The Bet
By ralst
Part Three
Helen tried slowing her pace but Thomas' eager gait made it impossible to slow the man down without making a fuss, and the arm he'd draped across her shoulders meant she couldn't stop without him. Not that she was worried. Not really. Nikki and Sean might have been taking their sweet time about following them but they'd be there soon enough to save her from the hoard of approaching pensioners. She hoped.
"Thomas! Where have you been?" Beatrice Waugh seemed to pounce on her son, and although she limited her contact to grabbing his arm, Helen was positive she was itching to pull him to her by the ear. "Do you have any idea what's been happening?"
"We went for a drink." Patting Helen's arm, he made it sound as if the two of them had been off on some romantic little interlude. His mother certainly seemed to brighten at the news, although an arriving Doreen looked a little sceptical. "Is there a problem?"
Beatrice was giving Helen the once over. "Oh, no, no problem." She smiled at Helen. "In fact, things have never been better."
"She won the last house," Gladys explained, as she came forward to join her sisters. "I'm surprised you didn't hear her shout. I thought she was going to knock the roof off." Having made fun of her sister, Gladys' eyes began searching the area for her wayward son. It was pretty unusual for him to leave Thomas and Nikki's side during large family gatherings, especially when a pretty woman was within range. "Where's Sean? And Nikki?"
"There're just behind us," Helen reassured. She was glad a bingo related homicide had been averted but was anxious to continue what she'd started on the beach and that wasn't going to happen while they were surrounded by a roomful of Nikki's relatives. Not that she planned on ravishing the woman, as appealing an idea as that was, but they needed to talk and maybe kiss a little more. Helen sighed. Kiss a lot more, she amended.
Doreen had just been informing them that dinner was about to be served when Nikki and Sean made their entrance. Both cousins seemed to take a second to survey Thomas and the possessive hand he retained around Helen's shoulder, before greeting their respective mothers. "Good." Doreen patted Nikki's arm. "Now we can all head into dinner, like a family."
"The Manson family," Sean muttered.
Gladys turned a shrewd eye on her son. "What was that?"
"Nothing," he said. "So, how did you enjoy bingo?"
The whole party seemed to falter, and the distinct sound of in-drawn breaths could be heard from the younger members of the party. Not that Sean was worried. As far as he was concerned his mother had survived bingo without being arrested or alienating her sisters, which far exceeded his wildest dreams.
"Oh, apart from your aunt's rather over-exuberant rendition of 'house', I thoroughly enjoyed myself." Sean and Nikki exchanged bemused smiles. "That Shell really is a lovely young woman."
The non-sequitor caught Sean off guard. "Shell?"
"Dockley?" Thomas spluttered, his attention having been grabbed to such an extent that he actually loosened his hold on Helen.
"Yes." Gladys was oblivious to the young men's astonishment. "I know she has a bit of a reputation, but underneath it all she's really a charming young woman."
"That's what I've been saying all along," said Doreen, then in a quieter voice she explained to Nikki. "Shell let Gladys call the first three games and even asked her opinion on whether or not she was calling too fast. Plus, she let slip that she's always hated the WI and was willing to join Glad on her next boycotting campaign." Doreen failed to mention that Shell's sudden attack of thoughtfulness had been inspired by a little talk she's had with the bottled blonde just before they got started.
Before Sean could probe any more deeply into his mother's sudden attitude change towards Shell, a gong was heard from the main dining room signifying that dinner was about to be served.
In a short space of time the dining room had actually been transformed into something approaching elegance. Large round tables were placed about the room, covered in crisp white tablecloths and adorned with the finest silverware the hotel had to offer. Little posies of wild flowers had been added to the centre of the tables, giving the whole thing a lovely splash of colour. It was almost unrecognisable.
"They must wear roller-skates," George confided in his daughter as soon as she joined him at their table.
Nikki looked confused. "Who must?"
"The waitresses," he explained.
Nikki's eyes travelled from her father to the hovering waitress and back again. "What?"
He began filling her glass with wine. "To get this place looking like this, they must be wearing roller-skates."
Nikki pondered the statement for a moment. "Are you drunk?"
