Straight after the main course, Odile had asked if anyone minded her slipping away for a few hours to sightsee and to do some shopping, saying she would make her own way back to the training yard by six o’clock at the latest. It would be another two hours before the rest of the party would leave. Two more hours of drinking wine.
At first, Hillary had tried to stay reasonably sober, covering her glass with her hand at every other top-up; however, being sensible proved too much of an effort and she eventually lost count of the number of glasses that she had consumed.
Whilst they were all seated at the table she felt fine and still perfectly sober, but as soon as she got to her feet Hillary wobbled disconcertingly. Guido put out a hand to steady her and she gripped it with both hands, holding on for dear life. She smiled up at Guido in gratitude and, without warning, found herself trapped in his steady gaze. She saw something in his eyes that she’d been trying to ignore ever since they first met – pure lust.
Whether she’d been attracted to him originally or not made no difference to her now. As far as she was concerned, it was always an enormous turn-on when a man made it obvious he was interested in her. Disconcertingly, Carlo looked at her in exactly the same way as he helped her climb back into the Range Rover. Telling herself that it was simply because they were brothers, she nevertheless wondered how she could feel equally attracted by two men at exactly the same time. Stepping outside the restaurant into the fresh air was almost her undoing as the effects of the wine suddenly hit her like a lightning bolt and it took all her strength of will to remain seated upright on the return journey to the training yard.
When they pulled into the car park they found Mrs Houghton-Sewell waiting for them, arms crossed, her cheeks more flushed than ever, although in deference to the scorching heat she had at least removed her bobble-hat. ‘Thought you might fancy coming up to the house and talking a bit of business over some afternoon tea,’ she boomed affably.
Hillary almost groaned at the thought of more food but Alicia, Chloe, Gus and Clive accepted immediately.
‘I think I’ll stay out here in the fresh air, if you don’t mind,’ Hillary said in a small voice. Groping behind her until her hands came into contact with a low brick wall, she sat down unsteadily.
Carlo and Guido exchanged glances. Carlo spoke for both. ‘Don’t worry about the young lady, Mrs H. We’ll take care of her.’ They sat down either side of Hillary in a protective manner.
Mrs Houghton-Sewell grunted. ‘Now I am worried about her.’ But there was a distinct trace of laughter in her voice that dispelled Alicia’s initial concern for her sister’s well-being.
As soon as the others were out of earshot, Guido turned to Hillary. ‘Would you like a guided tour?’ Noticing Hillary’s doubtful expression, he quickly added. ‘You’ll soon feel better when you start walking around.’
Despite her slightly confused state, Hillary could see the sense in what he said and rose to her feet uncertainly. ‘Do you mind if I hold on to your arm?’ She directed the request at neither one in particular but both were quick to snake an arm around her waist, holding her firmly from both sides. Carlo winked at Guido over the top of her head.
She was surprised to find that Guido’s prediction about her soon feeling better was quite right, in no time at all she was feeling pleasantly relaxed rather than drunk and perfectly in control of her faculties. Still, she reasoned, there was no reason to let the brothers know that just yet. She pretended to stumble and smiled to herself as both Guido and Carlo tightened their grip on her; now that she no longer felt ill she was starting to feel very sexy.
After about half an hour Guido asked her if she’d seen enough. In all honesty, she had had her fill after the first five minutes but she pouted and replied that she supposed so and was there anywhere nearby where they could sit in the shade? Carlo pointed to a large barn that stood alone some distance from the main stable blocks.
‘We’ll be comfortable in there, as well as out of the sun. It’s where they store all the fresh hay,’ he explained.
Inside the barn it was cool and shadowy. Hillary dropped down onto a pile of hay with a sigh of relief. She fanned herself with her hand then pulled the neckline of her dress away from her body and blew down it. ‘Phew, I didn’t think it was possible for the weather to get this hot in England.’ She glanced down. Her dress had ridden quite high up her bare thighs and Carlo was looking at them again. She shivered with anticipation and felt her stomach clench. Something was definitely going to happen between them and she was now certain that she was going to let it.
