George had done her best to appear positive when she went off for work, leaving Helen to give her a lift but two seconds after driving off for the exact same destination, the Old Bailey, for her own court case, she found her attention wandering. This was so much so that during her cross examination of her witness in a case where John presided, she knew she'd talked herself into a verbal tangle. Finally, she stopped and looked up at John with her big blue eyes.
"My lord, a matter has arisen with which I wish to confer with my client. Might I have a fifteen minute adjournment and then I'm confident I can proceed."
"By all means," John said imperturbably to the barrister who had been cringing with embarrassment at her lame excuse. George shot him a grateful look and gestured forcefully to the puzzled man in the dock and passed by the bumbling opposing barrister who fortunately missed the sub-context. The phrases by which she pretended to broach an abstruse point of law were already framing themselves in her mind to pretend her way through the discussion that would get her head straight.
By the time the hearing was adjourned for lunch, George exerted an immense effort of will to resist the temptation to check on the progress of the Becky Elliott trial that was taking place in another portion of the bowels of the Old Bailey. Virtue had its own reward when George was about ready when Monty Everard appeared in her doorway, smiling benevolently at her.
"I thought I'd let you know that Alice acquitted herself splendidly after a nervous start. I think her final contribution has swung the trial if I'm not mistaken. Of course she's up to the high standards set by the ladies from Chix," Monty declaimed in high spirits, beaming all over his face.
In a moment, all the concealed tension within George was released in one exhalation of pent up breath. Short of hearing from her lover's own lips, this was the best, most trusted information she could possibly receive.
"Thank you Monty," George said softly, a grateful smile on her lips. It made all the difference to her day and had a curious calming effect on her and focussed her mind marvellously.
The opposing barrister had never come across George before so he could never work out why George's command of her case started out surprisingly uncertain and not making the best of her case. The adjournment saw George ratchet up her performance considerably and, after the lunch break, performed with the deadliness of a fencing virtuoso and was all over him. When the verdict was delivered in her favour, she dusted off her hands and grinned broadly. Right at the end, she shot off mysteriously without indulging in the customary pleasantries.
Half an hour later, George had zoomed back home in record time, opening the front door with slightly trembling fingers and beheld a vision of beauty with outstretched arms. She was all hers, she murmured to herself. It was a long time later when they separated from their long embrace and Alice settled down in George's lap.
"So darling, you must tell me everything," asked the blond haired woman firmly, taking Alice's hand in her own and sliding her other arm round her partner's slim waist.
"My first victory was in seeing Becky Elliott standing in the dock and feeling no more than sympathy. Despite everything we'd talked about, I was a little nervous right up to the moment of truth."
"Good, good," purred George, , mentally giving her partner full marks for her prescience.
"My real problem was with John Wade, Nikki's brother who was the instructing solicitor and he had got together with Brian Cantwell for me to admit taking on Becky's mother as a client, knowing that Becky was my ex and I quote 'I thought I could handle the situation only she went unaccountably ga ga so I wasn't to blame.' Sounds a pathetic excuse doesn't it?" Alice commented in tones of muted distaste.
"Good God,"George exclaimed in horror."If you'd done that, even Neumann Mason-Alan would have made mincemeat of your evidence. You'd have been stuck in an untenable position, darling. He'd have argued that you should have known better with your professional experience and accused you of negligence. He'd have destroyed your credibility- of course," George added hastily to soften her harsh observations , "I'm only playing devil's advocate working out what might have been. So sorry darling."
Alice had turned pale with shock only then did she realise the full extent of how she could have been taken apart in court. Her lover's gentle words and soft touch soothed her. She twisted round and delivered a kiss on her lover's full lips.
"So what finally did happen?" George asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"I admitted a lapse into stupidity, that I didn't put two and two together, that Becky Elliott entering the picture was like seeing a London double decker bus down a country lane. Brian Cantwell ran with it and the other barrister was caught flat-footed. It worked," Alice confessed with a shy smile, her long dark hair partly hiding her face.
George's mouth opened wide with amazement at her lover's brilliantly daring improvisation and, as the delicious implications of the discomfort Alice had caused, she laughed loud and long. In this moment, she loved Alice all over again as an admirable feature of her lover's modest personality revealed itself to her. In Alice's eyes, George looked beautiful as her free spirit was revealed in her deep joy and amusement and her arm looped itself round George's shoulders.
"Darling, what's extraordinary how Nikki's family produce two children so unalike," George finally said, wiping the tears of laughter out of her eyes. "Take Nikki who's worked hard for what she's got with sheer guts and determination and courage in a tight corner and on the other hand, her brother who's a fool, a coward who's had life so easy."
"I've seen him before but not up close. I despise him as the worst kind of man imaginable," Alice replied with distaste.
"But a woman can be different," George replied with a sudden mood change as her hand started caressing the gorgeous feel of Alice's body and started kissing her soft lips. The feel of the slim woman pressed up close to her, her long hair flowing over her shoulders and above all her sweet perfume acted like an aphrodisiac. The way George's mood could change so quickly was something Alice found deliciously challenging as she kissed her lover's lips, her cheeks with equal fervour. Where the blond haired beauty led, she could surely follow especially as her nimble fingers started unbuttoning her blouse so Alice right hand followed suit."I want you right now."
