Topical Application to All Affected Areas...

Bath was bustling with daily shoppers by the time I arrived. The Central Cafe was quiet however as most of the local travelers had left for the festival already. I ate alone, genuinely annoyed that there was no one here to pay me attention. After some idle time at the shops and a new pair of shoes I headed to the Boater, but it was the same story there. No friendly faces, just strangers.

No John.

I guessed that he could be at college.

The men at the Boater were more interested in the Rugby than in me. I should have stayed here amidst their indifference. Instead I left, just as the first few large drops of rain plummeted from the clouds and splashed upon my skin. Thunder crashed in the distance and the pedestrians ceased window shopping to dash for cover. Within moments it seemed that I was the only one left. I walked through the town centre, occasionally being passed by a dashing figure with an umbrella at hand. The rain fell harder and the thunder crashed closer. I walked slowly, chin up, never shrinking from the wind or the rain. Unlike the other people, I had nothing to lose in this sensation of cold wet skin. 'What did they fear?' I wondered.

I soon found myself in a quiet square with pretty trees and expensive boutiques.

On the corner of the square was a pub. A biker pub.

I thought for a moment that John might be there, but by the time my damp fingers contacted with the cold glass of the door - I no longer cared. The barman handed me a dry bar towel, offered by his heavily tattooed hand, tipped with dirty fingers.
'You look a bit damp love. Dry yourself off with this.' I nodded my thanks and looked around as I scanned the crowd for sight of him, rubbed my neck and shoulders dry.
'Newcastle Brown please. No glass.'
'Newcastle Brown. No glass.' He repeated as if to remind himself. 'So what brings you here love? I've not seen you before.'
'Sheltering from the rain I guess.'
'I'll buy her drink.' Said a voice from my left. And I turned to see a man I had not seen before. 'Keith.' He said holding out a hand to shake. Keith was at this point oblivious to the fact that in this one simple gesture, he had become a very lucky man.

I shook Keith's hand firmly and smiled. 'I'm Claire. Thanks for the drink Keith.'

Keith nodded towards a table and asked if I cared to join him. I did.

'I've seen you in the Hat & Feather.' Keith offered me a cigarette. I took two. One for each of us. Lit them both then handed him a lipstick stained smoke.
'I've not seen you there.'
'You are more memorable than me then. I gave you a cigarette in there once.'
I waved my smoke in the air. 'Guess that makes two then.'
Keith was in his early twenties. A tall, slim, dark skinned biker that was uneducated but a great fuck. Ok. So the first three were observations and the latter two assumptions, but who cares. Tonight was not going to end in a cold damp bender for me.
'Are you cold?' He asked.
'Do you want to fuck me Keith?'
Keith laughed raucously. 'You're not backwards in coming forwards are you!' He took another swig of his beer 'I don't think a girl has ever had the balls to ask that one before.'
'Do you live near here?'
'Well the answers are yes - and yes. Just a short walk down the canal. Why? Are we going?'
'Not yet.' I reached out with one leg under the table and placed a foot on his groin. 'I wouldn't want you to think that I was easy after all. Two more beers and a packet of peanuts might tempt me back out in the rain though.' And I pressed my foot firmer into his crotch.

The rain. It still pelted against the windows. Still sat damp against my skin.

'I like the rain.' I said, chasing the trail of a rain drop with a finger.

'I'm glad you do.' He smiled as he headed to the bar for some beer and nuts, calling back to me, 'The rain suits you.'

I watched as he brought the beers to our table. Enjoyed the pretense of normality for a moment. It felt good to laugh and flirt with a man again. Then, I watched as he went to the upper part of the bar and spoke with a heavily tattooed man. I smiled wide as he showed me the plastic bag on his return.

'Let's save this for the 'Fucking' part of our afternoon.' He said with a wink.
'Speed?' I asked.
'Coke.' Replied Keith. 'I don't mess with cheap shit.'

