Tales of Lupo Ch. 02: Rebekah's Cabin

She was looking in the opposite direction when I pulled up a few car lengths away from her. I stopped and studied her for a moment. She looked gorgeous, standing tall, a small overnight bag slung over her shoulder. My heart was pounding, just like it had the last time she had been here and we had met for the first time. I could tell that she was excited, perhaps a little nervous at the thought of our clandestine meeting. What excuse she had used this time was anyone's guess; a night away somewhere when you're across visiting family must appear a bit odd.

I admired her youthfulness, a good fifteen years plus younger than me. The presence of her in my life boosted my confidence more than a little. She thought of me as handsome, I laughed everytime she said that. I teased her that she needed stronger glasses, although watching her turn and recognise me sitting there watching her arrival, and seeing the beaming smile spread across her face, then perhaps she did think of me in that way. She ran the short distance to the car. I pulled myself out of the driver's door to meet her, my apprehension over us meeting so publicly quickly disappearing. I stumbled as she threw herself onto me, wrapping her arms and legs around, her lips firmly planted on mine.

A few people walking past looked in our direction. I didn't want her to let go, I was quite happy with this apart from the slight tremble in my legs. However, I disentangled her and let her down to the ground. It was quite a public scene and in a town where she may be recognised so I cut our embrace short. Furthermore, and most importantly, I didn't want to put my back out and ruin the night I had planned!

We climbed into the car and set off; she was talking incessantly. The streets of this little town were quite quiet at this time in the early afternoon so we were quickly out in the countryside heading West. I didn't want to travel far, just far enough to take us into a different world, metaphorically speaking, which here, as in most parts of Scotland, did not take long. We passed through some small villages, skipped around a few of the larger towns, if you could call them that, and soon found ourselves spinning around the bends and curves of the coastal road.

Even in this late Autumn afternoon, with its ominous darkening clouds, the scenery was spectacular. The cold gun metal bluish-grey of the Irish Sea foreboding; a light streak of silver sunlight now and then where the rays had managed to penetrate the rolling clouds; a brightened line across the horizon indicating the world's end. The two dark masses in the distance were the Isle of Man and Ireland - "Northern", I explained as she listened intently.

"It's just like home." she informed me in her light Australian tone.

That always threw me. Nowhere in my mind had I ever considered Australia to be anything remotely like Scotland, but apparently where she lived was very similar.

"Well, welcome home!" I replied. "Perhaps you belong here."

She leaned across kissing me in the cheek. I steadied the steering wheel.

"I belong with you." she whispered.

My heart missed a beat, my cock tingled. 'Damn, this woman could say anything and she'd have me entranced' I thought inwardly whilst fighting to control the broad smile that had passed across my face in addition to controlling the bulge quickly developing inside my boxer shorts. I pressed down on the accelerator- 'no time to lose' - as I imagined what the night would hold in store for us.

We turned off onto a track that headed over a few rolling fields towards the sea. The skies had darkened further, the winter now fighting to take a hold over autumn. The track took a turn before ending abruptly at the small cottage I had rented for the night. Well, to call it a cottage was perhaps an incorrect description. The building had a stone built section that presumably would have been the original shepherd's house, as the website had said, and a more recent timber clad extension, a bit like a rickety cabin, attached to one end; very appealing to my architectural eyes. I knew from the pictures that inside it was perfect. Furthermore it was ours for the night, that's all that mattered, although secretly I was really excited by being in this place.

We pushed open the outer porch door and unlocked the inner. Lupo began fussing about all the pairs of Hunters Wellington boots that had been laid out neatly under a low bench, one in each size, from tiny to, well, boat size. Above the bench were a variety of waterproof jackets hanging on large coat hooks, topped off by a number of hats, all in different sizes. I laughed, it was Scotland after all and so many people visit expecting the weather to be wonderful. The owner had been very thoughtful in providing protection from our wet West coast weather for her guests.

We entered the stone cottage and into a short corridor. Here were four timber panelled doors each with a name plaque - 'The Store'. 'The WC' , 'The Bathroom', 'The Cabin'. Not much to this part, I thought, but ushered Lupo to go through to 'The Cabin'.

