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| Culture of Conscience, Richard; Bad Girls / Judge John Deed (5th) | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 12 2010, 04:52 PM (5,876 Views) | |
| richard | May 15 2011, 04:12 PM Post #31 |
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Nice to hear from you, Mlbach and thanks. This next piece is more John Jo. Scene Twenty-Seven A/N Notes "Slip sliding away" Simon and Garfunkel Jo Mills flung open the front door of her office on a wet and windy Monday morning once again , a scarf wrapped carelessly round her neck, one end trailing behind her and her fair hair tousled by the squalls of wind outside. The demands of her job once again had her in its sway as she sat down behind her desk, overlooked by the silver framed pghotograph of her two sons. They were a symbol of a part of her world that had tied her down to a sense of being needed, of having a purpose. now both of them were at university and it gave her a freedom that the world was her oyster. Outside the demands of her job, she could go where she wanted, do anything she pleased. It ought to have been a liberating experience after years of bringing up her children, of tending to her dying husband and of being a single mother carving out her career as a campaigning barrister. Now that she had made her reputation, not least in a series of trials centred on Larkhall Prison, she ought to feel happy and content with her lot. For reasons she couldn't understand, this morning wasn't working out this way. She feverishly picked up the file on her desk. Oh how much she wanted to be absorbed in a crusade that she could immerse herself in. She remembered the sense of positivity she felt in taking on the Nikki Wade reappeal which drove her along with single-minded dedication. On her return from working in a her fabled Northern Town, she had gladly cooperated with George in springing Helen Stewart from the jaws of the Official Secrets Act. She remembered burning with righteous indignation when George first explained how the Establishment were trying to ensnare Helen over her partner's scathing denunciation of Larkhall Prison.. As she took on the case and George became involved, she felt centred by the hard work she poured into the case and that energy drive kept her sustained right through the trial. It was the way she worked best and gave her the feeling that she was living up to her self-imposed standards, that once again, she jumped up and over that high bar. It was only after she sat back in the comfort of her armchair back home, feeling drained and exhausted that things got a bit tricky. "Damn it all," Jo suddenly exploded, hurling her biro at the desk and starting to pace around impatiently. Her secretary was engrossed with the morning post and other miscellaneous activity and she kept her head down. She knew that, while Jo Mills could be pleasant and considerate, she had her moods and therefore, how to keep a low profile. She suspected that this latest explosion was because the case that she'd put together was too run of the mill, not the sort of thing she could get her teeth into. She'd also known that there were two people who could rouse Jo's ire, one being John Deed and the other was George Channing, her rival for the judge's affections. She'd noticed that these long- standing relationships had changed from the affectionate way she talked to George on the phone and the way that her admiration for the judge wasn't soured by personal antagonisms. Jo paced silently around the office, tension emanating off her in waves.Even more so, her secretary did her best to bury herself out of sight so that she wouldn't be the convenient target for whatever frustrations were bothering her. Finally, Jo paced right past her and abruptly demanded a cup of tea. Anything to oblige, the secratary thought to herself if it would calm her down. She was curious to note that Jo Mills hadn't asked for a cup of coffee as was her habit to help plough her way through the new case that had come her way but concluded that it wasn't her business to wonder why. Jo Mills finally leaned back in her chair and searched for the calming qualities that she sought.She needed some inner calm inside her. She didn't know why she felt so fraught **** John Deed wasn't any more self-assured when he started work at the court. He'd felt so strongly that he had made a determined effort to commit himself to Jo but he wasn't feeling any closer to Jo. He'd really absorbed everything that Nikki and Helen had gently and persuasively urged on him which had pointed him in the direction of treating a partner with loving consideration. He had picked up on the nuances of the interaction between the two women in their cosy domesticity and all this had gently rearranged the jigsaw puzzle in his mind of how to relate to the woman who he'd been in love with in his muddled fashion. He had hoped that, this time around, he could get it right. He really wanted to pick up the broken threads of their past existences and to bind them lovingly together with a degree of patience that he never knew that he possessed. The trouble was that all his virtue had left him in a state of sexual frustration, something that at one time, he would have not put up with for an instant and getting close to Jo who remained bafflingly enigmatic. Just at the point when he sensed moments when barriers were starting to dissolve between the two of them, something would happen which placed them no closer to Jo than ever before.The whole situation got to him. He had figured out that in his private life, he could no more command his relationships than his personality was worth and had to be more considerate of others. In the nicest possible way, Nikki and Helen had told him straightforwardly where he was going wrong in his life. He looked back at the series of friendly encounters at their flat and knew now that he had been really struggling in his private relationships and these two perceptive women had known that from the word go. They had very kindly sought to steer him in the right direction and he thought that he had benefitted Everything had gone so well for him, John mused as he gazed sightlessly out of the window. The first time that he and Jo had dated, he hadn't made the attempt to charm her into bed as he might have done once. He had been thoughtful and considerate to Jo and when they had finally slep together, he had been overjoyed to find that Jo was as loving to him when they chatted the morning after as in the heat of physical passion in the dark of the night. Most of all, he remembered with tears in his eyes how tenderly she talked to him to get him away from the nightmare he'd witnessed of his former unfeeling self. What got to him most was that Jo simply didn't understand his unprecedented and sustained efforts to live a virtuous life and he wasn't getting the recognition that he deserved. He didn't want to be egotistical about the matter but a few gentle words from Jo would have gone a long way. What attracted and worried him was that he couldn't get Kristine out of his mind. He'd become fascinated by the way she refused to defer to him in the slightest way and challenged his thinking. He clung to this last point as a lifeline because he had suspected that he was backsliding into his old promiscuous ways and was picking up the first piece of skirt that came his way. He was able to counter that suspicion, or so he thought, by reasoning to his silent accuser that Kristine was hardly the blond glamorous woman who he normally gravitated to.His curiosity was aroused precisely because she was so unalike his normal bed partners. As he thought about it, she challenged his precisely worked out set of definitions in a similar way as Nikki and Helen did. The curious thing was that his two female friends were obviously attractive to the eye while he was positive that his regard for them was purely brotherly. Indeed, he gained a great deal of satisfaction from his platonic relationship with them. For someone with such a rootless personality, it provided a secure anchor in his life, perhaps even more than his astute friends realised. But he did want to know more about Kristine for reasons he couldn't analyse for the life of him. He sighed as he looked at the crumpled piece of writing paper he'd picked up in his travels, both round his chambers and inside the furthermost reaches of his psyche. It meant nothing to him as he shrugged his shoulders and tossed it into the wastebin while Coope glanced at him from the discreet corner of the chambers. **** When she came up to London and worked in the cloistered worlds of courts, she came up against John and his essential goodness. The fact that she could hardly deny to herself that he had changed for the better made things worse, not better. It was obvious that John had softened up in the right sort of way and become more sensitive and aware, thanks to his interesting lesbian fan base who had gently steered him in the right direction. It was possible that he would cease his womanising ways. A big bone of contention between them was the way that male pride would never let him admit that he had done wrong and he would deploy his formidable intellectual resources to defend his position. The problem was that, now that John had changed his ways, what was there left that kept them apart? The longer that John was once again based in the same part of the world as Jo Mills was, the more she started getting into a complete tizz. In her life away from the hustle and bustle of London, Mel's presence was invading more and more of her consciousness. Blind feelings of panic pulsed through her system. She found it hard to discipline herself to read through the next set of trial papers. It all settled down to one thing not to let herself permit John get too close to her. She found such a thought unbelievably frightening. ******** As John disconsolately drove himself back to the digs, he clicked on the car radio that he used to accompany his thoughts. It was always a surprise to him as to what came up. The open topped car was unconventional, stylish and therefore pure John. The musical introduction was promising as it was a lightly paced piece of blues boogie music that soothed his troubled thoughts. "Slip sliding away, slip sliding away You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip sliding away The sweetly harmonised two man harmony caught his ear but the sugar coated harmonied made him instantly sit up and take notice. They created his predicament perfectly as the two line sentiment anchored him to the reality in his life. He couldn't work out if he dreaded or welcvomed the revelation that would come over the airwaves from a randomly selected music radio channel. Sure enough, it delivered everything that it promised. "Whoah and I know a man, he came from my hometown He wore his passion for his woman like a thorny crown He said Dolores, I live in fear My love for you's so overpowering, I'm afraid that I will disappear I know a woman, who became a wife These are the very words she uses to describe her life She said a good day ain't got no rain She said a bad day is when I lie in the bed And I think of things that might have been And I know a father who had a son He longed to tell him all the reasons for the things he'd done He came a long way just to explain He kissed his boy as he lay sleeping Then he turned around and he headed home again Whoah God only knows, God makes his plan The information's unavailable to the mortal man We're workin' our jobs, collect our pay Believe we're gliding down the highway, when in fact we're slip sliding away." John laughed out loud at these sentiments but the sound wasn't pretty. He knew very well that song very cruelly pinpointed those moments of indecision when every person was called on to step up to the mark and to say what needed saying. He knew that he was either guilty of any of these very same failures or portrayed the emptiness in Jo's own life that she could have filled if she'd only let herself. Angrily, he reached for a Black Sabbath CD, an untoward taste that he shared with his daughter Charlie. He could have picked out a classical CD but those venerable composers, though meaning very well, were not up to dealing with the peculiarly modern agony of his own life. Somehow, he found his way back to the digs and realised that he hadn't prepared his speech to the Howard League of Penal Reform. He knew where his duty lay, to lock himself alone and type out the perfectly modulated speech to say what he felt dear and somehow get himself in shape to face another challenge and to dare another dare. It was one area of his life that had never let him down.He knew he would be immaculate for the job in hand. |
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| mlbach | May 23 2011, 04:09 PM Post #32 |
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Keys for the handcuffs!
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Thanks for the update, richard! Dang--now I'm wondering where the Jo/Meg thing is going...there seemed to be some UST there... :lol: |
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| richard | May 28 2011, 01:04 PM Post #33 |
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Thanks for kindly posting on my fic Mlbach- I've done some overdue feedback on your own fic which is going very nicely- this next scene is the start of the conference which I enjoyed writing. ........................................................................................................................ Scene Twenty-Eight The Howard League of Penal Reform Annual General Meeting was scheduled to take place on November 19th 2002 at the Abbey Community Centre, 34 Great Smith Street, London, one of those anomalies in the area being relentlessly converted to hard steel and glass in the modern, aggressively modern dominating fashion. By contrast, the redbrick Victorian building was tall and angular, with a Gothic looking balcony overlooking the street. Underneath the arched facade detailed greystone ornamental archwork provided a homely touch about it. Somehow, this building had withstood the ravages of time and greedy commercial forces. ****** "I never knew that you were interested in prison reform darling," Alice said to George as she emerged out of the shower, a large towel wrapped round her. "You are very tolerant of my hopeless causes, the waifs and strays that take up so much of my time." "You have a natural talent in that direction," George answered with a tight-lipped smile. At all costs, she was determined not to let the conversation drift back to the great unmentionable topic, that of Becky Elliott. She had mulled over John's startling revelation about Becky's hitherto unsuspected bisexuality but she didn't feel ready yet to confront Alice with the news."You know I'll never really see matters the same way as you do but I know how good you are at your job." "Even now, you get really embarrassed at the thought of being thought of as compassionate but I know differently," Alice's soft gentle voice answered, deftly turning the conversation around. She'd felt the chill emanating from George and sought to make peace. "I'll do anything for a friend," George said softly, veering round to kiss her partner full on the lips."Nikki and Helen deserve all the help we can give by being there. I hate to say it, darling but we really must attend to getting ready." Alice knew that George would be dressed to the nines as if she were going to the finest social occasion but her quick-witted mind would readily absorb anything and everything that floated past her consciousness. In the meantime, she browsed her wardrobe for her favourite selection of dark, tight-fitting trousers and lacy white blouse, being perfectly aware how much George loved seeing her dress that way. Nikki woke up with the lark and, of course, Helen tolerantly, rolled over in bed very carefully as best that her pregnancy allowed her. Despite it all, she felt Nikki's obvious enthusiasm in the way that she flittered round their bedroom in a state of nervous excitement. This was her event and Helen was determined to show support whatever the uncertain state of her hormones might dictate. As they finally got themselves ready, Helen in a loose fitting maternity dress and Nikki in her smartest black suit, Helen took care to brush Nikki's hair from her side parting to her sideways fringe across her forehead. It gave her that pleasingly boyish look about the taller woman that Helen loved amongst other reasons. "You think I'm ready now darling?" Nikki asked with a touch of nervousness in her voice. "As ready as we'll ever be. Everything will be right on the night,"came the warm-hearted reply which put into shape all the taller woman's anxieties about the nameless and formless 'what ifs' that haunted her mind. "Then we'll get going. God, it's indecently early," exclaimed Nikki to a grinning Helen as she complained about her own decision to be up extra specially early.They linked arms and opened the way to the sunlit world outside their front door. ******* As the two women strolled towards their destination on an unusually bright and cold winter day, they spied the unmistakeably distinguished profile of John Deed, approaching from the opposite direction. He was well wrapped up in a long dark winter coat with a slim folder under his arm and set off against the low standing sunlight from behind. It was a happy omen. "Hey, judge, I'm glad to see you're here early," exclaimed Nikki "Just look around and see where we are," John said, his eyes glinting with amusement which also crinkled his face."Try crossing the road and looking in the direction I've come from." The two women did as John suggested and they suddenly picked out the unmistakeable insignia of the Home Office on the regimented stone edifice and beyond that the aggressive concrete shape of a modern underground car park.Nikki's mouth opened wide while Helen grinned widely. Memories of more frenetic days came back to them both when John led the judges into an outrageous day's strike against plans by the Home Secretary to restrict the powers of judges.They both remembered how resplendant John looked in his red robes of office and how angrily he laid into the cowardly Neil Haughton as the hardened glass of his car window attempted to insulate him against the waves of righteous criticism that washed against him. There was a real sense of comradeship in struggle and they flipped through the sequences of images in their minds like a pack of playing cards. Today would have felt more relaxed to Helen if she hadn't felt for her partner's lurking anxieties. "We remember it well, John as if it were only yesterday," Helen said warmly to John who casually waited for their return. "So what's your game plan today, playing second fiddle to this government spokesman, whoever he is?" "Just you wait and see,"John said mysteriously. The two women knew that this was partly his polite way of acknowledging that Nikki had her own tasks to do. At that moment, John spotted Kristine making her way elegantly along the pavement, accompanied by Jules who guided her along to her destination. Automatically, he waved in her general