Thanks go to Slyc_Willie for his editing - his suggestions and grammer corrections make it a better story.
* * *
The weather for the rest of that week matched Daisy's mood completely -- wet and miserable. She spent every waking hour at work in an attempt to forget about Max but despite all the paperwork she got through, it just did not help. The atmosphere was frosty at home after a row with Jen on Monday night; Daisy had finally had enough of the mess and the seemingly permanent presence of her new boyfriend Jack.
Jen had rolled in late again that evening, only about ten minutes after Daisy had walked in the door following a hectic shift. Jen's pupils were dilated and she had clearly been doing drugs of some description.
Daisy just flipped completely -- drugs were a no-no as far as she was concerned. Jack, fortunately, had not been there at the time or he would have felt the full wrath of Daisy's temper; she knew full well who was responsible for supplying whatever Jen had taken.
They had screamed at each other for half an hour before Daisy had finally given up trying to make Jen see sense; she was too high to have a rational conversation with. Daisy had left Jen downstairs and gone to bed fuming and upset. Consequently it had taken her until nearly 5am before she managed to get some sleep.
When she hauled herself out of bed the next morning, there was no sign of Jen but the debris of a partially eaten pizza was evident all over the coffee table in the lounge.
Daisy felt like crying; she didn't know how much longer she could put up with this. The flat was hers, but if she asked Jen to leave, she would be faced with the prospect of finding another lodger. And who knew; they could turn out to be far worse. There was no way she could afford the mortgage on her own either, so she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Max had not tried to call her, which, although she had no intention of talking to him, pissed her off immensely. He could have least made an effort to soothe things over, but it seemed she was not that important at all.
Friday morning found her sitting in the office shuffling invoices around her desk while the cleaners worked away downstairs. Her mobile rang, startling her out of a reverie that involved a recollection of the previous weekend. She jumped and for a moment allowed herself a hope that it would be Max. But it was not. It was Serena, her old partner in crime, whom Daisy had not seen in months.
"Hey Serena!" she said, immensely cheered to hear a friendly voice for once.
"Hey Daisy, I'm back! Fancy a night out Saturday? All the old gang are meeting at Big Fella's in town. 8pm, so be there!"
"Bloody hell, Serena, you don't waste any time do you! How long have you been back? Oh, and thanks for all the emails and postcards -- all two of them!"
"Yeah . . . sorry about that; was rather busy, I'm afraid. But, you will meet the reason on Saturday night if you come."
Daisy was intrigued. It sounded interesting already and for the first time in a week, she forgot about Max.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world..." she promised with a grin.
* * *
The club was dark and smoky; the décor as tacky as the carpet underfoot. Big Fellas' was not somewhere Daisy had been before, and if she had not drunk quite so much vodka, she would have had the sense to call it a night around midnight. But Serena could be very persuasive at times, and this particular night was no exception.
Serena had apparently spent the last year travelling and supposedly 'discovering her inner self,' but Daisy and the other girls all knew this was a euphemism for getting laid on every continent; Serena was a girl who liked to party hard. Now she was home again with a tan and an Aussie surfer boyfriend in tow.
The whole point of the night out was to introduce the girls to Brad. Daisy had been pleasantly surprised to find he was not the typical no-brainer lump of meat, commonly found hanging out on Bondai Beach. He did have the obligatory bleached blond hair and six-pack, but he was also a nice, intelligent guy. Quite how Brad had ended up with Serena was anybody's guess, but they seemed all loved-up for now.
The group found a table near the dance floor and the girls sat down while Brad went to the bar for another lethal round of cocktails.
"So girls... do you like him, then?" Serena asked with a huge shit-eating grin.
"Has he got any brothers?" Mandy mused speculatively, whilst eyeing up a tall black guy strutting his stuff to a dance tune.
"Yeah, he's got six. And they are all gorgeous!" Serena looked rather smug at this announcement as each of them turned in envy to look at her.
"It's good to share..." Lisa smirked and they all giggled.
A couple of hours later Daisy felt wasted. She was still unhappy despite the high spirits of the rest of the group. Brad and Serena were snogging in the corner, hands all over each other and despite Mandy yelling loudly, "Get a fucking room!" they seemed in no rush to leave.
