floor. The pain that shot from her coccyx was so acute she passed out for a few moments, regaining consciousness to find she was again on the bed and his full weight was on top of her. Then her body was rent in two, pain that was all-consuming causing her to scream and choke as she struggled to escape the thing ripping her apart. His hand came across her nose as well as her mouth, cutting off her air supply, and as she tried to bite at it he slapped her again.
She knew she was dying. The pain was so terrible she couldn’t bear it. And then he began groaning and shuddering, and the mad pounding lessened as he became still before rolling off her. She lay limp and helpless, the agony between her legs and in her belly causing her to shake uncontrollably.
‘You shouldn’t have fought me.’ The soft thick voice came to her but she didn’t open her eyes or speak, wanting only for him to be gone. ‘You made me hurt you by fighting me.’
When she felt the touch of his fingers on her inner thigh she jerked, her eyes opening involuntarily. He raised his hand to his mouth, sucking his fingers which were covered in red.
‘We’ll have some good times, you and me, and I can be generous, you’ll see.’ He stood up, buttoning his trousers before extracting some notes from his pocket which he threw on the bed beside her. ‘You wouldn’t get many who’d pay as much as that for a breaking-in – you ask your mam.’
Curling herself into a little ball and with the tears raining down her face, Pearl didn’t answer, terrified he would come at her again. It was only when he had left the room that she found the strength to pull the sheet round her, cocoon-fashion, the red stain between her legs vivid on the bleached linen.
Kitty raised her head as the kitchen door opened. She had been dozing in the armchair, the gin bottle at her elbow. ‘Well?’
Leonard Fallow looked at the woman he had forced himself to service for the last year, ever since he had caught sight of the daughter on his first visit to the house. He had been drunk that night or he would never have come back with Kitty in the first place. He liked them young, very young and fresh. All the things Kitty wasn’t. But his body had needed release and when he was in his cups, anything would do. And there had been the child. Like a rose on a dung heap. And he had known he had to have her.
But this old biddy had made him pay, and not just in the amount she had demanded for the breaking-in. She was wily enough to know that once he’d had the daughter, her own usefulness was over, and so she had made the most of delaying that time, using one excuse after another.
Straightening his jacket, he said, ‘It’s done.’
‘Put up much resistance, did she?’
‘A little.’ He didn’t intend to discuss the details and his tone reflected this.
‘Where’s me money?’
His voice cool, he said, ‘I left it with her.’
‘With her ? You give it to me, all right? I take it you do want to come again?’
He let a small silence grow before he said, ‘Possibly,’ whilst knowing as well as she did that he’d be back within days.
‘Then in the future you give it to me.’
He nodded. He didn’t want to get on the wrong side of the mother, not now. He had one or two friends who would be very grateful for an introduction to the child, but he had intended to have his way with her first. It was better than any drug or drink, being the first.
‘You want to stay for a while?’ Kitty stood up, swaying slightly, as she gave him what she thought was a beguiling smile. ‘You can have it for free after what you’ve stumped up the night for the lass.’
Leonard looked at her lank hair, the creases in her neck lined with dirt and her pendulous breasts. Only the thought of having the child had enabled him to achieve the act in the past, and once or twice it had been beyond him. Using this, he said, ‘You know me, Kitty. Once is all I can manage, and sometimes not that.’
She
She knew she was dying. The pain was so terrible she couldn’t bear it. And then he began groaning and shuddering, and the mad pounding lessened as he became still before rolling off her. She lay limp and helpless, the agony between her legs and in her belly causing her to shake uncontrollably.
‘You shouldn’t have fought me.’ The soft thick voice came to her but she didn’t open her eyes or speak, wanting only for him to be gone. ‘You made me hurt you by fighting me.’
When she felt the touch of his fingers on her inner thigh she jerked, her eyes opening involuntarily. He raised his hand to his mouth, sucking his fingers which were covered in red.
‘We’ll have some good times, you and me, and I can be generous, you’ll see.’ He stood up, buttoning his trousers before extracting some notes from his pocket which he threw on the bed beside her. ‘You wouldn’t get many who’d pay as much as that for a breaking-in – you ask your mam.’
Curling herself into a little ball and with the tears raining down her face, Pearl didn’t answer, terrified he would come at her again. It was only when he had left the room that she found the strength to pull the sheet round her, cocoon-fashion, the red stain between her legs vivid on the bleached linen.
Kitty raised her head as the kitchen door opened. She had been dozing in the armchair, the gin bottle at her elbow. ‘Well?’
Leonard Fallow looked at the woman he had forced himself to service for the last year, ever since he had caught sight of the daughter on his first visit to the house. He had been drunk that night or he would never have come back with Kitty in the first place. He liked them young, very young and fresh. All the things Kitty wasn’t. But his body had needed release and when he was in his cups, anything would do. And there had been the child. Like a rose on a dung heap. And he had known he had to have her.
But this old biddy had made him pay, and not just in the amount she had demanded for the breaking-in. She was wily enough to know that once he’d had the daughter, her own usefulness was over, and so she had made the most of delaying that time, using one excuse after another.
Straightening his jacket, he said, ‘It’s done.’
‘Put up much resistance, did she?’
‘A little.’ He didn’t intend to discuss the details and his tone reflected this.
‘Where’s me money?’
His voice cool, he said, ‘I left it with her.’
‘With her ? You give it to me, all right? I take it you do want to come again?’
He let a small silence grow before he said, ‘Possibly,’ whilst knowing as well as she did that he’d be back within days.
‘Then in the future you give it to me.’
He nodded. He didn’t want to get on the wrong side of the mother, not now. He had one or two friends who would be very grateful for an introduction to the child, but he had intended to have his way with her first. It was better than any drug or drink, being the first.
‘You want to stay for a while?’ Kitty stood up, swaying slightly, as she gave him what she thought was a beguiling smile. ‘You can have it for free after what you’ve stumped up the night for the lass.’
Leonard looked at her lank hair, the creases in her neck lined with dirt and her pendulous breasts. Only the thought of having the child had enabled him to achieve the act in the past, and once or twice it had been beyond him. Using this, he said, ‘You know me, Kitty. Once is all I can manage, and sometimes not that.’
She
Similar Books
