My Son

by Kelly, Marie

  As she couldn’t move back to her own flat which was still being rented for at least another month, Claire had insisted that she stay in hers, and so it was that she found herself painting in her friends large sun filled living room.

  For the first week she hadn’t even bothered working, just sitting staring blankly at the television not taking in any of the programs being shown. All she could see were the faces of Max, smiling lovingly at her and Marc with his fringe falling over his eyes while flashing her one of those heart stopping smiles.

  However, slowly she had returned to her work hoping that this return to some form of normality would help. She had only completed the designs for Philips job 2 days previously sending them off to his office, hoping that he would like them. However, she had not given him her address, requesting that he contact her publisher if he needed to speak to her. Deep down she knew that Philip would feel the need to talk to her and she couldn’t handle seeing him or ruining his happiness with Theresa. She had also included a card which she had created herself congratulating them on their engagement. With a small frown she had suddenly remembered that she had not even told her publisher where she was, with a mental note to herself to rectify that as soon as possible.

  Claire would be home tomorrow she had thought to herself suddenly glad to have someone to talk to again. She had frowned slightly, once more thinking about the future, not wanting to live with Claire for another month. Her friend had her own life, and although she knew that she would insist on her staying, Kelly also knew she wanted to be alone. She had considered her possibilities, renting herself for a month or moving into a hotel, but with a sigh she had once more pushed the decision to the back of her mind.

  When the door bell rang, she had considered ignoring it, having little interest in company. However, Claire was an avid online shopper and with a sigh she had moved to see what her friend had purchased this time.

  Listlessly she had opened the door expecting to see the delivery man. However, her heart had fallen to her feet, her legs nearly buckling at the sight of Marc standing on her doorstep. Looking as handsome as ever and wearing a woollen jumper over jeans encased within a heavy leather jacket to keep out the biting cold, he had glared down at her

  “Wh..what are you doing here?” she had asked in total shock

  “What the hell do you think I’m doing here” he had snapped back angrily, pushing past her into the flat

  Kelly could feel her heart beating so fast within her chest, the tears once more threatening to rise to her eyes as she wanted to run away only stopped from doing so by her feet refusing to move, rooted to the spot. Marc however had grabbed her arm beneath the elbow, and slamming shut the door, frog marched her into the living room before spinning her around so that he could look into her shell shocked face.

  His was black with anger, his dark eyes flashing down on her with such intensity that she could feel her hands starting to tremble.

  Max, she suddenly thought in panic “Is Max ok?” she had cried with real fear in her voice

  “Max is fine” he had stated abruptly

  “Not that you would care” he added cuttingly

  “Then why are you here?” she once again had demanded in a small voice

  “To take you home” his voice harsh “Now get your stuff”

  Kelly stood frozen to the spot in confusion.

  “What?” was the only word she could utter, her whole body stunned

  “I said get your things.” He had repeated angrily, his eyes looking around the small flat for her room. However by now the shock was wearing off Kelly, and standing back she had exclaimed more forcibly than she meant to

  “No”

  Marc De Santo was not a man who took no for an answer well.

  “You can do it yourself Kelly” he bit out, a dangerously dark tone in his voice “Or I will carry you out”

  “Go away Marc” she had shouted as he had glared down on her, the hair falling over his eye causing Kelly to swallow hard.

  “Was it that easy Kelly” he spat at her “To walk out on Max.. do you have any idea how upset he is?”

  Kelly had held back a sob, her eyes full of the hurt filling her

  “Don’t you dare throw Max at me....You made it very clear that I was only there till he was settled…. then goodbye Kelly”

  With that she had turned her back on him so that he wouldn’t see the tears that had welled up in her eyes threatening to spill over.

  There was silence for several seconds before in a softer more anguished voice he had added

  “Was it that easy to walk out on me?”

  At that the sob had broken from her lips as Marc had turned her round and suddenly she was in his arms, crying against his chest, feeling herself shaking her head as she softly moaned “no…no”

  Holding her within his arms the anger seemed to have drained from him as she clung to his hard body, before he was kissing her hair her eyes and the tears from her cheeks, finally he was kissing her lips, igniting a need in her that had been suppressed for two long weeks. He was moaning against her mouth as his hands pulled her tightly against him, as she felt his rising excitement against her sighing softly. She wanted him so much she allowed herself to be washed away on the desire that was holding them both, why shouldn’t she let herself be happy, why was she fighting him when her whole heart and body yearned to be exactly where she was right now. Then she remembered why she was here, why she wasn’t still at the villa with him and with a tortured moan she had pulled her lips away from his.

  “No..no Marc” she had cried before looking into his face, gasping shocked at what she saw. He looked as though he had been ill, his complexion pale with black lines under his eyes. Those beautiful eyes which as full of desire as they were held something else, something pained and haunted. She had never seen him look so vulnerable and at that moment all her resolve had melted away as she had thrown her arms around his neck and kissed him with a hunger he shared.

