A Hero's Welcome Ch. 04

At the same time, Charlie gave me almost the same look as he hugged Lorna, and with that, the atmosphere loosened up considerably. From now on, there would be no more dwelling on what had happened, and we could all go on and go forward.

"Right you two, kick-off, or whatever you call it, is at 10.00, off you go, get a proper lunch, the food concession stands at Banbury are lethal, don't eat there, see you back here as late as you can without getting sozzled, Lu and I have some girl things to discuss, and we don't need you two hulking men to know about it, so shove-off, there's my darling boys, Ta-Ta!"

With that, Lorna shoved them out the front door, closed it, and leaned against it, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Coffee, Lu, lots of coffee, dark deeds to discuss, need caffeine!" and with that, she marched off into the kitchen, me trailing behind her, to put the coffee-maker on and plonk down into one of the dining chairs.

Lorna chatted about inconsequential's while we waited for the coffee, and eventually, large mugs in hand, we retired to the lounge, where she proceeded to unfold the whole distressing scheme she'd cooked up to get Charlie off the hook and this influential civil servant off her back and out of her life forever.

"So Lu, as I told you before, I'd decoyed this bloke, this so-called family friend to a nice, quiet, secluded little hotel, leaving him to believe he was in for a night of uninhibited rumpy—pumpy. What he got was a drink with a little something in it, just enough to make him sleepy and want to lie down, snooze for a few hours. While he was out, Gerry and his little coterie of computer geniuses, hackers, crims and other sorts you don't want to know about, got together and did some serious character assassination, stitched-him right up! And here's the best part – they didn't do anything, not a damn' thing that's traceable, left no trails, no mucky little fingerprints, no hacker signatures, nothing!"

I was agog, couldn't wait to hear how Lorna had pulled this off, knowing she'd tell me in her own way and at her own pace, so I quelled my curiosity and let her get on with her tale. She continued.

"The first thing they did was lift his wallet and break all his bank cards, took them about 30 seconds or so, then they cloned all his access cards for the various Ministry of Defence sites and computer and accounting hubs, plus the big one – The Treasury. This...person has the authority to sign off on multi-million pound defence contractor and vendor budgets, and apparently his random PIN gateway key (whatever that is) was laughably simple for the boys to break, and that gave them access to all his emails, project and budget files, accounting logins, everything that makes a civil servant so very, very dull.

"Now they had all this, they effectively created a complete virtual copy of his life on-line, a mirror-image of all his budgets, sign-off's and expenditure forecasts, everything, but in a virtual format. At no time did they touch or manipulate any real government information, but they did make snapshots of everything he'd ever touched, signed-off, authorised or cancelled. Then they went wandering in the banking world, looking for a good fall-guy, and they found one, a small bank in a middle-eastern country we don't like, with laughable computer security, and did a complete number on our little civil servant.

What they did, basically, was to fiddle around with all the invoices he'd ever signed-off on, all the budgets he'd ever approved or rejected, and moved nice round sums from one to the other in a paper chase, ending up in a numbered account in this patsy bank in you-know-where. They then took printouts and phony deposit certificates from the bank's own servers, printed them out, and put them on a pen-drive for me, as well as copies all over the internet, in locked encrypted accounts, with a decryption key several thousand characters long; Gerry tells me it will take several trillion years to randomly break that key, plus I have a little programme on the drive he gave me that will seek out and destroy these phony bank records any time I need to, without anyone suspecting they ever existed. All I have to do is go to an internet cafe, log onto the internet, and click the drive into place, everything happens automatically after that."

"The printouts and invoices seem to show that our chum has been siphoning cash from military budgets for years, and has stashed something over £30,000,000 in a bank in an unfriendly middle-eastern country, anybody astute enough to track those invoices on-line will activate our virtual mirror-image of his budgets, and there it will all be, in glorious Technicolor. As soon as a real computer tech tries to download it, though, it will activate something Gerry called a file- shredder, and it all vanishes like morning mist, leaving absolutely no trace, because it never really existed; the assumption, however, will be that our chum has just covered his tracks after having perpetrated the computer crime of the decade, he's bunked-off millions of pounds that our soldiers desperately need, and stashed it in an unfriendly country, and his lifespan will be measured in minutes when the Defence Minister, his boss, gets his hand on our chum's scrawny little neck! A nice touch was creating virtual audit-trails of access through doors into the computer sites of the various departments he worked with; any attempt by him to kick back and Gerry's friends impose those over the real records, then let him explain to the police how, if he never committed computer fraud, there's records of him actually going into the computer data centres at the times these frauds were supposed to have happened!"

