Something Red, Something Blue

She snorted, but I sensed she was weakening. Perhaps she was starting to realise that I wasn't responsible for the missing money, but she wasn't quite ready to admit defeat, and I was still slightly concerned she might turn violent, so when she didn't answer, I tried to reason with her once more.

'He might have details,' I said.

'He might also be the one who took the money. I have a friend who's friends with his ex-wife. She said that when they split, he was very generous with the settlement, and afterward the divorce was finalised he quit a well paying job to move up here. He's probably broke.'

'He told he and his wife split the money according to the formulas the solicitor gave them.'

Liesel shook her head. 'The assets they listed wasn't inclusive of everything they owned. It really only listed the house, the furniture and her car. He had a company car, so that wasn't an issue, but apparently there was a sizeable jewellery collection that wasn't included in the split.'

'Jewellery's often not worth much as resale. He might have spent twenty thousand on her, but it was only worth two or three as scrap, so they decided not to include it. Besides, jewellery is often quite personal. One of my ex's refused to include in our asset list a diamond tennis bracelet he'd given me, because I'd bought him a fishing trip the same Christmas he'd bought me the bracelet.'

Liesel stared at me as if I were an idiot. 'I'm not talking about twenty grand's worth of gems, Jodie, I'm talking about ten times' that much, and at resale value to boot. McGrath inherited a motza from his grandmother, plus he'd bought her a lot of trinkets, and she kept the lot.'

I didn't know what to say. I was hearing third-hand information about a man I was having a casual fling with. Plus, I'd never thought to question McGrath's financial state. To the outside eye, it appeared he had enough to live a quiet, simple life in a seaside town. Besides, I really couldn't imagine him stealing. But what if he had? I'd seen a lot of bad behaviour out of people over the years. People who had been presumed pure as the driven snow had committed fraud, stolen company property, and sexually harassed subordinates.

'I'd like you to ask him some questions,' Liesel said. 'You're taking what he tells you at face value, but the reality is, he could be playing both of us.'

That was indeed a good point. What if he was? The proverbial seed of doubt had been planted and was now started to grow.

'He said he knows the newsagent,' I replied, feeling vaguely disloyal.

'Which means he'd be perfectly placed to filch the money,' Liesel suggested. 'And he figured you'd be a good decoy, someone to lay the blame on. He no doubt assumed that I'd believe that you took the money. I'd say his exact thought was 'I'll take the money, Liesel will blame Jodie, but Liesel won't pursue Jodie, because she'll feel she wasn't entitled to the money'.'

'That's... possible,' I admitted. It wasn't something I'd have imagined McGrath doing but as I'd said, desperate people do desperate things.

'He was standing right beside you when you bought the tickets for us,' she reminded me. 'He heard the whole conversation you and I had. He knew you paid for all three entries into the syndicate.'

I began to wonder if perhaps I'd made a terrible, terrible mistake. What if McGrath had taken Liesel's money after all? That would explain why he was so ready to call the police and report what was really a rather minor verbal spat -- it would throw the police off course. It would make Liesel look like a criminal, somebody not to be trusted.

'Jodie, I need to have a frank conversation with you,' Liesel said. 'I've been stood down from my position pending an investigation. Some idiot with no sense of humour has reported me for sexual harassment.'

Let's be quite frank here; unlike Liesel's accusations towards McGrath, I could quite easily imagine someone reporting her for sexual harassment. Her behaviour towards some of the male conference staff at the farewell drinks had been less than admirable and bordering on misconduct.

'Oh my God,' I remarked. I felt so helpless, so confused. Who was telling the truth? Who was lying?

Liesel mistook my dismay for sympathy. 'I need to pay rent. I need to pay bills. I need this lotto money.'

She also wanted the money, irrespective of what was happening at work, but her explanation cleared up my confusion as to why she'd been so outraged as to follow me to North Queensland, rather than waiting for me to return to Brisbane to confront me. She was desperate.

'I'm seeing McGrath tonight,' I said. 'I'll ask him if he's got any ideas as to what's going on. I'll try and open up a discussion about this. If I ask him outright, he'll probably get defensive or upset, but if I word things carefully, I might be able to learn the truth.'

'Thank-you,' she said. 'I'd appreciate that. And I, well, I apologise if I scared you just barging in.'

'No, no, it's okay,' I replied. 'I should have taken the time to hear you out.'

