Rock 3

warning mild nudity


Drown in You . . .

Someone is shaking me quite violently.  

Slate.  His voice is starting to irritatingly creep into my consciousness, disturbing my deep sleep which I was actually enjoying until he invaded it.  He is yelling at me quite loudly to wake up, we need words apparently!

Oh fudge!!  I wander if Coral has told him about yesterday?  

I told her to pack their bags didn't I!

I open my heavy eye lids slowly, straight away I know I'm hung over.  My heavy head is banging away violently and the inside of my mouth feels like the bottom of a budgerigars cage.  I feel as sick as a parrot!!  None of this is helped by his constant shaking or yelling.  If he doesn't stop he is going to have me throwing up!!

Ohhh I'm never drinking again!!!

I tell Slate to get lost as I try to roll over pulling the cushion over my head trying to block out the sound of his constant yelling.  All I want to do is go back to sleep.  I'm suddenly aware that I've not been sleeping in my own bed, I'm downstairs on the coach wearing just my boxer shorts.  I can only guess that this must be where I crashed out when I returned home last night.

I try to think back and don't even remember leaving the night club last night or even how I might have made my way home ... but I think by the way that Slate is carrying on he might be about to tell me.  He doesn't appear to be too happy with me for some reason, he keeps swearing at me and calling me a drunken berry hole!!

Slate is not listening when I tell him again to get lost, he is not letting me go back to sleep either.  He snatches the cushion off my head, hitting me with it a few times as he keeps yelling at me to get up.  My head is hurting so much it feels like he was just bashing me with a house brick and not a soft cushion.

I remain there with my eyes closed trying to ignore him, hoping he'll soon go away and leave me alone.   After a while he goes quiet and disappears for a short time.  

I think I've won and he's given up so I start to drift back off to sleep. 

The freezing cold water hits my body suddenly without any warning.  I didn't even hear him returning.   The shock of the cold water has taken my breath away, shocking me awake with quite a fright.  I sit bolt up right trying to catch my breath.  My head starts to swim dizzily once my body becomes vertical.

"Berry Hole!!"  I yell as I glare at him standing in front of me grinning with a now empty saucepan in his hand, the contents of which are now dripping off me making me feel really uncomfortable.  "What did you do that for idiot!!??"

"What the hell is wrong with everyone around here lately, I live with a pair of wreck heads!!"  He starts yelling at me.  Turn down the volume Slate please my head is banging!!  "I get back from work and Coral has polished off three bottles of wine and is passed out on the bedroom floor, I've had to listen to her puking and being a drama queen all night!!"  

I quickly glance over at Coral who is sat curled up on the other couch not too far away just glaring at me.  She looks as rough as I feel.  Fudge she must have really been knocking back the wine after I left because she was sober when I returned home from work yesterday ... why is Slate yelling at me and telling me this, did she tell him about yesterday and that I want them out?  

"Then you come back at 4am in the morning with your lady friend smashing the house up because you are also hammered ... am I the only one with a sensible head on around here??"  he's yelling at me ... what is his problem all of sudden, anyone would think he is a saint who doesn't drink or has never gone out and got drunk and come home in a right state before!!  I suddenly realize the coffee table is missing ... where did that go?

"Not so loud ... I've got a headache!!"  I snap at him, his shouting is just making my head bang even louder and I can't think straight.  Did he just say lady friend??

"Well that pretty much serves you right!!"  he laughs at me sarcastically  "And I kicked that woman out that you had naked on the living room floor when I came downstairs ...  I sent her home in a taxi and I NEVER want to see her here again ... do you hear me!!!"  Boy he is mad!!

"What woman?"  Now I'm confused!!  "What woman Slate?"

 Slate glares at me before he starts laughing hysterically  

"What woman!! ... have you heard this Coral he doesn't even know who he brought home last night!!"  Slate seems really angry for some reason, what woman? "Are you having a midlife crisis??!  More to the point whatever possessed you ... her of all people??!!"  Why is he so angry?  What woman?

"What woman Slate because I don't remember any woman!!"

"Dad I seriously don't believe you've done this ... does the name Strawberry ring any bells?"  He's raring in my face now, boy he's livid!!  

I repeat the name out loud as I frown at him in disbelief - he's having me on ... he has to be!!.  Naked on the living room floor?!  Oh Fudge!!  I only know one Strawberry ... Strawberry Shine ... oh Fudge!!  I tell Slate to shut up and to stop being so damn ridiculous!!   

