Guess Who I Pulled Last Night? (8 page)

Joan now edged forward. “Blimey, there’s a name from the
past.  You’re not telling me that you are starting to pine for him again,
are you?”

“No, I am not!” proclaimed Charlotte, vehemently.

“Good he was a right prat!” pronounced Joan, always one to
be forthright in her opinion of Grant. “So what’s with the sour face then?”

“I don’t know to be honest.  I think that I'm a little fed
up that I’m still unattached after all this time. I wanted to be settled when I
saw or heard from him again.”

“Why? Who cares what he thinks?”

“Well I don’t, not really.  I don’t want him to think
that he was the love of my life, that’s all,” sighed Charlotte.  “I do
want a relationship Gran, people seem to think that he broke my heart, so I’m
concentrating on my career.”

“So if he didn’t break your heart, why are you still on your
own?”  The older woman asked, as she placed a hand on her granddaughter’s
arm. "I know that you've had a few dalliances. There was the posh lad, the
one that had the permanent ejaculation,” she said, smiling at Charlotte.

Charlotte grimaced at the thought of Ted, Paul’s friend.
“God Gran, who told you about that, Amanda, I'll bet?  I wish it had been
a permanent ejaculation, and then maybe I would have given him another chance.”

“Whatever it was that was wrong with the lad, you still
haven’t answered my question.  If your job isn’t everything why are you on
your own?” Joan’s tone was softer now, more coaxing.

“I suppose I haven’t met the right person.” Charlotte
smiled, and her voice was brighter now.  “Let’s face it, who would put up
with you lot; my wonderful family?  Well come on then, get on that ‘phone
and ring Arthur.”  Charlotte stood up and pointed at the cordless
telephone resting on the coffee table.

“Do you think that I should?” Joan asked, her hand already
on the receiver.

“Yes,” said Charlotte, leaving the room. She stood behind
the door for a few seconds, and then when she could hear her gran’s animated
tones, she moved away into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea.

“That was absolutely lovely, thank you Stuart,” said Bets,
reaching up to kiss his cheek.

They were making their way across the gravelled car park
after an exquisite evening.

“My pleasure, I’m glad that you enjoyed it.  So, where
now, it’s not too late?” he asked, putting a warming arm around Bet’s shoulder.

“Let’s just get into the car and decide then,” she replied,
smiling up at him.

The conversation in the car was led by where to go next, but
once they decided that a quick drink would be good, it suddenly became
stilted.  Bets flicked nervously through Stuart’s CD selection.  Why
did she feel like she was fifteen again, on a first date?

“Oh, Nirvana, I was never really a fan myself,” she said,
looking across at Stuart in the darkness.

“I'm not either, I only bought it for ‘Smells Like Teen
Spirit’. You're a big House Music fan though aren’t you?” he asked and then
burst into laughter.  “This is ridiculous. We've been circling around each
other all summer, practically had sofa sex on your birthday. We've had a
wonderful evening tonight, and now we’re making small talk about bloody
music.”  He stopped the car and turned to Bets.

“So, what do you suggest then?” she asked, licking her lips
longingly, the groin throbbing feeling from her birthday, suddenly returning.

Stuart reached across and gently took her hand in his. 
“Well I know that I’d like to do, and that’s take you home, and at the chance
of sounding like a shite 70’s pop group, kiss you all over.”

Bets looked coyly, from under her fringe.  “I think
that you’d better put your foot down then, before I actually explode right
her.”

Stuart smiled gently, and then thrust the car into gear.

They arrived at Bet’s flat in record time, both quickly
scrambling out of the car and rushing to Bets’ front door.  Once inside
they wasted no time in ripping each other’s clothes off, Bets kicking the
kitchen door shut while she shrugged off her dress.  There were some
things that even a little dog shouldn’t see.  Once down to their underwear
things slowed, as though they both realised that this was going to be something
good and should be savoured.

“Wow!” Stuart exclaimed, as Bets shook back her hair,
wearing only a black bra and G-string.

“Wow to you too.” 

“I don’t think that I’ve ever wanted anyone as much as I
want you now.”  Stuart tenderly stroked her hair, as Bets ran a fingernail
down his chest.

He looked into her eyes and then scanned her whole body,
with such intensity Bets didn’t know whether she could hold on any
longer.  She wanted him now, but she also wanted to relish every
moment.  He started to give her kisses down her neck, moving toward the
back of her and cupping her breasts in his hands.  Bets felt behind her
and continued where she had left off, both groaning with pleasure.  Bets
took Stuart by the hand and led him into the bedroom; thanking God that she’d
tided up and changed the bedding.  She lowered herself down, gently, onto
the crisp, white cotton sheets and then Stuart moved alongside her. 
Leaning on one elbow, his eyes swallowed up every part of her, while he ran his
finger down the length of her body, just stopping at the top of her leg, then
tantalising her Stuart stopped and drew Bets to him, kissing her passionately
as he caressed her body making Bets writhe at his touch.