direction and, only after a few seconds had elapsed he realised that she wouldn't have noticed his friendly gesture.Along with his two friends, he grinned at his own faux pas before heading for the front door. ******* As soon as the two women came into the foyer, they spotted Paul Williams who cheerily called over to Nikki.He was feverishly breaking open the third of a set of cardboard boxes with a wicked looking kitchen knife. "Thank God you're here early. We're two receptionists short. I'll phone up the office and try and scrounge some help but I'm stuck in the meantime. On top of that, Peter Jenkins has snaffled the job of escorting the guest speaker so he'll swan in at the last minute leaving us peasants to slave away at getting everything in order.God knows why ministers can't find their own way here like any other human being." "What do you want me to do?" Nikki asked quickly, sensing that the guy's good manners were barely concealing his intense agitation. "The judge came here at the same time as us." "I've got to clear off soon to sort out the rest of the facilitators besides yourself, and check the PA is in order.It's the one fly in the ointment using this place from past experience so I'm not taking chances. My dim and distant days as a roadie for a local rock band has its uses," Paul answered, gabbling at top speed as he slid the opened cardboard box sideways along the table and grabbing for the next one."I really need help to set up the conference packs ready for you to hand out with the rest of our mob at registration time.I wouldn't normally ask you to double up on the job but I'm short-handed." "Helen will give me a hand for the moment till we get more help,"Nikki said, exchanging glances with the smaller woman. "Anything to help out a mate in trouble," Helen added, flashing a winning smile to calm the poor bastard down. Paul directed a questioning look at Helen's obviously advancing stage of pregnancy and instantly cancelled out the thought. He knew that this very determined woman knew exactly what she was doing and would easily find a space for herself. "Thanks a million..I've also got a special programme made up for one of our guests. You know who it's for," Paul answered, darting a significant look in their direction and making a grab for the shoulder bag he'd left leaning up against the wall. He passed over his knife to Nikki and bolted out into the conference hall. Nikki grabbed the kitchen knife and physical exertion in breaking open the last of the cardboard boxes calmed Nikki down just nicely while Helen stacked up the conference packs in a way that she thought best. ****** Pretty soon, Karen rolled up for old times sake and, with a little grin, allowed herself to sign in as directed by Nikki who gave her what had become an acquired introductory spiel as to the programme and the general arrangements. Beth was next in line, complete with reporter's notebook and both made a bee-line for Helen to keep her company.Together with Alice, George stood elegantly and patiently behind a total stranger in the registration queue while John looked on with distinct interest. He knew of old that his ex-wife was the worst queuer he'd ever known. Both of them smiled as Nikki was about to start her accustomed patter and blushed prettily in recognising her old friends. Both women picked up the conference pack and selected a chair in the contrastingly starkly function main conference hall and started to read with interest. "So where's Jo Mills?" George asked of John as she strolled into the cafeteria, seeking a cup of strong black coffee. She hoped that they would find a concoction that would suit her critical palate."I thought this event would be right up her street." "I assume she'll be coming over. At least she's never said anything to indicate that she won't be coming," John answered non-committally. "At least Sally and I have made it," called out a cool voice from behind John. He turned round and effusively greeted the two women, knowing that they hadn't got an obviously direct interest in the subject matter of the conference. Somehow, the growing collection of female beauty started to boost his spirits as he chatted away though they picked up on an undertone of sadness that the one available woman hadn't turned up. They all carried their cups of coffee out of the cafeteria to generally circulate as they would be seated for a long time. At last, Peter Jenkins strolled through the front door as if he owned the place. He sensed the buzz of purposeful activity around him and eagerly hung on every word uttered by the distinguished speaker Andrew McCully, Director of Supporting Children and Young People. He was dressed in his smartest check suit, accompanying the Great Man and laughing at his jokes.He knew that it was important to spot the rising political stars as, who knows, their patronage could prove to be very useful. In reality, the politician was the typical clean-cut nondescript personality who would be well suited to appearing before a television camera like all professional politicians did and any rough edges had been knocked off him. In the meantime, Nikki grabbed a moment to pause after flogging her way through the endless line of people waiting to be inducted. She was dying for a cigarette but knew that lighting up was impossible. Helen's wicked sideways smile at her from the next table betrayed her awareness of her partner's frustrations as she gave her next customer her undivided attention.She was hoping she would be relieved to be ready for her facilitating duties which, to her, meant Nikki just being Nikki. Helen felt proud of doing a fair morning's work and she plunged back into her work with her normal drive and determination. What she didn't notice was Claire and Peter Walker as they quietly sneaked up on a very preoccupied Helen as they edged forward in their queue and Nikki's peripheral vision told her that she would exact her revenge on her mischievous partner. Finally,Kristine and Jules made their way into the hall and her ultra sharp hearing oriented her to where to check in. All through her life, she had operated with this very powerful three dimensional map inside her head in order to orientate herself in a new surrounding along with the empathy that ran between her and Jules as to what she wanted. A mere pet was there to yap and be playful, Jules's body language told the whole world while he was a necessary extension of his mistress. "Hi Kristine,"Helen called out to the other woman. "If you come over to me, I've got a special programme made up especially for you." This announcement jolted the other woman's thinking but she went straight past the fact that, for some reason, Helen was helping out. Her insatiable curiosity was immediately sparked and she couldn't wait to see if it was what she thought it was. "Nikki's boss Paul Williams had a special Braille copy of the programme made up for you.He knows you'd appreciate it." Kristine couldn't possibly play it cool at her friend's special thoughtfulness. A glorious, whole souled smile spread across her face.She always found such displays of thoughtfulness in this area of her life very touching. "Thank you so much, all of you. It isn't every organisation that takes the trouble to think in these terms.It's really kind of you all. I was seriously worrying how I'd get on as I phoned up your place and spoke to this useless, offensive man who hadn't two brain cells to rub together.Believe it or not, he had the gall to question why I should be here." "Yeah, I know him," Nikki said in a flat tone of voice while Helen laughed appreciatively at the way this woman stood up for herself. She was someone after their hearts ."His name is Peter Jenkins." "You obviously despise him as much as I do but we won't go into that right now." Kristine's softly spoken discreet reply was a statement, not a question. The two women resisted asking this astute woman how on earth she knew that. Even to them, Nikki had made her feelings obvious and by now, they realised that such a deduction was child's play to Kristine. "I insist on signing my name if you show me where to sign," Kristine added, in tones of obvious pride in who she was in this world. With the Braille pack and her intellect, she would be easily the equal of anyone else in the conference hall. "It's marvellous to see you, Kristine," John called out from behind the two women. "I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself." It was at this point that Jo Mills came into the hall and spotted John's friendly attention pointing in the direction of some random woman, and not to her. It got her hackles up straightaway. ************ Finally, people filed into the main hall and an expectant buzz ran round the hall. At the front was a top table and Peter Jenkins positioned himself in the role of chair, Andrew McCully sitting by his side. Paul sat one side of Nikki, Helen on the other side, bracing himself for the flood of self-important verbiage that was to come, from Peter Jenkins for a start. Paul wasn't rank conscious in the slightest but he resented the way that that prat, Peter Jenkins had worked his way into this job in the absence of the Assistant Director when he had compered the press launch of Nikki's investigation into the workings of Larkhall Prison. He hadn't had the heart to forewarn his friend how dire Peter Jenkins would be but wagered his mental sanity against the judge livening up the proceedings and letting in the light of truth. |
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| richard | Jun 11 2011, 01:36 PM Post #34 |
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Scene Twenty-Nine Peter Jenkins stood up and sought to make an impression on the audience as he stood up and briefly clasped the lapels of his jacket as he drew himself up to his full height. Immediately, a row of very alert eyes in the middle row of the conference hall picked up on his body language, besides the tall, dark-haired woman whose sardonic smile might have been misconstrued by the unobservant as approval..It was plain to see that the conference was here to serve his needs rather than the other way round. His speech did not detract from initial impressions . "Ladies and gentlemen, this historic organisation meets once again to carry on the work of our forefathers in seeking to alleviate the lot of the unfortunates in society with our charitable work. We are not professional politicians with the power to click our fingers and, lo and behold, improvements will follow. Our role is to influence, to persuade those who have the power to effect change and, with that in mind, we seek to sustain and nurture our informal contacts with those who have that power so that we may go forward in a true and equal partnership. Both our organisation and professional politicians view each other with mutual respect, that each of us have our special roles to pursue and that more can be achieved this way than by conflict and confrontation, something that trendy radicals used to espouse though, thankfully, their ranks are dwindling as they begin to understand greater wisdoms or alternatively, they move on elsewhere from one failed confrontation after another. Let us not forget that some of us have more than one role in society. As for myself, I don't particularly want to blow my own trumpet but I thought I'd illustrate my point by mentioning that I'm also the Chairman of the Board of School Governors of my local school. this was where my two sons were educated and I like to think that I am continuing my commitment not just to selfishly advance my son's education and their subsequent career but for higher, unselfish reasons. Without further ado, I would like to introduce the main speaker for us, Andrew McCully, Director of Supporting Children and Young People. Let's give him a big round of applause." Claire had long known her how lively minded her old friend Helen Stewart had always been and Nikki's mentally stimulating influence had only enhanced what was already there. While Claire maintained a tactful visual presence, she sensed that her two friends were not receiving this unbelievably turgid introduction very well, Nikki's tension radiating in waves from her. "Hey, Nikki, how come you let this idiot run the show?" Claire whispered out of the side of her mouth in a joking fashion. "I work with the guy. I didn't vote for him, smart-arse," hissed back Nikki under her breath with more fierce intensity than Claire had bargained for. Helen raised her sharply defined eyebrows and enlightenment dawned as she approached her partner's reasoning processes sideways. Nikki was feeling defensive, as if her life's work in her latest career was on trial from the sharp gaze of her friends who knew her so well. And of course, defensiveness and insecurity manifested themselves outwardly in edginess, in perceiving as a personal attack on what was meant as light-hearted disrespectful banter directed at a pompous fool for whom Nikki had absolutely no responsibility nor respect. Helen remembered. She'd been there, she thought, as her hand sought out Nikki's to give her a reassuring squeeze. She needn't feel this way, she was trying to tell her. The smart-suited politician delivered his lines in a peculiarly emotionless fashion where these words might have meant something if he'd lived through these experiences or had empathised with them. The trouble was that the conference was stuck with a professional politician. "..........They don’t want to be on the streets, kicking their heels, feeling bored and getting into trouble. They want to feel safe, and don’t always. They think that they could achieve so much more, but don’t know what advice and support is available. They want something better. And it’s such consistent messages which have been behind an unparalleled response in recent years to begin improving facilities and opportunities for young people........." Memories of that expression of baffled incomprehension and frustration on Denny's face haunted Nikki as did all the other women she'd met on her travels since she'd started this job. She'd got to the point where even her worst enemy, Shell Dockley was less the evil cow who victimised any inmate who didn't stand up to her but someone who had been twisted by the life that her parents had initiated her into, especially when Karen had told her in strict confidence how both parents had sexually abused her. Helen recalled Zandra's description of her traumatic relationship with Robin and the way that the emotionally needy working class girl thought she'd found something in common with that inadequate and selfish upper-class lad through heroin. Kristine recalled how she'd visited two prisons as part of her MA dissertation and had absorbed the way the prisoners talked freely about what prison education had meant to them. Meanwhile, Jules's tail whisked about in a bored listless fashion. "Over the last few years we have worked with local authorities to reconfigure services for vulnerable young people so that, rather than pockets of expertise targeted at individual problems, we build teams around the young person with a lead professional identified assigned to them and their needs assessed through a common assessment framework. Still not there yet, but by the end of the year the majority of local authorities will be on track to deliver this. Our early experience of Family Intervention Projects, where intensive support is offered, if necessary with strings attached, to families in the greatest difficulty, shows the potential impact of focusing on the family experience. Ongoing evaluation shows instances of ASBOs, of domestic violence, family breakdown all reduced by at least a half and frequently considerably more." Over the years, Nikki had got to know what had happened in Denny Blood's life. When she'd done her in depth investigation into Larkhall prison over a year ago, she had instantly connected with the young woman in ways that she never really had beforehand. Since then, she couldn't resist popping into the prison for a little bit of personal research to be warmly greeted by the new Wing Governor, Frances Myers whose no nonsense approach chimed with hers.Denny had opened up to her about her past so she'd had heard how Denny had been taken into care on the one occasion too many when her mother had been on an extended drunk, leaving her little daughter to fend for herself. The lead professional to do with Jessie Devlin, Denny's mother, had done what he'd thought was right in carrying out a family intervention strategy in placing Denny in local authority care. However, being sexually abused by the male social worker who had been placed in authority over her had hardly focussed on her 'family experience' but had only made matters worse. Denny had fallen in love with the female social worker in charge of her children's home which was the one positive experience in her blighted life only some organisational type had decided that, no doubt for rational reasons, that Denny's future would be best served by a move to another children's home.In a blinding rage, Denny had set fire to the children's home. If the professional politician had heard the bald facts, he couldn't have got his head round the situation but the level of understanding of her group of friends could comprehend the whys and wherefores. And this man was giving them his professional expertise? Profound feelings of depression swept over Helen. Being local office manager of G E International, a firm specializing in computer products meant that she wasn't promoting anything she didn't believe in.This kind of managementspeak was more familiar to her from when she worked for the Home Office and she had always hated it. Helen's own warm passionate nature revolted against these coldly uttered buzzwords that said nothing about her life or anyone else's. “....but we won’t break the cycle of offending and re-offending if we don’t plan for the longer term...." the man intoned to a silent audience...."The voices of all the young people – whether on my unseen video, or in all the consultation that we do continually – were seeking something better. I think we can give them that now." "What on earth was that speech all about?" George whispered into Alice's ear who grinned. "After all, you're the expert in this area." Karen raised her eyebrows in incredulity as the endless prattle of words sped on past her and into the wastebin of history. She'd spent her life in the caring profession, first as a nurse, then as a prison officer and once again as a nurse. What experience had this guy that could possibly match hers? At the start of the speech, Beth's pen had hovered over her writing pad in anticipation as her presence at the conference combined business with pleasure. Her career as a journalist had attuned her to hearing the substance in a story and discarding the waffle. The problem she found was in translating the highflown words and acronyms into substance that could make an incisive newspaper article though it meant that her shorthand easily kept up with the constant verbal drone which finally fizzled out in silence. "I'm sure that our distinguished speaker has given us all plenty of food for thought," Peter Jenkins said, grabbing the microphone