"Obviously, no money has actually gone missing, but it will take years to prove it, impossible in some cases, especially with vendors who've gone out of business or were never based in the UK, and we took care to select as many of those as possible, just to make the lives of any investigating forensic accountants that much more difficult. In the mean-time, chummy is sitting in Belmarsh Prison awaiting trial. This was the scenario I painted for him last night, when he came around and we played our own version of 'You've Been Framed'"

"I showed him the benefits of, for instance, re-deploying a certain Lieutenant Charles Manville, 2nd Battalion, Blues & Royals to say, England, into a permanent training post or similar, as against the horrible repercussions of these records I have here, voila, finding their way into the in-tray of say, The Secretary of State for Defence, the Metropolitan Police Fraud Squad, Military Intelligence, Military Police, and every possible tabloid newspaper. I required him to get his finger out and start getting things moving, or Splash! one career in the toilet, and one little man doing 40 years for treason! As a rider to that, I also ensured that all details of my life and family remain completely undisclosed, and he stays away from me forever and ever, amen. Any breach of that agreement means these records go on public display in every scurrilous news-rag in the country. As an added bonus, we found an account his wife knew nothing about, so we transferred most of the funds to his wife, poor thing, she almost deserves it just for being married to him!"

"As for the Middle-Eastern bank, when they opened for business, they would have found evidence of a series of massive overseas deposits. By the time they'd dragged the manager in from washing the camel or whatever it is they do when the sun comes up, a worm planted by Gerry's little playmates will have destroyed all trace of the phony deposits, they sit there scratching their bristly blue chins, and no evidence exists to inconveniently surface ten days or ten years from now. You can thank me now, darling, we dunnit!"

I was almost choking with laughter; only Lorna, with her sheer barefaced cheek, could have been audacious enough to think this up and then put it into play! I tended to forget that, underneath all the dizziness and capricious moods was a brilliant, devious and not-overly scrupulous mind, and she'd displayed all those traits spectacularly.

"Lorna, I don't know how to thank you, you've made it possible for Charlie and I to have a future, thank you, darling, thank you!"

Lor brushed it off. "Don't mention it Lu, that little creep had it coming, and it was such immense fun, I think I might have a talent for this whole 'Honey-Trap' game! Maybe I should give the Secret Service a call! Mind you, most of the plan was Gerry's; behind that pretty face lurks the mind of a true Moriarty!"

I laughed, and told her to get her boots and socks, we were going to find a brunch with our name on it!

We drove into Bicester to a little French restaurant and splashed out on a lobster salad and a couple of glasses of house white to celebrate, to talk over the last few days, and clear up any lingering doubts. It transpired that she and Gerry had had pretty much the same conversation as Charlie and I, and we agreed that there would be no more of that between us; we didn't need it, we were already closer than most families could ever be, and we agreed that now we were going to be trying for families, it would be foolish and foolhardy to muddy the waters.

We left any further discussion of the subject for another day, and with our partners present. Lorna and I understood each other perfectly; I didn't want Gerry, but I loved him like a brother, because he was Lorna's brother, the one person in the world I love as much as Charlie; and Lorna still loved Charlie, but had no interest in him, she only had eyes for Gerry. Charlie was right; Lorna may have been a man-eater, but she would never stoop as low as man-stealing.

We got quite convivial over our extended brunch, re-hashing school days, screaming with laughter at some of Lorna's antics and escapades, making tentative plans for when Charlie came home for good, and planning how and where to have our babies. Lorna seemed to have assumed that motherhood was for her, her yes-no attitude of earlier in the week finally resolved, her eyes going soft and faraway whenever she contemplated Gerry, and I felt pleased that scatterbrain Lorna was finally looking to settle down and be an adult at last. I wanted her to be near me, especially when I was pregnant; we both had no other female relatives, just work colleagues and a few occasional calls or cards from some of the girls we were at school with, so we would have to be our own support network.

