One Foot Onto the Ice (11 page)

Susan kept her eyes on the floor. “Uncomfortable.”

Jenna lifted Susan’s chin with her finger and got the eye contact
she’d been searching for. “Don’t you mean intense?”

Susan tried to ignore her racing heart and utter a denial, but
nothing came out. She just stared; lost in the big brown eyes.

Amber slammed the three heavy tankards on the table, sloshing
frothy beer all over the place. “Oops,” she muttered.

Jenna held Susan’s gaze for a moment longer before turning to
Amber. “You are
so
obvious.”

“So are you,” snapped Amber. She turned to Susan. “You do know she
tries to bed every single female teacher she comes into contact with?”

“I do not,” protested Jenna, turning her legs to the side and
pushing her chair backwards.

Amber continued to address Susan. “She does. She’s a player.
She’ll play you, make you fall in love with her, and then move on to the next thing
like nothing’s happened.”

Jenna looked at Susan. “That’s not true.”

“What were you doing then?” asked Amber, finally taking a seat and
lifting a dripping tankard. “Looked like you were laying the groundwork to me.”

Jenna shrugged. “I was testing my theory.”

Susan reached out with a shaky hand and lifted her own drink. “My
personal space issue?”

Jenna pursed her lips. “Yeah sort of. Sorry, I was being an
idiot.”

Amber clicked her fingers. “Aha, you’ve told me about this
before.” She looked at Susan. “She wasn’t being an idiot. She was trying to
decide if you’re a lesbian or not. She has this test. She says it never fails.”

“I do not,” said Jenna, shaking her head and narrowing her eyes at
Amber.

“She does. She says she can tell just by getting really close to a
woman if she’s a lesbian or not. She says it’s all about how they react.” Amber
raised her eyebrows. “How did you react, Susan?”

Susan was the colour of beetroot. “I should have listened to
myself earlier and headed on up. I’m far too old for silly games, especially
ones I’m not aware I’m playing.” She pushed her beer back towards Amber. “You
two share it.” She managed to glance at Jenna. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Jenna watched as Susan walked towards the door. “Hang on,” she
shouted, jumping up at the last minute and racing over. She stopped next to
Susan and spoke quietly, well out of Amber’s earshot. “You don’t want to know
about my theory?”

Susan shrugged. “Enlighten me. I’m used to being the butt of all
jokes. What were you thinking? That a woman who’s only ever kissed two men must
be desperate for any attention that’s thrown at her?”

Jenna reached out and rubbed the sides of Susan’s arms. “Don’t say
that, I feel dreadful.” She dropped her hands sensing Susan’s embarrassment. “I
have a theory about connections.”

“And?” Susan felt trapped between Jenna and the door.

Jenna stepped in closer. “When you have an intense connection with
someone there’s an invisible energy that only you two can feel. It makes your
heart beat faster. It blocks out everyone else around you.” She paused and held
Susan’s eyes. “It’s like a silent force, pulling you closer.”

Susan was holding her breath, barely able to speak. “And?”

Jenna stepped backwards and shrugged. “I was just seeing if we had
it.”

Susan looked at Jenna’s distance. “Clearly we don’t,” she
whispered, reaching for the handle and opening the door.

Chapter Ten

Susan heard the door to the dining room click closed behind her
and dashed up the stairs, away from the close contact embarrassment caused by
Jenna. Jenna was playing games. Jenna was trying to show her up. Susan shook
her head. The ever-so popular Jenna James was probably having a really good
laugh right now with the super-cool pink-haired Amber. They were probably
glugging from their tankards and daring each other to tell more truths. Truths
that would no doubt be far more adventurous and explicit than anything she had
to offer. Susan stopped climbing for a moment and held onto the long white banister,
trying to process the events of the last five minutes. She thought carefully. Everyone
gets nervous when someone’s in their personal space, don’t they? Everyone feels
their heart racing when they’re spoken to so directly, don’t they? Everyone’s
oblivious to their surroundings when in the presence of someone as charismatic
and endearing as Jenna.
Aren’t they?

Susan sighed and looked backwards down Sylvie’s carpeted
staircase. Maybe she should turn around and make the whole thing a joke? Maybe
she should get right into Jenna’s personal space and then shrug off the lack of
electricity, just like she’d done. She turned back up the stairs and continued
to climb, only to stop once again as Jenna’s words jumped back out at her.
‘It’s
because I like you. She feels put out.’
Susan thought back to Amber’s
slight cattiness, which she had naturally attributed to the numerous Jägerbombs
and beers. Not for a moment did she believe the assertive, funky ski guide
could possibly view her as a threat.

“
Mon amie
, here you are.”

Susan jumped, startled by the shadow of Marcus at the top of the
stairs. “You scared me. What are you doing loitering around up there?”

“I’ve been listening out for you.”