Since they began their walk she had been having an argument with herself about the possibility. Telling herself on the one hand that Haldane and Torran were more than enough for any woman and, on the other, that they weren’t around at that precise moment and Guido and Carlo were. She lay back against the straw and stared at the ceiling of the barn, if something was destined to happen between them then so be it.
A quarter of an hour later she was starting to arrive at the conclusion that nothing was meant to happen. A small uproar had broken out next to one of the stable blocks sending the brothers dashing out of the barn to see what the problem was. So far they hadn’t returned. Hillary moved restlessly on the straw, she still felt very hot and couldn’t get comfortable so in desperation she undid a couple of the buttons on the front of her dress, just enough to ease the constriction around her thighs and allow a little more air to her chest. After a few minutes she undid another couple.
By the time Carlo and Guido returned she had fallen asleep, one bare breast almost exposed, her body slightly twisted at the waist, her legs carelessly splayed to reveal the faintest hint of white lace knickers atop firm brown thighs. The two Italian men drew in their breath simultaneously – she was so stunning they wanted to sit and stare at her forever.
Hillary was aware of their return – the barn door was old and creaky, their footsteps heavy and their breathing heavier still. Nevertheless, she didn’t feel inclined to waken properly just yet, she would rather let nature take its course with her the innocent participant. For a long while nothing happened, at least nothing tactile. She fought to maintain the steady pattern of her breathing and resisted the temptation to steal a glance. Neither Carlo nor Guido spoke, not even in whispers, although she had already come to realise that they possessed a gift of communication through their eyes and expressions alone. It didn’t occur to her that they might have fallen asleep themselves.
As it turned out, the men were quietly studying her, their reticence adding to the eroticism of the situation. It was only when the lengthening shadows made by the sun through the cracks in the wooden barn door reminded them the afternoon was fading quickly that they began to feel a sense of urgency.
The first touch is always the sweetest, Hillary thought poetically, wilfully bastardising the words of a song she’d first heard many years before. She didn’t know whose fingers were upon her, although she guessed they both touched her at the same time. A slight brush against the swell of her partially exposed breast coincided with a long sweep of fingertips the length of her left leg. Both were tentative, exploratory, stirring the natural responses of her body.
Her nipples hardened, her clitoris tingled, a rush of wetness suddenly soaked her knickers. She couldn’t pretend to stir very slightly. At her movement the caresses stopped for a moment until, obviously satisfied that she was still asleep, the men resumed their exploration of her body. From time to time she shifted, or moaned a little, just enough to be convincing. But it no longer interrupted them, they were past caring anyway and suspected that she would be too by the time she woke up.
Someone was removing her knickers, carefully easing them down her thighs. She conveniently choreographed her movements to assist their smooth passage. At the same time other fingers were undoing the few remaining buttons on the front of her dress, peeling back the damp, creased cotton to completely expose the naked body that lay beneath. She almost weakened then, a
lmost opened her eyes to catch the moment when they first revealed all of her to their gaze. It was one of her favourite parts of a first encounter but one that she would have to forgo or else break the illusion of sleepy acquiescence.
Soft, silky hair brushed her naked skin, across her breasts and at the top of her thighs, a few stray curls tickling her belly. The men’s touch was all over her now, hands stroking everywhere, twenty fingers probing into crevices, opening her up like a flower, stimulating the most sensitive parts of her body. Knowing their eyes were directed below her face, she dared to open her lids a fraction, glancing down under cover of thick lashes. As she thought, one brother was stroking and kissing her breasts, the other caressing her between her legs but, from her viewpoint, it was impossible to distinguish one from the other.
She knew she couldn’t keep up the pretence much longer, her arousal was deepening, her expressions of ecstasy becoming ever harder to conceal. They spoke now, in low voices, discussing her. Soft fingers spread her labia, one voice asking the other to look. Her breasts lost the sensation of hands upon them as their caresser moved position. Hands were now opening her sex wider, fingers spreading the edges of her vagina while other fingers dipped inside, stroking, twisting, turning.