Lisa had pulled and Mandy was chatting to a young guy who was under the impression HE had pulled too. Sadly he was going to be disappointed. Mandy was only interested in Lee, who waited for her at home. She almost never turned down a free drink, though, and was usually up for a flirt.
The club was seriously beginning to annoy her now. Sitting alone, Daisy wondered if the others would notice if she slipped away. Somehow she doubted it. Slowly she stood and muttered something vague about the loo; Mandy just nodded and returned her attention to her drinks dispenser.
The smoke swirled in clouds around Daisy and the music hurt her ears. Men glanced at her but she ignored them as she pushed her way through the room and out into the corridor. A quick trip to the ladies' room was needed and then a taxi home, where waited bed and sleep.
Daisy stared at her reflection in the cracked mirror in the ladies room. She looked tired and fed up. Depression was a terrible thing and it was all Max's fault. Why had she ever let him under her skin? Men were a waste of space; vibrators were so much more reliable. A convenient on/off switch, they didn't treat you like shit and they didn't forget to call you; the only thing they couldn't do was remove monstrous spiders from the bath!
The door opened behind her, and Mandy strolled in, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
"Why is it that blokes buy you a drink, and then think they have the right to expect a blow job?" She went into a cubicle and sat down on a seat, leaving the door open so she could chat. "What's up, Dais; you've had a face like a wet weekend all evening! Even Serena has noticed, and she's had her tongue tickling Brad's tonsils most of the night!"
Daisy grinned ruefully, immediately feeling guilty for upsetting her friends' evening. "Oh, you know... the usual."
"That means a bloke, then!"
They both laughed; it was an undeniable truth that the major cause of woe in any woman's life was always going to be a man. Daisy turned back to the mirror and reapplied some pink lipstick. Mandy stood up and came over.
"Come on, tell Auntie Mandy all about it..." she prompted when it was obvious that Daisy wasn't going to volunteer any more information. Frankly, she was amazed to think that Daisy had man problems. Such was unprecedented in all the years Mandy had known her; normally the only man problems Daisy had were annoying exes who refused to get the hint that they were no longer required! Heartbreak was really not Daisy's style and Mandy had never known her to fall head over heels for any guy.
Still, the longer they wait, the harder they fall, Mandy thought pensively. It was up to her to drag the sordid details out of her friend; the others had voted her most likely to succeed.
Daisy ignored the request and carried on fiddling with her hair. She had no real desire to rake over all the stuff with Max. Besides, she knew damn well Mandy would tell everyone else all the gory details. Daisy loved Mandy to bits, but discreet she was not!
Eventually, Daisy said, "Look, its no big deal. I just need a holiday, I think, and Jen is annoying the crap out of me. Jack has virtually moved in, and I'm sick to death of the pair of them at the moment."
She frowned at her reflection and turned away to look at Mandy, who was pulling a sympathetic face. "You know how it is," lamented Daisy. "Sometimes everything just gets on top of you. Sorry if I've ruined everyone's evening."
"Hey it's okay! You know we are just concerned about you; it's not like you to be on a downer, that's all. As for Jen, she needs a lobotomy if she thinks that Jack is good for her. I saw him in Hobo's the other night, snogging the face off some tart."
Daisy wasn't surprised. She had warned Jen so many times that Jack was playing about, but the stupid girl stubbornly refused to listen.
"I know he's up to no good. I just can't figure out why he's stringing Jen along," mused Daisy.
"Oh, who knows..." said Mandy philosophically. "Probably just the fact he can?"
"Yeah, maybe you're right. I just have a feeling that there's more to it than that, and I can't put my finger on it..."
"So is that it, then? Sure it's not a man thing?"
The door fortuitously banged open, and a crowd of giggling women fell through it, chattering away about some blokes they had pulled. Mandy rolled her eyes at Daisy and indicated the door. It was suddenly too crowded in the ladies' room.
Daisy breathed an internal sigh of relief at being thankfully saved from further interrogation.
"Listen, Mandy," Daisy said as they stood in the corridor, the noisy strains of Eminem thumping over their heads. "I'm going to head home, if that's okay. Can you tell the others for me?"
"Sure I will. Are you gonna to be alright getting home?" Mandy asked.
"I'll be fine, don't worry."
