Victoria's Secrets

Keith had sent him his address. The second was from Mandy, confirming that Adrian's bigoted joke was just coincidental, so their secret was safe. Closing her text, she wished Alex happiness and warned him to tread lightly.

"Blimey, do I need a passport?" Alex laughed, realising they were in an affluent area. In front of them were high-end modern apartment blocks, not the aged tower block apartments Alex expected.

"Hardy har, har. Dad owns several, they aren't cheap and whilst I get daughters discount it still is pushing my budget. I love this more cosmopolitan area, not having to fear for my safety over previous areas I have rented in."

Her apartment whilst still a single bedroom was large. The kitchen, dining and lounge areas were open plan. An island separating the kitchen to the dining area with them both opening out to a large lounge filled by an 'L' shaped leather sofa and large TV. Large sliding doors opened out from the lounge onto a large balcony with a table and chairs.

"You can't be paying for this by working weekends on travel show stands?" Alex asked in awe.

"No, I worked for Dave as a temp when I first moved to London. Helping him out now and then when he needs extra help as it pays for extras and holidays. I have a permanent job working for a large accountancy firm. They paid for me to take my bookkeeping exams on a part-time college basis. They kept me on so that pays for all this. Although I don't have anyone to share it with."

She smiled at Alex as she finished her sentence. Even he caught her drift.

"Alex, if you don't mind I need to shower and change? There is a kettle, tea, coffee and everything in the cupboards so help yourself. Here is the remote for the TV.

Are you okay chilling?" Alex slumped onto the sofa, glad to take the weight off his feet.

"Hey, it's been a whirlwind of a day for me too. Knock your socks of girl; would you like a drink?"

"No, it's okay." She laughed, reaching into the fridge and filled a glass with water.

"I'm glad you haven't changed."

As she past, she kissed Alex on the top of his head and dragged her hand over his shoulders as she disappeared into her bedroom.

Searching through the TV channels, Alex found a film. It took him longer to find the tea bags and mugs than for the kettle to boil. Returning to the sofa, he searched through his backpack containing the day's brochures to flick through.

He heard music from the bedroom, and then the door open with a patter of bare feet crossed the tiled hall into the bathroom. Hearing the shower, he drifted into a daydream of various scenarios containing Vicky showering, all with little Mike present.

"Alex?"

"Oh, sorry."

Vicky stood behind the sofa in a white thick bathrobe, with her hair tied up above her head, exposing her dainty ears. Each ear bore a pair of small studs glistening in contrast to her skin.

"Can you hear that rain outside? I don't want to go out in that. Do you mind?" She looked anxious with her tell tale lip bite.

Listening, Alex could hear the rain lashing on the balcony windows. It wasn't a sound to encourage anyone out of a warm apartment that contained a beautiful woman.

"No, that's fine. We can still have our valentine night here, no problem. Plan 'C' it is then." Alex was pleased as he wouldn't have to risk sharing her attention with anyone else.

Vicky's face lit up, and she bobbed on her toes in delight, "That is a relief, I'll get dressed and we can order in." She spun around and swept into her bedroom out of sight.

After just one ad break of the film, Vicky's soft low voice sang out, "What do you think?" Turning to look at her, Alex slipped off her leather sofa onto the floor in shock.

There she stood, barefoot in the same simple cotton summer bright yellow dress that Alex & Rich caught her admiring in Venice. She was stunning in her dress as it laid bare most of her athletic body and slim sculpted legs that disappeared up into her dress. Despite not being tanned, the bright yellow colour made her look like a beach-ready model in a fashion magazine.

It fitted her with perfection, the top half hung from thin shoulder straps, showing as much cleavage as her chest would allow. The waistband gripped her narrow waist above the pleated skirt that hung just above her knees. Perfect for summer, but not so much for a cold rainy day in London.

Her makeup was softer with light delicate eyebrows. He was no longer intimidated, as the saleswoman had gone, with her sophisticated façade, but not her beauty. Now she was more 'the girl next door'. Her beauty shone out as a beacon of everything Alex had ever dreamed of in a woman. She looked more at ease. His desire for this woman now gripped him, wanting to hold her and go beyond friendship.

"The yellow dress?" Alex asked, still in shock.

"Yes, you like it? After my boobs and a new bra, it was my next clothing purchase and I love it."

Alex stood up, and they held hands at arms' length so he could admire her. She glowed with pride.

