Towering over Rachel he took her face between her hands and leaned down to kiss her one last time. He put everything he had into that kiss mumbling “Mrs R” over and over into her mouth but he felt Rachel holding back and he released her before his desire for her got too out of control. Running locks of her silky hair through his fingers, he looked at her wistfully and with a deep breath told her gruffly goodbye. As Luc walked out of her bedroom he stopped briefly at the door looking back over his shoulder at her with a devastatingly smouldering last smile. As the door clicked gently closed behind him, a single sob escaped Rachel and she finally let the tears flow. She crawled onto her bed and sunk her face deep into her pillow so no one could hear her cry.
**********
CHAPTER 11
With Luc gone and the twins studying hard before they would also have to return to uni, Rachel’s house felt once again very lonely. This time however, no one had died and she would not allow herself to sink into a depression like before. Luc had shown her the way back to a place where she had the confidence and determination to make a contribution to the world and basically get a life. Sitting at her kitchen table with the phone in her hand, Rachel resolved to make a start immediately and without too much deliberation dialled the number of her best friend Karen.
“Rach?”
“Karen, it’s me. Can you come over ….I need you?”
“She needs me! Oh my god – who are you and what have you done with Rachel? Get the bloody kettle on, I’ll be over in 5.” As the line went dead Rachel laughed out loud and with a lighter heart went to make her friend a cup of tea.
True to her word, not much more than 5 minutes later Karen appeared on the doorstep ringing the bell non-stop until Rachel let her in. Karen was the total opposite to Rachel in appearance. She was about the same height at around 5’ 6 but that’s where any similarity ended. Karen had a short pixie hair cut; this week Rachel noticed it was bleached white, but it had previously been pink, orange and blue. Sometimes all three at the same time. She also had several piercings about her face and body; none distasteful and most in her ears but hardly discreet. Karen’s figure was much fuller than her friend’s – she was all soft curves and huge boobs but in a sexy way rather than chubby. Rachel thought her friend was beautiful and she certainly turned heads wherever she went but looks can be deceiving because beneath the ‘punky’ veneer was a woman with a heart of gold and generous spirit. She was mother to five amazing kids and she adored her family. Karen’s husband Rory, was a good friend of Nate’s and Rachel and Nate often used to joke at what an odd couple they made.
Rory was a consultant cardiologist The Wellington Hospital in St John’s Wood. His very private practice brought in a lucrative income and they lived in a huge house in the same neighbourhood as Rachel and Nate. Rory had attended Harrow Boys Public School and was very posh; Karen grew up in a very Jewish household in North West London; when they had met at Cambridge they had no idea how much objection their respective families would have at their relationship but they were besotted then and nothing could have kept them apart.
Rachel was always blown away by the dedication and intensity of Karen and Rory’s relationship and the crackle of sexual expectation that seemed to hover around them even nearly twenty-five years on. She had loved Nate to bits but it seemed like her friends connected on an entirely deeper level and she remembered feeling a little envious at times. Despite Luc’s wish for her, Rachel had resigned herself to the fact that it wasn’t something she would probably ever experience now that Nate was gone.
Still it was always great to have Karen in her house gossiping around the kitchen table. Rachel was about to take the plunge and share some of what had transpired between her and Luc when Karen beat her to it.
“So tell me honey, who’s Luc and when do I get to meet the boy wonder?”
Heat flooded Rachel’s face and she could feel her cheeks getting redder. She was in trouble because Karen could tell in an instant when she wasn’t being truthful but she’d wanted to ease into the subject and maybe be a little more generic. Karen however, in her usual forward manner just came right out and asked.
“Luc? Oh he’s best friends with the twins. D’you remember him from when they were little - he was that chubby blond brat that was always over here stealing my biscuits.”
Rachel tried to be dismissive but she could see Karen wasn’t buying it and so she rambled on. “He had nowhere to go for Easter so they brought him to stay. They’ve all been studying hard for their exams though – I’ve hardly seem them.”
“Really………” Karen’s eyes narrowed at Rachel as she leaned in closer. “Rachel Renton, you forget how well I know you and when George came home from the pub last week squealing about their friend from uni - some blonde Adonis staying with Jess and Lucy, it made me worry how you were coping with the intrusion. But now judging by the beetroot colour of your cheeks, I’m guessing he was quite good company.”
Rachel was suddenly hesitant. What she’d experienced with Luc was special – she wanted to make sure she didn’t tarnish the memory in any way by cheapening it into gossip. She was aware of Luc’s frequent references to Mrs Robinson and how their own affair could easily be misunderstood as something similar; however, there was never any issue with their respective ages. They were irrelevant as far as they had both been concerned and Rachel felt it was really important that she convey this.
Leaning her elbows on the table and placing her head in her hands, she knew Karen wouldn’t leave until she offered her some information. For all of Karen’s overbearing Jewish mother act Rachel knew her friend was genuinely concerned with her fragile emotional state.
