The Different Paths To Love

For the next week, we fucked every night but then on New Year's Eve, I sensed that something was preying on her mind, and I asked her what it was.

"I like you Will. I do, I'm just worried this is going too fast. I don't want a serious relationship right now. Can we take it a little slower? The sex is great so if you are happy with that.....No strings..."

And then Mona

Just after New Year, I got a phone call at work. It was Mona.

"Hello Will. Happy New Year. You stood me up."

"I'm sorry. I thought you'd given me a phone number, not a room number, and by the time I discovered my mistake I was halfway to Putney."

"Would you like to make it up to me?"

I hesitated. Valeria had made it quite clear that we weren't in a serious relationship and Mona was offering sex on a plate with a very beautiful woman. Before I could answer Mona continued.

"Meet me tonight at eight after work. Do you fancy Chinese first?" and she named a restaurant in Chinatown.

Whilst I enjoy Chinese food I can never remember exactly what I ate half an hour after rising from the table and that evening was no different. Not least because my memories of Mona are of what happened after we ate.

Mona had booked us into a five-star West End hotel for the night. Her parents were Boston rich, and she had told me she liked to travel first class in life. We didn't take the tube from Chinatown; I hailed a passing cab and half an hour later we entered our room.

No sooner had I removed my coat and Mona hers' than she crossed the room and raised her lips to mine, and we kissed. The kiss was long and hard, and I felt her place her hand on each of my bum cheeks and push her groin onto mine as she pushed me towards her.

Then she turned and headed for the bathroom door.

"Me first," she said.

Shortly I heard the shower running and then it stopped, and she reappeared wearing a white bathrobe and slippers. Her red hair was wet, and she was drying it with a towel. "And now you," she said. I like my men clean before they get dirty."

A few minutes later I too was showered and robed. When I re-entered the bedroom Mona was sitting in the middle of the bed with her back to the headboard. She was still wearing the robe but had folded the duvet and placed it on the armchair in the corner of the room. I crossed towards her, and she rose to meet me, and we stood and kissed before she stood back and slipped the robe off, and let it fall to the floor.

She was beautiful. He skin was pure white, and her breasts were like firm half-melons She had a narrow waist but ample soft curvy thighs and wide hips. Her sex was shaved clean, and her labia were swollen and fleshy. She turned once and showed me her large round buttocks and spoke. "Show me."

I disrobed. My penis was hard and throbbing. She looked me up and down." Oh my," she said.

She sat on the edge of the bed, and I gently pushed her onto her back and knelt between her legs and start to lick her. At first, I slowly licked the length of her slit but soon her clitoris was swollen and hard under my tongue and I concentrated all of my attention there. To begin with, Mona whimpered but soon she started to moan, and then talk. My tongue flickered rapidly against her bud as her juices flowed and as she noisily moved toward her first orgasm.

"Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes!"

And then her hips lifted off the bed as she drove herself up against my tongue and she jerked in rapture, and I heard her long howl of pleasure.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

I stayed on my knees but lifted my head and looked down at Mona who lay still on her back watching me with her legs spread and her feet planted firmly on the floor. Her camel toe was thick and meaty and glistened with her secretions and my prick was like a ramrod.

"And now I'm going to fuck you rigid," I said.

And I heard her urgent reply. "Pleeeeeease!"

My penis slid between her lips and deep inside of her with no resistance, Her vagina was slippery with her juices as I rammed my prick in and out of her.

She came again almost at once. Her hips jerked and she ground against me as her back arched and she clawed wildly at the bed sheets with her hands tight by her sides..... and she screamed.... long and loud.

I didn't stop and her orgasms came in waves. She didn't stop talking.

"I love it. I love it. I Love it!"

"Give it to me. Give it to me! Give it to me!"

"Fuck me deep. Fuck me deep. Fuck me deep!"

"I'm going to come! I'm going to come! I'm going to come!"

"I'm Coming...! I'm coming.....! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Finally, she lay still. Her body was slick with sweat, her breasts and face pink and flushed, as she lay beside me.

