CHAPTER ONE

 

In my honest opinion, it's mostly about the luck of being in the right place at the right time. What did Shakespeare say? "There is a tide in the affairs of man which, taken at the flood, leads to fortune." But that assumes you were there when it started chucking the rain down.

Of course, it's also about taking the right decision at that moment; but that's also largely about luck, in my experience. Sometimes you do the clever thing and sometimes you take the brave course which isn't necessarily the smartest option, at least on paper. If you're lucky, it works out right. I guess I'm lucky.

It was another night, another cheap hotel room. I see a lot of those in my job: nothing fancy, I'm just a sales rep. Anyway, I was hungry and I knew a little restaurant in this town which does a nice cheap Indian meal. But it's a rough part of town, so instead of walking, I took the car. There was hardly any traffic around, but I was in no great hurry, so I was dawdling along when I saw a mugging going on. That's where, without really thinking, I abandoned my smarts and took the brave option. I pulled over, got out and shouted at the gang of four youths who were attacking this guy. Really, not clever: I mean they could have had knives, they could have been druggies, they could have turned on me and I hadn't much chance if they had; but as it was, they took fright and ran off and a chain of circumstances was set in motion which led to a pretty good experience for me. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I went over to the guy who they had been attacking and helped him to his feet. He looked in his early fifties, so nearly twenty years older than me. He was expensively dressed, I could see that immediately: an inevitable target for a gang like that. "Are you all right?" I asked.

"I think so," he replied, dusting himself down. He was short and stocky and in his formal dress he reminded me of the Penguin in the 1960's Batman series. "I'm very grateful to you, Mister...?"

"Harry Evans. Can I suggest we get moving before those kids realise that two of us are no more of a match for them than one? My car's over here." I led him towards my battered Cavalier.

"Yes, thank you," he said, his natural but not unpleasant pomposity returning as he gathered his wits. "I was out for my evening constitutional, but perhaps it wasn't the wisest idea in a town like this."

"Most parts of the town are OK, but not this part of it," I said as I opened the car door for him. "You're not local, I take it?"

"No. I'm staying at the Ambassador Hotel." I knew it, but not from experience: it was easily the most expensive in town. "I'm already hugely in your debt, Mr. Evans, but I wonder if ..."

"It's Harry and yes, no problem, I'll drop you off round there. As for the rest, it was no big deal."

"On the contrary, you may well have saved my life. Those thugs were turning nasty. I'd like to give you a reward." He settled into the passenger seat, placing his feet carefully to avoid the pile of magazines splayed untidily in the footwell.

I didn't want his money. "Honestly, forget it, my pleasure," I said as I got into the driver's seat. I reached down to pick up the magazines and put them on the back seat out of the way, but he picked them up first and handed them to me. Under the two motoring mags, he couldn't help but see the lurid spanking issue.

"Are you into this sort of thing?" he asked, glancing through the magazine.

I don't broadcast my tastes, but I've got no reason to hide them either. "Why not?" I asked shortly.

"No reason why not, no reason at all. All part of life's rich pageant," he said affably as we started off. He went on: "Harry, I really want to give you a reward. There's every chance you saved my life tonight, I really believe that. And you put yourself at risk as well: they could have easily turned on you. I owe you."

Looking back on it now the heat of the moment was over, I'd really been rather reckless, but it had worked out OK, so no big deal. I said so.

"Then if you won't take money, I insist you come and stay with me for a long weekend as soon as you can arrange it. I can promise you a fantastic time, a visit you will never forget." He glanced meaningfully towards the magazine.

I protested that it wasn't necessary, but truthfully I was intrigued. The message in that glance was unmistakable. I had the definite impression that he was into spanking as well. Maybe he and his wife were both into it and she was happy for a stranger to spank her. Or maybe - this was better - he had a daughter into it, in her late teens or early twenties. But that was just a fantasy, of course. I hoped he wasn't angling for me to spank him! Somehow I didn't think so. Eventually he persuaded me. I don't do a lot at weekends: I'm single, middle aged with no real girlfriends, to be honest, for all my efforts in that direction. Booking a Friday afternoon off work was no problem either. Even if it wasn't up to much, it would be a change, so why not?

I didn't know it at the time, but I'd taken my tide not so much at the flood as at the tsunami.