Chapter 9

Marianne made the call to her Aunt, apologizing for getting her out of bed.

Simon heard Jennifer's voice say tinnily, "No, that's okay, I was just reading," then something quieter that he didn't catch. Marianne replaced the receiver and thanked the receptionist.

"What did she say?" Caroline asked.

"Oh, you know. The usual — Enjoy ourselves but stay out of trouble."

Simon leant close to Marianne and quietly asked, "There was something else, wasn't there?"

Marianne, in turn, leant into Simon's ear.

"Yes, she told me to watch out for the drugs and be careful of spiked drinks. Good advice — some of these people look like players, if you know what I mean."

"Not really, but it's good advice. Tell Caroline."

Marianne spoke quietly into Caroline's ear as they made their way back into the main party room. Then she grabbed Simon by the arm and drew him close.

"Simon, I know what Aunt Jen said, but this is the first party of this kind I've ever had the chance to go to. I'm going to enjoy myself - I might not get the chance to repeat the experience. You should do the same."

Simon looked at her blankly for a moment. He studied her expression, she seemed anxious, happy and determined all at once.

"What are you saying, Marianne?"

"I'm saying that we should, well, go for it. If it's there, we should indulge. Oh, I don't mean the hard drugs that I'm sure will be around — I don't want to get hooked any more than I'm sure you do — but anything else. I want to get drunk, get high, get laid. This can be our one night where anything goes."

Simon didn't know what to say. He'd been thinking about Alison though, obviously, and this did seem to give him a way... but at what cost?

He tried to make his brain work through the alcohol fumes.

"You're saying that you want to go and have sex with someone else?" he asked her.

"No. Well, possibly. I mean, if I'm asked, or something, I might consider it, if you'll do the same. Let's just take the chances offered to us tonight, Simon. That's what I'm saying."

'I must be drunk to even consider this, ' he thought, foggily. 'But... maybe I might get to have Alison again?'

Marianne came closer still and kissed him gently, almost a brush against his lips, really. "Simon, I promise, we can do anything you want, later. Anything," she whispered huskily, one eyebrow aloft.

What man could resist? Certainly not Simon at that point. He nodded, and Marianne gave a short squeak and jumped on him, wrapping her arms around him. She kissed him hard, dropped off him and said, "This is going to be so great!" Grabbing his hand she pulled him over towards the bar to get a drink.

After they'd got drinks for the three of them, Simon looked around for Caroline. He spotted her against the wall near the large windows facing out onto the road, looking tired. Marianne was chatting animatedly to one of the 'suits', so Simon caught her eye, pointed over to her sister. She nodded and gave a brief wave before turning back to her conversation.

Simon took Caroline's drink over.

"Not mixing?" he asked her.

"Not my thing, parties. Too many new faces I don't know, especially something like this. But Marianne likes them."

"Yes, she's got that natural ability to join in, doesn't she?" Simon looked carefully at Caroline. "If you want, I can get you home to your Aunt's?"

"Nah. I'll not spoil things for you as well. Besides, you'll want to keep an eye on Marianne, make sure she's okay."

'Do I tell her?' Simon wondered. Making up his mind, he said, "Marianne's asked to be let off the leash tonight. She's said that tonight, for just this once, we should go for... whatever."

Caroline looked at him, eyes wide. "And you agreed?"

"Er, yeah. She said she'd... she said she'd do anything I want, later, if I agreed to this. So I said, yeah."

Caroline wasn't happy with this. You could tell: it was the way that if looks could kill, Simon would have been in intensive care. At least.

"You're mad! She's going to cheat on you. You know it. Oh, no, it's more than that. You're planning on cheating on her, and this gives you the perfect excuse. Well, Simon, I don't like it either way!"

Simon, in turn found his own anger rising.

"Listen, Caroline, it's nothing to do with you, okay? It's what Marianne and I want to do. Now, I'm going to go and see about another drink. See you later." He turned away and virtually stomped towards the bar.

About a half-hour later, Simon saw Marianne again. She was swaying gently, face flushed, obviously drunk but still standing. She was chatting to Shaun, of all people, and Simon immediately thought of Alison again.

And there she was. Off stage, she was wearing a white trouser suit with a couple of buttons undone in the top. She looked amazing. Normally Simon would have been put off, finding it impossible to go up to a woman as beautiful as this, intimidated by her looks. Not to mention the gaggle of guys around her.

Normally. But now, fuelled by alcohol and the knowledge that his girlfriend had, essentially, given him a 'free pass', Simon walked over. Alison was talking directly into one guy's ear, but Simon just said, simply, "Hello again, Alison. Thanks for the invite."