She smiled. "Your turn now. Please come inside me," She knelt and took me in her mouth and whilst she pulled my foreskin back and forth she worked my mushroom head with her tongue and lips. I was rock hard when she rose turned and knelt on all fours. I knelt behind her and entered deep inside her. My balls slapped as I ploughed her. She started to talk again as she drove her beautiful pale arse against me.

"Fuck me, you bastard. Fuck me hard, you bastard. Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me!"

I need it. I need it. I need it so bad! I want It! I want it!

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

And her thighs trembled, her arse hole spasmed, and her cunt clamped down around my penis and as she came I came. I felt my shaft pulse, and then pulse again and again as she gripped me tightly, and my semen flowed high inside of her.

And then we lay quietly together, and we slept.

When I woke in the morning she was gone. She left a note. "Thanks for a lovely time. Let's do it again soon. I'll ring. I know where to find you. M xx"

***

As it turned out I never slept with Mona again and my relationship with Valeria limped on for a couple of days until she went to visit her sister in Madrid. I did not see her again until one Friday night late in the month after she had returned. She stayed the night but went home early on Saturday because she had a dentist appointment that morning.

She had promised to ring me later, but in the early afternoon I had gone shopping in the Arndale Centre close to her house and decided to visit on the off chance she might be in. I stood on her doorstep and rang the bell.

.

*****

First Mona and then Valeria... continued

I stood on the street outside Valeria's house and rang the bell and waited. I heard someone come to the door and it swung open, and I stood gaping in stunned silence. There on the doorstep stood her flatmate, a very unlikely "prim virgin."

It was Mona!

I was struck dumb and just stared. Mona broke the silence. "You'd better come in."

I followed her into the lounge and sat down. Mona appeared completely unphased. "Valeria will be home in five minutes. In the meantime would you like a cup of tea? Isn't that what Brits like to drink when they've had a shock? Then we'll explain."

A little later Valeria, Mona, and I sat together, and Mona started to talk. "Valeria and I are partners and lovers and have been for two years and we are both bi. Since we have been together I have had several men in my bed and Valeria has accepted that because I never hid any of them from her. All of them, you included, were about the sex. Valeria, until you came along, never had a boyfriend in all the time I have known her."

Valeria continued. "My marriage failed because my ex was a violent drunk. It put me off men, but I had Mona and for a long time she was enough. Sometime before Christmas I was talking to Mona and told her I was ready to dip my toe back into the water. And then we sat next to you at the party, and we agreed we'd both like to have you.... and then we did. When you rang me on Christmas Eve I knew you'd been with Mona in the hotel. She rang me from Heathrow and told me you were great in bed. And you are? I've never lied to you. I told you our relationship had no long-term future.......I'm sorry"

I sat quietly for a minute thinking and then stood.

"I'm sorry too I said. Goodbye Mona. Goodbye Valeria. `I doubt we'll talk again."

And I turned and walked out into the street closing the door firmly behind me.

*****

First Valeria and then Mona... continued

I stood on the street outside Valeria's house and rang the bell and waited. I heard someone come to the door and it swung open, and I stood gaping in stunned silence. There on the doorstep stood her flatmate.

It was Mona!

I was struck dumb and just stared. Mona broke the silence. "You'd better come in."

I followed her into the lounge and sat down. Mona appeared completely unphased. "Valeria will be home in five minutes. In the meantime would you like a cup of tea? Isn't that what Brits like to drink when they've had a shock? Then we'll explain."

A little later Valeria, Mona, and I sat together, and Mona started to talk. "Valeria and I are partners and lovers and have been for two years and we are both bi. Since we have been together I have had several men in my bed and Valeria has accepted that because I never hid any of them from her. All of them, you included, were about the sex. Valeria, until you came along, never had a boyfriend in all the time I have known her."

