Man Seeks Woman 2, Man Seeks Wife Page 3

  “I’m Brad.” Ahh, that matched the B.W. printed on his handkerchief.

  “Well, Brad.” I gulped down a healthy dose of my drink then smiled at him over the rim of the glass. “What are you doing here tonight?”

  Brad shifted in his seat, his right hand rubbing the condensation from the side of his beer glass. “Just came out for a drink.”

  “Hmmm,” I twisted my lips to the side as I studied him. For a person coming out just for a drink, he certainly didn’t look like it. I mean he wore a black satin, ironed to a pin shirt with dark trousers that looked somewhat expensive and okay type of shoes. His hair that was as dark as noir itself was gelled and styled as if he’d spent at least three hours with it in the mirror. Actually come to think about it, he had Essex boy written all over him, not city boy like I would have expected.

  “Got a girlfriend?” I asked, completely out of the blue. Not that I actually wanted to know but he seemed so confident at the bar and now, he looked a little lost and to be honest, he looked like he was waiting for me to take a bite out of him.

  Not gonna happen well, not that kind of bite anyhow.

  Brad, poor Brad fidgeted again and downed some of his pint before shaking his head. A shadow passed in his dark brown eyes that made me sit up and take notice. I was sure someone had hurt poor Brad.

  “No.” He swallowed and glanced at me, because he was kind of avoiding eye contact with me. “No girlfriend.”

  “Why not?” escaped my mouth before I even had the thought not to say it.

  He shifted again. “Can I be honest with you?”

  My brows rose and I nodded. He leaned into the table, resting his elbows on the edge and turned his head to me so he was looking at me now. “She cheated on me.” Now he looked downright relieved to have gotten that little thing out there.

  Oh crap! Why did I always have to end up with the nutter on the bus?

  “You weren’t supposed to say that, were you?”

  Brad huffed out a laugh and sucked more of his pint down. “No but there is just something about you that makes me nervous as hell. At first I thought you looked hot and everything sitting at the bar with those boobs of yours all out there and all but then when you spoke and the look you gave me when I handed you my handkerchief, you changed all of that.”

  “So you don’t think I’m hot anymore?” I had to play with him.

  His mouth open and closed, sputtering, “No, it’s not that—“

  I held my hand up then patted his hand with it. “I’m just fucking with you, don’t worry about it. If I’m honest with you, I smelled you first then looked at you and what you’re wearing and had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.”

  A frown appeared between his brows as he glanced down uncertain at his clothing then looked back up at me. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

  “Are you on the rebound?”

  “No.” He answered quietly.

  Uh-huh. “When did you break up with her?”

  “Two weeks ago.”

  I rolled my eyes and slammed my palm down on the table, effectively drawing attention to us. “So you are on the rebound. Were you hoping to get your dick wet tonight?”

  Brad covered his reddening face with his hands and nodded whilst laughing. “I thought with you but you’re something else.”

  I pursed my lips and patted his shoulder as I leaned into the table. “Wasn’t gonna happen anyway, buddy.”

  “Not with you, obviously, but do you think I have a chance with anyone else in here?” At first I thought he was kidding but the sincerity in his eyes told me he wasn’t. He really was hoping to get deep down under tonight.

  Hmmm!

  I turned in my seat and scanned the bar. I blinked at the other customers, trying to get my eyes to stop from two of each person appearing. When my eyes stopped playing tricks on me, I scanned the girls around, looking for ones that had that vibe and look about them that screamed ‘come and get me’.

  “Her.” I pointed my pink fingernail at a dark haired woman in the corner all by herself. Her own eyes seemed to be taking everyone in from her little space.

  Brad leaned into my side, his head tilted and his dark eyes narrowed. He watched her for a minute before asking, “Are you sure?”

  “Yep,” I nodded and reached for my drink, taking a little sip. “Go get her, tiger.”

  “What about you?”

