This is the twelfth part of a fiction serial, in 2005 words.

Another car, and a visit to Melissa

First stop was the local car spares shop, to buy one of those elasticated covers for the car. She wasn’t about to risk moving it, and didn’t want to leave it visible in the car park now that the registration number had been circulated by the police. She would cover it up completely, make it look like it just wasn’t being used at the moment. Jenny knew that they would be searching all the CCTV everywhere, and she didn’t want to trigger any of the automatic number plate recognition cameras.

In the local newspaper, she found a decent car for sale privately. Seven years old, with all the paperwork, and less than sixty thousand miles on the clock. It was up for five and a half grand, but she would offer five for cash, take it or leave it. Wearing the black wig and her contact lenses, she walked to the address after making an appointment to see the car. Suitably dull, and in a ubiquitous silver colour, it was parked outside, nicely washed and polished. A young woman answered the door, carrying a baby. She looked scruffy and harassed. “It’s my boyfriend’s car, love. He’s on his way back to see you. You’re a bit early”. Declining her invitation to enter the rather smelly terraced house, Jenny waited outside, pretending to examine the vehicle in some detail.

Fifteen minutes later, a van pulled up across the street. From the look of it, it seemed that the boyfriend was a telephone engineer. He walked across the road, dangling the car keys, and holding a folder containing some papers. “What do you think, love? It’s a beauty, isn’t it?” He only looked to be about twenty-five, and luckily paid no attention to the older woman with her drab clothes and rather miserable expression. “Tell you what, jump in, and I will take you for a spin around the block”. After the five-minute drive, he stopped outside his house again. Jenny asked to see the papers. It had nine months left on the ministry of transport test, and service bills for the last three years. The young man tried to do some selling. “We just need to get something bigger, you know. There’s another baby on the way. I really like this car, and I will be sorry to let it go”.

Opening her shoulder bag, Jenny produced an envelope containing five thousand in new notes that she had drawn out from the bank on her way there. Avoiding his enthusiastic gaze, she put the envelope on the dashboard. “Five grand for cash, I can’t be bothered to haggle. Okay?” He beamed. “Deal”. As he started counting the cash, Jenny checked the papers again. He spoke without turning away from the money. “Don’t forget to send off the registration, love. I don’t want to be getting your parking tickets”. Placing the paperwork in the glove compartment, she got out and walked around to the driver’s side. The man tucked the envelope into his work overalls and got out, handing her the key. She nodded, and drove off without another word.

As she only had one parking space, she parked the car in a nearby side street where it would hardly be noticed. The seat belt was narrow and tight, and it had rubbed the biggest lump on her breast. Never mind, she wouldn’t need the car for much longer. She made a mental note to fill it up with petrol before going very far. The warning light had come on as she was parking.

Using the unregistered mobile, she rang Mel’s mobile number, the one given on the website. The idea seemed sound. No pretence, no subterfuge, she would just say who she was, and see what happened. If Mel put her off, she would go to Plan B.

The voice that answered was still so familiar that hearing it sent a chill down Jenny’s back. She was sitting on her sofa, relaxed and composed, and hoping that would transfer to her tone. “Hi, Mel. It’s Jenny. Jenny Pettifer. I was thinking about you the other day, so I looked you up and found your website. I hope you don’t mind me calling?” The voice at the other end changed from school teacher to seductive vamp in a heartbeat. “Why Jenny, how lovely to hear from you. Whatever made you think of your old friend?” She would be sixty now, or close to that age. But the voice hadn’t changed in twenty-five years. It made her feel a bit sick to hear it, but she managed to keep her tone upbeat and casual. “I have never stopped thinking about you Mel, as I’m sure you can guess. But I regretted that we never met again after I left school, and thought it would be lovely to come and see you, catch up after all these years. I’m on holiday from work at the moment, so could drive up whenever you are free. Later today, if that suits you, or tomorrow, if not”.

There was no chance that Mel was going to apologise for what happened, or take responsibility for anything. Her manner was as exactly the same as it had been then; entitled, taking control, exercising power. “Later today would be lovely. I could make something for us to eat this evening. It would be good to see you all grown up, and to hear about your life. Shall we say about five? I don’t have any students this afternoon. Do you need directions?” Mel raised her eyebrows. It would happen today. “No, I will use a satnav, and I got your postcode from the website. See you around five, traffic permitting. Bye”.