She nodded beneficently. 'I'll meet you tomorrow for breakfast at the café next door, shall I?'

I was so confused that I just nodded my head. 'Sure. Nine?'

'Nine suits me.'

With that, she left. I sank down on my bed, my head in my hands, and steeled myself for what was going to be an extremely troubling evening. Wherever and whenever I confronted McGrath, it would need to be in a public place. If he truly had taken her money, and was prepared to go to those sorts of lengths to steal from a woman, then who knew what he was capable of?

On the other hand, what if he hadn't taken it? If he hadn't taken it, and I hadn't taken it, the question remained; who had?

~~~~~~~~

McGrath bought me a bunch of native flowers that he'd cut from his garden. They were held together with a generous amount of alfoil and handed over almost shyly, as if he'd had second thoughts about bringing them to me.

I found myself kissing him and wondering if he was sufficiently destitute enough, and sufficiently morally bankrupt, to steal seven thousand dollars from a complete stranger. He only worked part-time so maybe he was short of money. His Nissan had to be nearing twenty years old, and his house was cheap and basic.

'Are you alright?' he asked, concerned.

'Yes.' I forced a smile. 'Liesel came around.'

'Oh for fuck's sake,' he groaned. 'That old bag. Please tell me she didn't try and attack you this time?'

'She... she wasn't so confrontational this time. At least, not after we got talking.'

McGrath eyed me. 'About?'

I flushed guiltily. 'We just.... Discussed some possibilities... I said I'd try and help her find her money.' The lie felt heavy in my mouth. I forced a smile. 'Never mind. We should get going. What time is our reservation?'

'We don't have one. I thought we'd just go for a walk along the foreshore and you could pick whatever you liked.'

'Whatever I liked?' I replied stupidly.

'Yes. Just one request?'

I nodded. 'Okay.'

'The red dress you wore to drinks last weekend. Could you possibly wear it again tonight?'

Shit. No, no, I couldn't wear the dress.

'I can't, sorry,' I apologised. 'It's all crumpled and packed away in my suitcase. I hadn't thought to wash it or get it dry cleaned.'

'Never mind,' he said. 'You're beautiful in whatever you wear.'

'The red dress is actually a bit slutty,' I confessed.

'On another woman, maybe, but not on you. You looked a million bucks.'

If I'd known he wanted me to wear it again, I'd have had it cleaned and pressed, and I'd be wearing it out with ridiculous heels and a face full of make-up. Despite my concern that he may have had something to do with Liesel's missing money, I was still holding out hope that the mystery of the missing cash was just some terrible, easily explainable, mistake.

We left my apartment and strolled through town, hand in hand. People smiled at us. A couple of times McGrath stopped to chat to people he knew, introducing me to them. I already knew the wife of one of his friends; she'd been at the exercise class I'd attended the day before. She asked how I was coping with the humidity and I admitted I was still not a hundred percent accustomed to it.

It was pleasant. Friday night in a small town means the onset of an actual weekend, because most of the businesses wouldn't be open tomorrow, and those that did would only be open in the morning. By Saturday night, you only had about four dining options for dinner.

We passed a pizza shop. I told McGrath I'd take care of tea, and bought pizza and garlic bread and locally made soft drinks that were filled with sugar and fruit juices. We took our food down to the beach to eat.

The pizza was hot and fresh, wood fired and topped with meat and cheese, olives and Spanish onion. I sucked the sauce from my fingers and stared at the waves, thinking of how beautiful the beach was. You wouldn't have thought for a second that there would be anything around to cause you harm, and yet there were signs up everywhere warning people only to swim in the netted areas, because Irukandji jellyfish had been spotted in the water.

'Have you ever been stung by a jellyfish?' I asked McGrath.

'Only through a small tear in my stinger suit, so it wasn't nearly as bad, but it still left a red mark, and it still stung,' he replied. 'It hurts like all fuck. I've seen people taken to hospital after being stung. We often have to tell tourists to get out of the water and buy a suit, because they don't see the signs, or they failed to realise how serious it is. They think Irukandji are the same as the garden-variety jellyfish.'

'Do the tourists listen to you?'

'The foreigners listen better than the domestic tourists,' he said. 'Make of that what you will.'

'Stubbornness and a belief that if we've survived Australia so far, what else can harm us?' I guessed.

'Probably. I'd just call them a bunch of bloody pelicans.'

