Chapter 2

Holly brought the pan of water to the boil and slid the spaghetti into it, allowing it to bend slowly before it would slide around the bottom of the saucepan. Two sausages were gently frying in a pan and the tomatoes were in a bowl in the microwave, ready to heat. A creak above her confirmed that Addie was not only in but awake and would most likely join her in the kitchen. Quick footsteps down the stairs indicated her enthusiasm and Holly turned to see her beaming at her with mid-afternoon energy.

“Hol! How’s it going?” asked Addie, peering into the saucepan. She was in her underwear only, a matching set with delicate lace around the bra top and matching themes embroidered on the panties. Apart from her larger breasts, Addie looked similarly slim, almost petite with the only other exception being where Holly’s hair was half-way down her back in dark curls, Addie was a dusky blonde cut to shoulder length.

“Great, just having a late lunch”

Addie looked around at the ingredients that were being used and smiled at her again. Holly took the hint, knowing that she could hardly sit there and eat alone.

“Want some?”

“Oh yeah, that would be great! I’ll go to the shops tomorrow and stock up a bit. You’ve got one more exam, right, tomorrow?”

“Yep, Business Statistics. Then I am free!”

“Me too, I’ve got Calculus and then party time. I’m going to get so wasted tomorrow night”

“I’ll collect you from the Police Station then, bail you out.” Addie slumped onto a chair by the kitchen table, sitting with one foot on the seat, exposing her parted thighs and the hint of the pale patch of hair inside her panties in a very unladylike manner. Holly glanced at her and returned to her cooking. She had seen Addie like this many times, sometimes naked as she left the bathroom. Her free and easy attitude about nudity had initially shocked Holly when Addie had moved in two years ago, causing her to scream and turn away when Addie had left the bathroom naked for the first time. The sight of her sparse public hair and large, firm breasts had been imprinted on her mind forever and she could, even now, recall with exact precision the sight of the young girl, towel around her head, as she stepped towards her bedroom. The scream had not doubt informed Addie exactly how Holly was oriented, even though it concealed some past passions that she didn’t want to discuss. Now however, the way Addie dressed and acted around the house was of little concern. She was simply from a different background with a family who had different values. Even her half-naked appearance when Rob was here didn’t upset Holly although initially she had been worried that he would take it as an open invitation to grab some part of her.

Holly checked the kitchen clock as she served the lunch and set a plate down in front of Addie. She needed to be back in her room for three o’clock and that gave her twenty minutes to eat.

“You seeing Rob tomorrow?” asked Addie, twirling the spaghetti around her fork.

“Maybe, we don’t have plans yet.”

“Huh. You’d think it would be a big night, last exams, leaving university forever, you know.”

“We’ll probably just go out for something to eat. I need to be in good shape for the orphanage on Friday.”

“Oh yeah, Music Night, isn’t it?”

Holly smiled, pleased that she had been listening and remembered. “Yeah, I think they have ten entrants, more than last year. Practice sessions are nerve-wracking for everyone.”

“Huh, did you decide where you two are going to go then after this year? Wasn’t Madrid going to be the first stop?”

“I’m not sure, we haven’t discussed it much recently” said Holly, pausing to stare at the table.

Addie looked up and waited for any further comment. “What, not sure now?”

Holly shrugged. “I mentioned that it would interrupt the flow from university to first job, that others graduating now would be getting jobs while we were somewhere in darkest bloody Africa.”

“Too true. Do you want to hit me now or later?” asked Addie. Holly smiled, fairly sure she knew what sort of comment Addie was about to make.

“Later. I’ll add it to the others, batch them up for one whacking great smack on your bum!”

“OK. My bet is that Rob wants you to help pay for the trip, and while you’re about it, the free sex would be kind of nice too.” said Addie, staring directly at her.

“Addie, I’m totally broke,” she said glumly. “I have no money, I couldn’t even guess how much a ticket to Madrid would cost!” She stabbed a piece of sausage and chewed it slowly, realising that she had argued about the money, not the free sex or even that her boyfriend needed her for anything more than her love and companionship.

“Hol, you know exactly what to do. Make a budget, show it to him and find out where the money’s going to come from. If you can’t work out the finances at this stage then the trip is doomed to failure.”

“I know. I can’t think about it right now, I need to focus on tomorrow’s exam. After that I’ll work it out with him.”

“OK, look, thanks for lunch, it was great, very welcome,” said Addie, taking her plate to the sink. She returned and rested her hand on Holly’s shoulder. “I’ll wash up if you want to get back to work.”

“Thanks Addie, that would help” said Holly, going slowly back upstairs to her room. She shut the door and smiled as the sun poured in through the window and directly onto her bed. It was just before three o’clock, a very sunny day and as expected, the sunlight warmed her face. She stood a few feet from the window and confirmed that nobody across the street would be able to see her if they looked out of their windows. Her t-shirt slipped over her head and landed on the floor by her feet. She slipped her bra round and flicked the hook, letting it fall. Squeezing her small, pert breasts she felt the nipples, tweaking them sharply to wake them up for play time. Her jeans were tight and needed help to slide down her legs but they too joined the other clothes as she crawled onto the bed in her panties and lay on her back. With one hand on her breast she slid her fingers down over her stomach and underneath the waistband of her panties. Her eyes fluttered closed as she sighed, feeling the warmth of her skin around her sparse pubic hair, down over the soft outer lips of her pussy.

The sunlight warmed her thighs as she opened her legs, brought her feet together and slid her middle finger along the length of her pussy. Scenarios flashed through her mind, well-rehearsed playbooks which had developed over time, extensions of reality which were always well outside her comfort zone. Men taking her roughly in car parks late at night, truckers sodomizing her while others looked on. The vision of the bartender at the Red Lion appeared, tight jeans, the sweat discolouring his shirt as he heaved barrels of beer from the truck through the courtyard and down into the cellar. He had spoken to her one day while working out the back of the bar, smiling, asking her what her name was, what she was studying. His muscles bulged underneath his shirt and the biceps stretched his rolled-up sleeves. He was sweaty, strong, efficient in his movements, in his mid-thirties and incredibly hot. She had replied to him with short, silly comments, lacking in any ability to develop the conversation. He had disappeared into the cellar and she had waited for several minutes, conscious of her sudden loneliness until she decided that he was more interested in connecting barrels than with her.

In her mind though, he had almost dropped a barrel on his foot when he saw her, the sunlight gleaming on her face as her long hair fluttered around in the breeze.

“What’s your name?” he asked, glancing up at her as he rolled the barrel on its edge towards the cellar door.

“Holly, what’s yours?”

“Mike. Nice to meet you Holly”

“You too. They look heavy!”

“Wanna try?” he asked, grinning at her. She walked over slowly, cautious of the man but very much attracted to him. He was taller than her five foot five, as most men were, and broad, fit as though he worked out daily. She smiled up at him, shrugging as he rolled a thirty-six gallon metal barrel to her feet. The courtyard was deserted except for two blackbirds and he swung the heavy wooden doors shut, making them squawk in anger as they flew to the other rooftop. She heard the truck out in the street pull away, leaving them alone in the silent space. “Roll it towards me!” he said, crossing his arms and standing ten feet from her. She struggled with it and he laughed.

“It’s heavy!” she cried at the unfair game, moving it only a few feet before she lost control. He came up behind her and took her hands, showing her how to position them and the angle to hold the barrel at to get it to move properly. She could feel his thighs against her own, the hard muscles defining their width, imparting strength and confidence. She rolled it a little way and he stopped her.