Back to Bristol Ch. 05

"That maybe difficult if Jeanette's upset." I cautiously observed.

"Well Peter has strong views. He's on the liberal wing. He believes passionately in the woman's right to choose; on a person's right to die when they don't want to go on living, living wills and all that. And he's very pro embryo and stem cell research."

I began to feel more confidant, "Well, other people can have different views. I've met Jeanette, but we didn't talk about that sort of thing."

"Oh, you've met her, have you? Of course, Piers went with you to the rugby. No wonder she was so interested in you when I had lunch with her the other day. She was nice enough with me, then. So whatever it is that's upset them, it's cropped up since. My guess is that they came across some old scientific journal where Peter had written something that upsets them now, and even he's changed his mind since. I guess it'll blow over."

If that's what she wants to think, well far be it from me...... "I hope so, I wouldn't like to hear that you've lost a friend just because of something Peter did."

"Thank you," she paused and suddenly looked very nervous, "Chris..." again she paused, a long pause and I waited, and suddenly she picked up the menu card, "Let's order."

While we waited for our food to arrive, I observed, "I see Peter's never convinced you to have your ears pierced. I never could."

She smiled, "Have you gone mad? There's no way I'm gong to have anything like that done. Actually, Peter has never mentioned it. He has suggested that I have some therapy to get me over my phobia, but it really isn't a problem. It doesn't interfere with my life, so I'm happy to live with it."

I smiled, "I always wanted to buy you diamond earrings. I don't know why, it was just a fancy of mine, probably because I couldn't really afford them."

"Yes, we were a bit pushed for cash in those early years, weren't we?"

That sounded a bit like dangerous reminiscing again, but I was saved by our food turning up.

While we were eating I raised the idea of privately educating the boys. First, I gently suggested that maybe they could go away to public school when they got to be thirteen. I didn't plunge in with taking them away from their current school to send them to a private preparatory, although Bristol has a good number of those.

Molly was far from against the idea. She did say that Susan would have a problem with it, something that didn't surprise me after my chat with Ralph of a couple of weeks ago.

In the end we agreed that I could make some enquiries of schools, and she would think about it. We would talk again before we said anything to the boys.

We seemed to be a lot more comfortable after that, we were laughing and joking, and she was smiling a lot. I liked that, I always thought that Molly had a special smile.

Then she threatened to spoil it all again, "Chris I wanted to say that when we split up, I didn't say some things that I should have..."

I headed her off at the pass, "Well, it was all a bit emotional, I guess that was inevitable. Given my time over again, I certainly wouldn't have had us break up like that."

She smiled, "How would you have had us break up?"

I didn't answer with the glib reply that I wouldn't have broken up at all, instead I let fly with my romantic imagination, "Oh, I think I would make love to you one last time. In a big bedroom, with curtains gently blowing in a summer breeze. And it would be a big, soft feather bed, all in white. And we would make love, softly and gently, we were good at doing that." I paused to look into her eyes, and to smile, "And afterwards, you would fall asleep, safe and looking beautiful. And the room would be lit by soft pink rays of a setting sun. And I would slip out from under the covers and steal away."

She smiled softly, and there was a tear in her eyes. "I would have been so sad when I woke up and you were gone..."

I put my hand out, across the table, and squeezed hers. We stared into each others eyes, I don't know what she was looking for, I don't even know what I was looking for.

I decided to break the spell before it became embarrassing, "Tell me about your new house, are you pleased with it?"

She sighed, "Yes, it's one of six built in an architecturally designed concept. Doesn't that sound impressive? Actually it means that there are no gardens, it's six houses laid out around an entrance drive, with open grass and trees all around. It's also very eco-friendly, solar panels and heavy insulation, the rainwater is collected, that sort of thing. There's visitor's parking as you come off the main road, you're meant to walk in, and we get garages away from the main site. Peter likes it, he's very big on doing our bit to save the planet."

I smiled, "So am I."

She laughed, "Says he who drives a bloody great Jag."

As our coffee arrived, I changed the subject again, "How are the boys treating Peter these days? I have to admit I haven't raised the subject that they shouldn't get at him, it's still on my list of things to do."

