It would be an exaggeration to describe Flick -- Felicity Warren -- and I as 'close friends'; she's twenty years older than my husband Steve and I for a start. But Flick and her husband Terry live across the street from us and were the first of our neighbours to introduce themselves when we moved here six years ago. Since then I like to think we've been good neighbours to each other:
If ever I need a cup of sugar or some-such, Flick's the first person that I call, she or Terry will put out the garbage bins and keep an eye on the house if ever we're away and we do the same for them. Flick's also our first port of call whenever we need a babysitter to keep an eye on our kids; Flick and Terry's lads are now grown up and almost gone, but I've sat with them in the past too.
These events took place on a very ordinary Tuesday evening and probably all happened in less time than it will take you to read this tale; fifteen minutes tops! Though I suspect that it's far from 'over' and perhaps never will be:
Terry works shifts at a road-haulage distribution centre, so whenever he's got a week working the night-shift -- like this one -- Flick will come around on a couple of evenings, once I've got the kids tucked-up in bed and we'll put the world to rights over a bottle of wine.
It's company for me too: Steve's a graphic designer and while he has an office in town an ever increasing number of his clients seem to be from North and Central America. Steve flies out there for a few days each month, but for the most part everything's done on-line; which means that most evenings, he's in his home-office upstairs making zoom calls.
That's what had happened that evening, an evening just like many others; until Steve called down for me to make him a coffee and that too was 'just like always': Steve has a thing about watching the BBC's late evening News programme; he does have the TV set to record it just in case a zoom-call runs long, but his preference is to watch it live, with a fresh cup of coffee.
We heard Steve's shout at about 9:55 and I tapped the remote control to switch on the TV as I headed for the kitchen. I was almost at the door before I heard the TV's sound begin and turned back muttering "Damn, that must be channel 300 not 200 that I've got"
I was reaching for the remote again when Flick replied: "NO! Leave it!" Besides the volume of her appeal, it was the squawking tone of Flick's voice that stopped me dead in my tracks. I looked first toward Flick -- her eyes were riveted on the screen -- then over to the TV itself for a few seconds, before returning my gaze to the enthralled Flick.
During that second glance I saw beyond to Steve, who was now standing in the doorway from the hall and he too seemed to have been stopped in his tracks by Flick's outcry. Steve wouldn't have been able to see the TV screen from where he stood, but I could and after turning to it again for a few seconds, I signalled for Steve to stay where he was and keep quiet.
In response, Steve did a little more and silently stepped back into the shadows of the hallway; I'm guessing that he didn't know what was going on and thought it better to stay well out of it. I meanwhile, joined Flick in gazing at the TV screen; though for the most part I was actually watching Flick rather than the TV.
It was a section of a film that I'd watched many times before, so nothing new to see there; but Flick's body language... Now that was attention grabbing: Flick was leaning as far forward as she could, getting as close as possible to the TV screen without actually standing up; Flick's eyes were locked onto the screen, she was spellbound.
That in itself was attention grabbing, but then there were Flick's hands... The right one was across her chest, squeezing her left breast, while it's fingers pulled and twisted almost savagely at the nipple. The fingers on Flick's left hand meanwhile were balled tightly into a fist that she was grinding equally savagely into her groin. I doubt that Steve could see from the hallway, but I had a front row seat for Flick's display.
It wasn't for long, perhaps ninety-seconds, a couple of minutes at most before the film scene ended and Flick's hands ceased their torments. Flick's cheeks were flushed by then, but they turned an even deeper red when on returning to her senses, she remembered where she was and turned to meet my gaze: "Oh My God! I'm so sorry Sarah, I just... Well... that scene just does it for me... Probably the hottest thing I've ever seen."
"Don't sweat it Flick; I think it does a little of that for all of us... I'm guessing Terry's in for a good time when he gets back from work in the morning?"
"I wish... Terry would never do anything like that to me; though I can hardly complain, I've only myself to blame for that."
"How So?"
"Oh a week or so before I got married my mother and her pious bloody sister gave me the low down on what a wife should and shouldn't permit in the bedroom; I was daft enough to listen to them. By the time I saw through their bullshit, we'd three kids forever intruding and Terry had long since stopped asking; it's only ever been missionary for me and Terry"
"Then why didn't you suggest... Well, whatever you fancied, to Terry."
"Only a few years ago I know, but before the internet... Very different times back then Sarah, not the sort of thing a wife did."
"Well we're in the twenty-first century now Flick and the boys are out from under your feet... If there's something you want to try, just get him asked; I can't imagine Terry complaining."
A sorrowful expression settled on Flick's face: "Too late now, Terry was always a good few years older than me and since his cancer treatment a couple of years ago..." Flick was by then dangling and wiggling her little finger as she spoke.
I was beyond words and offered only a sympathetic smile and a nod of my head. Flick concluded our conversation, by leaping to her feet and announcing "Anyway, I really must got to the toilet" and heading for the door. I couldn't stop myself smiling at Flick's retreating back; she'd been to the toilet not fifteen minutes ago... it wasn't her bladder that needed relief.
As I heard the washroom door close, Steve stepped into the room, from wherever he'd been lurking; it seemed Flick hadn't seen him on her way to the toilet? "What was all the shouting about; what did Flick see on the TV to set her off?"
I nodded toward the TV screen, the film was still running. Steve watched it for perhaps ten seconds and posited "Whatsit Douglas... Basic Instinct?"
"Got it in one. I turned on the TV and Flick went Ape-shit at the thought of me turning it off. When Michael Douglas fucked Jeanne Tripplehorn from behind... Well, Flick just lost it completely, I thought she was going to orgasm on the couch."