"No." George chuckled. "Never mind, go back to staring at Helen and forget about your old man's ramblings."
"Wha'? I'm not staring." Nikki could feel the heat rising to her face. She'd casually glanced in Helen's direction, that was all. It wasn't as if she was pawing all over the woman and practically forcing her to sit where she was told. No. That was Thomas' job. She shot a dirty look in her cousin's direction.
"And no killing your cousin," George added.
"Spoilsport."
Nikki had been hoping to sit next to Helen or at least be within conversation distance, but thanks to Thomas' manoeuvrings Helen was on the opposite side of the table, sandwiched between Thomas and Sean's mother. It was obvious from the gleam in her aunt Gladys' eye that she'd been informed of her son's interest in the pretty young Scot, and Nikki was in no doubt that she'd be encouraging the two to get better aquatinted.
George watched his daughter's behaviour with some interest. He'd seen Nikki around women she was attracted to before, but he couldn't ever remember seeing as intense a look as the one she'd directed towards Helen when they first sat down. For all her bravado, Nikki wore her emotions on her sleeve and it didn't take a psychic to realise she was smitten. He just hoped she wasn't setting herself up for a fall.
He'd known Helen for a number of years and over time had come to think of her as one of his closest friends. She might have been young enough to be his daughter, but his own youthful outlook and Helen's intelligence had always given them a wealth of things in common. He just couldn't remember her ever telling him about relationships with other women. Not that it meant she'd never had any, but after the way he talked about Nikki, he would have thought she'd felt free to mention her own preferences, at least in passing.
"Helen's a lovely girl," he confided in Nikki, "but I'm not sure that she's in the market for a girlfriend."
Nikki wondered when she'd become so transparent. "Why, she's single."
"Yes, but I'm not sure a 'girl'friend is what she's looking for." He hoped he was wrong. Having Helen as part of the family would have pleased him to no end. "I could be wrong, but be careful Nikki. I don't want to see you get hurt."
"I know dad," she leaned over to kiss his cheek, "don't worry."
Helen smiled at Thomas for what felt like the hundredth time, and wished the man would stop grinning at her so she could relax her face muscles for a second. Being polite was, at times, a right pain in the arse.
"So, Helen, Sean tells me that you work with George?" said Gladys.
"Yes, that's right." Helen transferred her smile to the older woman, before reaching for her wine glass and an excuse to stretch her aching jaw muscles.
"A lovely man, George, a real gentleman." Gladys' gaze quickly transferred to Thomas. "You could learn a lot from him, young man, an awful lot."
Thomas took a panicked look at his place setting, worried that he'd been eating the starter with the fish knife again, before muttering a bemused "Yes, aunt Gladys," and sharing a conspiratorial smile with Helen.
"Yeah, Tom, he might even be able to teach you how to navigate on a motorway," Sean added, from his place at his mother's side.
"At least Thomas knows it's un-gentlemanly to shout across the table," Sean's mother admonished, "unlike some people I could mention."
Sean ducked his head to avoid another lecture, and a genuine smile graced Helen's lips. She found the way the sisters managed to control their wayward children rather amusing. Their form of friendly censure and encouragement was miles away from her own parents' strict set of rules, and as for her uncle, she wasn't one hundred percent sure the old man even knew her name, let alone anything else.
"It must be nice, being a part of such a close nit family."
Thomas look over at his two cousins, both of whom seemed to be paying rather too much attention to his dining companion, but couldn't deny that he was forever thankful for their part in his life. "It has its moments."
"It certainly does," Gladys agreed, her third glass of wine giving her words a slight slur.
Thomas laid a hand against Helen's arm, hoping to force her attention solely towards himself. "Helen, I don't know if you're aware of this, but there's going to be dancing after the meal."
"No, I wasn't..."
"And I wondered..." His voice trailed off as a slight blush crept across his cheeks. "I wondered if I might have the pleasure of the first dance?"
"The first dance?" To Helen it sounded like something out of an old Hollywood movie, and miles away from the disco-like entertainment she was positive the hotel staff had lined up for the evening. The image of them doing the fox-trot to YMCA fluttered across her mind before she managed to contain her imagination and give him a straight-faced, if ludicrous, answer. "Yes, I'd love to."
