The Second Time

by Jade Winters

  ‘This place is breathtaking,’ Darcie said, wondering how it felt to work long hours in such a beautiful place, knowing that you would never be able to get to sample the luxury of being waited on hand and foot unless you were one of the lucky few.

  ‘Yes it is. And it will be a devastating blow to lose it because people can’t see eye to eye.’

  The meeting Madison had arranged was to take place in the bar on the beach. As they neared, two men wearing matching shirts waved them over to the table where they were seated. One was broad shouldered with a mop of thick, grey, curly hair. The other slightly shorter and balding. Both were deeply tanned.

  ‘Sawasdee,’ both men said at the same time with a slight bow of the head.

  ‘Sawasdee,’ Madison replied.

  They all sat down at the same time and Madison introduced the managers to Darcie.

  They both smiled at her warmly, and she was slightly taken aback. Rightly or wrongly she’d had an image of the managers as being a pair of cold, remote jobsworths. Not these friendly men who laughed and joked with the waiter who brought the drinks over. Their interaction wasn’t fake or forced, as far as Darcie could tell it seemed genuine.

  ‘John and Mike hold a stake in the hotel,’ Madison explained to Darcie. ‘Not as much as my uncle, but they have a say in how the hotel is run.’

  ‘So, Maddie has told us a little bit about what you think we need to do to get this place back up and running,’ John said.

  ‘Before we go any further, I’d like to make something clear,’ Mike said, dabbing a handkerchief on his perspiring bald spot. ‘Any questions you ask me I’m going to tell the complete truth, all right?’

  ‘That’s all we want. Anything said here won’t go any further, I promise,’ Madison said.

  ‘OK, let’s start then,’ Mike said.

  ‘If I’m going to do any kind of damage control I need to know how everything works around here,’ Darcie said.

  ‘Like?’ John asked.

  ‘For starters how rotas are drawn up; who’s in charge of staff holidays? In order to launch a successful proposal, I need to address each of the issues that were exposed as being unjust.’

  ‘How about we start from the beginning,’ Madison said.

  ‘I hope you’ve got nothing planned for the next few hours,’ Mike said running his finger around the collar of his shirt.

  ***

  Later that evening when they returned to their hotel, Darcie went back to her room to get ready for dinner. The meeting had been an eye opener for her and what she was proposing to take on was a lot bigger than she had first imagined. It wasn’t simply about The Oasis changing its policies, it went so much deeper. And tourists’ expectations had a lot to do with it. All she could do, Darcie realised, was start small and hope that if The Oasis decided to make changes there would be a ripple effect. It was better than doing nothing.

  Darcie showered and went through her outfits, all the while thinking about the best way to approach things. She selected black linen trousers and a low-cut white blouse and sandals. She added a delicate silver chain and bracelets to finish off the outfit and sat down in front of her mirror to apply her make-up. She decided on a subtle look; A dab of lip stick and just a touch of black eyeliner. Then to finish off she swiftly back combed her hair to give it some extra lift. Darcie looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror and felt satisfied with her appearance. Though she would never say it out loud, she hoped all the effort was going to be worth it.

  ‘You really are setting the bar high tonight!’ Madison said when Darcie walked into the hotel bar.

  ‘Say’s you.’ Darcie took a seat next to her. She was determined to keep her eyes on Madison’s face and not let them roam anywhere from her neck down. Just as she told herself this, her eyes fell to Madison’s chest and she quickly looked away.

  This is going to be impossible. Why am I even bothering?

  ‘What’re you thinking?’ Madison said.

  You really don’t want to know.

  Madison’s mere presence obliterated all of the thoughts that didn’t relate to her. If it was inevitable that they were going to sleep together, Darcie thought it best to just get it over with, rather then let the tension build up and get to the stage where she couldn’t think straight.

  ‘About today’s meeting. I get the feeling Mike’s totally on-board but I’m not too sure about John.’

  ‘He’s like my uncle, too set in his ways. It seems to be a common theme once people get past a certain age. They’re scared of change. It’s like they forget it was because of their fearlessness that they became successful in the first place.’

