Chapter 13 - A Name She Never Owned - Susie

A Name She Never Owned - Susie

I wasn’t sure this was a good idea. Not the date itself, hell, I deserved a decent night out for once, but who I was going with. I mean he’s a punter for God’s sake. That said, guys aren’t exactly queueing up to take me out, and he certainly seemed quite harmless, although perhaps a little needy. I didn’t feel threatened by him at all, and I’d definitely learned how to defend myself over the past three years, so I had no worries there.

My biggest problem was my wardrobe, if you can call it that. It wasn’t exactly huge, so I didn’t have many clothes to choose from. Having spent half my time in short skirts and stockings in the past three years, I decided to go for jeans and a pretty top. I had the nice one that Maggie gave me back at the beginning of the year that I hadn’t worn that much, and over the top I decided to wear my leather jacket. Yeah, that would do just perfect.

I looked at my watch. Nearly eight. I grabbed my handbag and pulled the door shut behind me, heading downstairs and out of the block. Opening the door to the street, the cold hit me like a smack in the face. Good job I wasn’t working tonight; I’d have frozen my tits off, I thought.

As I crossed the road, I saw Ben’s car waiting in the layby. He waved as I approached. I opened the door and got in.

“Hi,” he said, smiling nervously. “I wondered if you’d remember.”

“Of course,” I replied, returning his smile.

He leant over, I thought he was going to try and kiss me, and for a split second I panicked, reaching for the door handle, but instead he reached behind the seat, picking something up. He brought his hand around in front of me, presenting the most amazing bunch of red roses I had ever seen.

“These are for you.”

“Wow! Thank you,” I said, genuinely blown away. “That’s so nice of you. No one’s ever bought me flowers before.”

Ben’s smile deepened. “Are you ready?”

“Sure.”

He started the car and pulled away, driving slowly, a little nervously.

“Have you been driving long?” I asked after a few moments.

Ben glanced across. “About a year. Am I that bad?”

I laughed softly. “No, not at all. It’s just that most guys seem to drive a lot faster.”

“I don’t really like driving that much. It makes me a little nervous, but I have to do it… otherwise I would never get out of the house.”

“Do you live on your own?”

“Yes.” His expression darkened slightly. “My parents died last year… in a car crash. That’s why I’m nervous. I only drive because I have to.”

I reached over and rested my hand on his knee for a second, trying to offer some comfort. Ben gave my hand a gentle squeeze in acknowledgment.

“Listen,” he said, glancing at me again. “I don’t want this to be weird. So as far as I’m concerned, yesterday didn’t happen. We’re just on a date because… well, I like you. I think you’re gorgeous.”

“Thank you,” I said, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks.

“And I’m not expecting anything either,” he added quickly, looking flustered. “Sex wise, I mean. This is just two people going out for a drink. What either of us does for a living doesn’t matter. Okay?”

I smiled, warmed by his awkward honesty. “Suits me.”

We drove for about fifteen minutes, down a few country lanes and up a steep hill, until we came to a lovely country pub nestled into the hillside. Ben pulled into the car park and switched off the engine.

“This looks nice. Have you been here before?” I asked.

“No, never. A friend told me about it when I asked him where we could go.”

Shocked, I stared at him. “You told your mate you’re going on a date with me?”

“Yeah. What’s wrong with that?”

“Did you tell him I’m a prostitute?”

Ben gave a half-smile. “I thought we agreed what each of us does doesn’t matter?”

“It doesn’t.”

“Exactly. But if you must know, I just told him I had a date with a beautiful girl. That’s all.”

“So, you’re embarrassed to be seen with me?”

Ben looked flustered. “No, not at all. If I was, I wouldn’t have asked you out. I’ll shout it from the top of that hill over there if you like, but it won’t change the way I feel.”

I was quite touched.

We got out of the car and Ben locked the doors. The car park was surrounded by a low stone wall. Ben led the way over to some steps that wound up to the pub entrance above. When we reached the door, he held it open for me.

The pub was lovely. Very old-fashioned, with a big solid oak bar, a few assorted tables, and a mixture of traditional chairs and cosy lounge sofas scattered around. The scent of woodsmoke filled the air.

“Do you want to go and sit down, and I’ll get the drinks?” Ben asked, glancing at the bar.

“Yeah, okay. Can I have a vodka and Coke, please?”

I headed towards a sumptuous-looking sofa in the corner by the open fire and slumped down. It was beautifully soft, and for the first time in ages I started to relax. A thought flashed through my mind… maybe I should have dressed up more. Ben seemed nice. I felt a little underdressed now. Maybe next time, I thought.

It wasn’t long before Ben returned with the drinks. He placed mine carefully in front of me.