"In bed or on the floor? There's not enough space in the armchair," Alice asked huskily between kisses as she twisted around to lie more on top of George. That was all that the determined blond haired woman needed to hear. With surprising strength, she picked up Alice and rolled the two of them onto the conveniently placed white fur rug that lay near the gas fire. Both women murmured with satisfaction into each other's mouths that they had got away from the hard angles that the chair had imposed on them.
"This is more like it," breathed Alice as she felt her lover's body locked round hers and undid the last button of George's shirt. She was beaten to it as George's lips and tongue moved from Alice's neck to her nipples. Delicious pleasure ran through her system as the smaller woman's hand slid up Alice's respectable length skirt that she'd worn for court and up her thigh. "Why have we still got our clothes on?" she added, conscious of their encumbrances.
"Just what I was thinking darling," George replied, her voice edged with lust. It only took them a little while for the remainder of their clothes to be strewn aside while they were kissing each other's faces and necks. As George moved hungrily on top of her lover whose long dark hair trailed on the floor, she loved moments like these when she felt lusted after and she knew that George took her time like a true artist. She gave a little gasp as slim fingers delicately massaged her stomach with the hint that they would move down her body. With a sudden swift movement, they traced a trail down her hips and a teasing along the inside of her thighs as George looked down triumphantly down on her.
"Don't keep me waiting, sweetheart. I want you inside me so much. My hormones are going crazy on me." Alice pleaded desperately. There was such a thing that everyone comes to her who waits but she didn't get the logic right now. Her insides were aching to be touched as her hips were already moving.
"For you darling, anything," George said seductively as she slowly slid her fingers into the already wet spaces of her lover and expertly started thrusting against her, the movements feeling so right to the dark- haired woman whose body arched with joyous pleasure and whose hips pushed back in just the right way. The thought flashed through Alice's mind in her state of delirium that she and George had always had great sex but this time, her lover was adding that little bit extra which she was too bedazzled to figure out as respect for her performance today. The two women rolled around on the rug , tasting each other's soft skin and tears formed in Alice's eyes in being pleasured in just the right way. Suddenly she cried out in ecstasy as she climaxed and felt so grateful as George cradled her through the end of the roller coaster sexual ride. As the mists cleared, Alice found herself lying sideways with her lover, wrapped up in each other's arms.
"It's my turn to pleasure you sweetheart. I know what you like best," Alice said softly.
Those words were heaven to George. She knew that there was nothing that Alice loved best as slipping between George's slim legs and her lips and tongue to describe infinite pleasures within her centre and taste her sweetness, Neither women thought there was any point in wasting time in moving to the bed as the soft glow of the sidelights and the wide spaces of the floor was boudoir enough. Cleaning the rug could wait till another day, along with everything else in life.
Half an hour later, there was a complete contrast in moods, colours and emotions. In George's house, with lights turned down low and dark gold, Alice was lying between George's slim legs as the blond-haired beauty had come down from her glorious climax and long slim fingers were tracing patterns on her flat stomach, her full breasts. In another part of town, the cheaply utilitarian prison officer's room at Larkhall, complete with dusty filing cabinets and shopworn armchairs where Lou Stoke, G Wing Governor was having a full-on row with Sylvia Hollamby and Di Barker under the harsh neon light while Colin Hedges was struggling to get a word in edgeways
"You can't let that troublemaking lesbian have access to a guitar? It's just asking for trouble," Di Barker shouted angrily, her thin mouth set in a downturned line.
"Di's right," chimed in Bodybag in sniffish tones. "Who knows what that madam might get up to?"
Lou Stoke, dressed in her favourite informal trouser suit , had taken the job as a welcome move out of area office. She'd soon identified these two women as her main enemies and knew she couldn't give them an inch. Right now, amusement just about won over annoyance which prompted her cutting aside.
"The pair of you have lesbians on the brain."
"I beg your pardon. We're concerned for the well-being of the prison service even if some aren't," spluttered Di Barker in just that self-righteous tone of voice she came close to regretting it without knowing. Lou threw her head up in frustration to view the ceiling and ran her hands through her shoulder length hair. She couldn't get over how these two bigots continued to mouth off without specifying what the trouble was.
"Just what is your problem?Try putting it in plain English. Perhaps you think Mel Bridges will unstring her guitar and use it to strangle another inmate?" outshouted Lou in reply as she finally blew that long suffering fuse.
"That's just it," Bodybag burst in eagerly. Too late, she realised that Madam was going to have an answer to this one.
"Even if she cut her own hands to ribbons into the bargain? Doesn't sound very practical if you ever looked at a guitar." retorted Lou, making the two women feel instantly foolish."What do you think, Colin."
"As her personal officer, I don't see it. Natalie Buxton's the one we should really be watching. Mel Bridges keeps her distance from her. After all, rules is rules," the man answered, oblivious to the glares from the other two women and stealing an old Jim Fenner line just to rub it in.