  So fierce was their need for each other that Kelly was hardly even aware of her fingers tugging and pulling at his jacket even when it landed unheard on the floor beside them, nor of jumpers and shirts both his and hers being pulled over heads so that their naked flesh could finally touch. They had kissed and held each other tightly as if afraid to let go, until he had finally scooped her up in his arms demanding to know where the bedroom was, as Kelly had pointed him to a room close by, soon finding herself being gently placed between soft cotton sheets

  She had watched impatiently as he removed the rest of his clothing before gently removing hers, and she marvelled at the hard contours of his long lean body full of such sweet memories. He in turn had looked down on her with such a look in his eye as to cause her to moan and whisper his name, as he once more joined her, soon kissing her neck and then moving his tongue down to her breasts which longed for his touch. Taking each in turn he licked and nibbled them until she was out of her mind with such burning desire. Her hands reached for the hardness of him which dug against her thigh caressing him so as to make him groan with pleasure also.

  Their need for each other was raw and desperate, and as she had opened her thighs for him he had moved over her. Once more kissing her lips with one arm resting by her head the other moving down to lift her hips he smoothly entered her with one long thrusting movement which saw Kelly instantly peak. She cried out her whole body alive with such pleasurable sensations, causing her to arch her back and to claw at his. He could feel the pulsating throbbing of her against him making him quickly join her, his cries mixing with hers, feeling the lightness in his head, as everything else floated away. There was only her and him and sensations which seemed to go on forever.

  As they both became still and quiet they could only lie looking into each other’s eyes, their breathing ragged. He was the first to move propping himself on his elbow so that he could look down into her beautifully serene face. Lazily with his other hand his finger had moved pieces of hair away from her damp forehead
and then softly down the contours of her cheek, causing her to smile sweetly up at him

  “Why did you go?”

  He asked, his face questioning but with no trace of anger just a sadness which tugged at her heart

  “I’ve been hunting for you all this time. I thought I would never find you. Kelly I was going crazy looking for you” he had groaned

  Kelly’s heart began to thump wildly as she looked back into his eyes which seemed to have come alive again. The blackness lit with an inner glow.

  “Why did you look for me” she whispered

  Marc gave a frustrated sigh “Don’t you know” he asked

  As she had shaken her head slowly

  “No, Max..” she began before he interrupted

  “It had nothing to do with Max” he said as a look of pain crossed his face

  “I thought I had lost you” he paused for a moment “God Kelly I was going out of my mind. You left a note saying it wouldn’t work without even waiting to talk with me. You didn’t tell anybody where you had gone and it was as if you had fallen of the face of the earth” pausing for a moment he continued

  “When I went to work that morning I was so happy and then it felt like the whole world had been pulled from under my feet.

  Pausing for a second he had sighed wearily

  “Why did you say that? How do you know it wouldn’t work?”

  Kelly had looked seriously into his eyes the need to tell him the truth suddenly so important. She had tried to save herself from the heartache which was inevitable when he bored with her, but with a bitter laugh she thought how she had left to save herself from such heartbreak, only to have spent the last two weeks feeling like she was being torn apart piece by piece.

  “I won’t be your mistress Marc. I’m not like Trudy, I can’t live from day to day waiting for you to move on to the next woman”

  Marc’s face was incredulous

  “Is that what you thought” he said

  “You thought I wanted you to be my mistress”

  Kelly had flushed hotly

  “You said I should consider myself off the market” her eyes holding his accusingly “And then you started making plans to buy me diamonds – Trudy’s diary said that you did that for all your mistresses”

  Marc had given a short laugh

  “What fools we’ve both been” he said with a little ironic laugh in his voice

  “We’ve wasted so much time”

  Looking down into her soft blue eyes his had suddenly become very serious

  “I love you Kelly. I think I loved you from the first moment I ever saw you, it just took me a while to realise it. When I saw you with Philip, I thought I would kill him, and believe me I’ve never felt that way about any woman. I don’t want you to be my mistress.. I want you to be my wife”

  He had stopped as she laughed softly back at him her eyes suddenly sparkling and bright as tears filled them once again

  “I love you Marc” she said gently

  He looked at her in wonder

  “Say that again” he said while his face suddenly lit up with a glow of complete happiness

  “I love you Marc De Santo” she said loudly, laughing even though tears were falling down her cheek

  “I love you, love you, love you”

  He had kissed her then, a long lingering kiss that made her head dizzy with the passion of it

  When their lips had parted he had smiled down at her, and with a teasing voice he had chuckled

  “Does that mean I won’t have to carry you to the car?”

  “Yes” she laughed “Ok, Ok I’ll pack” and then in a softer, shyer tone added

  “And yes I’ll be your wife”

  He had looked down on her with such a look of adoration that she raised her fingers to his mouth and with a yearning look in her eyes whispered huskily

  “Do we have to go right now?” her blazing eyes making her meaning very clear

  Marc had smiled back before pulling her once more into his arms

  “I think the packing will wait” he replied before kissing her and once again igniting the flame between them.

