James was the first to come up from the stage into the practice room above, taking his guitar off as he entered the room. He picked up a towel that was lying on a chair and wiped the sweat off his face.
Susan was standing by the door leading in from the alley, her purse strap over one shoulder, the purse itself clutched tightly in both hands. She was trembling and hoped he wouldn’t notice. She could barely fathom how she had got here. Everything had happened so fast. She’d expected to just watch him sing to a crowd of screaming girls, watch from afar, and just drink in the sight of him. But now, to be in a room alone with him, standing just a few feet away... It was overwhelming.
He threw the towel back onto the chair and glanced over at her as he shrugged off his leather jacket, pulled the black t-shirt up and over his head then reached for a dingy white, long-sleeved shirt that was hanging on a hook on the wall.
She looked like a frightened sparrow ready to take flight. Standing in her dress in the light of the practice room, she looked even lovelier than she had sitting at the table in the dim lights of the club. The pink dress fit tightly over nicely rounded breasts and was cinched in to show a trim waist. The skirt flared out at the hips and dropped down to a point just below her knees. Unlike the girls in the club, who were decked out in leather skirts halfway up their thighs, with loose-fitting blouses opened to reveal as much of their breasts as possible, this girl was a breath of fresh air. He had to stop himself from wondering what was hidden under the pretty dress.
Her eyes grew as big as saucers as he bared his chest and she inhaled a large quantity of air, holding it in her lungs before slowly exhaling as she watched him reach for the dingy white shirt. Holy crap! She thought she might faint. He was so overwhelmingly attractive. All she had dreamed of and fantasized him to be, only more. She felt as if a thousand butterflies had been let loose in her stomach and were beating their wings frantically trying to get out. She sensed her seventeen-year-old hormones begin to awaken and wondered what role they were going to play in her being here. It was a worrisome thought after what Sandra had told her about James always having his way with girls. Yikes!
“Ian and Derek are still down out front with the girls,” he said, buttoning up the shirt then doing the buttons on each cuff.
“Is that where you’re supposed to be?” she asked breathlessly, mesmerized by the sight of his hands and nimble fingers.
“No, I’m supposed to be here getting ready for our date,” he responded looking up at her while he tucked his shirt into his leather pants.
“Our date?”
“Yeah, we can call it a date, you know.”
She gathered herself together, thinking it was awfully presumptuous of him to assume he was taking her on an actual date.
“Hmmmm...” she said, letting her purse fall back to her side and folding her arms in front of her. “Just a short date for a cup of tea is all.”
He smiled at her, “Of course...”
A few minutes later, he had his gear packed and locked up in a chest that was bolted to the floor and wall.
“Keeping my stuff here for practice tomorrow. Phil, the owner, has a flat upstairs, so it’s all safe and everything. Ready to go?”
“Sure.”
He motioned her out the back door and down the side alley. Just as they were coming out of the alley, three of the girls who had been on the other side of the room in the club, came out the front door of the Dusky and glanced in their direction.
“Well, well,” Susan heard one of them say.
“Let’s go,” said James, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the street away from the club.
She adjusted the shoulder strap of her purse as it started to slide off her shoulder. His hand was warm and held hers tightly. She felt weak in the knees just thinking about it, hoping she wouldn’t trip and fall flat on her face.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Away from here,” he said as they swiftly turned a corner.
He looked behind them. No one was following.
“Do you always have to look over your shoulder like that?” she asked.
“Most nights,” he said. “Some of the girls like to follow us and offer us, well, um...they follow us.”
“I see,” was all she could think to say.
A few blocks later, they came to a tea shop.
“It’s open all night for the sailors coming in off the ships. Most of them go hang out at the pubs closer to the docks, but this is where they come if they just want a good cup of tea and some quiet. Brighton is a busy shipping port, you know.”
When she didn’t answer right away, he said, “Well of course you know, being a history buff and all.”
‘Yes, of course,” she responded. Yikes! She hoped he didn’t know a whole lot about history or that he wasn’t going to ask her any questions about it. As they sat down, she started to feel nervous again and started playing with the silver ballet shoes on her necklace.
“And what’s that?” he asked. “What’s what?”
“What’s on the end of your necklace?”
“Oh! It’s ballet shoes,” she said, holding it out to show him. “They’re pointe shoes, you know, toe shoes.”
“So, are you a ballerina then?”
“Not really; I just take classes and teach sometimes, and I’m in a recital now and then. I always wanted to be a real ballerina, but I don’t have the right physical attributes.”
“Which means?”
