and swallowed the swell of panic that rose in her chest. She had nowhere else to go.
‘I don’t want us to finish.’ Her voice was small. ‘I really love you.’
‘Well, I don’t want us to finish either. I love you too. It would make me so happy if you did this one thing. You shouldn’t think about it so much, it is only doing what you and I do, but without the love. That should make it easy, no?’
‘I’m not sure. I do want you to be happy and I do want us to be together.’
‘Then it’s easy, Jemima. You work for me and we save and then we go forever!’
‘To our house by the sea?’
‘To our house by the sea. Where we can sit in the garden and make barbeque and dance under the stars.’ He gripped her hand.
She smiled. It sounded lovely.
~
Neil managed to stay away for two days. On the third, he finished his rounds and pulled up on the edge of the road around the corner from the chicken shop. He hadn’t slept for two nights, mulling over the options, trying to decide what to do next. He had come up with a plan. He figured that if he could just get her to come home, they could work on her, persuade her and make it so comfortable that she wouldn’t ever want to be anywhere else. He would tell her about the caravan holiday that they could book and the iPod they would buy her. She could leave school; do whatever. Nothing mattered more than getting her home and keeping her safe.
~
Gemma applied her make-up in the bathroom mirror. Alyssa watched and smiled, nodding her approval as Gemma painted her lips a glossy red.
‘You look beautiful!’
Gemma smiled, embarrassed. ‘Really?’
‘Yes, really. And such a great little figure. This will be easy for you, Jemima.’
Gemma pulled at the short denim skirt that kept riding up and tried to make the gap between the over-the-knee boots and the skirt smaller. She swigged at the little glass of vodka that Alyssa had poured her; it certainly helped soothe her nerves and made the whole event feel like a bit of an adventure.
~
Neil sent a text to Gemma’s mobile.
I am around the corner, Gemma, on the edge of Praed Street and Junction Place. I’m in the van and would dearly love to talk to you, Gem. If you don’t want to come home, that’s fine, but this is our chance to wipe the slate clean and start over. You would make Mum and me the happiest people on the planet. We love you and we miss you and nothing else really matters. Please, Gemma, come to the van. I shall wait for you. Dad x
~
Gemma stepped from the bathroom.
Vassili stood in the corridor and whistled. ‘Wow! Jemima, you look so hot! Really hot!’
She looked at Alyssa, embarrassed by her boyfriend’s attentions.
‘Do I?’ She wasn’t sure.
‘Ay ay ay, you are perfect and you shall earn so much money that it will only be matter of time.’ He winked at her.
They had agreed not to tell Alyssa of their plans to leave London and go to the seaside. She felt her cheeks flush. Alyssa had talked her through the ropes; there was a long list of dos and don’ts. It was just business, a job. The secret was not to think about it too much.
Alyssa slipped a little white oval into her palm. ‘Take this, Jemima, it will make it easier for you.’
Gemma popped the tablet on her tongue and washed it down with the last of the vodka. She was all set. Climbing down the stairs in her high heels, she felt invincible and sexy. This was life. This was living.
Vassili called from the top landing. ‘I’ll be waiting for you, hot chick!’
She waved up at him through the stairwell. She sauntered out of the front door and strolled along Praed Street, enjoying the looks that she got from every pair of male eyes and feeling a swell of excitement in her stomach that she had never experienced before. She crossed over and her phone buzzed in her bag.
There was a text from Vas: Tonight, you are so beautiful.
She smiled. Tonight she felt beautiful.
There was another text. She opened it and the breath
‘I don’t want us to finish.’ Her voice was small. ‘I really love you.’
‘Well, I don’t want us to finish either. I love you too. It would make me so happy if you did this one thing. You shouldn’t think about it so much, it is only doing what you and I do, but without the love. That should make it easy, no?’
‘I’m not sure. I do want you to be happy and I do want us to be together.’
‘Then it’s easy, Jemima. You work for me and we save and then we go forever!’
‘To our house by the sea?’
‘To our house by the sea. Where we can sit in the garden and make barbeque and dance under the stars.’ He gripped her hand.
She smiled. It sounded lovely.
~
Neil managed to stay away for two days. On the third, he finished his rounds and pulled up on the edge of the road around the corner from the chicken shop. He hadn’t slept for two nights, mulling over the options, trying to decide what to do next. He had come up with a plan. He figured that if he could just get her to come home, they could work on her, persuade her and make it so comfortable that she wouldn’t ever want to be anywhere else. He would tell her about the caravan holiday that they could book and the iPod they would buy her. She could leave school; do whatever. Nothing mattered more than getting her home and keeping her safe.
~
Gemma applied her make-up in the bathroom mirror. Alyssa watched and smiled, nodding her approval as Gemma painted her lips a glossy red.
‘You look beautiful!’
Gemma smiled, embarrassed. ‘Really?’
‘Yes, really. And such a great little figure. This will be easy for you, Jemima.’
Gemma pulled at the short denim skirt that kept riding up and tried to make the gap between the over-the-knee boots and the skirt smaller. She swigged at the little glass of vodka that Alyssa had poured her; it certainly helped soothe her nerves and made the whole event feel like a bit of an adventure.
~
Neil sent a text to Gemma’s mobile.
I am around the corner, Gemma, on the edge of Praed Street and Junction Place. I’m in the van and would dearly love to talk to you, Gem. If you don’t want to come home, that’s fine, but this is our chance to wipe the slate clean and start over. You would make Mum and me the happiest people on the planet. We love you and we miss you and nothing else really matters. Please, Gemma, come to the van. I shall wait for you. Dad x
~
Gemma stepped from the bathroom.
Vassili stood in the corridor and whistled. ‘Wow! Jemima, you look so hot! Really hot!’
She looked at Alyssa, embarrassed by her boyfriend’s attentions.
‘Do I?’ She wasn’t sure.
‘Ay ay ay, you are perfect and you shall earn so much money that it will only be matter of time.’ He winked at her.
They had agreed not to tell Alyssa of their plans to leave London and go to the seaside. She felt her cheeks flush. Alyssa had talked her through the ropes; there was a long list of dos and don’ts. It was just business, a job. The secret was not to think about it too much.
Alyssa slipped a little white oval into her palm. ‘Take this, Jemima, it will make it easier for you.’
Gemma popped the tablet on her tongue and washed it down with the last of the vodka. She was all set. Climbing down the stairs in her high heels, she felt invincible and sexy. This was life. This was living.
Vassili called from the top landing. ‘I’ll be waiting for you, hot chick!’
She waved up at him through the stairwell. She sauntered out of the front door and strolled along Praed Street, enjoying the looks that she got from every pair of male eyes and feeling a swell of excitement in her stomach that she had never experienced before. She crossed over and her phone buzzed in her bag.
There was a text from Vas: Tonight, you are so beautiful.
She smiled. Tonight she felt beautiful.
There was another text. She opened it and the breath
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