  Flustered, Darcie busied herself with the clasp on her bracelet that had become undone.

  ‘Here, let me help you.’ Madison’s gentle touch lit a fire. Not a small smouldering one. A huge, blazing, out of control inferno.

  Darcie tried to still her hand without physically grabbing it with her other hand.

  Can she see the slight tremble?

  If Madison did she made no comment.

  ‘There you go,’ Madison said. She kept her finger pressed against the bracelet. ‘It’s lovely.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Darcie withdrew her hand, and reached for her wine.

  ‘Madam, your table is ready.’ A waiter appeared from behind and gestured for them to follow him. Thinking they were going to the restaurant, Darcie was surprised when they walked past it.

  ‘I thought we were eating?’ Darcie whispered to Madison.

  ‘We are,’ Madison said with a brief, bright smile. ‘Outside.’

  As they stepped into the warm breeze and walked towards the beach, Darcie took a sharp intake of breath. Six tables covered with crisp, white tablecloths stood, scattered at a discreet distance from each other along the sea front. The slightly orange tinged sky, caused by the sun setting in the background only made the scene even more breathtaking and in Darcie’s eyes, more romantic.

  ‘This is a first,’ Darcie said taking a seat. ‘I can truly say I’ve never been wined and dined in style like this before.’

  ‘The evening isn’t over yet,’ Madison said, loosening the top buttons of her shirt. Darcie couldn’t help but steal a glance and be thrilled by the huskiness in Madison’s voice. A sound, like the words that promised much without promising anything.

  The waiter took their order and retreated back to the hotel. Now alone, they sat in a comfortable silence, both looking out to sea.

  ‘Would you ever have imagined we’d be in a place like this?’ Madison’s voice was as gentle as the breeze which dragged cooler air in from the sea.

  ‘No,’ Darcie said. And definitely not with Madison. As far as Darcie had been concerned, Madison was a memory in her life, one that would have faded with time. She never dreamt that one day they would meet again and… And what?

  ‘Yet here we are,’ Madison said breaking into her train of thought.

  ‘Here we are,’ Darcie repeated quietly.

  ‘Happy?’

  ‘Very. You?’

  Feeling Madison’s hand on her own, Darcie turned to face her. Heart galloping against her chest, she entwined her fingers with Madison’s. She was so caught up in the romance of the night that all common sense disappeared. At that moment in time she didn’t care that Madison’s head had been turned by Bette. All that mattered was now.

  Us. Being together again.

  They stared at one another in silence, their eyes saying what words never could.

  ‘I want to kiss you,’ Darcie heard herself saying.

  ‘I want you to.’

  ‘Do you think—’

  ‘It will be a mistake?’ Madison asked, raising her eyebrows.

  ‘I don’t know. But I don’t care. Do you?’

  ‘No.’

  Darcie was already pushing her seat back and getting ready to stand when the waiter appeared with their starter. She gave Madison a wry smile and pulled her chair back to the table.

  ‘You do
n’t have to eat it,’ Madison said.

  ‘But—’

  Madison was on her feet, hand outstretched towards Darcie. ‘We can get room service later.’

  Darcie grinned as she took her hand, apologised to the waiter, and let herself be led to her hotel room.

  ‘You think we’re going to have time to eat?’ she asked.

  ‘All I can think about at the moment is you.’

  ‘Likewise.’

  Darcie’s pulse quickened at the thought of them being alone.

  No distractions.

  For the sake of propriety, they had kept their hands off each other in the lift back up to the rooms but, once Madison shut the door, Darcie knew that there was now no going back, and that this was actually going to happen. She was glad, giddy in the thought that after so long, so many years wishing for this moment or one like it, Madison was there before her in all her glory.

  Madison’s eyes bored into Darcie’s as she stepped forward and pressed Darcie against the door. The tension between the two of them had grown. It almost crackled between them like rampant static electricity on a stormy night.

  ‘I’ve missed you so much,’ Madison said.

