Beth's Summer Break Pt. 08

I walked on into unchartered territory for me and soon reached the Cricketer's Arms, an impressive old building on the riverside. I checked my watch. I was five minutes early. I always am - I hate unpunctuality just as much as Josie. I had time to make myself more comfortable before meeting the enigmatic 'JN-J77' for the first time.

Contrary to her instructions, I went inside and straight to the little girls room. I did the necessary and re-seated my Venus balls. They were slick with juice and felt warm. It was close enough to one thirty, so I set my ringtone to vibrate and texted Josie.

This time I was ready when the phone went off. I knew I wouldn't be speaking, so I listened as she told me in a quiet whisper what she wanted me to do. The rest of the beer garden would have got a shock if they had heard her, and I was in just the right place and mood to comply with her instructions.

She said she had already got me a drink. Gina had told her I drank cider and she had one waiting for me. She would be sitting at the far end of the garden nearest to the river at a table a little way away from anyone else. That suited me for what was about to happen. I did what she instructed me to do, left the cubicle and found my way to the door to the garden. I put my sunglasses on and praying Sam wasn't on a pub crawl, surveyed the unfamiliar scene in front of me. I saw a flash of red hair about thirty yards away and a hand waving me over. I walked slowly towards her, hoping that no-one else would get close enough to me to smell the pussy-juices that I had just smeared on my lips. She stood to greet me with her arms open. Her red lips were glistening, her green eyes hidden behind large shades. The way they had burned out of her Facebook page had me longing to see them in reality.

I felt the warmth of a stylish leather jacket brush against my skin as she embraced me. I got a fleeting glimpse of shiny, wet look leggings as she moved in. Her voice was low and husky. "Bethany darling, how lovely to meet you at last. Gina has told me so much about you."

She kissed me on the lips, uncaring if anyone was watching, holding her lips to mine longer than would be seemly for two people meeting for the first time. It felt wonderful and I hoped the brim of my hat would obscure the sight from the rest of the busy garden, where families and friends sat in the sunshine, hopefully unaware that Josie Napier-Jones was licking my own pussy juice from my lips as we met for the first time.

She broke away and gestured for me to sit. I had been told not to say anything until I was told to. I took a drink of the cold, refreshing cider and ran it around my mouth to get rid of my own taste. It was only a half pint. That wasn't going to last me long.

She was staring at me, appraising me. I would have felt uncomfortable but for my glasses, and I returned her stare, aware of ducks and swans on the river behind her in my peripheral vision. I was appraising her as well. Her red hair was longer than in her photos and had a slightly permed look, falling to her shoulders in lovely glossy ringlets. There was a black velvet rose pinned in the midst of the red and it looked quite beautiful. She took her glasses off and put one of the stems in her mouth. The tip of her little pink tongue licked along her lips and I got the full bore of those incredible green eyes, now locked like laser sights on mine.

I was breathing heavily and just starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. She poured some mineral water into her glass from a large bottle and swilled it around, taking a drink. Like me before, she washed the taste of me from her lips. She took a packet of Marlboro Lights from her bag and offered them to me.

I shook my head slightly. Not my brand. She accepted my refusal and lit one herself, exhaling luxuriously. I took a long drink of cider and at last she spoke.

"You're everything Gina said you would be darling. Thank you for following my instructions. I find it quite a turn on that first contact with a new friend involves such... intimacy. You taste quite divine and I look forward to more of that later. Take off your sunglasses please, sweetie. Gina says you have lovely eyes." She pointed at my head. "That's one of her hats, isn't it? She'll be delighted you wore it. That hat could tell some tales..."

I removed my glasses and looked at her. I was tapping my fingers on the top of my glass, showing her I could do this all day if she wanted me to. I was barely aware of the gentle hubbub in the rest of the garden behind me.

After another minute, she spoke again. "Yes, you do indeed. Have beautiful eyes, I mean." She paused. "Well, that was quite the introduction I was hoping for. I've had a lovely foretaste of what is to come..." she leaned towards me and lowered her voice to a whisper - "literally!" She now ran her finger across her lips. "I think we can park our little game for a while, don't you? Just for a short while, of course." She sat up a little straighter and her voice became less domineering. "So how has your weekend been so far, sweetie?" It seemed I was allowed to speak now.