“Karen” she began, “that boy fucked me better!”
Looking up she caught the incredulous look on Karen’s face and then they both fell about laughing hysterically as Rachel told her friend all about the man boy god that saved her life.
“I am so jealous of you right now. That’s a little warped I know considering the dead husband thing – but oh my god; 22 years old!” Karen was literally out of her chair with glee at Rachel’s antics. “How do you top that doll?”
“Well, I can’t really. I don’t suppose that will ever happen to me again, but I have the incredible memories; and toys to get me through!” Rachel laughed at her. “Seriously – play time is over, I have to get myself sorted. I think that means going to Nate’s office and meeting this Joe Mason bloke. He sounds a right mare to be honest. Typical arrogant New Yorker.”
“I’m proud of you Rach. Nate would be happy to know you’re getting back out there, you know he wouldn’t want you to wither away pining for him. We all miss him; just so you know.”
The mood turned momentarily sombre with both women remembering Nate wistfully, but then the twins breezed in breaking through the melancholy with their usual manic entrance. “Auntie Karen!” they cried in unison as they jumped on her with hugs and kisses.
Rachel made them all another cup of tea and they settled back around the kitchen table where Karen quizzed the girls for updates on how they were doing. They chatted easily and the subject inevitably turned to George and Leo, and Rachel asked Karen how she felt about that relationship.
“Honestly, it’s not what I had imagined for one of my children, but George is happy. Leo is a sweet kid and they seem to be having a lot of fun. I think that Rory has a harder time getting to grips with having a gay son; not that he’s homophobic at all – it’s just he has a problem with anything unconventional.”
The three Renton women snapped their heads in Karen’s direction taking in her bleached hair, tattoos and piercings and proceeded to crease double crying with laughter.
“What?” asked Karen confused, which just encouraged them further.
“Karen – oh god you are hilarious!” Rachel gasped between uncontrollable fits. “Have you looked in the mirror lately?”
“Oh you think you’re so funny Rachel Renton!”
“Seriously, Karen – how c
an you say that about Rory when he clearly adores you and you’re about as unconventional as they come.”
Karen contemplated that with a bemused expression on her face which then suddenly lit up like she’d discovered the meaning of life. “’It’s cos I give great head!” she yelled back at them causing the twins to shriek and general chaos to break out.
“Oh no, no, no – my ears are bleeding!” cried Jess clamping both hands to the side of her head.
Lucy looked at Karen in absolute horror. “If there was any way I could unhear that, please let it happen.”
Then all four of them cracked up and the conversation took a turn for the worse as all manner of disgusting comments about blow jobs; parents having sex, and inappropriate behaviour with children present filled the room. Rachel realised how happy and relieved she was feeling to have a friend like Karen to rely on; if nothing else the woman was so much fun to be around.
Several hours and many cups of tea later, Karen got up to leave, but not before making Rachel promise to come out the following Saturday night. Their crowd were getting together at a favourite local restaurant – Rachel could drive there independently so she could leave if she needed to. She would know everyone and Karen reassured her that everyone wanted to see her and catch up. They were all old friends and terribly keen to welcome Rachel back into the fold. Quelling the rising anxiety, Rachel quickly agreed before she could change her mind. Lately, whenever she felt the urge to crawl back to the comfort of isolation, she thought about Luc and it bolstered her confidence.
“Whatever you’re smiling about, and I really don’t want to know; I’m grateful you’re finally moving on with your life – you’re amazing my friend.” Karen enveloped Rachel in a warm, loving embrace; kissed her friend on both cheeks and left with a ‘bye darling’ and a big grin on her face. Rachel sighed; pushed the image of Luc between her thighs out of her mind and went to clear up the tea things.
**********
11pm on a Sunday night and Rachel was in bed early in preparation for her venture in to the City the next morning. The weekend had been busy distracting her from thinking about going to Nate’s office. On Saturday night as promised she had met Karen and Rory and the rest of the crowd for a meal and after an initial few moments of awkwardness, the friends fell back in to familiar banter and gossip that just got louder and more raucous as the night progressed. It was a refreshing interlude in Rachel’s otherwise emotionally fraught existence.
If she wasn’t day dreaming about Luc or reminiscing over Nate, she was fretting about meeting Joe Mason who’d managed to get under her skin already and she hadn’t even met him. All his bloody emails had riled her at a time she had just wanted to be alone in her role as grieving widow. Apparently, he had moved over from New York but hadn’t started at the firm officially yet as he had some practical moving matters he was embroiled in. Rachel had learnt all this from Benjamin Pierce, a senior partner at the firm who she was due to meet up with in the morning. She couldn’t really care less if she had nothing to do with Joe Mason – she already didn’t like him, but it sounded like he needed to consult with her for the project Nate was working on. Oh well, all would be revealed the next day.