She smiled, "No better. They enjoy taunting him. They've taken to calling him Elsie, any ideas why?"

I stirred my coffee and tried to think of some significance in Elsie. I couldn't think of a thing. I sipped my coffee and looked up at her. "No idea, I give up."

"I can't think of anything. I rather hoped that it was something that they'd learnt from you."

I didn't like that, "Not from me. I wouldn't give them ideas on how to upset your husband. I don't do that." I looked at her, full in the eyes, "I've always respected that you chose him, and I've never done anything to put him down in the boys eyes."

"No, sorry, I know you haven't." She gave a little laugh, "It isn't the same the other way around. The boys know that they are really rattling him by talking about you. That's why I wondered if there was some connection between you and Elsie."

"Sorry, I can't help you."

We both finished our coffees, and I suggested that I pay. She took the opportunity to go to the Ladies. Having paid, I looked at my watch, it was gone half past two. I suddenly realised that Molly had asked for this meeting, and I wasn't aware of what she wanted to talk about, I hadn't spotted anything significant in the conversation. I did notice, somewhat late, that Peter apparently hadn't mentioned his visit to my office, I wondered why?

I thought it might be a good idea to give her a little longer to say whatever it was that was on her mind. So when she came out of the Ladies, I stood and she came straight up to me and kissed me on the cheek. She'd obviously refreshed her perfume, because I got a full, sentimental whiff.

"Thank you, Chris, for a lovely lunch."

"Thank you. Look why don't I give you a lift home? You heard Carole, she isn't really expecting me back, so I'm not worried about time."

She smiled a really radiant smile, "Thank you, that would be lovely."

As we walked back to my car, she held my arm with both her hands, one arm linked around mine, but her other hand right across her body so that she could rest it on my arm. Odd, I thought, going to lunch she was scared to go into a restaurant where she might be recognised, coming back from lunch she's holding me in what some might see as affection.

When we got to the car, I opened her door, and I got a good flash of leg. She's wearing stockings! Lucky Peter, I thought. She only wore stockings for me on special occasions.

Once I was in the car, she settled, very slightly sitting sideways and with her legs towards me. Her skirt had ridden up a bit, the view was of as much leg as Myra had been showing earlier.

I smiled, "You'll have to direct me, I don't actually know how to get to your place."

She sat there giving me directions as necessary, but said little more. But her legs were really beginning to catch my eye and my imagination. What is she playing at? I'd had signals that she was playing to catch me, but that is neither logical nor likely. Everything could be innocent, especially if lover boy Peter had convinced his wife of four years to dress a little sexier. Maybe it was my thoughts about Myra this morning that are making me see things now.

And then there was that she had said she wanted to talk to me about something. No, it was that she wanted to tell me something. Maybe that something was to do with work, but the breakdown between Peter and Piers might have changed that. But she'd only called me after Peter and Piers had had their bust up. These ideas didn't make sense.

None of this was making any sense. I was reading too much into everything. It must just be my imagination.

We were now approaching the outer suburbs, and suddenly she said "Turn right in here." It was a small driveway, "And park on the Visitors area on the left. Sorry, but if you park by our house you can guarantee that one of the neighbours will complain that I let an alien car in. You will disturb the tranquillity of the living environment." She glanced sideways at me and smiled, "Don't say it!"

We got out of the car and Molly led the way through some bushes on a simple path, lit at night by what looked like small solar lights along the edge of the paving.

We suddenly came out of the bushes onto what was a large green lawn, with six houses placed on it at various angles to the small driveway. Molly led me to the second house.

She turned to me, "Would you like to come in for another cup of coffee, and see where the boys actually live."

I guess my doubt showed in my face, "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Molly. I'd love to, but others might misinterpret it.

"Don't be silly. If you're worried about Peter, he won't be home for hours yet. Come on."

She took hold of my hand, and led me onto their porch. Her touch was electric, taking me straight back to my thoughts in the car.

As she found her keys I looked around. What I would think the architect meant to be a garage was slightly separate to the main house, but its rear came up to one side of us and there was a door that opened onto the porch. I was wondering what it could be.