She may have been finished with her game, but I wasn't. I reached over and picked up her cigarettes and her lighter. I lit one and tried not to grimace at the unfamiliar taste. I took a drink and wiped my hand across my mouth. I was going to let her stew for a minute or two.

I blew a plume of smoke across towards her showing her I was not going to be easy prey. I narrowed my eyes as if considering her last question.

"It's been... interesting. So far." I finished off my cider. "Whether it stays interesting or not..." I shrugged nonchalantly and nodded towards her glass. "Drink?"

She was smiling, a knowing look that said I've picked a winner here. "Mmm, time for a nice little Pimms I think."

I nodded and got up, walking back towards the pub, vowing never to smoke one of those horrible things again. I'd stick to my own Mores. I flicked the Marlboro into a sand box at the pub door and went in to get the drinks.

When I returned, Josie had taken off the leather jacket to reveal a plain yellow cotton t-shirt. It contrasted with the red of her hair and lips nicely. I was dying to get a full view of her leggings.

I sat down and took a sip of my cider. I held my glass up to her. "So, here we are then! Nice to meet you, Josie. Are all your introductions so... enigmatic?"

She took a sip of her Pimms and laughed. The same tinkle I had heard down the phone earlier."Not all, no. I do enjoy having fun though. I'm a bit... extreme for some people. Gina assured me you'd be up to my little challenges and so far you've been excellent. I take it you've made the requisite insertion?"

She gestured with her head to my nether regions. I clamped down slightly on the balls entrapped inside me. I'd almost forgotten they were there they were so subtle. "Oh yes. Thank you for the gift. They are delightful. All other instructions on dress code compiled with."

"Oh to be young again, with a nice tight vag - much easier to keep them in! The way my cunny has been stretched over the years, mine are like those fucking snooker balls you so amusingly alluded to!"

I laughed and it seemed to break the ice. The 'game' was firmly parked for now and we began talking like two normal human beings, not two sex maniacs who had just met and were already planning all sorts of debauchery.

She asked me about Uni and told me about the cake making business that she co-owned and was doing quite nicely. I drank my cider while she sipped her Pimms and smoked her cigarettes. Just a couple of women enjoying a pre-Sunday lunch chat.

Except Josie had a few more revelations in store for me and our two thirty lunch didn't happen until three o'clock. By then I'd had a bit too much cider and no food all day, and so was feeling a little tiddly, but decidedly happier about some aspects of my summer than I had been before.

At some point in our conversation, talk inevitably turned to Gina. The mention of her name gave me an opportunity to address something that was not exactly bothering me, but did seem odd. "From the sound of It, you and she seem to have been discussing me a lot. Seems strange she only mentioned you in passing for the first time the other day."

Now we were in normal conversation mode, Josie's 'darlings' and 'sweeties' seemed to have been dropped, our flirting over for the moment. "I'm probably her oldest friend. We confide in each other a lot, no secrets. I know you know all about her interesting past. I share some of that past and some of the present. I'll tell you about it later – it will make more sense then, believe me. But yes, she has discussed you with me – and not just while you have been staying with her. She told me the first time she saw you with Andrew that she had to have you, or at least give it her best shot. So when you had your troubles and your dramatic little volte face, I'm afraid that being her number one confidante, I got all the gory details."

I wasn't surprised by this news, given Gina's keenness to have me stay and her early attempt at seduction by shower. "It's ok, I understand. The way I was with her, she probably needed to unload onto someone. Sorry it had to be you. But she's told me all about Jen and Mel, her other friends, so I'm surprised she hasn't really said much about you - other than we'd get along if we met."

She closed her eyes and screwed them up, holding her fingers near her ears. "I know I'm not going to like this, but I bet the little she did say involved lavatory doors in high winds. It usually does."

I put my hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh. "'Bangs like a shit house door in a gale', if I recall correctly."

We both started to laugh now, but I suddenly stopped and looked seriously at her. I leaned over the table pointing at her and hissed, "It had better be true..."

She looked bashful for a moment, hiding her face behind her hand. "Oh, Bethany, I am ashamed to say that it is. Every word!"