as the speech was greeted by tepid applause. In his mind, the speech had gone down well and Paul Williams, cynically viewing the sorry spectacle realised very late in the proceedings that the man actually believed what he was saying. John smiled to himself as he caught Paul slowly shaking his head in disbelief."We'll take a fifteen minute coffee break, a chance to socialise to get to know each other a little better and make new contacts. When we come back, we'll break up into seminar groups so we can explore these ideas and see where they lead us." The audience immediately got to their feet and immediately started filing out. The sounds of murmuring was indistinct and only when they got to the back of the hall was the hypnotic spell finally broken. "All I'm going to say to you John Deed is that you'll have to be spectacularly good to make my time here worthwhile," George said under her breath to John as they all made their escape. "I'll do my best as I always do George," John replied with such a look of innocence in his baby blue eyes whose colour George had so often felt seemed made for him. He had certainly deployed that look so many years ago when he had first seduced her and then went on to charm the numbers of available women in his sexual career. That didn't matter now, George thought, the expression on her face softening when she spied her beloved Alice from the corner of her eye. When they got to the refreshment area, divisions appeared as to what constituted refreshments. Nikki wasn't averse to a cigarette but she desperately needed her caffeine level topping up as did Helen. By contrast, Karen malignantly eyed the 'no smoking' signs prominently displayed and gestured with a sideways nod of her head to George, being an equally inveterate smoker. Alice smiled tolerantly at her two friends who looked like two naughty schoolgirls and helpfully pointed out the back door of the building which, hopefully, opened onto the backyard. Finally, Kristine approached them from behind, accompanied by the jingling sound from Jules' harness. "Thank God, the coffee break's come when it has. I'm dying to get outside. This place is no smoking, Kristine " George said in withering tones, sensing that the other woman was already reaching for a cigarette. "In that case, I'll join you if you don't mind," Kristine replied politely to the two women. "I really hate this politically correct attitude that won't let me smoke when and where I want to. I also need to attend to Mister Man here." George and Karen silently let her join the gang, recognising this woman as the red-hot blind academic who had made such a strong impression on Nikki and Helen. Instantly, they liked her style and George automatically gestured the way for the three of them to proceed. Kristine smiled at their welcoming attitude. The sun was shining brightly outside and the piercing cold weather certainly blasted out all trace of fuzziness in their minds that was caused by concentrating on what was a load of politician type blethering.The wind ruffled their hair and cut through their overcoats. They all hoped that the proceedings would liven themselves up a bit. "What a feeble, pathetic man that politician is. Absolutely no backbone. He's the sort of man I totally despise," exclaimed Kristine as soon as she'd found her first cigarette , expertly lit it and exhaled a cloud of tobacco smoke. "God, I needed that." Karen and George broke into delighted laughter at this remarkable woman's caustic wit. Instantly, she felt that she was one of their gang. "Don't tell me you don't like men or is it it that type of man in general?" Karen enquired with an impish grin on her face. She didn't know just why she said these words to a perfect stranger. It was just that the words popped out, unawares to her. "Oh no, I've slept with my share of men. Let me put it this way. If he was the only type of man existing on this planet, I'd definitely take up women full time," Kristine retorted at lightning speed, a wide grin on her face as her words reverberated through space and consciousness. She surprised herself in being emboldened to reveal more of herself than was her custom. Perhaps it was a combination of the desperate stream of platitudes they'd been subjected to that drove her to be as outrageous as possible or it was her sharp perception that these two women were in her league of inner directed women. "I can't believe it," George exclaimed at last as she got her head around this revelation. "You're so greedy." Kristine burst into peals of laughter at this gorgeously aristocratic voice paying her the most witty, delicious compliment. "Aren't I just," she retorted with a wicked grin. "This is completely new territory for us, Kristine, if you forgive us our ignorance," Karen answered, her husky tone of voice persuading Kristine to forgive this woman anything. "Sighted people have a lot of common misconceptions about blind people, in being objects of pity when me and my friends I went to school with don't feel that way," the other woman continued in a level tone of voice. "They can't imagine us having sex like any other human being.It would take a major scandal involving a high placed politician or celebrity to get that one over to the general population." Both women nodded agreement at the intelligence of this remark out of automatic habit and the three of them started nattering away as if they'd known each other a lifetime.Finally, the conscientious Alice poked her head round the door, correctly figuring out that, left to themselves, these three women might abscond from the conference. ************* "This is where Paul and I have to desert you,"Nikki said apologetically to their friends as Alice led George, Karen Kristine and, not forgetting Jules, back to their group.."As you might guess, we have meetings to facilitate." "That's a long word Nikki. It isn't your usual style," laughed Jo without thinking. She couldn't work out in her mind how everything this morning seemed to rub her up the wrong way, including this trivial matter. "You find a better word to describe it, Jo and I'll go with it," flashed back Nikki. "Personally, I hate the word but I've got a topic to kickstart debate on and to see what practical ideas get thrown up. The last thing I need is everyone to keep their mouths shut as if I'm head prefect." With that, Nikki stalked away from the group, leaving her friends open mouthed with shock. |
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| richard | Jun 25 2011, 01:03 PM Post #35 |
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Scene Thirty Helen took fire straightaway at Jo's incredibly badly judged remark and was first off the mark. Even if Jo Mills was the woman to whom Karen and Nikki owed so much, she wasn't going to take such an insult to Nikki lying down. "You were way out of order, Jo," interjected Helen, barely suppressed fury in her voice and her green eyes glinting flame. "Have you the remotest idea just how nervous Nikki is?" "I don't know why you're reacting this way. It was only a joke. I wasn't being serious. In any case, don't you think that Nikki overreacted?" Jo responded, trying to laugh her way out of the situation with everything but her eyes. The false note in her voice grated on Kristine more than anyone and she took an instant dislike to the woman. However, it wasn't her argument so she patted Jules's back as he was starting to show a certain degree of restlessness. "Apologise, Jo. You don't talk that way to a mutual friend," hissed John under his breath, for once turning red with embarrassment. He suspected that it was his presence that had sparked off Jo's faux pas but honour demanded that he make an intervention. Jo realised that George's angry glare announced that she was third in line to join in the argument and public sentiment was against her. It was this that inflamed her anger against him. "Don't you tell me what to do, John Deed," she snapped which caused the sharp-eyed woman to detect undertones in the row that had suddenly broken out. Instinctively, they pulled back from what would otherwise have been a general free for all argument. In that pause, Paul jumped in and took command of the situation "OK folks, will you cool it, everyone. I know exactly what's going on inside Nikki's head but I just want this event to go ahead same as Nikki does. I've just decided that you'll all be in my seminar group while Nikki takes a group of people she's never seen before. Believe me this will work out for the best." The man's strong, forceful tone of voice cut through the jangled feelings as he neatly avoided taking sides on the matter.John politely deferred to the man's good sense, Jo coloured and shut up while the rest of the women appreciated the diplomatic skill of this guy and understood why Nikki spoke so warmly of the guy. "OK, so you lead the way, Paul," Karen answered with a winning smile, while clasping Beth's hand. "When do we get this on the road or is there a chance for one more cigarette?" "Afraid not. Teacher's rules, "Paul smiled back regretfully with a twinkle in his eye. "One minute and I'll lead you to the seminar room." ****** "For those new to this conference, I want to tell you straight off that we're all wasting time if we're thinking in terms of following party lines. I'm guessing that you wouldn't be here unless you basically cared about the world around us and you aren't under corporate sponsorship. I'm going to lob over a few pointers which you can follow, modify or throw out the window if you see fit and we'll see where we go," Paul said in his relaxed style, as he paced round the room in a leisurely fashion.He was dressed in denim jeans, a slightly crumpled brown corduroy jacket and black roll-neck pullover and had the manner of a university lecturer. God, he really is like Nikkiall of them thought, including John. It pleased them all that they weren't going to be told what to think and they trusted the guy straightaway. Kristine in particular absorbed all the nuances of his style and decided that she liked him. Paul felt the positive feelings but suspected that Nikki's friends were going to give him a good run for his money, noticing the slight smirk at the corner of the full lips of his old friend, Helen. He decided to dive in straightaway. "Some might say that what is moral isn't necessarily legal and what is legal isn't necessarily moral. How does that grab you as a description of today's society?" That short, sharp remark unleashed a floodgate of debate as Helen led the way in, fired up as bitter memories of the skullduggery she'd lived through at Larkhall Prison flooded back into her mind. When a pause took place in the conversation, Paul threw in another titbit. "There's another perspective of a growing breakdown of traditional restraints, a more rootless and anonymous society so that people can't walk the streets without being afraid of being mugged." There was a murmur of thoughtfulness as the audience grappled with the authoritarian implications of this remark while acknowledged that robberies and violence were part of modern life. "That's OK as far as it goes but there's a problem," intervened George at last as she found her way to dismantle the trap which this point of view contained. "As you can tell from the tone of my voice, I come from an extremely well to do background. I went to a very exclusive boarding school and finally became a very well paid barrister. I'm also a lesbian and the question I pose is how on earth would I have fared if I discovered my true sexuality at boarding school rather than in recent years? I would have been an outcast, most probably expelled and treated as if I were a criminal." "Traditional society needn't be all it's cracked up to be,"Peter Walker added in his own quiet way. "It's never been illegal to be a lesbian," a conservatively dressed man said haughtily. "There's another point of view,"John intervened, "and that is the growth of a 'can I get away with it culture' which isn't just amongst the poor and deprived in society but which is increasingly prevalent amongst the rich and the powerful. I'm the son of a Birmingham baker and went to Eton on a scholarship and then on to Oxford so I saw many of todays leaders of society in their formative years. I foolishly thought they would go on to play the rules. I've certainly found out differently." "There's sometimes a difference between what people say and what they do. As a journalist, I get to see behind the scenes ,"offered Beth, her kindly influential support being greeted by John with a warm smile. "And as a social worker, that much derided and undervalued profession, my job is going round with sticking plasters in patching up society's wounded," interjected Alice with a flash of self revelation of her own situation. "And as a nurse, I see the physically injured which can come about from illnesses and accidents but the increasing number of those ending up in accident and emergency ward from a night on the tiles on Fridays and Saturdays. The relaxation of licencing laws to fuel the profits of the alcohol industry has a lot to answer for,"Karen followed on with considerable warmth, remembering last weekend the blood stained youth who was out of his head taking a swing at her, to be restrained by hospital security. Kristine had followed the debate with great interest. This was the opportunity to put over her most keenly felt experiences but she didn't want to trample over anyone. Fortunately, this was made possible by the gap left open which she could neatly plug.. "I'm a lecturer at the University of London and my field of study is in education and criminology. I've listened with great interest to everything that's been said and I couldn't agree with you more. One real problem I find is that prison education continues to be the first area to suffer financially when there are government cutbacks when resources are reassigned at individual prisons. Central government departments should attempt to move forward in this age of prisoner rehabilitation so the same prisoners don't reoffend time and time again. In simple terms, if the prisoners are given something by which to occupy both their time and their brain, they are far more likely to use their custodial sentences productively rather than allowing the time and themselves to waste away. The trouble is that there's a persistent philosophy behind the prison system to remove criminals from society and punish first and possibly rehabilitate them later." "That's just it," broke in Helen, her eyes shining with animation. "I had to work my arse off to get the Lifer's Group off the ground with the Home Office and I spent weeks of trying to reason with inmates, a lot of whom were cynical, bored and suffering from zero self-esteem to take a more positive attitude towards themselves. Needless to say, the moment I resigned from the Prison Service, that organisation was promptly wound up. I read that in Nikki's comprehensive investigations into Larkhall Prison which saw an attempt by the establishment to hound me with the Official Secrets Act, as if I were the criminal, for God's sake." Helen's passionate words caused the debate took flight and everyone joined in. Paul contented himself in sitting back and providing the occasional intervention in his relaxed, easy going fashion. Only Jo Mills was silent. She saw how John eagerly joined in the further debate with Kristine, exchanging significant looks and smiles. It made her so angry to see the same old John at work, charming this woman. The only thing that struck her was that his taste in women was unusual as she was large built. Of course, she could tell that his eyes could see no further than this woman's breasts which were prominent and took his eye. It enraged her with righteous indignation to see John reverting to type. Finally, Paul brought the meeting to a close. The group looked upwards at the old-fashioned clock on the wall and suddenly discovered how time had marched onwards. They felt suddenly hungry and in need of the food and coffee they were promised. They slowly filed out and headed towards the cafeteria. Paul's main mission was to locate Nikki in the oxygen starved crowds and find out how she had got on. Suddenly, her tall figure emerged out of nowhere. "How did you get on with your group Nikki?" he asked in a deliberately calm tone of voice. "If you mean, did I make up for being a prat earlier on, the answer's yes. I did have to work hard to get some sort of response but the general conclusion was that tabloid headlines were more the problem than the solution." "Hey, Nikki, don't beat yourself up about it. You were incredibly tense and Jo Mills put her foot in it, that's all," Paul said in his most soothing tones. Tears suddenly formed in Nikki's eyes. Impulsively, she gave her boss a quick hug. Even now, little displays of kindness made her very emotional. "Tell you what, I'm dying for a cigarette. You don't mind if I disappear," Nikki said in a husky voice as she let go of Paul. It wasn't any foolish notion of public embarrassment that was on her mind. "Go to it, Nikki. You've earned it." ****** Figuring out that Nikki wanted, in order of importance, nicotine, isolation, space and fresh air, Helen sought out Jo. She'd been incredibly grateful for Jo's selfless, dedicated efforts for hers and Nikki's welfare in her partner's reappeal and beating the Official Secrets charge but she was really upset by Jo's earlier behaviour. More than that, she couldn't for the life of her reconcile the private Jo and the public Jo which seemed totally at odds from each other. John's reputation for philandering and his selfless dedication to justice were both more prominent and easier to explain. Suddenly, she saw Jo's startled expression as she saw Helen bearing relentlessly down on her as she knew it spelt trouble. Helen wasted no time but cut to the chase. "Jo, I wanted to have a word with you. I say it again, you were way out of hand in your treatment of Nikki. At the very least, I demand an explanation of your behaviour." "I don't want to talk about it, Helen. No doubt you see me as the Joan of Arc character in court, the perfect heroine. We can have our off days, you know." "I know better than that. For a start, I've got Nikki and for another, we've both talked to John on a pretty intimate level," came Helen's snappy rejoinder. For the first time, Jo regretted that Helen's formidable skills in the witness stand made her a tough antagonist in a private argument. "You've got your happy domestic scene with Nikki, and a child on the way and everything in your garden is lovely. You've obviously used to women so having a relationship with John Deed, that most complicated vexatious of men won't mean anything to you." "That's where you're wrong, Jo," Helen retorted, her anger starting to overcome her sorrow. She saw the way Jo's hand and voice were trembling as she spoke, something that seemed disproportionate and inexplicable. "I've had boyfriends before, loads of them. I thought I knew the score." "You don't know what I'm going through, Helen. So if you don't mind, I'm going elsewhere,"Jo said mysteriously before clattering her way through the crowds. ********** Finally, the meeting resumed and Peter Jenkins' introduction