“I’m not flat enough in the front.” For what seemed like the millionth time, she wished she could unsay the words. She blushed.
“Oh,” was his only response, not wanting to ask anything more when he saw her face tinge pink.
They spent the next hour talking over their tea, Susan sharing stories and information about America and James telling her a bit about his life. Susan told him about losing her father at a young age, and James talked about losing his mother when he was seventeen. She could tell it had affected him deeply. He sat staring into his teacup for a full minute before looking back up at her.
“I don’t talk about it much...when you told me about your father, it made me think about her...I still miss her,” he said.
“I’m sure you do,” she said reaching out instinctively to put her hand on his. She could sense his pain at the memory.
“Did your dad ever re-marry?” she asked.
“No desire to,” he responded. “And it’s only been three years. But, he’s okay now. He loves music as much as I do. He taught me most of what I know. He’s a good bloke.”
She looked at her watch. “Hey, it’s after 2:30! I need to meet Sandra at ten. She’s going to take me shopping, and then I’m going to take her to lunch.”
“You’re going with Sandra tomorrow? I thought I could show you the sights,” he said, sounding disappointed at her plans. Then he smiled to himself as he thought it was unlikely she’d be meeting Sandra anyway after spending the night with him. He was going to walk her to her hotel after all, and then…
“Well, she asked me, and I said I’d go. She seems like a very nice girl. I like her a lot.”
“How about the afternoon? Would you like to come and hear us practice? Mindy comes to all the practices.”
“Oh, you mean Derek’s wife?” she blurted out before she could catch herself. She knew Derek would end up marrying a girl named Mindy.
He looked a little startled. “Well, no, she’s not Derek’s wife...yet that is. But he’s pretty taken with her, you know.”
“Oh, well, I was just guessing, I suppose. What time is your practice?”
“3:00. Then we take a break for dinner and come back to the club at 11:00 when we start our first set.”
“Wow! That’s pretty late to start!”
“That’s because two other bands are on before us. We like being the last band because we can play as many sets as we want and as late as we want. The other bands only get an hour each.”
“So...okay, maybe I’ll come to your practice. I’ll see how the day goes. How do I get back to my hotel from here? You took a lot of turns; I’m kinda lost.”
He pushed some money onto the table and stood up. “Allow me to escort you, my lady,” he said, making a small bow.
“Thank you, kind sir,” she responded, smiling shyly and giving a little curtsy.
She linked her arm in his, and they left the tea shop.
Her hotel, as it turned out, was almost eight blocks away, a good ten-minute walk. It was a tall building, almost the tallest in town, at six stories. Built in the early 20’s, it had an old-fashioned elegance and charm. They went into the lobby, stepping onto plush carpet, and Susan turned to go to the elevator, stopping for a moment to tell him good night.
“So, I might see you tomorrow then,” she said.
“Oh, I’ll just walk you up to your room, if that’s okay,” he said, starting towards the elevator.
“Actually, I can find my way to my room just fine, but thanks for asking,” she said, stopping in the middle of the lobby next to some sofas and chairs.
“Are you sure?”
“It’s very gallant of you to ask, Sir James, but a lady never allows a gentleman to escort her to her bedroom...and you are a gentleman, aren’t you?”
She smiled up into his face.
“Sometimes,” he responded, his eyes roving over her.
She shivered. “Well, I appreciate your being a true gentleman tonight then. It was very nice to meet you...and thank you for the tea...I enjoyed talking to you.”
“And I to you. Promise me you’ll come to the practice tomorrow. Mindy will be there, and you can get to know her. She’s a great girl.”
“I don’t know if I should. If all those girls were to find out...”
“Quit worrying about the other girls. I’m a gentleman; I can protect you, you know.”
His eyes were laughing.
She couldn’t help but laugh herself.
“Okay, okay...so I guess I’ll come to your practice then. Will you sing a song to me?”
“But of course, my lady. I’ll sing something special for you. Can I kiss you goodnight?’
She looked up into his mesmerizing eyes and thought of everything Sandra had said about him. Oh, the temptation! A girl could drown in those eyes...She was torn between saying “yes” and “no, not yet.” She’d only been here a few hours, and yet here she was in the lobby of a hotel with him wanting to come up to her room, and now wanting a kiss. She thought for a minute as he continued to look at her questioningly with his perfectly arched eyebrows raised.
“You may kiss my hand,” she said impulsively, lifting it up towards his face.
“Are you teasing me?” he asked, the laughter still in his eyes along with something else that wasn’t all that hard to recognize.
