Thief (2 page)

Chapter 3.

“You know,” I told Kim that night, “I quite liked Bella.”

“Oh, I see,” she said with a knowing twinkle in her eyes. “It's like
that
, is it?”

“Like
what
?” I queried.

“You're trying to ‘
save
’ her. It's all about rescuing a ‘
fallen
’ woman, is it?”

“No, it's not. And stop doing that air quote thing with your fingers. It's very annoying.”

“Well, if you’re
not
trying to salvage her honour from a life of wickedness, then what
are
you trying to do?”

“I'm not trying to do
anything
,” I told her in exasperation. “All I'm saying is that I
like
her. She’s intelligent and witty and she makes me laugh. I'm not happy with her choice of lifestyle but that's not really any of my business. I wouldn’t mind seeing her again.”

Kim looked at me suspiciously. “Are you
sure
you don't have an ulterior motive here? I
know
you. You have an overwhelming compulsion to rescue people from themselves. You're
always
trying to put others back on the so-called ‘right’ track, whether they want you to or not.”

“Okay, so I’m a bit of a do-gooder. I hate to see others trapped in a life they could avoid with a little bit of help. Is that a crime?”

Kim put her hand on my arm. “No, sweetie,” she said, sympathetically, “it's
not
a crime and I love you for it. You're such a sympathetic person. I wish that I had
your
generous nature.” She offered me a grin. “If that's how you feel about Bella, let's go and see her tomorrow. The pair of them generally work nights, so we'll have to go over in the afternoon. Francine told me they usually sleep all morning.”

We dropped in to see our new friends that afternoon. Francine was still sleeping but Martina and Bella were up and about. We had some coffee and the ever present biscuits, both of which seemed to comprise the main sustenance around the place. They all appeared to
live
on those two items. I was a bit nervous about asking Bella out. Would she even be interested? In her profession, she must have been with
hundreds
of men. What could I offer that would be any different? I almost gave up the whole idea, but Kim was looking at me with an inquisitive arching of her eyebrows and I knew I'd never hear the last of it if I didn't at least
try
.

With a knowing look, Kim took Martina into the small kitchenette, leaving me alone with Bella. It was now or never.

“Bella,” I began apprehensively, “I was wondering…… you can say ‘no’ if you want to…… but I was wondering if you would like to…… to go out with me sometime?”

She looked at me strangely. “You want to go
out
with me?” she asked disbelievingly. “Like on a….
date
or something?”

“Exactly,” I confirmed.

“
Why
?” she asked, bluntly.

“What do you mean, ‘
why
’?” I spluttered.

“Well, I mean….. no one has
ever
asked me out before unless it was business and they wanted to……. well,
you
know….”

I’m afraid that I blushed a little at her words. “It's
nothing
like that,” I hastened to reassure her. “I just want to go out with you, that's all. I
like
you. I think you're attractive and I'd like to spend more time with you.”

“And that's
all
?” she asked, a little sceptically. “You just want to go out and
talk
?”

“That's all,” I told her.

“And it's not a
business
proposition?”

“No,” I confirmed. I could see the concept of an obligation-free night out was quite foreign to her and she was having trouble accepting it.

I looked her in the eyes and said reassuringly, “Honestly, Bella, I just want to go somewhere nice for a meal, talk about a few things and take you back home again. That's all I'm asking.”

Her eyes, troubled and vulnerable, sought mine uncertainly. She gave a little laugh. “Sorry for being so suspicious, Paul,” she apologised. “I’m not
used
to being asked out without strings attached. Of
course
I'll go out with you. How about tomorrow afternoon?”

“That'll be lovely,” I told her. “Tomorrow afternoon it is. Three o'clock be okay?”

She smiled at me. “I'll be ready,” she said.

