Ashford pulled off his tie and undid the buttons to the white shirt. Within an hour he’d be meeting his best friend and partner for a night out. Every day was Friday to Ashford and Brett. He pulled off the black suit trousers, and finally the white blue Versace boxers. Ashford walked to the floor to ceiling mirror and admired his huge cock. It was the one thing he was proud of, as if that made him the man he was. He turned from side to side and admired his toned body. Not thoroughly satisfied, he back stepped, picked up his iPhone and took some nude pictures. Now he was satisfied. He was perfect!
The shower hit his body and he got clean. A few minutes later he slipped on a pair of tight black jeans, another white shirt, but this time the top buttons were left undone, and finally his shoes. Again he stood in front of the mirror and admired himself. Satisfied he called for his driver.
As he walked out the mansion and into the waiting Jaguar, his mobile rang.
‘Dad?’
‘Behave yourself tonight.’
Ashford laughed.
‘I’m serious son. My heart can only take so much. You know that wherever you go, people are always watching.’
‘Dad. I built my own empire, I don’t have to preserve yours.’
‘Yes you do, you’re the heir to it.’
‘I don’t want it. Give it to Florence.’
‘You know that’s not how it works. Now I suggest you keep out of trouble. You’ll kill your mother otherwise.’
Ashford looked at his phone, and then put it back to his ear. ‘I’ll do my best.’ He hung up.
‘Where to sir?’ asked John, his driver?
‘The usual. I’m meeting Brett.’
‘Yes sir.’
The car sped off. Ashford sat back and enjoyed the ride.
****
‘Mum, I’m home.’ Grace let herself into the house carrying a few Tesco bags. ‘Are you alright?’ She stopped at the doorway to the living-room.
Gloria looked up slowly at her daughter.
‘Mum.’ She put down the shopping bags, and rushed for her mother who lay in her hospital bed.
‘I’ll be fine. I’m just tired. It was a hard day today.’
Just then the carer descended the stairs.
‘Hey Grace,’ she said.
‘Hey. How was she? Did the nurse come?’
‘She’s been okay. Haven’t you Gloria?’
‘Yes.’ Gloria smiled slightly.
‘A nurse came this morning and the other this afternoon. They increased the dosage to the medication this afternoon. She seemed to have been in a lot of pain. But she’s fine now.’
Grace nodded and picked up the paperwork that was on the coffee table. She read the medication. This was her field, she knew exactly what was being given and why, she just hated to know that it was her mother.
‘Are you in any pain now?’
‘No, I’m fine now. I had a nice nap.’ Her mother smiled mildly.
‘Okay. We’ll talk more in a minute.’
Grace walked the carer to the door. ‘Thanks.’
‘You’re welcome. She’s a strong woman.’
‘I know.’
‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’
Grace nodded, opened the door and the carer left.
‘Do you want to try and eat something? I got you some strawberries.’
Gloria was silent for a moment. It sometimes took her a while to register what was being said, and how to answer it.
‘I’ll try the strawberries, honey,’ she said.
‘Okay.’
‘How are you doing?’ Gloria put her feeble hand over her daughters.
‘I’m fine mum, don’t worry about me.’
‘Oh but I must. When I’m gone you’ll be all alone.’
‘No I won’t. I’ve got friends.’
‘You know what I mean.’
‘Don’t worry about that.’
‘Oh sweetheart, I don’t want you to miss out on life because of all this.’
‘I’m not. I’m okay.’ She blinked back the tears so her mother couldn’t see the pain she felt.
‘It will all be okay honey.’ Gloria patted her hand.
‘Yes it will.’
Gloria smiled even though she knew things weren’t okay with Grace.
‘How about I get those strawberries.’
‘Sounds good.’ She smiled.
Grace picked up the shopping bags and headed for the kitchen. There was mail on the kitchen table. Two brown envelopes and three white ones. Her heart picked up pace. The letters alone made her feel out of control. It had been this way ever since her mother had moved in. Grace had to cut back her hours at the hospital to take care of her mother. There had been the offer to move Gloria to a hospice, but Grace wouldn’t have it. It was her job to make sure her mother was taken care of by her, and that she was in familiar surroundings.
In the brown letter was the demand for council tax. It was the final warning before going to court. The second letter was the demand for water payment. That was overdue by two months, and there was one from the gas company. Grace sat down deflated. All of this was exhausting. She was being buried under a pile of bills. She dropped her head into her hands a moment, and took time to just breathe. Something had to happen before they came after her home. The other envelopes remained opened. She didn’t care to worry about the credit card bills, they’d be dealt with later.