  They never left Claire’s flat that day, spending most of the time in bed making love, cuddling and talking. Food was delivered and they ate some of it before once again returning to bed. Both were happier than they could ever imagine and when sleep finally took them it saw them both wrapped in each others arms.

  In the morning Marc had pulled on his jeans and jumper disappearing into the kitchen

  “I am a man on a mission” he had proclaimed dramatically

  “By my reckoning I still owe you a breakfast”

  Kelly had laughed back before laying against the pillow, her arms above her head her tongue trailing along her soft lips

  “I believe you are right” she said impishly

  Causing him to groan and half give up dressing ready to rejoin her in bed. However, the feel of his complaining stomach had spurred him onwards into the kitchen.

  As he was finishing preparing the morning meal the door to the flat had opened.

  “Kelly” a woman’s voice shouted

  “You up… you want to see the car somebody left outside…”

  Claire had stopped in mid stride as Marc had stepped out of the kitchen. From the bedroom Kelly came fleeing out wearing what would have appeared to be his shirt.

  “Claire…. I totally forgot” Kelly cried breathlessly

  Claire could only stand staring at the two, taking in the radiant happiness shining from Kelly, making her smile

  “erm, would I be right in thinking you are Marc” she had asked. The dazzling smile back confirming her thinking. Claire had to agree that she had never seen a man as handsome as Marc De Santo, neither she thought, had she seen one who was so much in love. He had moved over to place an arm around Kelly’s shoulders, an action which made her friend smile even wider.

  “We’re getting married” Kelly cried, adding “And you’re the bridesmaid”.

  It wasn’t until the plane journey back that Kelly finally asked the question which had been on her lips the moment she had first opened the door to him the previous day

  “Marc, how did you find me?”

  He had pulled her once more into his arms resting her head on his shoulder.

  “Phil” he told her softly, before telling her the whole story

  After talking to his detective he had returned home to the villa to see if there were any clues that might help them to track her down, even calling the people who were renting her flat to hear if they had been contacted by her. After pulling her room apart they had found an envelope with a name on it and a letter to Claire.

  Kelly had remembered that she had been writing it that night, totally forgetting it in her bid to get away.

  “But I hadn’t put the address on” she had gasped in surprise

  “No but there was a name” he continued. It was something for the detectives to go on, who had traced her to Scotland, but no further.

  “Do you have any idea how many Claire Smiths there are in Scotland “he asked with a groan. So they were directed that they were to check out every single one until they found her, which was exactly what they had been doing for 2 long weeks, during which time he had waited impatiently, each day growing more and more desperate for word.

  “Then 2 days ago Phil arrived with a letter from you.” He kissed her head

  “That was a lovely card” he said “Just knowing you were OK, God what a relief”.

  Continuing he had told her that the envelope had an area stamp which had dramatically cut down on the search.

  The detectives had arrived at Claire’s flat the day prior to his appearance at her door, and seen Kelly standing looking out of the window. When informed, he had told them to stay put, not wanting to take the chance that she might take fright and disappear somewhere else, and he had flown straight over on his jet from the villa.

  “I would have stayed in Britain for the whol
e search” he had said, “but Max needed me.”

  Kelly had groaned sadly

  “How did he take it?”

  Marc looked down gently at her choosing not to answer

  “He will be fine when he sees you home” was the only answer he gave before pulling her against him for a kiss, before carrying on

  “I was going to be so cool” he sighed “beg you to come back, be eloquent. But when I saw you there looking so beautiful I … I…just wanted to make you see it would work”

  Kelly had laughed “you were very eloquent” making him laugh also

  “I love you so much. I knew that I had done something to drive you away, and I was so scared that you wouldn’t want to come back with me”

  Kelly could hear the pain in his voice. Gently, she looked into those tortured eyes.

  “I loved you so much too Marc, but I thought you just wanted a fling….. I couldn’t have handled that” she said, sincerity shining from her eyes. “I thought if I got away I might be able to limit the damage…but…” her voice had gently broken. “I felt completely empty inside without you and Max”

  Marc gently sat her upright as he reached into his pocket to retrieve a small black box. Suddenly serious he held her hand looking deeply into her eyes

  “Kelly, this ring belonged to my mother” he said opening it for her to look inside. She looked down at the ring which lay nestled inside the velvet interior, a large ruby surrounded by diamonds which had made her gasp in wonder

  Gently he lifted it from the box and placed it on the index finger of her left hand

  “You are the only woman in the world that I could ever bear to see wearing it”

  As a small tear of happiness slide down her face Kelly threw her arms around his neck and was held just as tightly in return.

  As Marc had driven up to the villa, Kelly had felt the sensations of happiness filling her soul. She felt real excitement and a sense of joy to be returning to the villa she had grown so much to love, drinking in the look of the familiar landscape, sighing contentedly as he had smiled back at her

  “Glad to be home” he asked

  Kelly smiled back knowing for the first time that this was really going to be her home. She was no longer a guest, unsure of how long she was welcome to stay. As though sensing her thoughts, he reached out for her hand looking at her with those black eyes