Free Bridge of Hope by Lisa J. Hobman

company?”
    “Sure. Yeah. You not going home yoursel’?”
    “Na’. Not yet. Thought I’d come and see where you live first.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth again. All the blood in my body rushed south, and I hoped to God she couldn’t see what was happening down there.
    “So, Gregory—”
    “Call me Greg, all my friends do.”
    A wide smile spread across her stunning face. “So, Greg, do you have a girlfriend?”
    “Girlfriend? Me? Erm… no.”
    “Would you like one?” Fuck, she certainly isn’t backward at coming forward, that’s for sure.
    Feeling a little braver, I smiled back. “You offering?”
    “I’d have to get to know you better first,” she replied.
    “Sounds good to me.” I couldn’t quell the shit-eating grin that had taken up residence on my ugly mug.
    And that’s how the thing started.
    January 1994
    We were all going out around Oban. There were a few clubs that played great music, and a gang of us decided we’d go out and get pissed, have a laugh, do some dancing, you know?
    I called for Alice around seven thirty. She opened the door to her room and there she stood, short, tight black skirt, thick black stockings, muckle clumpy boots—sounds crap, but believe me, she looked fucking hot as hell—and a tie-dyed cropped top. Her black leather jacket finished off the ensemble nicely. My mouth fell open. I wanted to shove her back on the bed and get her out of the silly clothes that were in my way, but as if reading my mind she shook her head and wagged her finger at me.
    “Not yet, Mr McBradden. You’ll get yours later tonight.” Once again, a sudden rush of blood to my favourite organ. By the way, sex with her was amazing. I had nothing to compare it to—her being my first—but oh wow, I didn’t care. She was horny as anything and couldn’t get enough. Which was fine with me.
    We arrived at Club Zero and met with the rest of our group of friends. Some had been there awhile and were already on their merry way to pissed-up land. I grabbed us a couple of drinks from the bar and we made our way over to the group. “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star played over the PA system, and I watched Alice sway to the music with her eyes closed. She was so incredibly sexy in everything she did.
    And she knew it.
    The song ended and we drank a little more. Her eyes were glazing over and she was totally relaxed. The next song was the Cowboy Junkies version of “Sweet Jane”. It was a song that Alice and I had made love to on more than one occasion. We were on the dance floor together and with her back to me she ground herself into me as we swayed to the music. A guy appeared in front of her and started dancing with her like I was fucking invisible. I clenched my jaw as I watched her respond to him. She turned her back to him and faced me. I grimaced at him, hoping the words “Yeah, fuck you, pal” were clear in my face. But to my utter fucking shock, she lifted her arms up, letting them fall behind her head, and draped them around his neck.
    With her eyes fixed on mine she ground her arse back into him as I watched. My heart rate picked up and my hands balled into fists by my sides. I clenched my jaw. This was our fucking song. What was she playing at? The guy leaned down and began to kiss her neck as she closed her eyes for a moment. I stopped moving my feet and raised my clenched fists, ready to fly at him. When her eyes opened, she licked her lips at me. The bastard lifted his hand and ran it up her top, grabbing her breast. W hat the fuck? Confusion and anger washed over me in equal measures. Why was she doing this? She fixed her hooded gaze on me as he fondled her and my nostrils flared.
    I was ready to kill him.
    Two can play this game, lady. I grabbed the brunette that was dancing beside me and had desperately been trying to get my attention for the last twenty minutes. I put my arms around her, slid my hands down to her arse and squeezed. She gazed up at me and slipped her