Page 10 of Cupid Calamity

She giggled. ‘Do you have a librarian fetish, Ben?’

‘I have a sexy librarian fetish. And I hope you noticed that I’ve yet to take my eyes off your face. I’m trying really hard to be a gentleman.’

She dipped her head and looked up at him through her long lashes.

‘So, would your ideal librarian wear a pencil skirt?’

Ben closed his eyes and swallowed before he groaned audibly. ‘Laurie, I swear to god, if you were dressed in a bin bag right now, all my fantasy librarians would start wearing them.’

She pulled his hand forward, splaying his fingers so his palm now rested against the curve of her hips. He opened his eyes and looked down.

‘Laurie.’ Her name sounded like a growl.

The sequins on her top sparkled, as if lighting the way to heaven. It was tight around her breasts, making him desperate to tear it off with his teeth, and her skirt ticked fantasy boxes he never knew he had. His unused libido quota from the past three years had just been unceremoniously dumped into his body. If his cock was hard before, now it was painful.

‘Jesus, Laurie. You’re so fucking hot I’m losing my mind.’

A gong sounded and she jumped, clutching at his arm and looking fearfully out into the room. He held tightly to her hip.

‘Laurie, you okay?’

She shook her head and shivered. ‘No. I’m petrified of animals.’

‘Did you know where you were going tonight?’

She huffed. ‘It was a surprise.’

‘Do you want to leave? I can drive wherever you want to go.’

She looked at him, her eyes wide. ‘I can’t. I… ’

The huge old doors at the end of the building opened with a loud creak and her head snapped around to face the sound. An elephant was lumbering into the room. Laurie stumbled back until she was standing against the edge of the bar. She looked terrified.

‘Laurie, did you drive Denise and Shelley?’

She nodded.

‘Let’s get you out of here. You drive yourself home and I’ll take your friends whenever they want to leave.’

‘Are you sure?’ Her voice was drowned out by the sound of the elephant trumpeting.

‘Yes, of course. We’ll get your bag, tell them what’s going on, then get you out.’

She looked as if she was about to cry, but nodded, and pulled his hand to take him back to the table.

‘Oy, oy!’ said Denise. ‘Our Laurie’s actually pulled!’

‘Have you given her a birthday kiss yet?’ asked Shelley.

Ben looked at Laurie, who was taking cash out of her bag to put on the table. ‘It’s your birthday?’

Laurie grimaced at him and nodded. ‘Shelley, Denise, I’m grateful for you taking me out tonight, but I’ve got to get out of here. I don’t know how much it was but I’m leaving eighty quid just in case.’

‘Woman!’ a bird shrieked from near the door. ‘Will you marry me?’

‘But what about us?’ complained Denise. ‘We don’t want to go. You can’t abandon us, Laur. Chicks before dicks, love.’

Ben swallowed his irritation. These were her friends? ‘You can leave now with Laurie or you can stay and I’ll drive you home whenever you want to go.’