Helpless under the manipulations of the two men she quickly became a writhing, moaning, carnal being, straining for release. Suddenly there was a hand back at her breast, teasing the nipple just as its hardness had started to subside. Hillary gasped as the fingers pinched her hard, the pain swiftly followed by a fresh burst of pleasure, then they did the same with the other nipple. Arching her back towards the tormenting hands, Hillary felt fingers drawing back the little hood of skin that protected the delicate bud of her clitoris. Then she felt the wetness of a tongue upon it and she was lost completely.
As the sultry afternoon wore on, the enjoyment they wrung from her body was enduring, all-encompassing, the simple act of giving pleasure bringing its own reward. She had not laid one finger on either of their bodies, nor taken them inside her to return the gift of orgasm.
Perhaps if there had been more time, if the sound of footsteps and voices coming closer to the barn had not made them wary, the encounter between the two brothers and Hillary may have been consummated. But the same fingers that had deftly aroused her time after time now just as deftly buttoned her dress and hastily sought her discarded knickers. As it turned out the footsteps and voices passed by the barn and away into the distance but by that time all three realised that the spell had been broken.
Hillary slowly opened her eyes and smiled at each of them. Without saying a word, the two brothers stood up and Guido stretched out a hand and helped her to her feet. Her legs still felt shaky but she knew that this time the wine had very little to do with it. She expected them to say something about what had passed between them but they acted as if they had just entered the barn minutes before and their erotic interlude had never taken place. Joining in their charade, Hillary said nothing and simply strolled with them up to the main house, their journey taking them across the training track to save time and effort.
Just as they approached they met Clive, Alicia, Gus and Chloe who, having just said goodbye to Mrs Houghton-Sewell, were talking about going their separate ways. At that moment a taxi pulled into the yard, dropping off Odile and at least a dozen carrier bags.
Hillary turned to Guido and Carlo feeling, and looking, more than a little regretful. ‘It looks as though we’re leaving already.’ She spoke loudly, half hoping that one of the others would suggest a drink at a local pub. She felt as though she was about to leave behind some unfinished business. The Italians looked at their watches at exactly the same moment.
‘We have to be off anyway – we’re due to meet someone in town in ten minutes.’
Carlo started the sentence and Guido finished it.
Hillary just stopped herself from asking them if they always did everything together. With an inward blush she realised she already knew the answer to that one.
Clive and Alicia, Gus and Chloe stood a little way off, saying goodbye to each other. The men had already explained that they were due back at work the next morning without fail and wouldn’t be able to make it back to Norfolk until sometime on the Saturday. Alicia complained that it would mean that they would miss Darius’s party on the Friday night but Chloe didn’t look too distraught at the news. Either she was planning a replay with Torran or was hoping to entice Darius himself, Hillary thought glumly.
After a last, quick check on Hang Seng they all climbed into their various cars. Clive and Gus spoke briefly with Guido and Carlo before the two brothers sped off to keep their appointment, then blew kisses to their wives. Slowly Alicia backed her Mercedes out of the car park and headed for the main road that would take them back towards the north Norfolk coast. For a while everyone was silent, lost in their own thoughts. Chloe yawned.
‘Oh, God, don’t do that you’ll set me off,’ Odile warned.
Chloe swivelled around in the front passenger seat so that she could look at Odile. ‘I take it you shopped till you dropped.’
‘Something like that.’ The young woman laughed. ‘You wouldn’t believe how many interesting things I found to buy. I even splashed out on a couple of silk shirts for Theo.’
‘Oh! Buying him clothes now? It must be love.’
Hillary marvelled at the way Chloe managed to make the most enjoyable of human conditions sound like a disease but Odile simply smiled and nodded contentedly, closing her eyes sleepily to ward off any further criticism her friend may have had in mind.
