Love Lies Bleeding - Extract One

So, this is how to be a bohemian.

Janis was mostly being ignored at the party, but she didn’t mind, she always enjoyed being the voyeur.

The mauve, maroon and mustard tones of the living room, that were struggling for definition before, had now blended completely behind the filter of smoke filling the room as the guests sucked on shared fags and joints. The occasional phrase of Jazz music could be heard from the LP over the crackling of the needle against vinyl and the obnoxious laughter coming from those who had chosen to stand in the middle of the room rather than sit against the wall.

Aunt Elizabeth sat on the sofa opposite with a lady at either side. One was focusing so hard on whispering into her ear that she hadn’t noticed the trickle of whiskey escaping over the lip of her crystal tumbler making Elizabeth all wet. The other was chatting casually to a respectable-looking man beside her and Janis would have never implicated her in a ménage-a-trois with the other giggling women had she not noticed her hand placed dangerously high on Aunt Elizabeth’s thigh.

Janis’ view was interrupted by a velvet waistcoat. She pursed her lips then swallowed.

You must be the infamous Janis we’ve all heard so much about.

She looked up to see the owner of the waistcoat peering down at her. He had thick white hairs coming from his ears and he whistled through his nose when he exhaled. He wasn’t looking into her eyes and he kept one hand in his pocket.

She made a noise of acknowledgement then smiled briefly before continuing to scan the room for more scandal. There was certainly more to be seen. A queue was gathering outside the toilet and people were entering in groups of two or three.

No need to be shy with me, young lady. I don’t bite. He gave a throaty laugh.

Janis looked up again and the man took this as an invitation to speak.

He introduced himself as Lord Willy.

Lord.

He perched on the edge of the sofa next to her, left his leg uncomfortably close to that of Janis and proceeded to tell her about his achievements in art criticism with great pride. He offered to introduce her to some of his friends in the industry, having assumed that Janis gave a fuck about art criticism. The guy was a total arsehole. In fact, she thought all art critics were arseholes and this one wasn’t challenging her preconception. Everybody has an opinion, it’s just that rich twats get to call themselves “critics” when they share one.

Excuse me. I think I’ll use the bathroom. She was beginning to think there might be hard drugs involved in the scene playing out by the toilet and she wasn’t going to miss out on that.

Oh, that one is awfully busy. Don’t you think? Let me show you to the one upstairs.

Gross, thought Janis. She was just about to say something that would have embarrassed Lord Willy when she caught a glimpse of the bulging wallet inside his jacket that had been concealed until now. She had been so well-behaved for Aunt Elizabeth all weekend, surely she was allowed just a little slip up in the ethics department. Compensation, say, for entertaining this particularly unpleasant guest.

Ok. Thank you. Janis blinked.

She let him follow her up the stairs to the second floor and grit her teeth hard as she felt his eyes on her arse. They started up the second flight of stairs. To both of their delight, there was no one around on this floor. That would make getting the money from him even easier. When Janis reached the landing, she turned around suddenly and, without hesitating, kicked Lord Willy down the stairs.

Easy.

The thud of the body hitting the bottom step couldn’t be heard over the music and booming voices below. The man was completely out cold, so she needn’t worry about him making a fuss now. Thankfully, there was no blood, but he was turning slightly green. She would need to call for help. She slipped three twenty-pound notes from the wallet, leaving most of his money intact in order to avoid suspicion, and then screamed.

HELP!! HELP!

The only person to attend was the woman who had been whispering in her Aunt’s ear. Liz was her name. The whiskey had been refilled and was now coupled with a cigarette.

I… I… He just tripped on the stairs and now… well, he’s not responding! Janis feigned despair. She played this part well and it had never let her down, at least when dealing with men.

The woman stared, inactive for a second longer than was normal and then, without taking her gaze off Janis, she knelt next to Lord Willy to check if he was breathing.

He was.

Dirty Bastard. What did he do? Try to get you on your own? Filth. Liz opened Lord Willy’s jacket, took the rest of his money and shoved it between her tits as she stood up.

Elizabeth said that you were one to be looked out for. Liz considered Janis with one arched eyebrow for a moment before retreating down the stairs. Don’t worry about him, he’ll be fine. She called as she vanished from sight.

Janis stood there with her mouth open, heart pounding. She felt very innocent for once.