Harry had parked down the street. This was the first time he had ever been to where she worked part-time. He had never even driven by the pub; he was always determined to be as discreet as possible, even though he longed to see the way she lived. So many times he had been tempted to walk in and order a pint, just to see the look on her face, and to see what kind of man Eric really was.
He had parked far away enough not to be noticed but close enough to follow what was going on when she arrived. If she arrived. The minutes dragged by. He was always early for any meeting, but this time he had turned up over half an hour early, mainly because he couldn’t sleep; in fact, he hadn’t slept properly for days and he was extremely nervous. If the next couple of days went the way he hoped, his life would change forever.
However, he hadn’t seen Susan since that awful day in the car and her text messages had become shorter and colder, even the one suggesting a couple of days away sounded almost angry, almost challenging him to turn her down. Or maybe that was just his imagination?
Harry looked to his left where a high, chain-link fence surrounded a vast car park. It was only 7am but the car park was already almost full and there were two huge coaches lined up outside the building’s main entrance. He could see people filing onto the buses, laughing and joking with each other. He was watching them so intently that he almost missed her car pulling up less than a hundred yards in front of him.
He automatically slid down in his seat so that he was peering through the steering wheel. Susan got out of the car, said something, smiled, and walked back towards the main entrance. The car didn’t move until she had turned the corner that led into the car park. Only then did it slowly pull away.
Harry stared at the car, trying desperately to see Eric clearly, but because of the reflections on the windscreen he couldn’t make much out. He was perplexed though. From what he could see Eric looked like nothing much - just a normal, ordinary bloke. As his gaze followed the disappearing car in the rear view mirror, Harry laughed to himself; what had he expected Eric to look like, George Clooney?
*
He thought about driving around the block and making sure that she was on the coach. He had even thought, insanely, of following the coach the hundred and fifty miles to see her get off! Even though it would prove she was on the course he knew it was a ridiculous idea, and he knew it stemmed from the weeks of stress and lack of sleep. Whatever was happening, he had to put it to the back of his mind for these two days and try to relax. At the road junction where he could double back to check on her, Eric took the opposite turning and headed home. The pub wouldn’t open for another five hours and he needed to get some sleep.
*
Harry was miles away when the passenger door opened and Susan hopped in, throwing her holdall onto the back seat. He was actually surprised to see her at all, but even more surprised to see her smiling so much.
‘OK, let’s go!’
Harry eased the big car out into the traffic. ‘So, woman of mystery, want to tell me how you’ve wangled this break?’
For his own part he had told Nigel that there had been a death in the family and he needed a few day’s break. Work had been incessant and he was starting to realise that he wasn’t remotely a partner in the business. Despite the lucrative revenue share, Nigel regarded him as being a member of staff, and Nigel expected 100% from his staff. Harry would have to work weekends to make up for the lost time.
Susan sank deeper into her seat as they passed the entrance to her work. The traffic was barely at walking pace. ‘See that coach? I should be on that, for a two day training course. Before Eric woke up this morning I called in sick.’
When they had finally passed her work place Susan visibly relaxed, kicked off her shoes and curled up in the front seat, her feet on the dashboard leaving talcum-powder imprints of her toes.
‘Make yourself at home missus.’
‘Maybe I will, who knows?’ The mischievous sparkle was back in her eyes and Harry finally relaxed. ‘So mister, where are you taking me?’
Harry laughed. ‘Don’t you mean when?’
‘Well that’s up to you but ... soon as you like?’
*
Harry kept her guessing about their destination as they drove out of town. Instead, he tried to talk to her about what had happened since that day out hiking but she didn’t want to discuss it. At least that was Harry’s interpretation. Whenever he broached the subject, the most she would say was that “everything was fine”. Harry knew that must be nonsense but he also knew that they had days ahead of them to talk in detail ... if she wanted to.
As the miles dropped away, Susan turned the conversation to Harry and in particular about the women he had known. He found it bizarre at first. She was asking questions that he had answered many times - many times months ago - but it was almost as if they had just met for the first time. There was definitely something going on in her head and although he couldn’t work it out, Harry answered calmly and clearly as she went through what felt like a check list.
