side is already well coloured behind the ear.’
It was the first time he’d mentioned his mark. I said: ‘Why should I? It’s only your opinion.’
‘You could prove me so wrong.’
‘I could but, thank you, I still think of Jim.’
His eyes were a sort of gum colour – that gum you get in grip-spreaders for office use. Only it wasn’t thinking of offices that made them like that.
‘I wish you’d slap my face.’
‘Why?’
‘D’you remember Through the Looking Glass and the Queen who cried before she pricked her finger?’
‘I never read it.’
‘Women usually slap men – if they feel that way – after they’ve been kissed. I thought you might like to try before. It would be a variation.’
My heart was going now. ‘No, thank you. But will you ring for a taxi?’
I made to step away but he got his arms around me very expertly and nearly squeezed the breath out of me. Then as I jerked my face away he began to kiss my neck. I put my hands on his chest and
when he felt the pressure he stopped and let me go to arm’s length, but still held me round the waist. I nearly forgot my new voice then and let him hear the way I could really talk the
Queen’s English. But I had to get out of it nicely if I could.
‘Consider yourself slapped.’
He said: ‘Sorry, beautiful, but you really are enticing. And you bend like a wand. Like a wand. Shall I say something else?’
‘Yes. Good night.’
‘It’s morning. And very early in the morning like this, after not having been in bed all night, is a delicious time to make love. You’re tired and relaxed and your skin’s
cool and slightly damp, and there’s nobody, nobody, nobody awake. Have you tried it?’
‘I will sometime.’
‘Nothing doing now?’
I tried to smile and shook my head. ‘Nothing doing.’
‘One kiss ere we part?’
Oh, well . . . he looked clean and healthy. ‘And then you’ll get a taxi?’
‘Sure will.’
I turned my face up to his and he put his lips against mine. Then instead of it being just a kiss it grew and grew. His lips and tongue were wet and thrusting all over my lips and clenched
teeth. I jerked my head away violently, trying not to be sick. I must have caught his nose with my cheek-bone because he let me go suddenly and I nearly fell down on the floor. I clutched hold of a
chair and looked at him and he was rubbing his nose and looking at me in a way that put the fear of God into me. It really did. I saw my coat on the chair and grabbed it up and my bag beside it and
walked to the door. I fumbled about with the catch, all fingers and thumbs, thinking he was just behind me. The door opened somehow and I was out and had slammed it shut. Then I beat it down the
steps at full speed and got out into the cold morning air, rubbing my mouth with the back of my hand.
CHAPTER FOUR
I wondered if I ought to give in my notice and leave. I wondered a lot about it. I expect it would be small change to most women, just a kiss in a flat. But I didn’t like
it at all. I felt sick every time I thought of it, and I didn’t want to meet him again.
He didn’t turn up at the firm that Saturday at all. Dawn said: ‘Where did you get to last night; I thought you was coming when we went?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘The MacDonalds took me home.’
‘Oh. Very a la . I didn’t think she was pretty, did you? My life, didn’t his Lordship have an eye for you! Where’d you get that frock? – really, you are a
dark horse.’
When Terry came on the Monday he didn’t look the side I was on, and that suited me fine, if it would just stay like that. All the same I felt pretty unsettled all that week – until
the following Monday when I was transferred to the reorganized cash office in the main works. Then the sight of all the money I would be handling soothed me like a tranquillizer.
There was a lot of extra work to do that week. I was technically ‘under’ Susan Clabon, but in fact I’d had a rise in salary and was
It was the first time he’d mentioned his mark. I said: ‘Why should I? It’s only your opinion.’
‘You could prove me so wrong.’
‘I could but, thank you, I still think of Jim.’
His eyes were a sort of gum colour – that gum you get in grip-spreaders for office use. Only it wasn’t thinking of offices that made them like that.
‘I wish you’d slap my face.’
‘Why?’
‘D’you remember Through the Looking Glass and the Queen who cried before she pricked her finger?’
‘I never read it.’
‘Women usually slap men – if they feel that way – after they’ve been kissed. I thought you might like to try before. It would be a variation.’
My heart was going now. ‘No, thank you. But will you ring for a taxi?’
I made to step away but he got his arms around me very expertly and nearly squeezed the breath out of me. Then as I jerked my face away he began to kiss my neck. I put my hands on his chest and
when he felt the pressure he stopped and let me go to arm’s length, but still held me round the waist. I nearly forgot my new voice then and let him hear the way I could really talk the
Queen’s English. But I had to get out of it nicely if I could.
‘Consider yourself slapped.’
He said: ‘Sorry, beautiful, but you really are enticing. And you bend like a wand. Like a wand. Shall I say something else?’
‘Yes. Good night.’
‘It’s morning. And very early in the morning like this, after not having been in bed all night, is a delicious time to make love. You’re tired and relaxed and your skin’s
cool and slightly damp, and there’s nobody, nobody, nobody awake. Have you tried it?’
‘I will sometime.’
‘Nothing doing now?’
I tried to smile and shook my head. ‘Nothing doing.’
‘One kiss ere we part?’
Oh, well . . . he looked clean and healthy. ‘And then you’ll get a taxi?’
‘Sure will.’
I turned my face up to his and he put his lips against mine. Then instead of it being just a kiss it grew and grew. His lips and tongue were wet and thrusting all over my lips and clenched
teeth. I jerked my head away violently, trying not to be sick. I must have caught his nose with my cheek-bone because he let me go suddenly and I nearly fell down on the floor. I clutched hold of a
chair and looked at him and he was rubbing his nose and looking at me in a way that put the fear of God into me. It really did. I saw my coat on the chair and grabbed it up and my bag beside it and
walked to the door. I fumbled about with the catch, all fingers and thumbs, thinking he was just behind me. The door opened somehow and I was out and had slammed it shut. Then I beat it down the
steps at full speed and got out into the cold morning air, rubbing my mouth with the back of my hand.
CHAPTER FOUR
I wondered if I ought to give in my notice and leave. I wondered a lot about it. I expect it would be small change to most women, just a kiss in a flat. But I didn’t like
it at all. I felt sick every time I thought of it, and I didn’t want to meet him again.
He didn’t turn up at the firm that Saturday at all. Dawn said: ‘Where did you get to last night; I thought you was coming when we went?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘The MacDonalds took me home.’
‘Oh. Very a la . I didn’t think she was pretty, did you? My life, didn’t his Lordship have an eye for you! Where’d you get that frock? – really, you are a
dark horse.’
When Terry came on the Monday he didn’t look the side I was on, and that suited me fine, if it would just stay like that. All the same I felt pretty unsettled all that week – until
the following Monday when I was transferred to the reorganized cash office in the main works. Then the sight of all the money I would be handling soothed me like a tranquillizer.
There was a lot of extra work to do that week. I was technically ‘under’ Susan Clabon, but in fact I’d had a rise in salary and was
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