"Well spotted, Colin. It makes a change to hear some common sense around here," Lou said, leaving a deliberate pause before continuing in businesslike tones. "There's another thing. Every personal officer report tells me she has a genuine interest in music aside from being a suspected drugs baron who's held on remand pending her trial. Very well, we build this into the terms under which she's held and box clever. If she does misbehave, the facility can be withdrawn but that isn't going to happen without being run past me first."
The steely glint in Lou Stoke's eye told the other two women that she would stamp on any funny business they might get up to. Privately, she knew that she was in for more aggravation from this pair as she'd had word that a blind woman was due for admission on remand for an assault charge. Lou believe in not fighting her battles all in one go and wanted to get this victory under her belt before these two bigots got a chance to freak out at this new challenge.
"I leave telling Mel Bridges in your capable hands, Colin. Now I'm sure you've all got business to see to," came the parting shot, indicating to all that the matter was closed.
Colin Hedges had been assigned as Mel Bridges' personal officer when she first came to Larkhall Prison on remand just before Christmas. It took him awhile to get the measure of his new responsibility. Outwardly,. she wore an arrogant looking biker leather jacket but inwardly, she couldn't help her insecurities and reticence peeping through her guard. His immediate problem was that the cunning and vicious Natalie Buxton and her cohorts spotted this a mile away. It was a sheer fluke that she fell out with Kris Yates whose touchy aggressiveness wasn't to be trifled with. The secondary consequence was that the blond haired woman, wearing her habitual military trousers was carrying on a secret affair with the smartly dressed prison officer, Selena Geeson who was sharp eyed and quick witted and had the perfect experience to bear down on Natalie Buxton. Colin Hedges knew nothing of this affair but was grateful that Mel Bridges didn't end up badly beaten up as she might have done in the labyrinthine prison which had far too many dark corners for safety's sake.
Colin Hedges also had to cope with some bewildering changes in the prison officer power structure. First of all, Neil Grayling the Governing Governor finally achieved his dream and got his promotion to Area and a formidable disciplinarian, Joy Masterton replaced him. She had this very obvious spit and polish army attitude to her and woke up the relatively relaxed ways of both prisoners and prison officers with a jolt. Colin Hedge's perspective was that underneath Frances Myers's toughness, she was fair minded and listened to you if you didn't bullshit her and she had the understanding that Joy Masterton lacked. It was also the case of two female cooks in the same kitchen and Frances Myers jumped ship in fairly short order to a job in Area to be replaced by the more laid back, disrespectful Lou Stoke. On the other hand, the transfer from D Wing of the dark, saturnine Kevin Ridges made for trouble as he was soon promoted to Senior Officer and his duplicitous nature was exemplified by him being able to ingratiate himself to Lou Stoke yet work in cahoots behind her back with Bodybag who had got promotion to the pivotal role of Principal Officer. With all these changes, the most far reaching change was the recent transfer to Larkhall of the tough, streetwise Pat Kerrigan from Holloway to Larkhall. To the reactionary prison officers, she was instantly in their bad books as her reputation of 'running the wing' was transferred in quicker than the prison service paperwork. Contrarily, Colin Hedges saw beneath her hard nosed and suspicious exterior and realised that she operated simple litmus test of trust and not trust on everyone she met. Thus, she wasn't above a workable arrangement with a screw and loathed Natalie Buxton with a vengeance.
In this ever changing world, Colin Hedges peeped his head round Mel Bridges' cell door, carrying an ill-defined object behind his back. Instantly, Mel put two and two together and did her best to conceal her feelings of absolute joy that radiated through her nervous system.
Since she'd heard from her mother that her guitar was on the way, it crossed her mind that it didn't mean that she'd necessarily get it, no matter what the rules said. She viewed Bodybag and Spiers strutting arrogantly around the wing and knew that, however much the new Wing Governor, Lou Stokes meant well, she hadn't got the measure of the wing as she reluctantly conceded that Frances Myers had. Mel grasped the fact that she would have to sit this one out and thought twice about talking even to the amiable Colin Hedges It was in this way that she got through the days until today.
"You know what this means Mel?" Colin said after a preamble which went right over Mel's head, so up high she was. "This privilege could be taken away from you if you misbehave even though, being on remand, you have more privileges than those who have been convicted."
"I swear that I've missed playing music more than you can imagine. I used to have my electric guitar propping up the corner and not touch it for ages just because it was there," Mel said with an intensity of feeling that convinced Colin of her sincerity. She looked at the shiny golden varnished shape of the box, the copper frets lining the fretboard and longed to get the feeling of holding it, perhaps more than any lover she'd been with. It gave her a pang of regret that she hadn't stuck to what she had wanted most even despite the hard times she'd gone through as a struggling musician way back when.
Colin knew that this woman, so tricky in some respect as a drugs dealer, had found a more honest part of herself and wanted to be reacquainted with her music more than anything else in the world. He left her to it and from the other side of the prison cell, he heard faint sounds as she started getting the guitar tuned into shape.