I thought of Liesel and the possibility that she had about right about McGrath. Then I thought about McGrath and how magically he'd changed my life in just one, short week. As I sat on the beach, watching the sun set and drinking lime and ginger soft drink, I decided I wouldn't be talking about missing money that night. Was it selfish? Yes. I knew Liesel needed her money, and I knew I was the best placed person to ask a few questions, but I wanted one last night with a man. Moreover, I wanted one last night with McGrath.

When we'd finished eating, we took our rubbish up to the bin, washed our hands under the bubbler, and went for a walk along the beach. There was no one around and McGrath was shameless groping my bum.

The sun had almost finished setting and we were a good kilometre from town when he asked me to stop walking for a minute.

'What's wrong?' I asked.

'I want your knickers.'

'My... knickers? You want to have your wicked way with me on the beach?'

'No. I want you to give me your knickers, then I want both of us to turn around and head back to your apartment. I want to know that underneath that skirt of yours is a bare bum.'

'Cheeky.'

'It will be,' he agreed. 'Hand them over.'

It was impossible to argue. With an embarrassed giggle, I removed a very brief pair of lacy white French cut panties and handed them over. They seemed impossibly fragile and fancy in my companion's rough, brown hand, and even he appeared awestruck by the juxtaposition, staring at them for a few seconds before shoving my delicate knickers into his back pocket.

That was when it occurred to me that I was facing a bit of a problem.

'McGrath?'

'Jodie?'

'I...' I trailed off with a blush. 'I'm getting wet. Maybe I should put my knickers back on.'

His eyes lit up. 'If you're getting turned on, why would I give them back?'

'Because it's... embarrassing. What if... oh gosh. It's embarrassing.'

'No, no, it's great. It's sexy as fucking hell to think of you limping back through town with a bare arse and a wet pussy.'

I was by now bright red. 'You're a pervert. Oh my God. Let's get walking. If we keep hanging around here, I'll just get wetter and more aroused and... would you stop laughing at me? Please? I'm scared I'll get hit by a bus, and I'll end up in hospital and everyone will know...'

McGrath pulled me into a hug. 'Jodie, I promise you here and now, if you get hit by a bus, I'll rush out and put your knickers back on before anyone has a chance to notice.'

I kissed him. 'You're lucky I like you.'

'I am. Very lucky.'

The trip to the apartment was excruciating. My pussy was hot and swollen, and all I could think about was sex. There would be no blow jobs tonight. What I wanted was penetration, and I was determined to receive it.

I nearly died of a combination of frustration and embarrassment when McGrath ran into yet another person he knew just outside the hotel. I could smell my lust and I was so ready to be fucked that everything McGrath's friend said just blurred into meaningless chatter. It seemed an eternity before the two men said their good-bye's.

'Could you have talked for any longer?' I hissed as we walked through the foyer towards the lift.

McGrath grinned. 'You really are hot to trot, aren't you?'

'I'm going to come quicker than an eighteen year old boy.'

He pressed the 'up' arrow on the lift. The lift doors swung open and we went in. McGrath pressed the button to take us up to the third floor, then without any warning, picked me up. I let out a squeal and wrapped my legs around his waist. He positioned me so that my back was against the mirrored side door of the lift, and a handrail supported some of my weight.

McGrath was strong enough to keep me supported while he kissed me. My position meant my pussy lips were spread and my clit was fully exposed and being stimulated by the rough clothing of his shorts. Not that anyone standing beside us would have guessed; it was something you would have had to inspect closely to understand what was going on. Oh, it was torture. Pure, sheer, torture.

'I'm going to fuck you stupid,' he whispered, nibbling my earlobe.

I groaned and thrust against him. The lift stopped and the doors started to open. Thank God, I thought. Thank fucking God. All I wanted was for him to carry me to my room, lay me on the bed and fuck me.

'I want you to fuck my brains out, McGrath,' I whispered. 'I want you to make my scream.'

He adjusted his grip on me so he was against carrying my full weight and spun around to exit the lift. That's when both he and I saw that we weren't on the third floor, but the second, and that the lift had stopped because another guest was waiting to get in.

'Liesel,' I gasped.

'Well,' Liesel remarked acidly. 'This is a surprise.'

'And not a pleasant one,' McGrath added. 'Please move to the left a bit. We need to get out of the lift.'

'I can't believe this!' Liesel snapped. 'You two are incredible.'

