Читать книгу The Drowning of Arthur Braxton - Caroline Smailes, Darren Craske - Страница 20

Later, I was sitting at my desk when he came over and sat on the edge as usual, bending in right close to look at his appointments in the book.

‘I haven’t had a virgin for a couple of years,’ he said. I looked at him, he stared at me.

At first I thought I’d heard him wrong and so I didn’t say a word back to him. And that’s when he said, ‘You’d better be a virgin. I don’t want to be wasting my time on you. No one likes a filthy whore.’

‘I am,’ I said and I blushed again.

‘You’re a prick-tease, that’s what you are. We had a deal, you owe me,’ he said, before pushing the appointment book onto the floor and ordering me to pick it up. I didn’t at first, I was looking around to see if anyone was watching. They weren’t. And that’s when he shouted. ‘Pick the fucker up.’

I bent to pick up the book.

‘And the toilets in my changing rooms need cleaning,’ he said, before walking off.

That was a couple of hours ago and I’ve still not plucked up the courage to go into his changing rooms. I don’t want to be near him, I don’t even want to be here in The Oracle. I told Mum last night, told her about how weird Martin was and how he made me feel and Mum said that I should just grin and bear it. And then she said that I should stop my moaning and be grateful that I had a job and that we needed the money, and if I gave up then she’d have to think twice about whether or not I could go to college.

So I go to have a look in the Males 2nd Class changing rooms. I push the door open and shout a ‘hello’ but no one replies. I walk around, looking and looking some more, but it all seems to be pretty clean. I mean I know Maggie, the cleaner, was in this morning. I mean she comes in every morning. There’s no towels lying around, the floor isn’t dirty, there’s not even any water on the floor. I’m walking towards the toilet and that’s when I realise that he’s in the changing rooms too.

‘Time you let me suck on those little titties of yours,’ he says. I turn. He’s standing in front of the door so there’s no way I can get out. ‘Undo your dress, time to pay up,’ he says.

‘I just came to check—’ I say, but he interrupts with, ‘We both know why you came here.’

‘You told me to,’ I say.

‘You’re not stupid. Take your dress off and stop playing games,’ he says. ‘Do as I say or you’ll get the sack,’ he says. ‘And I’ll make sure no one round here gives you a job,’ he says.

I start walking towards him, hoping to get around him, hoping for a miracle, a something to make this better. He grabs my arm.

‘Get off,’ I say, trying to wriggle away, but that makes him grip harder and pull me in closer.

‘I’m going to taste you,’ he says. ‘That’s what lovers do.’

I feel sick, I’m crying, I want him to stop, I want to be back at my desk, with my book, with the clients, with the appointment book. And that’s when he lets go of my arm and that’s when he opens the door out of the changing room.

‘Off you go, prick-tease,’ he says and he slaps my arse as I walk past.

I’m still crying when I get to the desk. Silver’s there, he’s watching me, but when my eyes meet his he turns away.

‘Silver,’ I say, ‘what shall I do?’

‘Run for your life,’ Silver whispers, but he carries on walking.