The 69 (Part 1)

Staring at the phone on the table ringing, she bit her lip in eagerness. Revealing her excitement for his call didn’t seem like a good idea. She waited for a while; picked up on the sixth ring.

“Hey” she answered sheepishly.

“Hi darling. What are you doing today?

”Nothing really…just chilling’’

“How about lunch? He suggested enthusiastically.

“Perfect!’’ she said excitedly.

“Cool. Will pick you up in a few’’

And the line went dead.  Daisy looked at the phone with a blush that left her brown skin scarlet. Just like any other teenager excited about her first date, she dashed into her room and started rummaging through her closet like a mad man; clothes, shoes, hats and belts were flying around the room aimlessly. She finally landed on an outfit and looking at the time, it had been an hour of trying on this and that. Trying to suppress the excitement in her head, she raced to the bathroom.

Forty minutes later, the phone rang. It was him. ‘’I’m at the gate Sweetie”.

In her sleeveless little black dress stretching through the boundaries of decency but still looking elegant on her slim body, hair tied back in a ponytail, a gold bracelet that complemented her red earrings and silver necklace that ran down to her cleavage, she looked at herself in the mirror one last time. Six inch heels in one hand and pink bag in the other, she rushed out of her bedroom. Whilst in the corridor, she bumped into the last person she always dreaded meeting at such times.

“Daisy!’’ Stacy, her big sister called out. Startled daisy came to a sudden halt like a statue. ‘’Where are you going?’’ she queried as her eyes inspected Daisy from head to toe.

‘’Uhmm…to see a friend” she muttered shakily. Stacy was a hard one; rigorous. She never let her siblings out of the house without a sound reason. But this time, because her kid sister looked drop dead gorgeous with a glow in her eyes she had never seen before, she let it go. Besides, she had seen the car parked outside the gate which made it no secret that her sister was not meeting a “friend”. And judging from her outfit, made it crisp clear that this was her first date. “Amateur!” Stacy whispered to herself.

‘’Okay. Be back before dusk or else I’m telling on you to Ma” she jibed mockingly as her lips twitched with suppressed laughter.

David was pacing around the deep blue sports car while smoking on a cigarette when she got outside the gate. He dropped the cigarette on the ground and placed his foot on it. They exchanged pleasantries and hugged before he opened the co-driver’s seat door for her.

“He has a car?” she asked herself in shock. She knew she had to give more thought on her suspicions of this man possessing such a posh ride let alone own any car at that, given his profession. But the car had an exotic interior she had only seen in movies. Like any other girl, she thought it was just paranoia and anxiety. She gave no thought to it. The car engine sputtered and chuffed. If the suspicions were at the front of her brain before, they were now at the back of it. David swerved the car and whisked them away in a flash.

They had met at a concert seven days ago. Daisy was seated at the edge of the crowd with her best friend Tina when he saw them. He was taking pictures. Daisy’s dazzling big eyes looked like diamonds he wanted to keep for himself. Her ravishing face and poise that was outstanding from the crowd had made his lower body ache from tension.

Click! He took a picture of her heedless. Her laugh echoed through the noise of the crowd and she had the whitest set of teeth he’d ever seen. Click! Click! He took more pictures. This time she noticed.

“Hey! What the fuck?” she shouted.

Click!                                                                                                                                     

“Excuse me Sir?” “Tina, I think this dude wants trouble” she said furiously. Tina laughed like she always did in such scenarios.

“But you know you’re a beauty. Dude is just appreciating’’ and she laughed more.

Click!

‘’I hate you Tina’’

“You can’t hate me for telling you the truth sweetie’’ she retorted

Click! Click! Click! Click! David went on without a care of her rants and the middle finger she kept showing him. In fact, he loved the angry Daisy. She looked super gorgeous and the photographs were amazing. She was the best subject he’d ever taken pictures of.

“So, stalker, I’m not paying for any of those photographs you just took’’ she said contemptibly.

Click!

‘’Who said you were going to pay for anything?’’ he smiled. Tina who was now all stitches from laughing at their unorthodox conversation shoved her elbow onto Daisy’s arm in a don’t-even –think-of-messing-up-this-one way.

“You know I’m going to need a sponsor  for later on drinks while you sleep away at home’’ Tina whispered.

“But Tina!” she scoffed.

Click! Click!

‘’Okay, I’m Daisy.’’ She shot at him

“David. You’re so beautiful Daisy’’ he smiled at her

“David, will you please stop taking my pictures?’’

“Only if you give me your number’’

Click! Click!

“Fine!’’ she said after a long thought. And gave Tina a you’re-going-to-pay-for-this-later look before giving him the number. However nagging he had been, she thought he was fairly good looking. He was tall. He had a great beak of a nose, like a prey of some sort she thought. And yet he exuded gentleness. His fingers were long with nails that gleamed whitely at their tips.

‘’I’m sorry sweetness but I have to run. Will call you later tonight’’ David walked away briskly.

“Yeah, cool!’’ she smirked.

‘’Have you seen those biceps? Lord have mercy. You’ve hit the jack pot!!’’ wide eyed Tina shot at Daisy as soon as David was out of sight. Daisy laughed sheepishly in agreement.

Daisy had to leave early that evening; curfew. They hugged and laughed crazily all the way to her cab. Later that night, David had called like he’d said. He called her every other day after that and they’d talk for hours. She had declined all meeting arrangements because of her stringent big sister Stacy. His constant demands of them meeting every time he called didn’t make it any easier. She didn’t want to lose this one. He was her first boyfriend. He was older. Ten years older than her. But she didn’t care. In fact, it thrilled her. Dating older guys was like having a new Chanel or Louis Vuitton collection at her school; instant idolization. Like any other 15 year old at the peak of puberty with numerous fantasies created from hearsay, movies, magazines and romance novels, all anticipated to grow to reality. She decided to take off her “Miss goodie two shoes’’ tiara and give up the title. If she wanted to pursue this relationship with David, she had to rebel and defy some rules; which she gladly did in a heartbeat and so far, luckily got away with.

‘’You look gorgeous’’ David glanced at her luscious thighs before shifting his eyes back to the road.

‘’Thank you’’ she blushed.

‘’I’m so happy to be here with you, next to you’’ he grinned widely while placing his hand into hers and briefly staring into her innocent eyes.

‘’Uhmm…yeah, me too” she feigned a smile nervously. Not because she wasn’t happy to be there. She had noticed how salaciously he had been staring at her thighs and body since she got into the car.

‘’I know a perfect place where we can go’’

‘’Where is that?’’ she looked at him quizzically.

‘’You’ll see. We’re almost there.’’ He smiled excitedly. The little voice in her head that always alerted her when trouble was ahead was now echoing hard. Something was wrong and she knew it. First it was the cool car this ‘’camera guy’’ owned, then the lewd way he looked at her and now the ‘’perfect place’’ he refuses to disclose.

It wasn’t long before her fears were confirmed.

They stopped at a red gate. The gateman opened and smiled at her, looked at David and winked. He must be a regular, she thought. Her eyes immediately searched the place for a restaurant, bar or barbecue. All her eyes could see were these several tenement houses arranged in no specific pattern. ‘’The 69’’ in bold black letters was written on the fascia of the house in the centre.

‘’What’s this place David?’’ she swallowed hard, her Adam’s apple slowly going up and down.

‘’It’s a guest house honey’’ he grinned as he placed his hand on her right thigh and caressed it gently.

Eyes wide open, heart beating twice faster and sweaty palms, Daisy froze.