Georgie Ellis watched him as he stretched his hand in through the open window of the Taxi that idled noisily at the edge of the pavement as he handed the driver payment for the short journey they just taken.
There was something about him she didn't like. Not the tall dark haired guy paying for the Taxi but the Driver himself. Something about how his eyes had seemed set on her, in the rear view mirror, every time she looked up. She'd felt uncomfortable. Like he mentally undressed her as she sat there. Perhaps she just felt judged she reasoned through her blurred mind, this after all wasn't who she was. This was out of context for her. This wasn't what she did. Or this wasn't what the old Georgina Ellis did she reminded herself.
As the tall dark stranger turned around his, welcome, attention fell on her and she bit her lip for fear of saying something wholly inappropriate. He was handsome, reminding her somehow of someone she couldn't quite place. Short crew cut hair had always been a particular preference for her, his hair shaved extremely close to his scalp and blended perfectly with the short beards come sculpted stubble that adorned his face. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he came to a stop, stood up close to her and she felt his hand slip to the small of her back as she leant forwards and kissed him passionately once more. Awkwardly stumbling backwards but he held her up until she felt herself pressed up against the cold hard brick wall behind her. A groan passing her lips as he kept kissing her passionately.
"You're mad." Her colleague Sarah's words from the Bar echoed in her ear. "You don't know who he is ...promise me you'll be safe Georgie... promise me."
Georgie had heard her words, she had nodded her head in agreement, she had paid very little attention t too there sentiment though. From the minute she'd set eyes on him in that Bar and he'd locked his eyes and attention on her everything had led to this. Georgie's long over due turn to let her hair down, to cut loose and break the shackles of the mundane conformity that her life had become. Six months on from her incredibly fractious break up with Ryan, her long term boyfriend of five years, who in letting his hair down had shit all over the life they'd built together. It was now her turn to live a little fun to give in to her desires. With out fear of creating similar damage to any history. She was still incredulous and distrustful in given the revelations from the string of text messages she'd discovered that had revealed he'd been fucking some slutty little red haired whore, called Shauna, from a night club he'd worked in. Georgie had been rocked by the betrayal, she'd been through dark days and had her confidence shattered. In recent months she had gotten herself back in shape, adopted a new shorter hairstyle and spent a small fortune updating her wardrobe of clothes. Georgie was finally moving on, she wasn't ready to enter a relationship but there was no harm in a little fun. Why shouldn't she have some fun?
"Let's at least get you inside," he smirked on breaking the kiss while he looked down at her. He was tall. Tall and broad shouldered she thought dropping her hands from around his neck on to those firm broad shoulders. Dressed in a dark navy denim jacket over a white t-shirt. She couldn't remember the rest of his ensemble, she couldn't even remember his name for flicks sake.
"Lead me to temptation," Georgie smirked as he stepped back away from her, reaching to his pocket he retrieved a set of keys before placing a small silver key into a lock and unlocking the front door. She followed him in from the cool of the night air and immediately up a flight of stairs into a warmer stuffier environment, a smell in the air that instantly reminded her of different times. At the top of the stairs he pushed open a door, entering a dimly lit living room that doubled up as a kitchen. Her heels immediately heavy on laminate wooden flooring. In the corner of a room through a thick haze of smoke she saw a widescreen TV, on the screen of which a seemingly violent action movie was playing out. It took her a moment to recognise a figure sat before the screen and that the film was actually a video game.
"Fucking hell Stevie would it harm to open a fucking window," he stated firmly, masterfully but not overly angrily across the room. "It's like an Amsterdam Cafe in here."
As she took a breath Georgie couldn't help notice the heavy scent of marijuana in the air.
"Fuck yeah sorry Bro," the figure sat before the TV responded but didn't break away from what he was doing immediately.
"Now Stevie," he reprimanded.
A pause screen flashed up on the wide TV as the tall stranger who Georgie ridiculously couldn't remember the name of turned back to her and offered apologetically "Sorry I didn't envisage this."
"It's fine," Georgie shrugged her shoulders gently, trying not to dwell on the slight awkwardness that now filled the room. She'd assumed he'd live on his own. He was definitely older than her, she didn't know by how much but she'd guess at possibly 10 maybe even 15 years, remiss at herself once again for how little she did actually know of the stranger who's flat she now found herself in.
"How was the Bar?" Stevie asked as he stumbled over to a sash windows before pulling aside dark coloured undrawn curtains a little and sliding the window up an inch or two, letting a cold wind immediately in through the open window.