Susan felt incredibly comfortable, so much at home curled up in the passenger seat, but she had to hear some things again before she could totally relax, one way or another. She knew she loved Harry but she still harboured doubts - doubts that were, in all probability, created by her own lack of self esteem, her own deep fears that he could genuinely want to be with someone her age when, as far as she was concerned, he could have anyone he wanted. She studied him as he drove. He was so handsome, dynamic and virile - what woman in her right mind would say no to him? So she asked him over and over about the women, and over and over he made the same reply - that she was the only one he wanted, the only one that made him come alive. There could be no doubting him; she knew in her heart that he was telling the truth - that he was, as he had been from the start, being totally and utterly honest with her, and honesty was everything for her, even though she was lying to her husband. She felt a little bit ashamed about that, but more that she had doubted Harry for so long.
‘Fancy a cuppa?’
They had left the city far behind and ahead there was a lay-by with a porter cabin - a truck-stop cafe.
‘Oh sir, you will turn this girl’s head by taking her to such exotic places!’
Susan’s laugh was music to Harry’s ears as they pulled off the road. They were high on the moors with spectacular views in all directions. It was a cold and windy morning and they clutched plastic cups of tea as they leaned against the back of the car, taking in the panorama. Susan pressed her back into Harry’s chest as he wrapped his free arm around her. ‘Do you love me?’
‘Yes I love you, always have, always will.’
Susan curled her right foot around his ankle. The morning was chilly, grey, windswept and absolutely perfect.
*
The rain swept in off the sea and rattled hard against the sash window, which was old and badly fitted, allowing a sharp draft to blow through. Harry stood by the window and gazed out across the bay - or what he could see of the bay between the sheets of leaden rain.
‘I’m so sorry, it looked great on the website, I should have gone for the one we passed on the cliff top.’
Susan slipped her arms around his waist, snuggled up to his back and peered over his shoulder. ‘I think it’s lovely. We’ve got an open fire, a view of the bay, another fire in the bar downstairs and ... what else ... er ... oh yes - a great big bed!’
‘That’s all you want me for isn’t it? You just want my body ... You just want to use and abuse me!’ Harry smiled as her hand edged down his jeans. Usually he would stand behind her and take charge, but it made a nice change this way. He still felt stressed for making a mistake with the hotel because he wanted these two days to be utterly perfect, but Susan seemed happy and that was all that mattered. He felt her unbuckle his belt and pop the top button of his jeans. He started to turn towards her.
‘No, just stay right there, don’t move a muscle! You’ve been driving all day, you need a little bit of tlc.’
Harry did as he was told and stayed by the window. They were on the first floor of the hotel, directly above the bar, and the deep Georgian window offered almost as good a view in as it did out, but the rain still pounded down and there were only seagulls on the harbour front.
Susan moved in front of him and knelt down as she popped the rest of the buttons on his jeans. Keeping eye contact she released the beast, kissed it lightly and then started running her tongue around the tip. Harry couldn’t stop himself from glancing out of the window. They would be in full view if anyone walked by. His cock suddenly got even bigger as a surge ran through him; he was as turned on by her voyeuristic streak as she was. He forgot about the rain-soaked day and turned his attention back to Susan, who smiled her sweet, innocent smile before closing her mouth over the head of his cock and, with her right hand, started to masturbate him. She used a slow rhythm to start but she squeezed hard. Saliva was escaping from her mouth and lubricating the shaft, and Harry knew this was not going to take long.
Through her tight grip, Susan felt his cock start to thicken even more and she knew he would fill her mouth any moment, so she pulled his cock even deeper in - she didn’t want to risk losing a drop. Harry came in a blind ecstasy, grabbing the back of her head and forcing himself into her mouth as deeply as possible. She kept moving in time with his thrusts, sliding her lips up and down the shaft and sucking hard as he shot inside her, filling her with days of pent up emotion.
