Consequences Unforeseen

Notting Hill, London, Sunday August 30th 1987 - 7.30pm - 3am

Notting Hill, London. Sunday August 30th 1987 – 7.30pm - 3am

Susan Mathew was driving the Audi Quattro fast. Actually fast didn’t do her driving justice. It was awesome! And totally scary if one didn’t know how skilled she actually was as a driver.

London traffic on Sunday nights can be horrendous to say the least and the main night of the Notting Hill Carnival was worse than most. But the supercar seemed to weave effortlessly through the other vehicles like they were making way for it. This was an illusion of course because London drivers would never make way for anybody, and certainly not on the Cromwell Road on this night of nights.

The streetlights were coming on as the evening fell into dusk. Late August in London saw shortening evenings but maintained the steamy temperatures and moist air of summer. Susan opened the side windows and the warm air blew through the cabin like velvet on her skin. She was enjoying herself.

Bill Douglas hunkered down in the passenger seat and enjoyed the ride for what it was. He tried to ignore the uninterrupted view to Susan’s crotch, created by the ridiculously brief skirt she was wearing, and the fact that her legs had to be spread to use the three pedals – accelerator, clutch and brake – so frequently to maintain speed and total control of the car. Never the less, tried was very much the operative word.

She glanced over at him occasionally and smiled a coquettish little lopsided smile. She knew she looked sexy and enjoyed the game. She had considered “going true” and neglecting the cotton briefs altogether, but thought the better of it because of the necessity she had to use the airport escalators. She didn’t consider it appropriate to be that obvious. In fact she didn’t really ever behave in that way. “What the fuck is going on?” She had thought.

They were approaching the main junction from Cromwell Road that turned left onto Kensington Church Street, and Bill sensed she was not slowing down any as the traffic lights switched to amber. No sir, and no shit she slammed her foot full down onto the gas and hand braked the Audi into a full slide turn only straightening out when she had the road clear before her up the hill towards Notting Hill.

The safe house was in that section of the city, but so to was the ongoing carnival, the hundreds of pubs, the London School of Samba girls and live street music to enjoy. The LSS girls were spectacular, sexy and ostentations in their performances.

Susan turned up at Heathrow Airport to pick him up in an off duty frame of mind. Short skirt, no bra and a summer top that showed off tanned skin and left not a lot to the mind.

He was unsurprised when he came through the customs hall and saw her there, hands on hips and practically posing for the crowd of private hire guys with their name cards on display. The majority of them were checking her out more than looking for the folks they were there to pick up.

Dublin had been a bitch this trip. Nothing had gone to plan and his mentor and buddy on the trip, Donald O’keefe had screwed up in his timing by imbibing a bit too much of the Irish whiskey at the wrong time and definitely in the wrong place. Douglas was tired, frustrated and ready to let go of some steam.

He was glad Susan had been “dumped” upon him this time. Never a dull moment with her. Guaranteed. ‘Never a dull moment with fucking O’Keefe either,’ he was thinking. ‘Him, and his penchant for older women had him hitting on their target’s wife for the love of God.’ It was a close shave over there and Douglas just shook his head as he recalled how he’d extracted them both from a very awkward situation.

These musings drifted through his mind but subconsciously, he knew where she was headed and so did his Uncle John who mouthed,

“Would ye git yer eyes oot o’ her crotch for Christ’s sake boy. Ye’d think ye’d never seen a pair o’ knickers before! She’s a site fur sore eyes I know, but jist think, ye’ll huv a pint o’ Carlsberg in yer hand in five minutes an’ then all night tae play wi’ her bits an’ the knickers will be gone.”