  I snorted, accidentally snorting the drink up my nose. I coughed and spluttered all over myself and Brad until he handed me back his handkerchief. “Oh shit.” My eyes were even worse than before and I felt liquid in my sinuses.

  Yuck!

  “Are you okay?”

  “Fine,” I blew my nose, loudly then cleared my throat. “Get going, Brad.”

  “What about you?” he asked again. I could see he wanted to go because his leg was bouncing and his hands were fidgeting all over the place and not to mention, his eyes were flicking between me and the girl in the corner.

  “Oh.” I dragged out the word on a sigh. “I’ll be fine. I’ll probably find some random guy in here, get him to buy me a couple more drinks then when I can’t feel anything anymore, I’ll let him take me outside and fuck me into oblivion against a dirty skank wall.”

  Brad’s eyes were wide and animated as he swallowed. “Seriously,”

  “Yeah,” Or maybe not, I sighed again. “Or I’ll just go home in the state I’m in now or a little worse and use my vibrator thinking about a man that is continuously haunting my thoughts and hope to cum my lot all over myself.”

  Damn, I was being honest tonight.

  The beer Brad had just inhaled came spraying out of his mouth as he choked. The liquid landed down the front of his shirt and all over the table. I stood up quickly and thumped his back. “Did your Mother not tell you to chew your food?” I joked, wiping his face with the handkerchief. “Mind yourself.”

  “Fucking hell, Victoria,” He shook his head and blinked, still wide eyed at me. “How comes you haven’t got a boyfriend?”

  “I don’t do boyfriends.” I said quietly. I didn’t do anything recently. Oh God, I could feel a pity party coming on. “Time for more drinks,”

  Yep drinks would definitely help right about now.

  “I’ll get us some more.”

  Brad stood and went to move but I grabbed hold of his arm, stopping him. “Why aint you go getting that bird? I thought you wanted to get laid.”

  “I do.” He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “But...I like talking with you and I can always watch her from here for a while.”

  “I’m not sure I want your company.” I told him honestly. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings but he was young, younger than me and I didn’t want to spoil his fun with the shit going on in my life.

  “Right,” He said and walked off towards the bar.

  I sighed heavily and slunk back into the booth. My phone in my bag chimed, telling me I had a new text message. My hand went to grab it but I thought better of it and left it where it was. Whoever the hell it was could wait.

  Minutes later, Brad was back with another round of drinks. Clearly he had ignored me.

  “You don’t know what you’re letting yourself in for.” I warned snatching my drink.

  “How about you let me decide that?”

  “Fine,” I snapped and sipped at my drink. I bit my lip and tapped my foot against the table leg, eying him over the rim of my glass. “I haven’t had a good shag in six months.” I blurted out all in one go.

  Brad nodded slowly and sat back in the booth. “That’s not that long, Vic. People have gone longer, much longer.”

  I made a face, huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, somewhat petulantly. “It is for me especially when the last shag you had was one of the best.”

  “Me and my girlfriend didn’t have sex very often; she was more into other things.” He shifted again and even blushed a little. Even with the cake layer of tan on his face, I could tell. “And well, I wa
nted the sex and she wanted the other things, many other things. I guess that’s why she cheated on me.”

  “That’s no reason to cheat, buddy.” And it fucking well wasn’t. People these days got right on my tits.

  Now, he snorted but said nothing. We sat in silence until he shifted in his seat again. His manicured tipped fingers tapped softly on the edge of the table. “Were you hurt by someone recently?”

  “Hurt?” I blew out a breath. “Me?” I patted my chest and shook my head. “Never,”

  The way Brad looked at me made me now shift in my seat. Suddenly, he looked older and wiser and damn right inquisitive. “Denial,” He said simply.

  Was I really that transparent?

  I was a fucking liar is what I was.