"I love it too."

"I dearly wanted to wear this dress for you tonight but not out in that rain."

She spun around so the pleated skirt billowed out and her bodice bobbed, revealing she was braless. This started Alex throbbing again. She seemed to hold back despite looking as if she was about to hug him.

"WOW. That is a great Valentine's date dress."

"Thanks. I have some cheese, biscuits, dips and something other than wine to drink. We can order a delivery for later?"

"Plan 'C' sounds better and better by the minute."

She went on to search her kitchen cupboards and fridge, placing packages on the island worktop as she went. Alex enjoyed watching her move. She was like a ballerina with the dress flowing with her. Seeing so much of her naked flesh, he wanted to strip off her clothes and ravage her.

"Oooo look what I found?" Vicky emerged from her large double fridge with a large bottle of champagne.

"It was a Christmas gift from work, but I've not had the occasion to drink it. Can you open it, please?"

She passed Alex the bottle and a tea towel. She needed to celebrate something, so he didn't want to admit that he wasn't a fan of champagne. Sliding the balcony door ajar, he fired the champagne cork out into the rain.

Vicky held two glass flutes, ready for Alex to fill. Taking a glass each, they chinked a toast.

"To us and our second date?" Vicky asked, stepping up close with Alex catching her perfume again.

"To us and our first Valentine date?" He replied, and she beamed back.

They hooked their drinking arms together and sipped their drinks. Once their glasses lowered, Vicky ran her tongue around her deliciously wet lips. Alex's heart leapt at the erotic gesture. She leant forward and pecked a kiss on his lips, tasting like summer. He wanted to sample more but was disappointed to find her raised glass between them as a symbolic barrier.

"To us," Vicky said, smiling, her eyes beaming as she took a second sip, She looked like a million dollars. She flicked her hair to one side revealing her neck smoothly arching to join her shoulders before plunging to her cleavage.

"Shall we have some music? I have a rock playlist I think you will like." Vicky sidestepped away from Alex. Why was she avoiding the inevitable second kiss?

Vicky scrolled through TV screens to reach a list of music playlists. The selector bar landed on 'Rock Music A' but there was no B.

"A for Alex?" He asked and saw her blush again.

"Mmhmm. Blunt as ever."

Alex took that as a 'yes'. A slight chill had fallen between them after their kiss. Alex pondered whether he needed to up his game or whether she was waiting for him to validate or acknowledge something? Having never played these types of emotional games before, all these mixed messages confused him.

AC/DC Thunderstruck started, and she adjusted the volume. She returned to the kitchen island, busying herself gathering nibbles onto plates with some dips. Two small coffee tables appeared from nowhere and placed by the sofa. She dimmed the lights and appeared with small LED candle lights and placed them around the lounge area.

Soon they were sitting beside each other, eating nibbles, glasses in hand. Vicky was sitting cross-legged with her phone in front of her between her legs and scrolled through screens.

"Right, what would you like to eat here at the cafe chez Vicky?"

"Your night out, my treat, you decide." Alex hoped he could lighten the mood and lose this chill that seemed to have come between them.

"You are too much the gentleman, you know what I want?"

"Fish and chips?" Although it was easy to guess what she wanted, now Alex knew her version of their history.

"Pizza, as this time you know we are on a date."

"At least there are no girlfriends to squeeze us together this time."

"Do you think we need other girls to squeeze us?"

"No, not this time ... We will need ice cream to eat with your yellow dress."

"I have some Ben and Jerry's in the fridge, I assume you will still eat chocolate chip?"

"Haha. As it is you, yes."

"Back to pizza, what do you fancy?"

"I think she is sitting on the sofa."

She smiled back, tutting and shaking her head.

"So long as it doesn't have anchovies or hot spicy stuff, I'm okay. I can always pick the olives out." Alex knew this was a pet hate of Vicky's as her mother is Italian.

"You heathen, olives make the pizza. Cheesy crust? Now you are going to ask for Ham, Cheese and pineapple toppings. You Neanderthal!" She grinned, giving Alex a playful shove, remembering his whinging in Venice.

"I've ordered three small ones to share with various toppings. So you can sample real pizza as this is my date."

She clicked through some screens on her phone.

"I ordered the Pizzas, they will be about 45 minutes."

"Hang on, this was to be my treat? Now I still owe you for dinner."

"Sorry, as I have an account with them, it was easier."

