Just Another Lost Angel

She took two steps and turned back. "Oh, and I won't enjoy the rest of the day -- the gym beckons." Her sly grin was back. "But tonight -- different story altogether!"

She flicked a chestnut pigtail and gave her a little wave and Becky began to think that she may need that short break after all.

Four

Brooke found it quite amusing that she should be using, of all places, a supermarket for her latest little bit of fun. But she loved a challenge, and with Becky, Kyle and probably Tonia and Maz, she had enough raw materials to craft into a few interesting scenarios. Sometimes, she used bars or restaurants to further her needs. Recently the gym had thrown up a few interesting liaisons for her and lately, she seemed to have accumulated a loyal following in her weekly five-kilometre Park Run.

It was all part of the game for her. Life was just a game after all, and after so many lives she thought she was getting to be quite good at it. In the past, she had run riot in High Society and dragged herself from the gutter to become celebrated by Royalty. Right now, she was enjoying just being ordinary.

But each time she saw Rebecca Taylor sitting at her check-out, Brooke Landry thought that there was nothing ordinary about the girl. Even without all of her previous lives behind her, she should be old enough and experienced enough not to get too far ahead of herself, but there was something utterly compelling about her.

After her appraisal of her purchases, she forced herself to once more make Becky stew for a while. She knew from the girl's reaction that she was intrigued and she was intrigued herself. It had turned her on -- Becky was utterly gorgeous and the thought of someone so sweet and innocent-looking having the knowledge she alluded to made her want to get to know her better.

But there was a mischievous little devil in Brooke Landry that loved to tease -- she'd had plenty of practice over countless years and was very adept at it indeed. Twice she approached the girl's check-out and the first time, pretended to have forgotten an item and backed away. The second time, she merely passed her by and went instead to a self-service till. She grinned to herself as she saw the girl craning her neck to see where she had disappeared to.

On her next visit, she was disappointed not to see the girl on duty but at least she would have the opportunity to try and make amends to poor young Kyle. She joined his queue even though others were quieter.

Kyle was feeling good. His eighteenth birthday had come and gone and had been great fun. He had hopes that his long snogs with Maisie Newcombe may come to something a bit more meaningful, but there were still little pangs of regret of Alice's rejection of him. She was so sweet and lovely he couldn't even bring himself to think of her as he relieved himself at night for fear of sullying her image.

It was such a relief not to have to get authorisation for alcohol purchases. He had also checked through a few more packets of condoms, but never as many as that time with that hot-looking older woman. At least he was managing to overcome his embarrassment at handling the more personal type of purchase.

When he saw her approaching his checkout once more, his heart began to beat a little faster. He had her all to himself as there were no other customers waiting behind her. Before he could ask her the usual fatuous questions, she held out her bag with that winning smile on her face. "Thank-you, Kyle!"

This time when he got to her gin bottle, he popped the security tag and placed it in the bag. He was reaching for the next item when he felt a hand on his. He glanced up at her, that smile wider than ever. "Happy Birthday, Kyle! So you have come of age. Welcome to adulthood, young man!"

Kyle was stunned. That soft American accent was just so damned sexy. He could barely form the words. "Erm, thank you, yes -- a week ago."

She nodded and looked wistful. "I remember mine -- just!" She laughed and reached into her trolley, pulling out a bottle of Belgian lager. "Ring that one through for yourself and have a little drink on me tonight, Kyle."

Now even more stunned, he looked up at her as she paid for her items. "Thanks and have a good day."

This time, her smile was pure wickedness. "Oh, I always do, Kyle. I always do!"

As she left, she glanced across at the aisle two along from Kyle's and saw Maz watching with a wicked grin on her face. She probed her and saw what the woman had planned for her imminent handover. Realising this was an opportunity, she quickly dropped her purchases at her car and hurried back inside. She was just in time to see Kyle hand over to an older man and head off into the store. Maz left her checkout and made a beeline for him. Brooke followed on at a discreet distance.

She saw the woman pull him to one side in a quiet aisle and stood back to watch what unfolded. "Eighteen eh? So, kept that a bit quiet, didn't ya? Bet ya still dunno what it's for, though do ya? And that woman you keep lustin' over -- like 'em old enough to be yer mother, do ya?"

