Amber by Heather Burnside (great novels of all time .TXT) 📗

she fumbled at the wrapping paper, which revealed a neat blue box etched with a gold trim. She pulled open the lid and, despite herself, she was thrilled to find a silver bracelet inside with a heart-shaped locket and various charms. Her eyes lit up with joy and she couldn’t resist a smile.

‘Oh, Cliff. You shouldn’t have,’ said Loretta, patting him gently on the back. ‘Isn’t it lovely, Amy?’

Loretta’s tone had changed from earlier. Now, instead of being aggressive, she was all friendly and flirtatious. Amy looked up and smiled at her mother but then she suddenly became self-conscious again, embarrassed at all the attention as they both stared avidly at her.

‘Come here, I’ll help you put it on,’ said Cliff.

He took the bracelet out of the box and lifted Amy’s tiny wrist, draping the bracelet around it then securing it with the clasp. ‘Perfect,’ he said, beaming at her.

Amy obliged him with a smile then sat down on the sofa, turning away from them both. She heard him whisper something to her mother but couldn’t catch what was said. Then Loretta cleared her throat.

‘Erm, Amy. Cliff would like you to show him your room. He wants to have a chat with you and get to know you more.’

Amy could feel her heart plummet. She didn’t want to be alone with Cliff. He gave her the creeps. She turned around and glared at her mother.

‘Come on,’ said Cliff. ‘I want to find out all about you.’

Her eyes remained focused on her mother, her expression filled with doubt.

‘Go on, it’s alright,’ said Loretta. ‘I told you, he’s a lovely man. Look what he’s bought you. He wouldn’t have bought you that if he wasn’t such a lovely man, now would he?’

Amy felt nervous without fully understanding why. All she knew was that she didn’t feel comfortable with Cliff. There was something about him that unsettled her. But she was also worried about going against her mother. She got up unsteadily from the sofa and trudged back across the lounge and then up the stairs, sensing Cliff’s presence behind her, then feeling his closeness when she walked into her room and stood facing her bed.

‘Sit down while we have a chat,’ he said, and she could feel his breath on the back of her head.

When she sat on the bed, he snuggled up close to her and spoke. ‘Y’know you’re a really nice girl, Amy. I thought that as soon as I met you.’

She smiled self-consciously and he leaned over, putting his arm around her shoulders. ‘In fact, you could be my favourite girl. Would you like that?’

Amy wasn’t sure. She liked the idea of being a favourite girl; it had been so special with Dale. But the prospect of Cliff taking on that role filled her with uncertainty.

‘Well, what do you think?’

She shrugged. ‘Dunno.’

He lifted his other hand and traced his finger affectionately down the line of her nose. His hand then hovered over her while he continued to lean across. ‘You’ll enjoy being my favourite girl. I’ll make you feel really special and buy you lots of nice things.’

Then he lowered his hand and ran it over her breast, grazing her nipple. Amy felt a shiver and a tiny thrill shot through her, causing her alarm. Her feelings soon changed to intense guilt as well as the ever-present embarrassment and discomfort in his presence. She was all too aware that it was wrong.

Amy pulled away. ‘No, I don’t like it.’

‘You sure?’ he asked. ‘Only, you looked to me like you were enjoying it.’

‘No, I don’t. I mean, I’m not,’ Amy protested. ‘I don’t want to. You shouldn’t be touching me there.’

Her head had dropped, and she found it impossible to meet his characteristic intense gaze. Cliff wasn’t like Dale at all. He may have seemed nice and he was always kind to her but there was something about him. Something she couldn’t fully comprehend. But something that made her feel embarrassed and nervous and as though she just wanted to run away whenever he was around. And what he was doing to her now validated all her distrust of him. She knew it was bad, but she felt helpless against a man who seemed so determined and sure of himself.

‘Who says I shouldn’t be touching you?’ he asked.

Amy shrugged.

‘Why shouldn’t you do it if it feels nice, Amy?’

Her eyes clouded over with tears now as a feeling of helpless acquiescence overwhelmed her. ‘I just shouldn’t,’ she said, but, in her powerlessness, she couldn’t think of anything to substantiate her argument.

She wished he would go away and leave her alone although she was too afraid to say so. But he didn’t go away. Instead he persisted. ‘Why not? Who’s to know what me and you get up to when we’re alone?’ He smiled, trying to sell the idea to her. ‘If we want a bit of fun, why shouldn’t we? No harm in a bit of fun, is there?’ Then he leaned towards her and whispered, ‘It can be our little secret.’

Amy was becoming desperate. She wanted to break away. She was frightened. But if she pushed him away, she didn’t know how he would react. Desperately, she searched for the right words that would make him leave her alone. ‘What about Mum?’ she asked.

He grinned in a self-satisfied way and patted her leg. ‘Don’t worry about your mum. I’ll see her right.’

For a few moments they remained silent, Amy clenching her muscles as she tried to shrink away from the constant glare of his eager eyes. Then she felt his hand graze her nipple once more and she reared back in shock.

‘No, no don’t,’ she pleaded, her voice trembling.

Cliff got up off the bed and fixed her with a lewd smile. ‘OK, I’ll leave you for now. But I want you to think about it, Amy. We can have a lot of fun, me and you, and nobody needs to know. You can be my special girl.’

Once she was alone