Her strength returned somewhat, and she took the time to clean the strawberries and cut them up into manageable pieces for Gloria.
‘Here you go, mum.’
‘Oh thank you dear.’
Grace helped her up by adjusting the bed.
‘Would you like my help?’
‘I’ll be fine. I’m not at that stage yet.’ She tried to joke.
Grace smiled mildly. It had been hard. The news of her mother’s cancer had hit her hard. Skin cancer was rarer among darker skins, but not impossible. The doctor had dismissed her a few times about the mole beneath her foot. By the time it was diagnosed it was too late. It had spread in the most vicious way. Now all that could be offered was palliative care to make Gloria as comfortable as possible.
‘I’ll be in the kitchen.’
‘That’s alright.’ She nodded for her to go.
Grace put the spaghetti bolognaise meal for one in the microwave. When that was done, the large apple pie went straight in. She sat down and ate. When she ate, something took over. This wasn’t always the case. Only when the pressure became too much. She dug in, and pushed it into her mouth. The movement was repeated over and over until there wasn’t a single string of spaghetti left. There was no time to take a break as she dug into the apple pie. The more she stuffed herself, the worse she felt, but she kept going. Finally all was clear.
Grace sat still for a moment and let all the feelings of guilt, of anger rise up within her. She pushed back the chair and headed straight for the upstairs bathroom, so that Gloria wouldn’t hear her. With the door shut, she turned on the shower as an extra precaution. She knelt down at the toilet bowl, and poked her fingers down her throat. As the food came up, she felt better and better until finally she’d cleared herself of the guilt. She stood up, flushed the toilet and washed her hands and mouth. She looked in the mirror a moment. There wasn’t much she liked about the reflection gazing back at her. Gloria had always told her she was pretty, but that’s what mothers were supposed to say. But the school grounds were a different story. Fat and ugly were the common names used to describe her. The weight had been off and on since the teen years. And for the moment, it stayed on. It never seemed to shift.
The truth was, Grace was beautiful. She had her mother’s round hips and bum, the beautiful African body. It was who she was and no amount of exercise would rid her of that. She wasn’t overweight, it was the right weight for her bone structure. But even if that was the case, she never did fit in. Growing up had been hard, not just at school, but at home too. She had watched her mother nurse her father through a stroke. Not long after his stroke, he died of a heart attack. That was when the eating and vomiting got worse. Grace had hidden it very well from her mother and all throughout university while she trained to be a nurse. That was the ironic part. Grace was always good at helping everyone else, but herself. She could help a person with a mental illness, but failed to recognise her own. Grace denied she had one, even though she knew all the signs and symptoms.
‘Okay.’ She was satisfied about how she felt.
Gloria was half asleep when she got downstairs. She took the plate with the half eaten strawberries.
‘I didn’t mean to wake you.’
‘It’s okay honey. I wasn’t really asleep.’ She smiled. ‘Just shutting my eyes. I tried my best.’ She nodded at the strawberries.’
‘I know mum. Don’t worry about it.’
Grace knew the hard truth that soon her mother wouldn’t be eating at all. The body’s way of shutting down. At least she was still drinking fluids. Her hope was that Gloria would be with her for as long as she could be.
‘Are you okay?’ asked Gloria.
‘I’m fine mum. Please stop worry.’
‘I can’t stop worrying about my baby.’
She smiled and ran her hands of over her mother’s hair. ‘How about I brush your hair?’
‘That would be nice.’
She picked up the soft brush and gently brushed her mother’s thinning hair. It was the gentle touch that soothed Gloria. The touch of her daughter. Once upon a time it had been the other way round. Although, Grace never relaxed when her hair was being done. It was usually a fight, but the thought brought comfort to Gloria. It had been her life, and now it was coming to an end.
‘I want you to promise me something,’ Gloria said softly.
‘Yes.’
‘Promise me that once I’m dead, you will find love. I don’t want you alone. I want you to have children of your own and a man who will love you.’
‘I promise mum. I don’t know how I’m going to find a man, but I’ll do my best.’ She laughed.
‘The right man will come into your life,’ she laughed lightly. ‘When cupid strikes, nothing will keep your soulmate from you.’
‘Oh mum.’ She laughed.
‘It’s true. You know when your dad and I met, I literally fell into his arms.’
Even though she’d heard that story a hundred times over, she was never bored by it. In fact, she loved listening to her mother tell it over and over.
‘I was dancing, minding my own business, and then lost my step. And before I hit the ground, I fell straight into his arms. It was love at first sight.’
‘You were very lucky to have dad in your life.’