of John was short as, quite frankly, he didn't know the man. John took his notes in his hands but discussions today had given him food for thought and he was ready to improvise. "I've been invited as guest speaker by the Howard League of Penal Reform and straightaway, I find myself in a dilemma. At the risk of giving information that a number of you might know, the question of guilt or innocence in a court of law is finally decided by a jury of twelve men and women and two barristers, locked in adversarial combat. To my mind, the level of proof of guilt must be utterly persuasive, that there is a high bar to jump over. However, I would be deceiving you if I pretended that judges have no role in the proceedings in comparison with the defending and prosecuting barristers, particularly where I'm concerned. My passion is to seek the truth in court as much as I seek it in life and I am notorious for asking questions as I please rather than let the barristers slug it out. If judges and barristers are such omnipotent learned beings as I've implied, then it might be argued what do juries who might be considered amateur in the ways of the law have to offer in an increasingly complex world? You might be surprised to know that all judges of different political stripes have a shrinking horror of any idea of juryless trials. The answer is simple. The sheer concentration of power and responsibility is dangerous when juries have the advantage that their lives are scattered out in the community and life experience counts for much more than the current political climate would have the public believe. This is one point that I can't overemphasise, one that me and my fellow judges fought off. However, this is not the end of the matter as I once supposed. Once the jury pronounces the defendant as guilty of the crime that he is charged, then I am left with my judgment as what sentence, if any, should be imposed, sometimes with the help of pre sentence reports." John's even flow of words, though nuanced with his typical mix of dry humour, quietly passionate conviction and sheer wilfulness came to a stop as he sought a glass of water that was placed at the side of the lectern. He continued in a much different fashion. "I freely confess that, up till recently, I hadn't really thought in terms of what happens to the prisoner, or what should happen to the prisoner. In the highly interesting discussions earlier on, I have endeavoured to listen to others more knowledgeable and learn from them. I have to confess that I've never actually visited a prison myself, only through the eyes of my good friends Nikki Wade and her partner Helen Stewart, However, I'm sure they would agree that there is no substitute for first hand experience though I would not choose to go as an inmate, only as a visitor in as honest a setting as is possible in that situation....." John's smiled wryly as he suddenly confronted his intellectual shortcomings and he continued to struggle his way through a tangle of emotions as he tried to do justice to the insights he'd gained at the seminar. His self-deprecating manner impressed those in the audience who feared to be attacked by a repeat dose of self-importance that they'd endured earlier on. As he paused for breath, he was greeted by a murmur of appreciation that resonated its way round the hall. At one time, he would have been highly embarrassed by the gaucheness of his speech but he knew that his friends had quietly turned him around in this respect. "....above all else, I have no love for the current mantra 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime' because, in practice, it doesn't stack up and everyone knows it," John concluded. "If you push your luck too far, there is nothing that Neil Haughton would love more than to see you in a striped uniform, breaking rocks in Dartmoor for real." John felt this thought transmit its way round the hall from George primarily and also from her friends and that steadied him. With greater confidence, he plunged into the part of his speech that he felt more confident about. "There's another factor at work, the growth of a 'can I get away with it culture' which isn't just amongst the poor and deprived in society but which is increasingly prevalent amongst the rich and the powerful. I'm the son of a Birmingham baker and, like George Orwell, a writer and rebel of another era, went to Eton on a scholarship and on to Oxford. I saw many of todays leaders of society in their formative years and I grew up, believing in the values of 'the old school tie, ' 'doing the right thing', 'not letting the side down' and I foolishly supposed that those values endured. Instead I've found these values being flagrantly abused. My reputation as a radical, trouble-making judge is founded on taking these traditional values at face value and insisting that society lives up to them- at all levels of society. " He felt Peter Jenkins anxious hand on his sleeve and shook it off. "I know, I'm supposed to talk about prisons, that strange microcosm of a certain segment of society whose inmates are united by one thing, having been found convicted in a court of law and sentenced to a term of imprisonment.The point is that criminals in the widest sense are more diverse in their cultural composition than you might suppose." Sitting in the sixth row, Nikki's eyes were shining brightly, knowing that John was thinking of her and her stories of those who had been in Larkhall, of Barbara Hunt and Monica Lindsay. She couldn't wait to hear what this guy would get up to next. |
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| GG72 | Jun 26 2011, 11:54 PM Post #36 |
G2 landing
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Very good. Thanks
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| richard | Jul 16 2011, 04:31 PM Post #37 |
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Thanks for that one, GG72 Scene Thirty-One Peter Jenkins had started to panic as John Deed squared up to launch into a blatent attack on everything he held dear. Now he knew why that dratted Wade woman had pushed him so much at the management meeting. He was infinitely relieved when the judge unexpectedly veered away from his political rant and towards more familiar territory that he was comfortable with, the sorry plight of prisoners. Of course he took credit for this shift in the speech as vibrations from his dominant personality had obviously warned him from going too far. After all, he looked and sounded like a pillar of the establishment, having been to the best schools and surely he ultimately must know where to draw the line. At the same time, he joined in with the audience's smiles and made a note to tell the next management meeting that the man was an entertaining speaker.It would suit his purposes to rewrite history in a way that suited his purposes best. He finally wound up the Annual General Meeting on a positive note, stating that his feedback from the seminars was that practical matters in the issues of the day had been identified and would be brought forward at the next management meeting. However, while he had remained the dominant master of ceremonies, he knew that he had not prevented the conference from taking a tougher, more confrontational stance in its relationship with the government. He would have to find some way of achieving that geometrical impossibility most commonly spoken of, of squaring the circle. By contrast, Paul and Nikki's places in the audience attuned them to public perception and they were immensely satisfied that the mood of the meeting meant that there would be long term benefits to their more combative stance. They joined in heartily with the applause with which the meeting was finally wound up at the end of a long hard day. ****** The Abbey Community Centre was a comfortable, congenial place and while there were those who had given their annual charitable donation and were free to go off elsewhere, others wanted to stay within the comfortable bubble of cameraderie and good fellowship so they headed for the cafeteria. "You happy now, sweetheart?" Helen asked her partner whose feelings of relief were visible. The taller woman was gently coming down from her state of wound up tension which had been released once she had capably led her seminar group. John's speech had relegated her to the audience where she was happy to applaud from the sidelines. "Thanks to your support, darling, and our friends, I'm feeling fine," she murmured, resting her hand on her partner's sleeve. It was only after a little while when consciousness of their friends crept over them. They found themselves standing in a middle of a group of their dearest friends, including a distracted looking John. "Anyone know where Jo Mills has got to?"he enquired, his gaze attempting to conjure up the familiar shape of the smartly dressed blond-haired woman. "Who was the last to see her?" "I saw her in the lunch break, judge," Helen confessed guiltily. "I had an argument with her over the way she treated Nikki.She didn't buy anything I told her and did a runner, something I would never thought she'd be capable of doing. We had the most bizarre conversation imaginable." "Can you give me an idea what she was saying, Helen? I must confess that I can't talk to her these days," admitted John. Helen responded to the insistent tone in her friend's voice despite his ostensible politeness. He was calling out for help and Helen knew that she couldn't resist She ransacked her memory to the best of her ability but had the sneaking suspicion that nuances were being lost in her translation. "She was saying something like, how could I understand what it was like having a boyfriend being in a long relationship with Nikki. When I told her that I'd had boyfriends in the past, she said that I didn't know what she was going through. She turned away from me and was lost in the crowd. It's possible that she left the conference but I'm not sure......" "It sounds like she flipped, something not unknown from my own personal experience as you've all seen recently,"gently interceded Nikki with a wry expression on her face. The expression of clarity in John's eyes demonstrated that Nikki had gauged the situation rightly. What she didn't realise was that Nikki's fearless honesty with herself showed Jo in a poor light by comparison. He had a strange feeling of viewing Jo from afar now that he had sharp minded friends to bounce ideas off who had no axe to grind. "It's of no matter.Her life is her own the same as my life is mine. We're both free to come and go as we please,"John said abruptly, his face tight with repressed emotion before becoming deliberately more cheerful. "I've thoroughly enjoyed myself speaking my mind as always. Right now, I'd like to enjoy your good company, to have a good time rather than go home on my own and mope." The guy's attempt at devil may care bravado didn't deceive the women who surrounded him. Nikki and Helen had always sensed a trace of sadness in the guy's manner and now this came very prominently to the surface. "I get the feeling you don't want to go home tonight, judge," Helen said with infinite compassion and sympathy. The trouble was that her observation contained so much truth in it, something that he had problems facing. "The strange thing in my life right now is that the women who I feel closest to me are lesbians.Mind you, you are all thoroughly admirable women, who I would stick up for against any criticism but there's just a little problem," John said, the laughter in his voice ringing hollow to Helen. "Meaning that you haven't got the soul mate that I have in Nikki and vice versa." "It goes further than that, Helen. I suspect strongly that if I had the chance to be happy in my life, I mean really happy, I'd be tempted to just screw it up for reasons I don't know. I feel safer with women like you and Nikki, George and Alice that I can't touch which is totally irrational......" "You stick around with us, judge and we'll look after you. I mean it," Karen broke in, alarmed more than was apparent by the way John screwed his eyes up as he broke off speaking. Her blue eyes fixed John's to keep him onto her train of thought. "I know that however bad it gets, you really need your friends around and somehow you'll pull through the worst of what life throws at you." Karen's gentle word brought John up short in ways that she had not intended.Her present life with Beth by her side had brought a state of inner peace within her that she'd never known before and she felt sorry for this guy who was so down on his luck. The Karen Betts who had squandered valuable time and caring feelings on a succession of weak, self centred and unreliable men lived in a dimension other than her own except that they inhabited the same body. She'd left behind whatever shit she'd been through, especially the grotesque murder charge that had seen her reduced to a state of alcoholic despair. John saw things differently. He remembered the succession of trials he'd either overseen or supported from the visitor's gallery as Nikki, Sally Anne Howe, Karen and finally Helen had taken their places on the stand, desperate for justice. He'd seen the pleading look in their eyes even though they'd stood up against punishing cross-examination and finally triumphed. He thought he'd empathised with their plight but was suddenly overtaken by feelings of inadequacy, despite his successful speech. Whatever he had done in his life didn't feel enough. Something about the way events had fallen had plunged him into a state of depression. "Come on, John," George exclaimed with as broad a smile as she could conjure up. She could read his sense of guilt like a book and sought to turn over the pages. "We all know that you love being surrounded by gorgeous women and we are definitely the cream." John looked around and smiled faintly at himself. He had been so eager not to cause any offence to these attractive lesbians that he had gone out of his way not to appraise their beauty in the same way that he'd always done when he'd sized up some prospective conquest for a night's sexual passion. These women were his friends whom he placed in an entirely different category. Now he was being invited to do just that but in an entirely harmless fashion. In his present state of mind, he thought he could allow himself the one off luxury of pretending a little and immersing himself in the feminine charms that surrounded him even if they were off limits. He was still feeling the after effects of his speech and his ego could do with all the boosting that it could get. "You're right, George as always. I'd offer to buy in the drinks but I see that this place is teetotal. Ah well, I can live with it." "You're better off than I, judge. I can drink you under the table any day," teased Karen. John laughed in response, knowing very well not to rise to the bait. All at once, the mood in the room lightened and all of them reached out towards having a companionable time of it and started chatting away inconsequentially . Beth looked on with great interest as she'd had least experience of the judge. He'd been part of the protective shield while Helen had gone head to toe with the tabloid press after being cleared of breaking the Official Secrets Act. Her own single- minded attention had been sharply focussed on seizing precious time for her own intervention. At work, Beth kept her distance from the pumped up rat pack male journalists, all cropped hair, uniform black suit and white shirt who viewerd her as a glamorous, unreachable doll. She'd be the first to admit to professional ambition but not at any expense. She suddenly saw that this guy was different, cultured, vulnerable and with compassionate depths. Now she could see the reasons for the strong affections her fellow lesbians felt for him and she liked him. To her, he was just one of the ladies. She smiled inwardly at this droll paradox and easily slipped into the generalised chatter. Paul naturally gravitated to Peter, a quiet studious kind of guy and his very charming wife Claire.They made for a very effortless couple and their serenity rubbed off onto him. It was what he needed after a hard day's conference. He felt nice and relaxed about himself and the conversation flowed easily between the three of them. "How come you first got to know Helen?"Paul asked Claire out of his curiosity for the facts."Nikki tells me that you're her oldest friend." Claire laughed lightly, her white even teeth showing. They had been united by one of those accidents of fate,worthy of a light-hearted drama series all of its own. "By sheer chance, we both answered an ad to share a flat when Helen first came down to London. It made for a curious combination as we soon found out." "Like chalk and cheese as it was from the beginning and for ever more will be," Peter added, smiling at some of the stories Claire had told her of her relatively virtuous past. "And how," Claire retorted with feeling. "She was studying for her BSC in Psychology at London while I was doing my law degree externally. There I was, the careful responsible trainee solicitor holding down a steady job and Helen, the party girl until she had to catch up with her essays and then she could be unbelievably hard-working, drinking black coffee and scribbling through the night. Normally my memories were of of her, always laughing, a bottle of wine in one hand and some boyfriend in tow in the other. I never really kept track of them as they really were all one composite, the same person all along, some superficially charming smoothie who mouthed the right words but had no substance, no soul. When Helen first told me about Nikki when they got together, I remembered how impressed I was with Nikki from the very start when she was my client. Nikki is all soul and compassion and I knew instantly that they are the missing half of each other." "Keep talking about me that way," Nikki's clear voice called out to general amusement. "It does my ego good." Meanwhile Kristine perched a little uncertainly on the fringes of the conversation, a glass of fruit juice in her hand, until Karen spotted her. She'd been mightily impressed by this academic who somehow had her feet on the ground when she'd talked about the prison system. She'd had the feeling that what this smart woman had done had been to take the masses of experiences she'd lived through, given them a twist and pulled them together into the elegant pattern that she'd outlined. She'd sat back and admired this woman after Helen had broken into the conversation so eloquently. She'd also seen how she'd taken the judge's attention and how she'd zeroed in on the guy and smiled warmly and generously at this meeting of minds. Her instinct was that, all the time that John was holding forth in his customarily witty and sociable fashion, that half an eye was trained in her direction and, what's more Kristine knew it. As George got up from her chair to get a coffee refill for herself and Alice, John took her place and gently patted Jules' back whose tail frisked back and forth, pleased to be taken notice of by one of these humans. "At last, I've had the chance to talk to you, Kristine. You're one of the most remarkable women that I've met and I've been fortunate with the women who I've got to know recently." Kristine felt a definite thrill run through her system as this man spoke in the very melodious, educated accent that played on her like a violin.She'd always liked a bit of posh but she sensed the airy wave of his hand in his voice as he ostensibly referred to his female friends.In reality, this was one of his seduction lines but she resolved not to make the judge's conquest of her too easy. It was against her principles. "You can be really bad, John Deed," Kristine said with slow deliberation in her voice to be greeted by raised eyebrows.It wasn't the reaction he'd expected. "You surprise me. I thought I'd done my share to pursue justice. Some of my friends here have appeared before either me or my friend Monty Everard and we have delivered them out of the jaws of hell. It has been a pleasure." "I read the Guardian, online of course," Kristine answered in a deliberately slow paced fashion. John realised of course that, yes. she must have some way of working her way round her computer to follow her profession so somehow reading the newspaper must be possible. "I've followed your exploits over the years, both bad and good. Going on strike against the government was pushing the boundaries, for instance." This woman was definitely playing with him, thought John. I'm interested in this game. "I don't set out to be bad in my private life. It's just that I can never abide being told what to do. Show me an irrational rule bearing not the slightest resemblance to reason and I'm mightily tempted to break it." "So bad can be good," Kristine said, lighting up a cigarette very conspicuously. "How do you work that out?" "It depends on how you define your terms,"came the answer with perfect poise. George returned to see that John was ensconced with Kristine in an animated conversation and she grinned at Alice. She'd seen this sort of thing before but, this time, it was no skin off her nose. She considered that if Jo hadn't behaved so foolishly, this situation would never have happened. She silently wished John the best of luck as he deserved it. |
