Having Faith In London

At the beginning of the year I set myself a goal of publishing 4 stories in 2024, this is my sixth. So I'm very pleased with my overachieving self. With this one I was trying something different, a new voice for my protagonist. I was inspired by reading a lot of John D MacDonald's, Travis McGee books, and I wanted a protagonist with a similar thought process. I'm pleased with how it turned out, but I'd love to know what you think. As always, I welcome all feedback, and love to read your comments.

Maria 2024

This one is in memory of Matt. The world will miss your talents.

I was pissed off. Picking up my annoying sister and her even more annoying new best friend was not how I wanted to spend my Saturday night.

"Where are you?" I texted my sister and then flung my phone in the passenger seat with frustration.

I should have known that they'd be late. They had promised that they would be waiting for me at 2am. And I'd stupidly believed them. Now, at two fifteen, I felt like an idiot.

I turned off the radio, deciding it would be better to seethe in silence rather than listening to George Michael talking about having to have Faith. The silence didn't help my mood.

The sound of an unsteady clip-clop behind the car caught my attention. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw my sisters friend, Faith, struggling to walk in her thigh-high boots. She was walking towards the car on her own, there was no sign of my sister.

Faith looked incredible, all blonde hair and curves, with a tiny skirt and matching halter top. Both the top and skirt had cut-out sides that told everyone, who cared to look, that she wore no underwear.

Trying my best to ignore her figure, and not give her the attention she wanted, I watched her saunter up to the side window of the car. As I lowered the window the cold night air flooded in, and I wondered how Faith could wear so little and not freeze to death.

"Any chance of a ride, luv?" she said, a huge smile on her lips, amused by her own joke. I couldn't work out why she was so pleased with herself. Maybe it had something to do with the alcohol I could smell on her breath.

"Where's my sister?" I asked, looking up the street back where Faith had appeared from.

"She jumped in a cab wi' the lads, headin' to Nick's for afters," Faith shrugged, then wobbled and half fell half hopped towards the car door, her arm shot out for balance. She giggled.

It was just like my sister to go to an after party and not bother to tell me. I remembered when she'd done it to our dad. He'd been angry for days.

"And you didn't want to go with her?" I asked. I was confused because they were supposed to be friends.

"Nah, not quite." she grinned at me and swept her hair out of her eyes.

I didn't reply, hoping she'd explain a little more. Instead, she leant on the side of the car, deepening her enormous cleavage even further. She stood there patiently, smiling at me as the breeze worked its way through her long blonde hair. She probably thought she was being glamourous or alluring, but it grated on me. I thought she looked as cheap as her perfume smelt.

"So why didn't you go with my sister?" I asked, speaking slowly for her.

"Oh," Faith acted as if she'd just understood the question, "Oh, she were keen on Sam, so I let her 'ave a clear shot at him."

"And you didn't want to go to keep an eye on her?" I asked, feeling my annoyance levels rising but not quite understanding why Faith was irritating me so much.

"Nah, figured I'd let 'er 'ave a bit of fun, no competition this time," she tilted her head as if she was saying something wise.

"So, we just leave her to it?" I asked, "Is that the plan?"

Faith shrugged and hiccupped, and I wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her.

"Fine," I sighed, "So what happened to your coat? Does my sister have it?"

Faith shrugged and headed to the passenger side. Her high heels skidded on the pavement and she nearly fell into the street. I raised my hands off the steering wheel with exasperation; of course she wouldn't be able to stay upright. I very nearly put my head against the wheel to wish everything away.

"Did you see that? Almost fell over then," Faith said with a giggle as she clambered into the seat and flung her bag in the back.

"No, I'm serious; where is your coat? I don't want to get halfway home for you to realise you've left it at the club and want to come back for it," I said with frustration.

"Okay, God!" she said in a huff, "You sound like me, mum, proper naggin' and all."

"Faith, I'm not your mum; I'm not gaslighting you. You had a coat, now you don't. It looked expensive."

"It's pricey; everythin' I wear costs a bomb."

I looked her up and down and rolled my eyes.

She looked at me, and tilted her head, her eyes softened.

"Fine. Okay, I take it back," I said, "I don't care where your coat is. But I won't be turning around to come back to get it or anything else you've left behind."

