By
Jan
Chapter 7
Nikki
looked up from the breakfast table as she heard the letterbox rattle. Crossing
to the door, she picked up the envelope from the doormat and her heart almost
stopped at the familiar writing. It was from Annie! It had been months since
she had heard from her and had almost succeeded in putting her out of her mind.
Now this!
She
tore the envelope open eagerly but there was nothing inside except a cheque.
Annie must have sold the last house they had worked on together but she
couldn’t even be bothered to send a note! She put the cheque down
disinterestedly.
After
her split with Annie she had found a job behind the bar in a gay club.
Combining that with odd gardening jobs she still did during the day she kept
herself busy. There hadn’t been anyone else since Annie and she couldn’t even
be bothered looking. Not that there was a shortage of candidates. She had made
friends with some of the staff and regulars at the club and was often asked out
but she always refused.
It
was her night off and she had been invited to a party. If she hadn’t already
agreed to play chauffeur for a couple of her friends she would have cried off.
She dragged open her wardrobe door and pulled out the first things she laid her
hands on…a pair of faded denims and a bottle green T-shirt. A denim jacket
completed the ensemble.
Her
friends, Diane and Sue, were waiting for her when she pulled up outside their
terraced house and they both climbed into the back seat. They hadn’t been
together very long and were still at the ‘can’t keep their hands off each
other’ stage. Nikki drove in silence for a while, periodically looking in the
rear-view mirror. The young couple seemed to have been in a non-stop clinch.
“For goodness sake!” she exclaimed eventually. “Put her down, you don’t know
where she’s been.”
Diane
laughed and dug her playfully in the back. “You’re only jealous, Wade.”
“Don’t
bloody kid yourself!” she retorted, as she pulled up outside the semi-detached
house where the party was being held. She climbed out and opened the boot.
“Take these, Di,” she ordered, handing the woman two bottles of wine.
“Shit!
We didn’t bring anything,” Diane exclaimed guiltily, as she took the bottles
from Nikki.
“You
two haven’t a thought in your heads about anything except each other,” she
scolded them good-naturedly. She held up a pack of lager. “Don’t worry, I
brought these as well.”
“Nice
one, Nik. Pity you can’t drink them,” Sue teased.
“Ah,
bloody, ah!” she snapped. “Come on, let’s get in there.” They went inside,
greeting several of the women who were already there, on their way to the
kitchen. Mynah, their hostess, a beautiful thirty year old with an English
mother and a Jamaican father, was mixing a bowl of punch, adding bottle after
bottle of anything that was within reach.
As
Nikki dropped a kiss onto her cheek, Mynah turned her head so their lips met
and her arms went around Nikki’s neck as she kissed her thoroughly. “Hello,
gorgeous,” Mynah purred as they drew apart.
Nikki
dis-entangled herself from Mynah’s arms. “Been on the punch already, Minnie?”
She grinned as she used Mynah’s nickname because she knew how much she hated
it.
Mynah
laughed happily. “Don’t know why you won’t ever accept what I’m offering,
girl.”
Nikki
pointed to Chris, a stocky blonde hovering nearby, and Mynah’s partner of ten
years. “That’s why. She’d have my guts for garters.”
Chris
grimaced. “Take her, she’s yours!”
Nikki
shook her head. Mynah and Chris were a devoted couple and she felt suddenly
envious at the total trust they had in each other. She crossed to the table and
surveyed the spread of mainly vegetarian dishes. “Bloody hell, Mynah!” she
wailed. “Not all dykes are rabbits, you know! Where’s the proper food?”
“Lasagne
and garlic bread in the oven,” Mynah informed her.
“That’ll
do for me.” She picked up a can of lager and sauntered through to one of the
other rooms. She nodded to one or two women she knew by sight then went and sat
on the stairs. As she sat drinking her lager, the front door opened and a crowd
of women entered led by a chic-looking blonde. Her eyes momentarily met Nikki’s
before she went down the corridor towards the kitchen leaving a trail of
expensive smelling perfume behind her.
Nikki
raised her eyebrows appreciatively. Not bad, she thought, smiling to herself.