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| GG72 | Jul 17 2011, 01:01 AM Post #38 |
G2 landing
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John's got a new lady to pursue :rolleyes: Thanks richard |
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| SylkeDemise | Jul 17 2011, 04:52 AM Post #39 |
Down the Block
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I'm always excited when I get to read updates to this story, I so love it. |
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| richard | Jul 23 2011, 03:26 PM Post #40 |
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Great to see feedback and nice that my fic is appreciated. This next piece moves the story on. ........................................................................................................................ Scene Thirty-Two Jo had such an unbelieveably vivid impression of lying forever in this big old armchair with a high back and plenty of space. She loved the feel of it all, the sense of timelessness, the feel of letting her hair down even if she didn't know how she'd got there, what day or time it was. That didn't matter. She held a glass of wine contemplatively in her hand as she stared at the image of her old friend Mel who lay on the plastic bean bag. She looked good to her eye in her tight denim jeans, slim legs sprawled out and wearing her zip up leather jacket. To her eye for detail, she couldn't help but note the way the stitching on the prominent seams ran up the inside of her friend's legs towards a central area that she was making no effort to conceal.Somehow, this meeting felt subtly different than other times. The room tilted and swayed gently in a dreamlike fashion, as they'd worked their way through the first bottle of wine together. "Mel, why don't you take your jacket off. You must live in it," she heard herself exclaim out of nowhere as the idea came impulsively out of nowhere. To her surprise at such a cheeky remark, a slow smile spread across her friend's face. "For you, darling, anything for an old friend," the slow, drawling reply was heard in Jo's consciousness. Lying back lazily in her seat, Mel very slowly and carefully slid herself out of the slightly creased leather and draped the heavy jacket on the floor and Jo couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her friend wore a sleeveless black T-shirt cut very tight that showed her friend's physical charms to perfection. For the first time, Jo was aware of the vision of how well shaped Mel's arms were, that the lowish cut T shirt showed more than a hint of her breasts. Irresistably, her eyes were drawn to the nipples protruding through the black cotton. She couldn't believe what she was seeing as it was so bold, so daring. Her friend looked undressed before her eyes and Jo felt herself blushing furiously. This couldn't be real, Jo thought to herself dazedly, I must have had too much wine to drink. "You like what you see?" Mel said teasingly. All at once, Jo started to wonder just why her friend had made a special effort with her makeup which certainly enhanced her facial characteristics. Her brown eyes had an especial sheen while her lips were well shaped. There was no doubt about it, Mel looked positively gorgeous. "You were always the good looking one. You had that special allure. I remember that all the boys were after you," Jo replied, the words coming out of her mouth unbidden. "Yeah, I remember them trying their luck. That was part of the reason I formed an all girl rock band." "I can see that there's an obvious equal opportunities aspect," Jo found herself saying in starchy tones that Mel's challenging grin made hideously apparent. She knocked back the glass of wine in her hand to her friend's appreciative smile. Downing that drink might make all the difference to her throwing away all her restraints. "I mean why can't a woman with a guitar and making sexy moves pull a boy from the stage." "Yeah, a lot of men had that illusion," Mel replied in derisive tones as she drank another mouthful of wine, "but me and the rest of the girls had our very special fun. It was all very discreet just who we let come backstage." "I don't understand," Jo said her head starting to swim.If she was thinking what she'd been thinking, it put a completely different complexion on their relationship. Of course she'd known that she was young and innocent but not to the extent that was now becoming apparent. Her eyes kept flitting back to her friend's nipples and the way she was stretching herself out luxuriantly before her. "It was the women, darling, the very tasty women whom we'd eye up from the stage. I told you before that I'm gay, don't you remember? If you must know, me and the bass player had that godawful row that night you sat in as she'd stolen the woman I'd been dating. Of course, it didn't matter a shit when you came down that evening and you played with us. Life could have been so much different." "I never knew you were that promiscuous," Jo said with an element of frosty self-righteousness while her eyes never left her friend's body. "Don't you understand that I was young then? It was a part of finding out who I was? I never hurt any woman I was with. If you've been given the gift of being attractive to others, with the sexual self-confidence that goes with it, if you want to be an outsider and want to make it, well then my morals are different from the shy and pure in heart." It was the hurt look in her friend's eye and that appealing look in her eyes that made Jo feel that she'd been hasty and misjudged her. After all, hadn't Mel been her bubbling and effervescent self and had enabled herself to become more self confident and grow beyond the shy and solitary child she'd been whose only confidence was in her studies. She might not have become the successful barrister today if it hadn't been for that vital friendship way back when. "I'm sorry, Mel. That was unforgivable of me," she found herself saying. Again, this conversation felt unreal as she was uncharacteristically willing to apologise. "I knew you'd never let me down,"Mel said in soft and tender tones in the soft half-light. The recent slug of wine was working through her system and helping to dissolve her inhibitions. As her eyes were fixed on her friend, feelings welled up in her that made her see that her friend was really beautiful.In that strange moment of clarity that alcohol can bring, she could see beneath her friend's abrasive surface manner and could feel the tenderness radiating from Mel . Her lips were gently parted, her eyes were softly glowing and her body was gorgeous. The hardness of her nipples ceased to disturb her but was simply part of the very sexual being that lay before her senses. "Besides,"and here Mel's voice turned soft and tender, "All I ever wanted was the one woman who remained tantalisingly out of my reach, someone who was my best friend at school when we were growing up." "I never knew how you felt about me," Jo said in that distant tone of voice.She somehow wasn't surprised as she was starting to see that turning point in her life through fresh eyes.She knew for certain that her very gorgeous friend desired her in the same way as she desired Mel. A rush of desire flowed through her, pulsing between her legs and she knew exactly what she wanted to do next. *************** Suddenly, Jo Mills became aware of the fading winter sunlight gradually separate herself from such an intense vivid dream. She lay on her side, feeling herself back in her own bed, not Mel's for some unnaccountable reason. The sensation of wanting to make love with her best friend Mel was so real. She could imagine the taste on her tongue of Mel's skin and could imagine lovingly caressing her hard nipples with her tongue. Everything was so vividly real. What was more, she could swear that she felt an area of moisture down below which was something she never experienced first thing in the morning and her hand was stretched down in just the right position. Jo laughed at herself as she couldn't believe herself. There was plenty of evidence to support the concept of people sleepwalking but she'd never heard of anyone pleasuring herself in her sleep and waking up to feel incredibly sexy. She knew now that she really did fancy the pants off her best friend Mel, to borrow some of her language.She had to admit that felt incredibly horny, again an unusual occurrence first thing in the morning. Her fingers slowly slid inside herself and she touched that part of herself that gave her most pleasure. She arched her back as she imagined that it was Mel's skilful fingers starting to get her rhythms working, not her own. Faster and faster her fingers worked as she imagined her lips tasting her gorgeous would be lover until with a huge sigh of satisfaction, a slow luxurious orgasm swept over her. As she lay back, legs apart, she felt unaccountably blissful satisfaction that she'd had her first lesbian orgasm. She hoped that it wouldn't be the last. It was only later on as she lay in a sleepy half dream state, that she realised everything that had happened up till then. She'd been burning the candle at both ends, virtuously slaving away at her livelihood in the daytime, compressing her home studies to a minimum and compulsively going over to Mel's to chatter away, get drunk and enjoy her friend's sparkling conversation. Everything had finally caught up with her that day so she had blown her top with Nikki and hurried off home. Even though it was early afternoon, she'd flung her clothes off on her chair and crashed out in bed. It was then that this incredibly erotic dream had overtaken her. The trouble - if it was one- was that she knew that she would keep on pursuing Mel ********** "Is it all right if I have a word with you, Kristine?" Nikki asked politely as she followed the other woman out the back door to sneak a surreptitious cigarette while the social evening was carrying on unabated behind them. This wasn't just a pretext as she was going through severe nicotine withdrawal herself and spotted a fellow sufferer. "I think I know what's coming," Kristine said in her restrained manner, reaching for her lighter and cigarette. "It's about me and John." "You don't waste any time do you," Nikki said ruefully, not being used to anyone getting quicker to the point than she did. Perhaps she was becoming more mellow, polite and diplomatic as she got older and was losing her edge.She wasn't sure which side of the coin she was thinking from. "And what's that supposed to mean?" came the slightly frosty reply, Kristine's hackles visibly rising.The last thing she wanted right now was some well-meaning lesbian giving her lectures on sexual morals.This dark-haired woman had obviously campaigned for her rights over the years and had got them. Fine by her but she and other blind people had their own fish to fry in terms of practical human rights and no one was exactly flocking to her banner. "Just that you don't piss about when you have an argument. That's ironic because when I was a prisoner I was the original hard case who would spit in someone's eye as soon as look at them. You make me feel slow off the mark and far too much like the Queen for my liking." Kristine laughed loudly at her friend's dry humour. Nikki had style and for that she could forgive this woman almost anything. "I've been meaning to apologise to you and Helen when I gave the pair of you a hard time when I first got to know you. I ought to add this recent row to the list. What you don't know is that I'd just split up with my girlfriend and that didn't bring out the best side of my personality. I suppose I was putting you to the test to see just how honest you are. There's something else. I've always felt that I know where I am with total bastards. If I meet anyone who is supposed to be good, I'm tempted to test that out to see how it stands up in practice. I realised pretty soon that you and Helen passed that test. I regret that I never got around to telling you all this." "That's really kind of you," Nikki said warmly as she gently patted the expectant Jules. Humans weren't allowed to exclude him from where the action was. "Everything makes sense now." "I'd be interested to hear you explain any problems you have with John and me? It's obvious you and Helen know him pretty well," Kristine responded in respectful tones. "You know that neither Helen nor I have an axe to grind and whoever makes the judge happy is fine by us. It doesn't bother us that you're making a definite play for him, but he doesn't know that you're bi. Don't forget that it took the judge time to assimilate two lesbians into his life experience, even an intelligent guy as he is.There's another thing also. I haven't got the slightest ideas as to quite what the obvious friction between him and Jo Mills is about but I don't want to see him hurt." "You and Helen are an incredibly old fashioned romantic couple and I accept you for what you are. Perhaps I might envy you but I won't let myself as I'm a single woman and I value my independence, in not being tied down. I sleep with both men and women who are my friends and I know what's involved and so do they. You see John as someone who, deep down, wants to find the love of his life despite all his philanderings. I see him as someone who will never tie himself down with one woman but who may get to the point that he will remain friends with the women he sleeps with rather than treating them selfishly and generally pissing them off.I hear what you're saying and if things pan out, I won't mistreat him." Nikki exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke as she measured and weighed every syllable in this clearly and slowly articulated exposition. Jesus, this woman is smart, she thought and she certainly made her think. She paused before she put her thoughts in order. "In other words, Kristine, you're saying that Helen and I are projecting on the judge what we see in ourselves but you might be doing the same trick with yourself." "You don't exactly roll over and die when I argue with you. Many others I come across do,"Kristine replied with a challenging grin. "Helen and I aren't like other people and nor are the rest of the gang I know. They're all strong minded individuals in their own way." Kristine mentally placed a large electronic tick besides that statement. The conversations that she'd listened to told her that loud and clear. "There's nothing I love more than a good argument. It's very therapeutic," she said with a broad smile. "So talking about arguments, are you and me right about John as he is now and the guy he could be? Possibilities and the will to achieve them count, you know," pursued Nikki, smoking the last of her cigarette. "You don't give an inch either, Nikki.I think we understand each other very well. Let's put it this way, I don't think either of us will concede on our positions but I will seriously think on what you've said and I'll be careful what I'm getting John into. In the meantime, I think I've indulged my nicotine craving so I'll get Jules to do his business in the back yard and get back to John if you don't mind." Nikki smiled widely as she finished her cigarette and returned to the crowd. She knew that her smoking days would be numbered when their baby was born so she was making the best of it while she could. |
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| richard | Aug 6 2011, 10:07 AM Post #41 |