  Darcie remained silent as she reached up and combed her fingers through Madison’s hair, remembering its delicate softness, then she stroked the outline of her jaw, and finally brought her finger to a stop on Madison’s lips.

  ‘Don’t say anything,’ she whispered.

  Madison leant forward, slowly and gently placing her mouth against Darcie’s. Darcie closed her eyes as she parted her lips, and Madison’s tongue slipped inside.

  There was no mad rush, no frenzied movements of the hands, no popping of buttons or tearing of cloth, just a gentle exploration of each other, both wanting to savour every second of this moment.

  Madison’s hand slid around the nape of Darcie’s neck, pulling her closer as their kiss deepened and the ten years they had been apart dropped away, sinking into the past, as the sun slowly dipped over the horizon.

  ‘You want a drink?’ Madison said, her voice husky, her eyes fixed on Darcie’s.

  Darcie shook her head. She could feel the rising heat of desire inside her despite the cool air-conditioned room, and didn’t want anything to numb the delicious warmth. She briefly remembered Katie and that strange and unsatisfying night with her. She had felt nothing like she was feeling then. That night was like a bad memory compared to the mounting anticipation of having Madison in her arms.

  They both moved toward each other, like two dancers taking the first tentative steps in a slow, synchronous waltz of love.

  As their fingertips touched, a tingling heat rushed through Darcie’s arms and into her chest, meeting with the fire that was already burning in her belly. She wanted Madison so much, so fiercely that the feeling, for a fleeting moment, scared her. She never thought that anyone could make her feel this way. It was raw, almost painful, but at the same time it made her feel alive, turned her senses to full power, every sense focussed on just one thing. Madison.

  Darcie could feel the warmth of Madison’s body through their thin clothing as they moved together, she could see those gorgeous eyes sparkle with reflections, the tiny lines forming at the corners as Madison smiled. Her heady citrus perfume, mixed with just the merest hint of something earthier, muskier, stoked up Darcie’s own inner heat with its sweet aroma.

  Madison freed one hand, lifting it to brush a stray lock from Darcie’s eyes, pushing it to one side as she ran her fingers through Darcie’s hair, then flowing her fingertips behind her ear, running them gently over the soft delicate, sensitive skin, sending a gentle shiver skittering along Darcie’s spine.

  Darcie brought her own hand up to Madison’s cheek, resting it there for a second, determined to drink every moment in and imprint it on her brain, then lifting her thumb and sweeping it slowly across her soft, pink, sumptuous lips, barely touching, but still eliciting a gentle groan from Madison. Darcie moved her hand down to cup Madison’s chin, angling her delicate features up and slowly brushing Madison’s lips with her own. Madison responded, her sweet, warm breath expelling in a rush as she pressed her lips harder against Darcie’s, parting her own and gently flicking and probing with her tongue as Darcie opened her mouth enough to allow their tongues to come together then explore each other as they merged in a passionate, breathless crash like windblown waves exploding up a cliff face.

  With an increasing urgency, the two women began to explore each other. Darcie, holding one hand against Madison’s back, keeping their bodies tightly pressed together, wanting nothing to ever pry them apart, spread her kisses across Madison’s face, planting gentle touches and playful nips down the length of Madison’s long graceful neck. Madison squirmed as Darcie reached the spot where her neck and shoulder joined, where nerve endings that are rarely touched, suddenly sprung to life in a jangling rush of sensation. Darcie moved her hand around to the front, desperate now to remove the cloth that stopped her from continuing her kisses further down Madison’s body. Instead she felt resistance and looked back up to be met by smouldering hooded eyes and a smile that promised that this was only a momentary pause.

  It seemed to Darcie, that no sooner had Madison stepped back, she had managed to disentangle herself and take off her clothes, with seemingly little effort and without tripping up, falling over, or having to hop on one leg for extended periods.

  Feeling slightly self-conscious, and hoping she didn’t look like an actor in some long-forgotten Whitehall farce, Darcie took off her own clothes, glad that, apart from one obstinate trouser leg needing a brief hop, she managed to disrobe without making a complete fool of herself, fighting her clean freak urge to fold her clothes, instead leaving them in a pile at her side.