I sat back brushing imaginary sweat from my brow. "Phew, that's a relief! So why so little said about you then - if you two are so buddy-buddy?"

"I'm not one of her girly lunch group if that's what you mean? They are a little straight-laced for me. Gina and I go back further than she does with those girls. We met up in London years ago. We've been to some parties together, I can tell you. What was that wonderful phrase from Blade Runner? I've seen things you people wouldn't believe! That's me and Gina. Except we've done things you people wouldn't believe!" She looked at me for a long moment.

"But from what she tells me, you are cut from the same cloth as she and I. Sounds like you've been doing some rather wonderful things yourself. Once you and she... got over your differences, she always intended we'd meet. I just thought I'd jazz it up a little! I seem to be getting more pervy the older I get!" She clinked her glass against my cider. "So cheers to us all. I'm glad you two made up and gave us the opportunity to meet. Gina phoned me yesterday before her party and said you'd be around today, doing nothing, and as I was in the same predicament..." she gestured to each of us in turn, "... here we are!"

I nodded at her. "It's been a whirlwind. My summer went from the bottom of the Marianas Trench to the top of Everest in a couple of days and stayed there ever since. I can't quite believe it."

She smiled at me again, those green eyes mesmerising me as she spoke. "It's like starting at school or University. Once you find the right crowd you are comfortable with, you're made! Just took you a while to find the right crowd in sleepy old Amberdown, but you got there, darling!"

She paused and looked at me seriously. "Bethany, speaking of Gina calling me yesterday, can I talk to you about something for a moment or two? I don't want to spoil our mood or anything – I still have big plans for you and I later today, but I assure you, you will learn a lot more about what is going on if you let me speak."

Oh shit, what now? I took a long drink and shrugged at her. "I've been hit with shit from all sides since I got here. A few more bucketfuls ain't gonna hurt."

Josie laughed. "No shit, honestly, sweetie! I think you might like what I have to say. It may clear up a few things." She lit a cigarette and held them out to me again. I thought about it and shook my head. Rummaging in my bag I brought out my vape pen, taking a comforting hit on it.

"Sensible girl, "she said, taking a puff of her Marlboro. "Right, Gina says you are a bit worried about you and her, and the fact that she is - how to put this delicately? Your Dad's latest squeeze?"

I pulled the hat down over my face and put my head in my hands. "Oh fucking hell, no, not that! Anything but that - I can't cope with it! Can't we just play your fucking game, Josie?" I tried to keep my voice down, but heads were turning.

She went on as if I hadn't spoken. "The fact is Bethany, it's something that you won't have to worry about for much longer. Are you sure you don't want to hear me out?"

Wow, that got my attention! I put the hat back on my head properly, puffed on the vape pen and took a long drink. I motioned for her to go on, hoping I wouldn't regret it.

She took a deep breath and it all came out in a babble. "Your father's decided it's not working - he and Gina. I know from experience that he has a short attention span – we had a thing before Gina and he got together. A very short-lived thing. He told her yesterday he's taken up with his PA Justine while they have been on his tour. Gina's ok with it - quite relieved really. She's not back until Wednesday so as number one pal I volunteered to tell you - as we were meeting today."

Not for the first time in this little town, my head was spinning. Thirty seconds of dialogue and Josie had thrown the kitchen sink at me. There were so many unanswered questions in there. I took a long puff on the e-cig and drained the last of my second cider. I got up, hitching my dress as I did, suddenly aware that I had no knickers on and wondering how many people had got a flash of more than they bargained for.

"Sorry, Josie. Give me a minute... I need another drink. You?" She shook her head as I put my hat on the table and my sunglasses on top of my head and grabbed my empty glass. I almost ran the length of the garden, feeling the Venus balls rattling away inside me just to remind me there were other things planned for the day. I wanted desperately to be doing those other things, not dealing with more fallout. I ordered a vodka and tonic for now and a cider for when I was back outside, and found a quiet corner of the pub. I texted Gina with shaking hands.

G, what the fuck? Why do I find out from a stranger about you and Dad? B"

I drank half of the vodka in one and hoped she would respond quickly.

