Langley Circle Beginning Ch. 06

"You're always together, and she is utterly terrifying."

"But deep down, she's a sweetheart."

"I'm sure she is, if you're within her circle of protection. But if you're trying to get close to someone she loves, then it's a different matter entirely."

Nicky was about to protest, but she knew he was right. "She's lovely when you get to know her," she said weakly.

"Needless to say, the way I had hoped things might turn out was seriously hampered by a whole host of factors, not least of all the events of last Friday."

"Yeah I can see that now. Bloody hell Josh, I've messed everything up."

"My first time was never meant to be like that."

Nicky frowned in confusion. "First time? We didn't--"

"First kiss, not to mention a bunch of other firsts that were obliterated in the matter of a few moments in that storeroom."

The truth of the matter hit Nicky with such suddenness that she gasped, the breath forced from her lungs. Josh was a virgin. Not only that, but it sounded like he didn't have any experience with women at all. How he had managed to make it to eighteen without even kissing a girl was beyond Nicky's comprehension. She had just stolen a whole bunch of special moments from him. "Oh god." She dropped to her knees in front of him, trying to insert herself into his eye-line. She grasped at his hands. "I know I keep saying it Josh, but I understand now. I am so utterly sorry for stealing those moments from you. I wish I could take it all back. I wish I hadn't missed the signs; I think I would've gone out with you, and none of this would have happened."

Josh finally met her eye. "You would have?"

"Yes! One thing this shit-show has made me realise is that I really do like you; that's why I feel so crap."

Josh briefly looked both elated and gut-wrenchingly crestfallen at the same time; he sighed and dropped his eyes back to the carpet. They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

After a while, Nicky began to feel awkward kneeling on the floor, and so pushed back onto her chair. A long minute passed. She wrestled back and forth between wanting to leave, and needing to make things right.

"How can I fix this?" She stared at him hopefully.

Josh hesitated for a long moment before finally answering. "It's ok Nicky; it's done, over. I appreciate you explaining it to me, and although it doesn't resolve everything, I feel better knowing that there isn't a bunch of people laughing at my expense. I expect I'll get over it."

"I know we can't just wipe it from the slate, but can we try to put this behind us? Can you forgive me for what I did, how I treated you?" Nicky studied him intently, trying to gage his reaction.

He paused for another long agonizing moment, and then bobbed his head. "Yeah, I would like to just put it behind me, that would be good."

Nicky relaxed a fraction. "I don't expect you to like me; you'd be totally justified in hating me right now. I get that."

"I could never hate you Nicky!" He gazed up at her with an expression of such pitiful honesty that it caused Nicky's breath to hitch. Could he really like her after what she had done. The look in his eyes suggested he was certainly capable of it, and more besides. Her tummy fluttered, a feeling that she had not for one second expected to experience as part of this exchange.

She continued to stare into his eyes, not wanting to break the moment, wondering where it would go next. The air became charged, crackling with nervous anticipation. Josh licked his lips and seemed about to speak. The butterflies in her stomach danced faster.

"Josh, I'm home," a voice came from downstairs. The moment was lost.

"OK mum, I'll be down in a sec."

"I better get going," Nicky said.

"OK, yeah. I gotta go see my mum; she's having a bad time of it lately, and sometimes comes home a bit upset."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Nicky said, genuinely concerned.

"In case she seems odd when we go down, that's all."

Nicky nodded, and picked up her bag.

They trotted down the stairs, and as Nicky approached the front door, a blond woman stepped out of a room to the side, looking very tired. Nicky suspected she might have recently been crying too. She was startled to see Nicky standing in her hallway.

"Er hello. Josh, you didn't tell me you had a friend over," she said.

"Mum, this is Nicky."

The woman studied Nicky for a moment, then a lightbulb seemed to switch on behind her eyes. "Are you Beth Parker's daughter?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I thought I recognized you. Well I'm Trudy, Josh's step-mum. Well obviously I am," she said and rolled her eyes.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Dickenson."

"Trudy please."

"Nice to meet you Trudy. Sorry to dash off, but I have to go now. Goodbye Josh." She stepped through the door and turned onto the street, welcoming the fresh air that the warm breeze carried. That had been seriously intense; her emotions had been put through a virtual mangle.

"Nicky!"