"Parsley is my mate, as well as Corals Cousin ... how the hell am I going to look him in the face again?!  more to the point how am I going to look her in the face after what I walked in on?!"  he laughs  "You were going at it like a pair of animals it was disgusting and I didn't appreciate having to dress you either!!"

"Slate ... I didn't ... I can't remember!!"  

I glance over at Coral who is still sat on the other couch arms folded and scowling at me.  She hasn't said a word but I can see by her body language and the expression on her face that she is far from happy with me. 

"Slate I didn't ... "

"Oh trust me you did!!"  he is livid  "All these years and you haven't been near a single woman ... then you go and do this!!"  he thumps my arm pretty hard  "My mates girlfriend you berry hole - there are plenty of single women out there but no - you just have to go for my mates girlfriend!!"

I put my head in my hands trying to think back to last night, I'm trying to remember, but it's pretty hard when my head is banging and I've got Slate yelling at me ... I know I was drinking and dancing with Strawberry but ...  

"For berry's sake Dad!!  What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I got hammered okay ... it's not a crime!!  Just stop yelling Slate!!"  I snap at him

"I'll say you were hammered!!!"  he's back in my face raring "What you and Strawberry were doing on the living room carpet was pretty criminal!!"  he yells at me  "You want to hope Parsley, Sunny and especially Prelude don't ever find out ... if you get the purple psycho on your case for upsetting his boy, this will all end in tears!!"  he shouts at me  "I hope to berry that was just some stupid drunken one off!!  I'm telling you now if you have any thoughts of a repeat performance ... I'm out of here ... I'll disown you!!  She's younger than me for berry's sake!!"  

Fudge!!  I don't remember a thing!!  

Slate goes off to work eventually in a right fowl mood.  

After phoning the station and telling them I'm going to be a little late, I run upstairs to take a quick shower and try to pull myself together.  Really I should be pulling a sickie, but it's important that I go in today with the new evidence that has come up on the abduction case just in case forensics have worked miracles and finished examining the evidence already.

I go back downstairs and grab a quick coffee and take painkillers for my headache.  I'm really glad that Coral is not around, I'm not sure I can face her right now and I definitely don't want to hear what she might have to say.  I've just had enough from Slate.  I don't have a clue where she is, I suspect she is probably in her room I don't think I'm the only one suffering from a hang over today.  

I make the most of her absence and quickly finish my coffee, get dressed and escape the house before I do see her.

I'm seriously worrying now ... how could I have been so drunk that I don't even know what I did last night.   More to the point what was I doing on the living room carpet with Strawberry?!  Fudge!!  It's not like I even find Strawberry remotely attractive ... because I don't she irritates the shit out of me!!  If I'd been sober I would never have touched her with a barge pole!!  What the hell am I supposed to do with this now?!

I pace around my office staring down at my phone, Strawberry's number up on the screen, my finger nervously hovering over the call button - what the hell do I say to her?  I can't just leave it, I have to say something, I've got to do this - I take a deep breath and hit call.   After only a few rings she answers the phone.

 "I wandered how long it would take you to call if ever!"  she laughs down the phone, well she doesn't sound angry, I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.  "Last night was fun ... we should do it again sometime!!"  Is she joking?!

"About last night - I drank too much - I'm sorry it should never have happened!!"  I say quietly as I hold my breath wandering how she is going to react.

"I know.  We can pretend it never happened ... please don't tell Parsley, he will kill me if he ever finds out!!"  she mumbles quietly  "He's only just forgiven me for last time, I'm not sure he'll believe my I'm sorry I was drunk routine again!"  Oh so she's done this before, that's just great!!

"I can't tell him anything because I don't remember a thing after dancing, only what Slate has told me."  she starts laughing quite loudly.

She calls me a light weight ... I hope she is only on about the drinking and nothing else!!  Her laughing is going straight through me, now I remember why I don't like her very much, she is like a hyena she never shuts up laughing.

"Slate went colourless when he walked in on us!!"  she carries on laughing  "I'm surprised he didn't wake your neighbours up yelling - you just passed out, it must have been from all the excitement!!"  

I have to move my phone away from my ear because she is laughing really loudly now ... she is beginning to make me paranoid.  Does she ever stop laughing?  How can she be so flippant about it?  How far did we actually go and what did we actually do - but how can I even ask that question?   

"Do you seriously not remember anything?"  How stupid does this make me sound!  "We could always arrange a little reminder now you are sober!"  she starts laughing again ... is she for real?! 

"No you are okay - Slate might just disown me!!"