She cackled as she opened the staff room door and dragged him inside. Brooke closed her eyes and for a few moments saw events unfold through Kyle's frightened eyes. She could feel his heart sink as he saw the room was deserted. Before he could react, Maz pinned him against the door and grabbed his groin area and began to rub her hand across it. She smelled of cheap perfume and cigarettes. She shook her head, a rictus grin of a smile on her face. "Nah, wouldn't feel that thing if you stuck it up me arse sideways!"

Mortified, Kyle pulled himself free, unable to respond. He was totally conflicted -- part of him wanted to run, the other part longed for Maz to touch him some more. It felt good to have a hand down there that was not his own.

The poor lad needed some assistance. Brooke decided it was time to take control for a moment and her words came out in Kyle's voice, much to his astonishment. "Yeah, like I'd want to touch your skinny arse with it."

Maz put her hands on her hips. "Ooh a bit o'fight at last. He can talk back - wait till I tell Tonia!" She smiled and pulled him back towards her, clamping her lips to his. He began to harden under her touch as her tongue insinuated into his mouth and she grabbed him down below once more. As suddenly as she had grasped him, she pulled away. "Nah, I'll leave it for that old American tart!" She backed off laughing. "You can 'ave that little feel as a birfday pressie! See ya Kyle!"

She picked up her bag from a peg and gave him a wink, leaving him reeling - half in revulsion, half in lust at the feel of her hand on him. Brooke stayed in his mind, feeling his conflict of emotions as he tried to come to terms with his hatred of Maz and the thoughts of what he wanted to do to her given half a chance.

She helped to calm him and he gave it a few minutes in the hope that Maz would be gone, but as he passed through the loading bay, she was standing with another girl, smoking. As the girl said goodbye to her and returned to the store, Maz ran her tongue around her lips and cupped her hand. She held it to her mouth and bobbed her head a few times, laughing at his discomfort. It was another uncomfortable walk to the bus stop for him and he was glad he had a few days off before his next shift.

Brooke was about to withdraw from his mind when she heard a voice behind her. "You ok madam?"

She turned and saw one of the managers looking at her with concern and realised she must have looked strange standing there in the middle of the store with her eyes closed. "Yes, thanks. Just trying to remember what else I needed. Memory like a sieve!"

As she left the store for the second time, Brooke was grinning from ear to ear. Despite his discomfort, she knew Maz had turned Kyle on and as she had withdrawn from him, he was fantasising about all the things he wanted to do to her. If it all worked out as she intended, he'd get to do them very soon indeed.

And as for what Maz had called her? Well, she wouldn't know what had hit her when the 'old American tart' put her little sub-plot into action, would she?

On her next visit, she waited until Becky's checkout was free, but as she approached, she was disappointed to see a hard-faced older woman taking over from her. There was obviously a tension between them and the girl strode off into the body of the store looking daggers at the woman. Brooke decided upon the self-service tills again and once done, set off towards her car feeling a little deflated.

She was just about to press the zapper to unlock the car when she heard a quiet voice behind her. She held her breath as she realised that Becky must have followed her out of the store after her shift. "Excuse me madam, but may I please check your bag against your receipt -- there may be items that were not checked through correctly."

Brooke turned, smiling, thrilled that Becky was still playing the little game she had set in motion. "Good afternoon Rebecca. Lovely to see you again. I assure you, I checked everything through - but take a look if you must."

She held the bag open and Becky leaned forward to look inside. Her long blonde hair was shining in the afternoon sun and she had a pair of round, pink-tinted sunglasses on. It was the first time Brooke had seen her out of her unprepossessing store uniform and even in simple jeans and a sleeveless, pale blue cotton chambray shirt, she looked stunning. The light breeze caught her shimmering hair and she tucked it behind her ear.

She poked around for a moment and straightened up. "Thank you, madam - all seems in order. Enjoy your day and sorry to have kept you." There was a playful smile on her full, pink lips.

All Brooke wanted to do was nuzzle her own lips against them and feel their softness. Instead, she said, "You had plenty to say on my last set of purchases. You were right about the lube -- awful stuff. Any advice on what you've seen today?"