She stopped at hearing her name and turned around, blinking in surprise at seeing Josh jogging towards her. He looked panicked and flustered, which had her fearing the worst. What had happened; what had she done? There was a sudden urge to turn and run, but it was already too late.

"Nicky..." Josh breathed heavily as he slowed to a stop in front of her. He was struggling to speak.

"What's wrong? Take a moment Josh, breathe."

He took a few deep breaths, then looked her in the eye. She Tensed, anxiety flaring up. "Nicky, do you want to go out with me?"

Her mouth gaped. For a moment, she just stared back at him; was this real? She scanned his face searching for an indication of his true intention. She saw vulnerability, hope and longing; it was all buried deep beneath shyness, nerves and self-loathing, but she could see it. She felt a sudden wave of pleasure, at being wanted, desired. What she saw in his eyes touched, surprised and intrigued her.

She closed her mouth, swallowing away the sudden dryness in her throat. "You still want to go out with me?"

Josh nodded, his eyes wide.

"After everything I did?"

He nodded again. "It was shitty, but it doesn't change the way I feel, have felt for years. Everyone makes mistakes."

"Yes," she said softly.

"When you left, I was standing there in the hall and it occurred to me that I was letting another opportunity go by; I decided I wasn't going to do that."

"Yes."

"I need to know. You might say yes, or you might say no. But at least I will have grown a pair and actually asked. Wait what?"

"Yes," she said smiling.

Josh blinked in surprise, then grinned broadly. "Really?"

"Yes really," Nicky said chuckling.

"You really want to?"

"Yes Josh, I really want to."

Josh looked as if he was about to perform some kind of deeply embarrassing "happy dance", but stopped at the last moment regaining his composure. That lasted for about half a second, before he grinned so wide it looked as if he had fallen asleep with a coat hanger in his mouth. He reached out with trembling fingers, taking her hands in his. "Thank you," he said solemnly.

Nicky giggled. She leaned forward, with the intention of sealing the deal with a kiss, but hesitated. "Is it ok if I kiss you?" She was well aware of the precedent she had already set for taking liberties.

He stared at her for a long moment before leaning forward to brush his lips lightly against hers. A spark ignited in her, and a warmth spread across her chest as the contact lingered. It seemed to last forever, and yet was over in an instant. He pulled back, smiling happily.

"I think I'll file that one away as my first kiss, and discount the previous one on a technicality."

Nicky laughed, "Good idea. Was that ok?"

"It was very ok."

"Good," Nicky said, "I am glad I could replace one bad memory with a good one. Maybe"--she averted her eyes blushing shyly --"if things go well, perhaps we might replace some of the other bad ones too."

Josh grinned, then bobbed forward and kissed her again. It was only a quick peck on the lips but it was full of excitement and joy, and it made Nicky grin.

"Er I better go." Josh dropped his gaze to the pavement.

Nicky followed his eye-line and was astonished to see he was barefoot. "You ran after me without shoes?"

Josh looked up at her, his face burning. "I didn't want you to get away this time."

Nicky shook her head, smiling. "Crazy. Go on, get back inside before you hurt yourself."

"Can I call you later?"

"Sure, give me your phone."

She added her number to his contacts, and when she handed it back, he stared down at it in awe, as if it was the Holy Grail.

Nicky squeezed him gently on the arm, feeling a thrill at the contact, before turning and walking away. "Call me later." As she turned the corner into the next street, she smiled at the sound of someone whooping loudly.

Unless she was very much mistaken, Nicky now had a boyfriend. As she walked, her smile faded to a frown; how on earth would she explain this turn of events to Bella? Not to mention, she'd have to figure out how this would fit in with her emerging attraction for her best friend. Nicky sighed. She appeared to have solved one problem, but acquired a whole host of new ones.

=== === ===

Beth sat in bed, quietly observing Dean as he changed into his pyjamas. There was something up; she knew it. He'd been introspective and down for two days now. Ever since he'd come home from work on Monday, he'd been moping about like a bear with a sore head, and enough was enough; it was time to cheer up her man.

"Dean?"

"Hmm?" His response was purely a reflex, his mind was obviously elsewhere as he climbed into bed and reached to extinguish the light.