I put money in the duke box. The Specials. The Cult. Some heavy metal requested by him. The thunder hit louder and the storm showed no sign of passing.

We held eye contact but said nothing for the longest time. Spoke only with our eyes. He broke the silence first. 'You should dance in the rain for me.'
'Ok.' I replied.

And dance I did. After, he threw his jacket over my shoulders and led me running through the town. Both of us were soaked by the time we reached the canal. I don't recall a single word said on that journey. I just remember really wanting him. I had not felt a moment of equality with a man for a long time. I was tempted several times just to push him to the cold wet grass, but the anticipation of this promised liaison was too much fun.

By the time we entered the block of flats I had imagined fucking him a thousand times. As he fumbled with the keys, I ran a hand up his back and felt his bare warm skin properly for the first time. Once inside he pulled off his t-shirt and threw it to the floor, then he lifted me up and threw me over his shoulder.

I giggled as he ran up the stairs with me.

'Put me down!'

He booted the bedroom door open with his foot and carried me to the bed. I lay there looking at Keith, breathing heavily. Keith stood there, staring back at me.
'Music!' He suddenly shouted, fumbling through a pile of vinyl and selecting an album. 'Oh and by the way, it's your turn now.'
'My turn to what?'
'To get your bloody kit off girl.'
'How about some coke?' I looked about the room, absorbing every little thing I could. Learning as much about him as my eyes could take. This room was messy but comfortable. Lived in. Partied in. It was his room. It hadn't escaped my notice that not all the items in the room were masculine either. If a woman didn't live here, she stayed here often.
'You'll have to get that dress off, 'cause the coke ain't for you nose Babe.' He pulled off his jeans then joined me on the bed wearing only a pair of boxer shorts. 'The coke...' He lay a hand between my legs, 'Is for here'. Then he pulled down the top of my dress and kissed each nipple 'And here...and here.'

Coke sex.

Best darn sex in the world.

Afternoon merged into evening and the coke merged into everything. Lines snorted on stomachs. Smears licked off genitalia. His eyes got sexier with every dilation of his pupils.

Evening merged into night. I remember a visitor coming, the man from the pub maybe. More coke in a second bag. More lines on skin.

Skin on skin.

'You have the prettiest eyes that I have ever seen.' I spoke to him through coke numb lips 'And the prettiest tongue.' So I probed a coke dipped finger, first in his mouth and then in mine.

'I like you Mr Keith. You're more fun than a bucket of sand.' We both giggled at the stupidity of this analogy. Lay back coke tired on the pillows, all of us tender from drugs and kissing, we smoked cigarettes and contemplated more.

More coke.

More sex.

Morning.

I padded to the bathroom, barefoot, softly. Showered. Noted the box of tampons on the shelf and the contraceptive pills in a drawer. Where was she?

Keith met me on the landing. Back in his boxer shorts with his hair all fucked up and sticking out all over the place, he hopped from foot to foot.
'I'm dying for a waz Babe. Don't go anywhere...' And he rushed into the toilet.
Back in the bedroom I lit up a cigarette and searched for the glass of water that I had fetched in the night. My mouth felt like shit and my head was throbbing from the lack of sleep.
Funny, but he was better looking than I remembered, I watched him again as he walked back into the room. My Rock star. Mine.
'One fucking hell of a night eh?' He rubbed his face in an attempt to shake back reality.
'I had fun.'
You stupid cow. Is that the best that you can manage? I chastised myself for not thinking of a better line, a line of girlfriend leaving greatness.
'Fun! Oh Man, the boys aren't going to fucking believe this one. I'm the luckiest bastard in Lucky Bastardville. You are a top bird. Top night Babe. One of the fucking best.'
'Marry me then.'
Ok, a little extreme maybe.
Keith did no more than laugh, 'Chicks like you are out of my league Babe. Besides, I'm already married.'

Pity, because I would have married him that day.

Continued...