Tags:
detective,
thriller,
Psychological,
Crime,
Mystery,
Police,
London,
Murder,
gritty,
Kerry Wilkinson,
james patterson,
Lee Child,
Steig Larsson,
vigilante,
bloody,
her last scream,
the hitman's guide to housecleaning,
midwiter sacrifice,
alex walters,
danielle ramsay,
ben cheetham,
detectivecrime,
blood guilt,
trust no one,
simon kernick,
taunting the dead,
jo nesbo,
killing floor,
rosamund lupton,
mel sherrat,
katia lief,
the faithless,
siege,
mark capell,
martina cold,
michael connoelly,
locked in,
silent witness,
bloody valentine,
the enemy,
Mons kallentoft,
luther,
patricial cornwell,
harry bosch,
stephen leather,
stuart macbride,
red mist,
hard landing
barmen asked.
Greg ordered a couple of drinks, paid the barman, then turned to face Karen.
âShall we find a table and sit down?â Karen asked feeling a little enclosed, the bar area was crowded, with no elbow room.
âYeah, good idea.â
Greg followed Karen to a table situated in the corner of the bar. They sat down.
âI want us to lay down some foundations Karen,â Greg said, as the pair sat.
Karen gave a puzzled look, though did not answer.
âI want to take it slow⦠I donât want anything heavy⦠No repeat of where we went wrong⦠Am I making sense? Bloody hell, this is hard!â Greg took a gulp a beer.
âWhy complicate things, Greg. Letâs take it a day at a time. I know that I smothered you, and that was why you finished with me.â
âYouâ¦â Greg tried.
âHold on a moment. If you want something casual, thatâs cool. But, if we are going to be shag-buddies, then you only shag me, and I only shag you. I donât want you shagging any other birds, is that clear? Theyâll be no bed-hopping Greg! I donât want you giving me an STD or anything else for that matter.â
Greg was shocked. It was as though she had read his mind.
âThatâs exactly what I want. Not the bed-hopping, I just donât want us living in each otherâs pockets. Itâs not as if we own each other, but we arenât having an open relationship either.â
âSo you want a casual relationship without the strings or the infidelity?â
âYeah, thatâs exactly what I want, if that makes sense?â
âTo me it does â as long as we understand each other.â
They both chinked their glasses and kissed. The pair enjoyed talking about everything and nothing. As the conversation deepened, Greg and Karen completely lost track of time, forgetting if either of them may have wanted to go on to another pub â the area was awash with quaint establishments. The little bubble they had been locked in burst when the barman rang the bell for last orders.
âDo you want another one for the road?â Greg asked Karen.
âNo thanks. But you go ahead if you want one.â
âNah, I wonât have another on my own,â he smiled, âIâve had enough to drink for one night.â
There was a pause, an uncomfortable silence. Someone had to ask the question. Greg decided that as he was the man, it had better be him.
âDo you fancy coming back to mine?â
âOK,â Karen replied. âI suppose weâd better consummate our shag-buddy type of relationship,â she said giggling with a sheepish smile.
They stood up, left the pub and headed for the tube station, hand in hand.
âAre you hungry?â Greg asked.
âNo, Iâm fine, are you?â
âNah, I thought Iâd be a gentleman, thatâs all.â
âWhat, and offer me a kebab?â Karen laughed.
âThey sell burgers too,â Greg replied, joining her laughter.
They continued their journey to the tube station and boarded the train that was already waiting at the platform. During the short journey, they both sat close to one another in silence, arms wrapped firmly, kissing at intervals. No need for conversation.
As the train stopped at Wembley Park Tube Station, Greg waited for Karen to step out of the carriage first. He followed her closely, eyeing up her firm buttocks.
The walk from the tube station to Gregâs flat would normally take approximately ten minutes. Though they were not in any particular hurry.
âIt could be worse,â Karen said.
âWhat? It could be raining!â Greg replied, patting Karenâs bottom.
âNo,â Karen smiled. âIt could be snowing,â she replied, patting Greg on his bottom.
The pair continued walking down Bridge Road, the long hill from the station made the walk pleasurable. Navigating their way across the main road, they arrived
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