Before We Met: What Happens When You Fall For The Same Man Twice But Don't Even Know It

by Madeleine Cardell

  ‘About that, darling’ said Patricia. ‘Your dad and I have decided to go away for a while. On a cruise. A Mediterranean cruise. ’

  Vera nodded her head in acknowledgment.

  ‘We’ll be leaving in ten days,’ said Stanley. ‘The problem is …’ He focused his wary gaze back on to Vera. ‘We’ll be away for Christmas, but the ship stops in Tenerife during the festive period and we thought that you could maybe fly in to be with us.’

  Vera breathed a sigh of relief. She thought that her dad was going to deliver some bad news. But this was no bad news at all; this was brilliant. She wanted them to enjoy themselves and be happy, but could see how guilty they felt for leaving her behind during the Christmas period.

  ‘Mum, Dad.’ She approached them. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’m so happy for you - go and enjoy yourselves. I’ll probably have Christmas with Shane or sleep through it.’ (Or spend it with Anthony, she thought, but didn’t voice it out loud.) ‘And I really wouldn’t want to fly to Tenerife. How long is the flight anyway?’

  ‘Just over four hours,’ Stanley confirmed.

  Vera screwed her face up just thinking about the plane she saw overhead the other day; she knew she didn’t want to fly, but she had no idea why.

  ‘But you don’t mind us going?’ asked Patricia, when Vera didn’t respond.

  ‘Not at all! Please just go and enjoy yourselves. You deserve it, and you’ll have an amazing time.’

  Later on in the afternoon the temptation of seeing Anthony had proved too much for Vera, and she decided to return to London instead of spending the night at the family home. But due to network delays, she returned home much later than she expected, and had to send him a message to say that although she was at home, it was best to see each other tomorrow, as it was so late. But forty-five minutes later, when Vera was brushing her teeth, she heard something hitting her bedroom window. As she approached the window, she saw Anthony standing in the middle of the street.

  ‘I just couldn’t stay away!’ he shouted at her, smiling.

  ‘Sshh!’ She put her index finger to her mouth. ‘It’s almost midnight! You’ll wake the neighbors.’

  ‘Well that will depend on how soon you’ll let me in,’ he teased her.

  ‘Are you drunk?’ she whispered from the window.

  ‘Drunk? No! More like intoxicated by your beauty.’

  ‘Stop shouting!’ she urged him quietly.

  ‘Let me in and I’ll stop.’ He was not going to go away. And truth was, she didn’t want him to, not really. But she knew what would happen if she let him in. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, but she was scared. The only sexual encounter Vera remembered was losing her virginity at sixteen, a messy event that was far from pleasurable and definitely not pain-free. Vera had virtually no other recollection of sex, none whatsoever. If he came up, she wondered, would she tell him the truth or try to hide her lack of experience? Neither seemed like a good option.

  ‘Come to the door,’ she whispered, and went downstairs to press the entry button.

  Anthony sprung up the stairs, and within seconds found himself outside her door. Vera looked at herself in a mirror; she wore simple black underwear and her pink silk robe. She still had her make-up on, and her long hair was up in a messy bun. She let her hair down, shook her head and spread her hair around her shoulders, front and back evenly. Then with a racing heart, she opened the door. Anthony stood in the frame of the door for a moment and then walked in slowly. He gazed upon her face, her body and her soft skin. Without another thought he leaned forward to kiss her. Vera pulled away gently and took a step back.

  He closed the door behind him, moved towards her again in silence, and took her face into his hands, kissing her greedily. Instantly, Vera felt herself melting away and experienced a pulsating sensation between her legs. She wanted him more that she could ever believe wanting anyone was possible. As she felt his slim, toned body through his sweatshirt and slipped her hands underneath to touch his bare chest, his hands wondered down to her breasts, cupping them through the robe, and then moving down to her ribcage and waist. He pulled the string of her robe and it fell to the floor.

  He looked at her standing in front of him in her underwear, and whispered, ‘I want you naked.’

