The Girl at the Bus-Stop (26 page)

‘I thought you were worried in case you were ‘let go’?’

‘I don’t mind really,’ he said, ‘if a scandal unfolds it’ll open up new doors to me, even a film career in Hollywood. I’ll be in demand, as they say, so fifty grand is a small price to pay for untold fame and wealth.’

‘But I thought you were supposed to be the next Olivier?’ Becky said, ‘You don’t stand much of a chance getting a knighthood from appearing in celebrity gossip magazines, and starring in rubbish American films.’

‘Oh that’s not a problem,’ he said, ‘you see, Ms Caine, the tried and trusted formula is to amass as much wealth and notoriety as possible while I’m still young. Even with a back catalogue of crap films, TV programmes and advert voiceovers.’

‘Starting out doing Shakespeare is very good for credibility,’ explained Lucy, ‘and the Americans want la crème de la crème of English actors in their films.’

‘They pay top dollar as well,’ said Henshall, ‘we Brits are in demand as baddies, and as voiceovers in those horrendous CGI cartoon movies.’

‘Then later on when Gerhard doesn’t need the money, he can return to the tread the boards, woo the critics and become a National Treasure.’

‘I see,’ said Becky, ‘but I always thought Shakespeare was hard work?’

‘Only for the audience, Ms Caine,’ said Henshall, ‘but for an actor it’s a piece of piss. You learn the plays parrot fashion and then speak the lines for whatever ‘unique’ interpretation the director wants to put over.’

‘They all think that their version is going to be the definitive one,’ chipped in Lucy, ‘but we all know that there’s only one worth talking about. Unfortunately they didn’t have cameras and recording equipment in Elizabethan times.’

‘So how about it, Ms Caine, do we have a deal?’ said Henshall.

 
‘I’ll think about it,’ replied Becky, ‘but please, take your money, I really don’t want it.’

‘No,’ said Lucy, ‘Gale told us what to pay, and we’re quite happy about it. It wouldn’t be the same if you gave us a freebie.’

‘
This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood,’ said Henshall, ‘the words expressly are
 
‘a pound of flesh’ , or something like that.’

The buzzer sounded at the main door and Becky marched over to the security screen. She saw Nikki Blandford sneering up at her from the pavement, with a handful of other people Becky didn’t recognise, standing alongside.

‘Yes, Nikki, what do you want?’

‘Hi, Ms Caine, I’m here with several concerned people from the party,’ she said, ‘ and we need to speak with you urgently.’

‘Well I’m very busy at the moment, can’t it wait?’

‘No it can’t wait,’ said Nikki, angrily, ‘and we’re not moving until you let us come up.’

‘Just go away,’ replied Becky, ‘I haven’t time for this.’

Becky wandered back into the living room and was greeted by the sight of Henshall and Lucy standing in the middle of the room naked. The young actor had already started masturbating, while Lucy was hitting him with her belt.

 
‘Get your clothes on and go, you sick fuckers,’ shouted Becky.

The couple ignored her and continued their role paying, and Henshall’s eyes were wide and staring as his hand slid rapidly back and forth on his diminutive member.

‘Teach not thy lip such scorn,’ he shouted, ‘for it was made for kissing, lady, not for such contempt.’

Rudge trotted into the foyer from the health suite in the basement, and pressed the button for the lift.

‘Mr Rudge,’ said the concierge, ‘I’m glad it’s you, there’s a group of people outside buzzing your apartment. Do you know them at all?’

Rudge looked through the glass doors and spotted Nikki Blandford, and waved to her.

‘Yes, well, one of them,’ he replied, ‘perhaps the buzzer’s not working in the apartment.’

‘Do you want me to let them in, sir?’

‘Yes, of course.’

The main doors unlocked and Nikki Blandford marched in with five companions.

‘Ah, Mr Rudge,’ she said with a smile, ‘we’ve been trying to contact Ms Caine urgently, but she seems to be otherwise engaged.’

‘Okay, well follow me,’ he said cheerfully.

They squeezed into the lift and there was a deathly silence as it moved smoothly through the floors. As the doors opened, Rudge was the first to step out and he put his key in the apartment door lock.

Inside the living area Becky was now almost pleading with Henshall and his girlfriend.

 
‘Come on you two, get dressed and get out of here, now,’ she said, ‘enough is enough.’

Henshall was now on his knees, his small erection held firmly in his right hand as Lucy continues to lay into him with the belt.

‘Please, Ms Caine,’ pleaded Henshall, ‘I just want to be in your book. What can I do to get a mention, please?
 
I’ll do anything you want.’

Rudge, Nikki and the small group stood still and watched the spectacle in silence.

‘I’m warning you Henshall,’ Becky shouted, ‘you make a mess on my carpet and I’ll cut the fucking thing off.’

Becky turned away from the naked couple and looked straight at Rudge and Nikki Blandford standing in the open doorway

‘Well, well, Ms Caine,’ said Nikki with a cold stare, ‘so this is why you were too busy to see us.’