Valeria continued. "My marriage failed because my ex was a violent drunk. It put me off men, but I had Mona and for a long time she was enough. Sometime before Christmas I was talking to Mona and told her I was ready to dip my toe back into the water. And then we sat next to you at the party, and we agreed we'd both like to have you.... and then we did although it didn't go to plan. Mona was meant to have you first before she flew to Boston, but she didn't. The music was too loud, and you misheard her. It didn't matter in the end. I told her how good you were in bed. You should be flattered. And I never lied to you, and I never made any promises to you. I was going to let you down gently and finish our relationship this week. You weren't meant to find out about Mona and I'm sorry Will. I am You're a nice guy."

I sat quietly for a minute thinking and then stood.

"I'm sorry too I said. Goodbye Mona. Goodbye Valeria. `I doubt we'll talk again."

And I turned and walked out into the street closing the door firmly behind me.

*****

The Christmas Party 1978

The following year Christmas fell on a Monday and my parents hadn't decided to go away. I had originally planned to travel to Liverpool on the Friday evening after work but decided to go to the company Christmas party which had been such fun the year before. I was between girlfriends having had some short-term flings during the year. I didn't expect to be sat between two eligible and beautiful women on this occasion and had been prevailed upon to attend by my work colleagues.

Once again the party was held in a London hotel with live music, a discotheque, and a sit-down meal; this time my bonus was worth having. As before a tall Christmas tree sat in the corner of the room but this year there was a silly hat and a quality Christmas cracker at each place setting. When I looked at the sitting allocation at my table there was only one name I did not immediately recognise.... Miss Alice Llewellyn... and she was sitting next to me.

When I reached the table Miss Llewellyn was already sitting in her place and I immediately saw that I did know her. It was Alice, the young woman who had been witness to some of the events of the year before. Her dark was still cut short, and she still had a serious air to her but was more attractive than I remembered from the first time we had met. Her facial features were unusual and sculpted, she certainly had a nice figure, and her evening dress was a bright yellow and showed her body and legs off nicely.

"Good evening Dr West."

"Will," I replied.

"I know," she replied. "I'm Alice I was at the table with you last year. I thought you might not remember me. You seemed to have your hands full."

"Quite a coincidence that we have sat again together this year," I said.

"It would have been fairly unlikely I should say, and I should know. I'm a statistician. It's no coincidence though. I arranged it. My Boss insists we all attend these parties and I've been to four. The last one was the first that was remotely interesting. J figured sitting with you again might be fun and at the very least I might find some intelligent conversation. I spoke to the lady who arranged the seating. Her name is Terry."

"I'm flattered."

"Don't be I don't do flattery. I'm far too serious."

And then she fleetingly smiled, and her face lit up and as she did she became a different person, and I wondered about the person behind the mask.

That evening we talked. The conversation was not about us but about the thing that mattered to us. I found out that she was a serious amateur astronomer and that we shared an interest in both the American and Russian space programmes, She also found time to read extensively. She played chess, backgammon, and go, although I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised at this. She spoke English and Welsh and was a proud Welsh woman. I in turn described my love of travel and although she hadn't visited the places I talked about she had read about them in books and was able to tell me things I didn't know.

The only thing we disagreed on were the relative merits of rugby and football. I was, and still am, a Liverpool supporter and liked to go to Anfield whenever I could. She told me of her love of rugby and how she liked to go to Cardiff Arms Park and her eyes shone when she recounted the game against France from the previous March when Wales had won their first Grand Slam in thirty years. She had gone with her Uncle and remembered the atmosphere and how she cried when the crowd sang their anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau or Land of my Fathers. I, in turn, told her of my trip to Wembley in May to watch my beloved Liverpool beat Club Brugges and retain the European Cup. In the end, we agreed we had both had a good year.

We talked to the exclusion of the people at the table around us. We nibbled at the food and sipped the wine and talked and talked some more until suddenly the music grew quiet and the evening ended.

"Can I see you again," I asked?"

"If you want to," she said hesitantly "I'm away until Boxing Day evening. I'm going to Harlech for Christmas. That's where my Mum lives. Here's my home number in Richmond. If you still want to see me you can ring me after Christmas when I'm back."

And then she was gone.