"Busy," he replied curtly.
"Oh right did.... fuck, sorry Man I didn't realise you had company... you should've fucking said," Stevie offered as he stood back silhouetted in front of the TV.
"Yeah Steve this is Georgie ...Georgie this is Steve." Georgie smiled weakly and offered a little wave in Steve's direction. Making a note to remember his name even if she couldn't remember the name of the guy stood to her side. He reached back and took her right hand in his left.
"Well Hi Georgie," Steve offered on a lazy slurred tone, she couldn't help but wonder how much weed he'd actually smoked this evening.
Georgie felt him tug her hand, sensing his awkwardness and a little frustration, she didn't speak again as he led her away past the open plan kitchen down a well lit corridor past one slightly ajar door on her left to another. As they stepped through the doorway she was and wasn't surprised to find herself stood in the doorway of a well decorated bedroom. A side light on a bed side table illuminated a low bed covered with navy bedding. His intentions were clear she thought to herself, and they matched hers. Stepping past her he pushed the door closed as she heard the noise of the video game fill the living room once more.
"Sorry about that," he offered gently pressing her up against the door. His hands slipping gently to her hips as she looked up to his string powerful but not imposing frame once more.
"I've been thinking of advertising for a housemate... you may have just put me off," Georgie smirked.
"Oh he's not a house mate he's my brother... I let him move in when his last relationship went to shit."
"I guess we've all been there, " Georgie offers openly, parking thoughts of the dark days she'd recently experienced.
"That was three fucking years ago..." he smirks and she's not sure if he's joking or not as he leans further forward, "....but where were we?"
All Georgie's thoughts are all lost on the firm passionate embrace, as she wraps her hands around his neck again and his hands start to explore her body.
**********
Georgie raised her head from the pillow, he gently snored beside her on his side with his back to her. Her head was pounding as she clumsily felt around in the relative darkness for her mobile phone. Eventually finding it on the floor to her side of the bed. She didn't recognise or register the soft metallic clink as she sat up.
Swinging her legs around by the blue white glow of only her phone screen. She scanned her eyes around the floor for something to wear over her naked form. She smirked, even had they covered her sufficiently she had no genuine idea where half her clothes and underwear had been strewn by the intensity of hours previous. Looking at the time on her phone she could see it was a little before four thirty in the morning. Her head pounding her mouth dry she needed a drink to quench her thirst and quell her already raging hangover.
Spotting his white tee as she reached for it the strange metallic sound echoed through the room once more. This time stirring realisation as she froze and reached with right hand to the pair of steel handcuffs still attached to her left wrist. A dark grin played across her lips at the memory. She found them in a bedside drawer looking for a charger for her older Samsung phone he believed he had. He'd been the reticent one, she'd insisted, she'd been the one keen to experiment and to experience. The grin became a smile as she reached up to the leather, felt lined, collar that still sat wrapped around her neck. It had only been a symbolic adornment. Unlike the cuffs that had held her wrists firmly in the small of her back while he'd taken her from behind.
Her breath just thinking of the shared moment and the intensity hitches. Grimacing a little as she glanced over her shoulder to the bedside table next to him and in the dim light and spotted the two spent condoms. There first fuck had been frantic enough, frantic but ultimately prolonged. He had taken her in as many positions in one fuck alone as Ryan had in the last six months of there doomed relationship. Georgie shook her head thinking of her promise made to herself when deciding to leave the bar with him, she was here to live a little. This had been a fucking fantastic if somewhat sordid reintroduction to what she had missed out on for far too many years.
Slipping his t-shirt over her aching frame she rose from the bed. The t-shirt wasn't exactly oversized on her but it covered her enough. As she headed as silently as possible to the bedroom door, conscious that they weren't the only ones in the flat. Easing the door open she slipped into the corridor and leaving the door ajar padded on bare feet towards where she had seen the kitchen on entering the property. The flat wasn't high end but even from what she'd seen it was well maintained and decorated stylishly. Even if there was still a heavy aroma of weed in the air.
Stepping in to the kitchen she gasped a little as her feet trod on cold white tiles. On tip toes she plucked a glass from the draining board and ran the tap of the sink over her hand until the water ran cold. Filling the glass she drunk fast to quench the raging thirst. The chilled water was welcome, feeling as if it spread through her chest. She drained the glass of its contents then filled it again. As she did under counter lights around the kitchen area flickered to life. She looked up and near jumped out her skin as he stood practically before her.