I arrived at the flat at three o'clock promptly the next afternoon and Bella and I went out for a meal. I could feel that she was still a bit edgy about this whole expedition, but I ignored her attitude. We chatted about mundane subjects and I found that the time passed way too quickly. I enjoyed being with her. I didn't want the evening to end but I knew I couldn't keep her out for too long. After all, she
was
a working girl.

When we were making the usual preparations to leave, I noticed that Bella was eyeing me speculatively.

“I've been waiting all evening,” she began, “but you haven't asked me the question yet.”

“
What
question?” I asked, baffled.

“You know,
the
question. The question that
everybody
asks me at some time.”

“Bella, I don't have the
faintest
idea what you're talking about.”

She took a deep breath and said, “Everybody wants know
why
I’m doing what I'm doing. In other words, why I happen to be selling my body for money. Go on,
ask
me. Everybody does. I know you're dying to.”

“Bella, I'm not your
mother
. You're a big girl now and can make your
own
life choices. It's none of my business.”

“You're not going to lecture me or try to save my soul, then?” she said in astonishment.

“Nope.”

“Not at
all
?”

“Nope.”

“Aren't you even a
little
bit curious?” she asked me.

“I wouldn't be human if I wasn't a
bit
curious,” I replied, “but as I’ve said, it's none of
my
business how you run your life.”

Bella stared at me in some confusion. “I'm not sure I know what to say now,” she exclaimed. “I've never met anyone before who didn't want to know. And are you sure you’re not asking for some
bed
time to pay for the meal?”

I had to smile at that. The idea of having to
pay
for favours received was deeply ingrained into her psyche. I took one of her hands in mine and squeezed gently. “How
many
times do I have to tell you, sweetie, that I don't want
anything
in return? Is that so hard a concept to accept?”

Her brow furrowed uncertainly. “Yes, it
is
,” she said hesitantly. “It’s totally
new
for me. I'm sorry, Paul, I'm not trying to be insulting or anything. I'm just finding it hard not to be suspicious.”

“I understand,” I reassured her. “Let's just forget about it for now. It's about time I got you home.”

We left the restaurant, with Bella still looking at me in a puzzled fashion as if I was some sort of exotic species which, in
her
world, I probably was.

Chapter 4
.

- Hey, it must be
my
turn by now.

- And it was so
peaceful
up until now…..

- Don't be like that. Remember our arrangement.
You
do the plot lines and I do the
interesting
bits.

- I don't ever remember agreeing to
any
such arrangement.

- Yes, you did. I've got written down somewhere, all nice and legal.

- Rubbish! But I suppose it
is
your turn. Go for it.

- Thanks.

I quite liked the girls. Martina was a cheeky little monkey, but fun to be with. I knew that Paul had a thing for Bella and I couldn't blame him. She was mentally tough and as sharp as a razor blade, but I could sense deep flowing rivers of vulnerability running beneath her surface. That made her defensive and a little prickly at times, but she had a good heart. It was
Francine
who worried me. She obviously had a drug abuse problem and I couldn’t see how she was going to get out of it. I didn't want to butt in and tell her what to do because I was sure she’d tell me to get lost. But I enjoyed her company. She had loads of fascinating stories about her life. Some were hilarious and some tragic, but all were entertaining.

I found myself going to their flat more and more. Paul and I had a very small circle of friends and we hardly ever seemed to have time for them. I didn't realise how much I missed the company of other women. It was on one of my visits that I, very unwisely, joined them in a drink. Now, I very rarely indulge in that pastime, but you know how it is. You have
one
drink, then another and another, and soon you can't remember
how
many you’ve actually had. By that time, drinking seems to be the most
enjoyable
occupation there is.

On this particular occasion, Francine suggested strip poker and, in our befuddled state, it seemed like a
brilliant
idea. We settled down to play. Martina was the first to become topless but soon we all followed. Play was even – we were all too unsteady to cheat – and, before long, all of us were
bottomless
as well.

