Free Live the Dream by Josephine Cox

likely to be in there "till morning"?'
    'Well, now…" giving a sly little wink, she leaned towards him, '…we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?' With that she sauntered off, glancing up at the house numbers as she went.
    Curious, he watched as she knocked on a door. Smartly groomed and dressed in expensive clothes, she was quite an eye-opener, he thought. But it didn't always follow that what looked good on the outside was good on the inside.
    A naturally wary man, he decided that when she came back out, he would take her home quick as he could, and never a word of conversation between them.
    Cabbies should keep their traps shut and just do their job, he decided, or who knew what trouble they might find themselves in.
    After a few moments the door opened. Casting a glance up and down the street, she hurried inside.
    The cab driver also glanced up and down the street. 'It's a far cry from Park Street,' he muttered thoughtfully.
    A long meandering street on a deep slope towards the town, Johnson Street was typical of the roads in those parts. It was the kind of ordinary, serviceable place where folks like himself lived out their days—hard-working, God-fearing folks who worked long, back-breaking hours in the cotton- mills or the nearby factories.
    One thing was certain: it was nothing like the beautifully kept, wide open streets, with their big posh houses, that ran up alongside the park. Those were reserved for wealthy folk—employers, bank managers, that kind of contented, fortunate soul.
    He settled himself into the seat, closed his eyes and yawned. 'One thing's for sure, she's up to no good.' He thought about the man who had paid for her cab. 'Some women don't know when they're well off!' he muttered. 'That fella seemed a decent sort, but if he's not careful, he'll find himself hooked up to a bad lot, an' no mistake!'
     
    Georgina followed the man into the sitting room.
    'I didn't expect you tonight, Helen. What you doing 'ere at this late hour anyway?' A rough-looking fellow, but well- endowed, clad only in underpants he made a fetching sight to her eager eyes.
    'Aren't you pleased to see me?' A flush of disappointment coloured her face, but she pouted seductively and slowly slipped her coat off, her eyes full of suggestion.
    He gave a wily grin. 'Depends, don't it?' Looking her up and down he licked his lips. 'It's been a while since we got together.'
    'I was on my way home and thought I'd come and pay a visit,' she purred.
    His blue eyes coveting her, he smiled. 'If I knew where you lived, I might be able to repay the favour now and then.'
    Shaking her head, she took a step forward. I'll never tell you where I live.'
    'Hmm! Sometimes I wonder if your name really is Helen.' He gave her a wry little smile. 'Is it?'
    She laughed. 'That's for me to know and you to find out.'
    'You're a secretive bugger and no mistake.' Now, as he moved towards her, the light from the flickering gas-mantle played shadows on his unshaven face. 'And why is that, I wonder?'
    Stroking her hands through his tousled brown hair, she murmured, 'Because I don't trust you. I don't trust anyone, but I especially don't trust men.'
    Through hostile, narrowed eyes he studied her. 'All the same, it would make things easier if I knew a bit more about you. After all, you know my name, and you know where I live.'
    Staring him out, she answered emphatically, 'Only because I had to bring you home when you were drunk out of your mind. You couldn't stop talking.'
    They had met in the town one afternoon when Georgina's high heel had become caught between paving stones and he'd freed her. Each had liked the look of the other. He admired her bold manner and her expensive perfume, and she had always secretly lusted after rough-looking men. Good manners, she found, so often took the excitement out of sex. Sylvia must have found the same, Georgina thought. Why else had she had an affair with Arnold Stratton?
    Neither had anything better to do so they'd found