  He then placed his hand on her shoulder, peeled off the straps of her bra and undid the clasp, to reveal her breasts. He kissed them all over. Vera stood against the wall in the corridor moaning quietly as he flicked his tongue over her already rock-hard nipples. Suddenly he stopped, picked her up, and carried her upstairs to the bedroom. When he put her down on the bed, he undid his jeans and they dropped to the floor. The moon and the stars were the only source of light in the dark bedroom, but even in the grey darkness she could see his manhood pressing against the material of his boxer shorts. He approached the bed again, removing his sweatshirt, and hovered on top of her. He then slowly eased himself onto her. She felt his weight, his scent and his stubble on her skin, but when his hand wandered down to touch her between the legs, she instantly stopped him.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ he asked, breathing heavily. He fixed his eyes on hers.

  ‘Anthony, I want to, but I don’t know if I remember anything …’

  ‘Sshh…’ He silenced her placing his lips on top of hers. ‘You don’t have to say anything, I understand. Do you want me to stop?’

  She looked at him and melted under his look; she didn’t want him to stop.

  ‘No,’ she answered after a moment of silence. ‘But I don’t want you to be disappointed,’ she added with tears in her eyes.

  He held her tightly, pressing his chest to her bare breasts.

  ‘Baby, there’s no way I’m going to be disappointed. No way.’ He stroked her cheek.

  ‘What makes you so sure?’ she asked.

  ‘I just know.’ He touched her face ever so softly, and leant in for another kiss. Then he looked into her worried eyes and said, ‘Vera, I want you to know something … I love you.’

  Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. Not knowing how to reciprocate, she kissed the tip of his nose and then his forehead, holding his head.

  ‘It doesn’t really matter to me what we’ll do or how,’ he continued. ‘I just want to be with you.’

  As emotions ran wild, their tongues danced in each other’s mouths again. Taking his lips away, he asked, ‘Do you want to be with me?’

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered, looking into his eyes. ‘I do.’

  ‘So just relax,’ he said, as his kisses led down her neck, between her breasts, over her tummy and down to her pants. He slowly lifted the soft black fabric and kissed her skin as it was revealed, and after a few moments, he gently removed her pants completely and buried his head between her legs. She let out a soft moan, followed by another, as one of his hands went up to her breasts and rubbed them softly to build the sensations she was experiencing. He knew that this was a special moment for her. More moans erupted from her mouth as she finally stopped him, lifted his head back to her eye level, and pleaded with him, ‘Take me now.’

  CHAPTER 27

  When Vera awoke, the morning sun was shining surprisingly brightly through the high window in her bedroom. She glanced at her phone on the side table; it was just after eight - and then remembered the events of last night! She turned around to look at Anthony, but he wasn’t by her side. She saw the bathroom door was slightly open and gathered that he must be having a shower or brushing his teeth.

  Still stunned by what had happened last night, Vera lay back and reminisced, step by step, how everything had unfolded. Her thoughts were interrupted when her lover suddenly appeared in the door of the bathroom, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Seeing his tanned, toned body was another reminder of the passion they’d shared last night. She sat up in bed and realizing she was naked, covered her bare breasts with a pillow. He winked at her and seeing she was nervous, approached the bed and sat next to her, giving her a smile.

  ‘Morning, beaut
iful,’ he said, kissing her on a cheek. ‘Last night was amazing.’ He stroked her face.

  Vera scanned his body and noticed his hard member peeking through the towel. She jumped out of the bed holding the bed sheet and said, ‘I need coffee. I’m going downstairs to make some.’ And ran down to the kitchen, wanting some time to take it all in.

  After he’d managed to calm himself down, Anthony put on his boxer shorts and made his way downstairs. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw her standing by the coffee machine with the bed sheet still wrapped around her.

  ‘Hey,’ he said, grabbing her waist and kissing her. ‘Is everything all right?’

  ‘I guess so.’ She turned around shyly. ‘If you think it was all right?’ She looked at him, trying to guess his thoughts.

  ‘Baby, what did I say upstairs? It was amazing. You were amazing. The whole thing was amazing.’ He looked deeply into her eyes. ‘And I meant what I said last night - I love you, Vera.’