Susan leaned back and licked her lips. ‘I think someone needed that - was it ok?’
‘Not bad ... as perfection goes! Now it’s your turn I think?’ Harry knew he couldn’t fuck her yet but it was only fair to return the favour.
Susan got up, tucked the beast back in his jeans and walked to the bed.
‘No, like I said, you’ve had a stressful day. That was your relaxation session; now for a little cabaret to entertain you. Sit over there please.’ Susan indicated towards an armchair in the corner of the room.
Harry dutifully sat down as she perched on the edge of the bed, facing him.
‘I didn’t have the chance to sort out any music so you will just have to imagine that.’ She began a slow strip tease.
Harry wanted to laugh at first but he saw that she was deadly serious, and, from the flush around her throat, seriously turned on too.
As she started to peel her clothes off, Harry recalled how embarrassed she had been at the start of their relationship, almost prudish, and how she had turned into a sex beast over the months. But she had never put on a show for him before - he couldn’t imagine her being that confident.
While Harry had been thinking, Susan had stripped naked and was now straddling the corner of the bed, legs wide apart, pussy directly opposite Harry. She was propped up on her left elbow and watching him intently as her right hand opened her cunt wide. She was so turned on that her pussy was dilated, and Harry longed to get inside her, to fill her up with anything and everything. He watched intently as she started to masturbate. Within moments she was lying flat and using both hands. Suddenly her knees jerked together and silently she orgasmed.
Harry waited until he saw that she had relaxed before moving to her side. He had no idea if she was totally sated but he knew for sure that he wasn’t.
As he undressed, Susan half rolled over, turning her ass to him. The look in her eyes told him that she was far from sated, and the position she had moved into told him what she wanted next. He had fucked her mouth, she had fucked her cunt, and now he would fuck her ass.
An hour later, as they lay entwined beneath a huge duvet, Harry suddenly laughed.
‘If it’s that funny I think you should share it with the rest of the class!’
‘It’s not that funny Miss, I was just thinking back to when we first sat on the back seat of my car. You asked me for a cuddle and I thought it was ridiculous to ask for a cuddle. Now, here we are, all cuddled up, and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.’
‘And that has nothing to do with you just fucking my arse?’ Susan laughed as she said it. As ever she had wanted it so much, possibly more than Harry wanted it - although, judging by his performance perhaps they were about evens. ‘Sorry H, I always have to make a joke of things don’t I? To be totally honest, I feel at least ten years younger, everything we do feels good and right and ... yes ... I’ve never been happier.’
Harry held her tight. ‘Never happier ... and never noisier!’
*
Nothing. There was nothing. He had searched high and low but everything of any importance was gone. Her passport, bank cards, driving licence: all gone. There was a logic of course - she would normally take her bank cards and licence with her everywhere - but her passport? Eric went through every drawer and cupboard for a third time but the result stayed just the same as the first time. Nothing. Finally he sat down on their bed and opened her bedside drawer. The sexy panties he had noticed weeks ago were gone too. She might have hidden her passport somewhere in the apartment, that was logical ... but why had the sexy panties gone? Where had the sexy panties gone?
*
‘Did you see the looks they gave us?’
‘Gave you, you mean,’ laughed Harry. ‘You’re the one that’s been making all the noise!’
They both giggled as they tumbled into their room. In the cosy bar after dinner a few drinks had helped them to laugh off the disapproving looks that had been covertly fired at them all evening, as if they were misbehaving teenagers. In both their hearts they actually were.
‘Well, might as well be slaughtered as a sheep than lamb eh?’ Susan kissed Harry hard as they stumbled towards the bed.
For once she was wearing a dress, and Harry threw her onto her back, pulled her ankles into the air and deftly whipped her panties off. She squealed then broke out in a fit of giggles as she rapidly opened and closed her legs, challenging Harry to get between them if he could move fast enough. Harry flipped her onto her stomach before jumping on top of her, momentarily knocking the breath out of her. He took advantage of the ensuing pause by rolling over so that he was lying on his back and she was laid on top of him. He pulled the top of her dress down and gripped both nipples ... tightly.
