Dirty Minds, page 18
‘Oh, bugger,’ he thought to himself, ‘I’m not going to get a lot of sleep tonight.’
Chapter Thirty-Three
The party broke up quite soon after the coffees and liqueurs. Penny, Tiffany and Ros were all keen to get to bed early. They had their reasons. Maggie was also clearly looking forward to getting back to the room with Suzy. After a good few glasses of wine, she had started touching her a little too intimately. Jimmy, looking on, was dumbstruck. The girl’s body language was screaming out her reluctance, but, when the time came, she dropped her eyes and followed obediently.
Ros caught Tom by the arm. ‘I really don’t like the look of that at all.’
‘Me neither. But what can we do?’
‘I know. They are both grown-ups, more or less.’ She shook her head to clear it. ‘When are you coming up?’
‘I’ve got to modify my thousand words first. I’ll slip into the study and do it. I shouldn’t be too long.’
‘Will you come and say good night? Maybe through the secret door?’
A thrill went through him. ‘Very definitely.’
Leaving him to his homework, she followed Tiffany and Penny, with their respective partners, up the stairs. She noticed Luca’s hand slip down to his wife’s buttock. In response she snuggled up against him. Penny and Scott went up the stairs a foot apart. Ros would have enjoyed being a fly on their wall.
Alfonso had somehow spirited Janet away without anybody noticing. Tom found himself left with Jimmy and Melissa. Both, for different reasons, were looking shell-shocked. Tom grabbed a half empty bottle of champagne in its ice bucket. Alongside it, he found two clean glasses. He set it down on a side table with two chairs.
‘Here, you two, why not have a nightcap? I’m afraid I’ve got some work to do before tomorrow, so I can’t join you.’
They nodded vacantly and sat down as instructed. He tipped some champagne into the glasses.
‘Hey, Jimmy, why don’t you tell Melissa how you got the idea for your piece of writing?’ As he headed for the library, he heard Jimmy getting started.
‘To be honest, it was my flatmate’s idea first of all. He was trying to see if he could get away with pretending to be a woman.’
‘Why on earth would he want to do that?’ Melissa sounded curious, but Tom did not hang around to hear Jimmy’s reply.
His laptop was where he had left it. He opened it and waited for it to fire up. He looked at his watch. It was a quarter to eleven. It had taken him two hours to write the original piece. If all went well, he could be upstairs by one o’clock. His problem was now going to be one of inspiration. He was so totally obsessed by the beautiful girl on the other side of the secret door. Somehow, whatever other storyline he tried to develop, her face and body came floating through.
He sat there, staring at the blank screen. His head was full of so many thoughts, so many memories. He saw himself with Diane, back in the very early days. They were walking along the Embankment after a visit to one of the galleries. Without a word, she reached over and caught his hand, and held it. It had all started from that moment. The excitement of that touch had illuminated his whole being. Now, with Ros, he felt the same sensation. Part of him felt a sense of guilt. The other part of him rejoiced.
He started and restarted four or five times. By midnight he had already written and deleted the best part of a thousand words, and he was still stuck with a blank page. The thought of Ros upstairs, waiting for him, spurred him on. He gritted his teeth and started yet again.
Chapter Thirty-Four
‘Do you want to go to the bathroom first this time?’ Penny’s voice sounded reassuringly normal.
Scott was feeling apprehensive. It had been an excellent meal and a fun evening. The fact that every time he had turned towards Penny, his eyes had been drawn deep into her décolleté, had proved an extra thrill. Now, as he locked the bedroom door and she closed the curtains, things had suddenly got more serious.
‘Um, yes. Fine.’ He grabbed the washbag with his toothpaste and brush, and headed into the bathroom. He cleaned his teeth, used the toilet and then, on impulse, he jumped into the shower. When he came out, he took one of the fluffy white bathrobes off the back of the door and put it on. He tied the belt with a reef knot.