She
spent most of the evening sitting on the stairs. Moving only to get something
to eat and a second can of lager. She sipped it slowly. This was her limit when
she was driving.
“Come
and dance, Nik!” someone called from the doorway of one of the rooms.
“Yeah,
in a minute!” she called back.
“Will
you dance with me?” a seductive voice spoke behind her.
Nikki
whirled round. It was the chic blonde. She must have gone upstairs whilst I was
getting a drink, she mused. The blonde brushed past her, taking her can from
her as she went.
“Well,
will you dance with me?” She took a sip from the can then held it out.
Nikki
nodded as she slowly rose to her feet. She took the can and placed it on the
stairs before following her into the room where loud music was playing.
As
they danced, Nikki caught Sue’s eye – Diane was nowhere to be seen for once –
and she gave her the thumb’s up.
When
the record finished, the woman touched Nikki’s arm. “Back in a minute. Don’t go
away.”
Nikki
watched her go, a smile playing around her lips as Sue sidled up to her. “I
think I’m in love!” she said, playfully clutching her hand to her chest.
“Very
nice,” Sue said appreciatively. “Is she with anyone?”
Before
Nikki could reply a voice spoke behind them. “No, she isn’t. Not yet anyway.”
Nikki
suppressed a smile as Sue flushed at being caught out talking about the woman.
“Sue, this is…Sorry, I don’t know your name.”
“I
don’t know yours either but I’m sure we’ll be acquainted by breakfast,” the
woman drawled suggestively.
Sue
raised her eyebrows at Nikki. “We’ll make our own way home,” she said softly
against her ear.
“Sue,
there’s no need for that,” Nikki protested.
“Shall
we go?” the blonde looked at her questioningly.
Nikki
swallowed hard. “Look, I’m sorry, I promised I’d give them a lift home. I can’t
let them down or they’ll be stranded.”
“Suit
yourself,” she shrugged and started to walk away.
“Wait!”
Nikki said urgently. “Can I call you?”
“Are
you sure you can bear to tear yourself away from your friends?” the woman
demanded sarcastically.
“I’m
sure,” Nikki grinned. “Will you at least tell me your name?”
“It’s
‘Trisha Johnson’. Mynah has my number…if you’re interested.” She smiled
suddenly and Nikki’s stomach did a double somersault. “’Night, Nikki.”
“How
did you know my name?”
“I
was interested, so I asked.” With that she walked off in the direction of the
kitchen but when Nikki went looking for her she had disappeared.
“Trisha
Johnson?” she asked when she found Mynah. “Have you got her phone number?”
Mynah
looked at her with a sly smirk. “Now, what’s she got that I ain’t?” she
demanded.
“It’s
more, what she ain’t got that you have.” Nikki winked at her. “You have a
girlfriend, remember?”
“How
can I forget when you keep reminding me?” Mynah remarked sulkily. “I’ll get you
her number but if she turns you down you know where I am.”
Nikki
grinned at Chris, who was never very far from Mynah’s side. “Does she ever give
up?”
“Unfortunately
not,” Chris grinned back. “But she’d crap herself if you came on to her.”
Mynah
bustled back with her address book. “Just like Nikki was crapping herself when
she didn’t take Trisha up on her offer.” She saw Nikki’s look of surprise and
laughed out loud. “Nobody has secrets from the Mynah bird.”
“I
wasn’t crapping myself. I have to take Di and Sue home,” she protested.
“’Course
you have, Nikki. They could have crashed on the floor here, got a lift from
someone else, taken a cab but course you have to take them home,” she retorted
sarcastically.
“Oh,
piss off” Nikki exclaimed then seeing the knowing look on Mynah’s face smiled
sheepishly. “OK, so I was crapping myself!”
Mynah
held up her address book. “Do I take it you don’t want Trisha’s number then,
being as how you are so shit-scared?”
Nikki
pulled into the restaurant car park and parked where she could see cars coming
in but she couldn’t be seen. She had called Trisha and meeting at this
restaurant had been her idea. It was fairly exclusive and it had taken her ages
to decide what to wear. She still wasn’t sure about the smart black trouser
suit and pale lilac low-cut top but it was too late now, Trisha should be here
any minute. Whilst she waited she checked her hair and make up in the rear-view
mirror and applied a fresh coat of lipstick. As an E-type Jag swung into the
car park, she craned her neck and saw that Trisha was driving. She took a deep
breath and stepped out of her car.