  Unnerved, she put her arms around him and kissed him, as the bed sheet dropped from her body. As she stood pressing her body to his, completely naked, his hands wandered all over her, touching every inch of her skin.

  ‘Let’s go back upstairs,’ he whispered, squeezing her bottom softly.

  ‘Let’s,’ she moaned in his ear.

  When they found themselves in the bedroom, he walked up behind her and held her waist. She responded by arching her back over the bed and pressing her bottom to his groin. As he leant forward to cup her breasts and softly pinch her nipples, he spoke into her ear. ‘Is there anything you want me to do?’

  ‘Just pleasure me,’ she answered him, filled with lust.

  Just after 9.00am, Vera and Anthony walked out of her apartment and headed for the station. It was a bright, but cold, morning and they hugged each other tightly as they walked down the street. Every so often, they’d stop in the middle of the street and kiss, whisper things into each other’s ears, and laugh. Together they seemed the picture of blissful happiness. As Anthony was heading straight to work in Greenwich, Vera had decided to go and see Shane for a late breakfast in Green Park. They took the same train, and although many seats on the train were free, Vera sat on Anthony’s lap and they acted like two loved-up kids, kissing and whispering sweet nothings to each other’s ears, and then laughing and kissing some more - much to the disapproval of the other passengers.

  ‘I won’t be able to finish before ten tonight, baby, but I’d still like to come over to yours later on,’ Anthony said.

  ‘I’d like that,’ she replied, placing a wet kiss on his lips.

  ‘Remember this job is only going to last another few days, after that, I’m all yours,’ he added.

  Vera looked ecstatically at his besotted face, and wondered what she’d done to deserve this incredible man. She pushed his blonde locks away from his forehead, and aware of other people around them, spoke gently into his ear.

  ‘I know. And I don’t mind waiting for you. I want to see you tonight. Maybe even before. By the way,’ she asked. ‘What are you doing for lunch?’

  ‘Nothing much, probably eating a sandwich in the studio.’

  ‘Maybe you’d like to meet my friend Shane and join us for lunch?’ she asked.

  But immediately after she said it, Anthony looked away, avoiding her eyes, and mumbled, ‘I’m so sorry. I don’t have enough time to travel to central London. I can’t afford to use up that much time.’

  ‘That wasn’t what I was suggesting, actually. We could come to you and have lunch in a café somewhere around the studio!’ Vera sounded excited, but Anthony’s face was far from happy. He raised his eyebrows, trying hard to come up with a half-decent excuse.

  ‘I don’t know. Things always happen at short notice or no notice at all. I can’t commit to anything this lunchtime. Enjoy a meal with your friend and don’t worry about me.’

  Vera felt a tad disappointed, but told herself that she had no right to expect him to see her whenever she wanted, so instead, she just agreed with him.

  ‘Okay,’ she said ‘this is me,’ when the stop for Green Park was announced. She was about to get off his lap, when suddenly Anthony held her close and said, ‘I haven’t upset you, have I? I know that I can come across very insensitive at times.’

  Vera smiled and touched his perfect face.

  ‘No.’ She brushed his cheek lovingly with her hand. ‘And I don’t think you’re insensitive at all! Quite the opposite.’

  She put her arms around him and held him tight again; he reciprocated with a huge hug and a kiss.

  The train was about to stop but before she got up, he whispered into her ear, ‘Are we still on for tonight at yours?’

  ‘Yes, we are!’ she confirmed, with a big smile, as the train stopped and the doors opened. Vera walked towards it and got off. And when the doors closed again, she waved him goodbye from the platform, and he blew her a kiss back, as the train disappeared into the tunnel.

  After lunch, Vera relaxed with a glass of wine in one of the many brasseries of Mayfair. The day was cold, but at least it wasn’t raining, in fact the sun was still shining and surprisingly strong for a November afternoon – perhaps it was shining just for her she thought. She’d just had amazing sex with her handsome new boyfriend, she had money, a best-selling book in the shops, and a great friend in Shane. Despite the accident and the lack of past memories, her world seemed almost perfect.

