Page 34 of Fling

‘Remind me what your name is on Fling again?’ Rory said, interrupting him.

‘Jack.’

‘Exactly. So grab your coat and let’s get JACKED!’

Chapter 11

When Tara arrived outside Ann Summers, she popped up her coat collar and put on a pair of sunglasses to disguise herself.

‘Good God, who are you hiding from? The other Marys?’ Emily asked, mocking her.

‘Emily, I can’t just waltz into a sex shop in broad daylight! This is so out of character for me!’ Tara whispered.

‘WHY ARE YOU WHISPERING?’ Emily yelled, drawing attention to them.

‘OK, fine! Let’s go in,’ Tara said, taking off her shades and lowering her collar.

‘Right, let’s head to the lingerie section,’ Emily said as they stepped inside. As they walked down the centre aisle, Tara saw some of the sex toys on sale. She didn’t know what half of them even did but she could guess what the more phallic objects were used for. She was genuinely mortified even seeing the most common of sex toys, which was a testament to her naivety. She truly didn’t know where to look and kept averting her eyes. Emily, on the other hand, strutted down the aisle like it was a runway.

‘I feel like I’m doing the walk of shame,’ Tara blushed.

‘I call it the stride of pride,’ Emily smirked.

As they walked through the store, they passed a sign that read ‘Good Vibrators Only’ and Emily stopped momentarily to see if any new arrivals had come in. ‘See one you like?’

Tara nearly lost her life. ‘Absolutely not. I wouldn’t even know how to turn on a vibrator.’

‘They’re supposed to turn you on, silly.’

‘We should go, Emily, I’m scarlet.’

‘I thought you wanted to be a good feminist? If men wouldn’t have burned you during the Salem witch trials then you’re probably not living life to the fullest,’ Emily insisted. ‘Where is all this repression coming from anyway?’

‘I grew up in Catholic Ireland, Emily. It was very different to the Ireland you grew up in,’ Tara tried to explain.

‘But even still. You’re thirty-seven, not seventy. Something doesn’t add up.’

‘I don’t know where it stems from. Maybe it was the nuns who gave me the sex education talk. And my dad was very Catholic too. I guess I’ve just been programmed not to break the rules.’

‘Well, look at it this way,’ Emily said. ‘If you don’t sin, Jesus died for nothing.’

They arrived at the lingerie section and Emily began to look on the rack for something suitable. As she was looking, a sales assistant came up behind them.

‘Can I help . . . ?’ the sales assistant said, startling Tara and causing her to make a shriek that drew the eyes of the other women in the store.

‘Oh my God, you frightened the life out of me,’ Tara said, catching her breath.

‘My apologies, miss. My name is Ava, just let me know if you need help with anything,’ she smiled.

‘No, it’s OK. We’re not looking,’ Tara said, embarrassed.

‘Yes, we are,’ Emily interrupted. ‘My friend here is looking for some lingerie that says: “pin me down and make me yours”.’

‘EMILY!’ Tara shrieked.

‘We have just the thing,’ Ava said. ‘Follow me.’

They followed Ava into the back of the store where a mannequin was wearing a stunning lingerie set made up of a cherry-red lace plunge bra, lace panties and a velvet suspender belt connected to red silk stockings.

---