From the Past a Present

"I think we should discuss this dinner we promised ourselves." Ann agreed.

"Yes. I think you are right. Not the time or place to talk more in that vein."

"So can you do Sunday/" I asked.

"When you mentioned it last. I checked in my social calendar, and do you know I have a window. Well actually I have a window every night that week, and this week, and the week after, you see I am such a busy bee."

"I can tell, I am so pleased you can spare me the time. How about if I pick you up at seven thirty, and do you like Italian?"

"Men or the food?"

"Well there will be some men there claiming to be Italian, they are called waiters."

"Smartarse! Yes I love Italian food, and seven thirty will be great."

"Done! I shall look forward to it."

"I am as well. Rob will be spinning in his grave, he didn't like me spending time with you. I think he was jealous. Your mother won't be best pleased either."

"Oh, she said she would be happy to join us." There was a profound silence for a moment, then all I heard was giggles.

"This is what is called being hoist by one own petard, isn't it?"

"Could be."

"David, you are getting too good at this. Are you good at anything else?" She asked in a sultry tone.

"That my dear, is something you will have to wait to find out." I replied with a very bad impression of Clark Gable.

"How long?"

"I will ignore the implication, but as long as it takes."

*CHAPTER THREE Frankly humour*

I drove up to Ann's house at seven twenty-eight. I rang the door bell and waited. Ann opened and gave me a great smile. She looked very lovely indeed. High heeled silver strap shoes, a very becoming dress in black, with a high neck; I remembered she always wore high necks: which nonetheless left her shoulders bare, and a white shawl which she had draped behind her and over her arms.

"Ann, you look gorgeous!" Her smile told me she was pleased. I was going forward to give her a kiss on the cheek but she forestalled me.

"Where are the jeans you promised me?"

"Sorry they are in the wash." Ann gave a little moue of disappointment.

"Oh well, can't be helped, but I have to say the second choice of clothes is very good." I was in black dress slacks, with a cream shirt, no tie, and a beige linen jacket. I grinned at her.

"Did you honestly believe that I would wear Jeans to a meal when my mother was coming?" She started to laugh, holding her hand in front of her mouth.

"We've started have we. You could at least wait until we were seated."

It didn't take long to get to the restaurant, about twenty minutes without hurrying. I helped Ann from the car, and she held my arm as we walked in. We were shown to out table, and we sat down, I sat opposite her. The waiter fussed, getting napkins into our laps, opening the menu and putting one in front of each of us, and asking if we wanted any drinks. I looked at Ann.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Are you having one?"

"I thought to get a bottle of wine, and that will take us through the meal." She thought and nodded.

"Good idea, let's do that."

"Red or white?"

"Red please David, it's good for the passions." She raised an eyebrow as she said that. I made no comment just looked at the wine list. I spotted one that was quite unusual.

"The Campanaio please." The waiter seemed quite impressed that I had chosen that. I turned back to Ann.

"What wine did you choose?"

"Campanaio."

"I have never heard of that."

"It's unusual I know, I was quite surprised to see it on the list. It is a blend of two grapes, Pinot Noir, and Merlot. It slips down very well, and the Italians claim it's an aphrodisiac." For a moment Ann's face was blank, then suffused laughter came to her face, then she burst out giggling. Tears came to her eyes, and she searched her clutch bag for a tissue. I sat there smiling innocently at her. When she had recovered her composure she looked at me then started giggling again. Eventually she got herself back together.

"David. You don't have to give me an aphrodisiac to seduce me. Just ask. I will probably say yes, eventually." Then she had to start laughing again at the expression on my face.

That's how the meal went. Badinage flying back and forth over the table, and the food and the wine slipping down easily. We had got to the coffee stage, and Ann was leaning forward as she picked up her cup. I was looking intently at her, and for a moment my eyes must have strayed to her bust.

"I am sorry I have no cleavage for you to look at. I was never well blessed with boobs as you know, just a couple of pancakes really."

"Don't be sorry. You know the saying the sweetest and most precious things come in small packages." She smiled.

"Thank you. You know you are a really sweet and lovable man."

"My wife didn't think so."

"Forget her, she had all the wrong criteria." Suddenly her face became serious.

