Friends Or Lovers Part 24

"You, on the other hand....," I said conjuring up the s.e.xiest look I could muster, "...are the most difficult, stubborn...and surprising person Ive ever met. And one more thing..."

I held up both hands to stop them interrupting.

"You make me want to be bad again!"

When I said this, Sallys giggles subsided and it was John who creased up with laughter. He roared and clapped. Sally, despite her feelings, started to join in too. Mike, on the other hand, grinned to himself contentedly. Then, he got up, came over and gave me a hug.

"You make me want to be bad too!" he whispered in my ear.

And then he pulled away, walking backward, and kept his eyes on me while he sat down in his chair. I knew. In that moment, I knew. If I had thought that John had helped me to feel again, it was nothing compared with the tidal wave that engulfed my being on hearing these words. Suddenly all the other sounds in the room seemed to go silent and every fibre and nerve-ending in my body was focussed on Mikes eyes and mouth. A few moments later I felt a tingle rush through my body and I had to shut my eyes and wait until it pa.s.sed. It was the most exquisite feeling I had ever known, better than any o.r.g.a.s.m, better than any drug. Was this love? Was this l.u.s.t? In that moment I was touched by my own humanity. This was living. I blew Mike a kiss then sat down. A modest contented grin was etched onto his face and we both knew what was going to happen. There was not a force in the world that was going to stop it.

It took me a few moments to notice that Sally had climbed onto Johns knee and was kissing his forehead.

"As for this one," she started to say, "hes been a bad boy a few times, havent you my dear?"

Now it was my turn to crease up with laughter. I pointed at John and shouted at him.

"You sly old dog, you! And there was me thinking you were a devoted and loyal husband!"

"You are mixing me up with Mike!" he said.

Mike raised his gla.s.s to John in appreciation but when I glanced at Mike, and he glanced back, the thought ran through my mind that his loyalty was coming to an end.

"Sally?" I quizzed.

Sally looked at me. She did not need to say anything. She and John were lovers.

"John! How long has this been going on?"

He looked at me half-embarra.s.sed.

"How else do you think I got to know all the stuff that was going on in his life?" he quipped firing a glance at Mike.

"But I thought he told you?" I responded.

"Hes too d.a.m.n loyal for his own good," answered John. "He was so loyal to this sweet woman that he nearly destroyed his marriage. Then he was so loyal to Elona that he nearly destroyed his career."

I was laughing again. All my inhibitions regarding John vanished. Suddenly his resistance made sense. It was not only his family that he was protecting; it was Sally. He was not the paragon of virtue I had believed him to be.

"And there was I thinking that you are a family man," I joked.

"He is, darling," said Sally. "Hes frustratingly devoted to his wife and children."

I remembered the recent phone call.

"You told her, didnt you?"

"Yes, and you called me right in the middle of it! She thought you were Sally and started wrecking the house. Thats why I had to go."

"Why did you tell her?"

"I wanted to stay at Sallys while working on this contract."

I got up from my chair, offered my hand to John, and asked Sally if I could borrow him for a minute. She consented, so I grabbed him and led him roughly across the living room and out of the flat. Whether it was the drink, the situation, or the knowledge that he was weak with women, I was not going to waste this moment.

"Right you!" I said. "This is the one and only chance you will ever get to kiss me because by midnight tonight Im going to be off the market."

As I said these words, I pressed myself up against him, put my hands around his b.u.t.tocks and pulled him close.

"You have no idea....," he said.

"Oh yes I have...," I replied.

Our lips met, gently parted, and our tongues touched. As my hand slipped under his s.h.i.+rt and felt his strong body, his hands clutched my behind. We pulled each other close and snogged until we both sensed that enough was enough.

"One day soon," I said to him, "I want to talk about this. You must have known how much I wanted you. Why did you resist me?"

He looked at me and draped his arms around my neck.

"Sally is not the only woman that Ive given in to - there has been one other. But with you, it was different somehow. Being with you was enough."

I stroked his face. He did not have to explain how he felt. Just being with him had been enough for me too.

"I love you, John," I said. "Thats what I thank you for the most. You are the first man, after my father, that Ive not been afraid to love. If you 'saved me, thats how you did it. You made it possible for me to love again."

"And I love you too, Penny. Youre the first woman Ive not had to sleep with to keep interested. With others, if they thought I was not intending to sleep with them, they would lose interest. You liked me from the moment we met, even after I told you I wouldnt make a pa.s.s at you. That made you special. Very special."

"What about Sally?"

"If Id not slept with Sally, Id have lost her. Im fond of her and she was in a state after Mike returned to his wife. She was, not surprisingly, very needy. I was there, Mike was gone. That was the price of continued friends.h.i.+p."

"Shes certainly a looker," I said.

"Yes, but its not that. It was hard for her to leave her husband. I was part of her recovery, I think."

I nodded as I spoke.

"You look after her and Ill look after you."

He laughed and held hands.

"You have yourself a deal, Penny Leyton."

"How are things with your wife?"