Alice

Christmas that year was very different. I drove my new car to Liverpool on Christmas Eve and spent Christmas Day and Boxing Day morning with my parents, brother, and sister. We did the usual things; swapped presents and ate too much, went to Church, and listened to the Queen's speech. My mother fussed, my father drank too much, and he and I argued politics. The entire time Alice was never far from my thoughts.

I arrived back in Putney in the early evening and just after seven I rang Alice, who answered after what seemed to be a lifetime of ringing.

"I'm sorry I was in the shower. I nearly didn't hear the phone."

"How are you?"

"Dripping wet."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know."

"I enjoyed talking to you on Friday."

"Me too."

"Care to repeat it this evening?"

"Now. Are you serious?"

"Why not? I can meet you in The Angel and Crown just off Richmond High Street. Do you know it?"

"I can find it."

"Fine. One hour then. See you soon."

And I put the phone down before she could change her mind

I was sitting in the pub when she walked through the door. It was a cold evening, and she was wrapped up in a long red woollen coat, bobble hat, scarf, and gloves. I went to the bar and ordered her a babycham and lemonade and when I returned to the table she had removed her coat and hat and was sitting in a figure-hugging skirt and sweater. She had applied makeup and looked extremely desirable.

"Thanks for coming," I said, and she gave me one of her beautiful smiles.

That evening we talked a little about ourselves and I told her about my parents and my background. It turned out that Alice was from a broken home. Her father had deserted her and her mother when she was eight years old, and she had been brought up by her mother who had never re-married. Her mother had made great sacrifices for her, and Alice was determined not to let her down. She had worked hard at school and applied herself at university and got a first-class degree in mathematics and statistics.

"I guess that's why I'm so serious," she said. "Sometimes I envy people who don't take life so seriously. Like those two girls, What were their names?"

I didn't want to lie to Alice, so I told her they weren't important, and this seemed to satisfy her

"Have you had many girlfriends?"

"A few."

"I've never had a boyfriend."

And I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I can't imagine why. You are pretty and intelligent and good company."

I next saw Alice two days later when we went for an Italian meal and afterward, I drove her home. I parked the car outside her rented flat which was on the top floor of a semi-detached house, and she invited me inside for coffee. She had left the central heating on and the flat was warm and welcoming. I took off my coat and shoes and entered the lounge where a large white fluffy cat with bright blue eyes lay curled up against her radiator. He (I discovered later) raised his head, looked at me disdainfully, and went back to sleep.

A short while later Alice came into the room with two steaming mugs of hot coffee. She handed me one and sat in an armchair next to where I had sat on the sofa. The cat stirred, stretched, and mewing softly leaped onto her lap where it lay looking possessively across at me.

"This is Ringo," she said. "He loves me unconditionally. Animals are so much easier to deal with than people don't you think?"

"People are complicated," I said. "But you have to try to get along with them. You don't want to spend your life alone do you?"

"I used to think I did. Lately, I'm not so sure."

Then she changed the subject and we started to talk about music, and she told me of her love of the classical variety and put a record on her turntable and we listened to Beethoven's piano sonatas until the small hours of the morning.

***

We spent New Year's Eve together. Alice had been planning to travel to North Wales to be with her mother, but it snowed badly the day before and she had to cancel her plans.

"Would you like to spend it together," I asked.

"Yes please Will. That would be nice. Can I cook something?"

"Just not roast chicken or paella," I said.

"Don't you like chicken?"

"Yes but I'm not in the mood for it."

In the event, she cooked roast Welsh lamb with vegetables and gravy, and we toasted the New Year in with Champagne. Then for the first time, we sat close together, and I put my arm around her. She stiffened but then relaxed and I could hear her heart beating. She turned to me anxiously, took my arm from around her shoulder, and placed my hand in my lap.

"Will. Are you going to hurt me?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"You can have any woman you want. I know you had one or both of those two from last Christmas and others before that. I wish I could but I'm not going to play games. I want a serious relationship or nothing at all and I'm not just going to fall into bed with you. So why would you possibly want me? I'm not even particularly pretty."

And then she started to cry. "And now I've put you off and you won't want to see me again."

I put my arm back around her and held her tight until she stilled, and then I kissed away the tears from her eyes.