The both of us stood, transfixed. It was stunning! Even better than I could imagine. The timber post structure was lined with rough sawn log cut planks, the bare timber floor boards covered by numerous thick woollen rugs, sheep skins and large cushions. Ahead was a picture window with views across the short distance to the cliffs and sea beyond. In front of the window was a log burning stove, firewood piled high in a basket. Behind us was a small but perfectly functional cooking area. A side window and door looked out into the small wooded area that stood at next to the cottage.

However, the most amazing thing in the room was the bed, high above the stove, accessed only by ladder. The platform that it sat on spanned across the high picture window, up into the roof structure where roof lights let in more daylight or allowed you to lie and gaze at the stars.

"Wow!" was all I could say. I turned to Lupo with a wide grin.

Her mouth opened slightly, the light from the window reflecting in her widened eyes. Her lips moved but only a small sound came out. She swallowed and breathed in.

"It's beautiful! This is the most gorgeous place I've seen. It's like...it's like...well I don't know. Coming home?"

She turned towards me, throwing her arms at me and jumping up wrapping herself around me, for the second time this afternoon.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Her words took me back to the first time we had met, not long ago in Glasgow.

I held her this time. Her reaction was more than I could have asked for. I knew that this place would be good but this was really, really good!

She planted her lips on mine. I responded passionately. This time I had both our pleasure in mind and I intended to make the most of our illicit time together.

We parted and I let her back down from my hold. She pulled herself in close, looking directly into my eyes. She spoke softly.

"I mean it, thank you. This is what I've dreamt of." Her voice grew huskier. "Now what can I do to really thank you?"

I grinned. "Anything and everything you feel like." I replied, my cock hardening instantly.

Her hands dropped to my belt. I laughed and pushed her back playfully.

"Whoa, not yet. We've all night together. We need to take this place in first. It's magical!"

I reached back and picked up a cool bag I had brought in from the car with our small over-night bags, unzipping and pulling out two bottles of fizz.

"They're already chilled. One, the best bottle of Australian fizzy I could find across here, and the other, English. I thought we could compare them"

"What, no Scottish?"

I laughed. "Not quite warm enough here. Maybe in another couple of decades. I have this though."

I retrieved a bottle of Hills and Harbour gin from my bag.

"As local as you can get. Made just a few miles from here."

"Well that should do nicely!"

I opened the fridge to find that the woman that I had rented from had already placed a bottle of wine in there for us. A note slipped around the bottles neck stated in exquisite handwriting 'Please have a night full of passion and love, yours, Rebekah'.

"Oh, how sweet. Look, Australian Riesling. That woman is incredible. She's got a sixth sense!"

I popped one of the bottles and filled a couple of glasses that had been set on a tray next to an ice bucket. We chinked a 'cheers to a good night', attended to the ice bucket and continued to explore around the small cabin.

I went across to look at the wood burning stove. 'Need to get that going before it begins to get cold' I thought. Well that's not really what I was thinking. The soft rugs and cushions had been piled around in front of it so it was quite obvious what was meant to happen in front of its warm flickering flames. The thought excited me.

Lupo had partly climbed the stair ladder up to the bed platform. She signalled me across.

"It's quite a steep climb," she exclaimed. "Give me a push up"

She had positioned herself so that her bottom would be just above my head height. She shook a tail feather.

"Oh, stop your teasing! I'm busy with this." pointing to the stove.

She pretended to huff and pulled herself upwards to the platform. I could see the supporting springs bend above me as she lay across the bed.

"Oh Mio Dio," I heard her whisper, a throw back to her Italian roots, "it's wonderful up here!"

I looked at the firewood that had been carefully piled in two baskets to the side of the stove. Another exquisitely hand written note spelt out detailed instructions.