"Okay, sweetie, take care and text me tomorrow, won't you?"
The two women hugged briefly and then Mandy headed back towards the dance floor and the rest of the group. Daisy saw her give a bloke the eye as she passed him, wiggling her hips in skin tight Lycra, and grinned to herself. Just as well Lee wasn't the jealous type! Sighing heavily, Daisy swung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the front entrance, with the taxi rank waiting outside.
Luckily, there were very few people waiting, as chucking-out time was not for another hour. Daisy glanced down the road and wished fervently that a taxi would hurry up; it was starting to drizzle and she had left her jacket at home.
"Hello again!" a voice said from behind her, making Daisy around in surprise. It was Mike the delivery guy from a few weeks before. He was clearly a bit drunk, but she smiled anyway. He was as cute as she remembered, and despite herself, she couldn't help liking him.
"Shouldn't you be tucked up in bed with a mug of cocoa?" she asked cheekily.
"Funny!" he laughed. "Lads' night out, but I have to get up early tomorrow, so I'm calling it a night. What's your excuse for leaving early?"
"I'm getting old, maybe?"
"Yeah, right! You look way too good to be considered old!"
There was a compliment in there somewhere, but Daisy just smiled politely. "Well, I'm ready for bed, anyhow. Where do you live? Maybe we can share a taxi."
"I live over towards Church Street, near the park. How about you?"
"That's not so far from me, I live on Rose Avenue. We can drop you off first, should save both of us some cash."
"Cool."
Luckily, a taxi soon arrived and they both jumped in eagerly. It stunk of fags and vomit, but it was a ride home and Daisy was past caring. Mike kept to his side of the seat and apart from a couple of quick glances, he ignored her. Daisy was not sure if he was shy or just embarrassed, given the circumstances of their last meeting. Either way, she was relieved that he did not try it on as she was in no fit state for a scene.
In no time at all, the taxi arrived at Mike's house, a scruffy-looking terrace on a cul-de-sac. He fished about in his wallet for some cash before pulling a pencil and piece of paper out to write a number on.
"Here's my mobile," he offered. "If you ever fancy a drink, give me a ring."
Daisy took the number and cash in surprise. She did not think Mike had the nerve to do that. He was rather young, but he had his appeal, so Daisy grinned and took the number anyway.
"Thanks, I may just do that..."
Mike leant forward and kissed her lingeringly on the cheek. For a minute, she contemplated asking him to stay in the taxi and accompany her home. But she knew it was not such a good idea and sex was hardly what she needed right now even if her body was screaming otherwise. Regretfully she sat back and smiled at him in the dim light.
"I will definitely call you okay?"
"Cool!" Mike looked like the Cheshire cat, with that huge smile on his face. He waved at Daisy from the curb as the cab drove back down the street.
* * *
The house was dark and silent as Daisy unlocked the door, yawning heavily. As soon as she stepped into the hall, she realised something was not right. It was nothing specific, just a gut instinct. Carefully, she switched on the light and paused, looking and listening. A faint sound came from the kitchen and she called anxiously, "Jen, is that you?"
Silence, ominous silence. Wondering if she should just ring 999, she very cautiously walked along the wooden floor of the hall and headed towards the kitchen. The living room door was ajar and from the light shining into it, Daisy could see stuff all over the floor. The drawers of the bureau had been emptied out and books and CDs were scattered everywhere.
Oh fuck, she thought, we've been burgled. Quickly, she turned and headed for the front door to call the police. But just as she reached it, a hand grabbed her shoulder. Daisy screamed loudly in terror. A strong arm slid tightly around her neck and a hand clamped her mouth shut to prevent her making any more noise.
"Tell Jack we want our money or he's in big trouble!" a voice hissed menacingly in her ear and he loosened his hand across her mouth.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Daisy could smell the man's stale sweat and she felt like retching.
"You don't need to know -- just repeat the message to Jack..." he growled again. "I can always come back again if you think you might forget..." He slid his fee hand up her side and reached to squeeze her breast. Daisy breathed in sharply and tried to pull away as he rubbed her nipple though the thin top she was wearing.
"Get your filthy hands off me you --" she tried to yell but he clamped her mouth shut again with his large hand. She could feel the bulge of his erection pressing into her bottom. The horrifying realisation that there was a possibility she could be raped, began to filter through her frightened brain.
