Chapter 10
February was a big month, although I already had many of those. Midway through the month, I received a letter from the British Olympic Committee confirming I was on the team for both judo and taekwondo. The girls and I celebrated the news at a club. Before we left, they treated me to a 'bra unfastening' lesson, where they stood in a line, each just wearing a bra and panties. I spent a delightful 30 minutes slowly going down the line, kissing each girl while attempting to undo their bras. Once undone, I congratulated each breast on their freedom by kissing and caressing them before moving down the line. As a prize for passing this arduous test, they then treated me to a blowjob. Or should that be blowjobs? Not sure, it was one blowjob, but they took turns doing it. Sabrina was highly impressed when Naomi deep-throated me and endeavoured, unsuccessfully, to do the same. Naomi promised to teach her later, and I reluctantly (ha!) agreed to provide said equipment for their lesson. I was looking forward to it immensely!
Due to the various sponsorships British Olympics received, it was required that we be available to appear in adverts for these companies. Most could be filmed in Manchester, but some would also be in London. Due to my raised public profile after the mall shooting, I was also asked to appear in some adverts personally. These personal adverts would involve me being paid quite a lot more. I arranged to meet an agent at my parent's house one Saturday to discuss which organisations to accept and what fees would be involved as I wanted both their advice.
I arrived by train in Southampton on Friday evening, and after greeting my parents, they showed me a letter from Buckingham Palace. Unsurprisingly, that was not something we had seen before, so we were excited to read what was inside. My parents watched as I carefully opened the letter (I was so keeping the envelope!) and unfolded it. I read the letter and stood open-mouthed, staring down at it. The letter was on thick, embossed paper and was signed at the bottom 'Elizabeth R', but that wasn't what struck me dumb.
In a trance, I handed it to my dad, and my mum looked over his shoulder as they read it.
My dad looked up with a shocked expression and said.
"Holy shit, son!"
"What's a George Cross?" enquired my mum.
"It's the highest award for bravery to a civilian," answered my dad. "It's equivalent to the Victoria Cross! I'm so proud of you, David!" With that, both my parents came and gave me a huge hug.
"When does he receive it?" asked my mum.
"Saturday 31
st
March," my dad answered. "That's the beginning of Easter break, isn't it?"
My mum checked the calendar, and it was indeed the week before Easter, and I would be off for two weeks.
"We'll have to tell Tom," my dad continued. "He and Fiona will want to be there. We'll both have to wear our dress uniforms to escort you!"
The following morning, Charlotte, the agent someone from British Olympics had recommended to us, arrived. She came in with various folders holding details of the organisations who wanted me to appear in their adverts and an explanation of what it would entail.
After introductions, we sat around the kitchen table with some coffee, but before she started with her recommendations, she noticed the envelope from Buckingham Palace.
My mum saw her glance and then proudly stated.
"David has just been awarded the George Cross! He's receiving it from the Queen at the end of March!"
Charlotte's eyes widened. "Seriously!" she declared. "Oh, this puts a whole different focus on these offers. Give me 5 minutes!" She stood and moved into the lounge, her fingers dancing on her mobile phone. It was at least 10 minutes before she came back beaming.
"I've just been talking to some people back at the agency. A George Cross isn't awarded very often, so your marketability just went through the roof! They are talking to bigger clients and will get back to me by lunchtime. Do you mind if I hang around until they call back?"
We agreed to wait, and she told us about the pitfalls to watch out for and gave us general advice. We had just started lunch when Charlotte's phone went off. She excused herself and then talked to her London office before returning to the table.
"As I thought," she said, "some multinationals are very interested in getting you on board. The office will email me some details, but it looks great!"
We ate our lunch chatting about my life, my parents both bringing up the events where I'd saved Alicia, Naomi, and Mai's lives in the past. Charlotte's eyes grew larger and larger. I could see the pound signs from their agency's commission whirling around her head. Her phone periodically pinged as another new email came through as we ate. Once we'd all eaten, Charlotte went through her emails, made notes, and we assembled again at the table.
"Okay, these are the ones I think best suit your profile," she began. "We want prestigious brands to give you the best exposure. Also, if you are successful at the Olympics, some of them will want to continue to be associated with you going forward, leading to further income streams."
The four of us discussed the merits of the offers and settled on Samsung, Next Fashion, Reebok and Land Rover cars.
"I'd better get my driver's license then!" I chuckled.
"We can book you into an intensive course over Easter," suggested my dad.
Once we'd settled everything, Charlotte explained she would get the contracts prepared and mailed to my flat in Manchester for signing. Once all parties had signed, filming would probably start around Easter, as they want to get them out in plenty of time for the Olympics.
My dad spoke with his brother that evening, and it was agreed that uncle Tom and auntie Fiona would stay at our house in Totton. They would travel up to London together. I wanted to take the girls, particularly Sabrina and hoped we could stay at either Sabrina or Namoi's house, as they both lived in London.
