By
Jan
Chapter 1
Nikki
switched off all the lights and looked around the now empty nightclub. Working
here was starting to drive her crazy. Being here night after night was almost
as bad as being in Larkhall, except now she could go home at the end of the
evening. She smiled. To Helen, the woman she loved more than life itself.
She
went up to the office and found her business partner, Trisha Johnson, putting
the evening’s takings into the safe. “Trish, we need to talk.” She waited until
Trisha had locked the safe and turned round to face her before continuing. “I
want to sell my half of the club,” she said decisively.
“Why?”
Trisha asked in surprise. “I thought you’d given up that idea.”
“Because
this place is driving me up the wall! I hate the stink of beer and cigarettes
and sweating bodies!” she exclaimed passionately.
“You
used to love it here before,” Trisha countered.
“I
hadn’t spent three years in prison before,” she replied sarcastically.
Trisha
flushed at the inference. She was the reason Nikki had gone to prison in the
first place. “I suppose Helen wants you to sell up and stay at home with
her."
“Leave
Helen out of it!” Nikki retorted. “Anyway, I haven’t spoken to her yet. She
doesn’t know what I’m planning.”
“Nik,
it won’t be the same if you’re not here. It’s always been the two of us.”
“Well,
it isn’t the two of us anymore. I’m with Helen now. You’re the one who dumped
me. Remember?” Nikki snapped. “Anyway, I’m going home. Think about what I’ve
said and let me know if you want to buy me out or do I get an outside buyer.”
“I
don’t want you to leave, Nik.” Came the petulant response.
“Maybe
not but I’ve got to do what’s best for me and Helen.”
“You
and Helen! You and Helen!” Trisha’s voice rose angrily. “That’s all I ever
hear! You know how much I still love you, Nikki.”
“I’m
sorry, Trisha,” she said simply.
“Look,
why don’t you and Helen come to dinner on Saturday and we can talk about it
then,” she wheedled.
“OK,”
she agreed, somewhat surprised at Trisha’s sudden change of heart. “I’d better
get going. See you tomorrow.”
Trisha
watched her former lover leave. Dumping Nikki whilst she was still in prison
was the biggest mistake she had ever made. She’d had a fling with the woman
she’d left Nikki for but it didn’t mean anything. She knew now that Nikki was
the only one she would ever care about but she had someone else. She laughed
bitterly. One of her gaolers!
Nikki
stripped off quickly and quietly in the darkness, dropping her clothes onto a
wicker chair. She stealthily walked towards the bed, scarcely daring to breathe
for fear of waking Helen. Just as she neared her goal she stood on something
that she recognised as one of Helen’s shoes, ricking her ankle and causing her
to overbalance.
“Jesus
bloody Christ!” she exclaimed at the top of her voice, as she fell onto the
bed. She looked at Helen as the bedside lamp went on and found her glaring at
her furiously.
“What
the hell are you making so much row about?” Helen demanded.
“You!
You nearly bloody crippled me, leaving your shoes lying around!” she retorted.
She crawled into bed and dragged the duvet over her. “This isn’t working
between us!”
“What?”
Helen’s heart sank at her words. “You don’t mean…?”
Nikki
turned and looked at her, at the stricken look on her face. “Oh, darling,
there’s nothing wrong with us,” she said reassuringly. “I just meant we
couldn’t carry on with these stupid working hours. I see you for a couple of
hours when you come home from work then when I come in from the club, you’re
out for the count. I used to see more of you when I was in Larkhall. We don’t
get any quality time together.”
Helen
shuffled up the bed towards her. “Well, we can have some quality time together
now,” she drawled.
“Sure
you’re not too tired?”
“I’m
worn out!” she wailed. “But since you woke me up so rudely, you can have the
pleasure of calming me down again so I can get back to sleep and make sure your
hands are warm!”
Nikki
laughed as she rubbed her hands together before cuddling up to Helen. “Trish
has invited us to dinner on Saturday.”
Helen
pulled her head back from where it had been nestling against Nikki’s cleavage.
“And you accepted?” she asked in dismay.
“Well,
yeah. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“The
day you do bloody think, I’ll put the flags out!” Helen exclaimed, moving away
from her.
“What
have I done wrong now?” demanded a bemused Nikki.