Susan pulled on the banister and finally reached her summit. “I’m
tired, Marcus. I’m going to bed.”

Marcus flattened his red striped pyjama top. “No, I need a word.
Are you able to pop into my room for a moment?”

Susan pulled herself level with him, instantly smelling the red
wine on his breath. She stepped closer, waiting for the feelings she’d
experienced downstairs with Jenna. Nothing happened, so she stepped even closer.

“Susan?”

Susan stood still, waiting for the tingles, the quick breaths, and
the racing heart. Nothing happened so she stepped backwards and shrugged. “I’m
not coming into your room.”

Marcus pulled down on his moustache. “Sorry, the wine’s all gone.
I needed a nerve-calmer after the little incident.”

“What incident?”

Marcus lowered his voice. “Sorry, but I’d rather we discussed this
in my room.” He nodded at the row of doors running down the long corridor. “We
wouldn’t want to wake the ladies.”

“Fine,” said Susan sharply, stepping past him and pushing open his
bedroom door. She stopped awkwardly at the end of his bed and turned around.
“What is it, Marcus? And please don’t close the door.”

Marcus left the door slightly ajar and lifted a hand to his chin,
pulling down on the slightly stubbly orange skin. “Someone knocked on my door
earlier.”

Susan folded her arms. “And?”

“I was in the shower.”

Susan shrugged. “And?”

“Well, I thought it was you, coming to try the wine.”

“So?” Susan was frowning.

“So, I thought I’d spice it up a bit.”

“The wine?”

Marcus shook his head. “No, the evening.”

“Why?”

Marcus stepped forwards and took hold of Susan’s arms. “Oh, Susan,
I just wanted to show you what I’m offering. I just wanted you to see me in a
different light.”

Susan decided to go with Marcus’s intensity, hoping she’d burst
into life at the close contact. She looked into his eyes, noticing that they
too had slight orange tinge to them. “What light, Marcus?”

“A more adventurous, free-spirited light.”

Susan didn’t know how much more she could stomach. The only sensation
coursing through her body was one of revulsion. She stepped backwards, freeing
herself from the unpleasantness. “What are you trying to tell me?”

“I was naked. Wet from the shower. Hair slicked back.”

“And someone knocked on the door?”

Marcus nodded anxiously.

“So what did you do?”

Marcus bit on his bottom lip. “I sat in that wicker chair, splayed
my legs, and told you to come in.”

“But it wasn’t me.”

Marcus was now frantically rubbing his moustache. “I know. I know.
It was Daisy Button. I told her to come in. She saw me. She saw everything.”

“What?” Susan was aghast.

“I fell off the chair and onto the floor and I tried to crawl for
the hand towel that I’d thrown to the other side of the room, but I slipped…”

“Why did you throw your hand towel to the other side of the room?”

Marcus stepped back into Susan’s personal space. “Because I
thought it was you,
mon amie.
I wanted to be a devil and I was hoping
you’d see my pitchfork and be my deviless.”

Susan knocked his shoulder as she barged past him. “Daisy Button
saw you naked?”

Marcus turned to the door and looked at Susan. “Well, yes, and I’m
afraid I took a tumble when I was crawling and she got rather an eyeful.”

Susan tried to think quickly, unsure of what to do. “Was she okay?
What happened next? I need to go and see her. We’re going to get sued for this,
Marcus!” She paused, thinking back to Jenna’s cool handling of the service
station issue. “I’ll nip back downstairs. I’ll get Jenna’s advice.”

Marcus frowned. “You don’t need to involve her. It was a minor
misunderstanding. Daisy’s fine.”

“But what did she want? Why was she knocking?”

Marcus rolled his eyes. “That peculiar girl’s always asking to
borrow my phone. She used it once in the morning ski lesson and twice in the
afternoon lesson. She really is rather strange.”

Susan snapped. “What’s strange is your inability to behave in an
appropriate fashion.” She stared at him with angry eyes. “What if it
had
been me at the door? How did you envisage the evening going? Did you think I’d
strip off too and we’d have a jolly good giggle over the Burgundy? Would I fall
at your feet and say,
take me
?”

Marcus smirked, “You might have done.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” Susan shook her head. “This has to stop, Marcus.
I’m terribly sorry, but you’re not my type.”

Marcus dropped his eyes to the floor and scuffed the carpet with
his socks. “I always get it wrong with women. I’m either a bumbling mess or a bolshie
baboon. I guess I just wanted to have a pop at playing it cool.” He looked back
up at Susan with dented pride. “I’ve never had a proper girlfriend and after
that nice chat we had at the Christmas concert I thought you were interested.”

Susan felt a surge of guilt hit her directly in the chest. Maybe
she
had
given him the wrong impression at the concert. Maybe she
had
encouraged his flirtatious behaviour. “Just don’t try so hard, Marcus. Just
calm it all down.”

