Chapter 16

Donnie finished the paper he knew was due and sat back from his iPad. He would leave it for a few hours and then review what he had written and perform the first edit. Just zoning out for a moment, he thought about his disagreement with Daryl, one of the other members of the SNP focus group. Donnie remembered asking the question who do the banks serve? but now he wondered if a better question might not be what are the banks there to do?

Donnie paused in his 'wild' daydream and made himself a cup of coffee before settling back in one of his comfy chairs.

"All of that sounds logical and sensible. So where is the problem with banks? I can only come back to greed. All of the services I've thought about are required, but how much should we have to pay for them? How is it that bankers can create 'new' things to sell which are worth less than what they're sold for? What kind of risks should they be allowed to take with other people's money? Lending money to people on properties that aren't worth the value of the loan – all in pursuit of obscene profits that they use to pay themselves equally obscene bonuses?

"There has to be a better way! The SNP has already established local enterprise banks that are lending to small businesses at 'not for profit' rates. And what about other 'Financial Services'? Why pay an insurance premium to a big company? Why not establish a local co-operative and pay into that. Isn't that where a lot of these companies started out in the first place? Pension companies are taking up to 20 percent of the investment in a personal pension fund as an administrative charge! It's a rip-off - greed, pure and simple!"

Donnie decided his daydream had reached a point where it was no longer fun. In fact, his conclusions were quite depressing.

Katie checked through the spy hole in the door then opened it. The woman in front of her held a notebook and was dressed in a sharp black, two-piece business suit. Her hair was screwed up in a tight bun and she wore the kind of glasses that young executives favoured.

"Are you Katherine McGregor?" the woman demanded.

"Yes. Who are you?" Katie responded in a similarly strong tone.

"I'm from the bursar's office," said the caller. "Once again you have failed to pay the rental for your accommodation for the semester. This isn't the first time, is it?"

Katie physically took a step back at this verbal assault and her visitor took advantage of that by pushing past her into the flat.

"But I'm sure there's some mistake!" Katie pleaded. "There's probably been a mix-up at the bank."

"Yes, I'm sure there has been. I've heard all of the excuses, so save your breath. You've been warned in the past. Now, I want you packed and out within the hour!"

The visitor tapped the toe of one shoe on the floor, showing her impatience. Katie took in the deadly looking stiletto heels and the shapely legs that disappeared under the sharp, above the knee skirt.

"That's ludicrous," she argued. "Where am I supposed to go? How am I supposed to complete my studies?"

"That's your problem I'm afraid. I repeat, I want you packed and gone within the hour!"

Katie was frantic. What would she do? If she was evicted, she could move in with Donnie, but she would be a pariah amongst her friends when word got out.

"Look, there has to be a way we can fix this," she pleaded.

The eyes behind the executive glasses fixed her with a piercing look.

"You can fix it by paying me now or vacating the accommodation," the woman advised, unyielding.

"But I don't have any money here," Katie whined.

"Then pack!"

"But if you throw me out, I'll be a laughing stock! You can't do this!" Katie cried.

The blonde in the business suit walked round her slowly, giving her an appraising look.

"How badly do you want to avoid that humiliation?" she asked.

Katie hesitated. She had a sudden insight into where this might be heading and it sent a shiver up her spine.

"Does she really mean what I think she does?"

The visitor paused in her circling. She was directly behind Katie and the American suddenly felt a hand snaking round to cup her left breast. She stiffened, but didn't move to stop the 'assault'. Emboldened, the other woman moulded herself to Katie's back and her other hand captured Katie's right breast.

Katie could feel the soft, sensuous petting of her breasts, the teasing of her hardened nipples and the heavy breathing of the blonde in her ear. Despite the situation, she felt the electric jolts shooting from her sensitive breasts to her already lubricating pussy.

"So how about it? Just what are you willing to do to avoid eviction?" the blonde breathed in Katie's ear.