"Is Thomas all right?" George asked his daughter, afraid that they'd need to call in the paramedics to treat the hernia that was causing his nephew's face to turn red and scrunch up in a disturbingly clown-like grin.
"I doubt it," Nikki scowled, "but then I always do when it comes to Thomas."
"Nikki," her father's voice acted as a warning, "the boy could really be in trouble."
"Nah, he's just smiling."
"That's a smile?"
"'fraid so." The absurdity of Thomas' facial contractions didn't bother Nikki, but the possible reasons behind his maniacal grin did. "I think you might have to go over there and rescue Helen, before it's too late."
"Too late for what?"
"For Thomas' sanity."
As the meal came to an end Helen made a mental note to never again sit next to Thomas while he was eating; for some reason the young doctor found it impossible to consume his food without talking, the half masticated food being kept in its place by sheer luck. It had almost been enough to turn her stomach.
"Lovely meal," Thomas said around a mouthful of coffee, "far better than I would have expected from this place."
Helen dabbed a napkin across her lips before speaking, "yes, lovely."
"The wine's jolly nice too," Gladys tipped her glass, her voice having taken on a singsong quality around the second bottle, "very fragrant." A fine spray of red shot forth from her glass, splashing across Helen's front, and prompting Thomas to reach for his unused napkin.
"I've got it," Helen quickly informed him, before he could begin the clean up process along her cleavage. "If you'll excuse me a minute."
Helen made a quick getaway, the chirpy sound of Gladys' apologies floating out behind her.
Thomas stood, halfway out of his chair, unsure whether or not he should be following his date. The accident hadn't been his fault, but he felt that as a representative of the family it was his duty to make sure Helen was okay, and escort her to her room to change if necessary. "I'd better..." He waved in Helen's direction.
"Forget it, Romeo," Nikki said "this is a job for a lady."
"Do you know any?" Sean asked with a grin.
"Piss off." Nikki winked at her cousin before heading towards the bar.
Helen looked at her reflection in the mirror and had to concede that the damage to her dress was rather limited and as such didn't require the two hours in the bathroom she wanted to give it. Why oh why had she agreed to dance with Thomas? He'd seemed harmlessly charming before dinner, but ever since she'd returned from her foray on the beach with Nikki he'd been acting very strangely.
"You'd think they'd teach doctors table manners," she muttered.
"I blame the NHS cuts," Nikki said, as she came up behind Helen at the sink.
"Jesus! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"Heaven forbid," Nikki walked around Helen to stand with her back to the sinks, a slight smile lighting her face, "it would only encourage Tom to try and give you mouth to mouth." She produced a small bottle of soda water and a clean napkin. "Try this."
"Unless it's neat vodka I doubt it'll improve things."
Nikki's brow scrunched; she knew that some women tended to go postal if their clothing suffered the tiniest of mishaps, but she'd never have thought Helen was the type to make a mountain out of a few drops of Aussie wine. "I'm sure aunt Gladys will pay for the dry cleaning if you're that worried about it."
"What?" Helen looked down at her top. "I don't mean this, this is nothing." She took the bottle from Nikki and proceeded to use the soda water and napkin to dab at the offending stain. "I'm talking about Thomas."
Nikki became mesmerised with watching the napkin swipe against the exposed skin of Helen's upper chest. She'd never wanted to be a bit of cotton more in her entire life. "Tom?"
"I know he's your cousin, Nikki, but if he smiles at me one more time I think I might have to kill him."
"For smiling?" Nikki grinned.
"It's not just the smiling, it's the pats on the hand and dreamy expressions that accompany them," Helen's voice rose as she warmed to the theme, "not to mention the way he eats. I mean, for God's sake, it's like sitting down to dinner with a two year old. No, scratch that, two year olds have better manners. Hell, apes in a zoo have better manners than that. If I didn't know better I'd think he'd just returned from a ten month hunger strike." Her hands flew up in the air and Nikki got the distinct impression that she'd have liked nothing better than to start pacing, if only there had been room. "Or maybe it's genetic? Some missing chromosome that means he's incapable of closing his mouth and chewing at the same time. Although it doesn't seem to affect anyone else in your family, unless you keep them locked up in some dark hole somewhere away from prying eyes."
