(Chapter 11)
"Keep on Running" (circa-1976)
If you were looking for a woman with style and sophistication, the place to visit was the Bridge Hotel wine-bar between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Positioned high above the embankment of the river Tyne the wine-bar attracted a diverse range of corporate, stylish and beautiful people eager to unwind, flirt and get up to mischief, or just go straight for the desirable option of committing adultery.
This particular time frame was their playground and they played life to the full.
A gaggle of smartly dressed men and women who looked like accountants held court in the corner of the room, flashing smiles that spoke of money, one of them reading the business page of a broadsheet newspaper, words like fiscal market indexes, bond yields and world trading and banking spilling naturally from his lips.
But their forced smiles betrayed their real purpose in life. When they were away from their corporate domain they could do whatever they wanted.
If the truth were known most of them just wanted a fuck and get back to making money.
It was just after seven when he walked through the door.
After pulling up a stool at the end of the bar and lighting a cigarette he casually sipped his drink, watching the accountants trying to impress each other with meaningless predictions, mathematical statistics and endless corporate nonsense.
A fleeting glance around the room, the boredom of accountancy fading into insignificance, the acquaintance of perfection momentarily caught in his peripheral vision, a beautiful and stylish woman sitting on a stool at the opposite end of the bar smoking a long black cigarette and sipping a cocktail, deep in conversation with a smartly dressed handsome man, the fast talking, over-confident Don Juan working his charm, trying his best to get into her knickers.
A captivating smile and dark penetrating eyes, raven hair falling in loose curls over her shoulders, shapely breasts and dancer's legs, a long split up the side of her skirt betraying just a trace of bare flesh at the junction where stocking tops meet suspenders.
Her smiles were forced and unconvincing, the uneasiness in her response to his familiarity negative and uncomfortable, the flirtatious and calculated smiles in his direction hinting that Don Juan's time was slowly running out.
The cocksure Casanova was heading for the door when a waitress delivered a bottle of wine to her table, compliments of the man at the end of the bar, the gesture acknowledged with a friendly smile, the acquaintance providing the opportunity for introductions.
Stephanie Monroe was probably in her early-forties although she looked and acted much younger. She spoke with a refined English voice, although a slight accent hinted at a seductive French nuance. They spent most of the evening talking and laughing through the deafening sound of the jukebox, mostly trivia, occasionally sharing tales of life's adventures and inevitable disappointments.
Testing the waters of matrimonial status was always a complicated subject. It was a question he usually avoided. He regretted asking the question.
She told him she had been separated from her husband for almost six months. She said they first met when she was living in Paris with her parents and he was on holiday with some friends. They had been married for ten-years and they had a six year old daughter.
Brushing an imaginary tear from her eye she said that he arrived home from work one day and announced that he had been having an affair with another woman. Within a matter of minutes he had packed a bag and walked out of her life.
Her next statement was unexpected, her eyes concealing a deep sadness, the betrayal and infidelity still haunting her, forcing a laugh that quickly faded and lowering her voice to a furtive whisper. She said that her husband had custody of their child and she approved of the arrangement because it gave her the flexibility to enjoy her social life.
He broke the uncomfortable silence with a question about her husband's background and profession, cursing to himself for his stupidly, but the words had already left his mouth.
A brief pause to regain her composure and to light a cigarette, her words laden with mocking enthusiasm, "Ronnie Monroe," she smiled, blowing smoke into the air above her head. "A fucking crook... A fucking gangster... A fucking bastard... A fucking arsehole, a man with a violent temper and a reputation for being a hard-man in the West End," she barked, crushing her cigarette into an ashtray.
The subject of matrimony and too much information about her estranged relationship living with a violent maniac left a crippling uneasiness between them, the physical attraction and the evening that once held promise dimensioning by the minute, so when she moved the conversation on to innocent topics he gladly followed.
He wanted to go straight to her flat, but she insisted on going to the Cavendish Club for one more drink and a dance.
It was hardly worth paying the admission fee. They were only in a few minutes, the time it takes to buy a drink at the bar and engage in a shameful dance.
A crushing kiss, bodies connecting in an intimate embrace, moving in a slow seductive ballet to the rhythm of the music, a shameful exhibition of two people fondling and groping with lustful intent, their reckless interaction attracting observers, a mocking voice suggesting they should 'Get a room,' a timely reminder that it was time to go.
It was almost three in the morning when he pulled the car into the private car park of an exclusive residential apartment block in Gosforth. After pressing a chrome button for the top floor and checking the status of her lip gloss in the full length mirror, the plush lift glided to a halt at the penthouse suites on the top floor.
Two lamps strategically placed in the corners of a spacious living room threw soft light and shadows across a delightful tableau of fine art painting hanging on pastel painted walls. And a tasteful arrangement of classical furniture spread over hardwood floors and an impressive Bose music system in the corner of the room were all synonymous with someone with style, sophistication and money.
Classical music filtered softly through speakers and a row of scented candles flickered on the fireplace providing the mood for romantic liaison.
Pressing a button on a remote control and opening the sliding doors to the balcony, the invitation of a cigarette and to take in the panoramic views of the city skyline gaining his approval, an impulsive kiss and the urgency of groping hands brushing away any thoughts of a cigarette or views of the city skyline for a woman with only one thing on her mind.
"Make yourself comfortable. I won't be long," she smiled.