tall surrounding wall.
Tommy slumped into his desk chair and put his head in his hands. What had come over him? He hadn’t done anything like that for years, not since he was in his teens at least. Part of him was glad he still had the strength to command such a situation – he’d have looked pretty ridiculous if Larry had been able to get away and then had clocked him one. But in another way he was horrified that he’d reacted so immediately and could have lost control at any moment. Was that the sort of man he wanted to be? It usually took a lot to rouse his temper, and he had thought he’d mastered it, but when it came to Mavis it was a different matter. He’d seen red and would have gone to any lengths to defend her.
Still, he guessed that in one way it had worked – Larry would be unlikely to try anything with Mavis now. It was then that Tommy remembered the broken-down van and his intention of ringing the mechanic as soon as he got back to the office. Damn it, Larry’s visit hadn’t only made him lose his temper, he’d wasted all that time and now he might lose a day’s work if it couldn’t be repaired. Forcing himself to breathe more slowly, Tommy reached for the phone.
Chapter Six
Rhona hadn’t told Penny about her next date with Gary because she didn’t want to make her friend jealous – or not more than she was already. When they’d agreed to go to the Talisman at the weekend Rhona had already known that she’d be seeing Gary in the middle of the week, but she didn’t want company this time. Tonight was just for the pair of them.
Normally Rhona wouldn’t worry too much about a date. She liked to get ready and dress up but knew she was attractive and didn’t waste time wondering if she looked good enough. She knew she did. She was well aware that the men she dated went out with her based solely on her appearance and played the same game. First and foremost they had to look good, and she liked it if they could take her to the sort of places she loved best – clubs or pop concerts. She liked her boyfriends to be fun. She was after a good time and assumed that’s what they were after too. Serious questions like personality and reliability didn’t come into it. But with Gary, she found herself wondering. Something about him made her take more notice of what he said than she usually would, and he intrigued her.
Rhona put on her false eyelashes and plucked her eyebrows with extra care that evening, spending ages in front of the mirror checking they were even and dark enough without being too heavy. She wished the lighting in her bedroom was better, but there was only the dull light bulb inside the battered shade that had been there for as long as she could remember. Just before leaving she checked her diary, ticked the date and reached into her bedside cabinet. This was where she kept her precious stash of the Pill. She was meticulous about taking it, even though she knew of plenty of girls who only did so when they remembered. Rhona had no intention of leaving such things to chance. She knew what everyone thought of her – that she was irresponsible, to put it kindly – but she backed up her love of a good time with stringent precautions. She wasn’t going to get pregnant.
She couldn’t repress a little shiver of anticipation at the thought of Gary waiting for her at Oxford Circus tube. They’d be in the heart of the action and they’d draw everyone’s attention, she just knew it. She wondered what he’d be wearing. She pulled on her highest patent boots and zipped them up, careful not to snag her nylons. Her mother always went on about how hard they’d been to come by during the war, but as Rhona had never had any trouble getting any she didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
Tying the belt on her new mac tightly at her waist, she grabbed her bag and ran downstairs.
‘What time are you gonna be back?’ called her mother from the kitchen.
‘Not sure. Don’t wait
Tommy slumped into his desk chair and put his head in his hands. What had come over him? He hadn’t done anything like that for years, not since he was in his teens at least. Part of him was glad he still had the strength to command such a situation – he’d have looked pretty ridiculous if Larry had been able to get away and then had clocked him one. But in another way he was horrified that he’d reacted so immediately and could have lost control at any moment. Was that the sort of man he wanted to be? It usually took a lot to rouse his temper, and he had thought he’d mastered it, but when it came to Mavis it was a different matter. He’d seen red and would have gone to any lengths to defend her.
Still, he guessed that in one way it had worked – Larry would be unlikely to try anything with Mavis now. It was then that Tommy remembered the broken-down van and his intention of ringing the mechanic as soon as he got back to the office. Damn it, Larry’s visit hadn’t only made him lose his temper, he’d wasted all that time and now he might lose a day’s work if it couldn’t be repaired. Forcing himself to breathe more slowly, Tommy reached for the phone.
Chapter Six
Rhona hadn’t told Penny about her next date with Gary because she didn’t want to make her friend jealous – or not more than she was already. When they’d agreed to go to the Talisman at the weekend Rhona had already known that she’d be seeing Gary in the middle of the week, but she didn’t want company this time. Tonight was just for the pair of them.
Normally Rhona wouldn’t worry too much about a date. She liked to get ready and dress up but knew she was attractive and didn’t waste time wondering if she looked good enough. She knew she did. She was well aware that the men she dated went out with her based solely on her appearance and played the same game. First and foremost they had to look good, and she liked it if they could take her to the sort of places she loved best – clubs or pop concerts. She liked her boyfriends to be fun. She was after a good time and assumed that’s what they were after too. Serious questions like personality and reliability didn’t come into it. But with Gary, she found herself wondering. Something about him made her take more notice of what he said than she usually would, and he intrigued her.
Rhona put on her false eyelashes and plucked her eyebrows with extra care that evening, spending ages in front of the mirror checking they were even and dark enough without being too heavy. She wished the lighting in her bedroom was better, but there was only the dull light bulb inside the battered shade that had been there for as long as she could remember. Just before leaving she checked her diary, ticked the date and reached into her bedside cabinet. This was where she kept her precious stash of the Pill. She was meticulous about taking it, even though she knew of plenty of girls who only did so when they remembered. Rhona had no intention of leaving such things to chance. She knew what everyone thought of her – that she was irresponsible, to put it kindly – but she backed up her love of a good time with stringent precautions. She wasn’t going to get pregnant.
She couldn’t repress a little shiver of anticipation at the thought of Gary waiting for her at Oxford Circus tube. They’d be in the heart of the action and they’d draw everyone’s attention, she just knew it. She wondered what he’d be wearing. She pulled on her highest patent boots and zipped them up, careful not to snag her nylons. Her mother always went on about how hard they’d been to come by during the war, but as Rhona had never had any trouble getting any she didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
Tying the belt on her new mac tightly at her waist, she grabbed her bag and ran downstairs.
‘What time are you gonna be back?’ called her mother from the kitchen.
‘Not sure. Don’t wait
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