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Scene Thirty-Three Jo remembered how she loved the feel of lying back in this big old armchair with a high back and plenty of space, knowing that she was cheerfully letting her hair down. She'd dashed in after a satisfactory day's work to pick up the phone and accepted her friend's invitation to pop over for a drink on Friday night. She held a glass of wine in her hand, feeling comfortable and free as she stared at her old friend Mel who lay on the plastic bean bag. She looked good to her eye in her tight denim jeans, slim legs sprawled out and wearing her zip up leather jacket. To her eye for detail, she couldn't help but note the way the stitching on the prominent seams ran up the inside of her friend's legs towards a central area that she was making no effort to conceal.This time, Jo thought with satisfaction that she knew what to expect as the room tilted and swayed gently, having both worked their way through the first bottle of wine together. "Mel, why don't you take your jacket off. You must live in it," she exclaimed as if out of nowhere as the script started repeating itself. She knew what was coming next and a slow smile spread across her friend's face in response to the cheeky remark. "For you, darling, anything for an old friend," came the slow, drawling reply. Lying back lazily in her seat, Mel very slowly and carefully slid herself out of the slightly creased leather and draped the heavy jacket on the floor and Jo couldn't believe what she was seeing was for real. Her friend wore a sleeveless black T-shirt cut very tight that showed her friend's physical charms to perfection. For the first time, Jo was aware how well shaped Mel's arms were, that the lowish cut T shirt showed more than a hint of her breasts. Irresistably, her eyes were drawn to the nipples protruding through the black cotton. She looked so bold, so daring. Her friend looked undressed before her eyes and Jo felt herself blushing furiously despite her prior knowledge. This is absolutely real, Jo thought dazedly. I know I've had too much wine to drink but that isn't it. "You like what you see?" Mel said teasingly. Jo was pretty sure why her friend had made a special effort with her makeup which certainly enhanced her facial characteristics. Her brown eyes had an especial sheen while her lips were well shaped.. "You were always the good looking one. You had that special allure. I remember that all the boys were after you," Jo replied, the words coming out of her mouth just as she'd dreamed it. "Yeah, I remember them trying their luck. That was part of the reason I formed an all girl rock band." "I can see that there's an obvious equal opportunities aspect," Jo said just as if the record had got stuck and repeated itself so that Mel's challenging grin was perfectly in character . She looked at the glass of wine in her hand and knocked it back to her friend's appreciative smile. Downing that drink will make that tiny difference to her crossing that short bridge from fantasy to reality. "I mean why can't a woman with a guitar and making sexy moves pull a boy from the stage." "Yeah, a lot of men had that illusion," Mel replied in derisive tones as she drank another mouthful of wine, "but me and the rest of the girls had our very special fun. It was all very discreet just who we let come backstage." "So why don't you put me right on that one," Jo said for once breaking free of that predetermined script.She remembered Mel telling her once that she was a lesbian and had only made a slip of the tongue earlier on and she could see where all these nights together were leading. She knew that ages ago she'd been young and ridiculously innocent. Her eyes kept looking at her friend's nipples and the way she was stretching herself out luxuriantly before her. "It was the women, darling, the very tasty women whom we'd eye up from the stage. If you must know, me and the bass player had that godawful row that night you sat in as she'd stolen the woman I'd been dating. Of course, it didn't matter a shit when you came down that evening and you played with us. Life could have been so much different." "I never knew you were that promiscuous," Jo said with an element of frosty self-righteousness that she immediately disliked about herself while her eyes never left her friend's body. Mel spotted that contradiction straightaway and bit back the angry words she could have said.She'd remembered how she'd reacted when Jo had turned down her offer to join the band. Only because her rejection seemed personal and overwhelming had she run away from Jo instead of lashing back with venomous words as she might have done. Steady, girl, steady, she told herself, there's only so many times you can screw up in life. This woman must be worth something if you're this persistent. "Don't you understand that I was young then? It was a part of finding out who I was? I never hurt any woman I was with. If you've been given the gift of being attractive to others, with the sexual self-confidence that goes with it, if you want to be an outsider and want to make it, well then my morals are different from the shy and pure in heart." It was the hurt look in her friend's eye and that appealing look in her eyes that made Jo know that she'd been wrong all along. After all, hadn't Mel been her bubbling and effervescent self and had enabled herself to become more self confident and grow beyond the shy and solitary child she'd been whose only confidence was in her studies. She might not have become the successful barrister today if it hadn't been for that vital friendship way back when. "I'm sorry, Mel. That was unforgivable of me," she said. This was uncharacteristic of her to be willing to apologise and must mean something. "I knew you'd never let me down,"Mel said in soft and tender tones in the soft half-light. The recent slug of wine was working through her system and helping to make her believe that her fantasies could become fact. As her eyes were fixed on her friend, feelings welled up in her that made her see that her friend was really beautiful.In that strange moment of clarity that alcohol can bring, she could see beneath her friend's abrasive surface manner and could feel the tenderness radiating from Mel . Her lips were gently parted, her eyes were softly glowing and her body was gorgeous. The hardness of her nipples was simply part of the very sexual being that lay before her senses.She hoped and prayed that she could cross the narrow gap that lay between them. "Besides,"and here Mel's voice turned soft and tender, "All I ever wanted was the one woman who remained tantalisingly out of my reach, someone who was my best friend at school when we were growing up." "I never knew how you felt about me - till recently," Jo said in that distant tone of voice.She'd added that cryptic confession to see how well it went down and she saw Mel's eyes widen with delight.. "Not even when you played that gig with me and you slept at my house, in my bed? Don't you remember?" "It was a magical night," Jo sighed with unashamed pleasure of reliving the moment. "I'd done something amazing, daring in playing bass guitar with the rest of you in that pub. If I ever returned to it, it would seem very ordinary but that's not how I remembered it. That performance happened out of nowhere.I remember lying in the back of the van with amplifiers, guitars and drums all around us and creeping up to your bedroom at the dead of night. It felt so snug being tucked up alongside you and chatting away about everything. You felt so close. It took ages before I fell asleep.................." Mel saw with a sense of rising wonder to see how her friend was coming more and more out of her shell. Maybe the fork in the road could be conjoined after all as she saw a bleak, miserable look in her friend's eyes as she continued her story. "I knew the next day when I stupidly blew it. I should never been afraid and lost your friendship- and so much more. I regret that now." "What's done is done. Maybe it isn't too late now if you would only let me in," the very attractively soft voice articulated, stirring something indefinable in Jo.Her fantasies could really come true. It was true, an inner voice said softly and clearly to her, whatever hurt had been caused could be healed, the wrong turn remedied. Jo sat wide eyed as her friend clambered out of the bean bag and sat on the chair arm. Only a few days before, she might have thought that she ought to say no to what her friend might be suggesting but she definitely didn't want to say no.Mel took her hand in hers and gently stroked her fingers, one at a time. The feeling of gentleness emanating from Mel was overpowering, so that living outside of herself felt good. She looked up at her friend and smiled warmly, freely and when Mel's other hand gently stroked her hair, she felt as if she was finally at home with herself and everything round her. She sighed with pleasure as Mel's fingertips started to gently stroke her face and her friend adjusted herself to be more down to her level. The perfume that emanated from this very attractive woman was heady, intoxicating, everything that she'd dreamed of.. "Perhaps I've been persuaded to see things from a different point of view," Jo murmured, a half smile on her face and the light in her blue eyes. "I'm not clear on the details, that's all." The other woman gently exhaled her growing delight as she knew now how Jo felt, dissolving her self restraint in the heat of her long pent up libido. She was on fire inside and the centres of her desires were pulsing. "Then I'll show you the way. I'll look after you, dearest friend of mine," she murmured in her sultriest, sexiest tone of voice. Mel couldn't believe her luck as Jo obligingly moved to the side of the armchair, allowing her to slide off the chair arm. She gently stroked each cheek with her fingers and ever so slowly, ever so gently, brushed her lips against her friend's once, then a second and a third time. She couldn't believe her ears as she heard soft murmuring sounds from her supposedly straight friend and, still more so, as she felt delicate fingers running through her hair. Everything was soft, magical and fuzzily out of focus in the half-light and finally Jo was emboldened to slide her arms round her lover and feel Mel's much desired breasts against her own. Nothing existed outside this small room as they kissed more deeply and Jo's unashamed permeated her consciousness. As Mel's expert fingers started to slowly unbutton her white shirt, starting from the top, she started to slide her leg against Jo whose own desires were flooding inside her. Mel was her oldest, dearest friend who'd always cared for her, Jo thought excitedly as her tongue started to caress her friend's in a sensuous way that she'd dreamed of Making love to another woman was perfectly natural if she put her mind to it. It was as if all the women she had got to know, Nikki and Helen, George and Alice were smiling on at her, lending encouragement to her for getting the message. As their passions started to rise, both women twisted out of the settee and onto the floor, Mel lying on top of her, legs straddling her and at last they were lying full length against each other. "I never knew how gorgeous you were till recently,"Jo murmured as she started to gently ease that much desired T shirt upwards. "Sweetie, you've been ogling me all evening," laughed Mel intimately as she caught sight of her friend's small but shapely breasts that weren't concealed behind her sensible white bra. Never mind, she thought, these are hidden fires within Jo, much as she'd always suspected. "Yeah, but ogling's not enough, sweetheart. I want to see you,feel you and taste you," Jo said as she carelessly cast aside the remnants of her exterior self protection. In her highly charged emotional state, she loved the idea of lavishing endearments and delivering caresses on the woman who she now knew she adored with all her heart. Nothing and no one else mattered to her right then.. "Anything for you sweetie," came the reply as Mel suddenly arched her back and whipped off her top. Jo gasped in amazement and then groaned in unabashed sexual desire. She had never thought that Mel would have an excitingly lithe female body, her hard nipples standing out from her firm breasts.Suddenly, Jo found herself lying on top of her lover, gleefully taking the initiative, having flung off her shirt and bra, her mouth and lips luxuriating in the taste of her lover's body and her right leg rubbing up against her lover's centre. This was more like it, she sighed as she felt her lover's hips start to move in its own rhythm. There were a couple of things left over that demanded desperate alterations. "I want to go to bed with you, make love with you. Right now," Jo urged, her voice laden with desire. Both women stumbled to their feet and, bodies locked together,they whipped off what was left of their clothes and made a dive for the bed. Tears formed in the dark-haired woman's eyes as she realised how hungry Jo was for her and everything she'd dreamed of was now actually happening. This was the life, the fair haired woman sighed as she felt naked skin against naked skin and she ran her tongue the length of her lover's neck. As she felt Mel's fingers trace a pattern down her belly, it didn't need sixth sense to know that her ardent lover was going to penetrate her to her very core. A wave of the most exquisite orgasm shook her and made her cry out in joyous exhaltation as now she knew that was exquisitely right something that she had stupidly feared about herself all her life. She was going to learn everything that her expert lover was teaching her and to give back in equal measure. It was only fair, after all, something she'd always believed in. Many hours later, Jo was in seventh heaven as her tongue explored her lover's most intimate regions and she savoured the taste in her mouth.She loved the way their bodies were like one in the intimacy of the darkness She hadn't believed that a multiple orgasm had ever been possible but then again, this was the first time that she had let her old friend and lover's charms let loose on her. They were both sexually insatiable. She knew very well that soon, they would roll around in bed and it would soon be darling Mel's turn to pleasure her. ****** Consciousness dawned on Jo by gradual degrees as the morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains and into her senses. Some mind process told her to begin with that she was having a sleepover with her best friend Mel, especially as her fingers reached out to the feel of soft smooth skin and the familiar shape of her nose resting on the pillow, her head turned sideways to face Jo's. She could feel her own left leg doubled up and lying along the length of her friend's body. Everything felt snug and comfortable under the duvet and Jo sighed with satisfaction born of a blissful feeling of wellbeing inside her. She'd spent the Friday night making passionate love with Mel and her fantasies of a couple of days ago were now reality. Mel was her girlfriend, a lovely sounding word. This was the way to wake up in the morning with that blissful feeling of being halfway between a waking and a dreaming state of consciousness.She realised that she wasn't wearing a nightie as she normally did and neither was Mel and this was right as well. She sighed with satisfaction.Everything was exactly as she wanted it to be. "Tell me darling, you kept telling me in different ways that you'd known how I'd felt about you. You weren't quite the innocent that I'd expected," Mel said in a very happy, sexy tone of voice that gave Jo pleasant twinges. Her leg slowly caressed her lovers and she smiled slowly with great satisfaction. "As it happened, I came home early on Wednesday afternoon after having had arguments at this conference. I crashed out and had this very erotic dream of you. I woke up feeling incredibly horny so I masturbated, just thinking of you." Mel hadn't really been expecting this. She had woken up earlier on feeling like a million dollars with the feel of Jo's body interlocked around hers. Her friend looked so peaceful with her rumpled fair hair, that look of sweet repose. She had never expected that cautious strait-laced Jo Mills could have sexually let herself go and they'd shagged the living daylights out of each other, especially such a respectably widowed woman with two sons at university. She knew above all her old friend's capacity for guilt and how it could spill over in different directions. She hadn't expected there to be no guilt. "Hey that is fantastic, sweetie. Come here and give me a kiss." Expertly, Jo slid on top of Mel and savoured the feeling of her body lying against her lover and gave Mel a long, deep luxurious kiss, playing with her lover's tongue. She loved the feel of her lover gently ruffling her hair and stroking her back. Lazy images lay before her eyes of her friend's tight black top and protruding nipples the night before and sensations of the feel of her friend's skin, her lips, her hair and other gorgeous areas of hers that came to mind. "Jo, I can't believe that someone I thought of yourself as a straight woman would have no problems in crossing over the road as it were," Mel finally said slowly and clearly, placing both hands either side of her friend's face. Mel still couldn't believe her luck. Jo didn't jump out of bed, fumble at her scattered clothing to attempt to return to respectability.She wasn't seen as a wicked seducer of an innocent woman but as the kindly woman she'd always been behind her wild exterior. Jo knew that she was now attracted to all Mel's diverse quality and blessed herself in finally owning up to herself, whatever that self might be. "What say you lie in bed darling Mel and I'll make us a morning cup of tea. I'll come straight back to bed. All I know is that I can't get enough of you," Jo replied in soothing tones with an undertone of desire. Mel nodded with feelings of utter bliss. She hoped that Jo wouldn't bother with a nightie but would carry the tea tray to their bedside table for all her charms on open view to lust over. Somehow she knew that this was Jo's precise intention. |
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| richard | Aug 19 2011, 10:20 AM Post #42 |
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Enhanced
