Watching Over You (3 page)

With everything quiet, Jean made a note of all she could see. Then she picked up a new ball of wool and removed the paper wrapping around its middle. She’d decided to knit herself a cardigan. Snazzy purple, she smiled – might as well do something useful to while away the time.

As she started on the first row, she wondered whether Ella would be able to hide her drunken episodes from the new woman or if this tenant would leave too. They’d been regular occurrences since Ella had moved in six months ago. Jean often wondered where she’d been to when she came home in that state. She hadn’t seen her with a proper boyfriend since she’d moved in, but she had seen her bring home lots of men, just for the one night. If she looked back through her notebooks, she could count how many. If she was having trouble sleeping, she could also tell you what time they left, whether that night or the next morning. But she did know without looking how many of them returned: none.

Jean wasn’t quite sure if she pitied her neighbour or not, wasn’t sure if she should. She’d seen her living a double life and had given up second-guessing who the real Ella was a long time ago. You never really knew people, did you? There was good and bad in everyone, Jean did know that, and terrible things put places on maps, like it or not.

Still, she was good at keeping secrets. She’d found out the hard way there was no point in telling the truth.

Chapter Three

At eight thirty that evening, Ella grabbed her handbag and almost bounced down the front steps to the pavement and into a waiting taxi. She slid into the back seat and closed the door.

‘Rendezvous, Marsh Street,’ she told him.

They set off for the city centre, and she gazed idly out of the car window as they drove down Trentham Road. She ran a finger up and down her leg from her knee to the hem of her short skirt. In anticipation, her hand moved to the neckline of her sheer blouse, fingertips running over the naked area of her chest. She couldn’t wait to get into Hanley now. It had taken her a few hours to control her anger today but, God, she needed to be screwed.

She turned slightly to see the driver studying her through his rear-view mirror. Not taking her heavily made-up eyes from his, she ran her tongue suggestively over red-coated lips, fingers trailing across her skin. While he adjusted the mirror to get a better view, she moved her hand down inside her blouse, splaying her fingers and rubbing the palm of her hand back and forth across he
r nippl
e. Already she could feel it erect, sense the heat building up between her legs. The driver crunched his gears and she laughed silently before looking away. Who was she to give a free show? And besides, she was saving herself. It was her night tonight.

Finding the website
One Night Only
four months ago had been ecstasy for Ella. The danger of a one-night stand didn’t bother he
r – n
o one could abuse her more than she’d been abused before – but here she pulled the strings. If she wanted rough sex, she had rough sex. If she wanted to be dominated, she would be. If she wanted to be an out-of-control bitch, that was fine too. One thing was certain – after the disaster of last week’s attempts in Chicago Rock where she’d gone home alone and horny, if she didn’t find a release tonight, she’d crack and that wouldn’t be good for her. She needed to rid herself of all the tension building up inside.

Tonight was the third time she’d used
One Night Only
that month. The first had been with a man; the second with a woman. This time it was with Alex, with no profile picture, so who knew? Not that she minded either way as long as she got what she wanted.

Minutes later they were heading towards Hanley, down
Victoria
Road. Ella’s senses heightened and she crossed her legs to keep the feeling at bay. Erotic thoughts ran through her mi
nd – ima
ges of men and women, women and women, groups, all with legs entwined, hands and mouths everywhere.

She found her mind wandering back to meeting Charley the week before. God, she was hot and so, so attractive, with her glossy dark hair and tall, thin physique. Her tanned legs had looked fantastic, high heels adding to their magnetism, making Ella want to reach out and touch. But she wouldn’t do anything yet. She would bide her time.

One day she would have her – or rather, one day Cassandra would have her. Cassandra was the name she used for the website. But for the foreseeable future, Charley would get to know Ella. Maybe that was all she’d get; she’d have to figure her out first. And if she wasn’t for turning, then she would find someone else.

Or maybe she could turn her, make her into a personal
challenge
.

The taxi driver pulled up outside Rendezvous. He turned his shoulder and peered at her, smiling lasciviously. Ella bristled. Did he really think she would stoop that low, the stupid prick? And he reeked too. The taxi smelt similar – she’d put a bet on it being his stale body odour. She paid her fare quickly; there was no way she’d be leaving him a tip.