“You know that this won’t be a one-night stand for me Bets?”
he whispered as he gently nibbled her ear.

“You know; I think that I’m quite glad about that.” 
Bets turned her head and kissed Stuart on the tip of his nose.

Stuart kissed her back, tenderly at first and then with more
passion, until finally they could stand it no longer.  They worked
together to get Stuart’s condom in place, eventually Bets could feel his weight
shifting on top of her.  She lifted her pelvis to meet his, and at long
last a great depth of pleasure was released.

It had been almost a week since Bets had first spent the
night with Stuart, and they had barely spent a night apart since.  Mostly
spent at Bet’s flat, because of Alfred, they learned a little more about each
other.  Every evening, chatting and making love until they fell asleep in
each other’s arms.  Bets was on cloud nine, and didn’t really care who
knew about it.

“So, do you think that he is the one then?” Charlotte asked,
one evening in the pub.

Bets shrugged her shoulders, “Maybe; I'm just taking each
day as it comes.  I really like him, but it has only been a week. 
Has he said anything to Kelvin, Kerry, you know about how he feels?”

Kerry didn’t answer, but carried on staring into the empty
glass in front of her.

“Kerry, has he said anything?” Bets urged Kerry, once more.

“What, oh sorry, I was miles away.  Erm, not that I
know of, although, he did have a soppy smile on his face, when he called around
yesterday.”  Kerry proffered a small smile, the corners of her mouth
turning up slightly.

“Not that I’m bothered of course,” Bets commented, rather
too quickly.

Charlotte grunted in disagreement, “Yeah, right. 
Anyone want another drink?” she asked.

Both Kerry and Bets nodded as Charlotte rose from the table,
picking up the glasses.

“I’ll help you,” offered Bets, following Charlotte to the
bar.

As Charlotte and Bets stood at the bar, Kerry watched their
playful banter, listening to their laughter tinkling above the usual pub
noises.  She sighed deeply, God how she envied them, how they could laugh
and joke, wondering whether she would ever laugh again.  She was jealous
of their freedom, and the ease at which they could both flirt outrageously with
the young bar man. She envied their lack of responsibility, the fact that no
one else needed them every day.  Kerry loved them both dearly, but
sometimes they were too much, the mocking of each other, the banal gossip and
the raucous laughter was too loud for her head, and she needed to be
alone.  Then Kerry thought about Kelvin and the argument that they had
tonight, all over a pair of pillowcases.  She laughed emptily as she
thought about it; Kelvin had put clean sheets on the bed and had put the
pillowcases with the open ends facing in, towards each other.  World War
three had nearly started, because Kerry had screamed at him that both open ends
should face out.  Of course, Kelvin was right, what did it matter? He
could just turn the pillows, if that was what she wanted, but it did matter to
Kerry, and there was a twisted pile of clean sheets, screwed in a ball, on the
bedroom floor to prove it.  As Kerry rubbed her eyes to soothe away the
pictures of earlier Charlotte and Bets returned.

“You okay Kerry, only you look really pale, and you’ve been
ever so quiet tonight?” Bets asked, as she placed a glass in front of Kerry.

“I’m fine, stop fussing.  Anyway, I can’t get a word in
edgeways with you two.  I’m just going to the loo.”  With that she
stomped off to the ladies before they could see the tears welling in her eyes.

Once inside the cubicle Kerry flopped down onto the closed
toilet seat, holding her head in both hands.  Why did she feel like this,
why was she being so horrible to everyone?  Suddenly, a loud gasp smashed
through her teeth and out of her mouth, and as she inhaled the stale air, a sob
shuddered through her whole body.  Kerry sat, her body shuddering, gasping
for air, her heart hammering inside her rib cage, desperately fighting to get
out. Her hands grasped at each other, pulling the fingers of each hand, then
rubbing her temples and her arms.  Her legs twitched, and the feeling of
anxiousness swept through her whole body; she had to get out into the fresh
air, but she couldn’t move. Kerry's body was like lead, the only movements that
she made were her trembling hands and legs.  For what seemed liked hours,
but was only a matter of a couple of minutes, Kerry clung to herself, desperate
for the feeling to pass, then slowly her breathing became more rhythmic. 
She placed a hand on her chest, and could feel her heartbeat reverting to
normal.  Beads of sweat trickled down her cleavage, and she felt clammy all
over, but she was calm again.  Very slowly Kerry stood up and opened up
the cubicle door, gently making her way to the sink to throw some water onto
her face.  She lowered her head and scooped the water up, glancing at her
reflection in the mirror.  Her pale skin was etched with tiredness, her
eyes sunken and dark, her normally sun filled hair, drab and lifeless, just how
she felt.  Kerry knew that something was wrong, but didn’t know whether
she had the energy to do anything about it.  Perhaps it would pass soon,
and everything would be back to normal.  Kerry left the toilets and made
her way back to Bets and Charlotte, turning on a smile as Charlotte looked up
at her.