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Scene Thirty Four George had a subsidiary reason to be grateful for the Howard league of Penal Reform AGM as it enabled both her and Alice to temporarily push the Becky problem to the background. She knew very well that this was unresolved and now that she'd heard the grossly improbable truth about Becky's sexuality, just what in hell should she do with this knowledge? She was highly aware that only John's considerable power of persuasion and his honesty had got her to accept this most grotesquely improbable story as fact. Telling this third hand account to Alice without an atom of objective proof to back it up felt utterly impossible. What made it worse was that Alice had slept with the woman so first hand experience was on her side. The final reason for her restlessness was that it was nearly ten days since she'd heard this story from John and sitting on this story threatened the strongpoint of her relationship with Alice, total honesty between them. The only solace was the shaft of wisdom that John had offered to her.Then say to her that if she really wants you to do the job as the caring consort in the run up to the trial, your own peace of mind is owed the need to talk to her so you know what she's dealing with. In the meantime, Alice went back to her work and tried to stay out of the limelight. The official reprimand from her manager had hurt her self-esteem and she could sense the controversy that buzzed around in a low-key fashion as the story about her client being stabbed by her daughter while she was present. All knowing eyes were bound to find out sooner or later that she'd been in a sexual relationship with her client's daughter and she was required to attend court as a witness. It threatened to undo her patient steady work of having her sexuality accepted where it had intersected with her professional obligations. She knew better than to expect that a profession dedicated to helping out the weak and the vulnerable would be necessarily immune from the 'nosy parker' syndrome. She became more guarded, more wary and she bottled up her feelings and that didn't feel good. When the time came to go home and she hadn't got a visit to a client, she clicked off her computer, watch the screen fade to black, took the warm winter coat from off the coat rack and said a perfunctory goodbye to the others. She could deal with the icy blast of wind and rain until she could drive on home to be greeted by her lover. ****** George had been Alice's lover for over a year now and time had only deepened the nature of their relationship and their opposite characteristics had only drawn them closer. George had loved the way she could be natural and loving with Alice without abandoning her theatrical nature while Alice had found someone that was worthy of her warm-hearted nature, someone that she admired and loved. However, George had come to think, deep down, that Alice's very qualities threatened to be her undoing and , in this situation, she hadn't thought with her head as well as her heart. It was sheer loyalty and love that held George in there but she knew that her own seemingly guilty knowledge was making her constrained in her manner. She also knew that Alice's perceptive nature not to say her professional skills couldn't fail to pick up on her mood.Time was running out on George and she knew it. George had her own complications in her professional life. She'd witnessed the argument between Jo and Nikki and how John had taken Nikki's side, not Jo's, had heard quickly enough through the grapevine how Jo had compounded her blunder in rowing with Helen. This had meant that the atmosphere between John and Jo had been poisoned, professionally speaking and, as ill-luck would have it, both George and Jo appeared together before John in court that day. Right through the trial, Jo's manner was more peremptory than normal while John ruthlessly cut down her submissions on points of law and was in severe danger of favouring George by comparison. It had taken all of George's newfound skills in diplomacy to weave her way through the trial drama, in more sense than one.She noted ironically how the subject matter of the trial was threatening to become incidental to the real proceedings. Right at the end of the first day of the trial, George found herself in the locker room with Jo, a heavy silence hanging on the air when Coope came to pass a message. She hadn't been in the courtroom that session but she could feel the tension in the atmosphere immediately. "Mrs Mills, the judge requests your presence in his chambers," she said in as neutral a tone of voice as she could conjure up "What about Mrs Channing?" Jo demanded in peremptory tones. "He made no mention of her." "Then you know as well as I do that such a request is impossible, unethical and completely contrary to the rules of etiquette. Either both of us or nothing," Jo retorted to the woman, slamming shut the metal door to her locker. George glared in Jo's direction as she well knew that Coope couldn't answer back in a similar vein. "I'll pass the message back to the judge," Coope replied with an audible effort at self-restraint. Scarcely had the sounds of Coops heels died in the air when George let fly. "What the hell is up with you, Jo? What on earth have you got against John? You've dug yourself in deeper and deeper since you put your foot in it at that Howard League Conference, rather than just make a one off gaffe." "That's none of your business," Jo said in a low tone of voice, visibly colouring. George opened her mouth in wonder.There was something here that she didn't understand. Her mind was starting to work at a furious pace as she strove to In the past, the invariable pattern of any conflict between Jo and John was that somehow, John had made an idiot of himself in his personal life and Jo was the injured party. All the time that Jo had worked away up North, John had surprised George by leading an apparently blameless life. Of course, he had his affairs but nothing that would bring him to public censure as he had in the past. Lurid scandals came to her mind, when John slept with a litigant before giving judgment against her, when he had allowed himself and Jo to be photographed in bed together at the digs and Jo was hauled before the Professional Conduct Committee. In fact, John's warm friendship with Nikki and Helen had effected a change for the better, making him more sensitive and willing to admit mistakes. The Helen Stewart trial had brought her and Jo to a very amicable working relationship and had seen Jo and John move back towards the sort of relationship she was having with Alice. Now this world was being unaccountably turned upside down.She also noticed that Jo was looking more tired than she was used to, as if she were burning her candle at both ends, George dismissed that possibility as she knew that Jo lived in the country in the house she'd always lived in. The only thing that George knew about Jo's home life was a stray reference to the arrival in the area of an old schoolfriend.Her promise to John a week or so to intercede with Jo came back to her and she decided to grab the opportunity straightaway. "Is there something going on that I should know about Jo?" George asked gently, feeling her way. "Whatever problems there may be between John and I, we are best placed to deal with them. Thank you for your interest but no thanks. If you excuse me, I have to get ready for tomorrow,"Jo replied shortly, her face like a mask. With that, she shot off out of the room, leaving George to consider that months away from Neil Haughton's presence made it harder to disentangle politicianspeak when she came across it. She resolved to drop the matter until she and Jo were away from this contentious trial ***** No matter how down in the dumps Alice felt, she always loved the immediate feel of embracing her lover after a hard day's work as it made her feel free and wanted. Nevertheless, she couldn't stop herself sliding back into a morose, uncommunicative manner, knowing that her impending presence at Becky's trial was inching ever closer. This time, she noticed with surprise that George's welcome cup of tea on bone china had no milk with it. She immediately laid it down on the side her but was astonished to hear her partner exclaim with disgust that she'd done the very same thing for herself. "What's going on darling? I've never known you to be so absent minded. The heavens will fall in before the Channing gene gets the cup of tea wrong." George laughed lightly at Alice's little joke which was also an incisive doodle on George's personality. "I've been spending my time being tactful and diplomatic while Jo's been acting like a bear with a sore head with John.I was going to ask you a question as you have more experience of the 'gay scene' and that is, could a straight woman like Jo Mills be tempted off her very fenced in beaten track to have a dalliance with another woman?" This took Alice aback. She started to think back of all the women she'd met at Chix and suddenly realised the two women right under her very nose that fitted the bill admirably. "When I think of all the women who I've known at Chix, some started on the scene even though there was a boyfriend in the background. In that situation, sooner or later they've either dropped back into the straight world or finished with their boyfriend. Then again, there are women like you and Karen who've grown up straight, got married, had children and then realised just where their real sexual orientation is. As for Jo Mills, perhaps still waters run deep.Just what's sparked off this question anyway, darling?" "I had a long talk with John a week or so ago and he couldn't work out why Jo was holding him at arm's length despite him being incredibly patient. He got to talk about her old schoolfriend called Mel who moved to her village and pretty well monopolises her time so he feels frozen out. John even asked me if in my expert opinion there was anything going on between them and I laughed that one out of court, so to speak. However, after having an argument with Jo about her recent bad behaviour, I felt strongly that any problems are down to Jo, not John this time and I ought to rethink my ideas." Alice had felt tired and dispirited when she got home but George had sparked off an interesting relationship question that was dear to her professional instincts and involved people she knew. Looking at her lover's impeccable smart blue suit, slightly above the knee, crisp white shirt and high heel shoes inspired amorous feelings in her. This prompted her to appraise Jo by comparison. Her first instinct was to consider that, yes, Jo was an attractive woman but not one who floated her boat. Finally, her thoughts were settled into place and she delivered her verdict. "I couldn't quite imagine Jo Mills coming to Chix like you and Karen did as I swear to God that you looked so luscious that I snapped you up in double quick time. Beth made sure of Karen for the same reason so that no other woman could get their hands on her. You are both babe material to another woman," Alice said in that soft, clear fashion that did wonders for George's lively imagination. "You say the most delightful things, darling," George purred as she let Alice's dextrous fingers reach out to her from behind, slip a few shirt buttons loose and gently stroke her skin. "You and I might not fancy Jo but there might be a woman on this earth that might and, who knows, Jo might wonder about all the fun she's missing out all her life, mightn't she." "Perhaps," Alice murmured, starting to kiss George's neck and start exploring a little further. "Perhaps she's gay, perhaps she's bi, perhaps she's super straight. Who cares? I have enough problems to deal with." It was at this point that George could feel herself tensing up inside. She was edging closer and closer to the point of decision as to whether or not to drop the bombshell about Becky on her lover so that she could be honest with her lover and risk her freaking out. Alternatively, she could opt to maintain the peace over a matter that might never get out. What was nagging at her was the knowledge she'd obtained that Brian Cantwell had taken on the prosecution and had dispensed with the firm of solicitors which included Nikki's useless brother. George was very fearful that what she'd found out through circuitous means, so could a halfway decent solicitor who was prepared to dig around and this could be dropped on Alice during cross examination.There was nothing for it, she would have to tell Alice. Too much time had elapsed already. "Something's wrong darling," Alice said in a concerned tone of voice with a curious edge to it, "I can feel it in you." George fumbled for her cigarette case. This was going to be one of the hardest things she'd ever said in her life. Just because they'd not talked about this frightful woman for a fair while didn't mean that Alice would take this in her stride. She wanted to rearrange everything in the room to their liking before she started to speak. "Before I say what's on my mind, I insist that you sit down on the settee. Believe me, this is for the best and might not be easy on the ear. This doesn't directly involve us- or it needn't do." "What on earth are you saying," Alice said, breaking free, a sense of alarm starting to spread through her nervous system. She followed George's instructions unthinkingly. "I came across some more news from John which I have to tell you which you won't like to hear," George said in slow deliberate tones, standing over Alice as she spoke. "As I said earlier, I got to talking to John about his troubles with Jo and his inquisitive self noticed that I wasn't exactly in glowing spirits myself. He prized out the whole story of Becky Elliott and we talked about her court case coming up." "Why did you have to tell him? I mean that was private business.In any case, you could have talked to Nikki or Helen or any of the ladies?" protested Alice angrily. "Why indeed? Why John? Because he's my ex-husband, he’s a friend of mine who's known me for a long time. Because my thoughts about Becky could be considered mean, vindictive and nasty and John's seen me at my best and at my worst. Because I value his expert legal mind when you come to take the stand at your ex's trial. I know how Nikki, Helen and the rest of the gang would have emotionally rallied round me when what I need is someone who can be emotionally detached from the situation. Because, well he's a man and sometimes they help....." "So what happened next?" Alice said, trembling all over and trying to slip into social worker questioning mode. "John asked me the craziest question, like do I have a picture of that woman. Only he would think of that and, as it happens, I did." "What?" Alice exclaimed in horror. This was more unbelievable than anything she came across in her professional duties. "Don't worry, I've not gone mad. The logic of it is for me to know my enemy so I can deal with her better, emotionally speaking. Anyway, whatever the reason, I showed him the photograph." At this point, George paused and ran her tongue across her lower lip. Her nerves were pulsing all over her body and she felt worse than any trial she had conducted as her honour and love were both at stake. Finally, she willed herself to continue. "This is the part of the story where you need to prepare yourself for a shock, darling. John recognised the woman. He remembered going to the sort of singles bar he used to frequent and meeting her. They went onto a discreet hotel and ended up sleeping together for the night. She was gone in the morning before he woke up." Alice opened her mouth as her world fell in. This was the one side of her ex that Alice was sure of and now George was pulling her foundations down on what had been precious between the two of them, no matter how badly she had behaved. "If you've got some grand scheme to discredit Becky, you will have to do better than this.You're overlooking one very obvious problem. The woman is gay, absolutely one hundred per cent gay. Watch my lips move. I went out with her for months. I should know." "That's the very first thing I shouted at John except the last bit," George said in unexpectedly subdued tones, looking Alice straight in the eye. She had picked up the undertone of bitterness in Alice's shouting and became unnaturally calm. She did not know where she had got this mood from but she blessed whatever it was that made her feel that way. "Why on earth would a woman who had got used to sleeping with other women suddenly want to hang round some straight pickup joint waiting for John to pick her up? This is totally crazy." "That's the second point I hurled at John with the full force of what I am capable of," George said in level, clear tones, never dropping her gaze away from Alice for one moment. "His reply convinced me when he said that he didn't doubt that you are being honest with me but, if this woman is as devious as she is made out to be then who can tell what sort of life she leads that you don't know about?" "I can't get my head round this," Alice said, her long hair all awry, putting her hands to her head. "What if this is some scheme by John to blacken Becky's name to me or to you for the same purpose. You must look at this from my point of view." "All right," George said in forceful tones as the block on her feelings of detestation of Becky suddenly came to the surface in terms she could articulate. The words she had held back poured out in measured tempo. "I've held off saying what I really feel about her. I'll tell you what I think about Becky Elliott. She's a sly, conniving, drunken, manipulating tart who had consistently exploited your kind hearted nature for her own ends and would drag you down given half a chance. I've done my best to stop you being sucked up into yet another drama of her own creation. That is quite enough to blacken her name so for me to accuse her of lying about her sexuality is only icing on the cake. You look at this from my position. I have no motivation in pushing my knife further into her than it is already and, believe it or not, John's view of our relationship is entirely benevolent and well meaning. He has no axe to grind and you'd better start believing it." For the first time, Alice became fully aware of her partner's manner. She was only standing up to keep the weight of her worries bearing down on her. She knew also that George could only mean well for her and it was time for her to expunge from her system the tail end of this obsession for Becky, the existence of which she'd been denying to herself. At last she was starting to see. Suddenly the whole emotional force of the way she'd been manipulated, lied to and betrayed by this deceitful cow. The sudden upsurge of stress that built up inside her like an exploding volcano was making her in danger of hyperventilating. Finally, the obvious answer opened up in front of her eyes. "Do you mind if I go into the kitchen and have you any china I can safely break?" ""Top cupboard on the left, Please feel free to take as much time as you like," George replied pleasantly. She sensed that she would see an entirely new and pleasing side to Alice's personality and took Alice's place as the dark-haired woman strode purposefully towards the kitchen. A minute later, some of the most colourful, vengeful, vitriolic language turned the air blue all focussed on Becky Elliott with the white hot heat of a flamethrower followed by two sharp crashing sounds of broken china. It did George good to see her partner show some real spirit and she liked her partner's style.She might have done the same if she was in Alice's shoes. After all, she'd once been incensed enough to throw a glass of wine in John's face at a crowded party. "Do you feel a lot better darling?" George asked with her drawling tone and wide smile as a dishevelled looking Alice returned, her chest heaving with the sudden outburst of physical and emotional energy. "By the way, I thoroughly approve of your actions." "Never felt better," Alice said in slightly husky tones before she started to get a grip of her surroundings. "You need a drink George and so do I. Can I fetch you one?" A blessed feeling of relief spread through George's system at the way Alice's anger had dissipated and she was returning to normal. With a shaking hand, George poured an extremely large dry Martini and a splash of lemon which she repeated to dose Alice’s vodka. She placed the glass in Alice's hand, the contents of which was swiftly downed. George sat down and drank hers nearly as fast. It had been a rough day. "George, darling. Can I apologise enough to you. I've been really horrible to you," Alice said in trembling tones, looking George in the eye. George's incredible loyalty to her suddenly hit home with the force of a sledgehammer, that she had been there for Alice all along. The dark- haired woman who was sprawled on the sofa looked beautiful to George's eyes as she apologised with tears in her eyes. "Of course you can. Mind you, I've got the same to do for John but not in the same way as I want to do for you right now." Alice flung her arms round George's neck and they both embraced passionately. George's instant forgiveness and touch of humour was inexpressibly endearing right now. In turn, the fair-haired woman could feel her lover's long fingers running through her hair and her lips against her neck. The outburst of righteous violence, the shot of alcohol and the glorious clearing away of the emotional darkness was precious deliverance for both of them. |
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| mlbach | Aug 19 2011, 01:19 PM Post #43 |
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Keys for the handcuffs!