As she entered the bar, excitement fizzed up inside her again as she speculated what Alex would look like. She really wanted
a m
an. She wanted to be screwed hard tonight.

The room was half wooden panels, half floral wallpaper, a modern take on a gentleman’s club, with a couple of booths and round stout stools at rectangular tables. It was busy for a mid-week evening, about two thirds of the tables to her right occupied with people socialising and a number of men standing around the bar area. Ella checked her watch. She was fifteen minutes late. Date or not, she didn’t give a stuff about keeping anyone waiting; that way he or she would be eager to get going. And if she didn’t like the look of her date, she would screw and go as quickly as possible.

She glanced around the room, delighting in all the eyes drawn to her as she waited to be picked up. She knew she looked good, dressed in a tight purple skirt that finished way above her knee, the cream sheer blouse showing the outline of her bra. Her hair was piled on her head in a messy but sexy manner, her skin tanned too from the unusually sunny weather they’d experienced for the past ten days.

A man at the back of the room waved for her attention. Keeping a smile in check, she walked over to him, putting on her own personal show as her hips swayed. High heels showed off bare legs to their maximum – it wasn’t the only thing bare that night. Ella tingled yet again in anticipation of what was to come.

‘Cassandra,’ he greeted her.

She nodded and he stood up, kissing her briefly on the cheek. She felt the slight stubble on his chin, breathed in the scent of him, masculine tones of wood and jasmine intermingled with the wild fragrances of his sex that she hoped to taste and smell soon. His eyes never left hers as she blatantly gave him the once-over. Short, sharp hair style, dark skin, pricey shirt above designer jeans, expensive-looking watch – and those blue eyes, the most passionate she’d seen in a long time. She was going to enjoy this one.

She slid into the booth next to him.

‘Do you come here often?’ he asked.

‘I come,’ she said briskly. ‘That’s all you need to know.’ She gave him a polite smile, realising there wouldn’t be any requirements for small talk, either. One of the reasons she’d joined
One Night Only
was for anonymity. Ella didn’t want to answer any questions about herself, nor did she want to ask any questions of her date. The less personal the conversation the better. Actually, Ella mused, the less
conversation
the better. It kept everything about the sex.

Wine was ordered and as they waited for it to arrive, almost immediately she felt his hand underneath the table, fingertips circling higher and higher, moving up under her skirt. She moaned slightly, opening her legs a little further as he moved aside her lace thong. While the waiter poured the wine, Ella tried not to gasp as Alex’s fingers pushed into her, his thumb kneading her most sensitive point. She felt every nerve respond in her body, trying to keep in the urge to groan at the pleasure he was causing. They stared at each other; it made everything all the more erotic.

Ella cursed loudly. This wasn’t going to plan. She felt like being in control tonight, yet in the crowded bar, while everyone chatted around them, he had her squirming in her seat.
Realising
she wanted more, she pressed down on his hand, urging him to
stop.

‘I’m going to powder my nose. Follow me in a couple of
minutes
,’ she demanded quietly. ‘I want you here.’

‘Outside,’ he said.

‘Inside.’

‘Outside.’ He kissed her slowly then, lingering as his tongue ran across her top lip afterwards. ‘I’ll only have you outside.’

‘No.’

‘Do as you’re told.’ He stood up and downed his wine in one go.

Ella looked up at him, met his eye. They stared at each other, each wondering who was going to give in first. She knew if she let him have his way too early, he might think he could do anything to her. But then again, wasn’t that what she really wanted?

Ella followed suit with her drink and then picked up her bag.

Rendezvous was situated on the outskirts of the city centre, the streets around it mostly deserted apart from passing traffic.
Hanley
wasn’t a vibrant place at night time unless it was a weekend or
student
evening. In the warm air, they walked along the street, pavement dusty from recent road works. Just past the
pelican
crossings, Alex pulled her down a walkway between two properties. Ella grinned – it was an excellent choice as both businesses either side were now closed.

Day had started to turn into night, grey clouds casting shadows as they continued around to the back of the buildings. Behind a row of industrial bins, against a filthy wall that matched her mood, he pressed himself to her. His tongue explored her mouth, while his hands roamed her body. Ella threw back her head to expose her neck and he covered it in kisses as she entwined her hands in his hair. He continued for a moment longer. Then he took hold of her wrists and placed them either side of her head.