"I'm sorry I made that comment about us going to bed together. Sometimes my attempts at humour go over the top."

"Did I sound upset?"

"No. But perhaps you are too much of a gentleman to show you're upset."

"Not enough of a gentleman then, because I had had fantasies about you."

"You did?"

"Yes."

There was silence then. I certainly was thinking of how this could go further, and I suspect Ann's mind was on the same thing. I opened my mouth to speak but Ann forestalled me.

"David I don't know what is happening here, but one thing I know is that I have never enjoyed the attentions of a man as much as I have this evening. I would like to get to know you much better not in the biblical sense. Well not immediately." She paused for two seconds and that then smirked. "Anytime within the next five minutes will do." We were laughing again. "Now if that isn't what you are looking for, or you just want a brief fling say so now." I reached across the table and took Ann's hand. Turning it over I bent my head and kissed her palm.

"Wherever it goes, Ann. Let's find a road and see where it leads." Her eyes glistened a little.

"Take me home please David."

The Jag ran so smoothly, the engine just purring like the big cat it was, with the headlights carving twin paths through the dark lanes. Ann sat slightly sideways so she could see me as I drove.

After a few miles of silence she spoke.

"We are not going to bed tonight. There's much to say first." I agreed with her in that. There was a lot to talk about.

"Ann, I am not a Rob. I have never just jumped into bed with any woman. I want to be sure that you are the one for me, because I warn you now, if you are it's for keeps." I could sense her calm smile, but kept my eyes on the road.

"I knew that would be the case. Contrary to opinion I didn't either. It took Rob six months to get me to sleep with him, and that bloke who I had the affair with, pursued me for over a year." Suddenly her irreverent humour came to the surface once more.

"But it wouldn't be that case with us, David. It's taken twenty years. No one would say you were a fast worker."

"True, and no one would say that you are easy." Her laughter was contagious. Eventually she coughed and got her words out.

"You can understand why I made that comment can't you. We would spend so much time cracking jokes and laughing that we would never manage to make love." That picture again, of our lying naked in bed. I could feel the blood flowing to my cock. Ann unbuckled her seat belt and leant over. My silence was enlightening.

"Are you getting an erection, Darling?" She placed her hand in my lap and felt it.

"I'm doing that?" She asked.

"Yes." I croaked.

"You cannot understand how happy that makes me."

"Well I can understand how happy it makes me when you have your hand on my cock." I paused. "Oh God! Another cold shower tonight."

Ann was laughing again. She sat back giggling and chuckling.

"Oh you lovely man, that was exactly the right thing to say, I was getting carried away. We must talk, but I will want a proper kiss goodnight from you."

"Tongues as well?"

"Oh yes, my sweet, lots of tongues."

*CHAPTER FOUR Reminiscence and Revelations*

Ann's home was exactly as I expected. It was comfortable, bright colours with some rather nice framed prints on the wall. She told me to take a seat and went off to make coffee. Then this black cat came in and looked at me suspiciously. Presumable deciding that I was not a threat it tested the water, by jumping up on the chair and walking all over my lap. Not round and round as cats do when they will settle down, but from one side to the other, across my lap, up on the arm, then back. I stoked it's back softly, and the cat immediately curled into my lap and purred. If I stopped stroking for a moment, the tail lashed angrily until I started stroking again. Ann came back with the coffee, and laughed.

"I am so glad that Sam likes you. If he didn't you stood no chance!"

"I am glad I have black trousers on."

"Well you could always take them off." She put her hand to her mouth looking horrified.

"Oh I'm sorry David, there's me with my weird sense of humour again."

"Ann, don't change. I don't have a problem with your humour, I have much the same myself. And I do understand when you are being funny, and when you are being serious...well, most of the time." I added with a grin. Ann put my coffee within easy reach then sat down. Immediately Sam got off my lap and wandered out into the kitchen.

I remarked on the framed prints. "Tintagel, and that one looks like Mullion Cove. Do you like the West Country?"

"Yes. I love it down there, and you must as well, else you wouldn't have recognised the places."

"I get down there quite regularly with the job, but also try to get down two or three times a year, just to unwind and recharge the batteries." Ann understood what I was talking about.

