Dirty Seduction

ROSIE

The air seemed so much lighter when we pulled back into crenham, still in the dick sprayed car. We were all loving life as we unloaded the cases and went upstairs to the apartment. Peter was smiling at Lola, as though some kind of cloud had been lifted, and it was great to see.

“We’ll do it again,” Julian said as he brought the coffees out from the kitchen. “Maybe we could head to the coast next time? A paddle in the sea. Ice creams. Perfection.”

“That would be epic.” Lola grinned. “We’d have to get buckets and spades.”

Julian laughed. “Yes. Although I have to say I’m not much of a sand sculptor. I’ll dig the moat as you three build the turrets, how about that?”

The idea made me smile. I’d love to be building a crazy castle on the beach. It had been years since I’d been near the sea.

Lola and Peter stayed for their coffees then got a cab back to Dine’s Green. Julian didn’t think delivering them back to their front door in a pervert sprayed car would help convince Peter’s neighbours to stop being assholes about him, but at least now we were all laughing about it, and Peter wasn’t hanging his head in dismay. I just hoped it would continue. As they hugged us goodbye, I got the feeling that would be true. Peter’s shame seemed to have eased away. And with it, so had my boyfriend’s.

Boyfriend.

Seemed an odd word for the man nearly old enough to be my grandad. Manfriend maybe?

Nah, if anything, he looked ten years younger than when I first set eyes on the man upstairs. Boyfriend would do nicely.

“Thanks again,” Peter said at the door. “You’ve no idea how much you’ve helped me and Lola.”

He hugged Lola tight before they walked out the door.

My boyfriend hugged me tight once we’d waved them off, letting out a long, contented sigh.

“Thank you for saving me, sweetheart. You’ve given me a new sense of life I never expected to be feeling.”

“In what way?” I asked, even though I knew full well. Julian was a new man, no longer gaunt and haunted, confidence sky high.

“Hmm, one word… emboldened,” he said.

“I think it’s called love,” I said, running my fingers down his shirt. “True love gives you that. I feel the same.”

“Emboldened by love,” he said. “I like the sound of that.”

“And I like the feeling,” I said, “you give me that, Julian. Confidence to… I dunno, be myself.”

He stroked a hand down my arm. “Confidence to have the courage of your convictions. That’s what it is. What we give each other. It’s wonderful to see it in you. I’m very proud of you.”

“Thanks,” I said, his words bringing a tear to my eye. “I’m proud of you, too. Talking about having courage. You’re just… amazing.”

“Look at us, getting all soppy.” He dropped a kiss on my nose. “Maybe we should unpack.”

“How romantic,” I said. “Let’s not.”

I took his hand and dragged him to the sofa, resting my feet up on the coffee table, and Julian joined me, no more words needed, just the easiness of silence. Of love.

Julian was right. He’d given me the courage of my convictions. I had no sense of fear at the prospect of college tomorrow. I felt invincible in my own skin, and I had Julian to thank for that. He could say I gave thanks far too often, but as far as he was concerned, I could never say it enough.

“Good job we managed to get the ink off your face,” Julian said, smirking. “That would have received quite a few looks from the other residents at breakfast this morning.”

It had been quite a scrub job in the shower. I’d used every tiny scrap of hotel body wash, trying to get my face and neck clear. Luckily, we’d managed it, but we hadn’t had enough left over for the rest of my body, or Julian’s chest.

It felt way cool to know he had the remnants of MINE across his chest, under his shirt, blotched in ink. And it made me feel kinda special, still having all his filthy scribble on me, hidden beneath jeans and jumper.

I was his and he was mine, and thank fuck for that. I squeezed his knee as I admired him.

“I’d happily walk around with slut written on my face for you,” I said.

He laughed. “Lovely, thank you. Hopefully not in this apartment block, though. I doubt it would endear me to your mother or her friends.”

I got a horrible pang in my stomach at the thought of Mum downstairs, wishing, WISHING she could just get a glimpse of how much Julian loved me. How he treated me. How he looked at me like I was his world. Because then, surely, it couldn’t be so bad?

Maybe one day.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“Should we hit the shower and get scrubbed clean before bed?” he asked.

The thought of a refreshing shower was nice, but no. I wanted to see the MINE ink marks again, knowing they’d already been there all day.

“Let’s not wash it off just yet. I want to see it there, lingering like an old tattoo as you fuck me senseless.”

“You’re incorrigible, Rosie,” he said, and he needed no further encouragement.

It was heaven, lying on his pristine white sheets, the MINE on his chest as fucked me.

Made love to me.

I slept like a dream, my college alarm buzzing and rattling on the bedside table as I reached for my glasses. I turned to Julian but he wasn’t there, which wasn’t unusual, but he wasn’t in the kitchen making a coffee, or getting ready for breakfast. He was wrapped in a bathrobe, sitting at the table on his laptop, his fingers typing in a frenzy.

“Hey,” I said, still naked as I wrapped my arms around his neck from behind.

I expected to see another dirty scene unfolding, but he minimised the app before I could see.

“Is that going to be a surprise?” I asked him, and he tapped his nose, turning to face me.

“Wait and see.”

“Is it a particularly dirty one?”

He grinned as he tapped his nose again. “As I said. Wait and see.”

“Well, I’ll be looking forward to it. I’ll be skipping all the way home.”

I was practically skipping as I left, actually. The lightness in the air still continuing, even on a Monday morning. I was immune to all the sneers, and the whispers, just as I had been. But there was a quietness in my mind that had changed. I felt calm. Calm and happy.

The courage of your convictions.

I liked that a lot.

Lola looked so happy, too, when I saw her at lunchtime.

“That trip did Peter loads of good,” she told me. “He hasn’t stopped smiling. He’s been looking up restaurants in town, says he wants to invite you and Julian out with us, a treat from him.”

“That would be amazing.”

“Yeah, it would. So will sandcastles and ice cream.”

“I’m thinking Tenby. I went there as a kid.”

She high-fived me. “Mind reader. I was thinking the same. So did I. I went there, too.”

Somehow, I doubted Julian had ever been to Tenby. It could be a new experience for him. I’d make sure I showed him the awesome amusement arcade. He could grab me a little teddy with the claw.

The afternoon’s lessons went by easily, despite the fact we were approaching exam dates at lightning speed now. Revision was on the cards, sure, but I had someone to help me if I needed it. Julian was a college professor, after all.

I wished I’d be seeing Lola when the afternoon was done, but she was at a digital exhibition in the art block, so I left on time. The sun was bright, and my mood was light, and I was buzzing, keen to get home to find out what dirty treats Julian’s fingers had been working on this morning, but no. My route home wasn’t going to be clear.

It wasn’t the block seven idiots outside the garage today, it was Jayden, sitting on the bench. I wondered with the faintest hope if he was waiting to apologise and make things up with me after Mum had shouted at him, but his eyes were even more hateful than before, and I should have walked on by without a thought, screw what he would shout after me, but fuck it. I sat by him. I was done with bad feeling, from all sides.