Beth turned to face him. "We need to talk." This was an underhanded tactic, but she knew if he thought he'd done something wrong, then he'd hopefully open up. Immediately a flicker of concern crossed his face, and she tried not to smirk in triumph.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Tell me what happened at work on Monday"

He stared wide-eyed at her for a long moment, before slumping back against the pillow. "How do you do that? How do you always know when something is wrong?"

"Because I am your wife, and I know when my man is not happy. Talk to me, so I can make you happy again." She said the last part flirtatiously, but noted that he didn't take the bait. "Did something happen with Megan?"

He furrowed his brow. "What? No, nothing to do with Megan."

"Because if she is trying to cause trouble over that picture--"

Dean touched her lightly on the arm. "It's nothing to do with Megan."

"OK, so what is it then? You have been utterly miserable for the last couple of days, so something is up."

Dean sighed. "The company is going through a bit of a cash crisis at the moment."

"Should we be worried?" Beth kept her voice flat and calm. "Do you need to start looking for another job?"

"No, it's nothing like that. The company is fine, better than fine actually. There are deals in the works that will make the company extremely profitable in a couple of years."

"So, what's the problem?"

"The next year or so is going to be tough in terms of operating cash. We need to keep costs low and maximise revenue. To that end, David asked if I would defer my bonus and profit share for three years."

"Oh, I see." Beth knew they didn't need his bonuses and profit share to survive day to day, but they had put the regular lump sums to good use over the years. A new car one year, the extension on the house another. "OK, so I guess no fancy holidays for a few years then."

Dean chuckled dryly," Well, I was actually hoping to pay off the mortgage this year, and use some of the bonus for Nicky's university education. I wanted her to be able to enjoy her student life, without having to live on the bread line like we did."

Beth was shocked, that sounded like a lot of money. "Exactly how much was your bonus likely to be this year?"

"David and I talked about it more in terms of the forecasted sum over the next three years, as that's going to be the difficult period for the company."

"And how much would that be?"

"Two and three quarter is the closest estimate."

Beth was confused. "Two and three quarter what?"

"Million."

Beth blinked. "Two and three quarter... million... pounds?"

"Give or take, yeah."

Beth flopped back on the pillow. "I had no idea it would be that much."

"It's been a good few years; the maturation periods on some older deals are coming up now, so the bonus and profits would be due."

"And they want you to defer it?"

"Yeah. Their plan is to keep the cash in the company, and in return they will inflate the figure by eighteen percent at the end of the three years."

"Eighteen percent?" Beth said, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"It was 15 originally but I talked them up," Dean said defensively.

Beth did the maths in her head. "So 2.75 would turn into what? 3.2?"

"Yep."

"And you are depressed about this?"

Dean looked at his wife in surprise, "Well it means we won't be able to pay the house off this year, and Nicky might have to take out loans or work her way through university."

Beth now really couldn't believe what she was hearing. She turned to face him again, and pulling the pillow from behind her, carefully and forcefully whacked him on the head with it.

"Ow, what was that for?" Dean said wincing.

"That, my darling husband, was for acting like a twat."

"What?"

"Start acting like the astute businessman you are, and not one of your interns. What is it you say? Every problem is an opportunity. Take every obstacle and make it a ramp to aim higher. Time to heed some of your own advice darling. Start looking on the bright side."

Dean bristled at the rebuke, then blinked sheepishly. "I guess I have been a bit focussed on the negative."

"Yes you have."

Dean looked thoughtful. "I mean it's a very good return in actual fact. Almost half a million for doing nothing over three years, we wouldn't get that sort of return on savings."

"Exactly. There's the man I married. Keep going."

"I suppose it doesn't really matter if we don't pay off the house this year, although knowing we are going to be able to do so in 3 years, we could look for a good re-mortgage deal that would fix the rate, seeing as its low right now. That would reduce the interest owed significantly."

"Ooh baby yeah, I love it when you talk mortgages." Beth shuffled a little jig, which caused Dean to glance over at her breasts. She smirked, now he was coming back; she loved it when a plan came together.

"As for Nicky, well we can afford the basics, or she can just take the student loans, and then we can clear them off in three years. She wouldn't even incur interest. Plus, we can always top that up with the money we save from re-mortgaging."

Beth could see his mood lifting as he continued talking; she mentally congratulated herself at orchestrating his flip around. She pulled back the covers and climbed onto his lap. "You are so clever Mr. Parker, I knew you'd see a way out of this," she said, and added a little wiggle on his lap, whilst nuzzling his neck. "What else? Is there more?"

