by Mayes, June
David sat down on Beth’s right. She could feel the warmth of him and wanted to roll herself in it. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to get rid of him now that he had settled into her life so well. What was more is that she really wasn’t sure she would ever want to get rid of him. It was a new experience for Beth. She was use to getting frustrated in relationships. David was different. She couldn’t imagine life without him even though she had only known him for a week. She turned and smiled at David who was watching her with a small grin on his face. It was a deep heartfelt look.
“So you’ve known David for a long time I gather,” she said with a questioning lilt to her voice, looking around David to one of his close friends and business partners. She had asked David to invite them because if she was really honest she was curious to see what his friends were like.
Pete gave a grin back and threw a glance toward David. “Indeed I have that honour and I can tell you all sorts of sordid details about him,’ he said. The three of them started to laugh as David brushed a hand across his forehead looking slightly embarrassed.
“Oh really? Do tell!” Beth drawled back and shared a wink with the woman on Pete’s left. Pete, a tall man with a sparkle in his eye and an unfazed expression, had come with his wife. She was a bubbly redhead who had in the spirit of the evening unbuttoned her top low enough to reveal a black satin bra. She assured Beth, when she first arrived, that had she known of the particular dress requirements she would have been much more daring. Beth liked her instantly and they already had plans to get all the girls together for lunch later in the week.
David groaned good naturally as Pete launched into a description of one of David’s more embarrassing moments at university. He told the story with wit and humour which soon had all of them teasing David unmercifully. Their laughter brought the attention of the others at the table and Thomas, David’s other business partner and good friend, helpfully added in a few details that Pete had forgotten to mention.
“I can’t believe you remembered that,” David said with an exaggerated glare in Thomas’s direction. Thomas snickered in return with a look that promised that he remembered a great deal more details from university days. Even Pete was looking slightly worried.
“We’ve unleashed a monster,” he muttered to David as the two of them eyed their friend. Beth looked over at Thomas who was ribbing David and Pete. He, like Pete, was a treat. Beth liked his dry humour and quick smile. Obviously the charmer of the three, although David and Pete could certainly hold their own she admitted to herself. It was a pleasure to have him, Pete and Pete’s wife around.
“You started it,” David replied reaching out to give Beth’s hand a squeeze under the table. He liked this, Beth realised. Being together with friends who knew him so well and who were dredging up all sorts of mortifying tales. With all the travelling she guessed that he hadn’t had a lot of time to spend with friends and as a consequence was more then happy to take anything they threw his way as long as they were all together having fun. Beth was pleased that he had such a good group of friends around him and even happier to find that she hit it off with them instantly. She enjoyed watching the camaraderie the three shared together. It was like watching her with Charlotte, Karin and Bee.
In direct contrast to the others however, Thomas’s current squeeze was particularly uptight. She barely concealed her boredom as the men told a particularly amusing tale about how they first met one another. Having taken one look at the feathers, lace and beads, surrounding her, the woman had nearly sneered. What was her name again Beth thought? Oh yes, Meredith. Meredith was a woman whose spine was so utterly rigid and unbending that Beth was afraid that she would shatter if anyone breathed heavily in her direction.
Beth shook her head laughing as David muttered ‘and another one about to bite the dust’ under his breath just as she had that last thought. She wasn’t the only one to notice Meredith’s displeasure. David was right, it was so not going to last. Beth would lay a bet that Thomas would be ready to throttle his companion by the end of the evening. In fact he looked close to that even now.
Thomas noticing her looking his way and changing the subject completely asked, “So your parents were really into the whole royal family were they?”
“What makes you ask that?” Beth replied wondering what Thomas was up to.
“Well Elizabeth and Victoria? I figured that naming you after two great Queens either suggested a huge admiration for the royals or perhaps a scandal?” Thomas looked like he was going to start rubbing his hands together. “Are you somehow descended from some illegitimate child who seeks to reclaim your rightful place on the throne?” he asked with a gleeful expression. He had leaned forward looking enthralled at the concept that maybe just maybe he was on the right track. Pete and his wife dissolved into giggles as they watched Thomas move in for the kill.