A large hairy hand slid lower and groped her between her legs clumsily. Despite the fact she was wearing jeans, she still felt violated. With a sudden movement, she stamped hard on the man's foot using her stiletto heel.
"Fucking bitch!" he yelled out in pain, abruptly releasing her.
Daisy fell sideways into the living room, stumbling on the edge of the rug and falling on to the floor. For a minute she lay frozen in shock, afraid to move. But when she heard the front door slam shut Daisy jumped up and ran to the window in time to see a large bulky figure jogging down the street and round the corner.
Shaking like a leaf, she slumped onto the settee. What the fuck was going on? What was Jack up to? It occurred to her that she really ought to call the police. There was a chance that they might still catch whoever it was who had been in the house.
By the time the two detective constables arrived, Daisy had managed to calm down slightly. She had taken a look around the flat and, despite the mess, it did not appear that anything was missing. The TV, stereo and other electrical gear were all still there. Whatever the reason for the break-in, it was obviously not for a simple burglary.
The policemen looked around appraisingly and made careful notes. They both looked concerned when Daisy described what the man had said to her before he shoved her into the living room.
"Have you any idea who it might be?" asked the older one.
"No," said Daisy regretfully. "Jack must know him, though."
The two men exchanged a knowing glance and turned back to her.
"Have you got anywhere you can go tonight? It would be better if you weren't alone here, just in case..." The implication that they thought someone might return for another go made Daisy frightened again. Suddenly, the seriousness of the situation hit her; she could have been badly hurt, or raped, or ... anything. And it was all Jack's fault; he had clearly pissed off someone nasty, big time.
Daisy felt quite sick and faint. There was no way on earth she wanted to stay home alone now. Trouble was, where on earth could she go at 2am? The girls would all still be out and much too pissed up for Daisy to call. Max clearly wasn't an option any more.
The number in her pocket suddenly seemed a tempting one. It was late and he was probably asleep by now, but it was worth a try. The two coppers were talking to each other and making some more notes so Daisy rang the mobile number Mike had given her.
It rang a while and Daisy was just about to hang up when he answered, sounding half asleep and rather puzzled.
"Mike, its Daisy. I dropped you off in the taxi earlier... I realise that it's late but I've been burgled and I can't stay here. I was wondering if you could put me up for the night until I get it sorted out?"
There was a pregnant pause and Daisy began to think that this was a truly terrible idea; poor bloke must think she was a nutter or something.
"Er... no problem at all. Do you remember where I live?"
"Yes. Are you sure it's okay?"
"'Course it's okay. Come on over; I'll put the kettle on now."
Daisy rang off, feeling somewhat better. At least she would not have to stay home and barricade herself in all night. The detectives told her to expect people round the next day to lift finger prints and so forth.
They also asked about Jack and where they might find him for a chat. Unfortunately, Daisy really didn't have a clue as to his whereabouts. She had not clapped eyes on the man for over week now and was hoping never to see him again if at all possible. She shook her head regretfully at the lack of information she provided. Daisy's only suggestion was that Jack might be at Jen's mum's house. Jen sometimes stayed there, as her mum divided her time between home and a villa in Spain. The policemen took down the address and said they would try there tomorrow.
Still feeling dazed, Daisy threw some stuff in a bag and locked up the flat. By the time she was dropped off at Mike's house it was 3am and she felt light-headed from exhaustion and emotional strain. Mike opened the front door wearing an old pair of tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt. His hair was sticking up and he seemed rather tired. For a moment, Daisy felt guilty for dragging him into the sorry situation. But the idea of staying at her house, when a return visit from psycho-man was more than possible, soon chased away any qualms.
Mike had made her a mug of sweet tea and they sat together in the tiny living room while she recounted her story. To Daisy's surprise, she burst into tears halfway through the tale.
"Oh I'm sorry!" she apologised, drying her eyes on her sleeve. "I don't know what the hell's the matter with me..."
"Hey, it's okay," Mike said sympathetically. "My mum was burgled last year and she was a wreck for months after!"
Daisy smiled sheepishly but still felt like such an idiot. Mike was so sweet and kind; she had no idea how she would ever repay him.