It was almost as if she could read his mind. Arrogant guy! He was thinking that it wouldn’t take a whole lot to get her to take him up to her room and “surrender all.” But, for some reason, he wasn’t pressuring her. She didn’t know why, but she was very grateful for it. You don’t hop in bed with somebody you only knew a few hours. At least she wouldn’t contemplate such a thing. The thought made her knees feel weak again. It sounded like the girls at the club did it every night. Yikes!
It felt like a stomach punch as he took her hand in both of his and brought it up to his face. His lips lingered over the top of her hand, then kissed the knuckles on each one of her fingers. Very slowly, he turned her hand palm up, kissing each finger again, then softly pressed his lips to her palm as he looked up into her eyes. His lips moved up to kiss the inside of her wrist, while at the same time, he trailed the fingers of his other hand up the inside of her arm to the crook of her elbow. Her legs felt like they were made of jelly and were going to cave under her. Her breath caught, and her lips parted in a small gasp. She turned her head away. Her unruly, young hormones were beginning to awaken.
Sensations were shooting through her from the tips of her fingers down to her toes, and she knew when she met his eyes again that he was aware of her response to him.
He gave a triumphant smile and said softly, “I’ll just be walking you up to your room then.” He started to pull her towards the elevator.
She let out a big exhale and stopped, planting her feet on the carpet. “No...oh, no thank you...that’s quite all right...” She was trembling, and she knew he could see and feel it.
He stood staring at her, waiting for her to change her mind, but when no words were forthcoming, he said, “Until tomorrow then, my lady.” He looked disappointed and even slightly annoyed.
“Certainly, sir,” she whispered as he released her hand and turned to walk away.
She was still looking at him as he got to the lobby door. He turned and gave another small bow before going out the door.
“I think I’m going to faint,” she said to herself as she pushed the elevator button and grasped her necklace, twisting the chain back and forth between her trembling fingers.
Sandra was ten minutes late for their shopping expedition, saying she’d had to drop her mum off at the hairdressers for a tint.
“No worries,” Susan said.
Sandra thought that a rather odd expression but ignored it, blurting out, “So...tell me about last night, love. I’ve been dying these hours to know what happened.” She looked Susan over for some change in her attitude but didn’t see anything different about her. Today she was wearing another one of those “go to church” dresses, this time a pale blue one, with her hair tied in a ponytail that went down her back.
“Why such intense interest?” asked Susan.
“Well, love, the odds were against you, you know, him being so experienced and all that, and you seeming so innocent and all.”
“What are you talking about? What odds? You’re just speaking figuratively, right?”
“Well, whatever that means, I’m sure I don’t know,” Sandra giggled. “No, you don’t know, of course. The boys always make a wager when there’s a new bird for James or Ian or Blue to...hmmm...how do I put this delicately...to, um...seduce...you know what I’m getting at?”
“A wager?!” Susan exclaimed. “Like a bet!? You’ve got to be kidding me! Who would bet on something like that? That’s downright tacky!”
“Might be and that’s for sure, but it doesn’t mean they don’t do it.”
“What kind of wager do they make? What do they bet?”
“Well, things like who pays for dinner after a practice or who buys a round of ale for the band during a break between sets, that sort of thing.”
“I see,” murmured Susan, a strange expression coming over her face. If Lynn had been there, she would have seen the warning signs of some very unpleasant thoughts regarding her future meeting with Sir James and the “boys.”
“So, how long have they been doing this kind of thing?” asked Susan, sounding nonchalant, but secretly fuming inside.
“Pretty much since they started singing at the club, a few months ago, I’d say. The girls bet too, ya know.”
“So you think people were betting on me?”
“Sure. We English love to wager, you know. I saw James, Ian, and Derek whispering to each other and looking at you after James went over and talked to you the second time. Pretty sure they were making a wager.”
“And what do you think the wager was exactly?” Susan was becoming more incensed by the moment.
“As I said before, and warned you about last night, it most likely was whether James would get you into bed last night. He has no trouble at all getting girls into his bed after knowing them for just a few hours; he’s an expert. And then, here you are staying in a hotel all by yourself and all.”
“Well, he didn’t! He didn’t even come close!” Susan exclaimed, thinking about his kissing and just about gobbling up her hand.
“Really and truly? Did he at least kiss you?” Sandra asked.
Susan was about to lie and say “no,” but said instead, “I gave him permission to kiss my hand is all.”
“You what?!!!”
“I said I permitted him to kiss my hand, so he kissed my hand. I thanked him for being a gentleman and shooed him off home.”