Susan immediately stopped giggling. She gasped and her body arched as she pushed her shoulders and ass into him. Turning her head slightly she whispered to him, ‘I love it when we make love H ... but I want you to fuck me tonight. Fuck me as hard as you can; just fuck me Harry, fuck me now!’
By way of reply Harry squeezed her nipples even harder and she spread her legs so they were outside his and hooked her feet around his ankles. Harry had undone his jeans before they had even got in the room, so now he edged them down and his cock sprang to attention, proud and perfect right between her legs.
Susan reached down as he worked on her nipples and licked her ear, and she pulled his cock so tight to her that the shaft rubbed against her clitoris. As ever, she was soaking wet and the feel of the beast sliding vertically between her pussy lips was mind-numbingly exciting.
Harry reached down to guide his cock into her cunt but she stopped him. Instead, she pushed his fingers inside her alongside her own. There was an intensity, a greed in her that he hadn’t experienced before - an almost feral need, and he was glad he had her in this odd position; there was no telling what she would do if she got free.
Susan jammed her hips down on their fingers, desperate to get the pressure onto her clitoris, desperate to be filled by him, loving the eroticism of feeling his fingers and hers inside her at the same time, but it wasn’t enough. Pushing her shoulders back into Harry she levered her bottom up and reached underneath her with her left hand. His cock felt wonderful in her grasp - so thick and so ... alive. She angled the beast back slightly then lowered her bottom onto the tip. She was so incredibly turned on that he slid easily into her. She pushed hard down and suddenly he was deep inside her, her fingers in her cunt could actually feel his cock in her ass as it filled her.
‘FUCK ME.....HARDER!’
Susan ground down, her pussy and ass full to bursting, the sensations exploding throughout her body and mind, and she bucked and fucked and screamed as Harry moved in perfect time with her, as her ear, her nipples, her clitoris, her pussy and her ass were all licked, bitten, tortured, wanked and fucked until she literally couldn’t take any more, and her mind blanked with the myriad sensations as her body tensed, quivered, froze, exploded and then collapsed to melt deep into Harry’s wonderfully-exhausted body.
*
‘Do you think we should move hotels today?’ Harry asked.
The looks over breakfast had been very cold, beyond disapproving, almost hostile, and from the staff as well as the residents.
‘Did you hear that couple actually tut tut as we got the cereal? Anyone would think it was a crime to have fun.’
‘From the noise you were making anyone might think a crime was being committed!’
Susan laughed and hugged his arm tighter as they walked along the harbour front. ‘Once upon a time what you were doing to me last night was a crime...’
‘Are you complaining?’
‘Oh no, it’s so nice being a criminal. I think you might need to punish me again ... and again ... and again!!!’
Harry put on a very deep, and formal, voice. ‘Excuse me miss, but are you aware that you vaguely resemble a woman I used to know that swore she could live without sex ... that she didn’t need it, didn’t want it .... Ouch!’
Susan punched him playfully in the ribs. ‘I’ve told you before officer, a woman can change her mind, as often as she likes.’
Harry smiled and pulled her closer. The rain hadn’t stopped once since they had arrived but it didn’t matter; nothing mattered any more. He knew now that she loved him and he knew his love had never been in doubt. However, he had deliberately avoided bringing up the question of her leaving Eric because he was going to make a full confession to her. Then she would see what he had achieved for them and how much easier it would be for them to be together - easier than she had ever imagined. Tomorrow.
With a tray of fish and chips each they huddled together inside a seafront shelter as the rain cascaded down. The entire world was grey and wet and they were soaked to the skin, but the food tasted wonderful and they were both happier then they could have imagined six months ago.
‘Can I ask you a question, about Marie?’
Harry tensed up. Susan never asked about Marie and he managed to avoid all reference to her. ‘Sure, what do you want to know?’
‘Well, we never talk about your marriage really; I just wondered, well, what it’s like?’