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This is quite a ride you have us on, richard, but I still think I'm right about Miss Becky... |
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| Nikki's only luvver | Aug 23 2011, 03:19 PM Post #44 |
Up to Basic
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Always a good read Richard. Keep it coming. |
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| richard | Sep 6 2011, 04:19 PM Post #45 |
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Enhanced
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Thanks ever so muchn Nikki's only lovver and Mlbach. This next scene has been a long time coming ........................................................................................................................ Scene Thirty-Five Jo finally made her decision about her future as she drove down from her cottage up to London on Monday November 24th 2002. The past weekend was emblazoned in her mental diary, the one where she had finally fallen head over heels in love with her girlfriend Mel. Now she looked back, she could see how for some while, she had increasingly felt strangely and impulsively schoolgirlish in the way that she spent more and more of her time running about with Mel. She felt a little bleary eyed because over the weekend, she had only stayed at her home for the segments of time on Saturday when she devoted herself to her case in hand that would run into the second day on Monday and she did the bare minimum of housework. The rest of her time, she'd been ensconced with Mel. A wide grin spread across her face as she boldly replaced the maidenly modesty of her last words and considered that it would be more accurate to say that they'd spent the majority of their time fucking each other in every conceivable acrobatic pose imaginable, tasting every inch of each other's skin and pleasuring each other in an uninhibited fashion. It had exposed her past sexual experiences as being unbelievably Victorian and prudish. She thought of herself as having a girlfriend, a smile of pleasure remained on her face as she savoured the wicked, daring word. They'd only broken off for something to eat at the tea room and to jam around on Mel's guitars, having fun and singing songs. Everything they did together made her feel young again. She was sure that she really loved Mel and cared about her, wanted to be part of her world and had succeeded in doing so. She blessed the opportunity offered to her in doing what she should have done when she was in her teens, only she was then too shy and nervous. Her life felt now so spectacularly different and she approached the next week at work, her nervous system feeling that immeasurably tranquil, comfortable cotton wool sensation that all was right with her world. It even meant that she was comfortable enough to be able to finally tell John that their relationship was over, kaput, finito, to borrow some of Mel's colourful slang expressions.Now she realised that she'd never dared to take a long good hard look at herself so that her thoughts had been churning around in a state of confusion that she couldn't begin to describe or name. She'd thought that she returned to London from a spell in working up north, she'd be able to view her life with a new perspective but she'd found that there were subtle changes in John and that disoriented her. Ultimately, she knew now that what she really thought she was doing was to carry on her life in the same old way as before. It was Helen and Nikki, of all people who had sought to gently urge them back together right after Helen's trial verdict. Because these two perceptive women thought that this was what she and John needed, she had mentally gone along with it on the surface but her one reservation to take her relationship with John slowly seemed a reasonable precaution to get things right this time in view of their past track record. In retrospect, it was a form of buying herself time for her to work out in her head what she really wanted out of life. She could see now that she'd declined offers to go to 'Chix' after Nikki's successful reappeal and again after Sally Anne Howe's compensation claim for what she had thought were very good practical reasons while George went there and met Alice. She could even remember being vaguely jealous of George's good fortune but, of course, she couldn't own up to it. Now she knew that she'd been afraid of what or who she'd find there. It was all so absurdly simple. She had also told John in the past that she could never live with him because of his philandering ways. He'd taken her by surprise by changing the rules of the game, of their fraught relationship they'd had in the past. Everything around her had sought to confuse her, to make her wonder where she was placed in life. It was only when her close friendship with Mel trurned into something else when she finally sorted through the infernally complicated jigsaw puzzle that was her life. Travelling up to London didn't let these angular sharp edges of reality depress her too much as she perceived them through a softly tinted golden glow of positivity. She did make the good resolution to keep up her standards in her court cases. After all, that was her livelihood. As she started to tentatively sketch out her future, she started to speculate about the critical reality of informing John of her decision. It shouldn't be too much of a trouble, on the face of it as she was only following first George's and then Karen's example in how to lead her life. The trouble was that she'd recently had some unaccountable row with Nikki, Helen, George and John. It occurred to her that her public 'coming out' might not be as easy as for the others as public opinion would be ranged against her her and would support John, especially George. A flash of irritation ran through her as it seemed that John had very cleverly enlisted the lesbian community in his support, and she resented it. It made her feel all the more determined to obey the promptings of her heart. When she thought about it, this was the guiding principle of the way she operated in her career, her legal training being only the techniques necessary with which to operate. Hadn't she taken on Nikki's reappeal and, together with George, her defence of Helen against the outrageous tyranny of the Official Secrets Act? She ought to at least get some recognition for her efforts. As soon as she came to her office, her secretary fetched her a cup of strong black coffee which she accepted gratefully, this being a recent habit of hers and it did help to perk her up a bit for the day. She immediately got her mind focussed on the court case in hand and dredged up the thinking and work she'd done on Saturday and tried to banish the rather ravishing thoughts of her scantily dressed girlfriend as she'd last seen her.She found the dry details of the trial file swim a bit before her eyes but she gulped down the rest of the coffee, arranged her makeup, gave brief instructions to her secretary on other cases that were pending. She was halfway out of the door when she realised that she'd left her trial notes on her desk. She scooped them in with one swift movement and bolted out the door, leaving her secretary to gaze thoughtfully after her. A couple of hours later on, she was enmeshed in the cut and thrust of the trial and Jo noticed resentfully that George was as fresh as a daisy with cool and perfect self control and, to Jo's intense annoyance, managed to chew up Jo's final defence witness in her cross-examination by picking on the holes that Jo's examination had left exposed. George felt on top of the world, having spent a lazy weekend making gentle love with Alice and generally making up after the shattering revelations about Becky on Friday night . Definitely, Alice was a superb woman to 'make up' with and to and didn't rush matters in that direction, George decided very smugly, looking like the cat that has gorged herself on the cream. "In fact Mr Simpson," George concluded sarcastically, "I put it to you that when you claim to have witnessed my client's brother break into the house of the deceased through the front door, your description of the incident is flagrently self contradictory, vague to the point of nothingness considering your admission of the absence of street lighting at the time and date concerned.Your evidence, Mr Simpson, is not worth the air it is breathed upon." "I must protest, My Lord, the defence barrister is attempting to badger and intimidate the witness," Jo shouted, red with anger as the bulkily built man wearing a cheap suit fidgeted uncomfortably under George's final stinging retort. "I request that this last comment is struck from the record." "Mrs Mills, you know as well as I do that Mrs Channing is asking a perfectly proper question though it is straying in the direction of part of a closing speech. I shall allow the question." "You're taking a personally vindictive attitude towards my client," burst out Jo as she saw her case slipping out of her hands. "Mrs Mills, I have ruled on this point. Any further outbursts and you will be held in contempt," John pronounced sternly. He had been considering Jo's performance during this trial and wondered how come she was well below par, that she was deficient in her accustomed sharpness and lightning quick reasoning powers, causing her to overreact angrily. George, by contrast, had done her homework, mapped out the terrain of the trial, organised her arguments with tight precision and had kept cool and calm.Moreover, he senses a personal dimension underlaying Jo's angry criticisms. "I hold you in total contempt for the way you're behaving," muttered Jo. John pretended not to hear that last comment. George had been expected to grin at coming out on top in this debate but she started wondering if there was more to Jo's behaviour than her having an 'off day.' "Is that your last witness, Mrs Mills? If so I shall call upon Mrs Channing to make her closing address." After the accused had been taken down to the cell duly convicted, John retired to his chambers and immediately passed word to Jo Mills that he would like to see her in his chambers. Red with anger, Jo took up the offer. It might as well be now as later, she thought in more sense than one. ******** John lay back on his settee when he heard the rapidly clicking sounds heralding Jo's impending arrival and a peremptory rat tat on the door and there she was. Coope took one look and made a tactful exit. John waved to Jo to take her place in the armchair opposite as she always had done. "I prefer to stand John. For what reason have you called me here?" came the tension-ridden reply. John picked up on her manner straightaway and opted to deal with straightforward business. "I wanted to ask you why the tension in court these days? Something hasn't felt right from the start of this trial from the way that we are at each other's throats." "I must apologise," Jo said in a tight tone of voice. "I must brush up on the formalities of court. Sometimes, it's too easy to make assumptions about those you know best and behave that way without thinking." This made John sit up and take notice.He wasn't sure they were on the same wavelength. He decided to cut his way through any ambiguities. "I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing. Sometimes you rub people up the wrong way. There's Nikki at the Howard League of Penal Reform not to say Helen. I had a quiet word with her and I know." "All right. I put my foot in it and it's felt as if I've trodden on a man trap and can't get my foot free. There you are, I'm sorry," Jo said explosively.For a second, she looked around dazedly to hear the implications of what she was saying. "You know you need to apologise to Nikki and Helen. If you'd done so, you'd have told me," John cut back in level quiet tones. Damn the man, Jo felt. He knows me too well." Then there's another thing. You look as if you're burning the candle at both ends. I don't know about your private life as I increasingly see less and less of it but you look tired out and it shows in court. George ran rings round you and she has her own commitments whereas Tom and Mark are at university now." The blue flash in Jo's eyes and a quiver in her outstretched right hand prompted John to consider that he was perhaps pressing her too far. He had the curious feeling that, without knowing it, he was really probing at Jo to reveal what was really on her mind. He also suspected what was about to happen. "Give me a drink," Jo said abruptly and John waved to the side where, often enough, she had drunk his whisky. Jo veered abruptly to the bottles and glasses set out, poured a large measure of whisky, downed it in one gulp and turned to face John. "There's something else I want to tell you, John. It's about our relationship. The more I've got to know you, the more I've got the feeling that we're headed nowhere. I want to take a new direction with my life and I've increasingly come to feel that while I value our friendship as fellow professionals and I respect you, the bond that once kept us close just isn't there anymore. I've been thinking about this for some time now. ....I want you to know that I think that you are a thoroughly admirable human being....we have to move our separate ways, emotionally speaking. I'm sorry, John but there it is." A curious feeling of unreality came over John. This had never happened to him before where a woman unilaterally finished a relationship. His series of infidelities when he was with George had strained their marriage to the limits. Jo's return on the scene stemmed with wanting some form of comfort when her own husband was dying and his marriage finished very explosively. After Jo had become pregnant by John and he drove her to the abortion clinic, the emotional fallout caused both to back off. Since then, his one night stands were on his terms and Jo had only occasionally slept with him since then and, for some wierd reason, regretted it the next day. This was the first time he'd tried to do the decent thing with a woman and now this happened. All this flashed through John's mind like a kaleidoscope so only a second later, a couple of questions popped itself into his mind. "Do I get a say in all this? You've obviously thought it out. It's a shame that I've been left out of the thinking processes," John said mildly, the words touching the wrong buttons with Jo. "No you don't. You'd only put obstacles in the way," Jo said shortly, avoiding looking at John. "Is there any other man in your life?" "No. No man. I can assure you of that." John's feelings of unreality deepened. This couldn't be happening and neither could he be sounding so reasonable and civilised.He couldn't work out for the life of him what that signified of his past relationship with Jo, whether it hadn't sunk in yet or whether it spelled deliverance from this infernally eternal period of taking things slowly. He gathered his thoughts to assemble the facts. "In recent times, the only person outside work I've heard you talk about was this old schoolfriend Mel." "Goodbye John," Jo said rapidly as an instant look of panic flashed into her eyes.She leant forward to kiss him on his cheek and in a swirl of air, the door was shut and she was gone. John refilled Jo's glass, took a gulp from it and lay back on the sofa, apparently deep in thought. There was an utter stillness in the air that Coope didn't disturb as she tiptoed back into the room. ******* George was blazingly angry about the nonchalant way that Jo had dumped John and finally ran Jo to earth in their time honoured combat area, the locker room. They had the predictable verbal run in about John and about each other until they both ran out of steam. As George paused for breath, a thought struck her to be in a more conciliatory mood as, after all, Jo's opening crack about 'having done no more than George or Helen had done' had some degree of merit in it. "So what about this Mel you're dating? I'm intrigued to hear about this woman who's captured your heart after all these years," George said with a slight smirk on her face. "Well," Jo started to say and she couldn't resist a warm smile spreading across her face, even after her row with George.She was dying to tell someone else about the new love in her life and the depths of her friendship with George hadn't been broken. After all, she knew they were both self-willed women and bound to clash from time to time. "I knew her from school when she tried to recruit me for her all female rock band. I played one gig with them and then we lost contact. We met again in the local tea shop when she moved to my village. She's this denim jeans and leather jacket rock chick, totally outrageous, good company and funny. I know now that she'd fancied me all along and started going round to her place to drink, play music and have fun. We ended up one evening making love and it's started from there. I suppose I've been overdoing it recently though the sex is fantastic. I never knew what I was missing." finished Jo. "So does she play in a rock band for a living or does she have another form of livelihood?" George asked in deliberately moderated tones. She was longing to ask Jo one question but squashed that as obviously counter-productive Do I expect to read about her playing a gig at the Albert Hall and you playing by her side? Jo's mouth fell open. It was a question that had simply not occurred to her. All she knew was that when she went up to London to work hard as a barrister, Mel was readily and available when Jo had eagerly trotted up the untidy front path and appeared the other side of the open front door. "I suppose my love life story will be circulated all round your friends at Chix, George?" Jo asked as she'd come down from her clouds and started to put two and two together. "Believe me, I'm not out to blacken your name, Jo. You might be surprised that I regard you as a close friend. It's not as if we're competing for John's sexual favours these days. It's just that we've had a few arguments recently. You've told me just what's been behind your ratty behaviour at the AGM and everything else after that. It means that my lips aren't going to be sealed next time I see Nikki and Helen. I have no hidden agenda and I want to see you truly happy, that's all." "But I am happy, blissfully happy. What do you mean?" Jo asked, totally puzzled. George didn't answer her question. |
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8:47 AM Jul 11