He returned to the bedroom. She was cleaning off her make-up at the dressing table. She was still fully clothed. This did not, however, make the situation between them any clearer. He made an ostentatious show of pulling out his pyjamas and laying them on the bed. He waited for her to go into the bathroom, so he could put them on.
‘What side of the bed do you want?’ Her voice still sounded normal.
He hoped he radiated calm as he replied. ‘Either. I think gentlemanly etiquette requires the man to occupy the position nearer the door so as to repel boarders. Shall I take that side?’
‘Fine by me. It’s so good to go to bed with a true gentleman.’ She flicked on the bedside lamp and switched off the main light. There was a momentary flash as she opened the bathroom door, and then it closed behind her. He slipped off the robe and pulled on his pyjamas, casting anxious glances over his shoulder, in case she should re-emerge unexpectedly. He threw the robe onto a chair and climbed into bed. His whole being was concentrated on the sounds coming from beyond the bathroom door.
There was the noise of the toilet flushing. He found himself holding his breath, waiting for the bathroom door to open. After a full minute of silence, he suddenly heard the shower begin to run. Only then did he realise he had forgotten to breathe. He gasped in a few mouthfuls of air.
The shower suddenly stopped running. In his mind’s eye he could visualise her stepping out of the shower, towelling her naked body. He gulped. How things had changed in the few weeks since the advent of this erotic novel. Two whole years he had lived alongside Penny. Two years he had paraded occasional girlfriends past her without a thought. They had sat in the kitchen in pyjamas together. He knew virtually every article in her wardrobe from bras to jeans, from seeing them hanging around the flat. And now he was crouched in bed, his penis so terrified it had shrunk to the size of a slug, waiting to see if she wanted to have sex with him.
He heard the bathroom light click off. The door opened. An intoxicating perfume floated into the room. He heard her walk to the bed. His, by now super-sensitive, hearing told him the bathrobe had dropped to the floor. He waited for sounds of a nightdress or pyjamas being pulled on. Instead, he felt the mattress move, as she slipped under the duvet. He gasped.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ros climbed out of the bath. She took a clean towel and dried herself. She dabbed on a few drops of her favourite perfume. Not the one that bore her name on the label. She had never liked that one very much.
She brushed her hair and cleaned her teeth. She walked back into the bedroom and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror. As she had done so many times over her life, she took a long, hard, critical look at her naked body. No longer as tight and firm as fifteen year ago, but nevertheless still passable. She opened her suitcase and hunted for the new underwear.
The black thong and bra set had cost more than any other underwear she had ever owned. The cost of lingerie seemed to rise in inverse proportion to the amount of material used in the manufacturing process. The squashed up thong occupied less space in the palm of her hand than a lipstick. She stepped into it and pulled it up her legs. She put her arms into the bra and clipped the front fastening. She gave both a little pull and a tug, and then subjected herself to another searching look. Satisfied with what she saw, she pulled out the packet of black stay-up stockings. She rolled them up her legs and smoothed out any creases. Next, it was the tight black skirt. She studied it critically. If she leant forward even a few inches, the tops of the stockings showed. Had she tried to bend down, her bottom would have been visible.
‘I think this definitely qualifies as ridiculously short,’ She murmured to herself, as she unfolded the grey Kenzo blouse. She pulled it on and buttoned it up, careful to leave the top buttons undone. A final check in the mirror and then she settled down on the bed to wait.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Tiffany stood under the shower, a plastic shower cap covering her hair. She tossed the disposable razor out towards the waste bin under the basin. To her surprise, it went straight in. She soaped herself and let the hot water clean her off. The powerful fan did a good job of clearing the steam. By the time she stepped out and towelled herself down, the mirror was clear. She pulled off the shower cap and brushed her hair.
She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. It was strange to see herself clean-shaven down there. This was something he had often suggested but the discomfort of stubbly regrowth had put her off. This was her treat to him. This weekend was special. She rubbed herself with body lotion from the collection of bottles on the shelf above the basin. A dab of the expensive perfume he had bought her for Christmas and she was almost ready.