In her bedroom, Jenny picked out the old dress she intended to wear. Not too low at the front, but open enough to reveal lots of bulging cleavage. It would cover her bra nicely, so the lump wouldn’t show. A little short above the knee for her age now, but that wouldn’t hurt. She reckoned it would take almost three hours to get to Mel’s house, so she would be sure to leave just before two. Still lots of time to prepare. Her best underwear, in case it got to that, heavier make up, and no need for the wig. She got the things she had bought in town that morning, placing them carefully in the shoulder bag. Then she added a bottle of wine from her fridge, so as to not turn up empty handed after the offer of a meal later.

Mel answered the door dressed as if she was heading out to a cocktail party. Despite the years, she looked almost exactly the same. Hair dyed the same colour, figure still good. Only some wrinkles around her neck and the start of a double chin gave some indication that she was sixty. They went into the spacious living room after a brief kiss on each cheek at the door. Mel was unbelievably confident, treating the situation as if they had seen each other just last week, not twenty-five years ago. She gave Jenny an appreciative look up and down, as she handed her a sherry. “Jenny darling, you look so well. The years have been very kind to you. How old are you now, forty? Forty-one?” Jenny smiled, “Forty-three now, Mel. And looking it, I suspect”. As expected, Mel’s eyes were glued to the visible bulges of skin appearing over the dress. “Nonsense, my darling, you still look fabulous”. She reinforced that by placing a hand on the exposed section of Jenny’s thigh, letting it linger long enough to convey the intended message. Jenny had to admit to herself that even after all that had happened, she still found the older woman overwhelmingly attractive.

She had to get that thought out of her head though.

They chatted casually for an hour or so, with Mel edging closer all the time, and speaking with that familiar husky voice that Jenny had found so exciting at one time. Then she went into her kitchen, and began to prepare an easy meal that she had bought from her local supermarket. Jenny looked around the room in her absence. There was a laptop on a desk by the window, and a large smartphone on the mahogany coffee table. There was no indication that she used this room for her tutorials, and Jenny wondered if she had an office in another part of the house. But other than one phone call from the unregistered mobile, there should be nothing to indicate that Mel had been expecting her.

The meal was a cosy affair, in a nice dining room across the corridor. Not much food, but Jenny wasn’t feeling like eating too much anyway. Mel kept the wine flowing, and Jenny had to keep her wits about her to make sure she didn’t drink too much. By ten, they had both shared their stories of the past twenty-five years, Mel probably telling as many half-truths as Jenny had. But she had to know one thing, and plucked up the courage to ask, fearful of spoiling the mood. “I have always wanted to know, Mel. Why did you just finish things between us like that? Was it something I said or did?” Leaning across the table, Mel took both her hands, and squeezed them fondly. “Bless you, darling. It was nothing you did. I just got bored, that’s the plain truth of it. I felt the need to move on to someone new, but I confess I did regret that decision. By then it was too late though, and you had left the school”.

Jenny was furious, but managed to hide it. Bored. All that she went through, because Mel got bored. Unbelievable. Mel slid her hands gently up Jenny’s arms, and leaned even further forward. “No reason why we can’t take up where we left off though, is there? I was hoping you would stay the night, save you a long drive home in the dark. I don’t have any students until after lunch tomorrow”. She added a rather lascivious wink, then moistened her lips with her tongue. Jenny was triumphant. It had worked. In what felt like a replay of that Tuesday in her old house, Mel stood up, and took her hand. “Shall we go upstairs then?” Jenny feigned enthusiasm. “I thought you would never ask. I just need my bag from the living room. You go up, I’ll follow you”.

By the time she got to the open door of the main bedroom, Mel was already out of her dress, and reaching behind to unfasten her bra. It looked like she didn’t intend to waste any time on foreplay. Jenny leaned back against the wall, adopting what she hoped was a sexy look and pose. “I have something in my bag here that might make things more exciting, if you are happy to give it a try”. She reached in and removed two sets of metal handcuffs, with fluffy pink wristbands attached. Then a soft pink mask, with frilly edging. Mel dropped her bra onto the bedroom floor, and reached down to remove her matching panties. Her face was flushed with excitement. “My, you have acquired some unusual tastes over the years my darling”. She flicked away the panties with her toe, and stretched out naked on top of her bed. With her voice little more than a gasp, she raised her arms, and smiled. “Okay, I’m all yours”.

With both wrists firmly secured to the metal bed posts, and the mask in place over her face, Mel was almost panting with anticipation. As she lay there expectantly, Jenny removed a plastic bag from inside the shoulder bag. With no hesitation, she suddenly pulled it over Mel’s head, wrapping the excess tightly around her neck, and holding it firmly. At first, Mel obviously though it was part of the game.

But when her legs started to thrash around, Jenny knew that she had realised the truth.