"Unfortunately I don't go as much as I would like. It's not the same without someone to share it with."

"Don't just hint, Ann. Just come out with it." She laughed.

"I don't need to. You got the message." Ann took a sip of her coffee then became serious.

"You said something about what Rob had got up to before we were married." I nodded unwillingly. I didn't want to trash my brother now he was dead, but I had to tell Ann the truth.

"It was at his Stag night. We got to the 'Fox' about seven thirty. There was all his mates from work there, all wanting to pour ale down their necks, and Rob was going to keep them company. I was going to stay sober as I was driving him home afterwards. It was exactly as I hoped it wouldn't be. Loads of beer, and dirty jokes galore. Then just before nine Rob was at the bar and he was chatting to this girl. She was a right scrubber. Next thing I know is he come over and asks me for the car keys. Well it was his car, so I could hardly refuse, then he's gone! All these blokes who I didn't know from Adam, and the person for whom the party was planned had buggered off. The lads didn't seem at all fussed about it, one said something to the effect that Rob would never turn down the chance of some pussy, no matter how ropey the bird looked. Just after ten they all went off to another pub, but I had to stay as I couldn't turn up back at home without Rob. Half past ten was chucking out time so I waited outside in the rain until he turned up about ten after eleven. He told me to drive, and as I did he got his cock out and started cleaning it with his handkerchief, It was all bloody, evidently this girl was at her time of the month. Didn't stop Rob though." Ann sat there with tears in her eyes.

"He did that? To his own brother? Oh, David I am so sorry." I was shaking my head in denial.

"You don't have to apologise. I should have refused to give him the car keys in the first place, for that, Ann I am sorry. Anyway even though you didn't know about it there was hurt there for you as well."

"I knew Rob was cheating on me, that's why I was so unhappy. That was also why when the manager at work started chatting me up I eventually allowed him to seduce me. It wasn't about getting back at Rob, but more to convince myself that I wasn't doing anything wrong to drive Rob away. I chose badly, he was a married man, and his wife found out, and came round to our house and accused me of wrecking her marriage. Rob went ballistic and threw me out. I was so frightened, Mum and Dad wouldn't have me in the house, and I had to go to my sister who was none too happy. Everybody was against me, the only one who wasn't calling me all the names under the sun was you. I never understood why until we talked the other day. Thank you David. I know you couldn't do anything, but the knowledge that someone cared was very important." I shook my head.

"You don't need to thank me, I should have said something to you before you married him."

"Rob gave me Chlamydia you know."

Talk about a bombshell!

"You're joking."

"I wish I was. It wasn't diagnosed for three years, and by that time it was too late. I had become infertile. I also gave it to that man and he gave it to his wife. Rob of course decided that it was me who gave it to him." Ann was crying real tears now, running down her cheeks like rivulets. That was typical Rob, he would always deny responsibility for whatever bad happened in his life. I got up and went over to her and held her. She grabbed me and with her head against my chest shook with the pain of the memory. Gradually her sobs got less, and eventually she raised her face to me. Without thought I just kissed her. Ann returned the kiss frantically, opening her lips asking for my tongue in her mouth. Between kisses she was crying, "David, David." I held her as long as she clung to me. As she became calmer I released the pressure of my arms. She looked up to me. And smiled a weak little smile.

"I must look a mess. Let me go and fix my face." I got up.

"Don't go, David. Please don't go."

"I wasn't going to. I have to drink this lousy coffee your trying to poison me with, for the next cup put some more sugar in!" The sad face suddenly turned sunny again, and she giggled.

"You keep doing that, don't you. That explains why I am inexplicably drawn to you. You helped me when I was really down, even though you didn't realise it, you held me when I was crying, and gave me some lovely kisses by the way. And I shall want more of those before you go. Then you made me laugh. Don't ever stop, please David." I grinned.

"Only if you put more sugar in my coffee."

Ten minutes later, Ann returned with more coffee. She had washed her face but hadn't retouched her make-up. She sat for a moment sipping the coffee then turned to me.

"Will you sit on the settee with me and hold me?" I didn't reply, just got up and moved over to sit next to her, putting my arm round her. She snuggled into me.