Katie couldn't speak. She remained stock still, then trembled as she felt the woman beginning to pop the buttons on her blouse. Her blouse was tugged from the waistband of her skirt and she felt the woman's soft hand glide upwards over her ribs. Next, Katie felt the catch on her front-fastening bra being opened and then it was flesh on flesh as the woman's hands caressed her straining breasts.

"You know, I think you're really enjoying this," the blonde breathed.

She lifted Katie's breasts slightly then let them settle in her cupped hands and teased the hard nipples. Katie remained quiet, but couldn't stop the trembling that had begun in her legs.

"Mmmmmm, cat got your tongue?" moaned the blonde. "Well, I'll just have to check for myself how much you're enjoying it."

Katie felt the woman's right hand slip downwards and then felt her skirt being pulled upwards. In moments, the hand was stroking the front panel of her panties and Katie bucked as something flicked over the bump of her clit. Fingers pressed the material of her panties into her by now sodden slit and Katie failed to hold in a moan of pleasure.

"Oh the little slut really likes it, doesn't she? Well, slut. I'm the one who's supposed to be getting something out of this so it's time for you to pay off the rent."

The blonde sat on Katie's sofa and hiked up her short business skirt to reveal white silk panties.

"Come over here and take my panties off, slut!"

Katie had turned to see what the blonde was doing. Her eyes widened at the lewd display and the command was like a slap in the face. When she didn't move, the blonde shouted at her.

"Get over here on your knees now!"

Katie stumbled forward and knelt between the blondes spread thighs. She shook slightly, but that could have been from fear or excitement.

"Take them off, slut. You know you want to."

Katie reached out tentatively and the blonde raised her butt so that her panties could be removed. Katie stared at the neatly trimmed bush and saw beads of moisture on the delicate lips.

"What are you waiting for, slut? Eat me, come on, eat me!" the blonde moaned.

Katie bent forward slowly, deliberately, until her tongue and lips touched the other woman's sex.

"Aaaahhh, yes, do it! Eat me!"

After ten minutes of this, Katie was fully into it and she was licking and sucking for all she was worth.

"Get the dildo from my bag," the blonde got out between moans.

Katie broke off and quickly retrieved the sex toy. It was smooth pink and twisted at the base to turn on a vibrating function. This time Katie needed no urging and she began teasing the blonde's pussy with the toy, using the vibration to stimulate her clit.

"That's it, that's it. Come on, ram it into me!" squealed the blonde.

The blonde lay back on the sofa and frantically pulled Katie on top of her in a classic sixty-nine position. She pulled Katie's panties aside and feasted on her dripping pussy while jerking to the feel of the dildo hammering away at her own sex.

"Yes, yes. Fuck me with that thing, fuck me you little, slut!"

Katie was at boiling point herself, the entire situation and her first ever sexual contact with a woman combining mentally to quickly have her on the verge of climax.

"Yeeess, yes, uuggghhhh! Yesssss!" screamed the blonde.

"Don't you dare stop now," warned Katie, herself close to the edge.

The blonde somehow managed to redouble her efforts and Katie crashed over into orgasm before collapsing on top of the woman. They both lay there for a few moments before the blonde complained.

"Katie, for god's sake get off me, I can't breathe!"

Katie managed to roll off and landed on the floor giggling.

"Where did you get that idea from, Heather? I have to admit it was hot, but I've no idea how to explain to Donnie that he missed out. You know he's been fantasising about both of us since before Christmas?" Katie grinned.

"He's next!" Heather leered.

Katie wasn't overly concerned about Donnie's reaction when she related the story about Heather's role-play sex game. The couple had discussed Heather's previous flirting and had agreed that they would both be comfortable exploring things with their friend – either Katie alone or with them both together. Katie had been accurate in her assessment to Heather, as Donnie's response was to bemoan the fact that he had missed out seeing the girls together.

"I know we discussed it before, but are you really okay with Heather and me getting it on? I mean, I kinda ask you to marry me and then within a week I'm having sex with someone else," she asked, with just a hint of worry.