  “You’re right.” I gave in and slumped in my seat. I gripped my glass in my hand and ran my fingers down the side of it, back and fourth, up and down. “I got so hurt, I cried for God sake. Me, Victoria Jennings cried over a man.” I slammed my hand down on the table again. “I cried over a man.” I admitted this huge statement a little quieter this time. “I think about him all the time, the fucker. I want to thump him one minute with my shoe then love him the next minute. I want him between my legs then I never want to see his,” I groaned and slapped my hands over my face. “Gorgeous face again.” and Sebastian was gorgeous, there was no doubt about it.

  “Oh shit.”

  “Yeah,” I nodded and whimpered, pouting a little as well. “Oh shit.”

  “Do you know what the best thing for a broken heart is?”

  I looked up at Brad; his brown eyes were filled with a little pity and some understanding. I sighed whilst sitting back against the seat. “Nope,” I said with a pop.

  “More alcohol,”

  Best idea I’ve heard all night. “Line em’ up, cowboy,”

  Chapter Four

  Humph.

  Today was just not my day.

  It started with my alarm clock not working because my electric had run out therefore nothing electrical worked. Duh, of course not. The only reason I woke up was because my neighbour Mr. Jones thought it was a good idea to start his home redecoration at seven o’clock in the pigging morning.

  Normally, I would have been out of bed at that time and in the shower or burning toast as I got ready for work.

  Of course, this morning I wasn’t.

  The moment I woke up, I knew something was wrong. I fished the phone off my side table and screamed when I saw the time. I practically fell out of the bed and then tripped over last nights heels that I hadn’t put away. I kicked them aside and quickly scrabbled through my wardrobe wondering what the hell I was supposed to wear and found practically nothing because being the lazy shit that I was, I didn’t do my washing yesterday like I was supposed to.

  Instead last night, I’d gone out with the idea in mind to get laid but that didn’t happen. In return, I met Brad who became my new BFF. Proper nice guy that Brad. After I’d gotten home, I’d obviously stripped out of my clothing, dumping them all on the floor then collapsed in bed.

  So, I stood in front of my wardrobe with my head in my hands and cried pitifully at the scraps of what I had left which was a leopard print sleeveless shirt that was totally inappropriate for December in London and another skirt that I had to fight with the devil to get into. I snatched both items from the hangers and dumped them on my bed. I then went to the underwear drawer where I cursed a blue streak to heaven and back again when I saw that the only underwear I had were thongs.

  Of course I liked thongs just as most women liked them but not today. Today, I would have preferred to wear comfy knickers but no, it just wasn’t meant to be.

  Pushing my underwear drawer closed, I opened the next one for my bras and tights only to see that I didn’t in fact have any tights clean. I had only stockings and forty-denier at that. I grimaced and yanked them out with a support bra and slid the drawer closed with my hip.

  Not having time for a shower, I quickly washed with cold water because even though I had more than enough gas available, I needed the boiler to heat it, therefore needing electricity, which I didn’t have. The mood I was in once I finished the wash was not good, not good at all.

  I got dressed and wrestled for a good ten minutes with the black stretchy skirt that like yesterday’s one, stuck to me like a second skin. I also had to fight to get the stockings up my legs without my nails creating runners. Then I had to clip the belt onto the tops of the stockings with said long nails that seriously needed a good manicure.

  Once I was finished, I grabbed my handbag and stuffed my makeup bag inside it, pledging that I would do my usual routine once I got into work. I skipped breakfast and locked up my flat only to get down the road and the heavens to open up.

  I dug through my oversized handbag for my teeny bright pink umbrella that I’d gotten for a steal in the pound shop and pushed the little button, waiting for it to pop up but did it? No. I stood fighting with it in the middle of my street with the stupid pink thing, rattling it in my hands and throwing it out for it to spring open but it never did.

  In temper I threw the devil object aside and watched in shocked amazement as it popped open the moment it hit the concrete.

  The heavy rain poured over me soaking my faux fur coat that was no doubt ruined now as I stood with a slack jaw watching my umbrella smiling at me from the ground. Looking either side of me to make sure no-one in particular was watching, I quickly ran over to it on my heels and bent down to pick the thing up only for it to collapse back in my hands again, deflating like a rubber ring with a hole in it.