“Nothing so exciting I promise,” Beth replied laughing. Victoria who was sitting on the other side of the table started to giggle. “They figured that since we were going to be treated like princesses all our lives and rule any house we lived in that we may as well have the names to go with all the power!” Everyone joined in laughing as it was indisputable that Beth’s parents had been right.
Just as the second round of drinks was being placed onto the table and Beth was relaxing into what promised to be a fun evening, the restaurant door opened. With a blast of crisp autumn air Joseph Serrate walk in.
Beth felt her stomach drop. This couldn’t be happening. David tensed beside her as he caught sight of the detective while Vickie and Scott flashed worried looks her way. Was Beth under arrest? Had they decided she had killed Brian regardless of the evidence? The whole party seemed to realise that something significant was happening as conversation died away. Thomas and Pete shared a puzzled look watching David’s far from happy response to the new arrival.
As the detective reached the table looking incredibly awkward, Beth’s nerves reached panic stations. The door behind him flung open again and Karin walked in the door fashionably late as ever and beaming a smile. Her cheeks were flushed from the cool air and her eyes were dancing.
“Oh I’m glad you made it,” she called across the restaurant to Joseph as she made her way over. Walking up next to him, she put a hand on his arm and kissed him on the cheek. “I wasn’t sure if you’d turn up,” she continued turning to the table and linking arms with Joseph she introduced him around.
Beth’s jaw dropped. Karin had invited Beth’s nemesis to dinner? Hold on, Beth thought, Karin was DATING her nemesis? She could feel David start shaking with laughter next to her. Happening to anyone else Beth had to admit it was mildly amusing but it was happening to her! She turned and sent outraged looks to Charlotte and Bee. There was no way that Karin would have been able to keep this that quiet, Beth thought, without a little help. Charlotte and Bee quickly immersed themselves in their menus under her murderous stare. No doubt about it, they had known. Beth could just see their lips turning up in hard to repress smiles. Not only had they known, they were enjoying this as much as David was.
Karin was flushed a light pink as she caught the look in Beth’s eye and made short work of getting herself and Joseph settled at the table. She gave Beth a quirky smile and a faint shrug. Beth tried to glare back but couldn’t help herself, she started laughing. This was just too good, even if it was happening to her.
Conversation filled their corner of the restaurant and the evening was a huge success. They ate, they talked and the friends told embarrassing tales about one another. Joseph fit in easily having shed his responsibilities for the evening and even Thomas’s date relaxed enough to exchange a few pleasantries. Beth felt exhilarated. She was happy she realised. She was surrounded by the best life had to offer. She had some of the most fantastic friends a person could have. Her sister and brother-in-law were relaxed and happily expecting their first baby. The business was off the ground. Maybe not hugely successful yet but Beth had her hopes. Next to her was a man tha
t she really connected with; a man that was as intrigued by her as she was by him. The only shadow over things was Brian and now Tina’s death.
Beth glanced over at Joseph. The detective didn’t look as drawn in casual clothes. In fact he looked fairly enthralled by Karin.
“He looks besotted,” David muttered as he watched Karin and Joseph. Beth smiled. Her friends were all wonderful and it was a pleasure to watch one work her magic on an unsuspecting man. She turned back to the man beside her and flashed him a quick grin.
“He doesn’t stand a chance does he?” David asked looking back at Beth with a gentle smile on his face.
“Nope,” Beth agreed. They both glanced back at the couple. Karin was waving her hands in the air telling Joseph something and he looked mesmerised. Looking at Joseph Beth wondered how he was getting on in the case. Was there a lead? Had the box lead to any new clues? Would they find the murder? Beth hoped that it stayed out of the dinner conversation but wanted to know what happened.