Reaching into the holdall she had sneaked into the bathroom, she pulled out the other surprise for him. Not without difficulty, she squeezed into the sexy silk nightie she had bought earlier in the week. Another critical look at herself and she was ready.
‘Have you fallen asleep in there?’ He didn’t sound concerned. She could hear the anticipation in his voice. He knew this was going to be special.
‘Coming right out, darling.’
Chapter Thirty-Seven
With time marching on and a blank page still staring back at him, all Tom could do was to get the original story back onto the screen. He reread it and then set about making it a bit less obviously the result of his obsession with Ros.
He started with the clothes. The grey check shirt changed to a pink V-neck, only to be changed yet again, as he remembered Ros’s outfit that evening. He went with a blue dress with a plunging neckline. Gradually he worked his way through. Her hair changed from auburn to blonde, and then to black. He left her underwear as originally described. Nobody would know what she was wearing. Not even him, yet, he thought with a shiver of expectation.
Enough was enough. He pressed Save and then closed the laptop. The staff had all disappeared by this time. He switched off the lights in the study and made his way back through the lounge to the dining room. The two-seater table was empty, as was the champagne bottle. For a moment he found himself wondering where Jimmy and Melissa had gone. Then he looked at his watch and remembered Ros. Oh God, he thought to himself, it’s one o’clock. She’s probably gone to sleep.
He jogged up the stairs and turned into the corridor. As he reached the first door, number 24, it swung open. To his amazement, a totally naked Suzy came charging out, the door swinging shut behind her. She ran right into him. Instinctively he reached out and caught her. She looked up towards him. Her mouth was gagged with what looked like a ping-pong ball. There was an expression of terror on her face. Then the door of room 24 opened briefly, just long enough for him to see a furious Maggie, dressed in some sort of full-length black outfit. Seeing Tom, she stepped back out of sight and slammed the door.
Tom looked down at Suzy. Her hands were behind her back, her body buried against his. He could feel her trembling, whether from cold or fear, he did not know. Conscious of her bare body, here in the middle of the landing for anybody to see, he half-carried her to his room. With his free hand, he opened the door and switched on the lights. He led her to the bed. He left her briefly, in order to fetch one of the bathrobes. When he returned, she was already looking round wildly, close to hysteria. Seeing him, she gave a little whimper of relief and then turned away from him. As she did so, he saw that her hands were tied behind her back with a red ribbon. With some difficulty he started to undo the knots, which had been pulled tight, presumably in her efforts to escape. As he did so, he couldn’t help seeing the vicious pattern of red welts across her bottom and back.
At last he managed to untie her hands. She turned back towards him. He saw that the tracery of scars continued across her belly and breasts. He reached up to the gag and managed to loosen it enough to slip it off her face. She gasped at him, her tongue desperately trying to rehydrate her puffy lips. He held up the bathrobe and she pulled it on, wrapping it tightly around herself. She was weeping openly now. He went to the bathroom for a glass of water. She took it from him and swallowed the lot. She handed the glass back to him and then rolled herself into a ball on the bed. He tugged the duvet across her and took stock.
He had never experienced anything like this before. If this was sadomasochism, then he knew he wanted no part in any book that glorified such vicious cruelty. He looked down at the poor little creature, her whole body racked with sobs.
Trying his best to smother the rising wave of anger that threatened to overwhelm him, he tried to think what was the best thing to do. From what he had been able to see, she did not necessarily need medical help. Probably the thing she needed most was rest. He eyed the four-poster bed. She could hardly stay here. Then he remembered the two king size beds next door.
He leant down until his mouth was close to her ear.
‘Suzy, listen to me. It’s Tom. Can you hear me?’
Gradually, the sobbing stopped. The quilt stirred and a little face appeared.
‘Thank you, Tom. Thank you for everything.’ She even managed a ghost of a smile.
‘Listen. I’m just going to talk to Ros. You’re OK here. The door is locked. Just tell me something first. Do you want me to call the police or the ambulance? Are you all right?’