‘Do you like it rough?’

She stared at him, her breathing erratic.

‘Tell me what you want.’ One hand slid down her body to the hem of her skirt. He pushed his knee between her legs.

‘Tell me.’

‘I want you to stop talking and finish me off. Is that too much to ask?’

His brow furrowed for a moment.

Even so, up close, Ella realised he was even more striking; maybe she’d let him use her tonight. She kissed him again and he didn’t pull back. Her hands went inside his shirt. She could feel him hard against her hip bone. She reached down, undid the zip to his trousers and curled her fingers around him. Letting out a light groan, he nibbled on her bottom lip. Then she stooped down and took him into her mouth.

The stench from the bins was enough to make anyone gag but the faint sounds of traffic passing on the road a few yards away turned her on. No one could see them, yet she imagined that they could.

For a while she let him relax into it, anticipating the thrusts of his pelvis as she excited him more. But then he put his hands on her shoulders, urging her to stand. They kissed again. Inside his shirt, Ella ran her fingertips up and down his back. As she felt the passion building inside her, she dug in her nails.

‘Bitch.’ Without warning, he turned her round, bent her over and pushed into her roughly from behind. He moved so fast, so deep, that she gasped in pain but soon the pleasure was all hers.

‘Harder,’ she cried after a moment, using the wall to steady herself. ‘Come on! Do it.’

‘You act like a whore.’ Alex almost snarled, all the time
pushing
into her deeper and deeper.

‘No!’ Ella pulled away, turning to face him, anger flashing in her eyes. ‘You don’t ever call me that.’

‘But you are a whore, the way you give out,’ he challenged, the earlier twinkle in his eye replaced by a menacing look. ‘Every bitch who joins
One Night Only
is a whore.’

Ella stared at him. If only he knew the images it conjured up for her. Being held down, pushed into forcefully while the word was used over and over again.

You’re nothing but a filthy whore
.
A good-for-nothing stinking whore.

She was not a whore!

Her breathing accelerated; she glanced around. The sound of traffic came to her ears again. She reminded herself that anyone could happen upon them there. It still turned her on. But, aware her mood was turning black, she didn’t want to hurt him.

‘I am not a whore,’ she told him, looking down at his cock. It stood erect, if a little dejected. ‘But I am calling the shots tonight.’ She grabbed the collar of his shirt, trying to pull him close again.

‘Fuck you.’

Ella glared at him, not in the slightest worried about his turn of mood. Well aware of the darkness she could see in his eyes, she spoke again.

‘What’s wrong? Don’t you want to look at me as you come?’

Alex tried to overpower her, turn her round to face the wall, but she wouldn’t budge.

‘Do as you’re fucking told!’

‘No.’

Relishing the challenge, she tried to break free when he grabbed her. Knowing he was too strong for her to stop turned her on more. He pushed her toward the wall with such force that she barely managed to stand up. Then he bent her over again, holding onto her shoulders so she couldn’t move. But by this time she let him do as he wished. It was part of the game. She pressed back into him as he pushed hard into her, talking dirty until she came.

Afterwards, there were no words. Alex straightened out his clothes, whispered cheerio. Then he walked away and out of her life. She watched him, for a moment longer enjoying what they had shared. Post-orgasmic, her skin flushed, heart still racing, she felt alive again.
She
had made him happy.

Ella rearranged her skirt and reached for a mirror from her handbag. She flipped it open, and then snapped it shut. The all-too-familiar lurch in her stomach stopped her in her tracks. Tears filled her eyes, spilling down her cheeks, and she ran a hand through her hair, bunching it into a fist and pulling sharply. Often the high from the encounters could last hours, but more recently it had been minutes before the self-loathing began to appear. How could she degrade herself like that? Let any man have her, just to satisfy a need.

Alone in the alleyway, she cried. Repulsed by herself, she knew the only thing that would make her feel better. When she felt a little steadier, again she flicked open her mirror, this time wiping her eyes before reapplying her lipstick. Then she headed out of the alleyway and up towards Piccadilly.

The night was still young. Maybe she could pick someone else up later.