Molly must have noticed, "Obviously, in the original design they were meant to be garages. But then some bright spark decided to put the garages down by the main road. Some people have converted that space to be a granny annexe, others have it as a home office, and one person has it as a workshop where they are building their own boat. For us, it was fitted as a guest suite, but we use the main room as a home gym, and the smaller room is the boys' playroom. Myself and Peter have had to promise never to go in their bit, it is totally theirs. I send in Maria, our cleaning lady, about once a month to keep it basically hygienic, but I honour my promise. But you haven't promised, you could take a look, they're your sons. And you can tell me what its like."

I looked at her, and she nodded her head in the direction of the door. I opened it and went in, and ignoring the gym equipment, I opened the second door. It was a chaos of untidy toys. On the wall was a pinboard. It was half covered in photographs of myself, Molly and the two boys, all of us on what turned out to be our last holiday together. Little did I know then what would follow eight months later.

There was a pile of children's books and magazines. Halfway down the pile, the quality of the volumes seemed to change. I pulled out a magazine from this middle section. It was a Penthouse, about five years old. I put it back.

I turned around. There was a blackboard fixed to the door wall. I read the scribbling, laughed, and went and called for Molly.

"You should break your promise and come in here. It'll solve the mystery of Elsie."

She looked dubious, but she followed me in. I pointed to the blackboard. On it was written: Little Cock, this was written three times. The L and the C were underlined.

I looked at Molly to see if she'd registered, and then explained, "Little Cock. L - C. Elsie. Mystery solved." For a seven and an eight year old, I thought it was quite clever as a piece of wordplay. I was quite proud of my sons.

Molly was less pleased, "But he isn't."

I looked at her.

"He isn't. He's a bit smaller than you. He's average." She said, rather indignantly.

"If he's a little smaller than me, and he's average. Then I'm ..."

"Conceited." She said with a smile. "How am I going to tell him? Well, I'm not."

"It's only playground humour. It's rather clever for boys of their age." I said. It didn't seem to me to be a major issue.

She looked at me, and appeared to be questioning something. But then something changed her mind, and suddenly she looked determined "Well it won't matter anyway. Come on, let's get that coffee." And she led the way into their kitchen.

I stood there whilst she set about making a couple of mugs of coffee, just leaning against the wall and watching her. What is it about certain girls, about sexual attraction, I couldn't help but to compare her to Helene. On all factual scores Helene would have won hands down, but Molly was ten times more attractive. It was the way she moved, the way she dressed, the look in her eyes, the easy smile, just so many things.

She glanced over at me, and smiled. "Why don't you look round. You wanted to see where the boys actually live."

"Are you sure you don't mind? I don't want to seem nosey."

"Go on...... And be nosey."

I left the kitchen and opened another door. It was their lounge. I was a perfectly pleasant, middle class suburban lounge. I noticed a couple of pieces that had come from mine and Molly's old home, but I wasn't surprised, they were small items that I knew Molly particularly liked.

Next I went into their dining room. I wasn't expecting a time warp. It was walking into mine and Molly's dining room of five years ago. Every stick of furniture had been chosen and bought by us. Even the pictures on the walls were ones that had hung in our dining room, in fact the walls themselves were the same colour as we'd chosen for our house back then. A wave of mixed emotions hit me. I sat down on a chair at the table, my old chair at the head of the table. Arguments, hurt, anger, love, anguish, sadness, guilt, all five years old, washed over me.

I was sitting there, staring into space, when suddenly Molly was in front of me. I looked up at her, she smiled, her face was soft, with love in her eyes, or that's what my illusion told me.

"What are you doing, sitting in here? Have you looked at the boys' bedrooms?"

"No. I didn't like to go upstairs."

"I told you: no worries. Come on."

And I followed those legs up the stairs. On the landing, she pointed to two doors, "Those are the boys' rooms."

I went in to the first one, it was obviously Jamie's. I tried to spot why I knew that, but I couldn't actually see a thing that I could identify as Jamie's. I went next door, again it was instantly recognisable as Ben's room, although this time I could see a couple of things that I knew were his.

