A Proper Charlie by Louise Wise Read Free Book Online Page A

that he hadn’t quite cleaned the entire carpet. She smiled instead and leaned her head against his shoulder.
    ‘ I was going to tidy up, honest,’ he said. ‘Only you know what Dave’s like. He was para, hun. Me and Paul had to physically take him home else he’d have stayed at ours all night!’
    She loved it when he called her flat ‘ours’. He stayed occasionally but preferred to alternate between his mum’s or his friend Paul’s. He was a free spirit. This was another of his attractions. Charlie found it so admirable that he didn’t want to belong.
    ‘ You don’t have to keep apologising,’ she said.
    ‘ But I do. I came back from taking Dave home and must’ve fallen asleep. Sorry I didn’t text you or nothing. His missus Susie was well pissed off. God, she’s a dog.’ He squeezed her shoulder. ‘Not a patch on you.’
    Charlie glowed. ‘I’ve said it doesn’t matter, and sorry for the misunderstanding about her.’
    ‘ I must’ve been having a nightmare about her!’
    Charlie giggled.
    ‘ It won’t be long now, hun,’ he said. ‘We’ll have our own place. You, me and the little ones.’
    Charlie’s heart swelled and the messy flat seemed no longer a messy flat. When he spoke of us and ours and little ones , well, she could forgive him anything.
    ‘ I’m having lunch with Melvin today,’ she said, snuggling up to him. ‘Want me to put it off?’
    ‘ Not Mel the poof?’
    ‘ Yes, and don’t say that. He’s a very good friend to me. I don’t know what I’d do without him to be honest.’
    Andy grunted. ‘Sometimes I think you prefer him to me.’
    ‘ Jealous?’ she teased. She put the tea on the floor and straddled his lap. She kissed his nose, moving to trail little kisses over his cheek and jawline before claiming his mouth.
    He kissed her back and then fumbled under her T-shirt for her breasts. He clamped his hands over them.
    ‘ Ouch,’ she complained. ‘They’re attached you know!’
    ‘ Sorry,’ he said. He let go and pulled at her jeans. ‘Take them off then.’
    Charlie climbed off his lap and stepped out of her jeans and underwear as Andy lowered his to his thighs. He indicated that she straddle him again.
    ‘ Is it in?’ she asked.
    ‘ Hang on. Yep, it’s in.’ He sighed, and settled back with this eyes closed. ‘Enjoy,’ he said.
    She bounced up and down as Andy sat back with his hands behind his head.
    ‘ Harder,’ he instructed. Breathless from effort more than ecstasy, she moved up and down with more force. She wondered what was on the menu at the Rat and Parrot . She fancied a nice juicy burger.
    Andy groaned.
    Maybe with a jacket potato instead of fries. She didn’t like those thin fries that seemed to be served up all that time. What happened to chunky chips?
    ‘ You done yet?’ she looked down at Andy. He opened one eye.
    ‘ Nearly.’
    Charlie bounced some more, telling herself that it was all good exercise for the thighs. She turned her head to catch the time. She should really be making tracks. She bounced harder hoping he’d come.
    ‘ That’s right. Harder, Lots, harder.’
    Up. Down. Up. Down. Her thighs were aching, and her right knee was beginning to click with every ‘up’. She noticed a spider high on the wall, it was striding up towards the ceiling and she wondered if it’d make it before Andy came.
    Andy yelped, and Charlie smiled at the spider. ‘You’re a winner,’ she said.
    ‘ I am pretty good, ain’t I?’ Andy agreed as she pulled off him.
    Charlie picked up her underwear and jeans as Andy barely raised from the chair to pull up his clothes. He sat back down, adjusted his anatomy and fastened his fly. With one hand he reached for her discarded tea on the floor and began to drink it, with the other, the remote control where he turned on the TV.
    Charlie headed towards the bathroom.
    ‘ Put the hoover away for us before you leave,’ he said as he channel hopped.
     
    *
     
    She bit into her burger, licking the