She did. She called me immediately. As usual with Gina, a drama soon became something almost insignificant thanks to her calmness.

"I'm so sorry, Beth. I only found out yesterday an hour or so before the party. I've had a feeling it was going to happen for a while. Just - things in the wind. I hoped I was wrong for a while, and when he told me, I thought 'What the hell?' Josie's my best friend - she offered to tell you for me as I'm away for a while. I didn't want to phone you with it."

By the time she had finished, I had the full story. It didn't take her long and by the end I was relieved more than I could have imagined. Gina wouldn't be Dad's girlfriend any more. We were free to do whatever we wanted. It also explained Gina's reticence when talking about him recently. She knew something was about to give.

Their Skype and Facetime get-togethers had been getting less frequent and shorter and shorter as his tour went on, and she was convinced something was going on. Or at least something other than the casual thing she knew he was having with Justine, his now very Personal Assistant. Yesterday he had phoned her. Typical Dad - didn't have the courage to look her in the eye. He told her he and Justine had got much closer as the lecture tour went on, and it felt right for him. Gina said she felt a weight had been lifted and threw herself into her assignment with more gusto than usual. Someone must have had a good night as a result. She had rung Josie to tell her, as she had been the person who introduced them in the first place. Dad had a thing with Josie for a short while after the divorce, but found her a little too 'out there' for him. Josie thought maybe Gina and he would be good for each other. They were for a while, until as ever, he got bored.

Oh God, I had his genes – was this how I was destined to be? Maybe Mum's gentle genes would temper his? I know I flit around, but I do value friendships and stay loyal.

I drained my vodka and picked up my cider and started back out to the beer garden. I had been scared of what might happen at the end of the summer. I needn't be scared any more.

I stopped in my tracks, not quite believing what I was hearing, and looked up in disbelief at the speaker above me, laughing out loud at what I heard. A familiar xylophone introduction to a song that our little band played occasionally at Uni and had once tried unsuccessfully to work into our live set.

I was standing in the middle of the Cricketer's Arms with a pint of cider in my hand and some little plastic sex aids stuffed up my chuff. I was wearing a green patterned dress, a pair of shoes and nothing else. I had just been told that the affair between my 41 year old female lover and my father was over.

And the pub PA was playing Radiohead's No Alarms and No Surprises . Thom Yorke started the vocal line. A heart that's full up like a landfill.

Cheers, Thom - Never were truer words sung!, I thought, amazed at the appropriateness of the song. I wasn't sure my heart was full up, but it didn't have room for much more. Thom and I sang a duet as I walked out into the beer garden, twirling my sunglasses in my hand. I had been gone longer than I intended.

Josie was finishing a phone call, looking a bit shocked. "That was Gina. Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry. I thought I'd help. Are you ok, darling?"

I held my hand out to her smiling. "I'm fine Josie, thanks for telling me. You're right – no shit this time - it's all good. Come on, let's go and eat, I'm bloody starving." I put my arm around her as we walked down the garden adding, "Sweetie!"

Chapter Three – No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

They had given us a two-seater booth, which given the events that followed over lunch was just as well. The restaurant was fairly quiet, with most people preferring to eat outside on such a lovely day. I switched to Coke – if I stayed on alcohol, I'd be blotto at the rate I was going. Josie was back on her mineral water but had added something else to the mix.

As were shown to the table, I sat down and she excused herself. "Off to powder my nose!"

She came back a few minutes later looking a little flushed. She passed something to me under the table - a small vial of white powder, and nodded towards the toilets. She had been talking literally again. I passed it back to her without a word or gesture.

Her eyebrow went up."Hmm, Gina said you and her..." She mimed smoking a joint.

I pointed at the vial she was tucking discretely back into her handbag. "I've done that stuff twice and I don't trust myself to do it again. I have an addictive personality. Don't tempt me Josie, please. It's hard enough at Uni."

Allie and I had done it once and Alice gave me some at one of our tattoo sessions. Allie and I vowed never again. We were too alike. I may be mad, but sometimes I can be sensible.

Josie nodded. "Sorry, I just assumed. Point taken, I respect you for that. Gina's not done it for years. She doesn't approve either."