“Sorry, ladies, must powder my nose. See you later.”
She left them hanging, visibly disappointed to miss the next thrilling instalment of the Dafydd vs Ben story, and moved as quickly as she could on stiletto-clad feet towards the cloakrooms.
Without a second thought, she bustled into the men’s washroom, to find Ben standing there in his boxers, holding his wet trousers over an airblade dryer.
“Ness!” he exclaimed. “This is the men’s room.”
“Don’t care,” she said. “Come next door, into the Ladies’.”
“I…can’t!”
“Yes, you can. Come on.”
She grabbed his hand and yanked him outside, then pushed him into the Ladies’. She could hear footsteps advancing along the corridor towards them. She knew whose footsteps they were.
Abruptly, before the door had even swung shut, she hurled herself on Ben, pressing him up against the tiled wall. She ground into his crotch, in its damp boxers, not worrying about the effect on her smart scarlet sheath dress. It wasn’t hard yet, but by God, she would see about that.
“Ness, what is this?”
She silenced Ben with an angry, biting kiss.
There was a bang on the door.
“Come out, Vanessa. I know what you’re doing. I know you wanted me to follow you.”
In response, she moaned long and loud and cupped Ben’s uncooperative genitals in her hand.
He grabbed her wrist and removed it from his person, shaking her off with a mighty effort.
“No,” he said firmly. “I’m not doing this. I’m not playing this game.”
“But Ben?”
She tried again to lunge for him, but he held her off.
“What’s going on in there?” Dafydd demanded in his magisterial tones from the other side of the door. “Come out or I’m coming in to get you.”
“I just want him to see that he can’t have me,” whispered Vanessa desperately.
“You don’t have to attack me to prove that,” said Ben. “You just keep on telling him. There’s nothing he can do.”
“I just think a demonstration would be more effective.”
“I’m not an object, Ness. You can’t use me whenever and wherever you fancy. Well, not all the time. Sometimes is fine.” He smiled weakly. “I don’t like this. Can’t we go back to the way we were?”
“I wish we could,” said Vanessa and suddenly there were tears in her eyes.
“Come on,” said Ben gently. “Let’s get out of here with our heads held high and just walk past the silly bugger. And then I think we’re well within our rights to go home.”
She nodded, swallowing.
“Better get your trousers on first, though, eh?”
They left, hand in hand, and neither of them cast their eyes towards Dafydd, who slouched against the wall by the door.
“A toilet shag, eh?” he called after them. “Classy as ever, Ness. Never mind. You’ll keep.”
The words stayed in Vanessa’s mind for the rest of the night.