Tossing and turning an hour later, Rachel was getting restless. The twins had gone back to Leeds earlier in the day and the house stood silent and achingly empty. After the flurry of activity the past few weeks, the peace and quiet was disconcerting and no longer welcome. Rachel had loved having her children home, even though they’d been out a lot it still felt like the house was alive again. And of course the boy wonder had been an unexpected but hugely beneficial interruption. Rachel’s thoughts turned inevitably to Luc – if he were there she knew she’d have no trouble sleeping especially if he had his warm body wrapped around hers.
Sighing deeply, lying in the dark on her own, Rachel allowed herself the pleasure of conjuring up Luc to star in one of her mind blowing fantasies. Maybe if she got herself off she’d finally get some sleep. Rearranging herself into a comfortable position, she reached over to her bedside drawer to retrieve a little treat she had purchased earlier in the week. Rachel wasn’t mad about using toys but she reckoned there would be times like these when needs must and right now she knew what she needed.
Confused by a vibrating noise as she was sure she hadn’t switched the vibrator on yet, Rachel realised her phone had buzzed alerting her to a message. “I bet it’s another bloody email!” she cried and was tempted not to retrieve it, however, niggled by the notion it could Jess or Lucy, she touched the screen to see what they wanted.
“Shit” she yelped and dropped the phone. There was an instant message from Luc. This was the first time he’d contacted her since he’d left a few days before, and Rachel could not believe his timing. She debated on reading it having decided to cut all unnecessary contact with him, mostly for his benefit, but she was sorely tempted to see what he wanted. Chewing her lip in contemplation, Rachel’s will power crumbled and she touched the screen of her iPhone bringing Luc back into her life.
“Hey – what’s up?” What on earth did he mean? He would have known she was probably in bed. She tapped back a response.
“It’s late. I was sleeping.”
“No u weren’t or u wouldn’t be answering so quickly. What u doing? Thinking of me?” Honestly, that boy was too sure of himself.
“No, Luc”
“Hmmm – r u even in bed?”
“Yes, of course – what do u want?”
“You”
“Noooooo.”
“Yes, Mrs R, but since that isn’t an option just wanted to check u ok for tomorrow?”
Rachel was having a hard time replying to Luc. She had wanted to keep her distance but his uncanny ability to predict her moods filled her with longing for his easy company and unwavering devotion as selfish as she knew that was.
“Rach?” her phone buzzed again interrupting her thoughts. “Can I call u?”
“Ok.”
The iPhone in Rachel’s hand sprang to life within seconds of her reply and her heart gave a joyful leap. It was easy alone in the dark to permit her temptations to get the better of her and so she answered.
“Hi”
“Hi yourself Rachel.” Luc’s husky tone washed over her and made her tingle all the way to her toes. Smiling she told him, “I was thinking of you by the way. I think I conjured you up! How’s your week been?”
“Shit actually. But that’s enough about me. Why can’t you sleep?”
Sighing down the phone Rachel found she was relieved to have him so near yet so far. In a few short seconds just the sound of his voice had reduced her to a lust crazed mess. Luc’s breathy rasp had the ability to make her wet in an instant and now was no different. She didn’t want to lead him on by telling him how much she missed him. The boy needed a proper life and Rachel did not want to be the obstacle he would come to regret. She was sure he would disagree with her, which is why she’d made him leave. Right now, however, she didn’t see any harm opening up to him a little bit.
“I guess I’m worried about tomorrow – it’s a big step for me. I’m not particularly looking forward to being in Nate’s office – I haven’t cleared it out yet.”
“You’ll be fine Rachel. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, and anyway, who says you shouldn’t feel nervous about going there? It doesn’t mean anything bad is going to happen?”
“As long as Joe Mason doesn’t show up.” She grumbled.
“Who? Not that bloke sending all the emails? What’s he got to do with anything?” Luc didn’t sound very happy and Rachel warmed a little at the hint of possessiveness in his voice even knowing it was misplaced.
“He’s the new CEO, now Nate’s gone. It feels weird saying that; I can’t imagine I’m going to like him very much even if he’s the nicest guy in the world.”
“Probably fat and bald. And short.”
“Luc!” Rachel giggled, “that’s not very nice.”
Luc
grinned at the phone – it was good to hear Rachel’s mood had lifted and it certainly had a knock on effect to his own grouchy disposition. Since he’d returned to uni he had closeted himself away; been completely unsociable and downright rude to anyone who spoke to him. The only thing he could do was think about Rachel and how much he still craved her. God, she was like a drug he had to get out of his system. His exams were just around the corner and he needed every ounce of willpower to focus on his studies. Rachel had totally bewitched him and he knew he had to get on with his life not mope around over his best friends’ mum like a lovesick teenager. Subsequently, calling her late at night probably wasn’t the most sensible thing to do in the circumstances.
“What you wearing Mrs R?”
“That’s so clichéd of you to ask Luc?”
Mrs R (Mrs R & Mr V #1) Page 17