As the evening had worn on Bets had become increasingly
concerned about Kerry.  When she had sat back down Bets could see that she
was sweating, not merely glowing as most women did.  She threw a glance at
Charlotte, who nodded in affirmation, but Kerry started to talk, rather too
gaily, about some program that she’d seen earlier about Whales, and so they all
started to relax a little more.  When Charlotte had taken her turn to go
to the ladies, Bets edged up to Kerry and took her hand in hers.

“Kerry, are you sure that you’re okay?  You can tell us
you know; we're your best friends.”

“Bets, stop worrying I’m fine.  I’ve told you before,
I’m just getting a little stir crazy, it’s almost twelve months since I
finished work, and I think I’m ready to go back.”

“Have you been to see a doctor, I think you should?”

“What is he going to do, whatever can he prescribe for
boredom?”

“Well, maybe it’s a little more than boredom.”

Kerry sighed heavily, snatching her hand away from Bets'.
“Look, I do not have post-natal depression, and my hormones are not up the
spout. I'm bored and fed up with you lot all thinking you know what’s wrong
with me and what’s best for me.  So if you don’t mind, just leave me
alone.”

“Okay, we’re all worried about you that’s all.” It was now
Bets turn to sigh.

“Well don’t be, and anyway, it looks like you have a
visitor.” Kerry looked up and nodded to the man walking towards them; it was
Stuart.

“Hiya, you’re early!” Bets cried, jumping to her feet and
throwing an arm around him.

“I thought I’d join you for the last drink, if that’s
okay.  What would you all like?”

“No, sit down it’s my round; you talk to Bets.”  Kerry
stood up, and not taking no for an answer pushed her way to the bar.

Having dropped Charlotte and Kerry off at their own homes,
Bets and Stuart were now alone in the car, making their way back to Bets flat.

“So, what’s the story with Kerry tonight, she had a face
like the proverbial smacked one?” Stuart asked, shooting Bets a quick glance.

“Oh I don’t know what to do about her.  Charlotte,
Kelvin and I have all tried to get her to see a doctor, but she just says that
she’s bored.  I’m sure her mood swings are not caused by boredom.”

“What is it then?”

Bets shrugged her shoulders.  “We all think it could be
post-natal, but trying to get Kerry to see that is very difficult.”

“Maybe she does but doesn’t want to admit it. I suppose she
feels like a failure.” Bets looked at Stuart quizzically.  “Think about
it,” he continued.  “Having a baby is supposed to be the most natural
thing in the world to a woman, but Kerry is finding it difficult, through no
fault of her own, so she probably feels useless.”

“I never thought of it like that.  We need to do
something though, before she cracks up totally.  I’ll call Charlotte
tomorrow, and we’ll definitely sort out to go and see Kelvin.  Anyway, how
has your day been?”  Bets asked, as she placed her hand on Stuart’s knee.

“Not bad, I’ve managed to get a contact in London that is
selling some gym equipment fairly cheaply, so I’m going to go and meet him in
the next couple of weeks.  He’s going away on holiday this week, so once
he gets back I should have some state-of-the-art gear at a good price.”

“Hmm, very impressive, quite the entrepreneur, aren’t
we?”  Bets laughed.

Stuart nodded proudly, “Oh yes. I've got a good business
head.” Stuart laughed.  “Anyway, what about you, how was your day?” He
asked more seriously.

“Good, I missed you though.  Did you miss me?”

“Goes without saying, I could have really done with a
manicure. I caught a nail on the rowing machine today.”  Stuart ducked, as
Bets flicked a hand at him.

“Just drop me off would you, I’m too tired for company
tonight.”

Stuart giggled, as he pulled into the car park, “Sorry, but
Alfred misses me when I’m not there, I can’t let him down.”

“Oh, okay, but you’ll have to sleep on the sofa, is that
clear.”

“If I must, but who will warm your feet up for you?”

