by Sue MacKay
They were so caught up with each other, her mind focusing on nothing but the way he was making her feel, that when he touched the waistband of her three-quarter-length jeans she froze for a split second, a new thrumming starting to pulse through her mind. This was really happening! She was going to lose her virginity here—tonight...right now!
Arthur paused. ‘What’s wrong?’ He stared at her and she tried as hard as she could to let him see that she wanted this, that she wanted to be with him, to forget about everything else in the world except for the two of them and the way they made each other feel. ‘We don’t have to do this.’
But she wanted to. Why couldn’t he realise that? It was just that it was so...so...grown-up and scary, in a good way. She tried to reassure him but even then she stammered over her words. If only she hadn’t overheard what was being said in her parents’ lounge room...‘danger’, ‘leave’, ‘tonight’... If only she and Arthur had more time, to let their relationship develop into an even deeper sensation of passion and love, but the fear that things were going to change drastically was something she couldn’t shake.
‘Honey, you don’t need to do anything. I’m not going to force you.’
‘Oh, I know you would never do that. Never.’ Her words were clear and to the point. He brushed her hair back from her face and bent to kiss her mouth once more.
‘Then why? Why come here and say what you did when you clearly have reservations?’
‘Because I don’t want to die a virgin!’ she blurted out.
‘Die? Who said anything about you dying? I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you and, besides, where you and I are concerned, we have plenty of time. Things will take their natural course when we’re both ready.’ Arthur’s lips quirked a little at the corners and instead of getting cross at him for finding what she’d said amusing, she relaxed, his humour showing her she was probably overreacting.
‘I know.’ She extracted herself from his arms and shifted so she could lie on his bed, her head on his pillow. She absent-mindedly wound her hair around her finger, something she often did when she was confused or agitated. ‘It’s just that...my parents have been acting strange lately.’ At Arthur’s raised eyebrow, she amended, ‘Stranger than usual.’
‘Stranger than spending more time at their research lab than with their daughter?’
‘Hey, I don’t mind. It means I get to hang out here and your parents treat me like another daughter, and Clara and I can have fun together, and you and I...’ she winked at him ‘...get to have fun together, too.’
‘Don’t tease,’ he growled as he came to lie down next to her, slipping his arm under her head. The intense moment had passed and now, as they lay there, the atmosphere was one of friendship and support between a boyfriend and girlfriend. ‘It’s the way they don’t seem to take much of an interest in you, as though you’re always the afterthought, that I don’t like. Apart from that, I think your parents are both incredibly intelligent people who will one day find a cure for cancer.’
‘Perhaps they already have,’ May murmured. Was that the reason her parents had been so closed off lately? Installing extra security around the house? Huddling together whilst having wildly gesticulating conversations? Had they found a cure for cancer and someone didn’t want them to share it?
‘Really?’
‘I don’t want to talk about them,’ she told him. ‘Tell me about your exam. Are you supposed to be studying now?’
‘Yes. I was timing myself with the answers.’ He pulled his watch from his pocket and May immediately put it onto her wrist.
‘What subject?’
‘Biology.’
‘Ah. That’s my speciality. I’ll help you study. Where are your papers?’
‘I think you’re lying on them.’
‘Oh.’ She shifted around and pulled them out from beneath her, making sure they didn’t rip. ‘All right. Question number one,’ she said in her best gameshow-host voice and the two of them laughed.
‘Shh. We don’t want my parents coming in.’ He kissed her nose and she snuggled closer to him, breathing him in.
‘You smell good.’
‘I don’t think that information is included in my revision notes.’
‘I’ll soon fix that.’ May pulled a small pink pen from the pocket of her three-quarter-length pants, having left it in there from school that day, and wrote, ‘Arthur smells delicious’ in pink ink at the top of the page. ‘All fixed,’ she said, and handed him the pen so she could hold the papers more easily. ‘OK, future Dr Lewis. Time to study.’
‘I’d rather spend more time kissing you,’ he returned.
‘And that will be your reward because I’m not having you fail this exam because of me.’ She scanned his notes. ‘OK. Answer this.’ She chose a question and waited for him to answer. Whenever he got it right, she kissed him. Several times she asked him questions that weren’t contained within his notes, making him think even harder on the subject.
‘How do you know all this stuff?’ Arthur chuckled as he kissed her once more.