How does she remember and me not?  I suppose that will teach me for not drinking for years then going out and trying to get hammered!!  I don't need to ask the question because then she tells me exactly and quite graphically where and what we did and it wasn't just once either!!  Oh Fudge!!  Is she winding me up because I can't remember?  Seriously how can I not remember that!!  I'm beginning to get the feeling and impression that Parsley has a little more than he can handle with her and she is a tad on the wild side!!  I only wish I could remember!!

I was really glad when my phone call with Strawberry was over, and I just hope it's a very long time before I have to face her again!!  Hell what has happened to me, I've never been this stupid before!!  

Coral that's what's happened to me!! 

I stare down at the case folder in front of me, my head is banging, I should never have come into work today ... I need a clear head for this!!  I chase up forensics and they say it will be another 24 hours before they have finished examining everything thoroughly.  I ask them to fax to me what they have found so far - that blood stained knife in particular is playing on my mind constantly.

I pull the paperwork off the fax machine and sit staring at it for a moment.  A great wave of relief washes over me when I see that the pool of blood and the blood on the knife is not B Negative like I was expecting it to be.  It's O positive.  I scramble through the case notes and find that Maizie is O positive ... and the fingerprints pulled off the handle of the knife belong to Manderine Orchid.  So it now looks like Maizie might be the possible murder victim, not Tapestry or River!!  No surprises that Manderine would be the one using the knife!!

I scan down the page - four different sets of footprints have been found, two different women's heels, trainers and Toms.  I squint at the photographs ... Tapestry wears trainers, River Toms, two women's heels ... I think we can safely say there is definitely enough evidence to show that the four of them have been hauled up in that deserted warehouse recently, along with Tapestry's hat and River's jacket and keyring.

 There is conclusive evidence of Maize and Manderine being there with both of their fingerprints found on a few items.  Strangely Tapestry's and River's finger prints haven't be found, not that we have Rivers on record anyway.  I wander why?  Their hands could be bound or tied I suppose.  THEIR hands - it is beginning to look like everyone might be right about River, I'm beginning to believe that he might just be innocent in all this, it is starting to look like he could well be being treated like Tapestry, especially if Maizie is now out of the way.

I look at the list of items found, the hat, jacket, keyring, knife, two broken necklace chains, mobile phone and a few other bits and pieces that don't really mean anything.  That phone could be very interesting when they have gotten into it.  

The word hair jumps out at me.  I stare down at it for a moment and wander why bells are ringing in my head.  Hair's have been pulled off the inside of the hat and the jacket.  I laugh to myself thinking about the picture Mango has in his office containing all of his children's hair.  I will need to get that - hopefully we might be able to match River and Tapestry's hair from the picture with hair that forensic have - if I'm right and that is Tapestry's hat and Rivers jacket.

My headache is really starting to irritate me, I can't concentrate.

I close up the file ... my head is not with it and there is not a lot I can do besides sitting here and giving myself a bigger headache guessing and speculating.  I need all of forensics findings and the evidence back here before I can do anything.  

So I decide to go home and sleep off this hangover so that I can be on the ball tomorrow, when it is all going to start.  I will need to drag Mango and probably Mulberry in to identify the evidence, that is not going to be a lot of fun. I suspect Mango is going to lose it the moment he sees the hat that I'm almost certain is Tapestry's hat. 

When I get home, I don't see Coral so I quickly run upstairs into my room.  I strip down to my boxers planing to jump straight into bed.  I sit on my bed for a moment with my head in my hands trying to think back to last night again.  Trying to remember what I can't remember ... what both Strawberry and Slate have told me happened last night.

Strawberry had been in the club with a few other girls, they had been standing right behind me in a group talking and trying to cheer Strawberry up, who looked pretty miserable.     The other girls had wanted to go on to another club and Strawberry had said she didn't feel like it and was going to go home. 

Strawberry didn't go home. She sat at the bar on her own next to me and she ordered a double whiskey which I thought was a little strange, it's not the normal drink that you'd expect a young woman to order for herself.  I sat laughing at her when I watched her knock her drink straight back in one and order another.  We vaguely know each other, she's a friend of Slates, so she started talking to me. I remember her telling me she'd had a bust up with Parsley.  We sat there talking, both of us drowning our sorrows but I didn't actually tell her what my problem was, and I never really pushed her on her bust up with Parsley.  

Strawberry had really been knocking her drinks back, after a while we started drinking together and I found myself drinking at her pace, then she ordered us shots ... one led to another ... I think I lost count after we'd had about five.  One top of what we had already been drinking, we must have both been completely plastered ... well I definitely was!!  

