"Well no, but please, I mean my little sister. She's only just 18."
"Julie, do you remember when I sent Alycia to go through your computer? I have your mum's email address. Do you think she would like to know that her daughter takes her knickers down for virtually anyone she happens to meet?"
Of course it was ridiculous to think that I could refuse to obey him. I folded and said that I would do what he demanded but things were about to get even worse. He said that I had to learn that "no" was not a word I could ever use so there would be a punishment for my initially refusing to obey his command concerning my sister, Gemma.
My punishment would happen the next Saturday so that I would have all week to stew about it. I would have to go to the worst part of the city and wait outside a sex shop where I would be collected by a man in a red car at 2pm. If he was late I was to wait for as long as it took and I would have to obey without question or hesitation whatever he told me to do. For the task I would be wearing my school uniform and I would not use my car to get there. I would travel there on the bus as "a lickle girl like me" was far too young to drive.
Throughout the week the dread of that Saturday kept creeping into my mind. This was not just a task; it was a punishment so, whatever it was, I knew I was not going to like it. Who was the man in the red car? What would I have to do for him? Of course it was pointless to speculate but Ray knew very well that the torments in my imagination would be worse than anything which he could dream up.
Well eventually Saturday did come and I dressed up in my school uniform making sure that I had money for the bus fare. My pony tail was held in place by a yellow scrunchie and I had a gold coloured plastic slide keeping my hair back from my face. If any of my neighbours saw me leave the building they would possibly imagine that the girl in the ground floor flat had a niece who visited her. It was only a five minute walk from the flat to the bus stop and the bus was quite crowded with Saturday shoppers but I found a seat next to a middle aged lady who gave me a brief smile but then ignored me. I was trying to imagine what my fellow passengers would think of this young girl in her school uniform on a Saturday. If I had been asked, my cover story was that my school was in a choir competition and we all had to be in uniform to stand up and sing.
As we came nearer to the city centre the bus became even more crowded and people were standing so I felt I had to stand up to give my seat to an old gentleman. We were really packed in together and I was holding on to a rail attached to the back of a seat. Suddenly I felt a definite squeeze on my left boob through my blouse and my vest. My mouth came open silently and I felt myself blush but stupidly I did not think to look down until the hand released me. I looked at the other people in the crowd and any one of about five of them could have been the groper. There was no point in making a fuss as, of course, everyone would deny it and probably I would be thought to have made it up. If I drew attention to myself I would have to explain why a 19 year old was dressed in the way that I was. So some perv had groped me in broad daylight and just got away with it.
I was very flustered as I left the bus in the bus station but I had to catch another bus to get to my destination which was near the docks. This bus was not so crowded and I had a seat to myself where I sat staring out of the window.
When I alighted from the bus I was in the badlands where there were boarded up shops and lots of litter and graffiti. I saw a couple of girls in ridiculously short skirts and high heels; they were obviously hookers looking for business. I was extremely uncomfortable here.
My instructions were very clear. I was to stand outside "Chez Amour" which was next to an Indian takeaway and I felt people watching me as I tried very hard to somehow fade into the brickwork and be invisible but it was impossible. I kept looking at my watch and 2pm came and went. How long would I have to stay here? How long can a school girl stay in a place like this before someone pushes her into a car and she is never seen again?
Two young men were coming down the road towards me and I looked in the other direction but I kept glancing back at them just in case they had evil intentions towards me. Perhaps I should cross the street but would that make them cross over with me and would I miss the man in the red car?
They were closer now as they lurched along drinking from lager cans and making a lot of noise. Both of them were in faded jeans and grubby t shirts and both of them needed a shave. As they drew level with me I looked away from them but they stopped one either side of me.