  When Darcie looked back up, she couldn’t help but gaze at the picture of beauty in front of her, she let her eyes explore Madison’s body, taking as much pleasure in the tiny flaws as in other areas, resulting in a vision that had filled her fantasies for a decade yet was now real, and in front of her, smiling at her.

  Madison’s hair, flowing loose over her shoulders. The gentle rise and fall of her breasts, peaked with delicate, pale pink, and what looked like almost painfully erect nipples.

  Her slightly rounded belly, with its skin raised with goose bumps.

  Her long and shapely legs, curving around her hips and down to her small arched feet, then back up to the dark secret, hidden between her legs. She was imperfect but in Darcie’s eyes, that made her perfect.

  She hid nothing, proud of her body, and Darcie did the same.

  They came together, soft skin against soft skin. Madison’s smooth breasts against her own sensitive nipples made them tingle and rise. Their bodies turned in harmony until they fell across the bed in a rush of heavy breath, arms locked around each other in an embrace that felt like it would squeeze the air from her lungs until it loosened.

  Madison’s fingers began to explore Darcie’s body. The delicious scratch of sharp nails lightly played their way down Darcie’s back, then a hand spreading to palm one of her bum cheeks before making its way back up her spine, pinging every vertebra, leaving her breathless at the zing of electricity it sparked in her.

  Darcie rolled over on top of Madison, their kiss as deep as she could make it before she slid away, drawing her lips softly over Madison’s neck then sweeping across her collarbone, eliciting a delightful shudder that reverberated through her own body. Darcie moved down, pausing to draw the point of her tongue around Madison’s pink nipple then nipping it gently between her teeth. Madison groaned and Darcie pulled away, her face now hovering above Madison’s. She gazed intensely into Madison’s eyes, the years of longing clearly evident.

  ‘I’ve missed you too…’ Darcie whispered.

  Madison pulled Darcie’s head close and kissed her deeply.

  As their tongues continued to entwine, Darcie ran her nails down along Madison’s side before caressing her breast, gently kneading while flicking and twist
ing her nipple.

  Madison’s breathing became heavier, rasping in her throat as Darcie switched her attention to Madison’s other soft mound while she teased gentle kisses, and sweeps of her tongue across her belly. The smell of freshly scented lemon zest filled Darcie’s head with a heady, sexy aroma that was familiar, yet distinct and made her own moistness flood with desire.

  As she breathed Madison in, Darcie knew that no matter how well her fantasies about Madison had kept her going over the years, not one of them matched reality.

  She moved further down Madison’s belly, her mouth skipping a light fandango across the smooth skin that was a whiter shade of pale, touching, then not, teasing her as she moved lower.

  With Madison’s breathing now an uneven mix of gasps and moans, Darcie maintained the tease, knowing that the eventual pleasure, at least for her, was all the more intense when preceded by a lazy, ever rising, pressure that built before release. She hoped it was the same for Madison. Speeding up her kisses, Darcie moved down the soft skin of Madison’s thighs, across her knees then switched, working her way back up the other leg, her hands pushing Madison’s legs wider as finally, after kissing Madison’s inner thigh, her tongue found her core.

  Caressing the soft, engorged centre, Darcie flicked around then lifted a finger to her softly yielding opening, sliding it slowly inside, forcing a jolt, and a deepening groan from Madison. Slipping in a second finger, she increased the pressure on Madison’s clit, the tip of her tongue slowly rotating and flicking, moving in time to her fingers. She stroked and licked Madison’s most sensitive zones until Madison clamped a hand on the back of Darcie’s head, pressing her further in, moving faster and faster.

  Madison’s breaths were becoming faster, in time with Darcie until with a loud moan, clamping one hand across her mouth and fisting Darcie’s hair with the other, she bucked and arched, groaning one long note of pleasure that slowly; so slowly subsided to quiet, satisfied breaths.