I vaguely remember dancing with her ... then it all goes blank ... oh berry!!  I don't remember leaving the club, how we got back to mine or even what we were doing on the living room floor ... I dread to actually think if what Strawberry told me on the phone earlier is true!!

My door flies open suddenly and without warning ... Coral comes storming in, she looks really angry, she doesn't say a word as she charges at me.  

She slaps my face pretty hard then starts getting all hysterical, her fists are clenched and she's beating my chest and starts yelling in my face.  I'm a dirty cheating rat apparently ... how the hell does she work that one out?! ... I'm the only one unattached here!!!  She's always the drama queen!!  She's slapping and punching me so I have to wrestle with her to try and grab her wrists, to stop her from attacking me anymore.  

I pin her up against the wall ... what has brought this on?!  I hope she's just angry with me because of Parsley, but I suspect it's a lot more than that!!

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"  I yell at her as I hold her against the wall.

Our bodies are pressed together because I have to pin her down to keep her still ... our faces are inches apart, I can feel her breath on my face, I can also feel myself going she is just way too close.  My heart starts racing in my chest when her face switches for a moment, I think she is feeling it too.

"I've just been talking to Strawberry ... so you tell me!!"  she yells back

Before I know what is happening we've lost control and this is no longer a slanging match.   

I have let go of her wrists and she's in my arms, she's got her legs wrapped round me and I'm having to hold all of her weight, with the help of the wall, while we are kissing each other like sex starved maniacs.

Who actually started this me or her?!  

I think for one split second I've got to stop this now ... but it's too late for that ... I can't stop it ... I don't want to stop it!!

She's back on her feet, and with one sharp tug from Coral my boxers are removed and I feel them fall around my feet, so I step out of them while I'm helping her tear off her clothes.  It's just one mad frenzy as I  carry her quickly towards the bed which we both fall onto together still attached at the lips.

There is definitely no stopping this now!!

I can feel something tickling my face.  This wakes me up abruptly.  

I quickly sit up in a mad panic, as I'm remembering what I was doing before I fell asleep ... praying it wasn't real and that I've just had another one of my crazy dreams ... praying that Coral won't be in my bed and that I haven't just done what I think I've done!!  

I glance nervously across to the other side of the bed and see Coral who is there lay beside me ... Fudge!! ... I throw my head back on the pillow and close my eyes ... knowing that definitely was no dream.

Hell!!  I've probably just made the biggest mistake of my life sleeping with my sons girlfriend!!

When I'd sat up Coral had been lay on her side quietly watching me, and as I lie here now with my eyes closed I'm trying to ignore her while I collect my thoughts together but it's pretty hard when I start to feel her finger snaking slowly down my chest and across my stomach.

Hell ... what have I done!!  Again!!

I roll over onto my side to face her, she's just lay there smiling at me.

"So I take it you are not mad at me any more?" 

"Oh I am still mad at you ... because of Strawberry!!"  she says as the smile leaves her face for a moment  "You better not be planning to see her again because I am NOT sharing you with HER!!"  

This tickles me for a moment, not only is she telling me who I can't see because she seems to plan to carry on with this ... but she's not sharing ... where does Slate figure in all this in her mind I wander? 

"I didn't plan to see her in the first place and it never would have happened if I hadn't been so drunk!!"

"Good!!"  she smiles as she wriggles herself closer to me and starts kissing me as she sits herself over me ...  it's not the mad frenzied kiss from earlier, it's soft and passionate, hell she's turning me on again already.  

Her lips leave mine and start travelling across my cheek and down my neck and chest, I'm really struggling with how good her lips feel on my skin and what she is stirring up inside me.  I lie there fighting with myself, my feeling are raging a war with my conscience.  I can feel myself getting lost in what she's doing while I keep telling myself over and over we shouldn't be doing this!!

I have to stop this!!  This is all wrong!!  Slate!!

Her mouth starts traveling back up my body and when she starts to kiss me again I grab her arms gently but forcefully and hold her away from me even though I don't really want her to stop what she's doing ... I have to stop her.

"Coral STOP!!"  she looks confused for a second  "We can't do this it's wrong ... Slate!!"  She stares down at me for a moment as she bites her lip.

"It's too late ... we've already done it!!"  she giggles as she tries to come back at me, but I push her away again.

"No!!  Coral I mean it we should never have done this!!" I snap at her  "This has to stop right now ... it's not right!!" 

"But you can't stop it can you!!"  she smiles at me as she shuffles herself down a little and out of my reach, her tongue starts to run across my stomach and I'm gone ... 