“Trisha
is your ex-girlfriend!” she snapped. “She obviously still fancies you and you
want us to sit down at the same table.”
“For
God’s sake, don’t be so stupid! How many more times do I have to tell you? I
don’t fancy Trisha!” she retorted. “OK, I’ll tell her we’re not going.
Satisfied?”
“And
you’ll tell her it’s my fault!”
“Helen!”
Nikki sighed. “I’ll just tell her we’ve already got something planned for that
evening.” She took hold of Helen’s arm and drew her close. “Come on. We’re both
tired. Let’s get some sleep.”
Helen
moved into her embrace and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t
mean to go on at you.”
Nikki
kissed her gently on the lips. “I know you didn’t. Go to sleep. I’m sorry I
woke you.” She leant across Helen and switched off the bedside lamp then lay in
the darkness listening to Helen’s even breathing. Things couldn’t go on as they
were. She was spending more time with Donald, Helen’s father, than the woman
she loved.
“‘Night,
sweetheart,” Helen said softly. “I love you.”
“I
love you too.” She laid her lips against Helen’s forehead and squeezed her
tightly.
Helen
awoke with a start. Surely that couldn’t be the alarm, she had only been asleep
a few minutes. She tried to turn over and turn it off so it wouldn’t disturb
Nikki but found her arm was pinned down.
“I’ll
get it,” Nikki mumbled sleepily.
“It’s the alarm, not the phone,” Helen
exclaimed tetchily. “And get off my bloody arm, it’s gone dead!”
“Now who’s making the noise?” Nikki
grumbled. She sat bolt upright and flung the duvet from her. “I may as well get
up. I won’t get back to sleep now,” she muttered as she climbed out of bed,
grabbed hold of her dressing gown and stalked off to the bathroom.
Helen shook her head as she watched her
go. In the weeks since Nikki had left Larkhall things had been growing
increasingly tense between them. They were fine at the weekends but during the
week because of their odd working hours, they always seemed to be arguing. She
showered and dressed and went into the kitchen where Nikki was sitting at the
kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee.
“I’ll get you a coffee,” Nikki offered
and started to get up.
Helen put her hand on Nikki’s shoulder,
stilling her. “Sit down, Nikki,” she said softly. She pulled out one of the
other chairs and sat down facing her. “I think we need to talk and find out
where we’re going and what we’re doing. We can’t carry on the way we have
been.”
“So?”
“Do you want to go away for a while?”
Helen suggested.
Nikki looked suddenly interested. “Can
you get time off…?”
“Not us,” Helen interrupted quickly. “I
meant you. Do you want to go away on your own?”
“Bloody hell, Helen! Of course not!”
she exclaimed. “We’ve spent all this time apart then as soon as I get out you
want me to go away again!”
“I don’t want you to go away!” Helen retorted. “We just seem to be getting
on each others nerves, that’s all.”
Nikki laughed bitterly. “You mean I’m
getting on your nerves.”
“Of course you’re not.” Helen gave a
deep sigh. “I’d better go. I’ll see you later.” She leant forward and brushed
her lips against Nikki’s. As she started to draw back, Nikki slipped her arms
around her and drew her down onto her lap. She fastened her mouth over Helen’s and
kissed her until they were both breathing heavily. “Well, where did that come
from?” Helen asked softly when they drew apart.
Nikki smiled lovingly at her. “I’m
trying to tell you I’m sorry and that I’m crazy about you and everything is going
to come right between us.”
Helen stroked her fingers down Nikki’s
cheek. “Is that a promise?” she asked with a mischievous smile.
“It’s a promise.”
“That’ll do for me then, Wade. Now, I’m
going or I’ll be late for work.”
“Nothing new there then.”
“Watch it you!” She started towards the
door then turned back. “Can you get tonight off? I’d like to take you out for a
meal.”
Nikki raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“What brought all this on? I thought you were keeping me under wraps until
you’d finished at Larkhall.”
“A few more days and I’ll be out of
there myself.” She fluttered her eyelashes jokingly. “Please!”
Nikki nodded. “I’ll call Trisha and
tell her I’ve got plans for tonight. She’ll cover my shift for me,” she replied
confidently.
“Great!” Helen dropped a kiss on her
lips, quickly moving away before Nikki had chance to grab her again. If she
did, she would never get to work!