Blazing Obsession Read Online Free PDF Page B

looking anxious and flushed.
    â€œYou’ll never believe who I bumped into in the bar on the way back from the loo?” she said, catching her breath.
    â€œOh, don’t tell me!” Alisha said. “Not Nick?” Lynne nodded.
    â€œHe’s drinking with a guy I’ve not seen before. I couldn’t avoid him. He asked who I was with in the restaurant.”
    Alisha said, “What did you say?”
    â€œI didn’t want him to cause a scene. I panicked. I said I was with you, Alisha… and your new boyfriend.” She closed her eyes tightly shut as if expecting a blow to the head.
    â€œWhat!” Alisha exploded.
    â€œWell, suppose he came in to check on me? You know what he’s like.” Lynne trembled.
    Standing up, I said, “Look, this is bizarre. He needs to know you’re seeing me. What’s the worst that can happen? He won’t try anything on in a public place. It’s time someone let him know his days of dominating you are over. I’m going to have a chat.”
    Lynne said, “I don’t think that’s wise.”
    Ignoring her, I made a move towards the door then realised I wouldn’t recognise him. I didn’t want to pick on the wrong guy. “Alisha, come with me. You can point him out.”
    â€œSure. This’ll be interesting,” she said, with a mischievous gleam in her eye as she turned to Lynne, who had both her hands up covering her mouth.
    He appeared older than his thirty-five years and shorter than I imagined. Good-looking, in a rugged kind of way, he had hooded eyebrows and a square jaw. He wore a black leather jacket and blue jeans reminiscent of the Jets gang members in
West Side Story
.
    He stood at the bar smoking and talking to an overweight bald man with a neck the size of a night club bouncer – only the communication ear-piece was missing.
    â€œSorry to interrupt, but can I have a word?” Adrenaline coursed through my body. I felt light-headed.
    â€œWho wants a word?” Nick said, glaring first at me, then at Alisha. “Oh, Alisha’s new boyfriend, I assume.” He slurred his words and sneered as he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the counter. I noticed a tattoo in the shape of a snake encircling his wrist as he did so.
    â€œEr… not exactly. I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m seeing
Lynne,
not Alisha.”
    A ten-second silence followed whilst he gazed down at the ground and took in what I’d said.
    â€œAnd who the fuck are you, then?”
    â€œMy name’s James and I’ve been seeing Lynne for a few weeks. I just thought as a matter of courtesy, you should know.”
    â€œ
As a matter of courtesy
,” he mimicked my words. “I don’t do courtesy.”
    His words and the way he spat them out put me on my guard. I guessed correctly. He looked away and then turned back, his clenched right fist swinging towards my face in a wide arc – fortunately too wide, giving me time to react before contact could be made.
    Moving my head back out of the way as the punch grazed my chin, I grabbed his wrist and elbow with both my hands and using his momentum, I swung his arm up behind his back sharply. He yelped in pain. Now woefully off-balance, I kicked his feet from underneath him forcing him to the floor, pressing my knee on his back, squashing his face hard against the polished floorboards.
    I felt the veins in my neck pumping blood.
    I wondered what ‘Baldy’ might do whilst my hands were full, but the landlord, sensing trouble, stepped in to restrain him. Lynne, who’d followed us into the bar, stood behind Alisha and pressed her face into Alisha’s shoulder, not bearing to look.
    â€œI want you all out of here. Now!” the landlord barked. I let go of Nick and he and ‘Baldy’ slunk off towards the door. Nick stared at me, eyes bulging and yelled, “You’ll be sorry you did that, you