She looked away from the guy she'd been talking to and looked puzzled. Simon felt his confidence, never high, draining away and he began to turn to go. But Alison said, "Wait, you're... You're Simon, aren't you?"

'She remembered me after all!' he thought, and felt a wide grin split his face as he turned back to her. "Yes, that's right."

"Gimme a couple of minutes, and I'll be with you," she told him, then without waiting for a reply she launched back into her conversation.

Simon began by trying to listen but couldn't quite make out what was being said, as the voices were kept deliberately low, the music was quite loud and the general buzz around him was equally loud as people made themselves heard. He looked away, chiding himself for trying to eavesdrop.

Then Alison had grabbed him by the arm and was leading him away.

"Record company lounge suits," she told Simon, "an unfortunately necessary evil."

Simon nodded, sagely.

"How have you been, Simon? I enjoyed that night. I want you to know that despite what you probably think, I don't always hook up with someone after a gig. Those that I do go with don't call me or write to me, either. Thank you for that."

"You're welcome," came his automatic response. Then he found himself tongue-tied.

After a moment, Alison leaned in close to him. "Cat got your tongue?"

Simon felt himself flush, but somehow this freed up the words inside. "You take my breath away, you know," he told her.

Alison laughed, but it broke the ice, and Simon found his confidence returning. He reached into his pocket for his cigarettes and lighter. He offered one to Alison, who accepted with a "Thanks! I'm gasping for one!" he lit up. They enjoyed their cigarettes for a while, just talking comfortably about the day, what they'd heard and seen, who they'd enjoyed. Alison was particularly interested in Simon's impressions from in front of the stage, as (of course) mostly, she'd heard it from behind, or in the wings.

Simon stubbed his cigarette out and asked, "Those were your songs you were singing up there, weren't they? I mean, you wrote them?"

"Well, they're mainly Shaun and me, really. He comes up with most of the music, I come up with the lyrics. But we all contribute, it's a really organic thing. Someone comes in with an idea, and we run with it from there."

"Alison, I saw your songbook. Remember? You had music, as well as lyrics, in there."

Alison looked uncomfortable. "Yes, I know. But Shaun really does write most of the music we play."

Simon thought there was more to this, but at that point someone Simon didn't know passed Alison a joint. She smiled brightly at him and took a deep drag before passing it on to Simon, in turn.

"I don't often do this," he told her, but pulled the smoke deeply into his lungs. He could feel the effect immediately, feeling 'not-quite-there', and that nothing mattered too much. He handed the joint back to Alison.

Glancing across the room he saw Marianne in a close embrace with Shaun, smiling and obviously happy. Alison saw where he was looking.

"I see Shaun's pulled!" she laughed, but on seeing Simon's expression she said, "Something wrong? Oh! Is she with you?"

"Yes, that's Marianne... she wants us to... what was it? 'Get drunk, get high, get laid!' she said. I'm not sure I understand her sometimes."

"So she's cheating on you with Shaun? I can go get him, tell him no, if you want — he wouldn't do that to someone. Well, not knowingly."

"No, s'alright. Let her do it; she told me I should do the same, tonight. I think she needs to express her inner 'wild-child' tonight, or something." Simon turned back and looked directly into Alison's eye. "Besides, she told me to do the same."

Alison shut her mouth, opened it again, appeared to think better of saying something and shut it again. She took another long drag on the joint. Then she simply grabbed Simon by the arm, giggling like a schoolgirl, and dragged him away towards a doorway.

Alison gave the large, suited gentleman at the door a sign, and he opened the door to let them through. She pulled Simon along with her, along a corridor. "This is my room, Simon," she told him, voice now deeper, modulated. "You can 'express your wild-child' in here..."

Simon was surprised but very happy to be in Alison's room, of course. Some of the happiness was chemically induced, more was because he'd really had a crush on her for a long time. He felt a twinge of conscience that he ought to be looking out for Marianne, but forced it down. She wanted him to do this, he reasoned.

Alison certainly seemed to want him. She kissed him, hard, wrapping herself around him, her tongue questing for his, and finding it. She broke the kiss long enough to grab the hem of his T-shirt and drag it over his head before kissing him some more. He felt her small, hard breasts. The material of her suit jacket was thin and hardly a barrier between her pebble-hard nipples and his chest.

His own hands were busy behind her, one roaming over her back, the other fondling her arse, feeling it's tight musculature underneath the trousers. He traced the outline of her panties with his fingers.

No questions were asked, no answers requested or given. He fumbled for a moment with the remaining buttons on her jacket before removing it, revealing the small white bra that was all she wore underneath.