The chill between them seemed to have lifted, so Alex asked Vicky about her work.

"They've been brilliant. Without them, I couldn't have afforded college, even part-time. At college, I joined support groups and made some great friends in the LGBTQ+ community."

She detailed her role. It was plain she was with a good professional employer. She fitted in well with the other staff and the company was encouraging her to go further and to build towards a degree in accountancy.

She asked Alex about his work. Before long her eyes glazed over and he realised he was droning on. Boring her about widgets, wonkels, spurs and gears. Not of interest to anyone outside of engineering. They soon finished the nibbles with the bottle of Champagne.

The rock ballad by Berlin 'Take My Breath Away' from the film 'Top Gun' came on and Vicky perked up asked, "Do you mind dancing with your date?"

For Alex, this was a no brainer, "Hell yes."

There was more than enough space for them to dance as a couple. Alex felt as awkward as a loose bag of spanners, whilst she was more like a music video extra. They twisted and twirled at arm's length around the stone tiled floor. Every touch of her body ran excitement through Alex. Despite his poor attempt at dancing, he felt it was quite romantic.

Then the music changed to Whitesnake 'Here I Go Again'.

Now it was Alex's turn for a confession, "The lyrics suit me, as I've always been lonely no matter whom I was with, 'here I go again on my own'," When he realised how depressing his melancholy sounded it was too late.

Vicky squeezed closer and whispered, "But not tonight."

Alex nuzzling into her so he could drink in the fresh scent of her hair. He ran his hands up & down her back, to rest on her slim waist. Dancing together closely, with her body brushing across him, was an excellent aphrodisiac feeding his desire for her.

The first bars of The Foo Fighters 'My Hero' came on.

"Oh Alex," Vicky squealed, perking back up, beaming with excitement, looking as if she loves the song as much as he did. They started dancing with clumsy push, pull twists whilst singing along. Alex even twirled her around under his one hand whilst holding hers above her head.

"Come on, Alex, loosen up, use those hips," She teased. "Dance like nobody's watching."

Then on cue, she stepped back clear of Alex, pointing both forefingers at him to sing the chorus.

There goes my hero.

Watch him as he goes.

There goes my hero.

He's ordinary.

She beamed at him with passion behind every word. It left him shocked with the realisation that this was what he meant to her? Could he meet her expectations high on this pedestal? Was he at fault not realising her secrets?

As guitar breaks came she rocked out, head-banging to flick her hair, better than any hair product advert. Her loose boobs bounced around, desperate to escape her tight dress.

At each chorus, she re-enacted her sing-along, each time an extra tear or two would run down her face. By the last chorus, tears were streaming down her face. Even Alex's eyes filled with tears, watching this beautiful woman's passion for an ordinary guy like him.

As soon as the last chorus ended, she leapt at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He clasped her waist, and they danced around to the last chords of the song with her sobbing.

"Alex, you were my first crush and after our pizza date, I was smitten. On that last day of the sixth form was when I fell in love with you."

This knocked Alex for six. Having only ever heard relatives say the 'L' word to him before. Today was proving he was someone very special to her. Her reappearance in his life made him realise maybe they were more than just close friends before. A lustful desire for her was now gripping Alex.

They continued twirling around together, dancing as the music changed to something slower. Vicky faced Alex, looking a little bedraggled with puffy wet green eyes after dancing and crying.

Alex yearned to taste her again. Not wanting to let this moment pass, he lowered his head to hers until their lips met. Immediately Vicky's tongue broke through to search deep into his mouth. She ran her hands up the back of his head to hold him, prolonging their kiss.

After a while, she released him, looking up at him. Her eyes glistening and her dimples betrayed her joy as they both soaked in the moment. Longing and loneliness were displayed in her eyes as they pulled Alex in to swim in them.

They returned to dancing, although now closer, neither being afraid to kiss and run hands over each other. Her lovely peach bum was an irresistible draw for his hands, but it was Vicky who was grinding into Alex whilst he felt a second bulge brushing against him.

"Oh, Alex, this is one hell of a valentine's date."

"My best second date ever."

"Our date isn't over yet," Vicky declared.

They returned to the sofa, although this time Vicky sat on Alex's lap. She ground her bum on his bulge to get comfy. Pulling a clean handkerchief out of his pocket, Alex wiped her tear-streaked cheeks and eyes. Alex enjoyed being intimate with her, as she giggled acceptance.