'Use the kiln dried wood in the small basket as kindling. One spark will light it up. Add a few logs from the large basket, you won't need many but when they're done top up from the inside log store. Before you leave, bring in some more logs from the outside store for my next guest. If you're really energetic, go cut down some trees and fill up the outside log store. (You don't really have to do that!). I hope that your fire burns wildly all through the night *winks*, yours, RN'

'This woman is delightful, she's so thoughtful', I was thinking as I opened the stove door and formed a small pile of kindling. It sparked into life with the strike of just one match. I was impressed. I let the heat build for a bit then added a couple of larger logs.

The room immediately filled with the warm orange glow and smokey scent. Outside the light was fading, the dark clouds rolling over, the remnants of the day's sun striking through at some points causing a patch of brilliant silver on the steely grey sea. The warmth inside built.

"Baby, I need you up here. I need you now." Lupo called seductively from above.

I climbed the lower rungs of the ladder, my head appearing just above the mattress.

"Will you hurry up! My glass is empty." She laughed. "Why else do you think I was calling?"

I shook my head playfully feigning discontent. I retrieved the bottle and passed it up.

"Serve yourself. Some submissive you are!"

She giggled. "You don't quite get all that, do you?"

I left her in her contentment of a comfy bed, outlook to the sky and sea, bottle in hand - what more could a girl want? - and continued to discover the little gems around the cabin and cottage.

I checked the small kitchen area. It had everything that I needed to prepare a good meal out of the food that I had brought. I ventured along the corridor to 'The Store'. It was exactly that, wood piled against one wall, gently drying, bits and bobs that you might need to enjoy a longer stay. 'The WC' was quite luxurious, beautiful traditional fittings, a large walk-in shower, twin overhead shower heads and wall jets all around. 'Hmmm, duly noted ' I thought inwardly as I imagined our morning together tomorrow.

I opened the door to 'The Bathroom'. I stood transfixed. It was enormous. Empty, apart from a huge cast iron bath in the middle. Nothing else. Just a stone tiled floor, stone walls and the bath. Well nothing else apart from the spectacular full length window looking out over the sea. A single massive piece of glass. The room was long but narrow. Probably the full length of the cottage at about seven metres long but only just under three metres wide. The bath sat centrally against the wall opposite the glass, sitting straight out so you could lie and look directly over the sea. I had never seen a piece of glass so big used in a house before; there was simply nothing to interrupt your view. It was truly amazing. But there was more; something puzzled me but my architectural brain began to figure it out.

I took out my mobile and opened the compass app. The room faced due West, that I knew already. I Googled a few sites and quickly established sunset times and positions. It became apparent that, in this area, in the depth of winter the sun set to the Southwest but in summer in a Northwest direction, a full ninety degrees latitude between its setting position in the winter solstice and the summer solstice. I walked across to the bath and knelt down and checked the compass again. If I drew a line directly from the head of the bath across to the far left extent of the window and one to the far right extent of the vast piece of glass, it matched exactly the full extent of the setting sun positions throughout the year. 'Oh, very clever', I thought. You could lie in the bath any evening of the entire year at the right time and see the sunset over the sea, weather permitting. 'Rebekah has thought of everything!'

I checked my watch, sunset in fifteen minutes! I looked out at the fading light. The clouds were beginning to scatter and the patches of silver were slowly combining together into a broad silver streak across the horizon. 'There is a chance...' I hurriedly twisted on the taps to run a bath.

"Lupo", I called, "you need to come here now!"

I heard her climb down the ladder, the rungs creaking. She entered the room.

"Your bath awaits."

Her eyes widened as she saw the steam rising from the claw-footed cast iron bath in the middle of the room, widening even further as she looked across out of the window. I took the nearly empty bottle out of her hand.

"Quickly!" I said glancing down at my watch.

She looked a bit puzzled.

"Oh, just get in!" I turned to fetch another bottle.

There was a very neat small pile of clothes by the side of the bath when I returned. I chuckled inwardly thinking back to our first encounter. I poured a capful of Jo Malone bath oil into the water, the scent rising immediately. I had hoped for a sumptuous bath and so had come prepared but I hadn't expected anything as wonderful as this. 'A few hidden secrets' was what Rebekah had on her webpage. Well it had certainly been a surprise and I totally loved the cleverness of it.

I sat down next to the bath, bunching my knees up, my glass in my hand.