Marcus’s eyes lit up. “Understood, loud and clear, boss. This is
great. I can’t believe I still have a chance.” He pulled on his moustache. “Subtle
and suave from now on.”

“No, that’s not what I—”

“Hush now,
mon amie
. Go to bed, get some rest. Let’s put
this behind us. No need to involve anyone else.”

Susan tried to think logically, but the large tankards of beer
weren’t helping. “Was she okay?”

“Who?”

“Who do you think? Daisy, of course. The little girl who’s just
been exposed to her teacher’s tackle.”

Marcus lifted himself onto his tiptoes as he coughed, pushing out
his crotch at the same time. “I prefer to call it my tripod.”

“I’m going,” said Susan.

Marcus called after her as the door was about to close. “I like
you, Susan. Shoot me for my sins, but I like you.”

Susan stepped out into the corridor and closed the door, aware
that this latest admission of interest evoked completely different emotions
when compared with Jenna’s earlier one.

****

Jenna lifted the empty tankards over the counter and into the
sink. She twisted back around to return to the table and collect the remaining
glasses, but she was unable to move, pinned into position by Amber’s arms which
were either side of her. “Amber! Shift,” she said.

Amber pushed her body closer into Jenna’s and held tightly onto
the edge of the bar. “I have my own little theory that I’d like to test.”

Jenna felt the edge of the counter pressing against her back. She
looked at Amber’s naughty eyes. “You do?”

Amber nodded. “I have a theory that you never turn down sex.”

Jenna sucked on her bottom lip. “Actually I do. I turn down sex
when there are strings attached.”

Amber looked up at the ceiling. “I don’t see any strings.”

Jenna took hold of Amber’s shoulders and moved her out of the way.
“I don’t want a relationship with you. It was a bit of fun at the end of last
season. That’s all.” She walked back to the table and collected the last few
glasses.

“Look at you flattering yourself.” Amber ran her fingers through
her tall pink hair, which immediately sprung back into its upright position. “I
just want to get you out of my system. I was pretty drunk when it happened and
I think I gave the whole experience more stature than it truly deserved.”

Jenna bent over the counter and placed more glasses in the sink.
She turned back to her friend and smiled. “You think the booze gave you those
orgasms?”

Amber stepped in closer. “Maybe.”

Jenna laughed. “Is this reverse psychology?”

Amber lifted her finger and traced the outline of Jenna’s lips.
“One kiss, and I’ll know.”

Jenna felt that familiar surge of arousal, that instant pull of
desire, that draw of temptation which was just too hard to ignore. She held
Amber’s waist and switched positions, twisting her against the bar and kissing
her deeply, parting her legs with her own.

****

Susan was standing with her ear to the door of room six, trying to
figure out if Daisy Button and Margaret Beauchamp were awake. It was completely
silent. She stepped backwards and thought about her options. She could knock
and ask for a private word with Daisy. She could check she was okay and she
could insist that they kept a lid on Marcus’s indiscretion. Susan shook her
head. Daisy had probably told all of the girls by now, if not her own mother. She
shook her head and started to pace. She could turn it into a joke and try and link
it in with the earlier ski pant splitting incident and hope any references to
Marcus’s exposure were attributed to that. Susan stopped at the top of the
carpeted staircase. She should go down. She should ask Jenna. Jenna would know
what to do. Susan nodded to herself and took hold of the white banister,
quickly starting her descent. Jenna
will
know what to do.

****

Amber had her back pressed against the bar and was moaning into
Jenna’s mouth. “You’re so hot.”

Jenna spoke between the hard, searching kisses. “I think you
should start dating … If you think you’re gay … start dating.”

Amber pulled Jenna’s bottom in tighter, gasping at the sensation
of Jenna’s thigh pressing firmly between her legs. “But I don’t want to date
anyone else. I want to date you,” she moaned.

Jenna pulled backwards and wiped her mouth. She dropped her head
into her hands and shook herself on the spot. “Argh!!! What am I doing?” She
looked up and spoke with direct eye contact. “I don’t want to date anyone. I’m
twenty-six. I’m having fun. This was fun. What did you have to go and say that
for?”

Amber reached out and pulled Jenna forwards by the rim of her
jeans. “Think about it. We could have fun like this all of the time.”

Jenna tried to ignore the full lips and wanton eyes that were drawing
her closer. “I do have fun like this all of the time.”

Amber slowly slipped her fingers under Jenna’s top and started to
stroke her stomach. “Yes, with different women.”

Jenna closed her eyes as the fingers trailed arousingly higher. “I
like having fun with different women. I don’t want to get tied down.”

Amber worked her fingers under Jenna’s bra. “I want to tie you
down.” She squeezed the pert breasts. “I want to tie you down and give you
mind-blowing pleasure.”

Jenna moaned loudly. “Stop, you have to stop.”

Amber worked the hard nipples between her fingers. “You don’t want
this?”