“Hiya.”
Trisha raised her hand in greeting when she saw Nikki. “Have you been waiting
long?”
“Just
got here,” Nikki lied. To her relief she saw that Trisha was also wearing a
black trouser suit and a blouse several shades darker than her own.
They
went inside and were shown to their table. As Nikki studied her menu, she
glanced over the top of it and looked at Trisha. She really was lovely and the
purple blouse accentuated her blonde hair. She flushed as Trisha raised her
eyes and caught her watching her.
“Can
I tell you something, Nikki?” Trisha said suddenly. “I was really scared about
meeting you tonight.”
Nikki
gave a relieved laugh. “Me too,” she admitted. “It’s crazy, isn’t it?”
Trisha
smiled. “Crazy,” she murmured.
They
chatted throughout the meal, until Nikki felt she had known the woman sitting
opposite her for years. She was twenty-three and PA to an MD, as Trisha put it
herself. Nikki made a nervous joke about PA standing for ‘pavement artist’ and
as they laughed together their eyes met and held.
“Do
you want to come back to my place for coffee?” Trish asked softly. “My
housemate is away for a few days.”
“I
have my car…” Nikki stopped and groaned inwardly. What did having her car with
her have to do with anything?
“You
could always follow me,” Trisha suggested.
Nikki
nodded. “OK. I’d love to.”
She
swung in behind the E-type as it drew up outside a smart semi-detatched house.
She joined Trisha on the pavement then followed her inside. “This is very
nice,” she said admiringly as she looked around her.
“Thank
you. I’m lucky though. My father is my landlord.” She removed her jacket and
draped it over the back of a chair. “Sit down, I’ll go and make some coffee.”
“Trisha!”
Nikki walked up to her and caressed her cheek. “The coffee can wait,” she said
softly, as she drew Trisha into her arms.
“I
didn’t know if this was what you wanted,” Trisha murmured huskily.
“I
didn’t either until now,” Nikki laughed nervously. “But I put clean sheets on
my bed at home, just in case.”
Trisha
smiled. “So did I.”
Afterwards,
Trisha lay with her head resting on Nikki’s breasts. Their lovemaking had been
soft and gentle and unhurried, each taking time to explore the other’s body.
Nikki
stroked her hair lovingly. They were the same age but she somehow felt
strangely protective towards her. “Trisha, are you asleep?” she asked gently.
“No,
I’m listening to your heart beating.” She raised her head and looked at Nikki,
her blue eyes sparkling. “When I first saw you sitting all alone on the stairs
at Mynah’s party, I knew you were special.”
Nikki
smiled lazily. “I guess I’ve spent most of my life alone. Every time I got
close to anyone they left me or I lost them.”
“Are
you warning me off?” she teased. “Because if you are, I don’t scare easily.”
“I
hope you don’t,” Nikki replied softly as she pulled Trisha’s head down and kissed
her. She trailed her fingers up and down Trisha’s spine. “You know, I nearly
didn’t go to the party that night.”
“Me
neither. I’d just got back from holiday and I was feeling a bit jet-lagged.”
She laughed. “Maybe that was why I came on to you so strong. I’m not usually
so…” she hesitated, searching for the right word.
“Intimidating?”
Nikki supplied with a smile.
“Predatory,
was the word I was looking for. I saw you and I wanted you and I would have
done anything to get you,” she replied candidly. “I even told Mynah to let me
know if you asked for my number.”
“What
would you have done if I hadn’t?”
“I’ve
got Mynah lined up for inviting both of us to dinner next week. So, don’t
worry, we would have met again.”
“Don’t
I have any say in the matter?” Nikki demanded with a twinkle in her eye and
Trisha shook her head. “Well, it’s a good job I didn’t put up any resistance
then, isn’t it?”
“Don’t
even consider it for one minute!” Trisha ordered sternly as she bent her head
and captured Nikki’s lips. She drew back, a serene smile on her lovely face.
“As far as I’m concerned, you and I are forever, Nikki Wade!”