A Festive Affair Ch. 01-04

She was shaking by the time she came out again, but she at least felt clean -- even if not entirely human.

The scent of the fresh coffee hit her nostrils the moment she stepped back into the room, still damp, and with a towel wrapped around her torso.

As she strode eagerly across to the steaming mug, she noticed that Kelly had left her handbag on the bed as well, and was grateful that she always carried a small amount of cosmetics with her, and a comb for her hair.

She picked up the bag, and then sank down wearily on the padded little chair which sat in front of Kelly's chest of drawers and her vanity mirror.

She put her handbag down for the moment, and reached for the mug.

As she sat sipping at the fragrant brew, she studied her reflection in the mirror.

Her blue eyes were puffy from the shower and shampoo, and still a little bloodshot from the night before.

Her face was a sickly pale colour, but otherwise not too bad.

She poked her tongue out at her reflection, and then as she finished her coffee, she sat remembering her encounter with Dean...

Shelly put the empty bowl in the sink, and turned around to return to the others.

However, Dean had followed her, with the other empty bowl, and he was now blocking her way, in Kelly's narrow kitchen.

He stepped closer, and leaned past her to put the other bowl in the sink on top of hers, but he did not move back once he had relinquished it.

Instead, he pressed harder against her as he allowed his hand to trail down the side of her cheek, and then rest lightly on her throat.

"I would very much like to kiss you," he said, with only the slightest of slurs.

Shelly was also a little the worse for her drinks, and she nodded at him eagerly. "Yes, I would like that too," she gurgled. "Very much in fact!"

He did not need any further encouragement as he smiled at her slowly, and leaned in to capture her lips with his.

The pressure was light, and the movement gentle and almost searching, but this was not what Shelly wanted.

She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, and her lips parted invitingly.

Dean hesitated for a moment -- for just a moment, and then his tongue dipped into her mouth, where her tongue was waiting to touch his, to meet and to dance with his.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, and then his hands cupped her bottom and pulled her hard against him.

Even in her drunken state she could appreciate every inch of the hard length of the man, and he promised much!

Her hands began to move across his chest, to begin to unbutton his shirt, but she was too far gone for such a finicky fiddly task and in the end, she gave a low growl of frustration, even as his tongue continued to explore her mouth.

She gave his fabric a firm tug and the sound of a button -- or two popping, sounded loud in the silence.

Her hand dipped beneath the material and she felt the warmth of his flesh and the springiness of the hair that covered it.

Dean was breathing heavily and she could feel the effect that she was having on him, but it was no more than the effect that he was having on her.

Her hand slipped out of his shirt, and began to journey downwards, to the waistband of his trousers.

And that was when Dean pulled away, pulled back.

"No," he gasped as he pushed her gently away from him. "If we ever make love, then I don't want it to be in the kitchen of your cousin, with the threat of someone walking in on us taking the edge off our passion."

He looked at her with dark glowing eyes. "When I have you Shelly, then I want you all to myself -- and not just for a few fervent minutes, but for hours -- days, or weeks even."

*

The colour came to her cheeks as she remembered his rueful smile, that he tried to reassure her with, even though his eyes were hungry for her, and his body was ready for her -- obviously, ready for her.

Her mum had advised her to loosen up and have some fun -- to have a fling or an affair. Shelly wondered if Dean was the sort of man to indulge in a fling?

Her thoughts were cut off by her mobile phone humming inside her handbag.

She pulled it out and her mum flashed up as it began to ring.

"Good morning, mum," she said cheerfully.

"Shelly? Oh good you're awake!"

Shelly glanced at her watch, and then frowned; it was ten thirty in the morning, so why did her mum sound so relieved that she was awake?

"Is everything okay, mum?"

There was silence for a long moment, and Shelly felt herself growing uneasy

"Mum?"

"Yes... yes, everything is fine... it's just that... well..."

"Mum?"

"Pete has invited me to travel with him for a while!" her mum suddenly blurted out.

"What? Oh I say -- what a marvellous idea!" Shelly grinned and her eyes lit up with delight just as Kelly walked into the room.

She saw Shelly's expression and came in further -- forgetting to close the bedroom door behind her.

"Yes, he is closing down some of his business ventures, so that he can spend more time in England, and he asked me if I would like to go with him."

"Well I really hope that you said yes, mother!"

"The thing is, Shelly, he wants to leave today -- within the next half an hour in fact - I really had to scramble to get my things packed, and ready!"

Her mum was laughing as she spoke, and Shelly could clearly hear the excitement in her voice.

"I'm really sorry that I wasn't around to help -- when you needed me, mum!" Shelly said and her tone was loaded with guilt.

"Oh, but if you had been around then Pete would probably not have kissed me the way that he did last night, and he certainly would not have spent the night with me..."

"Mother -- you didn't!"

Shelly was fully blushing now, but her eyes were bright with happiness.

"Are you disgusted with me?" her mum suddenly sounded uncertain.

"No mum, honestly -- I am thrilled, ecstatic excited for you -- you have the promise of an adventure, so go and grab it mum, grab Uncle Pete with both hands and don't let go!"

"But I won't even get a chance to say goodbye to you!" her mum said emotionally, and a tear trickled down Shelly's cheek.

"Wherever you go, you will be able to use your mobile -- we can talk every day -- if you need to, I will only be a phone call away at any time, mum -- I promise, and if you needed me for anything then I would drop everything and hop on the first flight, train or boat to get to you!"

It was a bit over the top, but Shelly was totally sincere.

"I love you mum, and you deserve this chance at happiness, and I know that daddy would have thought so too."

"But Pete warned me that we are going to be away for a while, we could be gone over Christmas, what will you do all by yourself?"

"Well you don't mind me staying on at your house -- do you?"

"What, no of course not, it will be better than leaving it empty anyway, but you would be all alone..."

"I've still got the rest of the family -- am sure that someone will take pity on me and invite me to Christmas dinner somewhere..." she looked at Kelly pleadingly and as she looked at Kelly a movement out on the landing caught her eye.

Kelly grinned as she stepped closer, and blocked Shelly's view of the doorway. "Of course, I was on my own this year as well -- so we can spend it together, and I am sure that we can even beg an invite from one of the family, to let us share their Christmas dinner, if necessary."

"Oh of course, Mary and Bill are off on their cruise, aren't they?" her mum said down the phone. Obviously, she had heard Kelly's comment.

"So, you see mother -- I will have company with Kelly at the very least, and I am pretty sure that we can knock up a turkey dinner between us -- if required."

"It'll be fun!" Kelly agreed loudly and enthusiastically.

Shelly heard something on the other end of the phone then; it sounded like the doorbell.

"That's the taxi! Shelly -- I have to go now," her mum suddenly breathed down the phone. "I will give you a call from the airport... you've got your keys for this place haven't you?"

"Call me when you can mum -- but don't fret about it, and yes I locked up last night with my keys.... so, you have a safe and worry-free flight, and relax as much as you can, Uncle Pete will take good care of you -- I know it!"

She said goodbye to her parent and then switched off her phone, and looked up at Kelly. "So, it looks like it will just be you and me this Christmas!" she said a little forlornly.