Nonetheless, she moved out of the way. McGrath didn't say a word, and I studiously avoided meeting Liesel's gaze as McGrath carried me out of the lift and down the hallway.

'I was coming to speak to you!' Liesel yelled. 'And you're on the wrong floor.'

'We're not interested in talking to you, and we're taking the stairs for the final flight,' McGrath called. 'Good night!'

Liesel lost her absolute shit. She started yelling at us, and stomping down the hallway after us. McGrath gave me a cheeky grin, put me down and grabbed my hand. The two of us then raced down the hallway to the fire stairs, which my companion held open for me. We ran up the flight to our level, burst into the hallway, and ran to my room.

My key card unlocked the door and McGrath and I fell inside, laughing and panting.

'What a fucking lunatic that woman is,' he said. 'Absolutely, utterly, batshit, bunny-boiling crazy.'

'That's an understatement.'

'I can't say what I really think about her, not in the presence of a lady.'

I giggled. 'I'm not a lady. I'm not wearing undies.'

'Are you still wet?'

I giggled harder. 'Check.'

'Oh, that's what I wanted to hear.'

McGrath quickly divested me of my skirt, blouse and bra. By that stage I was a no longer giggling, but a omplete mess, horny beyond all reason, and barely able to prevent myself from begging him to fuck me.

'Christ,' he remarked. 'You really are ready. What the hell do you do in Brisbane when you're horny?'

'Honestly?'

'Honestly.'

'When I'm really horny, like this, I put on my red dress, heels and make-up. Then I pull out my vibrator and fuck myself in front of a mirror. Sometimes I fuck myself up the arse with it.'

Whatever answer he was expecting, that wasn't it.

'Oh Jodie,' he groaned. 'Why did you say that? Now I'm going to be tormented by that mental image for the rest of my life. Please tell me you've videoed yourself.'

'I've tried,' I confessed. 'I can't get the images right. I switch position too much.'

He kissed me roughly. 'Did you bring a vibrator with you?'

I nodded. 'Two.'

'Let's go to your room. Let's get one out.'

We went to my room. McGrath stripped off as we went, leaving a trail of clothing behind him. I glanced behind at him as I fumbled around in my drawer, trying to find my favourite sex toy. His shoulders and hips were great, probably the best parts of his body, and it didn't escape my attention that he had a full erection.

My fingers closed around my vibrator. 'You want to watch me fuck myself?' I asked.

'Yes please.'

There was a mirrored wardrobe in the room, just like the one I had at home. I walked over to it and stared at myself in the mirror. I looked tiny next to McGrath, much shorter and slimmer, and my skin, though tanned, was a few shades lighter. My make-up had worn off a bit, but my face was glowing and my pupils dilated.

I continued to watch myself as I moved the vibrator between my legs and traced it along my sex. McGrath was leaning against the mirror and observing me. I asked him what he thought, and he gestured helplessly and told me there were no words that would accurately convey how he felt about the show I was giving him.

I switched on the vibrator and pushed it deep inside me. It didn't fit all the way; it was a good eight inches and that was way too much to be comfortable. Besides, the cold, rigid body of the toy suddenly seemed harsh and artificial, perhaps because I was now so close to a penis and I'd much prefer the real thing than a substitute.

McGrath went to my bedside drawer, the one from which I'd retrieved the vibrator. He found the condoms I'd placed there, as well as a tube of lubricant. As I humped my sex toy, he pulled on a condom and coated himself in lubricant.

I'd been fucking the vibrator for a solid couple of minutes and had been growing increasingly keen for the real deal when McGrath approached from behind. He cupped my breasts and tweaked my nipples as he left a trail of kisses along the back of my neck.

'Princess,' he whispered. 'I want to fuck you up the arse. May I?'

I whimpered at the thought. 'Please do.'

'I'll get some more lubricant.'

As McGrath picked up the lubricant off the bed, where he'd thrown it, I adjusted my position so that my arse was in the air. All the while, I continued to slowly fuck my vibrator.

My lover approached me once more. He didn't rush things, and instead of spreading my arse and stretching me, he kissed me from the top of my spine down to the bottom. He crouched between my legs and enjoyed a bird's eye view of the vibrator sliding in and out of my snatch.

I slid the vibrator out of me and offered it to him to suck on. McGrath took it from me and slowly licked it clean, as if savouring the taste. Still kneeling between my legs, and still in control of the toy, he played around with it, rubbing it against my clit a few times before using it to penetrate me.