Even though I kept trying to tell myself we shouldn't be doing this, she's right, I can't stop it now that it's started.

We spent the rest of the day in bed together leaving no stone unturned. 

I hear the front door slam loudly. 

This makes us both jolt up into a sitting position.  Fudge!!
 
"Coral?!"  we hear Slate shouting  "Coral where are you? Why the hell are you not answering your phone?"  he's yelling and he doesn't sound too happy ... again!!

We sit there staring at each other in shock for a second.  We have totally lost all track of time!!  Or is he home early?  I grab quickly for my watch and see the whole day has passed by blissfully and Slate is back from a days work.

Coral dives off the bed quickly grabbing her clothes up off the floor and she bolts out of the room, leaving the door open behind her, I watch as she runs into the bathroom.  I dive under the bedclothes and lie there pretending to be asleep.

I hear Slate running up the stairs as he calls out Corals name again.   He glances into my room as he passes by the door, I lie there without moving and watching him through squinted eyes.  I presume he thinks I'm asleep as he moves away from my door without saying anything and stands for a moment on the landing like he's listening to something. I presume to the shower running.

"Are you taking a shower?"  he shouts as I hear him try the door handle.  Coral tells him she will be out in a moment.  It goes quiet for a while, Slate leans against the stair banister just staring into my room until Coral comes out of the bathroom fully dressed rubbing her hair with a towel.

"I've been calling you all day, why haven't you been answering your phone, or my texts?"  he snaps at her quite nastily.  Oh boy I had hoped he would come home in a better mood, but it doesn't look like it!!

"Sorry, it must be on vibrate, it's in my bag, I haven't heard it."  she laughs at him  "What's the emergency?  You don't usually phone me when you're at work."

"Nothing just wandering what he's been up to, he hasn't been answering his phone either ... I was beginning to worry!!"  I see him glance towards my room again "Has he said anything about Straw today?"  

I watch them stand by the bathroom door talking.  She tells him she hasn't spoken to me all day because I went out for a few hours then when I returned I came straight up here and I've spent all day sleeping it off.  He jumped straight onto me going out for a few hours and wanting to know where I had been.  Coral told him she didn't know, so now he is convinced that I must have sneaked off to see Strawberry ... What a joke!!

If only he knew, it's Coral he needs to be worrying about, not Strawberry!!

  
"So what's for tea?  I'm starving - I noticed there is nothing cooking, you've done no painting either ... what have you been doing all day?"

He puts her arms around her which makes me cringe. 

"I've had a lazy day don't forget he is not the only one with a hangover!!"  she smiles at him "I've been sleeping mostly and reading that book you brought me, I lost track of time because I got quite engrossed in the book."  

I laugh to myself, yeah she's been engrossed all right but not with reading.  He asks her again what she is planning to cook for tea.

"I thought we could go out for something to eat tonight ... the Bistro maybe."

"Doesn't Straw work at the Bistro?!"  Slate mumbles  "Oh ... Coral I'm not sure I can face her so soon after last night!!"  I see him pull her close as a smirk flashes across his face.  "I can think of better ways to spend tonight - pizza and an early night ... I'll cure your hangover!"   

Oh Berry!!  He starts kissing her.  It makes my stomach turn thinking that I was kissing those lips not too long ago ... I feel awful, what have I done!!  She pushes him away after a few seconds, much to my relief.

"Not now Slate!!"  she snaps at him "Is that all you ever think about?!"  he lets her go and pulls a face at her.

  
"I don't fancy pizza besides I think we need to tell Strawberry to back off your Dad, while Parsley isn't around.  Just in case she does have any idea's of a repeat performance!!  The cheating bitch!!"  

Oh berry!!  Coral you are a fine one to talk calling Strawberry a cheating bitch after what we've spent most of the day doing!!

"Oh if we must."  he sighs heavily "but you will have to be the one to tell her, because I don't even want to look at her!!"  he says as he slaps her backside  "Make a brew while I get changed."  I see her scowl at him, he seriously has no idea about how to treat her does he, I dread to think how he treats her in the bedroom!!  Oh fudge!!  I don't even want to think about it!!

"I'm not your slave!!"  she snaps at him

"Can you make me a coffee Pleeeease ... is that better?!"

Slate wander off into their room laughing.  Coral comes to my door, she smiles and winks at me then closes the door quietly. 

That was close!!  He doesn't have a clue and I hope it stays that way!! 

I roll over onto my back and close my eyes.  

I need sleep .... I'm knackered!!

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Song ~ Drown in You ~ Daughtry
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