Knight in Shining Armour

I was asked by the organiser to judge the competitions but knowing how keen Sarah was on animals I suggested she did it instead, which she was thrilled about, except that when it came to judging the ugliest dog I could see that she had tears in her eyes.

"What's up Babe?"

"Most of these dogs are in rescue shelters needing a home."

"Well yeah, I think that's kind of the point to the event; they're hoping to find people to adopt them as well as raising funds and awareness of the need for neutering and that kind of stuff."

She looked deep in thought as she wandered off down the line of boisterous hounds, finally declaring a cross breed terrier type dog the winner. I wouldn't say he was exactly ugly but he was a scruffy looking thing, with a torn ear, a big scar along his nose and only half a tail.

"Why don't you have a pet?" she asked when she returned to me.

"It's never occurred to me to be honest. Until recently it wouldn't have been fair to them, as I wouldn't have had the time to look after them properly. I grew up with dogs but haven't had the time to walk them regularly enough, but I do like them. What about you?"

"Oh I'd love to have a dog but similarly to you, I don't have time right now. That's why I got Ceefa my cat; he's good company but pretty independent, so if I have to go away for a few days I don't have to worry about him and my neighbour is always happy to feed him for me."

The rest of the afternoon was pleasant but some of the sparkle seemed to have left Sarah. Unfortunately she had to leave in the early evening and our goodbye was very long and drawn out with lots of kisses. We arranged to have a similar weekend the following week, with me spending Friday night and some of Saturday at her place and Sarah coming to me on the Sunday and much as I was sad to see her go, I was ecstatic that I'd be seeing her again so soon.

I wandered over to speak to the event organiser to see how things had gone and found out that they were chuffed to bits with the result. They had raised hundreds of pounds, had 6 possible adoptions and several offers from people to volunteer their time.

"I'm so glad it was a success for you, how about we make it a regular event?" Again, they were over the moon as apparently many other venues charged them for the use of the space, whereas I'd let them use it for free.

"Your friend seemed very taken with Scrappy over there." I looked over to see the scruffy mutt sat there looking proud with his rosette on his collar.

"Yeah, I think she'd like to adopt him if she could. What's his story?"

"He was rescued from a gang that organised dog fights; they were using him as a bait dog to train them to fight. He was a total mess when we got him and it was touch and go there for a moment. He's only about 3 years old and as good as gold but most people seem to want puppies or the cute looking dogs unfortunately."

I walked over and sat down on the hay bale next to Scrappy, who instantly licked my hand and jumped up into my lap."

"I think he likes you!" laughed the charity girl.

Well, who was I to argue with instant attraction? "Do you know if he gets on with cats by any chance?"

"He gets on with all animals as long as they don't attack him, he doesn't have a mean bone in his body."

Within 20 minutes I had signed some paperwork and arranged for someone to contact me regarding a home check. The idea of having a dog really hadn't occurred to me before but now it had, it seemed like a really good idea.

The following days seemed to drag. Now I love my job don't get me wrong, but these days it just seemed like something was missing. I knew what it was of course, but I was still struggling with the idea of being in a proper relationship and I certainly wasn't used to missing a girlfriend when she wasn't around.

The following Thursday I was out in the gardens chatting with the gardener about new plants when I spied a familiar looking woman hovering in the car park looking my way. I couldn't place her but she started to walk toward me, so I figured I'd just seen her in the hotel and she needed to talk to me about something.

As I got closer I was surprised to see that it was Sarah's mother walking toward me. The last time I had seen her she had seemed almost featureless and bland and was dressed in a plain grey suit. As she walked toward me now in a pretty summer dress and with a smile on her face, I could see how she was once a very attractive woman. In fact Sarah looked a lot like her in many ways. As she got closer her smile seemed to falter and I could feel the nerves coming off her in waves.

"Hello. I'm sorry to bother you but you're Andrea aren't you?"

"It's Andi, no one has called me Andrea since my mum died. What can I do for you?" I really couldn't imagine for the life of me what this woman was doing here and I could feel my hackles starting to rise in preparation for the argument I felt sure was coming.