"Theyre okay. This isnt the first time for either of us. Things changed some years back. When the kids were both at school she started working again. We drifted apart and she had an affair. We worked things through but a lot changed. I admitted to her that Id thought of having an affair as well. We found that we both liked the idea of more freedom. Soon after, I took the plunge. Then I met Sally through Mike and gave in again! My wife and I are still good friends. Shes a lovely woman and, thankfully, were able to get past blaming each other. I admire her more than when we first married but the exclusivity has been lost. Theres no way to get it back so things have changed. The kids are older now. Im travelling much more. We both get lonely. When we are together we still have a fabulous time."

"Dyou think youll have a house in one piece when you get home?" I quipped.

"We both love the kids. Theres no reason to divorce. Sally wont marry me. She holds a torch for Mike and likes having her own place. Im just a temporary distraction for her."

"But you need somewhere thats a home. You dont want to just drift between places like a visitor?"

"With my work, Penny, my whole lifes like that. I travel for days, sometimes weeks, at a time. This is a long contract and itll be lovely to spend time with Sally. A nomadic life suits me and I have friends and nests in many places. Maybe I can sleep in your nest occasionally?"

I smiled. That was a lovely thought and I warmed to it.

"As long as you behave," I said.

"Not so white as white, am I? I hope you arent disappointed."

"Dont worry, lover. Youre secret is safe with me."

With this exchange of words we made our pact. I was determined to hold onto his love. We hugged again but this time it was devoid of s.e.xual pa.s.sion. It was almost as if we were saying goodbye and h.e.l.lo at the same time.

I thought of Sally and Mike and how everyone thought they had been lovers. It would be John and I that others would mistake now. But when I thought about it, we had become lovers of a sort. There was now such a deep intimacy, a bond as strong as Id ever known. It would be our joke just as it had been for Sally and Mike - that acquaintances would misunderstand.

I remembered Johns words that there was no such thing as a non-s.e.xual relations.h.i.+p between men and women, only ones where they chose not to have s.e.x. Our relations.h.i.+p was now like that. We both understood our attraction to each other. We knew that s.e.x would be there if we ever both needed and wanted it at the same time. But I didnt care either way the most important thing was to protect the trust.

As for the rest of the evening, Sally retired to one of the bedrooms with John. I retired to the other with Mike. Sleeping with Mike for the first time was, without question, the most special moment of one of the most extraordinary days of my life. The memory is like a precious stone, a priceless treasure that sparkles. I hope you will forgive me for s.h.i.+elding it from gossip that would corrupt it. This diamond is mine, and mine alone.

Chapter 38.

I went into work the next day on a tremendous high. Suddenly all those soppy romance novels, movies, and songs made sense and I realised people were not simply making it up. Every few minutes I would pause to think of the future. To have waited nearly 33 years to discover this! Suddenly I understood why people could fall apart when their partner leaves, or how a husband or wife might feel driven to murder after discovering the other was having an affair. If anybody tried to steal Mike from me, I felt capable of doing anything. As I sensed these feelings, I was astonished and frightened, worried and pleased at the pa.s.sion I felt.

As I settled down to my computer to retrieve my e-mails, there was an apology from Dave.

From: [email protected] To: Subject: Sorry Pen, Sorry about yesterday. I was irritable and too harsh. Can you forgive me?

I answered immediately.

Dave, Dont worry about it. We all have off days. Is there anything we need to follow up after the product launch?

I was pleased that Dave apologised because that was how I expected him to be. Even though I felt like telling him (and the whole world) what had happened the night before, it would have been imprudent and insensitive.

There was a knock at the door and Phil was standing with a cup of coffee.

"You dont have sugar, right?" he asked.

This was a surprise. Phil did not usually make coffee unless I asked.

"Thank you. Thats very sweet of you."

"Have to keep the boss happy!" he joked.

"No need to do that today, Im happy enough for both of us," I responded.

Phil looked up and my smile told him all he needed to know.

"b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, Penny. That was fast work."

"Hard to believe it myself," I said.

"Dont tell me.....you.....?"

I just kept silent and smirked enough for him to work out that he was right.

"Dont you go blurting this around the place. Keep it under wraps for now, okay?"

"Okay. But I cant see this staying a secret for long," Phil said.

"If any rumours start, I want them to come from me."

"Sure thing, boss!" he said sarcastically.

"Okay. What have you got for me?"

"Elonas off sick again. Thats the third time in two weeks. Shes over the 10-day mark and her manager is asking if youll visit."

Elona! I had forgotten about her in all the excitement.

"I guess thats a good idea. Have you called her?"

"Yes. No answer."

"Hmm. Strange. Okay, give me the address and Ill go round. No answer from her parents?"

"No. Theyll probably be in the shop."

"Yes, of course."

I drove to Elonas flat and rang the bell. There was no reply so I entered the shop and spoke to her mother.

"Shes up there but we cant get her out of bed. All weekend, all last night, just crying and crying. Were worried sick."

I asked them to let me in. Her mother led me though the shop and up the stairs.

"Elona! Elona, love!" she shouted, "theres someone here to see you...."