CHAPTER FIVE
(Saturday, 20th April 2002)
'It was Carrie.'
Heather stared at her equally naked companion on Rita's settee, unblinking. 'What was Carrie? Your subconscious trigger? Or was she your tutor?'
Alex gulped, wondering why he was confiding in this black-haired beauty when he hardly knew her. 'Both,' he murmured.
Heather's reaction surprised him. She didn't scream, laugh or dive out of the window. Instead she squeezed his hand and got to her feet. 'Wait here,' she said. 'This calls for chilled Pinot.'
He watched her pad into the kitchen and return with two bottles, one of them half-empty. Even then, nervous and embarrassed as he was, he found himself admiring both views, front and back. The girl was sheer perfection.
'I've never told this to anyone,' he began as she refilled their glasses.
'I bet you haven't. And before you go any further, let me give you my solemn vow. I will never, ever breathe a word to anyone. Not even Rita. I'm taking it she doesn't know.'
'As I said, I haven't told anyone. Rita doesn't have a clue.'
'Then she'll hear nothing from me.'
'You're not disgusted or outraged?'
'No, I'm intrigued. Go on, tell me more.'
*****
On the face of it Ingrid and Rachael were unlikely friends. Ingrid had been born in London but had a Swedish mother. She was tall with hair so blonde it was almost white and eyes as blue as a fjord. She was also as straight as a die. Always had been.
Well . . . maybe she was an incy, wincy bit curious.
Rachael was petite and punky with Mohican-like blue hair. She wore dozens of bangles and had plenty of visible piercings, with probably loads more under her loose-fitting, vivid yellow NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS T-shirt and torn jeans. Most of her visible flesh was tattooed in one way or another. She wasn't at all straight and shouted so from the rooftops.
Appearances and tastes aside, the two girls had known each for other nearly all of their lives. Without being particularly friends, they had gone to the same schools and moved in roughly the same social circles. After A-levels there'd been little reason to see each other and Ingrid had forgotten all about Rachael. Then, one night in the Union Bar, her drinking partner had nudged her. 'Look at those two. Get a room or what!'
Ingrid hadn't been surprised to see two girls snogging. Neither had anyone else; not in there. It was the passion that had drawn the comment, not the gender of the young lovers. 'Bucket of water time,' she'd agreed. Then gasped.
Up until that moment she hadn't known Rachael was at the same university. And, although she'd had her suspicions, she hadn't known the girl was a lesbian. Not for sure.
Rachael must have realized she was being stared at; she rounded on them angrily. Then her eyes widened. 'Ingrid!' she'd cried, grinning broadly. 'Fancy seeing you here!'
It transpired that Rachael wasn't just "out", she was in the process of taking over the world. By then, just a month into her first term, she'd launched her very own "Girls' Society". Members didn't have to be lesbian or bisexual, she explained, but it certainly helped. Her concept had been to create an organization that stuck up for women's rights . . . with everyone having a good time while they did it. Now, two and a half years later, the Girls' Society had grown into a powerful force. Membership was such that a petition for any deserving cause was guaranteed at least fifty signatures on the morning of issue. And, if the Girls' Society backed a cause, LGBT were sure to follow. Given Rachael's support, a petitioner nearly always won her fight.
Ingrid had become one of the few straight members. She'd also become Rachael's closest friend; much closer than she'd ever been in their schooldays. Secretly, Ingrid was thrilled by the idea of women having sex with women. She found that very sexy indeed. But, although she often went out on "dates" with Rachael (and although she knew she was widely known as "Rache's bit on the side"), she had always maintained she was too much of a scaredy-cat to ever do anything lezzie.
Well, nearly always.
Today, the twentieth of April, was Rachael's twenty-first birthday. Ingrid had almost missed it, what with birthdays being ten-a-penny amongst students. In fact, if Rachael had had anything to do with it, everybody would have missed it. Ingrid had only remembered as recently as last Monday. Not a little peeved, of the opinion it was an occasion to be celebrated, she'd made a call, wanting to know where the party was and why she hadn't been invited.
'Not having one,' Rachael had replied.
'But you must be doing something special,' persisted Ingrid.
'Bah, humbug.'
Arguments wouldn't sway her but, in the end, she'd agreed to let Ingrid cook her a meal. And Ingrid had done her proud. She'd produced home-made French onion soup, followed by steak and chips, followed by profiteroles and cream. Petite Rachael had wolfed it all, indulging in a second portion of profiteroles while her hostess sat back, stuffed to busting.
'More wine?' she enquired.
'Wine not?' Rachael grinned at her. 'You can open my Lambrusco if you want.'