"Apologies Andi; my name is Carol Williams and I..."

"I know who you are." I interrupted rudely "What do you want?" Carol sighed deeply and I could see the pain flit across her face.

"I guess I deserve your scorn." And she looked into my eyes the way Sarah does when she's being completely sincere. "Do you think I could buy you a cup of coffee; I believe I need your help but first I have to explain to you why I deserve it."

I studied her for a moment before nodding slightly and leading her over to the dining room, where I selected a secluded table and requested a pot of coffee; as soon as she sat down she started talking.

"I will be the first to admit that I haven't been a good mother and I have failed Sarah. When I married Peter he was religious but not in the fanatical and fundamentalist way he is now. He used to be kind and caring and forgiving but in the last 10 years or so he has become increasingly filled with hate and rage; he's gone from the point of view that Christianity is about love and forgiveness and turned it around so that now if anyone is a sinner in his eyes the best they deserve is fire and brimstone. Unfortunately that also includes me if I even so much as disagree with him."

She had been looking down as she said this but as she looked back up into my eyes I could see the pain and despair this woman was suffering.

"Does he abuse you?" It took a while for her to answer but after a big sigh of resignation, she rolled up her sleeves and held her arms out for my inspection. They were absolutely covered in bruises, some looking dark and fresh while others were yellow as they faded due to age.

"He went completely off the wall when Sarah told us she was gay and threw her out of the house and to be honest, I was too scared to stand up to him. I let him drive my little girl away from me when she needed my support the most and I can't forgive him or myself for that. I suggested that I would get back in contact with her on my own and he grabbed my arms, threw me to the ground and kicked me."

"Fucking hell woman, why don't you just call the police?"

"Shame Andi; I am too ashamed and embarrassed to admit what he's reduced me to."

"And how do you think I can help you?"

It turned out that having seen Sarah and I at the wedding she had assumed we were partners and was hoping I could broker a secret meeting between them. She had no other way of contacting Sarah but knew the hotel was mine and actually hoped to find Sarah here today. I explained that we had only recently got together and didn't live together.

"Will you at least ask her? She has every reason in the world to say no but she's my daughter and I love her and I need to tell her that, at least one more time."

The tears were flowing down her face freely now and I had no doubt that she was genuine. I also had no idea what Sarah's reaction was going to be when I spoke to her, so I certainly wasn't about to hand over her contact details just in case.

"Yes, I will ask her for you. How do we contact you if she agrees to see you?"

"I have just bought a secret phone that Peter doesn't know about. I can't leave it on all the time but I can check it several times a day for messages and texts. He goes out of town for two or three days every couple of weeks on church business, so I can get away on those days."

I agreed to talk to Sarah and that one of us would contact her, whatever Sarah's decision was. As we walked back out to the car park she suddenly stopped and hugged me fiercely.

"Whatever happens I'm glad Sarah has someone like you to look out for her. Thank you." And with that she was gone, leaving me standing there wondering what the hell I'd just gotten myself into. I was tempted to call Sarah to tell her about her mum's visit but I figured it would be better as a face to face conversation when I saw her the next day.

There was no note on Sarah's door this time when I arrived but the door flew open just as I was about to knock.

"Come in quick!" she said before turning on her heels and running back into the kitchen. I followed and found her on her hands and knees, mopping up a huge pool of water that didn't seem to be getting any smaller despite her efforts.

"What the hell happened?"

"Fucking washing machine has gone wrong!" and she continued mopping furiously.

"Sarah stop a minute, the machine is still on so you're fighting a losing battle!" I stepped around her and turned the washer off, then asked her to step out of the way while I pulled it out from under the work surface. I could see a big split in the waste water pipe and smiled -- this was an easy fix!

"Do you have a screw driver?" Sarah handed me a small toolbox that held the bare essentials and I removed the pipe from the back of the machine, holding it up for Sarah to see the split. "There's your problem. You do battle with the water and I'll be back in a minute."

I quickly found the directions I needed for a plumbing spares shop on my phone and was back at the house within 15 minutes with a brand new pipe, which I proceeded to fit in 5 minutes, before pushing the machine back under the counter and turning it back on.