"Think I left it in the cloakroom," Faith said in a quieter voice, then produced a ticket stub from the top of her boot. "Ya don't really like me, do ya?"

"Faith, I don't know you, but I get the idea that you are used to getting everything your own way 'cause of how you look. Which is great and all, but right now, I'm tired, pissed off, and I want to be at home, in bed."

"Take it easy, will ya?"

I glared at her for a second.

"Whatever," I said under my breath.

"I sorta want me coat back," she said in a small, quiet, sweet voice.

"Switch it off, Faith, I'm not going to get it for you. There's no way. You can forget that. You want it, you can go and get it."

"What's up wi' you?" she asked as she flipped her hair.

"Oh, come on," I said, shaking my head, "Faith, I'm sure wherever you are from, you are the best thing anyone has ever seen. But, honestly, you need to wake up."

"Bloody hell," she sighed.

"I'm guessing that all the way through school and college, the boys and the girls have always done what you've asked; you've just flashed your eyes at them, maybe pulled your skirt up a bit, maybe shown them a bit more cleavage and everyone has just folded like a deckchair."

"Give it a rest," she whispered.

I felt bad; she looked hurt. I'd probably gone too far, even though she was annoying.

"Fuck, sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Look, I'll come with you. Alright?" I said with a long, drawn-out sigh.

"Aye, whatever," she said with a pout. She didn't move and she tried to look like she didn't care, but there was a glint of victory in her eyes.

"Come on then," I said, opening the door and stepping into the cold air. I had no idea how Faith could wear so little. Without thinking, I walked around and opened the side door for her. As i opened the door I kicked myself for acting like her driver. She grinned at me from the seat and looked very pleased with herself. Then she turned and opened her legs.

I'm only human. One quick glance was enough to tell me that she was completely shaved. I looked at her face, and she looked at me with an assured knowing look. She wasn't flirting with me; she was flaunting herself, pleased that I'd looked and pleased that she had that power.

I shook my head, and I looked away from her and up the street, back at the club where she had come from.

Faith huffed, but as much as I wanted to I didn't look back at her. I kept my eyes focused up the street. Faith hesitated, as if waiting for me to help her out, then she huffed again and climbed unsteadily out of the car on her own.

"Bloody loser," she said under her breath.

I ignored her but before I could stop myself I offered her my arm. She hesitated but took it after a moment, and I led the way back to the club.

The doormen flanked the brightly lit doorway to the club, they were lingering, bored. There was no queue, and it was near the end of the night. The doormen looked Faith up and down like she was a piece of meat. She didn't seem to notice or care; she produced her ticket, and they nodded her through.

The doormen did what i thought every heterosexual man around Faith would do, they drooled at her. They probably all dreamt of shoving their dicks between her big tits and dumping a huge load of cum into her ass, that's what I found myself thinking of anyway. It was sad, Faith thought she had power, but it was coming at the cost of a thousand fantasies at her expense. She really wasn't more than a sex doll to everyone around her. But then, maybe she liked that; maybe it made her feel special, important.

When Faith was out of sight they finally looked back at me. They looked me up and down and shook their heads. I held up my hands as if to say I didn't want to go in anyway. I just stood to the side and waited for Faith to come back out, like an idiot, like her fucking servant. The thought made me cross.

***

Just as I was about to give up, she stumbled out, clutching her coat tightly around her and awkwardly trying to hide a bottle of WKD beneath it. The bouncer spotted it and pulled it out of her grasp before she could react.

He tipped the bottle's contents onto the ground with a bored flick of his wrist, the bright liquid splashed against the curb in a challenge too clear to ignore.

"Fucking idiot," she shouted at him. She paused, and for just an instant a flicker of doubt crossed her face, then she clenched her fists and set her jaw.

The bouncer looked amused, then irritated, and I could see this wasn't going to end well.

"Faith!" I said, grabbing her arm, my fingers brushing against the excess breast flesh that spilt from the side of her top. I pulled at her, and she began to let me take her, but not before she spat at the doorman.

Chaos erupted in an instant. The doorman's hand lashed out, seizing Faith by her arm with a strength that seemed almost unreal. Before I could even react, he wrenched her away from me as if she weighed nothing. Her scream tore through the night, sharp and desperate, but he didn't hesitate. He mercilessly lifted her up, then slammed her to the ground. She hit the pavement with a bone-jarring impact. The sound of her body striking the concrete made me feel sick in some sort of primal way, it sounded brutal, final, but I was wrong, they were only just beginning.