"Not getting in?"

I checked my watch again, glancing back at the clearing skies. Hopefully they will have cleared enough across the horizon for the low sun to pass across its low trajectory and slowly sink sizzling into the sea. It hadn't occurred to me to join her as I thought that I would be facing the wrong direction to see the sunset but now looking again at the width and depth of this great bath there would be plenty room to sit behind her. I pulled off my clothes scattering them across the stone tiled floor. She scowled at me, looking across to her neat pile. I shrugged, then laughed as I nudged her forward to let me in behind her, my legs aside her hips. I fetched my glass back up and lay back, Lupo relaxing against my chest with a sigh of contentment.

The room began to glow with a warm orange as the sun entered into the extents of the vast window. A perfectly framed picture. It appeared to move fast against the reference points of the horizon and the room, tracking across in its wide arc. The colour intensified as the atmosphere filtered out the blue light, turning into a hot red ball.

"Wow this is amazing." she said breaking our silence.

"Yes, I set all this up just for you my sweet".

"Aye, right!" She replied picking up on my Scottishness.

The sun continued its journey across and downward, the sea appearing to boil in front of it as it dipped further, becoming a half circle then sinking to less.

"You know that if you see a green flash at the moment the sun finally drops into the horizon that you will live forever?" I asked whispering in her ear.

"Then let's watch closely! I want that!"

There was no green flash, the legend being just that. But there was no disappointment either.

The room darkened and I was about to get up to light the thirty or so candles that had been set into sconces carved out of the stone wall behind the bath when the sky and began to glow once more. The sun may have set but its light was about to start passing over the horizon to reflect off the clouds above. I lay back. I realised that our skies can turn really spectacular at this time of year with the combination of the low angles and high cloud cover. There was about to be a spectacular show.

The fading orange of the direct sun weakened, leaving a milky creaminess mixing in with the light azure blue just above the horizon, a dark line forming between the sea and the sky as if an artist had just added some emphasis for our benefit. Slowly the milk turned orange again, the blues intensifying. The closer clouds began to glow with an iridescent silver, with patches of intense yellow, sometimes glistening gold. The orange spread upwards and towards us, almost imperceivably but advancing steadily. The transformation continued, the orange in the distance becoming bloody, the blues and silvers being washed away. The room darkened once more as the fire in the sky intensified. No more orange now, only reds, different shades, from the light pink of the higher clouds to the dark beetroot of the lower rain-filled ones.

We lay in silence, in awe of the best show nature can throw at you. The bath water was cooling but the colours had warmed us. I felt that I could lie here for hours, my arms wrapped around her, my face pressed against her hair. I was content. She was content. I couldn't really ask for more. This was perfect. She was perfect.

The colours slowly began to fade and I became aware of her breathing deepening into a sleep. I have her a gentle squeeze and shake, startling her.

"No, what, wait... I wasn't."

I leaned kissed her on the cheek.

"Yes you were my sweetheart. Soundly. But I have things to do."

I pushed her forward as I stood and grabbed one of the white dressing gowns thoughtfully hung on the back of the door. I ran some hot water into the bath then lit the candles.

"Relax now baby, I just want to prepare some food. Save time later on."

"I could get used to this." she replied smiling as she lay back into the reheated water.

***

I busied myself in the small kitchen having topped up the fire and lit the candles around the room. It was too early to eat but I wanted most of the preparation out of the way to save time later on. I didn't want to waste a single minute of our short time together.

I prepared the scallops - fresh out of the Irish Sea of course, some of the best in the world - to be accompanied by chorizo. My idea was that everything was to be the finest that Scotland could offer. 'Chorizo!', I laughed to myself. 'That would confuse her!' However, I had managed to source a local farm shop who made their own, or certainly a close version of it, just a little bit softer. Even more perfect with the sweet soft scallops.

I seasoned the venison steaks and put them aside to warm through to room temperature and prepared the vegetables, all from the same local farm shop and set about making a sauce - the last of the season's brambles (the wild blackberries gathered in Autumn in our wonderful country) and juniper, the juniper flavour coming from the splashes of gin I added to the pan.