What with one thing and another, it was nearly 2pm before we finally wound our way home, Lorna driving as I'd had one glass too many, getting back just before the boys; they'd had a disappointing day at the cricket, rain had stopped play, so they found a pub and ogled local girls for a while before heading home.

We sat around chatting for a while, but I could see Gerry and Lorna exchanging sideways glances and smouldering looks when they thought they were unobserved, so I made an excuse about being tired, and Lor picked up on what I was telling her, using it as an excuse to hustle Gerry out of there, they had a reasonably long drive to Thame, and it looked like rain on the way, so they made their farewells and left, trying not to be too hasty!

"OK, that was weird!" grinned Charlie, "feel like telling me what just happened there, or do I have to start moving my stuff into the spare room?"

I thumped his chest and grinned at him. "You try that, Boy, and I'll just move my stuff in there with you, got it?"

"OK, OK, just tell me what I just saw, because it looked like there was an awful lot of 'non-verbal communication' going on there; you and Lorna up to something again?"

Oops.

I hurriedly deflected that train of thought before it hit the buffers. "Gerry & Lorna had pretty much the same talk we did, and came to the same conclusions, so all is good there. Lorna's decided she wants to be a mum, I suspect she's in a rush to put Gerry through his paces!"

Charlie smiled that big beautiful smile of his. ""They're coming to dinner Saturday; better get some steak in, Gerry's going to need the protein!"

I laughed in genuine relief, I was so happy the boys had become such good friends, no awkwardness or distance between them.

"And now," he grinned, "after I make you dinner, I think I'd like to get some practice in, if you don't mind, sort of put me through my paces too!"

How can a girl resist an offer like that?

After dinner, we spent the evening cuddling, Charlie quiet and thoughtful, not even absent-mindedly groping me, as was his wont, so I asked him. "Penny for your thoughts, soldier-boy?"

"Eh?" said Charlie, obviously miles away, "Sorry Lu-Lu, I was just thinking about how best to work it so I can be with you. I think I'm going to have to resign my commission, apply for a job in the real world, perhaps there's scope for someone with my background and qualifications. I was thinking of talking with my old Defence Studies mentor at Sandhurst, get some advice and direction. I've done over 2 years of operations now, so I'm entitled to resign my commission or request an honourable discharge."

He looked so crestfallen, but I was thrilled that he was prepared to give up his beloved army, in spite of all the fear and dread, the terror for his life he'd had to contend with, and proud that he wanted to do this for me, because he knew I wanted him to be safe with me. However, I had to delay him making any kind of irrevocable decision, at least for a few days, until Lorna's little scheme kicked in and we knew what was in store for him, so I hedged.

"Sweetheart, I know that's not what you want, and I know I've been difficult about you and the army, and service in that terrible place, but please, don't walk away until we've talked about this properly. You've only been home a week, let's leave it for now, get your head around living with me for a while – who knows, you might discover that, all the great sex apart, I'm such a miserable cow you'll be happy to go back and continue doing your bit for Queen and Country! All that training and commitment from you, it would be for nothing if you just walked away. Please, don't make any snap decisions, for my sake and yours!"

He looked sideways at me. "Are you telling me, after all the tears and guilty confessions, you now think I should stay in, that I should go back at the end of my leave? Because I don't want to; I just want to be with you now, so, Big Sister, you'd better wind your neck back in and ask yourself what it is you really want. I want to have a proper home, and a real life, and a chance of a family, with you. I'm not sure what you're playing at here, but OK, because you asked, I'll give it another week, provided you agree to let up about it while I make sure of my decision, whatever it is. Agreed?"

"Agreed, baby boy, I'm glad you're not rushing anything, I want you be absolutely sure before you jump." I concurred. Now Lorna's victim had to come through, so a few anxious days were probably ahead before I could relax.

