Wilson's Web

But it was to no avail because I no sooner felt her arms envelop me, than I too, was silently weeping. I had set out to comfort her, but instead she was now comforting me; comforting me even though I was responsible for the whole thing in the first place. I looked into her eyes. What a sight we must have been. Both of us in tears, yet each trying to console the other.

I embraced her, my wife and the embryonic life form growing within. We kissed and I felt for her backside. It was an instinctive movement to lift her skirt and to caress her beautiful bum through her panties.

But of course she wasn't wearing any! They were still in my pocket. The wispy item would have afforded her no protection of any kind, yet she seemed so vulnerable without it. I felt her fingertips on my neck. We kissed and I again tasted her salty tears. I caressed the cheeks of her pert behind before pressing her against my erection. Erection? I had not even realised I had one.

We sank to the floor. Of all the rooms in the house we chose the kitchen, the one room that had no carpet, only a cold, hard, unyielding, ceramic floor. She was now on her back on this unforgiving surface, her skirt hooked up on something, her femininity fully on show. I positioned myself so that I could kiss her sweet little box, could kiss her opening, could lick her cleft, could suck her clitoris, could bring her relief, and in so doing, atone for my sins. I tasted her divine wetness, cupping her buttocks as I forced my tongue in her. I could so easily have bruised this fragile beauty, but she seemed to be oblivious.

I felt her hand on my zip, and a moment later my rigid cock was enveloped in her hungry mouth. Now she had both hands on my backside, and was forcing me down, forcing me further into her mouth.

She was close to her climax and I renewed my oral ministrations on her clit. I was doing my best not to come just yet, but it was not far away. She suddenly tensed and pushed herself hard into my face. Feeling the intense heat and wetness of her orgasm was the trigger for mine and we came into each other's mouths. It was a wondrous moment of blissful sexual release, but it was more than that; it was also one of unalloyed love.

A ceramic floor is nice to look at and easy to clean but it leaves a lot to be desired as far as its suitability for mad passionate sex. And it is certainly not a surface for those languid post coital moments. In fact it was so uncomfortable that we had to stand up the moment we had finished.

"I do so love you, Tom."

"You mean more to me, Clare, than anything else in the world. I am sorry about..."

I did not finish my words. She placed her fingers to my lips and stilled them.

"You should have told me before, Tom. I did not have to keep going with him, you know. I thought you liked me doing it. I could have stopped much earlier, if I had known."

But that was the trouble. I had not wanted her to stop. We went to bed and I held her in my arms as I nodded off.

I heard the bedroom door open. I looked at the bedside clock. It was just gone eight.

"I've made you some tea." Clare, wearing a white camisole and tiny briefs, was standing next to the bed, holding a tray on which were two mugs. Her hair was tousled, but it gave her a sleepy sensual appearance.

"You're up early, Clare.

"Ray told me last night he'd be around for his car this morning at seven. I got up early so that I could talk to him."

"And did you...talk to him?"

"Yes, I did."

"How did he take it?"

"He actually took it very well. He was expecting it, I think."

"So what's he going to do now?"

"He's not sure. But he's asked me to keep him informed about how I'm getting on. He said that, provided we agree, he would still like to come round occasionally, but that he will not stop the night. He's even talking about making a new start, whatever that means."

I did feel for him. I could not begin to imagine how I would cope if I lost my beloved Clare.

"Come back into bed with me."

She pulled back the sheet to expose my erection. There was a soft smile playing round her lips.

"What, is he lonely then, Tom? Does he want someone to play with?"

"Not someone, Clare. You!"

She needed no further invitation; she slipped off her panties and climbed into bed. We snuggled up together, and the next moment we were kissing passionately. I felt her nipples through her camisole, and cupped her soft round breasts. She reached down between us and gently grasped my erection.

"And I need you, Tom. No one else, just you."

I could not say anything more, but that was only because her tongue was halfway down my throat. She was writhing against me as I insinuated my finger into her wet cleft. I felt for her opening and pushed it in, up to my knuckle.

She began to stroke me.

"Are you going to be content with just me?"

"I've always been content with you, Tom, and I always will be."

"Won't you miss the sex with Ray?"

