A tale of love, jealousy, and a little judgementalism. Jay strays, a little; Sandra strays, a LOT! Pam is indiscreet.
A more genteel story before the debauchery of the office gropefest and the Dock Road in Part 4, and the tension filled finale of Part 5.
American Pie is the second album by Don McLean released in 1971 on United Artists Records.
This is The Moody Blues is a double compilation album by The Moody Blues, released in 1974 on Threshold
As usual, characters depicted are entirely fictional. Some characteristics and activities depicted may or may not be based on real people and events, some similarities between fiction and reality are probably coincidental, or the whole thing might be a figment of Sandr's warped imagination.
Who knows? Who f*ing cares?
***
We had just arrived back at the bedsit when a knock sounded on the door.
"Denis!" I guessed.
"No. Ted." Was Jay's guess
"Thought you might like a cup of tea." Dennis stood there with a tray and three cups of steaming tea. He walked in as I opened the door. I'm sometimes surprised he even knocks.
Jay sighed, fished in his pocket and pressed a fifty-pence piece into my hand. "Witch!"
"Did I just see you getting out of a car?" Dennis asked.
"Yes," Jay answered, "just bought it. My mum and dad lent us the money. Going on the cabs."
"What is it?"
"Seventy-one Hillman Hunter."
"Six years, eh?"
"Yeah, but it's been used. Thirty-five thousand on the clock."
"Nice. Should do you for a couple of years."
For the next fifteen minutes, though it felt like hours, Dennis was offering the benefit of his knowledge and wisdom. He talked about how to go about joining one of the many private-hire firms in the area, where to go for the best insurance, and all things taxi oriented. Jay was far too polite to tell him that he already knew all about it.
I was worried about him going back to the cabs for so many reasons, I explained. Getting mugged was a big fear in my mind, but being hounded by the police was another major concern. He had already experienced being constantly pulled over because he had been driving too fast, or too slow, or suspiciously well. In fact, it was simply because he looked far younger than he was and had long hair.
I became quite tearful at one point, from fear and the knowledge that I was going to be alone most nights while Jay was trying to earn enough to get us out of this house of horrors.
He pulled me from my chair and hugged me, reassuring.
"It's all going to be fine," he said. "I'll be really careful. And I'll make sure I take plenty of time ff to be with you."
I hugged him close. "You'll be so tired as well, with the day training and all."
"I'll make sure I don't overwork myself and we'll work out time for us."
I hugged him tight, and he reciprocated. As I turned to pick up my cup, he grabbed my shoulders, kissed my neck and caressed the tops of my arms. Sparks flew as electricity shot through my body to my groin, making me wet instantly, and I felt the beginnings of a drumbeat in my knickers. Damn! It was inconvenient. Being so readily aroused was very nice when we were alone, but not so much when we had company; especially when that company was Dennis. I turned and kissed Jay full on the mouth.
"Oh, come on," Dennis spoke, "not in front of the children!" In my arousal, I'd forgotten Dennis.
I whispered in Jay's ear, "I want to speak to you in private. Follow me to the bathroom." I nibbled his ear and left the room.
The ten steps up to the bathroom did nothing to ease my arousal. I reached for my crotch as soon as I closed the door. Jay was right behind and entered without knocking. Feeling embarrassed at being caught, I threw my arms around his neck kissed him. His body responded the instant my palm stroked the front of his jeans.
"Whoa!" He stopped me. "Not now."
"Come on. I need to screw you this minute. We haven't shagged for a week."
"You were on a period!"
"Not my fault."
"Save it for when we go out later."
"No! Now!"
"No! Later!" He turned and left.
I was so horny that I locked the door, sat on the bath and rubbed myself into a frenzy until I was satisfied.
I re-entered the bedsit, feeling flushed. Jay winked at me. My self attention may have satisfied my physical urge, but, emotionally, I was left longing.
"Well," I said, "thanks for the tea, Dennis, But Jay and I are off out soon so we have to get changed."
"Oh. Oh," Dennis was a bit flustered, "Yes. Of course. Sorry."
"We need to eat first." Jay objected.
"We'll eat out," I said.
I saw Dennis out. He turned and gently took my arm.
"Don't worry about Jay and the cabbing," he said as he rubbed his thumb up and down my muscle. "He'll cope just fine."
Since my newly created erogenous zone, no one had touched that spot and now it had happened twice within a few minutes. My legs turned to jelly. Denis turned and walked into his own room. Of everyone, he was the last person I wanted to be turned on by. Even Ted would have been a better option, and he was an old man in his forties. God! I could have sworn I felt drips on my thigh. I reached down and felt. No. Just my imagination.