The next morning Bets was woken bright and early by
something pushing hard against her back. She grinned lazily, stretching her arm
out to feel for Stuart, behind her.

“Morning, I see you sneaked into my bed then?” she asked
turning around to his bright shining smile.

“Hmm, one glass of wine and you’re anybody’s. It's
shameful.” He kissed her gently on the lips, stroking her face tenderly.

“So what have you got planned for today then, or are you
working?”

“Well first I thought we could do some exercise, and then I
thought that we could bunk off for the day, what do you think?” He kissed Bets
again, this time for longer.

She pulled away, somewhat unwillingly. “I can’t bunk off on
a Saturday; it's one of our busiest days.”

“Ah, but you can; I arranged it yesterday with Cheryl. She
did some rearranging, and she and Jane are sharing the rest of your clients, so
problem solved.”

“That’s great, but do you know how guilty I would feel
spending all day in bed, plus I need to call Charlotte about Kerry?” Bets said,
snuggling up to Stuart’s chest, and growing erection.

“Who said anything about all day in bed?  I admit that
first we need to get rid of some pent-up energy, but I have other plans.”

“Oh, you do, do you?”

“Oh yes indeed my dear, I do,” he cried throwing the duvet
over their heads.

Over on the other side of town Kerry, Kelvin and Esme were
eating breakfast, very little sound coming from any of them, except the
occasional baby talk, and squeals of delight from Esme.  As Kerry nibbled
at her toast, she eyed Kelvin warily, conscious of the fact that they hadn’t
really spoken since the last night’s bedding fiasco.  She watched as he
furrowed his brow, concerned about something that he was reading on the back
pages from the newspaper, and suddenly she was consumed by love for him. 
Her heart was full of him, his kindness, his thoughtfulness and most of all his
love her.  She wanted to hold him close and say sorry for how she had been
behaving over the last few weeks; she longed to smell him and feel his body
against hers.  Slowly, Kerry got up from her stool and moved towards him,
holding in her breath, in case she frightened him away, standing behind him,
she wrapped her arms around Kelvin’s upper body, squeezed him tight and kissed
the back of his head.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, still afraid that he would get
up, and walk away.

Kelvin turned his head around, his eyes smiling. “It’s okay;
I just can’t believe we haven’t been speaking over a pair of bloody
pillows.” 

As Kerry dropped her arms, Kelvin swung round on his stool,
and putting his arms around Kerry’s waist, pulled her towards him.

“I know, but it seemed important at the time.  I don’t
understand why I’ve been such a bitch recently. I think the boredom is kicking
in, and I’m taking it out on you,” she sighed, picking at the shoulder of
Kelvin’s jumper.

“I don’t see how being bored can get someone like this
though Kerry. Are you sure it’s just that, is there something that you’re not
telling me?”  Kelvin reached up and brushed the hair from her face.

“Like what?”

“Well, do you still want to be with me, or is there someone
else?” Kelvin’s voice faltered, almost afraid to say the words.

Kerry tried to pull away from him, but his hands gripped
tightly together at the bottom of her back.  “Don’t be so silly, of course
there is no one else, I love you,” she cried.

“Well unfortunately you haven’t really been showing that
just recently.  I can’t remember the last time we made love, let alone
have a kiss or cuddle.”  This time Kerry could free herself.

“God, is that all you think about, sex?”

“No, but it does make me feel closer to you, something I
haven’t felt for a while.”

Oh grow up Kelvin, you’re an adult, Esme needs my attention,
not you.”  Kerry started to clear away the dishes from the breakfast
table, slamming and banging around as she did so.

“That’s just it Kerry; I do need your attention, just as you
need mine, but you won’t let me near you, and I don’t mean sexually.  You
won’t let me in there!”  Kelvin pointed a finger at Kerry’s head.

“God, you are pathetic, what do you want me to do, lie back
and think of England?”

“Cheers Kerry, that really makes me feel wanted.  If
you must know, no I don’t. I want you to talk to me, tell me what’s
wrong.”  Kelvin picked Esme out of her high chair and cuddled her to him
as she played with his nose.

“I’ve told you,” Kerry hissed, lowering her voice realising
the effect their arguing must be having on Esme, “there is nothing wrong, so
just leave me alone.”

“Fine I will. I'll go out with Esme and leave you here to
think about what’s really bothering you.”  The banging of the kitchen door
signalling Kelvin’s exit.

Kerry picked up the dishcloth and threw it at the door,
sobbing as she did so.  She leaned against the fridge and slid down to the
floor. Her knees hunched up to her chest.  She lowered her head against
them, the coolness of her jeans soothing her pounding head.