This story continues on from Valentine Head
*
'All right, I'm gonna say this just one more time, to make it clear, so don't ask me again. You get one drink coming from the County budget, and those of you who rode yesterday you get one drink for that too.'
Applause and whoops came from the speaker's small audience that numbered just under twenty men. From above, leaning over the upstairs balustrade the prostitutes watched in silence.
'Now hold it, hold it, now that's two,' he said, holding up two fingers for emphasis. 'But after that it comes outta your own pocket, you hear me Skinny?' he pointed a finger at Skinny.
'Yes, sir.'
'Alright, now we're pullin out early in the morning, we're gonna chase these fellas clear down to Texas, but don't be spending too much of your money, alright?'
Approving laughter rippled through the group in the smoky saloon.
'We're gonna divide up into four parties, and we're gonna hit every farm and the trails and make a big circle, and we're bound to come across somebody who's seen these . . .' the words died in Little Bill's throat, as he noticed the stranger who'd just entered. '. . . skunks,' he finished lamely.
The jovial mood faded into silence and tension as the others noticed the stranger too, his presence malign and threatening, his shadowed features grim - a harbinger of death. In his right hand he held a rifle pointed upwards, the blue steel of its barrel matching the coldness in his eyes.
Outside the saloon a roll of thunder crashed momentarily deafening the torrential rain that lashed the small town with a relentless pounding.
The stranger didn't speak but instead slowly lowered the Spencer rifle he held and aimed both barrels with deadly accuracy at Little Bill.
Nobody dared move.
The doorbell rang.
'Fuck!' Steve cursed. He hit pause on the DVD remote, lengthening the dramatic pause in the film's climax to a degree its director couldn't imagine and certainly wouldn't approve of.
Steve pulled himself out of his armchair, and wondered who might be at the door late on Sunday evening.
He hit the light in the hallway and pulled open the door.
'Oh, it's you! Hi,' he said, stepping back to allow his daughter in.
'Sorry not to ring before hand, but I kept, uh, changing my mind,' she said, breezing past him.
Steve closed the front door. Kelly hovered in the hallway.
'I'm in the front room,' he nodded. 'Can I get you a drink or anything?'
'No, I'm good thanks,' she said, going in. 'Oh, you're watching something,' she said in an apologetic tone.
'Just a DVD, seen it a million times,' he dismissed sitting down opposite his daughter. 'So, two times in one weekend, a new record.'
'Yeah, well Matt's meeting up with some buddies of his tonight. They go bowling every fortnight then on somewhere for drinks. He's not working tomorrow so he's crashing out at his mate's place.'
'Oh right,' Steve said. There was awkwardness in the air. He hadn't spoken to Kelly about yesterday morning. In truth what was there to say? Five minutes of madness and their whole father-daughter relationship was now in jeopardy.
'So how did your Valentine's date go last night? I want to hear all about it,' Kelly enthused.
'Well, I met up with her, Laura, her name is, and we had a meal at that Italian restraint, The Fiddlers, you know, in Kenton?'
'I always thought that was an Irish restaurant.'
'Nope, Italian, but I see what you mean.'
'And?'
'Well, and we talked, you know,' Steve said. 'She's very nice,' he shrugged as if this was enough.
'Well dad, I wasn't expecting such an expansive answer as that,' Kelly said sarcastically, arms folded.
'C'mon, Kelly, what do you want to know?'
'How about; what was she wearing? What does she do for a living? How old is she? Does she have any kids? What did you two talk about? Did you hit it off with her?'
Steve frowned 'Well . . .' he began tentatively, wondering what question to answer first and trying to remember what Laura was wearing and wishing he'd given a camcorder to the waiter to record the whole date so instead of this interrogation he could give his daughter a download of the whole evening.
'Tell you what I'll call the agency, get her number and ask her how it went,' Kelly said exasperated.
'No, no, no' he protested, the memories gradually returned. He then gave his daughter a step by step account of his Valentine date, as best as he could remember, and Kelly drank in the information, seeming to approve of how the date had gone and curious to meet her father's potential new girlfriend, potential because they had agreed to call each other sometime in the week and it was uncertain if they'd meet up. Finally Steve finished his account and satisfied his daughters demanding questions.
'So,' Kelly said, glancing at the TV rather than her father. 'Are you glad I changed your mind about going?'
'Yes, of course,' Steve said, sharing the feeling of awkwardness as Kelly made her opening allusion to the elephant in the room -- how she'd changed her father's mind in the kitchen that morning.
'Are you okay with it, I mean with me?' Kelly said trying to sound casual, and now studying her shoes.
In truth Steve wasn't sure how he felt. After Kelly had performed fellatio she'd made them both breakfast and then left as if nothing untoward had happened. He'd hardly slept that night in bed, reliving the five minutes Kelly had spent using her mouth on him. The experience had left him feeling confused, guilty, and turned on as hell. He'd wanked twice over it, then felt even more guilty than before.
'I think I'm okay with it, how about you?'
'You must think I'm a slut,' she said quietly, but now looking him in the eye, trying to gauge if he was being honest with her.
'No Kelly, I don't think that. Not at all,' he said, surprised at the forcefulness behind his own words and angry at her for suggesting such a thing.
'I don't know what came over me, it was a total spur of the moment thing. I guess I just wanted you to go on that date. I didn't want you to miss out,' Kelly's words came in a rush, and Steve sensed she might start crying.
'Look,' he said gently, 'We both got a little out of control, both of us. But there's no harm done, eh?'
Kelly shook her head, and sniffed.
'You okay, love?' he said concerned - and regretted the words immediately.
Kelly started crying, and Steve went to her, took her in his arms. She buried her face in his should, wetting his shirt with her tears. Her shoulders shook with each sob.
'C'mon, Kelly, there's no need for this.' Steve soothed.
After a minute or so she pulled away, wiping away tears and sniffles and looked up into his face. 'Thanks dad, sorry, I needed that.'
'That's okay, really.'
'I haven't ruined things between us have I?'
'Hell, no. You could say we even closer now,' he said, a crude effort at a joke.
