Pride

Part 29

He'd been about to snap back at Morgan with, 'are you getting off on this?' but he'd swallowed the words and his irritation as he slowly regained control of his emotions. "I slept in his spare room just like I did at Chris'."

They had shared a bed, but it wasn't Jackson's. Ok, so he was being economical with the truth here, but he wasn't going to tell the court about what had happened between the two of them that night. It was private, something very special to him and he wasn't going to share it with anyone.

"Why didn't you go to the police that night?"

"Jackson wanted me to but I couldn't. I was ashamed; I didn't want anyone to know. I wasn't thinking straight."

"Not because there hadn't actually been an assault or an attempted rape?"

"What?" What the hell did he mean by that?

"Christopher Davies had paid for all the drinks that evening, and the meal you had."

Morgan had jumped to something else again! "No. We took turns buying rounds; I was on soft drinks anyway, I was driving. Yes he paid for the meal, but that doesn't mean anything."

"But you had an arrangement! He spent money on you and in return you granted sexual favours"

"No! That's sick." Chris was sick; he had to be to accuse him of that.

"The more he spent on you the more he was entitled to in return."

"No!" His temper was threatening to erupt again now, so again he pictured Jackson lying bruised and bloody on a hospital trolley, then glanced quickly over at Chris just to remind himself of what was at stake here.

"He'd spent a small fortune on you the day before, on car insurance. He was expecting more than 'an all out snogging session' for that kind of money! You don't come cheap do you Mr Livesy!"

Smith was up on his feet and he sounded angry to Aaron, the Judge didn't sound all that pleased either. He wasn't angry though, he just felt really sick, like he was going to lose his breakfast any minute now. "It wasn't like that; we were just together, a couple!"

"Mr Davies was expecting you to have sex with him that night; you both knew he'd paid for it in advance."

"No!"

"But when the time came and you made it clear it wasn't going to happen that night, Christopher Davies got angry, he'd finally realised what you were up to!. That you were out to get as much out of him as you possibly could."

"No."

"The two of you argued, it turned into a physical fight, both of you receiving injuries."

"It wasn't like that!"

"He's a big man, immensely strong. If he'd wanted to he could have overpowered you at any time."

"He did!"

"He hit you, he ashamedly admits to that, and you admit to hitting him, but as to it being anything other than a fistfight between two angry men? No. He realised things were getting out of hand and told you to get out."

"No! He was trying to kiss me, touch me, he wouldn't let me leave."

"You could have phoned Mr Kirk to pick you up, but instead you phoned Jackson Walsh! A man you say you had been avoiding. And surprise surprise he came running! Not something I or anyone else would expect him to do you having punched him, especially when you say he'd been avoiding you too. I think my summary of events rings truer than the story you tell!"

"I'm not telling a story, I'm telling the truth!"

"Mr Davies phoned you the next day didn't he?"

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

"That he was sorry, that he wanted to see me, talk to me."

"Why do you think that was?"

"Because he thought he'd get round me, that I'd give him another chance."

"Or, in the cold light of day that he'd realised he wanted things to continue as they had been. He was a lonely man and was happy to continue to pay for your company, etc."

"No, you're twisting everything."

"He asked where you were, if he could pick you up. You told him you were staying at Jackson's."

"No I didn't tell him where I was, I knew he'd come looking for me if I did!"

"But he knew you were there didn't he?"

"He rang the flat and I answered the phone."

"Did he come around like you say you so feared?"

"No. He went after Jackson instead!"

"He went to speak to Jackson Walsh, believing he was controlling you."

"What?" What was he on about now?

"Well what sort of a man would let his boyfriend go with other men for money?"

Smith had reacted instantly, protesting to the Judge. Aaron could only shake his head, finally saying, "Only a sick mind could come up with something like that!"

"He thought you were in need of help. You wouldn't be the first troubled teen to go down that sordid path."

Aarons snorted in disbelief, Chris really had this all worked out. At the same time trying to make himself look like some sort of do-gooder. "He was jealous, he went there to hurt him and he did!"

"Mr Walsh wasn't alone and his companion set about Christopher Davies with a chunk of wood, breaking his arm and nose, he was on the receiving end of the most serious injuries."

"Cain had to use it on him; it was the only way he could stop him beating on Jackson."

"At some point you realised you could get into serious trouble because of what had occurred the night before."

"No. I hadn't done anything wrong!"

"You've told us you're on Community Payback, if you were to get into any trouble, say a fight, you'd go straight to prison wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

"It certainly wouldn't look good that you were involved with the men who inflicted serious injuries on Christopher Davies' either. That's why you and Walsh concocted the nasty little tale about Davies trying to rape you!"

Aaron could only shake his head, he'd had his moments, but he'd like to think he could never be that devious! But it seemed Chris could.

TBC