‘Are you kidding me? With one parent researching the human genome and the other an expert in synthetic compounds, is it little wonder this stuff runs through my veins?’
‘You should study medicine.’
‘And become a doctor like you’re going to be?’
‘I’ll be a couple of years ahead of you at medical school so we could study together.’
‘Like you help me study for my school exams?’ May giggled, remembering how their last study session had ended with the two of them making out on the couch. ‘I’d never pass!’
‘Sure you would. You’re smart.’
May eased back and looked him. ‘You think I’m smart?’
He seemed surprised by her question. ‘May, you’re the smartest girl I know. Why else would I be with you?’
‘Because I’m pretty?’
‘Honey, you’re beautiful. My belle.’ He kissed her. ‘And yes, there’s no denying we’re attracted to each other, but one of the main things I love about you is your intelligence.’
‘Love?’ Her eyes widened at the word. ‘You love me?’ May’s voice broke on the last word but she didn’t care. Inside, her heart was soaring as high as the highest bird on a cloudless day.
‘Yes.’ His grey eyes were intense, his words quiet and sincere. ‘Problem?’
‘No. No.’ She shook her head, a wide, silly grin pulling on her lips before he kissed her. She kissed him back, deciding that this was most definitely the best night of her life. Arthur loved her. Arthur loved her and she loved him back. It was as though her life was finally starting to make sense—as if she’d found the one place where she belonged.
‘You know I love everything about you,’ she said a moment later, the two of them a little breathless. ‘Except for the fact that your knee is digging into my leg.’ She tried to shift a little, to get comfortable so she could take his weight on top of her, but as she did so he shifted as well, almost tumbling off the bed. In order to stop himself, he reached out a hand to his bedside table for support but in the process accidentally knocked his clock off.
The clattering noise as it fell onto the polished floorboards made them both freeze. Holding their breaths, they stared at each other, waited to see if his parents had heard the noise. With the sound of a door being opened and footsteps heading towards Arthur’s room, they both scrambled like wildfire, moving fast. May headed towards the window, whilst Arthur righted the clock and picked up the scattered biology papers they’d previously knocked to the floor.
May just made it out the window and over to the branch of the tree, completely out of sight, when his father opened the bedroom door.
‘You all right?’ his dad asked.
‘Yeah, yeah. Just dozed off while trying to cram this i
nformation into my brain,’ Arthur remarked, shaking the biology papers with his hand. ‘The sooner this exam is over, the better.’
His father laughed then said goodnight to his son, closing the door behind him. May waited, almost willing Arthur to come over to the window. He did just that and she edged off the branch to meet him there. He kissed her through the open frame. ‘You’d better go.’
‘I know.’ She kissed him again, putting all her love and heart into the action. ‘I love you, Arthur Lewis.’
‘And I love you, May Fleming. Now go. Get to bed and I’ll see you tomorrow.’
With a giddiness of epic proportions, May shimmed down the tree, climbed the fence and was soon scaling her balcony as though her feet had wings. The instant she stepped inside her bedroom she froze, her giddiness turning to ice as she saw both her parents were standing in her room. The light was on, her mother’s face was ashen and her father’s jaw was clenched more tightly than she’d ever seen before. She was in trouble now!
‘May. Oh, my goodness. There you are.’ Her mother dragged her close and hugged her so tightly May thought she might pass out.
‘We thought they’d got you already.’ Her father wrapped his arms around his two girls. ‘Don’t ever scare us like that again.’
May wasn’t sure what was going on except she was positive this wasn’t the way normal parents disciplined their child for sneaking out of the house. A moment later she realised her mother was crying and her father was shaking.
‘What’s...?’ She stopped, not sure she wanted to ask what was going on because she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer. Instead she said, ‘Why are you crying?’
‘Oh, May.’ Her mother kissed her head. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘We need to get things organised,’ a deep voice said from the doorway, and that was when May realised they weren’t alone. The dread that had caused her to run to Arthur in the first place returned with full force as she eased back from her parents and stared at the dark-suited figure.
‘Pack only what’s necessary for now. The agency will pack the rest once you’re safe.’
‘Safe?’ May swallowed, trying to control her rising panic.
‘You’re all in danger. You need to leave here. Tonight.’
Copyright © 2017 by Anne Clark
ISBN-13: 9781488020568
Pregnant with the Boss’s Baby
Copyright © 2017 by Sue MacKay
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