We slept that night without making love, Charlie too preoccupied to make a grab for me, me wracked with guilt over letting him think I was putting him on the spot over his beloved army career, so I lay there sleepless most of the night, not even his deep breathing and warmth lulling me to sleep. When I did eventually fall asleep, the sky was already turning grey, and I fell asleep because I was exhausted, not relaxed.

When Charlie woke, he'd slipped out of bed and made coffee, leaving me to sleep, only waking with the sound of him putting a cup for me on the nightstand, seeing his lovely smile and gorgeous eyes.

"Hello Blondie, do I get a good morning kiss?" he grinned; for answer I pulled him to me, his hands sliding around my waist and pulling me in tight to him. It was a long, slow and very satisfying kiss, and I could feel him hardening against me, making me feel happy and horny.

Charlie pulled away from our clinch to look down at me, wink, and lick the end of my nose, telling me nothing had changed between us, and that our almost-argument last night had been forgotten, at least for now. I snuggled down into him, glad to be holding him, as his hands roamed over me, stroking rubbing, squeezing and gently pinching, making me sigh, making me giggle, making me hot. I kissed him as hard as I could, holding him to me as his fingers slid into me, making me gasp as he stroked and caressed particularly sensitive spots, my pussy feeling moist and hot as my labia began to engorge.

Now he dipped his head and began licking and sucking my nipples, flicking them into hard points, the sensation exquisite, making little bursts of pleasure run through my body, my pussy beginning to twitch as my labia swelled and opened. Charlie slid his hand down to my pussy, rubbing his fingers up and down my slit, sliding one and then two fingers inside me and gently pumping them, his thumb caressing and gently flicking my clit, making me groan softly as little hot waves of pleasure thrilled through me. I reciprocated, taking hold of his penis, pumping it gently, squeezing rhythmically as I pumped, making him groan in turn, his cock firming up even harder, and beginning to twitch. I could feel his pulse as his cock thrummed, and his lips found mine, kissing me gently but passionately. I let go of him as he moved over me, positioning himself between my thighs, kissing me with little pecks, licking my lips, smiling at me, his beautiful eyes dancing with anticipation. When I nodded that I was ready, he slowly thrust into me, one long smooth entry that nearly made me faint with the sensation of him suddenly filling me, my pussy stretching and enveloping him, the pleasure blasting through me in a tsunami of sensation, and as he began to slowly pump himself in and out, I nearly fainted with the all the things he was doing to me, my body enveloped in waves of pleasure emanating from our joined sexes.

I rose up, pumping against him, pushing up as he bore down, meeting him stroke for stroke, feeling every contour of this thing hammering into me, filling me up, giving me such intense pleasure. At last, my body took over from my rational self, and the waves of orgasm rippled and billowed through me, making me sigh and hiss with pleasure, the sensations in my pussy thrilling through me, each wave more pleasurable than the last. I screamed in release, or thought I did, my whole world consisting of the pleasure my big, hot little brother was giving me as he humped and hammered into me. My cunt clamped tightly around his shaft, and he roared like a bull as his cock lurched and twisted inside me, sperm shooting into me, spurt after spurt of his hot semen filling my most intimate parts with his potent seed, his eyes tight shut as the powerful muscles of his neck and shoulders writhed and stood out in high relief, reminding me again what a magnificent specimen of young manhood I had in him.

Charlie stopped pumping me, his climax peaked and now diminishing, and he slowly withdrew, again tails of orgasm flickering in me, making me gasp and clench, his sperm slowly trickling out of me, not the gushes of recent days, mute evidence of how I'd been wringing him dry! I'd have to give him a few days off, I realised, if I wanted him to return to full capacity!

He dropped next to me on the bed, gathering me into him, caught in the afterglow, both of us murmuring and sighing as we fitted into each other, tired, but in that good way that only comes from incredible sex, no post-coital tristesse here! My hands slid and smoothed over him, feeling the contours and warmth of his body, his hands gently rubbing and caressing me all over, keeping me in close contact with him, a powerful feeling of love and being loved surrounding me.

We lay like that for maybe an hour, waking gradually to the day, content to just remain locked together, arms holding each other, occasional kissing and caressing, mainly just enjoying the proximity of each other, the warmth and comfort we felt as we lay like this.