Ingrid had to smile. She'd got in four bottles: two white, two red and all expensive. Her guest had turned up with a litre-and-a-half bottle of Co-op own-brand. So far they'd had a glass of white and half a bottle of red each. Driving was no longer a possibility, even if they had had a car. After the Lambrusco, walking was going to be tricky too.
They retired to the lounge and, sitting side by side on the settee, began to watch a DVD. As it was her birthday Rachael had the choice. Surprisingly, she had brought Saving Private Ryan. Not having put her friend down as a war-film-sort-of-a-girl, Ingrid did her best to show interest. To be fair, the opening twenty minutes had her horrified but enthralled. Then, when things had eased off a little in Normandy, Rachael clinked glasses.
'Top up time,' she said. 'If you can tear your eyes away.'
'I don't like violent films,' Ingrid confessed, reaching for the outsized bottle.
'So won't you be visiting the landing beaches on your world tour?'
'We're doing all five. Heather's dad has visited one. I can't remember which. Heather wants to outdo him, though.'
'Surprise, surprise!' Rachael chuckled. 'I don't know how you're going to last with her.'
Ingrid frowned. 'What do you mean?'
'The sexiest, most sexual woman on the planet. Sharing your tent for months on end. What do you think I mean?'
'I think you're exaggerating. We have an agreement.'
Rachael chuckled again. 'I'm sure you do. And I'm sure Heather will keep to it. You might be the one to crack, though.'
'I'm not like that. As you well know.'
'More's the pity. Seeing as you'll be with her 24/7. Breathing the same air, eating all the same food and drinking the same vino. And washing and shaving each other, of course.'
'I think we'll be washing and shaving ourselves, actually.'
'Spoilsport.'
'Rachael!'
'It's the self-abuse that intrigues me,' Rachael went on mischievously. 'Months on end and no self-abuse? Sorry. Not going to happen.'
'What do you mean?'
'I mean you're regularly going to be watching each other making kitty purr.'
'I don't believe you just said that.'
'Come on, Ingrid, everyone plays with themselves. And Heather's so highly sexed . . .'
Ingrid scowled. 'How do you know?'
'Take a wild guess.'
'Oh, I see.'
Blushing, Ingrid looked back at the screen. Tom Hanks' team had just wiped out a machine gun nest. One of his colleagues was in a bad way, jetting blood. She knew it was tomato ketchup, more likely than not, but winced all the same.
'We got together before Easter,' Rachael continued. 'When you left us to pull that all-nighter. It didn't take long to click. Not even by my standards. I'm not sure about hers.' She laughed. 'I might have been a bit of a pushover.'
'I hope you're not about to spill secrets, Rachael Brown.'
'No, not me. "Confidentiality" is my middle name, isn't it?'
'I did wonder what the C stood for.' It was Ingrid's turn to grin.
Rachael rooted in her bag and produced more DVDs. These were unmarked and immediately aroused her hostess's suspicions. She somehow doubted Steven Spielberg had directed this latest selection.
'I think we've had enough bloodshed,' said the Mohican. 'Let's watch folk enjoying themselves instead.'
The first of the replacement DVDs didn't have much of a plot. It featured a well-built man and a redhead with an impressive chest. As far as Ingrid could tell, the bloke had come to fix the redhead's plumbing. Not that he needed a spanner. His client was ripping his clothes off almost as soon as he arrived.
'Look at the ballcock on that!' Rachael giggled.
'Enormous,' Ingrid agreed. Then, giving her friend a curious glance, 'I wouldn't have thought you liked this sort of action.'
'Luck of the draw,' said Rachael. 'The others are all girl-on-girl.'
'Put one of them on if you want. It is your birthday, after all.'
'He's started so let's let him finish.' Rachael giggled again. 'I brought this one because he's a Viking-type. And I know how you are about Vikings.'
Ingrid shrugged and said nothing. Rache was right; she did have a thing about Viking-types. Sadly, the ones she'd hooked up with had all been savages out of bed as well as in. And that didn't work for her. She loved getting the sort of seeing-to the redhead was currently getting, but out of bed she expected at least a modicum of respect.
Eventually, after fucking the girl from all angles, the guy withdrew his truly enormous cock and ejaculated copiously over her bright red landing strip.
'Very soggy,' Rachael said gleefully. 'Serves her right for not shaving properly.'
'If you ask me she enjoyed it,' said Ingrid.
'What, getting jizzed? I can't see the fun in it myself.'
'You wouldn't, would you?'
'Hey! I have had sex with guys, you know. Not so often, granted. But enough to know what's what.'