‘Yes I was. He made me very happy.’
‘Are you sad he died?’
‘I am. But I didn’t dwell on that. Every time I remember him, I remember our good times together. And we had wonderful times.’ She smiled as she said that. ‘I can’t wait to see him.’
‘You really believe that?’
‘I do honey, and I wished you did too.’ Gloria had never forced her religion on her daughter. She always wanted her to make her own choices.
‘Yes well, I see life a little differently.’
‘And there is nothing wrong with that darling, as long as you’re happy.’
As she continued to brush her hair, they chatted.
‘Do you need anything?’
‘I think I need a little bit more pain medication.’
Grace nodded. She put the brush down and took another look at her mother’s chart, and checked the time of the last dosage.
‘Okay. You are due some now.’
‘Thank you baby.’
As the medicine was injected into the central catheter, Gloria’s eyes slowly began to close. For now, she’d be peaceful dreaming about being with her husband, while Grace faced her demons.
****
Ashford walked into the private club and headed straight for their table.
‘You’re late,’ said Brett, his friend and business partner. He took in a line of cocaine.
‘I had things to attend to.’ He looked around the club for beautiful women.
‘Like what? Yourself.’
‘You know me so well.’ He clicked for the waiter. ‘I want a bottle of your best champagne.’
‘Yes sir.’
‘So, what do you have for me?’ asked Brett.
‘Be patient my boy.’ He laughed as his eyes wandered and landed on a beautiful brunette. ‘I’ll be right back.’ He stood up and left Brett to sniff more of the coke.
He sat right next to the woman he’d been eyeing. ‘Hi,’ he smiled confidently.
‘Hi.’ She smiled back.
There were a few giggles from the other women.
‘Can I get you a drink?’ he asked.
‘I’ve got one thanks.’ Her eyes fluttered.
‘So, what brings a beautiful woman like yourself to this place?’
‘I do.’ A man was suddenly stood beside them.
‘Who the fuck are you?’ asked Ashford.
‘Her fiancé, who the fuck are you?’
Ashford looked at the woman’s hand, and suddenly noticed the ring. He leaned into her and whispered into her ear. ‘Dumb this asshole. You can do so much better.’
‘Hey!’ The man warned.
Ashford stood up and winked. ‘Let me know if you change your mind about him.’
The other women laughed as he walked away.
The champagne had arrived, and Brett was just where he needed to be.
‘So, give it to me,’ said Brett.
‘Let’s drink first. Your challenge will be here any minute now.’ He poured the champagne into the glasses.
‘I’m looking forward to it.’
‘You should.’ He drank, and his eyes wandered, looking for the next woman who might catch his eye.
He wanted unique. Not the magazine woman. Ashford was very particular. For one, the woman he dated should never be fat. A woman who had fat on her was a big no, no. In fact, he couldn’t stand it. As far as he was concerned it was their own doing. What he wanted was a woman who was not only beautiful, but had that something about her. It was what would draw him to a woman, and the body of course.
A man approached them.
‘Ah, you’re here,’ said Ashford.
‘Yes, for the two hours you booked.’
‘I doubt we’ll need two hours. He’s an easy comer.’ He laughed.
‘What the fucks going on?’ asked Brett.
‘This my friend...’ he pointed at the man. ‘... is your challenge.’
‘What do you mean my challenge?’
‘Exactly that.’ Ashford laughed. Brett’s face was comical. ‘Remember the deal. Take the challenge or pay. The choice is yours.’
Brett knew that he could lose half his shares in their company, making Ashford the majority holder. It was his suggestion to keep pushing up the stakes. It thrilled them both.
‘Fine.’
‘You asked for this. You wanted me to push you to the limit.’
‘Just remember it will be your turn soon.’
‘Bring it on. I’m up for any challenge.’
‘You sure about that?’
‘I am. Are you ready for yours?’
‘Bring it on.’ He rubbed his hands together.
Ashford clicked for the waiter’s attention.
‘Sir.’
‘We’re ready for our private room.’
Brett was about to speak up, but knew how this worked. He’d asked for the challenge. It was a thrill, an adrenaline rush. The more they’d risk, the more thrilling it was.
They followed the waiter to the private room. It had dimmed light, and there were another two bottles of champagne. The door shut behind them.
‘So I’m guessing this has something to do with him.’ Brett pointed at the man.
The man waited for instructions. He was about six foot, dark hair with a great body. He was gorgeous too, but Brett didn’t swing that way.
‘It does.’ He reached for the bottle and popped it opened.
‘Go on, tell me.’