"You are right," he said. "This is not a curse or a problem; it's a gift. It's free money. We just need to look beyond the end of our noses. So you see Beth, there's nothing to worry about really."

"Yes Mr. Parker. I knew you'd be able to convince me." Beth didn't care that he was stealing her thunder; she was just happy he was no longer moping around. On top of that, with every passing moment she could feel his cock stiffening beneath her bottom. "Mr. Parker, I'm so glad I had this opportunity to work with you; I'm learning so much. It's such an honour to be in the presence of a great business mind," she said as she kissed his neck.

There was silence for a moment, and then the world around her spun. She squealed, falling back on the mattress as Dean rolled on top of her, His hands tugging up her sleep shirt.

She giggled. "Mr. Parker, what are you doing? I don't remember this in the job description."

"Beth, I feel duty bound to offer you the benefit of my far reaching experience."

She felt his knee working to spread her legs, allowing his full weight to press down upon her. "But sir, I'm not sure we--" Dean silenced her with a kiss, his tongue exploding into her mouth, causing her to moan.

Pulling back, he stared down at her. "Don't interrupt me Beth. If I am prepared to give you the benefit of my experience, you should be happy to take whatever you can get." He ground his groin into hers as he said this, his hard cock rubbing across her labia.

Her top was next for his attention, his hands grasping it and pulling it roughly over her head. Throwing it to the floor, he fell on her breasts with a hunger that made her gasp. His mouth was soon sucking one of her nipples into its hot embrace, as fingers clamped firmly around the other. His presence was so absolute, she felt him all over her, on every part of her body. Her hands went to the back of his head and he bit down gently making her cry out.

"Mr. Parker, that hurts."

"Business is hard Beth, there is always a little pain on the way to pleasure," he said and descended back to her breasts.

He reached down, bringing up her legs with a firm pressure at the back of her thigh. The head of his cock nudged at the entrance to her sex, spiking her excitement, her breath hitching in anticipation. She panted softly as she waited for him to breach her. The moment dragged, long seconds passing; she moaned in frustration.

"Now! I want it now," she said in a breathy whisper.

Still, Dean didn't push into her. Beth ran her hands down to his arse, and tried to force him, but he was too strong. She stared up at him, a mewling whine of frustration escaping her lips. Dean smiled down at her. It wasn't a smile of malice or arrogance, but merely an acknowledgement of his power over her and the pleasure it was giving him. Beth felt an enormous surge of desire; digging her fingers into his backside, she urged him on.

A fire erupted between her legs as he finally entered her. Slow, firm, and unrelenting, he drove into her, not stopping or giving any quarter. He pushed her legs up to her chest, going deeper still, making her pant as she struggled to accommodate all of him so quickly. He hovered over her, pressing her knees tightly against her breasts, supporting his weight on his feet, his wonderful cock buried deep inside her.

"Oh my god Mr. Parker, that is a lot to take in so quickly," she said between gasps.

"Life moves fast; you have to learn to adapt quickly, to accommodate the change," he said as he began moving his hips, sending waves of tingling heat through her vagina as his shaft moved through her. Slow firm strokes, withdrawing almost all the way, leaving her clamouring to be full again, before plunging back in to the hilt, his heavy balls swashing against her arse.

He unfolded her legs, hooking them over his shoulders. Leaning forward he plunged even deeper, stretching her leg muscles deliciously. She was being pressed down and opened up like a flower at the same time. He was completely dominating her, restricting her movement, preventing her from rejecting him; not that she had any intention of doing so.

"Oh god yes." She moaned louder as he suddenly picked up the pace, his thighs slapping noisily against her arse as he pounded her into the bed.

It was all she could do to keep breathing and hold on as his forceful thrusts threatened to embed her in the headboard. Faster and harder, he drove into her, his hips blurring, and her senses mingling together in a cocktail of pleasurable pain.

Again, he moved, rolling her onto her side, fucking her as he held her folded up like a book. One hand on her shoulder, the other wrapped around her legs, constricting her. It was both delicious and frustrating. She wanted to stretch out to open for him, but he kept her held tight and firm. She could feel her orgasm building, and knew if she could move, it would detonate. He grunted as he shoved into her, his breathing growing more ragged with each stroke.