  Shane, who was now dating Milan, had a day off work and as his new leading man had stayed at his apartment the night before, he’d invited him to join Vera and himself for brunch. At first Vera was a little disappointed to see Milan. She’d been longing to give Shane the juicy details of the latest developments between her and Anthony, but with Milan present, she held her horses and decided to tell him everything when they were next alone. As the three of them shared brunch and talked, she realized that Shane’s boyfriend was actually a very nice person and was starting to like him already. When the time hit midday and the third bottle of wine was emptied, Shane, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand, turned around to Vera and said, ‘We’d best be off. We’ve got places to visit, namely shops. Christmas shopping spree. Would you like to come along?’ he asked, getting up.

  Hearing him talking about Christmas, she remembered that she wanted to ask him what he was planning to do, but again decided that it was best done when they were next alone.

  ‘No, thanks, I think I’ll stay here, finish my wine and then head home. Anthony is coming to mine later on and I want to go home and make myself gorgeous. He surprised me last night and I had no time to prepare!’ she laughed.

  ‘Last night?’ Shane smiled in a wicked way. ‘So there was a last night?’

  Vera giggled, swinging her glass, then she looked up and pulled him down by the shirt and whispered to his ear, ‘I’ve got so much to tell you. But it will have to wait until next time.’

  ‘And me too!’ Shane responded enthusiastically. ‘I’m off in three days’ time. Let’s see each other then. We’ll have lunch or dinner or something.’ He straightened up and Milan helped him on with his jacket.

  ‘It was nice to see you,’ said Milan. ‘I hope I’ll see you again soon.’

  ‘Me too’ replied Vera.

  ‘Vera, honey, are you sure you don’t mind staying behind, alone?’ Shane obviously felt guilty leaving early.

  ‘Of course not. Don’t worry about me. I’ll drink this and I’m off home.’

  ‘Okay, babe, catch you later. Ciao!’

  As they left the brasserie, Vera took the last sip of her wine, and when she put the empty glass on the table, she realized she felt a little tipsy. She wished Anthony was with her now, enjoying this lovely afternoon, and the food and the drinks. But the poor thing had to work, and it seemed almost unfair that she was in control of her time now and could do whatever she wanted with it, when he was stuck at work and couldn’t leave even for an hour to have lunch with her. But suddenly a thought entered her mind – he’d said he
couldn’t go out for lunch because something always happened at short notice, but she and lunch could go to him!

  In an instant Vera picked up the menu and found a gourmet sandwich with pastrami and salad, and asked for it to be made to go. Ten minutes later, after the waiter arrived with a neatly-packaged and delicious-smelling parcel, she left the restaurant and once again headed for the tube, but with the intention of going to Greenwich. As she walked down to the station and boarded the train, she imagined how happy he’d be to see her. But when she got off at North Greenwich Station, she realized that she didn’t even have the address of the workshop. So when she saw a black cab, she hailed it and asked the driver if he knew where the Peters & Kraft workshop was. After checking it on his phone, the driver told her to get in.

  The workshop was a ten-minute drive from the station. Just before they got to the address, Vera asked the driver to point out exactly where it was, and then asked him to stop - she wanted to surprise Anthony, and arriving in a cab on his doorstep was hardly a surprise, he’d know it was her before she’d even got out of the cab as he’d no doubt see her through the window. She couldn’t wait to see his face again. After all, after last night and this morning, he must be thinking about her non-stop, so he’d be thrilled to say the least. As she approached the gate, though, she found it was locked. There was a buzzer, so she pressed it and planned to say that she was Anthony’s friend if someone else came out to open it, and that she wouldn’t give her real name so as not to spoil the surprise. After a few seconds, a scruffy man with dark brown hair and beard came to the gate.

  ‘Are you a courier?’ he asked, and before a surprised Vera managed to reply, he added, ‘You’re going to have to come back later, we’re not ready yet,’ and prepared to walk away.

  ‘I’m not a courier!’ she shouted, as he stopped and turned around. ‘I’m a friend of Anthony. Is he about?’ she asked, smiling. Her head was buzzing and she realized that she was more tipsy than she thought. The man with the dark hair approached the gate again.