"Fucking hell Galahad, you've done it again!" She laughed as she looked at me in awe. "How the hell did you know what to do?"

"I had a similar problem a couple of years ago and it's amazing what you can learn from the internet. Do I deserve a kiss now for rescuing you again?" I grinned broadly as she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me deeply.

"Oh I think you deserve much more than a kiss!" and dragged me into the living room and pushed me down onto the sofa. Oh how I wanted to get naked with this woman immediately but I was too wound up, so I pulled her down into my lap and held her still for a moment.

"Sarah, there's something I have to tell you." Her face fell and she tried to get up off my lap but I held her fast.

"Don't tell me; you've decided that having a girlfriend isn't for you after all?" She almost shouted as she tried to free herself from my clutches.

"What? No! Why would you say that? In all the phone conversations we've had since last weekend have I once given you the impression that I didn't want to be your girlfriend? I've missed you like crazy for the last 5 days!"

"Sorry." She said contritely while not quite meeting my gaze. "Karen called me and tried really hard to convince me that leopards don't change their spots; I told her to fuck off but I guess it worked better than I thought."

"Fucking Karen!" I spat venomously "I will rip that jealous cow's heart out if I ever see her again!" Sarah was clinging to me now and crying softly; apologising over and over again for not trusting me, so I wrapped my arms around her even tighter and held her to my chest, kissing her hair trying my best to reassure her that everything was ok.

"I do need to talk to you though and it's important. Your mum turned up at the hotel yesterday ..."

Sarah's eyes were as wide as saucers, so I proceeded to recount everything her mum had told me from start to finish. When I was done, Sarah was still sat there on my lap, her mouth hanging open but no words.

"You ok Babe?"

"I'm not sure. This is going to take some processing; I did suspect that dad could get physically violent; you really think she was genuine and she isn't trying another tactic to get me back into church?"

"No, she was either genuine or she is an outstanding actress and those bruises were certainly real."

"I'm willing to meet with her as long as my dad isn't there but I'm not sure I want them to know where I live just yet and I'd like you to be there for moral support. I hate to impose but as mum already knows where the hotel is, could I meet her there?"

"Of course Babe, it's probably wisest to meet in a public place anyway; is there anything else I can do to help?"

"Yes there is. You can help me beat the crap out of my dad for abusing my mum but first you can distract me from thinking about it by getting naked with me!"

We decided the couch wasn't big enough and moved through into the bedroom, where within seconds we were naked and wrapped in each other's arms as we rolled around on the bed. I hadn't

been with Sarah for long but somehow we just felt so right and fit together so naturally, that being in her arms felt like coming home.

Sarah may have been a little apprehensive last weekend but now she was positively rampant and in no way lacking in confidence. She pinned me to the bed and kissed me with such passion that it left me feeling as if a hurricane had swept through my head and by the time my brain had started working again, she was already descending down my body.

By the time she focused in on my nipples they were so hard they were almost painful and somehow she seemed to know exactly how hard to suck and nibble to have me moaning underneath her. I have never had an orgasm purely from having my tits devoured but my god, she came close!

By the time she moved down again and was wiggling her tongue into my belly button, as her hands drew feather light touches on my inner thighs and mound, I was a squealing mess of abandonment, desperate for her to make me cum.

Fortunately she didn't make me wait and as she simultaneously drove fingers into me and flicked at my clit with her tongue, I lost all control and growled like a wild animal as I was slammed by the strongest orgasm of my life.

She attempted to carry on and drive me to a second but I needed to play too, so I hauled her up to me and kissed her wildly, tasting myself on her face as I did so.

"Turn around Babe."

She caught on quick and in a flash her tantalizingly swollen, slick pussy was above my face and I dived in with wild abandon. I wanted her to cum with me but she had a head start on driving me mad, so I needed to distract her for a moment. We hadn't discussed anal play but I took a chance and wet my finger in her juices and just lightly rimmed her pucker with it. She froze for a moment and I thought I'd made a mistake but then she moaned out my name in the sexiest of ways and I knew I could continue. I didn't penetrate her with it -- I just teased her hole gently while I devoured her pussy and in no time at all she was just as lost as I was; both of us crashing into the abyss and collapsing onto the bed panting for breath.