"After all these years I finally get to cuddle the man who I always thought should be cuddling me."

"Yes. I should have said something about Rob to you, let you know what he was really like, but I chickened out. Now knowing what he did to you, I feel terrible."

"No David, you mustn't. How could you have done that? I may have believed you, but your mum and dad wouldn't, especially your mum. Rob would have thought you a traitor. If anyone's to blame it should be me."

"How do you work that out?" Ann snuggled closer.

"This is so good, I feel as if I've come home." We both enjoyed the comfort of holding each other close.

"I should have seduced you, you know. You would never have been able to resist me."

"Couldn't I?"

"No David, you wouldn't. Come on now, what seventeen year old male would deny any woman who offered it on a plate. I was well aware of how much you desired me. You would have been easy."

"Are we back to dancing lessons?"

"Yes. Dancing lessons. Then you with your strong sense of honour and decency would have stood with me and together we would have faced the anger. It would have been terrible, but you would have been mine. But I didn't do that. Instead I married your brother and watched you turn from a callow youth, into a really good man, a nice man who would make a woman a very good lover and life partner. And I hated having to watch and not be part of your life. When you announced that you were going to marry Janice, I was so angry. With you, with her, with Rob in fact everybody, until I realised that I was actually angry with myself. It should have been me you were marrying. My cowardice had let us both down."

There was little to say to that. Ann was right. I wouldn't have resisted, and yes the fall out could have split my family forever, but I would have faced the music with her. With hindsight, oh that wonderful science, it wouldn't have mattered splitting the family as my family was dysfunctional as any could be and my mother made as good a job as any in creating the split.

"It's all in the past, Ann. That's gone. We can start writing the real story now." I turned her face up and kissed her, a deep soul-stirring kiss. She was murmuring throughout the kiss even as her tongue was busy trying to drag my non-existence tonsils out. When we parted we were both breathless.

"I love having your tongue in my mouth." She whispered in my ear. "But I shall love having your cock in me even more." If JT down there was not already standing to attention, he would have certainly leapt with those words. Ann knew and dropped her hand to caress the lump in my trousers.

"What's this? This isn't a dancing lesson!" What else could we do but laugh.

We arranged to meet soon, There was more we should talk about, and after many more of those wonderful devouring kisses I left. I had never had any problems sleeping singly in a double bed, but tonight it seemed to have acres of space where Ann's warm body should be.

*CHAPTER FIVE Past, present and future*

*Explanation of a British term. 'end' a colloquial for the male penis, as in 'getting your end away' i.e. having sex*.

I phoned Ann on the Tuesday. I had been down to the south coast, leaving at five thirty in the morning and got home at just after seven in the evening. I didn't feel like cooking for myself so decided on going out for an Indian meal. It was without conscious thought that I picked up the phone to ask Ann if she would join me.

"Hello David. It's lovely to hear from you."

"Oh I dialled the wrong number, I was going to order a take away."

"I am the only one on the menu, so you can take me. Delivered or collect?" Thirty seconds and we were at it again, banter and laughter. Eventually we calmed down and I could ask the question.

"Ann I have just got back and thought about going out for an Indian meal. I hoped that you could join me?"

"Oh David. I have already got my meal on the go. Why don't you come here and eat with me?"

"I can't come just like that." That was a far as I got before peals of laughter interrupted me. I waited having a suspicion of what Ann's next words would be.

"Oh yes you can Darling, and I will be very involved with the operation." I could hear some very dirty sniggers.

"Ann Selby, you have a very dirty mind."

"I know, and you David Cole are just as bad. Just think of all the fun we are going to have. Anyway back to reality. I can put on some more spuds, and there will be plenty for both of us. Please c.... No I can't say that again. Please join me David."

"I'd love to. Give me twenty minutes to wash and change and I'll be right round."

"You can have a shower here if you want, then I can sneak in and get an eyeful of that sexy bum of yours."

"And where do you suppose that would end?"

"I am only concerned where your end would end."

"Ann be careful. One day soon I shall challenge you to put up or shut up."

"No Darling, you have that wrong. You are the one who will put up, I will be your willing receptacle." There's no answer to that, so I simply said.