at times but being with him, well, he made her feel content. It was strange to feel that way after just a week. Funny things, hormones, she mused.

Last night it had happened. But even though she’d been tearful thinking about Dan as she and Aaron had made love, it hadn’t stopped her from enjoying all those bubbly feelings, still running through her now too. It was so long since she and Dan had gone through their lustful stages – where the touch of a hand would bring a quiver of anticipation, a wink of an eye would have her weak at the knees, where a fingertip with just enough pressure could send her to heaven. But being with Aaron had brought that all back and it felt so good. Charley couldn’t – and didn’t want to – rid herself of Dan’s memory but she sure as hell could make some new ones with Aaron.

She bit her lip. Had she really slept with him after a week? What a tramp! But she was in her thirties, not her teens, and didn’t have to justify three dates to move to second base and five dates to move to third. If it felt right, it felt right. Yet, she blinked back tears…What had she to feel guilty about?

‘Morning.’ Aaron opened his eyes slightly, briefly looking at her before closing them again.

Charley felt a hand touch her thigh lightly.

‘I’m awake.’ He sighed with relief. ‘It did happen, then.’

‘What exactly?’ Charley teased, knowing full well that this week she could remember everything from the night before. And that she didn’t want to blank any of it out.

‘You mean it wasn’t memorable? You know, the,’ Aaron whistled twice and mouthed the word ‘sex.’

Charley sniggered.

‘So how do you feel about it this morning?’

Last night, Aaron had been gentle with her, pausing when he’d clearly wanted to continue. At first she’d felt shy, resisted her urges, but then she had wanted him and no other man beside her, inside her. As her emotions soared, more tears had followed. Aaron had held her in his arms, no need for words, until she’d fallen asleep. Dan would always be special, but sleeping with Aaron had been the right thing to do.

She smiled now, recalling the second time they’d made love
–
that had been much better.

‘I’m okay,’ she told him. ‘I’m good with it.’

‘Thank God for that. Maybe now I can stop holding my stomach in all the time and relax a little more.’ He lifted the covers up. ‘And maybe this time when you cuddle into me, you won’t mind what brushes against your leg.’