Nikki took the napkin out of Helen's grasp. "You're beautiful when you're angry."
"And you're corny when you're..." Helen paused, her eyes suddenly transfixed on the small square of material that Nikki was using to continue the clean up of her dress. "What are you doing?"
"Hmmm?" Having cleaned the garment to her satisfaction, Nikki neatly folded the napkin and placed it over the side of the basin. It was only then that she noticed the slightly stunned expression on Helen's face. "Sorry, I was just..." She reached for the bottle, the task of securing the cap providing the ideal excuse to avert her eyes from Helen. "You seemed caught up and I just thought it best to get the stain sorted out before it could..."
"Shut up Nikki." Taking the bottle from Nikki's hand, Helen placed it on the side. "And kiss me."
"What?"
Helen stepped in closer to her tall companion. "It's not exactly rocket science," her arms went up to encircle Nikki's neck, "you just put your lips against mine and let nature take its course."
Nikki's smile had barely formed before it was covered by Helen's questing lips; the kiss that followed lacking any of the hesitancy that had preceded their previous embrace. It was almost as if their bodies had know each other for years and could anticipate exactly what the other needed to heighten the moment.
"Blood Hell, woman, you're good at that." Nikki began kissing along the contours of Helen's neck, the feather light touches bringing forth a moan of appreciation.
"Ditto, Ms Wade, ditto."
Helen's hands tangled in Nikki's unruly hair, raising her face so she could once again consume her lips. The need that was growing within her more potent than anything she'd ever felt with a lover, and totally out of place in a public toilet.
"Nikki, we should." A kiss interrupted her words and her thoughts. "Oh, don't stop."
Nikki pulled their bodies closer together, her hands dropping down to cup Helen's behind. "I don't plan to." She caught Helen's lip between her teeth, the gentle nip bringing on another moan of delight.
"Oi, Nik, you in 'ere?" The harsh tones were quickly followed by a bottled blonde in a skimpy red dress. "Fucking 'ell!" Shell's eyes had almost doubled in size as she watched the two women hurriedly disengage from one another. "Jesus, Nik, can't you get a room like a normal person? I mean, what is it with dykes and toilets anyway?"
"Shut it Shell."
"Oh God." Helen put her head in her hands. "I don't believe...Oh, shit." Shaking her head, Helen practically ran from the room.
"Was it somefink I said?"
"Shit!" Pausing a second to give Shell the dirties look she could muster, Nikki rushed out of the room.
Thomas had been standing, waiting impatiently, outside the ladies toilets ever since he'd seen Nikki enter. If it wasn't for the high probability that his mother would disown him he would have run in after her and broken up whatever sordid little scheme she was planning. He might love his cousin but he wasn't about to put anything past her; at least not where a beautiful woman was concerned.
Trying to make himself invisible, he watched as Shell Dockley sashayed her way towards the toilets. He'd never thought of the woman as a possible accomplice, but if she managed to break up whatever was going on behind closed door, he was willing to forgive her all the spandex miniskirts in the world.
Seconds after Shell's disappearance into the toilets, Helen rushed out and past him towards the hotel lobby. Smiling, Thomas began to follow her, only to be knocked down by a tornado in designer knockoffs.
"Oomph!"
Nikki looked up to the ceiling before craning her neck to spy the body lying beside her. "We must stop meeting like this."
Thomas groaned, "I think I broke my back."
"Really?" Nikki sat up. "Is that your professional opinion?"
The young doctor managed to growl at his cousin before beginning a series of prods and pokes to ascertain the extent of his injuries. His hypochondria providing just the distraction Nikki needed to make her escape.
"Do I look pale to you?" Thomas asked. "Nikki?" He checked the floor for his cousin but she was nowhere in sight. "Nikki!"