‘I think, from what you say about you and Eric, that it’s pretty much the same as yours. We’ve been together a long time, we know each other well. We are comfortable. The same as most people I guess?’ For once Harry was telling the absolute truth, he just neglected to add the bit about it all being years in the past.
‘You know you asked me to leave Eric, and I said no. Well, you and I have such great times but I still wonder if it’s because we are having an affair; that it’s great because we’re not together all the time; that if we were together all the time life would become just as ... normal ... as it is now with Eric and Marie. Then we will have gone through all the turmoil and hurt and pain to be back at square one. If we were younger it might be different but ... but it’s a huge risk at our age. Do you understand?’
‘Everything is a risk Sue, the whole of life. I can’t guarantee that we would have an amazing life, but I can’t guarantee that we wouldn’t ... and I know from what we’ve been through already that what we do have is so rare and so special that it’s worth taking the risk. Age is a nonsense; you have to live for right now, not some mythical point in the future.’
Susan was silent for a long moment as she stared out in the grey murk. ‘I think ... I think we should be getting back, the rain looks like getting even heavier. Race you?’
*
Harry had punished her again in the bath as they thawed out from the day’s walk. Sitting in front of him she had ridden his cock in virtual silence, despite the intensity of the orgasm. It did worry her a little bit that she might be becoming obsessed with anal sex, but the feeling was so much more intense than a normal orgasm, and the intimacy, the knowledge that she would only ever do it with Harry, made it that much more special.
As they sat in the cushioned window seat of the bar, the bath-time exertions mingled with the heat from the fire and the vodka and tonic, and they relaxed into a very comfortable silence, each lost deep within their own thoughts. Harry ran over and over what he would say to her tomorrow. He knew he had to get it right but he was also pretty sure that the result was a certainty. No matter how he worked things out he could not imagine this woman, any woman for that matter, going back to a sexless, ordinary life after what she had experienced here with him. He ran his fingers through her hair as he thought and she smiled at him.
Susan felt utterly content. She knew that it was partly to do with the fabulous sex but she also knew that she was happy with Harry. He made her forget about her problems, even though he was the biggest of them. In fact, the whole world had faded away until there was only the two of them. She knew she loved Eric, and always would, but in such a different way. She had never felt like this with Eric, not even for a moment - not even at the very beginning. It was still going to be a difficult decision but it was getting easier by the moment. Tomorrow would be a good day.
Harry got up and went to the bar for more drinks. He returned laughing.
‘What’s the joke?’
‘Have a look at the bar staff. They asked if we were off to bed soon.’
Susan looked over at the bar. Three staff members were standing there, all with enormous lumps of cotton wool stuffed in their ears, all of them laughing their heads off. Harry nudged her.
‘The drinks were on the house!’
*
‘What will that get me?’ Eric handed Mike a thick brown envelope. Mike opened it and quickly leafed through the contents.
‘Short of actually killing him, anything you want.’
Eric couldn’t meet Mike’s eyes. He wanted this bloke hurting so much but he still didn’t have the courage to even say what he wanted, let alone face the man himself. ‘I want him gone, whatever it takes. I guess that when you meet him you will be able to judge what it will take, won’t you?’
Mike shrugged his massive shoulders. ‘Guess so. I’ll sort it out. Leave it with me.’
*
The morning sun reflected off the sea and flooded in through the big windows. Harry had woken first. She was nestled perfectly into him and already his erection was pressing into the small of her back. She stirred and turned her face to him, her hair tousled and her eyes sleepy. His initial thoughts had been to slide in her while she was half asleep and wake her with a slow gentle fuck, but as the sparkling light fell on her eyes all thoughts of sex went out of his mind.
‘What’s up?’ Susan murmured the words. She was still half asleep.
Harry couldn’t speak for a moment. He was lost in her eyes and all he wanted to do was hold her and cry. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever known and he wanted this moment to last forever. Instead of devouring her, he just lay in silence and gazed into her eyes.
‘Are you ok, H? Didn’t you sleep well?’ Susan turned to face him, her nipples brushing his chest, and she hooked her left leg over his hip. She took a deep breath and languidly pushed her groin into his. ‘It’s our last morning - we should make it special.’
