But if certain people knew about them, it would be like the States all over again. There was something about a black man and a white woman that incensed people. Women as well as men. He had grown up under that cloud and had thought to die without ever knowing the pleasure of a clean white woman. Oh, he had slept with white women before, poor white trash who had gone to the bad and were thought diseased so sold their body only to the black boys.

All this talk about niggers over here... about how niggers could dance, niggers had natural rhythm. They liked your music and your soulful songs, they liked to be seen with the black musicians, it made them look very hip, but if they thought you were sleeping with one of their women they’d turn like a pack of bloodhounds. What was it that Shakespeare guy had said? There’s an old black ram, tupping your ewe? Well, that was exactly what Evander had done. And he had loved every second of it!

Kerry was worth anything they might throw at him, though. The smell of her, the feel of her silky black hair, was like nothing he had ever experienced before. And she had been a virgin, that was the most fantastic part! A virgin. In the darkness of the night before he had been too carried away with wanting her to think of the consequences. Now, as she lay asleep and the sun burned through the dirty windows, the thought made him feel physically faint though he was aroused again.

‘Evander, my love. Come back to bed.’

He looked at her face and saw her staring at his enlarged member with the same fascination as he had stared at her. He watched as her long thin white fingers caressed him, running down the length of him and caressing his genitals, and groaned out loud. He knelt beside the bed and caressed her large white breasts with their pink nipples, and knew he was lost then. Any sensible thoughts were gone now, completely overshadowed by the milky white skin and the wet pinkness between her legs.

Briony and Tommy were sitting down to lunch but Briony just pushed her food desultorily around her plate.

‘Last night was a resounding success anyway, Bri.’

She nodded.

‘Good. Kerry went down well.’

‘Look, Briony, worrying about it ain’t gonna make it. go away.’

She shook her head.

‘I tell you, Tommy, every time I think about Ginelle, I feel a rage in me. I can’t stand this hanging around, waiting for the next move. Suppose they touch one of the other girls?’

‘We’ve got them all watched. Fuck me, Bri, even King Street Charlie couldn’t get in one of the houses at the moment.’

‘I think we should tell the girls. They have a right to know.’

Tommy pushed his plate away in temper.