Page 67 of The Making of Jonty Bloom
“What did he do?”
Jonty groaned. Devan’s grip on the wheel was so tight his knuckles had whitened.
“I told you. I don’t need to give details.”I don’t want to tell anyone. Ever.“He didn’t listen to no. That’s all I need to say. Then he stopped me saying no. He did what he liked and had the nerve to tell me he knew how much I’d enjoyed it. When he was done, he made me shower. I saw prescription medication in his bathroom and asked him what was wrong. He’d used a condom, but I thought… He said it was medicine for anxiety. I was the one who was fucking anxious.
“As I was leaving, I told him he was a wanker and that I was going to the police. He laughed. That didn’t fit with him suffering from anxiety. I wished I’d made a note of the medication, but I hadn’t. When I got to the door, he threatened me and said that if I spoke to them, he had friends who’d claim I’d let them do the same to me as he had.”
“Shit. Did you go to the police?”
“Yes. They had a word with him.”
“A word?” Devan looked away from the road and gaped at him.
“I might not have told the police everything.”Just like I haven’t told you.
“Why the hell not?”
“Because I didn’t want to have to go to court and relive it all over again. I didn’t want to be accused of lying, of changing my mind after I’d agreed to what he wanted to do. I just wanted to forget it had ever happened. So I kept quiet about how far he’d gone, though I did tell them he was harassing me.”
“The bastard.”
“Obviously I blocked him, but I kept seeing him around town. Too often for it to have been coincidence. I think he’s been watching me too and he’s been sending me stuff. Lovely gifts. Lube, condoms, a pair of handcuffs, a ball gag, a big black dildo, a cock ring…” Jonty shuddered. “Anyway, he upped his game yesterday and posted a jiffy bag full of used condoms through my letterbox, all neatly knotted.”
“Christ!”
“Apparently, they contained come produced while thinking about me. Ahhh, what a sweetie. And who says romance is dead? Have you started your collection yet?”
Devan glanced at him and they both laughed, but the sound quickly tailed off. Funny yet not.
“I mean, it’s weird right? After he’d delivered his little present yesterday, he turned up. While he was outside my door, and I was inside, I called the police, then kept him talking. A policeman came and spoke to him. Brad is on his last warning now. If he pesters me again, he’ll get arrested.”
“Are you worried about him?”
Jonty thought about that. Not whether he was worried, because he was, but whether he wanted to admit it. Maybe the medication Brad was on kept him…functioning and if he wasn’t taking it, that might be dangerous.
“Youareworried,” Devan said.
Jonty sighed. “Yes. Because he’s still pushing his way into my life, it’s hard to be sure I did the right thing in not telling the police everything. I mistakenly thought that after I’d made it clear I never wanted to see his fucking face ever again, that I wouldn’t see his fucking face ever again. He works on an oil rig. Three weeks on, three weeks off. So I was able to work out when he was less likely to be around, but him sending me gifts, freaked me out. He worries me because normal people don’t behave like that. If he’s off his meds, whatever they are, maybe that’s why I feel things are getting worse. I’m safer at the hotel. I sleep better there…”
“Jonty, that—”
“Don’t ask me anything. I can guess what you’re thinking, but I don’t want to talk about it anymore. No miserable thoughts allowed. This is going to be a fun day and thinking about Brad will stop me having fun.”
Devan gave a heavy sigh.
“No miserable thoughtsandno sighing allowed. Please. I shouldn’t have told you, not if it’s going to ruin the day. Take the next turn on the right.”
“Where are we going?”
“A beach.”
“And what are we going to do on that beach? Ah…”
The sign for the stables was on the right.
“It’sstroke a horseday. Not on the bum though. Turn into that car park on the right and find a spot. Extra points for reversing into a space on a handbrake turn.”
Devan laughed. “Not going to happen.”