‘I ... I just want to look at you Sue, just want to lie here with you ... do you mind?’
‘No, of course not’, lied Susan. She did mind - she minded very much and she was slightly perplexed that he didn’t want to have sex. ‘You sure everything’s ok?’
Harry nodded and they lay in silence for a while before he kissed her lightly and got out of bed. ‘Shall we have breakfast then go for a walk? It’s finally stopped raining. And we need to think about getting back.’
Susan watched him dress and knew then that he was upset that the interlude was coming to a close. She smiled to herself. He was such a hopeless romantic, an endearingly hopeless romantic. ‘Well I’m starving but then I would love a walk, we need to have a chat too, don’t we?’
*
An hour later they walked along the sun-washed harbour, hand in hand and very slowly. They walked in silence. It was as if each was waiting for the other to make the first move. Eventually Susan spoke up.
‘Right, we’ve always said we would be totally honest with each other haven’t we? Totally honest!’
Harry said nothing. He didn’t even look at her. Whatever she said, he was already convinced it would be bad news.
‘So I have to start with a confession. I wanted this break because I was convinced we couldn’t be together for more than an hour or two without fighting - you know, like when we were kids. So I thought, if I come away with you, we will fight and argue and, yes, have great sex, but that it would prove to me that being with you was just a dream; a silly schoolgirl’s dream.’ Susan stopped walking and turned Harry to face her. ‘But it hasn’t, Harry. Being with you these few days has been the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I could be so happy. You’ve actually rocked my world Harry, you’ve rocked my world!’
Tears filled her eyes as she spoke and she squeezed his hands so hard that it hurt. Harry knew that he had her now, that now was the moment to tell her the truth about everything - about facing bankruptcy and having to live in the studio, about his fight with alcoholism, about the failure of his business and shooting porn to get himself out of debt and, of course, about the failure of his marriage and the subsequent divorce. Once he had confessed all that he knew that they would be together for the rest of their lives.
*
Tears flooded down her cheeks as she stormed away. She turned momentarily to glare at him. ‘You lied to me Harry. All the time you just lied to me. What else have you lied to me about, every fucking thing I suppose. You bastard, you lying fucking bastard!’
Against all her judgement, she had opened her heart and believed in him - trusted him and he had lied. The one thing that she had asked of him was to be honest ... and he had lied.
Dumbstruck, Harry watched her as she started to run back to the hotel. The world he was so certain of, the world he wanted and needed, the world he had just had in the palm of his hand, had slipped through his fingers and shattered on the cold harbour stones.
*
When she walked through the door Eric could hardly believe his eyes. It took him all his self-restraint to not rush across the bar and hug her. He had convinced himself that he would never see her again. He looked at the clock behind the bar.
‘You’re back early love, thought I was picking you up at six, did I get the timing wrong?’ For a moment, he thought about Mike, and now that she was back he considered calling him off. But he dismissed the idea as quickly as it had come. Whoever the bloke was, he deserved what was coming to him. Richly deserved it.
‘No, I got the coach to drop me off on the way back - thought it would save you a trip.’
Susan had made Harry drop her off half a mile away, and she had used the walk to calm down, to let her tears dry - tears that hadn’t stopped all day. Harry had tried to explain as they drove back, but she was in no mood for explanations, or excuses, no matter how much sense they made. Most of the drive had been in silence.
‘Well, it’s nice to have you back, has it been hard work?’
Susan looked at Eric. It was like being greeted by a faithful dog, insanely happy at your return. A faithful dog thought Susan - a faithful dog that would lick her hand and stand by her to the end, and was incapable of lying. She tried to bring to mind the beauty and excitement of the last few days but that moment on the harbour front was etched into her mind and it obliterated almost everything else. Almost, but not quite.
Susan stepped behind the bar and opened the door to their apartment. She gave Eric a long, hard look. She had never wanted a dog.
‘Yes, I’m tired, it’s been very hard work.’