Richer Ground Read Free

made everything okay.
    “I'm sure you do and so do I. Anyway, my job's much better than yours, it's far more skilled and has a lot of career potential.” she snapped.
    “I'm getting some bad vibes flowing my way.” He turned to look at her and she glared and pursed her lips in annoyance.
    “Oh really? I wonder why?”
    He stopped the car and undid his seat belt. Before she had time to think about what was happening, or to utter a single word of protest, he took her face in his hands and started kissing her, hard.
    Oh shit...
    Everything flared to life below her waistline. He wound his fingers in her hair as his tongue probed inside her mouth. Heat flew around her like an unstoppable tidal wave. But she sat dead still, taking it all in.
    He pulled away suddenly and sat back, looking deeply into her eyes.
    “What the fuck was that?” she asked with the best cold look she could manage.
    “It was my way of occupying your mouth in a more positive manner.”
    “If you don't like the things I say, you shouldn't have offered me a lift. I didn't realise I had to sit in silence.”
    “Are you ever quiet? I bet you talk in your sleep!”
    “What's the matter with talking? It's how the world communicates, you know. Well, apart from texting and email. And that's finger talking anyway... Besides, I'm a straight talker. I say what I feel. Sometimes people don't like the truth but that's their problem.”
    “I'm going to have to do it again...”
    “I can hardly wait. More tongue this time, though. And maybe you can feel some other parts of me while you're at it. Actually just go the whole hog and have sex with me, that should shut me up.”
    “ What ...?”
    “That was another one of my jokes Mr Richer.” She got out of the car and raced off the few hundred yards remaining to her house. He drove up and pulled alongside her and opened the window as she jogged.
    “Can I have your number, please?” he called out politely. She stopped outside her house and stooped down, looking in through the open window at him.
    “No.”
    “Why not?”
    “I'll tell you why not... I don't like you. You're a flash rich bastard.”
    “I'll change your mind about that.”
    “Don't bet on it. Anyway, you know where I live and where I work. My phone number's my only escape from you...” She ran up the path and inside the house.
     
     
     

Chapter 2
     
     
    Her mum was still up when she got in, watching a gardening program on TV. She was obsessed with plants and growing things. She'd inherited her mum’s love of it to a degree, and they both enjoyed going out to garden centres together and mooching about looking at the lovely plants, ornaments, and other things. Not that they ever bought much, not having the funds. One day, when she could afford it, she was going to give her mum a blank cheque to buy whatever she wanted.
    Their house was immaculate. Super clean and tidy. Not a thing out of place. It was an ex-council house and mum owned it outright. She'd bought it on a short mortgage at a steep discount, dead cheap, when Ali was very young. The council offered them to tenants in a capital raising program they were running. Things were better then, pre recession. Everything was booming and mum had had a secretarial job in a local bank.
    It was a nice place, for a council house. It wasn't on an estate, which was a big plus, and there were only four of them in a row. It was in a better part of town, in a good position, had three bedrooms and a large back garden. Ali had always been happy there. It had been the only home she'd ever known apart from her grotty university digs. The least said about that the better.
    “Hello love... Good day?” her mum asked cheerily, turning towards her, sipping at her cup of tea. Her name was Claudine. She was still so beautiful and youthful at forty five. Her long dark hair was shiny and she kept herself slim and wore modern clothes. She was so proud of her mum.
    She often wondered why she was alone. But