I watched helplessly as the bouncer dove on top of her, slamming his elbow into her back as if he was in a WWE match. He then moved and drove his knee into her back, causing her to gasp and then cry out as he pinned her like a gazelle caught by a lion.

Finally unfrozen I stepped forward, I didn't have a plan, the only thing I wanted was to get the bouncer off Faith. I managed half a step before the bouncers colleague stepped in front of me, blocking my progress with his bulk. He grabbed my arm and met my eyes with a look that said "Don't fucking try it."

She began to struggle in a desperate attempt to break free, and I noticed her skirt had risen up, exposing her ass and shaven pussy to the night. Faith screamed and her legs kicked out wildly, her heels scraping against the pavement in a frantic, futile effort to break free. But it was a fight she couldn't win. He grabbed her hair and forced her head down hard against the pavement. Once, twice, thee times. Each time there was a thudding sound as her skull impacted against the solid concrete. Yet still she didn't give up, she continued to struggle, so he punched her in the ribs; she screamed and finally began to lay still.

"The bitch fucking, spat at me," the doorman said angrily, "Call the police, that's assault, fucking bitch."

For just an instant there was calm, Faith had stopped struggling, the bouncer on top of her was fiddling with his radio, and the bouncer blocking me was still. Then, the door to the club behind us opened and out stepped a large group of men. The newcomers didn't have any context, they didn't know that Faith had just spat at a bouncer, the only thing they could see was a pretty blonde being pinned down by an angry guy that was three times her size and me being blocked from doing anything to help. The men didn't bother to ask questions; they moved in unison and attacked the doorman holding Faith down. The doorman that was blocking me stepped forward and got a punch to the face and a broken nose for his trouble. Suddenly more doormen erupted from the club and suddenly all control was lost and in front of me was an ugly, vicious mass brawl.

As the brawl spread out into the street away from us, Faith and I were forgotten. I moved quickly, ducked down and grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her.

"Come on, let's get the fuck out of here," I hissed, hauling her up to her feet.

She was still for a moment and then sagged in defeat as all strength drained from her limbs and she collapsed into me trembling like a leaf caught in a storm. She latched onto me, desperate, her fingers digging into my arms like she was trying to hold onto something that made her feel safe. I looked at her face, mascara was streaked down her cheeks, but it was her trembling lips and the haunted look in her eyes that affected me the most. I led her to the car and away as I heard the sirens of the police cars approaching.

"He hit me," she said weakly under her breath as I calmly turned the car away from the club and headed in the opposite direction.

"You did spit on him," I pointed out. Although, I knew the force that he'd used on Faith was more than she deserved. I took my eyes off the road and pulled down her skirt a little as it was still up around her waist. She was too shaken to worry about her modesty.

I glanced at her face, Faith's top lip was swelling, and it was going to get worse. He had pushed her down hard. I wondered if she'd get a black eye to match. Her face, reddened from being pressed against the ground, was streaked with smudged makeup, the remnants of her earlier perfection smeared into something broken and raw. Almost haunting, as if all the layers of bravado had been wiped away, leaving behind someone who was more fragile than I had ever thought.

"Your parents are going to lose it when they see you like this,' I said.

But Faith just shrugged, her voice hardening as she muttered, "They don't give a toss do they. Never do. They're off somewhere, ain't they?"

When I looked back at her there were tears in her eyes and she was hugging herself tightly, she seemed far from the brazen girl she'd been minutes before. I felt sorry for her. She started to cry, her quiet sniffs filling the silence in the car.

At first, I wasn't sure what I should do, but after a minute, I reached out and put a reassuring hand on hers. She put her other hand on top. For a moment our hands rested there, then her grip on my hand tightened. Her breath hitched, I thought she'd find comfort in the contact, but instead she grabbed my hand and forced it between her legs. I felt, for an instant, the wetness of her plump pussy lips before I pulled my hand away.

"What the fuck?" I said in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Tha's what yer after, innit?" she shot back, her voice edged with frustration, but it wasn't just anger, it felt almost like a plea for validation. "Yer like me, don't go actin' like yer don't."