Beth’s fears were unfounded. The only reference made to Brian or the case was near the end of dinner.
“I wanted to apologise for missing the funeral,” Joseph said to Beth as everyone stood up to have an after dinner drink. It was an easy way to give them all a chance to mingle and talk to people they hadn’t had a chance to talk to during the meal. David was staying firmly at Beth’s side with Scott and her sister. Joseph continued almost at a loss for words, “Will Brian be buried at the local cemetery?”
“He was cremated,” Scott explained as the twins and David shared a grin. “With so many ex-wives wanting a piece of him, we decided it was the easiest way to distribute him evenly.” Everyone laughed and Beth was surprised to see that Joseph laughed harder then the rest of them.
He caught her eye and said, “You forget I’ve met them all.” The laughter that had died down burst forth again and the twins had to regale their dinner companions with the tales of Brian’s many wives. By the end of it everyone was gasping for breath, including Thomas’s girlfriend. Yes, Beth thought, Brian had certainly collected a fine group of harpies in his lifetime.
As everyone kept chatting Beth found a minute to quietly ask Joseph if anything had come of the trap the sisters had laid. While a box of paperwork was unlikely to be a major break in the case it was a chance to get the police to look in a new direction, at a new lead. Joseph looked at her with understanding.
“There is a new lead that we are following up on,” he admitted, “and yes it is directly in result to you and your sister’s quick thinking.” He gave Beth a wink and then moved off to coax Karin away from her conversation. The two headed out together, laughing as the wrapped up to face the cold outside. Beth watched from a distance smiling. She realised that Joseph was quite pleased with himself and that he had actually told her nothing about what was going on.
Chapter 36
Leaving the restaurant Beth walked hand in hand with David as they followed her sister and husband home. This is what life is supposed to be like she decided. Well fed, with good company and someone to share it all with. She glanced over at David. He was smiling at her.
“Happy?” he asked smiling at her face flushed pink with the cool air and the wine from dinner.
“Yes,” she replied squeezing his hand. ‘Are you?”
‘Yup,” he answered with a cheeky smile showing off his dimple in the street lights. “I’ve finally figured out that with you nothing is normal or tame. There will always be something happening.’
“Does that scare you?” Beth asked. She was only partially teasing. That lack of normalcy was exactly what chased most men away from her. They didn’t like the ever changing world that Beth lived in. She on the other hand thrived on it. If it weren’t for Charlotte and her ideas, Karin and her antics or Bee and her escape plans, Beth thought she would have turned into a very dull and boring person indeed. She liked who she was but equally liked David. She wanted him to embrace that adventurous spirit as much as she did. She wanted to get into trouble with him.
David had pulled her to a stop and they stood just in front of the house face to face. It was a cool autumn night and the smell of a wood burning fire was in the air; perfect weather for romance. Leaning down David kissed Beth on the forehead. “It doesn’t scare me,” he said. “I like getting to know who you are. I like finding out new things about you. I have a feeling that you are wild inside although you come off as only slightly eccentric,” he said with a wry grin. He leaned down and kissed her gently and then more firmly as she pulled him more tightly to her. Beth made up her mind.
As they went into the house Beth led David to the study without saying anything. She hadn’t brought him in here before. This room was the one place that was truly a reflection of the twin’s personalities. It was their sanctuary. Showing this room to anyone was like baring their souls. Because it was such a personal space they had locked the door during the funeral. It never occurred to Beth to bring David in until now. While she had been thinking he might be nice to keep around, this was taking an active step to including him in every aspect of her life. After all, he was becoming an integral part of her day to day existence so he would need to see what he shared that space with. Everything that made her what she was. This room and its creations were a fundamental part of her.