At some stage of the proceedings Martina said to me, “You know Kim, you have the most….the most marvellous
boobs
.” The others all agreed and I was tipsy enough to find that very gratifying. She looked owlishly at me and asked in a slurred voice, “Can I….
touch
one? I’ve always sort of…… you know…..
wanted
to.”

I thought about it for a few minutes while Martina swayed in her seat. My thoughts were fairly confused by then, and my mind kept wandering off by itself for some reason. I focused on Martina’s face. It was such a
pretty
face. She was such a nice girl. For a
thief
, I mean. She had a devastating smile. Strangely, I was feeling quite thirsty. I liked kittens. I wished we had one at home…….

“Sorry,
what
was the question again?” I asked in a bewildered tone.

She screwed up her face in thought. “Something about…..
something
, I think.” She stared fixedly at me. “Well,
can
I?”

“Can you
what
?” I replied, more mystified than ever.

Martina vainly tried to retrieve the scattered memory of her original thought. “It was to do with…….with…
you
. Yes, it was
definitely
about you…..Can I…..um, something? No….
yes
….was it your
toes
?”

“
What
?” I asked, totally lost now.

“No,” Bella piped up. “Martina wanted to ……to bite your
nose
.”

“Don’t be….be shilly….silly,” contradicted Francine. “She shaid…. said that she wanted to bite her…..
knees
.”

I stared at Martina in astonishment. “You want to
bite
my knees?”

“
Do
I?” Martina hiccupped, equally astonished. “Yes, of
course
I do. Do I really?
No
, wait….. I
remember
.” She took a steadying breath and spoke slowly and distinctly, enunciating each word very carefully. “Can…I…
touch
…your…boobs?”

“
Really
?”

“Yes.”

“You want to touch my
boobs
?”

“Yes.”

“
Why
?”

Martina scratched her head, looking puzzled. “I’m not too sure now,” she informed me. She fell silent, searching for the elusive rationale. Finally, she said triumphantly, “
Because
!”

I painstakingly considered her meticulously researched reasoning. “That sounds good enough for me,” I declared and leant towards her. She poked at my left breast with an unsteady finger. “Ooh,” she exclaimed, “it’s so
firm
!” Then she placed her whole hand there and gently squeezed. “But so
soft
too!” The others were becoming interested in the proceedings and crowded around. Soon, they were all touching and pinching until I started becoming a little annoyed, but also a little turned
on
as well.

To even things up, I began to fondle one of Francine’s breasts. It looked so, well…
inviting
, just hanging there, so round and smooth, like ripe fruit on a tree. She retaliated by taking possession of Martina’s assets. Martina then switched her attention to Bella, leaving me out of the loop. I changed to Martina who, with her attention refocused, returned to me. Francine switched to Bella who, for some reason, began doing it to
herself
. I was becoming quite dizzy.

I don’t know how or
who
started it first, but somehow I soon had all
three
of them concentrating on me. Martina was still intrigued by my upper anatomy; Francine was busily kissing my stomach and Bella’s hair was tickling my inner thighs. I couldn’t work out what everyone was doing because I was floating among the clouds, soaking up all sorts of other pleasant sensations, and I was feeling things only in a generalised way. I
now
wish that I’d paid more attention to what was happening. I mean, I’d participated in a few orgies in my earlier hippie days, but that was just swapping partners around every couple of minutes. How often do you get to have
three
colleagues devoted to you all at
once
? I wasted the opportunity because I was so
wasted
. Damn! Nice alliteration though. But I do remember feeling very
happy
.

- I think this is where I come in.

- Yes, you'd better. I couldn’t remember too much
after
that.

I thought I'd better go and fetch Kim. She hadn’t been home all
night
. When I let myself into the flat I was astounded by the disarray. It was like a war zone. Francine was draped, feet first, over the couch. Somehow, Martina had ended upside down in an armchair and a naked Bella was lying on the floor, under the table. The whole place reeked of alcohol, and food scraps were scattered everywhere. I've never
seen
such a mess. I looked in one of the bedrooms and found a blanket to cover Bella. I also put a pillow under her head as well, and then went looking for Kim.