“Whoa, ho! That’s a funny one! Just wait ‘til the boys find out about that! He’ll be a laughing stock, and that’s for sure!” She bent over chuckling.
“Well, I’m sure not telling anyone, and you shouldn’t either!”
“I’m not promising. I hope you don’t mind. It serves him right, always being so cocky and sure of himself...So, why did you only let him kiss your hand? Just about all the girls think he’s irresistible; they’d all die to have been in your shoes last night… Say… You’re not prudish, or a virgin or studying to be a nun or something are you? Or, or…You’re not a girl who likes other girls better than guys?”
Susan’s eyes opened wide. “Holy crap! No! I don’t like girls better than guys! Geez! And I’m certainly not studying to be a nun!” she exclaimed. “And, no, I’m not a prude either...and…and… I don’t think I’m a virgin...I mean I’m not sure...I mean, I need to think...” She started to mumble. “I’m seventeen, and it’s June now and my birthday was in January, so I think I might be...but...geez! I never thought about that aspect!”
Sandra was looking at her like Susan had lost her senses. “How would you not know if you’re a virgin? Have you done it or not?”
“Done what?”
“It! You know, the tumble in the sheets.”
“What an expression! Well, no, I guess I haven’t if you want me to be specific.”
“Holy Jesu! If anyone knew that, the cost of the wager would be ten times higher!”
“Sandra! Please, please don’t say anything about me being a virgin for Christ sake! This is downright embarrassing! But...I’m pissed about being part of a wager. That’s just a low-down, dirty thing to do...to bet on getting a girl into...into...tumbling in the sheets, as you say. I could choke him for being part of something so, so...dastardly!”
“Well, that’s a big word!”
“Yeah, well, it means worse than horrible...which is what this is...hmmmm...so he thinks he can tumble me with just a nod of his head or one of those ‘looks’ from his big bedroom eyes, does he...well, he’ll find out how mistaken he is! I suppose if he lost last night’s bet, there’ll be another one on for tonight?”
“Of course there will be! Double the odds and all. And, if they find out you’re a virgin, oh blimey, I can’t even imagine what they’ll wager!”
“You are NOT telling anyone that...promise!”
“Okay, I promise not to tell anyone you’re all virginal and everything, but I won’t promise not to say anything about the hand kissing. That’s just too good to pass up, plus it’s about time Mr. thinks-he-can-get-any-girl-he-wants, finds out he can’t, don’t ya think?”
Susan sighed. “Well, I wish you wouldn’t, but on the other hand, it would be pretty funny to overhear what they all say when they find out. I’m supposed to go to the band practice this afternoon, you know. He made me promise I’d go. And you’re right; it would serve him a good one if everyone knew he didn’t get to first base with me, as the saying goes. And furthermore, if they find out that I just permitted him to kiss my hand and it embarrasses him, that’s just what he deserves!” She’d worked herself up to a feeling of indignant outrage again, thinking about being part of a bet.
“Well, now you know why he invited you to band practice,” said Sandra. “Needs more opportunity to try and have his way with you...ha, ha...I’m a funny one, ain’t I?”
“Yeah, you’re a real bag of laughs.”
“So are you going to the practice then?”
“But of course! Now that you told me all this, I wouldn’t miss it for anything!”
“You have an evil look in your eye, I see.”
“Really? Am I so transparent then? I’m just thinking.”
“Plotting revenge, you mean?”
“Well, let’s not put it that harshly, but, yes, I most certainly am. Wagering on a girl’s virtue...despicable!”
Sandra led Susan out the lobby door and down the street.
“Most of the interesting shops are down by the waterfront. Parts of the waterfront are quite seedy, but where the cruising ships come in...we don’t get many...there are some decent shops. Let’s go; it’s only about a half mile if you’re up for walking.”
“I’m up for walking. I need to burn off some steam.”
“What’s that, Luv?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Susan and Sandra enjoyed a few hours walking through the shops, which sold everything from trinkets to high-end clothing and even furniture.
“Interesting place,” remarked Susan. “Hey, I’m getting hungry; I didn’t have any breakfast. Where do you think we should go for lunch?”
“Well, I thought of a place last night. It’s down on the wharf. They have great sandwiches, and of course, they have fish and chips, their specialty. But, if you’re going to the band practice this afternoon, they’ll probably send Mindy out to pick up fish and chips for supper after the practice. James is gonna have to pay, ha, ha...”
“Did you really have to remind me of that wager business?” asked Susan.