A Flash in the Pan (9 page)

29. Three's a Crowd

“Can I do this?” Lucy took the spare key that Marc kept under the plant pot and let herself in.

She made her way straight to the bedroom. The bedside clock showed
six-fifteen
. She had about an hour before he
would
be in from work. Working together at the hospital meant that it had been easy to find out what shift he was on. Being mates, he
woul
d have told her anyway, but this was to be a surprise and she hadn’t wanted to spoil it by alerting him. It had been safer to check the rota.

The plastic carrier bag she had brought with her lay on the floor, and she picked it up now and examined its contents. Removing the labels from the white lace bra and panties, she changed into them. She loved the feel of the new lingerie. Shoving her clothes into the bag and stowing it under the bed she slipped under the duvet and lay back knowing that in a matter of minutes she would be giving her best friend the surprise of his life.

She couldn’t quite remember when her feelings for Marc had changed. She felt a little guilty about not confiding in Linda. They had been friends for ages, all three of them, working and socialising together. Things might be different after tonight but there was no reason why they couldn’t all still be friends. It’s not as if she and Marc would be running away and leaving Linda to her own devices. They’d just carry on as before, but every now and again they
would
have a little ‘alone time’, like tonight. She shivered in delicious anticipation and closed her eyes, just for a minute or two.

The sound of laughter in the living room pulled her from her reverie
,
and glancing at the clock she realised that she had been asleep for half an hour. Marc was home, but he was obviously not alone. Lucy crept out of bed and listened at the door.

“I’m intrigued
.
” Marc was still laughing. “Where on earth did you get that idea?”

His companion didn’t reply. “Well, you were wrong, anyway. Let’s just leave it at that, shall we?”

Lucy strained to hear what was going on, but the voices sounded muffled now and she guessed that they had moved to the kitchen. Turning the handle slowly, she managed to open the door slightly. She could hear the rattle of cups, and she
could
smell the coffee. Twitching with curiosity and frustration, she looked around trying to decide what to do. Surely, the guest wouldn’t stay long? Marc never had visitors. His social life revolved around Lucy, Linda and the hospital’s social club. He’d never spoken of any family or even mentioned any other friends.

They were back in the living room, but they weren’t talking. Pushing the door a little wider, Lucy peered through the crack. She could see the back of Marc’s head and his left arm stretched out along the top of the sofa. She couldn’t see his companion at all, but she heard the distinctly feminine giggles emerging from somewhere in close proximity to him. She watched as his shoulder stiffened and he let out a deep sigh.

“Hey, not so fast, love,” he gasped. “We’ve got all evening.” He sank down out of sight and there was no further conversation.

Lucy pulled back from the door
;
a cold shiver ran down her spine as she realised her position. Her only thought now was escape, but that was going to prove very difficult. The bedroom opened onto the living room, and the front door was on the opposite side of the room. She was stuck, unless she dared to try to sneak past the couple on the sofa. Whatever she did, she would have to get dressed first. She started to move towards the bed when she heard Marc’s voice again.

“I’ve got to take a shower. I won’t be long.” He was coming this way. Lucy dived under the bed. This evening was rapidly turning into a total disaster. Trying not to fidget or breathe too loudly, she lay in the dark and dusty space with her face resting on the plastic bag that contained her clothes and the memory of her romantic plans. How could she have been so stupid? Silent tears and perspiration made the bag stick to her skin but she couldn’t risk moving. She could see Marc’s reflection as he undressed. Even now, the sight of him in his black Calvin Klein boxers was enough to take away what little breath she had left. She watched immobilised as he removed his underwear
and headed for the bathroom,
giving her a provocative view of
his firm buttocks
.
She risked a sigh as she heard the water running and wondered again about escaping
,
but the bedroom door opened and Marc’s guest came in.

Lucy’s heart lurched as she watched, unable to escape or look away. The woman slipped out of her uniform and placed it on a chair. She took a brush from her handbag and moved to the mirror to do her hair. Lucy could see immediately that her rival had chosen the same lingerie for this seduction as she had, but her white lace was till pristine, while Lucy’s was soiled with dust and sweat and embarrassment. How much longer would she have to endure this? She knew it was her own fault. She had carried her fantasy too far. She finally managed to close her eyes and shut out the images that were sure to follow. If only she could have closed her ears to block the sounds.

It was
eight-thirty
when she slid out of her hiding place, creeping across the room clutching her carrier bag. Neither of the bed’s occupants stirred as she slipped out of the room and dressed before letting herself out.

As she got home, she received a text message:

‘
Coming down the club.

Linda and I will be there in half an hour.
M
’

About the author

As well as poetry and short fiction in a variety of genres, LILIAN KENDRICK writes ‘hen-lit’ - romantic fiction for women of a certain age.

Her first novel ‘Sister, Daughter, Mother, Wife’ was originally published in 2010 and some of her poetry was included in an international collaborative anthology ‘Poeticising Chat’ in 2011. (Both titles are available on Amazon.)

A former head of Modern Languages in an inner-city school, Lilian now works part-time as a supply teacher in her home town of Birmingham, England. She also freelances as an editor and translator.

Author Website:

http://www.verse-artiste.weebly.com

Editing Website:

http://www.liliankendrick.weebly.com

Contact from readers is always welcome at:

[email protected]

To readers everywhere, without whom writers are just voices crying in the wilderness.

I wish to thank all the ‘Friday Flashers’ on Authonomy.com with whom I have had a great deal of fun in our weekly competitions and for whom many of these stories were created.

A special word of thanks to author Adam Sifre – I didn’t know what Flash Fiction was until I made his acquaintance.