I found her sleeping in the
bathtub
, of all places, her feet curled around the taps and her head at an awkward angle, resting on her shoulder. Oddly enough, she was dressed in a nurse’s uniform. I presumed she’d obtained it from either Francine or Bella.
Why
she had it on produced a whole raft of questions, although I wasn’t sure that I
wanted
to find out the reason. She looked awfully uncomfortable but, judging by the empty wine bottles littering the bathroom floor, she probably couldn’t be feeling much of anything, anyway. I debated the best way to wake her up and finally elected to turn on the shower.
Cold
water, of course. She groaned as the first inundation hit her face and then her eyelids creaked open.

“What the
hell
are you doing?” she croaked, clutching vainly at her head. “Oh, my god,” she moaned. “My
brains
are liquefying. What happened?.....Turn off that damn
water
! Aaah, my
head
!...... Stop
shouting
!”

“I didn’t say anything,” I informed her.

“It must have been
me
then……Kill me! Please
kill
me now.”

I turned off the shower and let her wallow in her misery for a few minutes.

“You might want to pull your
dress
down a little,” I told her, severely. “Your knickers are showing.”

“My
what
?” She looked down at herself, pulled up her dress a little and stared. “Now where did
they
come from? What's with all the
frills
? And what the devil am I
wearing
? Is this a
nurse’s
uniform? When did I put
that
on? Oh, dear god, I can't remember
anything
!” She held her head in her hands in despair.

“I'll go and see if there’s anything around for a hangover cure,” I said. “I'm sure there'll be something stashed away
somewhere
.”

“For god's sake,
hurry
,” Kim groaned. “I'm
dying
! At least I
hope
I'm dying. I don't want to go through all this and still be
alive
.”

“I'll be as quick as I can,” I promised with an unsympathetic snigger. A whimper of wretchedness followed me.

I
did
find something in one of the cupboards for occasions such as these. Obviously, these situations had happened
before
in this flat. I made up the mixture and passed it around to all the recovering convalescents.

About half later, it was a sad and sorry group of people gathered around the table, drinking coffee. There were many promises of ‘never
again
’ and ‘I'm giving up drink
forever
’, but I didn't expect those pledges to last very long.

Bella took me aside and whispered, “ Paul, were you…….. were
you
the one who put that blanket on me? When I woke up, I didn't have any
clothes
on, just the blanket.”

“Well, I couldn’t
leave
you there as is,” I replied. “It wouldn’t have been right.”

“Yes, but well, you saw me
naked
,” she blushed.

“Bella,
lots
of men must have seen you without your clothes,” I protested. “Why are you so embarrassed
now
?”

“That was just
business
,” she confided. “I didn’t care what
they
thought. With you I
do
care.”

“Really? You've actually
care
what I think?”

She looked away self-consciously. “Yes, I do,” she admitted. “I wanted to make a
good
impression on you. And what happens? You come in and find me sprawled on the floor, totally
drunk
.” Her voice became contemptuous. “And that's just
lovely
, isn't it? That's
exactly
the sort of thing every woman should do to win a man over. So elegant. So sophisticated. Such a charming scenario, I
don't
think!”

I caught her chin with my fingers and turned her head to face me. “Bella, I don't think any the less of you. We
all
get caught in unflattering situations now and again. It's part of being human. And we're
all
naked under our clothes. Don't worry about it. The only thing I really want know is why
Kim
was wearing that nurse’s uniform. It sounds like something I can blackmail her with for simply
ages
.”

Bella laughed. “A lot of the clients like us to play ‘
dress up
’ and Francine and I keep a range of uniforms for that. Kim must have found them last night. I don't remember too much of what happened. We played strip poker and I recall there was some groping involved…….”