The girl shook her head. "No not really. Nothing of interest in there that I could see."

Brooke dug into the bag and pulled out the only thing she had bought that had even a remotely sexual connotation - and then, she thought, only to an old perv like herself. She held it up, one eyebrow raised. "Sure about that?"

The girl never faltered. "Cucumbers are nice pickled with some mustard seeds and chilli. Press the slices between two plates to drain excess moisture before pickling and leave for three or four days before consuming. Nice little kick to them!" She made to move away. "Nice talking to you, but I must be off." She took a couple of paces and stopped. "Oh, just one word of advice -- if you do get the urge to use that cucumber on yourself, for God's sake put one of those things you bulk-purchased on it. Between you and me, the hygiene in our warehouse and packing areas is nothing short of fucking atrocious."

Trying not to laugh at her amazing response, Brooke nodded and hefted the fruit in her hand. She was no stranger to using them for sexual purposes, but this really was bought as a food item. "Thank you, wise advice. Can never be too careful, huh?" She placed it back in her bag, put it on the back seat and closed the door. When she turned around, Becky was still standing there, an enigmatic smile on her face.

There suddenly seemed to be a charge in the air and Brooke's heart began to race. "Thought you had someplace to be?"

The girl shrugged and glared back at the building. "No, just need to be away from that place." She tapped long fingers against her lips. "Friday evening, eh? Could do with a drink, actually." Another shrug. "Shame you're driving. Oh well, see you around."

Brooke was loving this. She liked to be in control of a situation, but the thrill she got from knowing that a gorgeous young girl less than half her age had just come on to her in a supermarket car park left her buzzing. "You live locally?"

The girl continued to tap and tried not to look bored. "Maybe."

"I'm two minutes back down the hill into town. Upper Street Bar's usually quiet this time of day. If you're local, you'll know it." Without another word, she slammed the door, put the car into drive and never looked back.

Had she looked back she'd have seen the girl's face light up. Her left hand made a fist and she punched the air as she mouthed, 'Yes!' in sheer delight.

Ten minutes later, Brooke was in her favourite seat in the window of Upper Street Bar, or 'USB' as it was more commonly known. There was a bottle of Californian Chardonnay in a cooler and two glasses on the table. She knew the girl would keep her waiting but didn't mind. To Brooke, good things were worth waiting for and she had no doubt Becky would be good. Despite her bravado and implied experience, Brooke reckoned there was still plenty she could show the girl. It was approaching six o'clock. She was not a betting woman but reckoned it was odds-on that by nine, she'd have heard Becky gasp in ecstasy for the first time.

At least the wait gave her pause for thought. She was going to miss this little one-horse town, but hopefully she would go out with a bang with a beautiful girl in her bed. She glanced at her bracelet and prayed she'd have more than a one-night stand with the girl before she woke up somewhere else. Transition was always a bit of a worrying time, even when her new persona had been carefully chosen. It could still end up becoming something of a disaster and there was no guarantee of a satisfactory outcome. She was no stranger to violent death and shuddered as she recalled the gruesome look of the executioner in the Bastille as she waited for his axe to fall. She had succumbed to at least a dozen other demises that could politely be described as 'sticky', but she tried not to dwell on them. However, this period always brought back such thoughts as the end approached and she waited for her first step into her new unknown.

She took small sips from her glass as she waited, gazing out into the early evening sun. She had been there for almost twenty minutes when she saw Becky crossing the street, her hair flowing behind her. The girl must have seen her in her window seat, but to Brooke's amusement, she attempted to play it cool. She stood, looking at the frontage of the bar and, obviously for Brooke's benefit, shook her hair and rearranged it so that it hung over one shoulder. Her neck was long and elegant and there was just a hint of arrogance in her as she perused the wine-list and menu on show in the window. She took off her sunglasses and sucked on the stem as if pondering.

Then she did that thing that Brooke had seen her do in the carpark - drumming her long fingers on her lips. As she removed them, the woman could clearly lip-read her saying, "Yeah, why not?"

