virgin.”
“Seriously?” Craig started feeling his breasts up. “The right middle finger says I have a nipple pierced?”
“Nope, you ass,” I said, easing both feet on the bed as I lay back, propped up. “But it’s going on your shit-list that you were playing with yourself in front of me. Now... to keep that information away from Halliday, I’d like a morning newspaper delivered to my bed every morning about sevenish, please.”
“You know you’re not back in juvy, right? That there’s a request form for these little things?”
“There is?” I scowled. “Fuck. Can I have one?”
“For your damn bribing cheek? Christ no.”
I chuckled and rested my arms across my knees. “What’s Joe in for?”
Craig looked back at the door, then just offered me a smile.
“Oh right, privacy policy.”
“U-huh. Come on, hard-ass. Dinnertime,” he said, smacking at my leg. “After that, it’s rec time, and by that I mean relaxing, and, if you’re really good, a walk in the garden outside.”
“Woo-hoo.” I lost my smile. “Do I get to cock my leg up a bush, being as you’re letting me outside?”
“We prefer you use your bathroom, but going wild doesn’t hurt on the odd occasion. But first, you need to get your ass into the dinner hall instead of hiding out in your room. You’re not going to catch anything that anyone else here has.”
I looked away a touch, not liking how my own prejudice was brought to life. I didn’t realise I’d been using my own shit to hide out in here come dinner time....
Joe was poking his head back around the door, that stupid smile on his face, and I suddenly pushed to my feet, avoiding him. “Didn’t fucking say that, did I?”
“Hello Joe.”
I flicked a look over and Joe shuffled in again as my hands went in my back pocket.
“Look—”
“Seen Joe’s teeth, Jack?” said Joe through whatever Craig was going to say.
I grunted a smile and Joe peered down into my cup.
“I don’t have your teeth, Joe.”
“Jack sure?”
Giving a sigh, Craig got to his feet. “Come on, Joe, let’s go and eat.” He didn’t look back to see if I followed. But he’d taken the paper, so I did, using the paper as an excuse to hide how hungry I was.
The food on offer was pretty impressive, with every diet catered for. It had the usual cafe feel: lively chatter, the odd chair being scraped back and forth as people sat and ate. If these twenty or so people were all MC, I’d never seen them. But then, the BDSM side was only a percentage of what the MC stood for. The queue to the food counter wasn’t too bad, just a few people in front, the odd shuffle off Joe from behind me and Craig helping him out. The only difference was the black tunics dotted about the place. Some, just a few of the staff sat eating with the patients, the others no doubt preferring their own meal times, but there was that watchful manner about the few here. Craig had the same look about him as he helped Joe pick up a tray.
Social. I looked around. Hadn’t done social for such a long time, not since...
“Sally. That’s me.”
“Huh?” Giving a glance to the side, saw a young woman standing up close and personal. She was pretty, about twenty-three, twenty-four, and she was twisting a strand of hair around her black painted fingernails. Jeans were tight, showing off her figure, with a T-shirt that had “Taken” written on the front slipping snugly over her curves. Pretty enough to earn a second glance, but one of her finely curved eyebrows was missing, and after a moment, she stopped twisting her hair to pull at her eyebrow.
“Sally, do you know what you’re doing?” said Craig, sliding a plastic knife and fork onto Joe’s tray, and Sally automatically tutted and offered her other hand out as I looked at Craig. Yeah, I’d noticed how they got you to recognise what you were doing to yourself.
“Sally.”
I was back with her as she spoke.
“I’m from Manchester; close to finishing my
“Seriously?” Craig started feeling his breasts up. “The right middle finger says I have a nipple pierced?”
“Nope, you ass,” I said, easing both feet on the bed as I lay back, propped up. “But it’s going on your shit-list that you were playing with yourself in front of me. Now... to keep that information away from Halliday, I’d like a morning newspaper delivered to my bed every morning about sevenish, please.”
“You know you’re not back in juvy, right? That there’s a request form for these little things?”
“There is?” I scowled. “Fuck. Can I have one?”
“For your damn bribing cheek? Christ no.”
I chuckled and rested my arms across my knees. “What’s Joe in for?”
Craig looked back at the door, then just offered me a smile.
“Oh right, privacy policy.”
“U-huh. Come on, hard-ass. Dinnertime,” he said, smacking at my leg. “After that, it’s rec time, and by that I mean relaxing, and, if you’re really good, a walk in the garden outside.”
“Woo-hoo.” I lost my smile. “Do I get to cock my leg up a bush, being as you’re letting me outside?”
“We prefer you use your bathroom, but going wild doesn’t hurt on the odd occasion. But first, you need to get your ass into the dinner hall instead of hiding out in your room. You’re not going to catch anything that anyone else here has.”
I looked away a touch, not liking how my own prejudice was brought to life. I didn’t realise I’d been using my own shit to hide out in here come dinner time....
Joe was poking his head back around the door, that stupid smile on his face, and I suddenly pushed to my feet, avoiding him. “Didn’t fucking say that, did I?”
“Hello Joe.”
I flicked a look over and Joe shuffled in again as my hands went in my back pocket.
“Look—”
“Seen Joe’s teeth, Jack?” said Joe through whatever Craig was going to say.
I grunted a smile and Joe peered down into my cup.
“I don’t have your teeth, Joe.”
“Jack sure?”
Giving a sigh, Craig got to his feet. “Come on, Joe, let’s go and eat.” He didn’t look back to see if I followed. But he’d taken the paper, so I did, using the paper as an excuse to hide how hungry I was.
The food on offer was pretty impressive, with every diet catered for. It had the usual cafe feel: lively chatter, the odd chair being scraped back and forth as people sat and ate. If these twenty or so people were all MC, I’d never seen them. But then, the BDSM side was only a percentage of what the MC stood for. The queue to the food counter wasn’t too bad, just a few people in front, the odd shuffle off Joe from behind me and Craig helping him out. The only difference was the black tunics dotted about the place. Some, just a few of the staff sat eating with the patients, the others no doubt preferring their own meal times, but there was that watchful manner about the few here. Craig had the same look about him as he helped Joe pick up a tray.
Social. I looked around. Hadn’t done social for such a long time, not since...
“Sally. That’s me.”
“Huh?” Giving a glance to the side, saw a young woman standing up close and personal. She was pretty, about twenty-three, twenty-four, and she was twisting a strand of hair around her black painted fingernails. Jeans were tight, showing off her figure, with a T-shirt that had “Taken” written on the front slipping snugly over her curves. Pretty enough to earn a second glance, but one of her finely curved eyebrows was missing, and after a moment, she stopped twisting her hair to pull at her eyebrow.
“Sally, do you know what you’re doing?” said Craig, sliding a plastic knife and fork onto Joe’s tray, and Sally automatically tutted and offered her other hand out as I looked at Craig. Yeah, I’d noticed how they got you to recognise what you were doing to yourself.
“Sally.”
I was back with her as she spoke.
“I’m from Manchester; close to finishing my