Alicia caught Hillary’s eye in the rear-view mirror. ‘What did you get up to while we were having tea with Mrs Houghton-Sewell?’
Hillary was deliberately vague. ‘Oh, not much. I just wandered around the yard talking to Guido and Carlo. I even dozed off at one point,’ she added ruefully, giving a little laugh.
Alicia wasn’t about to be fobbed off. ‘I noticed you were with those two Italians when we came out. Were they making a nuisance of themselves, Hilly?’
‘Oh, no, of course not.’ Hillary was quick to leap to their defence, a little too quick she realised with a sinking feeling.
‘It sounds as if there was more to your afternoon than you’re letting on,’ Chloe remarked incisively.
‘Not really, we just talked – they’re a nice couple of guys.’
To Hillary’s relief Chloe and Alicia seemed satisfied with her response and only Odile gave her a knowing look when no one else was watching. Hillary blushed and stared out of the window but no one spoke until they reached Harwood Hall.
As soon as they arrived back at the Hall Chloe dashed up the stairs and through the swing doors to the main house, ostensibly to ask Fearn if she could do some ironing for her. She came back looking glum.
‘Isn’t Torran there then?’ Alicia said, smirking.
Chloe flashed her a venomous look. ‘I went to see Fearn.’
Alicia nodded. ‘Of course you did. So, was he?’
‘No.’ Chloe flopped into the nearest armchair looking despondent. ‘And to make matters worse, Fearn said a girl had telephoned him and ten minutes later he said he was going to meet someone at the Baker’s Arms.’
‘That’s the pub in the village, isn’t it?’ Odile asked.
Chloe nodded. ‘As far as I know. She stood up decisively. ‘Does anyone fancy going for a drink?’
Alicia looked horrified. ‘You’re not serious, are you, Chlo’?’
‘Of course I am. Why shouldn’t I go to the pub for a drink? Odile’s been there, even Hillary’s been.’
Hillary wanted to ask her what she meant by ‘even Hillary’ but Odile interrupted her.
‘I wouldn’t mind a stroll down to the village and they do quite a nice selection of food at the Baker’s Arms.’
The mention of food obviously swayed Alicia, although she still sounded doubtful. ‘Okay, let’s all go. But I’m warning you, Chloe, if you show us up –’ The unspoken threat hung
in the air between them all the way to the village.
11
At first Torran wasn’t anywhere to be seen but then Hillary spotted him sitting in a corner booth next to a very pretty girl who was slim, with long blonde hair and undeniably young. She knew Chloe wouldn’t be at all happy when she saw her rival and as soon as she heard the tell-tale hiss in her left ear she knew she was right.
‘Look at him sitting there with her,’ Chloe said bitterly.
Hillary tried to sound placatory, after all she had bedded Torran before Chloe and therefore she should have been feeling the most aggrieved. ‘They’re not doing anything wrong, Chloe.’
The older woman snarled. ‘Is anyone getting the drinks in?’
Hillary sighed. Chloe really was taking this situation to extremes and if she wasn’t careful she’d end up making a complete fool of herself and embarrassing them all. In an effort to defuse the situation she took her by the arm and guided her to the other side of the cosy bar where a table had just become vacant. Taking Hillary’s cue, Odile offered to get everyone’s drinks and asked the barmaid for a couple of menus.
‘I’ve lost my appetite.’ Chloe stared at the menu, uninterested, her voice deliberately petulant.
Hillary’s fingers itched to slap her. ‘If you don’t line your stomach with something, then you’ll just end up drunk and you don’t want Torran to see you like that, do you?’
She’d said the right thing, and Chloe perked up at last. When Chloe ordered a rare roast beef salad, Odile and Hillary said they would have the same, whilst Alicia finally decided on prawn quiche. Halfway through their meal Hillary noticed that Torran and the girl were preparing to leave. Chloe had just got up to use the lavatory and Hillary prayed that they would be gone before she got back. God must be asleep, she thought to herself despondently as she watched Chloe run slap bang into the couple halfway across the room.
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Page 18