Brooke grinned behind her wineglass. The girl was good, no doubt about it. She had inevitably been the same at that age in almost all of her lives -- bold, sassy, confident and comfortable with her sexuality. Despite herself, she felt her heart flutter as the girl pushed open the door and walked into the dark, air-conditioned room. She walked a few paces into the bar and gazed around her. Brooke knew the last place she would cast her gaze was towards her corner by the window. She sat with her elbow on the wine-barrel table, a hand on her chin, tapping her teeth with red-tipped fingernails, subconsciously mimicking Becky's earlier actions.

The girl raised an eyebrow as she saw her and moved towards the table. "This seat taken?"

Brooke shook her head non-committedly. "Uh-uh."

"Expecting company?"

"Maybe." She picked up the wine bottle and gestured to the seat. "You can stay until something better comes along if you like."

Becky sat with a wicked grin on her face, her sunglasses now on top of her head. She picked up the empty glass and held it out. "Nothing better coming along. You're stuck with the checkout girl."

Brooke's head turned to the door as if in shock. "Oh shoot, not that hard-faced bitch Maz, please?"

Becky laughed, a musical sound that Brooke would come to love very quickly. "No, the sainted Marilyn is on duty until nine. I think we're safe." She held out a hand. "Becky. You knew that bit anyway. Rebecca Taylor. I'm just turned twenty and I'm in my second year at the Veterinary College up the road because I love animals and I think I'm very clever." She sighed. "And I work in a Godforsaken Manning's fucking Supermarket because I'm probably not as clever as I think I am."

Brooke took her hand and squeezed gently. "Enchanté, Becky. I do seem to be at an advantage, so to even the score, my name is Brooke Landry. I am forty-five years old and I hail from upstate Vermont. I have lived in England for twelve years and love both places equally."

Well, to Brooke it was true, and she had at least lived in Vermont for a short while after college to give her fictional memories some life. She held up her glass and they touched them together with a gentle clink.

"Cheers."

"Cheers -- oh and Becky -- just in case you are wondering about the age difference. I don't give a flying one, ok."

"What age difference?" Becky raised an eyebrow. She had been expecting Brooke to say she was maybe thirty-nine, forty, but forty-five? She only hoped she looked that good at her age. Still, it didn't matter to her at all. She smiled and sipped her wine. "So -- why does a very attractive older lady buy sexual aids on an industrial scale from a supermarket on the edge of town? I find websites cheaper and more discreet."

Brooke took a long drink and smiled. "Young lady, I have never been discreet in my entire life. Where's the fun in that? Just think of the conversations I'd miss if I bought on-line. The people I may not meet!"

She didn't need to probe the girl to know the answer to her next question. She looked Becky in the eye. "Really wanna be here with a middle-aged, been-there-done-it-all woman old enough to be your Mom?"

In response, Becky leaned towards her, a small smile on her lips. She narrowed her eyes. "Brooke, you fucking well set this up. We're here because you want to be with a kid half your age and the kid half your age is here because she wants it too. So let's cut the shit, eh? You could have chosen any checkout but you chose mine. I could have chosen not to come to your car - but I did." She gestured to the surroundings. "Then I came here." She pursed her lips. "We both know why we're here. Apart from the fact you are beautiful -- and not to put too fine a point on it, hot as fucking hell - you seem a nice person. You have a lovely sexy voice and I want to hear more of it."

She took another drink and waved her hand airily. "So... pray continue."

Brooke sat with her mouth open through the girl's little dissertation and now burst out laughing. "My God, I thought you were like me at that age, but you are in a different league! Sure you're only nineteen?"

"Nineteen going on thirty-nine, I've been told." She lowered her voice. "Come on, tell me your dirty little secrets and I'll tell you mine!" She swept her hair behind her ears on both sides. "All ears!"

And very pretty ones too, Brooke thought. She had to put out of her mind the thought of her tongue exploring those lovely folds - and preferably slightly moister ones - later in the evening.

The conversation became a little less charged as she gave Becky a short and sanitised history of her current life, the initial sparring and points-scoring forgotten for a while. Brooke told her about growing up in Stowe, Vermont before moving diagonally across the vast country to San Diego to study. Even at this early stage, she thought Becky could bear the ungarnished truth, so she told her how she had financed her way through college after she saw the amount of money her roommate made.