  “Stupid fucking thing,” I muttered and threw it back to the ground again and turned around only to step into a puddle and soak my entire foot.

  From then on, I walked to the tube station completely soaked and one of my feet squelching every time I took a step.

  Fifteen minutes later and looking like a completely drowned rat, I finally reached the Tube station only for the trains to be delayed due to some signal failure at Liverpool Street Station. I groaned and walked down the steps slowly, avoiding the little puddles of dirty water that had formed. I walked all the way down to the end of the packed platform and huddled myself into one of the corners.

  Now as I stood there, I blew out a breath and wiped away the wet hair from my forehead as I checked my watch. It was near half past eight. I was supposed to be in work at eight o’clock.

  With a frown that was perpetually marred on my face by now, I rummaged through my handbag for my phone and groaned out loud then slapped my forehead with the palm of my hand when I realised that I left my stupid phone on the bedside cabinet.

  This was just not my day, it really wasn’t.

  All around me, the rain got heavier, big splats of it landing on the platform, creating little puddles everywhere.

  The train came minutes later and was absolutely crammed. I ran to the carriage and barged my way through, not giving a toss about the comments or people clucking their tongues and cursing me to death. I needed to get to work damn it. If they wanted to stand around like knobs, then be my guest.

  I managed to get onto the train and wished I hadn’t. I got pushed up against a beast of a man who smelt like he’d not showered in fucking forever. I pulled a face as I tried to turn away from his arm pit that was currently in my face but I couldn’t. Dear God, the man smelled like a corpse.

  Okay, I got it. I understood and accepted that there were people out there in the world that were in fact allergic to soap for various reasons but come on! Did that mean that they had to walk around smelling? No.

  Holding my breath did nothing but make my lungs burn and my eyes water. I tried lowering my head but that put my forehead and hair against his sweat stained armpit. The man wasn’t even wearing a coat even though it was December for Christ’s sake. If he’d been wearing one, perhaps it might have masked the overwhelming stench omitting from him.

  I closed my eyes tight and tried to breath in clean air but it wasn’
t happening. I opened my eyes again and looked around into the eyes of another woman who looked to be having the same problem as me. She stood by the opposite door with an extremely tall man’s armpit in her face. I was kind of jealous; her man had a coat on at least.

  I grimaced at her and she smiled before lowering her head.

  The man with his pit in my face shifted and rubbed up against me. I span around in the tight cramped space and shoved my finger in his gut. “Move away boyo.” I snapped.

  Said man looked down at me. The stubble on his face was more than just a couple of day’s growth and he had yellow headed spots around his mouth and cheeks. Ugh. “Sorry.” He mumbled and tried to move again only to rub himself up against me again.

  Sorry my arse.

  A gasp left me when I felt something hard, something very hard press into my side. My mouth opened in shock then snapped shut. I didn’t fucking think so. I elbowed the people who were cramming me against him and got them to move, so I could move away from him.

  “Get that...” I flicked my fingers down at the straining cock in his trousers. “Away from me, you fucking knob jockey.”

  The man’s face reddened as he tried to back up against the door. Actually, he looked like he wanted to crawl into a corner and seep into a wall, be forgotten. Now he could. Everyone around us seemed to suddenly find some space and make way for him. I didn’t know whether it was because they got a whiff of him or whether it was the abundantly straining dick wanting to bust its way out of his trousers that got everyone to move. Either way, I was happy to finally have some breathing space.

  Finally I was off the train and running up the stairs in my heels, silently praying that I didn’t topple or fall over. I didn’t. I got to the top and through the barriers without issue. I stopped outside in the rain and sucked in breaths. I grimaced when I still smelt Mr. Stink on my coat and around me.

  Shivering, I quickly walked down the road to the building I worked in and climbed the concrete steps. I entered through the glass doors and waved to Evelyn who worked the main switchboard.

  “You’re late.” She mouthed, with the phone stuck to her ear.