‘No police, no ambulance. Just keep me away from that awful woman and I’ll be fine.’
‘Right. So just wait here. I’ll only be a moment. You sure you’re OK?’
She nodded. He left her on the bed, and went over to the secret door. It was still unbolted. He tapped gently and pushed it open. The bedside light was on. He climbed through the door. Laid back on the bed, Ros was fast asleep.
He went over to her. He stopped as he reached her, loath to wake her. She smelt wonderful and looked wonderful. Regretfully, he took her shoulder and gave it a gentle shake. Her eyes opened at once. He watched them blink and then register who it was. The expression of delight that flooded across her face cut him to the heart. He leant down and kissed her with a passion he had not felt for years. She reached her arms out to him and pulled, but he straightened up.
He kept his voice low. ‘I’m most awfully sorry, Ros, but something horrible has happened. I’ve just had to rescue Suzy from that crazy sadist.’ Ros sat up in astonishment. ‘She’s been beaten up, whipped, I don’t know. She’s in my room, crying her heart out. Can you come and help? Maybe let her stay here with you for tonight?’
‘Of course. Oh, Tom, the poor, poor girl. Does she need a doctor or something?’
‘No, she says she’s OK. But she’s terrified.’
‘I bet she is. Come on. We must go to her. She mustn’t be left alone.’ She jumped to her feet and headed for the secret door. As she climbed through, hampered by the tight black skirt she was wearing, he suddenly realised the significance of her clothes.
He wasn’t normally a man for bad language, but these were far from normal circumstances.
‘Oh, bloody hell!’
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Mr Jeffers, the maître d’hôtel, Tom and Alfonso knocked on the door of room 24 at 7.30 sharp. After a delay, the door was opened by a puffy-faced Maggie.
Tom opted to do the talking. ‘A taxi has been called. It will be here at eight o’clock. You will pack your bags and take the taxi to the nearest station. What happens to you after that is of no concern to me.’ She looked as if she was going to argue, so Tom let her have it. ‘The little girl you so callously beat last night is recovering. She has probably been scarred for life, mentally as well as physically. In spite of my best efforts, she has told me not to call the police. But remember this, you pervert; I witnessed everything. Stay away from Suzy. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to stand up in court and give evidence against you. Now pack up and get the fuck out of my sight.’
Mr Jeffers left a porter on guard outside her door, with orders to drag her down by her hair at eight o’clock if she did not surface.
As they walked back down the stairs, Alfonso looked at Tom with new respect. ‘I thought you were going to hit her for a moment, Tom.’
‘I bloody nearly did.’ He took a deep breath. ‘I just feel so responsible. We didn’t feel right about her from the start. God only knows why Suzy came with that woman in the first place. I should have done something last night. If I had spoken up, poor Suzy might not have been beaten up.’
‘Don’t blame yourself, Tom. If you had tried to intervene, the sadist would maybe have run to the police herself, crying rape.’ He stopped on the last step. ‘People can do terrible things.’
At that moment, the waitress appeared bearing a breakfast tray.
‘Excuse me,’ Tom had an idea, ‘which room is that for?’
‘Room 16, sir.’
‘Excellent. I’ll take it up if I may, Alfonso.’
‘Of course.’
Tom took the surprisingly heavy tray from the girl and walked up to Ros’s room. He knocked on the door and called in a low voice, ‘Room Service.’
The door was opened by Ros, dressed in one of the bathrobes. ‘I see this place is not so classy after all. Untrained waiters now.’ She gave him a beaming smile and beckoned him in.
He set the tray down on the table. There was no sign of Suzy in the bedroom, but the shower was running in the bathroom. He returned to Ros and held out his arms. She crushed herself against him.
‘I had everything planned as well.’ She was talking into his shoulder, her voice heavy with emotion.
‘You are a wonder. The ridiculously short black skirt and all the trimmings. But there’s no need to dress up for me, you know. I’m hooked. You could paint yourself in woad or trade clothes with a tramp. You would still be my wonderful Rosalind.’