"Oh my god, I must look a mess, it was all too much after all these years. Finally, I was brave enough to kiss and tell." She nibbled and curled her lips whilst playing her fingers on Alex's chest.

"You mean that four-lettered word?"

"Yes. I'm glad you've matured not changed." Vicky faltered, then changed tack.

"I hope you don't mind me making 'Hero' our song? Whenever depressed, I would play it whilst looking at our photos."

"I'm glad that you've told me. No one has ever been so passionate over me."

Then Alex realised a mistake, a missed opportunity, showing his naivety in social engagements. He got his phone, unlocked it, and went to contacts, setting up a new one, 'Vicky Parks' and handed her his phone.

"Set in your details, then ring your number. We should have swapped phone numbers on the last day of the sixth form." Vicky let out a joyful high-pitched squeal, typing into his phone at an almost professional speed.

She pressed the call button, causing her phone on the kitchen island to buzz moments later. She passed Alex his phone back and grabbed hers to then frantically type a caller ID.

"Ok, so that has righted one wrong."

For Alex, it was an enormous relief that after the confessions throughout the day and their kiss, that everything now seemed an unspoken done deal. Wanting to ensure something beyond tonight, his mind raced, seeking solutions.

"I've been thinking," Alex stated as the answer came to him.

"You be careful thinking, I've heard some of your previous ideas."

"Well, Bristol is only a 2-hour train ride away. On Fridays I finish work at 2 pm so could easily be here from 5 pm onwards and we would have the entire weekend together. The bonus is next weekend we will be able to get a table both nights and we can do this in style?"

"Whaaat. You promise?" She squealed sitting up, perking up, with her face radiating an enormous smile displaying those deep dimples in her cheeks.

"Yes, I'm having a wonderful time with a beautiful woman, why wouldn't I want to repeat it?"

"It's almost too good to be true. Spending the weekend together would be beyond my wildest dreams." She was jubilant.

"Also, if you go to Birmingham for that travel show, we can book a hotel and have the Saturday night together."

Vicky' squealed again and tightly hugged Alex.

"You promise?"

"Haha yes, I promise, next weekend & Birmingham."

"You're not just saying that to get in my knickers?" She sat up laughing.

"Well, so long as they aren't those big baggy passion killing 'Y' fronts we used to wear!"

"Yuk, you'd better not be still wearing those?"

"Nope. Only the best supermarket boxers for me!"

Vicky used his handkerchief to dry her eyes again, half laughing, and half sobbing with a wide grin.

Before Alex could stop himself, his thoughts tumbled out, "Your eyes are a wonderful shade of green ... I could get lost in them."

She squealed, "You noticed?" As she returned to blubbing.

"No, no more crying. Sorry, I didn't mean to say pleasant things about you!" Alex laughed as she continued to dab his hanky across her eyes again, laughing back.

"Okay, I'll stop crying, but don't you dare stop saying pleasant things about me," As she gave Alex a playful thump.

They cuddled on the sofa some more and then Vicky got up, clearing the mess from their nibbles away. She looked like a 1950s dutiful wife bouncing around. With her bare feet pattering on the tiles, and her dress fluttering.

Alex hunted for cutlery and placemats and set the table for two. Vicky was placing various shaped bottles on her island countertop.

"What poison do you fancy? My ex left some Jagermeister and Jack Daniels. They aren't to my tastes although I have some various flavoured Gins, Aperol, Oh and some Prosecco?" Vicky offered.

"I'll have a Lemmy Please, although I'd prefer cider or beer."

"What on earth is a 'Lemmy'?" She laughed, expecting one of his corny jokes.

"Lemmy Kilmister, the singer of Motorhead? He died a while back and was famous for drinking JD & Coke, hence having a 'Lemmy'." She laughed, shaking her head. She was used to hearing oddball stuff from him.

Vicky mixed a pair of drinks and then led Alex back to the lounge, sipping their drinks to dance to the slower middle of the road ballad now playing.

By the third drink, they returned to the sofa, cuddling, chatting and playing footsie. Both of them were enjoying each other's company as the drink caught up with them.

Before they knew it, the door intercom buzzed, Alex dashed over and pressed the big green speak button.

"Pizza for Miss Vicky Parks."

"Ok mate, I'll be there in 2 minutes."

"Here's the key card, it's all paid for." Vicky passed him the key card whilst stealing a kiss.