Ashford took a big gulp straight from the bottle. ‘He’s going to suck your dick.’
‘Fuck no. I’m not fucking gay!’
‘Take it or leave it. I can’t wait for half of your shares. What’s that again, eight billion?’ He took another swig of the bubbly.
‘Fuck, Ash! This is really pushing it.’
‘You wanted a challenge, here it is. Drop them.’ He nodded at Brett’s trousers, and continued to drink.
Brett’s eyes moved from Ashford’s to the man. He couldn’t do this. He’d never hear the end of it.
‘What do you get out of this?’
‘A movie.’ He laughed.
‘Fuck no.’
‘You don’t get to choose, you know the rules.’ He was enjoying this.
‘I’m going to get you back for this.’
‘Drop them.’ He waited.
Brett eyed the guy again. He had to do this or loose. He’d lost a challenge before, but it was only two million pounds. That was pocket change. But now the challenges were getting riskier. They were challenging each other to do things they knew the other would be a bit disgusted to do.
He began to unbuckle. He could lose. He’d have to let this man whore suck his dick. The jeans dropped to the floor.
‘This is fucked up.’
‘Make him come.’ Ashford laughed. ‘If you don’t come, I win.’
He stood in his boxers a little hesitant. This was going to be fun. Ashford pulled out his mobile, and aimed it at Brett.
‘Do your job,’ Ashford told the man. ‘And make it good. You’ve got to earn that thousand bucks.’ He laughed.
The man walked up towards Brett. It was clear that he’d done this many times before. It was his job to get paid thousands of pounds to suck dick for the rich. He fell to his knees, and was face to face with Brett’s limp dick.
‘Shit.’ Brett held onto his forehead.
‘Want to back out?’
‘No fucking way.’ He got himself ready.
The man pulled down Brett’s boxers, and took the limp member into his hand.
‘Shit!’ He covered his eyes.
Ashford was in stitches, he found it hard to keep the camera straight.
The man licked up and down the limp cock until it stiffened.
‘Oh. Look at that!’ Ashford focused the camera. ‘You do like dick after all.’
‘Fuck off! You’re going to pay for this...shit!’ His head fell back as the man took in the bellend and teased it expertly.
‘Oh shit!’ The movements excited Brett. He hated to admit it, but the man gave a good blow job.
Just outside the doors of the private room, the waiter was anxious. He kept up serving the customers, but kept looking at the entrance. He’d given the correct time. Where was she? Just as he was about to take another order he noticed the red head enter the club.
‘I’ll be one second.’ He told the customers, and rushed towards her. ‘You’re late, you might not get anything.’
‘Sorry. I got caught up in something else juicy,’ said Anna. ‘What are those spoilt rich boys up to now?’
‘Well you better hurry up if you want to see. Private room number thirty two, and leave my name out of it.’
‘Don’t worry.’ She rushed off. The waiter went back to serving customers.
‘Oh fuck!’ Brett was getting closer to coming. He placed his hands behind the man’s head and brought him closer.
This Ashford had to see. He moved in closer, capturing every movement and every sound. Brett was beyond caring. His mind was on the exhilarating feeling on his member. Just as he was about to splash out into the man’s mouth, the door flung open. There was a flash of a camera. Everything was done so quickly, neither of them had the time to understand what was happening.
‘Fuuuuuk!’ He came in the man’s mouth breathing heavily.
Ashford dropped the phone, and chased after the lady who had taken the pictures, but it was too late. She’d disappeared between the crowds. Anna was good at her job. When she wanted dirt, she got dirt.
‘Fuck!’ Ashford knew this would not be good. ‘Sorry mate, that was unexpected.’
‘You think! My father will kill me! Everyone’s going to think I’m gay!’ He zipped up his jeans. ‘This is fucked up!’
‘Well at least you didn’t lose your shares, and you gained one of mine.’
‘Well for this, I’m going to try and get them all.’ He looked at the man. ‘Get out!’ he shouted at him.
‘I need my money.’
Ashford reached for his back pocket and handed him twenty fifty pound notes. The minute the money touched his hand, he bolted for the door.
‘I’m going to kill you!’
‘Oh man the fuck up! Here, have a drink. You enjoyed it after all.’
He had to admit it was the best blow job he’d ever had. The man was an expert, and Brett had had many blow jobs before, but nothing like this. He took the bottle and took a long gulp of champagne.
‘Let’s just enjoy the night, and deal with the rest tomorrow.’
Brett had to agree. They might as well. It wasn’t the first time they got into trouble. Trouble followed them everywhere. This was how other people made their money.