I came out of Ben's room, and looked at Molly, she was standing beside an open door to one of the other bedrooms. The light was behind her, she looked beautiful. My emotions were in turmoil, I smiled ironically at myself; I should never have come into this house.

I stepped towards Molly, as I got close to her, she moved right up to me. She put her arms up on my shoulders, either side of my neck. And then she leant in, pulled me down to her and kissed me. Full, open lips, a loving kiss, squarely on my lips. I couldn't help but respond, and I felt my cock twitch.

She broke the kiss and looked sideways into the open bedroom. It was obviously the master bedroom, Molly's and Peter's.

"I'm sorry, it's not all white, and in March I don't think we're going to get pink sunlight, but please, Chris. I need you."

I just looked at her, she seemed so beautiful, it all felt so safe after four years of being by myself. Suddenly I felt that, even with Helene, for four years I'd been by myself. Should I run? Should I stay?

"Please, Chris, just this once. Please. Just once. Never again for as long as I'm with Peter. But just this once, please."

I found my voice, "You wanted to talk, not this."

"Now I want this. We'll talk afterwards."

Suddenly my mind was made up. I took her in my arms and kissed her, with every ounce of passion that had remained dormant for four years.

My hands found the zip down the back of her dress. I unzipped her, and slipped it off her shoulders. Unfortunately, it was a long sleeved dress, and it didn't just fall away like dresses do in the movies. But it did allow me to unclip her bra. It was a black bra, all lace and very sexy. She was beginning to be muddled in a pile of loosened clothes.

"Come on." She pulled me into the bedroom. "Let's undress ourselves, and meet in bed. I want you so much, please don't let's waste time, I need you now."

I was standing at the end of the bed, undressing as fast as I could. She was at one side, undressing herself. She was a lot quicker than me because she had hardly got her bra off before she slipped into the bed, and seemed to slip under the quilt. A moment later, as I was finally taking off my last item, my shirt, she sat up, her breasts swinging above the quilt, and she was waving a little black thong in the air.

"Come on, my darling Chris. Now, please."

I slipped into the bed next to her, and for the first time in four years I held the love of my life. As our legs entwined, I felt her stockings, she had kept them on. It felt strange, but erotic.

I kissed her on the lips, and then I moved down her body to hold and kiss her breasts. Having kissed each nipple and played with each nipple with my tongue, I started to kiss my way down her body, intending to tongue worship her pussy. She put her hands on my head, and guided me upwards, "No, just take me, I need you now, please."

I positioned myself between her legs, in good old missionary position, and my cock found her pussy. It slid into a wet welcoming world. She was so wet. For a moment my experiences of so many women in the intervening years went through my head, none had been as wet as this, except maybe for a couple of whores and I suspected them of surreptitiously using a lubricant. No woman had been in so much in need of me as Molly was then.

After a few minutes of gently stroking in and out, she started to roll me. She wanted me on my back, so that she could ride me. I rolled holding myself to her, and keeping her with me, and me inside her. And then she was on top. The quilt was around her, I couldn't see her lower body, but she drove herself with a frenzy.

And then just as suddenly as she'd wanted to be on top, she was rolling sideways again. Soon we were back into the missionary position.

I wasn't going to last much longer, I kissed her lips, her tongue allowing me total access to her mouth. When I lifted my head, she started saying, "Hold me, Chris........ Hold me........Please."

Without missing a stroke, I got my arms around her upper body, holding her tight to me, as I pounded into her. Suddenly she began to shake, and go rigid, "Oh, my God.....my darling Chris." Her pussy spasmed, holding my cock tight, and she orgasmed. I felt her flood onto my cock, and just as suddenly I was coming.

We lay together for several minutes, recovering, with me lying over her. Then I rolled off, giving her a final kiss on the lips.

As I moved back from her, she followed me, holding herself close, and even taking one of my arms and putting it around herself, showing me that she wanted to be held.

We lay like this for a good ten minutes, with me thinking about my day. It had started with my admiring Myra's legs, and now, late in the afternoon, I was in a post-coital hug with my ex-wife. As my brain tried to grasp some meaning, some understanding of this, I idly kissed Molly's forehead with gentle little kisses. Her breathing slowed and steadied, I could feel her breath on my chin and neck.