Hobbling towards the lobby, Nikki debated the merit of asking Thomas to take a look at her ankle. On the one hand he was a pretty decent doctor but on the other he'd probably send her to the emergency department for a two week wait for x-rays and a sticking plaster. Wincing slightly, Nikki decided to ignore the pain and concentrate on something a little more pleasant, finding her distraught companion.
Helen was easy to spot. Not only was she the only person in the lobby, besides a bored looking teenage desk clerk, but she was also the only person with tears streaking her face and shoulders shuddering with suppressed sobs.
"Shit!" Getting caught making out in the loos might have been embarrassing but Nikki didn't think it worth histrionics. "Helen?" Nikki approached her cautiously, a hand rising slowly in an attempt to offer comfort. "Are you okay?"
Helen brushed away her tears before turning to regard Nikki, a smile of ear-splitting proportions gracing her face. "Oh God, her face," she snorted, before dissolving into laughter, "I thought she was going to swallow her tongue."
Nikki's hand dropped. "You're not upset?"
"Upset?" Helen looked confused.
"Yeah," Nikki waved absentmindedly towards toilets, "about Shell finding us like that."
"Well, sure, I guess." Noticing a box of Kleenex by the reception desk, Helen smiled at the young clerk before purloining a few sheets and beginning a repair job on her makeup. "Next time we'll have to remember to lock the door," she chuckled.
"Next time?"
"Yes." Helen had thought about being coy but at the rate they were being interrupted she didn't think they had the time. Coming closer, she leaned up to whisper in Nikki's ear, "the next time we kiss I want double locks on the doors and all your relatives and friends bound, gagged and in another continent."
Nikki grinned. "Kinky."
"You betcha!" Grabbing Nikki's hand, Helen began pulling her towards the dinning room and what was left of the meal. Nikki's wobbly gait forcing her to stop mid-stride. "Are you okay?"
"It's nothing," Nikki winced, having decided that a broken bone or two were a small price to pay for Helen's smile.
Sean sat back as the disco music blared out all around him and contemplated the oddity that was his family. The mass exodus that had followed Helen's wine mishap had been succeeded by the limping return of one cousin and the scowling form of the other. Helen, herself, had looked positively radiant, which kind of irked him, being as he wasn't the one to bring the sparkle to her eyes, but at least she looked fit and healthy. The same couldn't be said for Nikki and Tom.
"Did you get into a fight?" He asked Nikki, his voice low so as not to attract his mother or aunts' attention.
Nikki looked out onto the dance floor and the disturbing sight of Thomas gyrating slightly out of beat next to a bemused Helen. For a man with a broken back he was certainly moving quickly enough. "Not yet."
Sean followed her gaze. "He really is a terrible dancer."
"Three left feet," Nikki agreed.
"You're sure you didn't pound him?"
"Positive." Nikki's grin turned feral. "If I had he wouldn't be walking, much less pretending to dance."
"Good point." When they'd been children Nikki had always been able to beat the crap out of them. Not that she condoned violence, even as a child, but she wasn't about to be called a girlie girl by anyone. Things might have changed over the years but the red-hot Wade temper was something he'd bet on in any fight, no matter who the opponent. "Helen looks happy."
"Yeah," Nikki sighed, "beautifully happy."
"Oh brother!" Sean turned a disgusted look on his cousin. "Not you too."
"Me too what?"
"Going moony eyed over Helen." He crossed his arms and tried to look stern. "It's bad enough that Tom's gone soft in the head and started drooling at the mention of her name. I don't need you following suit."
"I do not drool."
"You didn't do love-sick sighs either, until now."
Nikki was affronted. "It wasn't a love-sick sigh."
"Was."
"Was not."
"Was."
"Not."
"Was."
"Stop it!" Nikki checked to make sure no-one had overheard their trip to infancy. "I happen to like Helen, there's nothing wrong with that."
"Yeah, right." Seeing that the current dance was nearly over and Thomas was dropping fast, Sean rose to take his cousin's place at Helen's side. "You can tell yourself that as much as you like, you're still not going to win the bet."
As Sean made his way onto the dance floor Nikki threw a beer mat at his head. "There is no bet!"
To Be Continued