We spent the rest of the morning lazily making love and talking in bed but Sarah had some work to do in the afternoon, so I was her very willing guinea pig as she tried out some new recipes on me. There was one vegetarian recipe that was surprisingly tasty considering it contained quite a bit of aubergine, which I dislike. The other was a chicken, pasta recipe with sweet cherry tomatoes and a parmesan sauce which was absolutely divine. There were other ingredients too but Sarah informed me that she'd have to kill me if she told me. Ha! Like I'd ever be able to recreate it with my abysmal cooking skills!

Early in the evening Sarah finally decided what to say to her mum and composed a text message to send to her secret phone. It was very simple and basically said that she agreed to meet with her but she was making no promises regarding reconciliation; she also asked her mum to provide some possible dates. Now we just had to wait for a response.

On Sunday morning Sarah followed me back to the hotel in her car and I was wondering what the hell was going on when she removed 2 large bags from her boot and asked me to grab a plastic crate.

"Bloody hell Sarah, are you moving in?" I questioned, as I lugged the heavy crate in through my front door and looked for somewhere to put it.

"No, but I don't have to go into the office for a few days and if you're up for it, I thought I would stay here with you? It's ok to say no but that box you're carrying contains cooking equipment as I do have to do some prep and research, so it means you get fed."

I picked her up and swung her around, laughing at her (very welcome) audacity. "Of course I don't mind! You're welcome here any time you want. In fact, you should have this." And I rummaged around in a sideboard drawer until I found a spare set of keys. Sarah's eyes were wide as saucers as I handed them to her and I thought she was going to burst into tears, so I stopped them with a kiss. Today was going to be a happy day -- I had a surprise for my girlfriend and I couldn't wait to see her reaction!

We hadn't eaten breakfast, so we went into the hotel and I got the chef to whip us up a brunch of eggs benedict, then as we were headed back to my apartment I detoured into the garage. Sarah looked bemused as I got into my jeep and started the ignition, so I rolled down the windows and asked "are you coming or not?"

"Where are we going?" as she slid into the passenger seat but I just grinned at her before pulling out of the garage and turning the radio up.

I could see her glancing at me as I drove and she was obviously desperate to know where we were going but too stubborn to ask again. I pulled into a small layby, turned to her and handed her a sleep mask.

"You need to put this on now."

"Andi, just what the fuck is going on? Where are you taking me?"

"You trust me right?" She nodded but looked apprehensive. "I promise you'll like it but it will spoil the surprise if you peek."

Reluctantly she slid the mask over her eyes and huffed at me, while I chuckled, which obviously annoyed her even more if her scowl was anything to go by.

A couple of minutes later I pulled into a gravel car park and turned the car off, turning to Sarah and taking her hands in mine.

"Ok, we're here but I want you to keep the mask on for a few more minutes. You don't have to of course, you can take it off if you really want to but I'd like you to keep it on of that's ok?"

"This better be fucking good Andi." She growled in frustration but she allowed me to guide her across the carpark to a bench, where I asked her to sit and wait for a couple of minutes. I glanced

back over my shoulder as I walked away but she was being good and the mask was still securely in place.

When I returned 5 minutes later she was still perched on the edge of the bench, in exactly the same position, as if she'd been afraid to move but her head turned in my direction when she heard my feet on the gravel.

"Ok, now I want you to sit back on the seat and move your arms because I'm about to put something into your lap."

She did as I'd asked and flinched slightly as I lowered Scrappy onto her lap but she soon realised it was a dog when she received a big slobbery kiss on her cheek. Her mask was off in the blink of an eye and she was looking between me and Scrappy with a look that was something between disbelief and confusion.

"Sarah, I would like to formally introduce you to Scrappy. He's my new dog but I'd like you to share him with me if you want?"

"Andi!" she squealed "You are totally insane!" But the smile on her face and the tears in her eyes told me how happy she was as she set to work ruffling the dogs fluff and scratching him behind his ears.