***
I was excited to be riding with Jay again. I had missed just jumping into the car and heading out on an adventure. It had been a few months since the accident and the loss of the Lotus Cortina.
While we changed and prepared ourselves for a drive out, we chatted about a variety of location options. Lust was rising in me as we talked and I glanced at Jay, over and over. The arousal didn't begin in my fanny, but whirling in circles around my navel. My heart raced as it pounded against my lungs. Breathing rate increased and breaths became shallow. It was all I could do to keep my hands off Jay, but I waited until we found a romantic spot.
A run out to the Beacon above Skelmersdale was our eventual choice. It was far from the New Town and we could pick up food from a local chip shop, assuming we could find one. There was a nice little country pub up there.
Being late on in September, it was getting dark by the time we left. It suited us because, if we were to find a romantic spot, no one would see us. We set off once Jay had scribbled a "Tax in Post" sign to stick on the windscreen.
"What do you fancy?" I asked in a chip shop somewhere near Rainford.
"Don't know," he answered. "I do fancy the plaice. But I've been toying with the idea of giving up meat."
"Becoming a vegetarian?"
"Yeah. Like Ted."
Ted had the bedsit right opposite the old battle-axe's flat. A Buddhist, he had been a vegetarian for about twenty years; this was quite a rarity in nineteen-fifties Britain. We'd had some long conversations and, I must admit, I was leaning in that direction.
"You choose a chippy to announce this revelation."
"Do you want serving or what?" Asked the less than polite assistant.
"In a minute." My voice conveyed an equal lack of respect. I would not be bullied.
"Been thinking about it for a while," Jay said. "You know my granddad was a lifelong vegetarian?"
"No! You've never told me that."
"Yeah. Got extra cheese coupons in the rationing."
"How did he manage in those days?"
"I don't really know. I never knew him. Died well before I came along. I think he grew a lot of his own vegetables and the extra cheese would have helped."
We continued scanning the menu board.
"I think I'll just have plain old fish and chips," I announced. "What about you?"
"Fuck it!" Jay replied. "I'll have chicken and chips."
"Language!" scolded the assistant.
"Baise-le! Je vais avoir du poulet et des frites." Said smart-arse Jay.
"Ye what?" The assistant was confused.
"You wouldn't understand." And she didn't.
We parked up and walked a little way until we found a suitable place to sit and eat. Out here, there was little pollution from streetlights. The sky was clear; the moon was almost full; the stars twinkled like celestial fairy lights - pinprick holes in a colourless sky.
We sat and ate. The cool of the night prickled my skin under the T-shirt and light shawl I wore. My muscles tensed, making them tremble. Noticing the shiver, my ever-chivalrous love removed his denim jacket to put round my shoulders, lifting out my shoulder-length mousy hair. That's why I loved my Jay. He was the gentlest and most selfless lover I'd known.
"I could sit here all night," said Jay, staring up.
"Mmm," I agreed with a mouthful of chips.
"If it wasn't so cold."
"You want your jacket back?"
"No. Don't be daft. I can take it. I'm rugged." He laughed.
"Shall we go to that pub we passed?" I put the last chip in my mouth.
"Let's let the food go down a bit shall we?" He said.
"Yeah. Okay."
We lay back on the grass and stared at the sky, tracing the wisps of cloud as they ambled across the moon, reflecting the glow of unseen the township.
It was almost ten thirty when we arrived at the pub, after realising that both of us had wet bums from the grass. First off, we both washed the grease from our hands. Jay had asked for a lager-shandy while I ordered a classy snakebite, which was a fifty-fifty lager-cider mix in our part of the country. As we sat down, we both realised that we were still wet. My skirt was short enough that I could pull it up without looking obscene, but poor Jay had to suffer.
We sat, sipping our drinks for about half an hour before I said, "Come on. Back to the car park."
Just as we left, last orders were being called.
The car park was still empty when we arrived.
"In the back," I ordered.
"Need a piss first," Jay informed me as he got out of the car and wandered off to some nearby trees.
Feeling mischievous, I cracked open the car door and, stepping out, I clicked it shut. I followed in the direction Jay had gone before disappearing, aided by the blue glow of the moon seeping through the trees. Sure enough, I spotted him by a tree. He was doing that thing that men do when they are trying to pee, staring up and looking around as if seeking inspiration. I heard his stream begin and crept forward and to one side where I could just make out, in the glow, a stream emerging from the end of his penis. A tingle danced around my loins and my pelvic muscles clenched. As I got closer, I stepped on a sharp stone and whimpered. He immediately stopped and looked round.
"Jesus!" He yelled as I stepped forward, "You scared the crap out of me."