‘What did you let this lot in for, Reuben?’ Becky said, glaring at Rudge, ‘if I’d wanted them up here I’d have let them in myself.’

‘I’m sorry, Becky, I thought the buzzer wasn’t working.’

‘Now that we’re here, Ms Caine,’ interrupted Nikki, ‘there the small matter of the sequel. We want our names changed and we’re not paying you a penny.’

‘Too fucking true,’ said a man alongside her with a small voice.

‘You’re the human table,’ said Rudge.

‘No, I’m not,’ the man replied.

‘Quiet,’ said Nikki, slapping the man on the bottom.

‘Thank you,’ he said.

‘I’m not having my name dragged through the mud,’ said a tall powerfully built young man, with a squeaky high-pitched effeminate voice, ‘just because I enjoy posing as a nude statue, it doesn’t give you the right to tell the whole world about it.’

‘I saw you on
A Question of Sport
the other night.’ said Rudge, ‘you’re that Olympic decathlete, Darius Whatsisname.’

‘Spode,’ he replied, raising his fist, ‘Darius Spode.’

‘That’s right,’ said Becky, ‘chapter seventeen.’

‘And none of us can afford the sort of money Gale Buckingham mentioned to buy our way out of your book.’ squeaked Spode, ‘My career as a TV pundit and after-dinner speaker has only just got going. The bookings haven’t exactly been flooding in, so I couldn’t afford to pay you even if I wanted to.’

‘Me, neither,’ said Nikki, ‘my salary’s nothing to write home about.’

‘I don’t know what you’re worried about, Nikki, you’re not even famous,’ said Becky cruelly, ‘and even if I left your name in, no-one would even know who you were. In fact you’re a complete non-entity’

‘How dare you,’ replied Nikki, ‘at least I’m not pretending to be a best-selling author.’

‘Okay,’ said Becky, picking up Rudge’s old laptop, ‘let’s get this sorted out once and for all. No-one is appearing in the sequel under their real names. Get it, got it, good.’

‘We only have your word for that,’ said a middle-aged woman at the back, ‘I don’t want the world knowing about my passion for having my pussy flaps and nipples clamped.’

‘It’s not really anything to do with her anyway,’ said Nikki, ‘Mr Rudge is the one we should be talking to. After all he is the writer, she’s just his whore.’

‘What did you call me?’ said Becky, walking up to her.

‘You heard, Ms Caine, or whatever the fuck your name is.’

Becky grabbed Nikki by the shoulders and brought her knee up hard between her long legs. Nikki let out a shriek and fell backwards, as Becky followed through with a right hook. The gathering looked down at her lying on the floor, and Becky waved her fist at them.

‘Anyone else got anything fucking clever to say?’ she barked.

‘I’ll have you for this,’ sobbed Nikki, climbing to her feet, ‘that was assault.’

‘No,’ replied Becky, handing the laptop to Rudge, ‘this is assault.’

She grabbed Nikki by the hair and dragged her across to the sofa, sitting down and pulling her across her knee. She lifted the hem of Nikki Blandford’s short dress and slapped her buttocks hard, as the irate marketing assistant squirmed and wriggled to break free. Eventually she relaxed and started to moan and writhe, with her buttocks gyrating. Becky shook her head and pushed her off her knee and on to the floor.

‘Don’t stop now, please, Ms Caine,’ Nikki said in a husky voice, ‘harder, please, don’t hold back. Pull my knickers down and slap me like the bitch I am.’

Rudge came to Becky’s rescue and eased Nikki to her feet. The room was silent as the bedraggled marketing assistant straightened her dress, and tidied her hair.

‘Now I think you’d all better go,’ said Rudge quietly, ‘and rest assured you will not be named in that damned book.’

‘Too fucking true,’ said Spode, snatching Rudge’s laptop.

He ran out of the open glass doors and on to the balcony, stopping by the edge to look out across the river. Rudge quickly moved behind him, and tried to wrestle the computer from his grasp. Spode pushed him away and he fell over one of the chairs, and he lay on the floor on his back. He looked up helplessly as Spode swung his powerful arms, rocking his upper body back and forth several times before hurling the laptop like a discus. The rest of the gathering rushed forward to watch as the computer flew through the air for several yards, before nose-diving into the murky grey water of the River Thames.

Rudge struggled to his feet and grabbed Spode by the arm, twisting it up his back as the big athlete cried out in pain.

‘Now look what you’ve done,’ he snarled, pushing him in front and marching towards the door, ‘now get the fuck out of my home, and that goes for the rest of you fucking idiots.’

‘I’m sorry,’ snivelled Spode, ‘let go of my arm, you’re hurting me.’

Meekly the gathering trailed behind, as Rudge flung open the main door. He pushed Spode through, releasing his hold and kicking the big man up the backside.
 
The others shuffled through the opening one by one, with the still naked Gerhard Henshall and Lucy bringing up the rear.