Free Persona - A Disturbing Psychological Thriller by Marc Horn Page A

pulled her hand away, not too fast. ‘Why were you so sure, so full of yourself?’ She said ‘full’ too angrily, she thought, and briefly regretted it.
    ‘I never think about failure. It’s not something I do.’
    Jenny resisted a smile – it wouldn’t be in keeping with her tone. ‘So what if I’d said I wasn’t interested?’
    Ben rolled his head playfully. ‘I would’ve talked you out of it.’
    ‘That’s disturbing.’
    Ben shook his head, his eyes gleaming. ‘It’s really not. I could tell we had something when we first met. The way we interacted. We fancied each other, but we couldn’t take it further because of Geoff.’
    ‘What if I told you you’re wrong about that?’
    He laughed. ‘I’d ask why you’re here now.’
    She didn’t quite share the humour. ‘So what about your friend, Geoff? Does he know about this?’
    ‘I had to tell him. He’s not happy about it, but he knows we’re both single and free to go out with who we want to.’ He shrugged. ‘Who cares? I had to cope with you two together for long enough.’
    Jenny sniffed a laugh. ‘It wasn’t that long.’
    ‘It is when you’re...’ He didn’t finish.
    ‘I bet Geoff told you I’m frigid.’
    ‘Not exactly. He told me I’d have to be patient, or words to that effect.’
    ‘He’s right about that.’
    Ben took a couple of gulps, then banged his glass on the table. ‘I told you, I don’t care about that. As long as we do it, say, when we’re married.’
    Both laughed. ‘I’ll make that promise if we go that far!’ Her smile quickly faded. ‘Geoff was...cunning, that’s how I’d describe him. Like most of my boyfriends. But Rick really hurt me. I trusted him and he used me. He made me feel cheap.’
    Rick had come along about a year before Geoff, when she was in a very vulnerable place. All her friends had lost their virginities, and boys were ignoring her because she hadn’t. Loneliness and a need to feel wanted had affected her judgement, and she’d dropped her guard with him. And she paid for it. Once he’d ‘ruined her’ (his expression), he left, and didn’t even bother to call. He treated her like an animal for a couple of weeks and that was it.
    Humiliated and despairing, Jen had promised herself that she’d not sacrifice her body like that again. To sleep with another boy, she’d have to love him.
    Ben reached for her hand again, and held it a little tighter. ‘Geoff told me about him. He’s a mug. He may have got to sleep with you, but you’ll never be his girlfriend again. Short-term gain, long-term major loss.’
    Jenny looked at Ben’s hand, and then at his deep, dark eyes. ‘What’s so special about me, Ben? I know I’m pretty and all that, but why are you so into me?’
    Ben withdrew his hand and looked around. ‘I’ve done my shagging around. It doesn’t fulfil me. I want something serious, and you’re the first girl I’ve met that I want to get serious with. I don’t know what it is about you exactly, but it’s blatant to me.’
    She leaned in closer, with a sardonic smile. ‘You know that kind of stuff scares girls off, don’t you?’
    ‘Not you,’ he said boldly. ‘You’ve heard too much bullshit. You need someone genuine who talks from the heart.’
    Jenny stared at him for a moment, until she felt her expression might reveal too much. ‘You seem to know me somehow. It’s weird and a bit alarming.’ She held his gaze again. ‘And quite flattering.’
    ‘You don’t need to be scared of me, Jenny. I’ll never hurt you. I’ll just protect you.’
    The longest gaze yet. Jenny had to break it. It was weakness. ‘I wonder how that bloke is from The Cube.’
    ‘He’s probably cut down on his drinking.’
    ‘Don’t you think you were a bit forceful?’
    ‘Listen Jenny, that loser’s probably spent his life taking advantage of girls. Maybe I put a stop to it. Next time he sees a girl alone and thinks about touching her up, he’ll remember what I