"Don't be silly! We discussed this before and I know Heather was pushing some of your buttons. She's hot when she gets started. You should have teased her afterwards by telling her we'd just got engaged, that would have turned the tables," Donnie grinned.

"No, we agreed to keep that quiet until you graduate, but are you sure you're fine about this?"

"Positive, now get changed and let's go to the gym," said Donnie.

Nothing much of interest happened in January. Novak Djokovic duly won the Australian open, beating Scotland's Andy Murray in the final in straight sets. Donnie had explained his accumulator bet to Katie, but had remained silent so far on the stake and the potential winnings.

Donnie, Katie and Heather worked on their studies harder than ever although the second semester, and therefore lectures, didn't actually start again until mid-February.

For Donnie, there were two things of note in February.

Television news was bringing the world dramatic reports of the breakdown of a number of states in North Africa and the Middle East.

Things appeared to start in Tunisia and could actually be traced back to a street vendor who had had his goods confiscated by officials. In protest, the vendor had doused himself in gasoline and set himself alight. Street protests erupted almost overnight, with the population's anger at food inflation, unemployment, corruption and overall living conditions brought to a head by the vendor's self-immolation.

Initially secret police and security forces responded by using live ammunition to shoot the protesters, but the scale of revolt was such that the President of 23 years, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, fled the country for Saudi Arabia.

The key thing about Tunisia was the danger of a domino effect and soon there were street protests all over Egypt. Once again security forces opened fire on protesters, but for two weeks Tahrir Square in Cairo was the focal point for civil disobedience aimed at expressing anger at similar issues as those in Tunisia, but with a higher profile on the need for democratic reforms.

By mid February, President Hosni Mubarak was forced to stand down and another regime had been toppled.

Further 'copy-cat' protests sprung up in Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq, Algeria and Jordan. Of most note, however, was a popular uprising in Libya against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's 42 year reign.

The West watched and worried about the security of oil supplies, particularly if the unthinkable were to happen and the domino effect reached the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There was also deep concern as to the kinds of regime that might replace the former totalitarian rulers, with the ubiquitous and trans-national Muslim Brotherhood (a reputedly conservative society that was nonetheless committed to a single Islamic state) evident in a number of countries.

Such potentially seismic upheavals in geo-politics were obviously of concern to Donnie and he followed events avidly. One thing he observed was that despots still tried to control communications during such critical times. Mobile phone networks and the Internet had been targeted and in many cases cut-off. These kind of events were meat and drink of course for Donnie's studies.

The second thing of note was a phone call from Carol McStay, the accountant he had met at the airport. Donnie took the call as he rushed between lectures and the initial conversation was necessarily short.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is that Donnie McGregor?"

"Yes it is. That wouldn't be my new accountant, Carol McStay would it?" Donnie chuckled, recognising Carol's voice.

Carol paused. She was impressed that Donnie remembered her from their brief meeting, let alone recognised her on the phone.

"Yes, well I mean ... yes it is me, Carol. I don't know yet about the job."

"Uh Carol, listen, I'm rushing between classes now. Could I get back to you later on the number you're using?"

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't realise. Of course you can ring later."

"No problem. Bye."

While it was true he was busy, Donnie had also realised that he had forgotten to do something. When he sat down beside Katie for his next lecture, he tried to rectify that.

"The woman from the airport called, the accountant. Could you check what kind of salary a corporate finance officer might pick up in a smallish company?" he asked.

"Sure, leave it with me," Katie smiled.

When Donnie returned Carol's call that night, Katie had supplied details that suggested a company his size might offer someone in the region of £50k per annum. Donnie checked his call log and thumbed to ring Carol's number.

"Hi, Carol? It's Donnie McGregor. Sorry about earlier."

"Thanks for phoning back, but I'm wondering if I made a mistake in calling you. Did you say you were rushing between classes?"

Donnie laughed at her obvious concern about his youth and whether he was in any position to be offering employment.