"Jesus Faith. I do like you. But honestly, I won't be treated as part of some fucking ego trip; you just want me 'cause I've not fallen for your act yet."

"Oh yeah? So yer not turned on, then?" she said, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper. Her eyes blazed as if daring me to contradict her.

Before I could respond, she yanked her top down with a reckless tug, baring her enormous breasts. She had a defiant smirk, but I'm sure I caught a brief uncertainty in her eyes that betrayed her. She lifted one of her breasts and sucked her own nipple into her mouth. As she did that, she slid two of her perfectly manicured fingers inside her pussy.

I was so surprised that I lost control and the car nearly veered off the road into a line of parked cars. It was only by swerving wildly that I managed to get the car back into a straight line. I kept my eyes away from her, on the road, as my heart pounded in my chest

She forced a laugh, but it rang empty in the enclosed space, as though even she knew it was a lie. Then, she hurried to cover herself, her hands trembling slightly.

"You are crazy," I said, shaking my head. I was definitely turned on, but at the same time, I was not. She did it because she could, not because she wanted to. That realisation both angered and saddened me, as if she had turned seduction into a hollow performance. I sure as hell wanted to shove my dick inside her, but she also repulsed me. This felt like something that if I got into, I'd have a hard job getting back out of it. I had a feeling that an encounter of any sort with Faith would have ramifications for both of us. To risk sounding hyperbolic, fucking Faith would feel like dancing with the devil.

"Bet now yer wanna shag us, don't ya?" she said with a laugh.

"Faith, I've wanted to fuck you since the moment I first met you. But that doesn't mean I'm going to. To be fair, it doesn't even mean I like you."

"Called it," she said triumphantly and sat back in her seat with a smile.

I shook my head, she was mental, and there was no point trying to talk any sense into her. It was useless. She'd just heard what she wanted to and ignored the rest.

Faith was quiet for a while, but then, almost as if to fill the silence, she blurted, "We could go back to mine an' shag. I'm up for it, an' there's no one in. We'd 'ave place to ourselves."

"Faith, for the love of god."

Faith's hand slid up my thigh, her expression shifted when she found how hard I was for her. Her eyes widened, not just with surprise but with a glint of victory, like she'd found a crack in my resolve.

"You're big," She said, as her hand tightened on my erection. "And I swallow."

"Wow," I said in exasperation.

"I'm not lyin', I do. Every time," she insisted.

"Faith, you have no idea, do you? For one, I'm not a one-time kinda guy; call me old fashioned, but if there's no connection, then there's no point. And two, I'm not exactly a straightforward-fucking, kinda guy; I know what I like and what I like to do, I have kinks, and I honestly think you would be overwhelmed. I think you like to talk and act like you've seen and done it all, but I'm pretty certain that you are pretty vanilla when it comes to this stuff."

"Oh," she said and folded her arms. Her skin was red and flushed, there was no way Faith liked to be put down in any way at all. It was probably the first time anyone had ever rejected her. "I've done stuff."

I glanced at her, then back at the road; she looked somehow smaller, deflated. I didn't answer her.

She glanced at me, then looked back out the window with frustration."Yeah, alreet, it's bin pretty tame, I'll give yer that. But I'd try other stuff. Seen stuff... online."

"Faith, you are drunk; you've just been in a fight; this is not the time to talk about this, okay? Just leave it as it is; I think you are hot. Maybe we can talk about it all another day when you are sober."

She shrugged as if she'd momentarily accepted defeat.

***

She didn't say much for the rest of the journey, and as tempted as I was to go back to her empty house, I knew that it was a box that I didn't want to open. Faith was too volatile, too upset, in the wrong head space, and I had no idea how she'd feel in the morning. It wasn't a risk worth taking, but it was damn close.

As I pulled into the driveway of my parent's house, she finally spoke.

"Yer'll never know what yer missed out on," she whispered.

I didn't honour that with a reply, I got out of the car and looked at her through the car windscreen. She glared at me through a waterfall of blonde hair for a long moment, her lips set in a challenging way that made me weak. For a moment, I wanted to give in--take her hand, lead her inside. But that's what she wanted, she wanted me to open the door for her. But I was determined not to be her house elf.