David stood in the doorway with his jaw wide open and an expression of pure wonder. Beth tried to see it through his eyes, the silks, the lace, the furniture, everything. It was chaos, it was order. It was wonderful she thought and turned to look back at David as she leaned against the edge of the desk. His eyes were hot and warm as he strode across the room to her. He didn’t need to say anything, she could see that this room thrilled him.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her as if it were the most important thing in the world to him. David felt warm and strong under her hands. She pulled frantically at his shirt pulling it out of his trousers and off him. His hands slid around her back pulling her tighter as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders. Beth hesitated as she felt the bandage on his shoulder and gently moved down to kiss the injury. David groaned and lifted her up so that she sat on the edge of the desk.
They paused for a minute looking deep into one another’s eyes. David leaned forward and gently kissed her on the lips pushing his strong solid body between her thighs. Beth ran her hands through his hair and held on as he leaned her back on the desk. He pulled her top over her head making Beth let go of him for a second. She groaned in protest at the separation and then gasped as his bare chest brushed against her. Under her back she could feel the smooth cool silk that had been draped across her desk, it gave a sensual twist to their embrace. She moaned and tried to pull David more tightly to her.
Breaking their kiss, he laughed and looked down her body, sliding his hands along the plains of her stomach until he reached the tie of her skirt. Pulling gently at the neat little bow, the wrap around slid away from her and with a quick tug ended up on the floor with half the other contents of Beth’s desk. She laughed as David gave her a seductive smile and leaned down to nuzzle her breasts. She felt him tug at the white sheer lace bra she was wearing, moving the fur trim out of his way. She sighed and ran her hand through his hair as he gently paid homage to first one and then the other.
Pushing David up and off her, Beth sat up on the edge of the desk then stood and slid her hands into the waist of his jeans. She watched as David’s eyes grew heavier with the pleasure as she popped the button and tugged the zip down. Pushing her hands along his hips she managed to take both his jeans and briefs to the floor in one easy movement. Beth looked up from her kneeling position in front of him. She gave him a wicked smile and leaned forward again. She hadn’t missed the expression on David’s face. He was about to be undone. Brought down by a woman he had known for nearly a week. It was a heady power to know that she could and would make him loose all control.
Minutes later David was frantically pulling Beth back up on to the desk. His moves were jerky and he
couldn’t seem to get enough. She stretched her arms over her head and luxuriated in the feeling of being a woman. She loved the fact she could drive him wild. David tugged gently again at her bra straps and the froth of fur and lace slid away. Beth looked up at his face and brushed a strand of the dark hair off his forehead. His blue eyes were hot and intense as he tried to gain enough concentration to strip her panties from her. He slid them off her body and took the occasion to drop a kiss at the juncture of her thighs. Bending her knees, he placed the heels of Beth’s feet on the edge of the desk and with a tremendous skill proved to Beth that he too could push her to the brink.
Beth lay back and let her body flow with the passion that washed over her. The feel of him made her convulse and her back arched as she urged him to keep going. Beth tried to catch her breath but found she couldn’t. Her body took over and pulled her along a tidal wave of feeling. She was faintly aware of the room around her, the patchwork of colours, materials, the familiar table and chairs. Nothing could have prepared her for the pure ecstasy that she was caught up in. Gasping she reached down and pulled David’s hair. He glanced up at her and smiled when he saw her expression.
Beth found she couldn’t stay still. She pulled harder and David slid up her body making her writher and gasp again. This is what she really wanted, her body slick and hot. She wanted David in her and on her and around her. The feel of him filling her caused every fibre of her being to spasm in pure enjoyment. As they climaxed, Beth opened her eyes to watch David as he looked down at her. He leaned down and kissed her and thrust into her in a final force of power.
In the aftermath, lying tangled in his arms half off the desk Beth couldn’t help but think something had changed. Their relationship had moved from mere boyfriend girlfriend to something much more intense. This was the icing on the cake. Their lives were forever entwined; even if they didn’t end up together a piece of herself would always be David’s. Beth thought for a minute. She really wanted him to stay. She really wanted to end up with David.