"Why should I, when I have you?" She paused for a moment. When she resumed there was a breathlessness in her voice. "I want you, Tom."

She parted her legs and I climbed between them. She guided me into her hot depths. She was wet, but this time it was all her own doing. She raised her legs and I trapped them with my arms. I loved her in this position because it afforded me maximum penetration.

She was staring at me all the time as I slowly sank into her.

"I want you to fuck me really hard, Tom!"

I have fucked her hard in the past, but never, never as hard as this. Sometimes, I would power into her so forcefully that she would involuntarily blink. And she would respond with another adjuration to be harder still. I tried, God, how I tried! Surely I had to be hurting her, hurting her delicate femininity, as her body juddered, and the bed banged against the wall. I continued, aware from my pounding heart that I was not as fit as I ought to be; and I made a mental note to resume going to the gym.

I thrust into her one last time and then I was coming, jetting my semen into her core. Spasm after spasm overcame me; I do not think I have ever gone on for so long. I collapsed on Clare, drained in both senses of the word. Realising that my weight was bearing down on her, I tried to get off, but she held me firm in her arms. We kissed, a kiss now devoid of sexual passion, but replete with love and devotion.

She had a smile on her face as she looked at me. "And you thought I'd miss the sex with Ray! He and I have never had sex as good as we've just had!"

I lay down alongside her, never more content with my lot in life. She was on her back and already beginning to nod off. She looked so vulnerable, so fragile in repose that it was difficult to reconcile this woman with the one to whom I had just made love; the one who had entreated me to power into her ever harder.

I studied my alluring wife as she slept. Were her lovely little breasts any fuller? Was her stomach any fatter? Not yet, but it was only a matter of time. I asked myself what was it about her that I loved the most. Yes, she was gorgeous looking, and she really did have a lovely figure. But I think what I really loved the most was her personality, her caring nature, her generosity of spirit. It was her inner beauty. She might, or might not, get back her shape after childbirth. Her natural loveliness would surely be challenged by the passing of the years. But her inner beauty would remain with her for as long as she lived.

Chapter 10

Summer turned to autumn and the trees took on various copper hues. Clare was often on the phone to Ray. She told me that Ray wanted to know everything that was happening to her. She believed he was compensating for his being deprived of Fran going to full-term. But I was not totally convinced. I was worried that there might be another motive; that he really had fallen for her. Would he renege on his commitment, and use the baby as a means to stay in close contact with her? And what about Clare? She had tried to reassure me, saying that she could have stopped having sex with him earlier. I did not doubt she meant what she said, but other hormones were now active. Could she really bear his child and not feel something special for him? And, horror of horrors, might she actually leave me, for the father of her baby? Surely, it could not happen, and yet...

Autumn became winter and Clare, now six months gone, radiated serenity. A smile from her and I would feel at peace with the world. A frown, and my deep-seated concerns would resurface; my mood would become as black as the wintry weather. But winter passes too, and the first daffodils of the spring had just started to appear when Clare went into labour and Laura was born.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were both still asleep so I left a note saying that I was going to pop home for a shower and a change of clothing. I also wanted to make some phone calls. I got home about two in the afternoon. I was starting to feel really tired but a shower did wonders for me. I looked at the clock to work out the time in Vancouver where my mother now lived. It was just after three in the afternoon here in London, which would make it about seven in the morning there. I was just about to ring her with the news when the phone rang. Clare was on the line.

"Hello Tom, I've just seen the doctor and I can come out."

"Brilliant! So everything's ok then?"

"Well, not quite. Laura's got a slight problem. She has a web of skin between her second and third toes on her left foot. The doctor has written down the medical name for it. I'm not sure how you say it, but it is spelt 'syn..dac..tyl..yl.' Laura's is a very mild form, because sometimes the bones themselves are fused together. She will require minor surgery to separate them, but they won't do it until she's at least six months old. The doctor assured me it is a routine operation. The good news, Tom, is that she's in perfect health otherwise."

"That's a relief then. You really had me worried for a moment, Clare. I'm just going to ring Mum and then I'll pick you up. I should be there in say, one hour. I suppose I ought to let Ray know that you're coming home. He's bound to want to see Laura."

"Tom?"

"Yes."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Clare, and our little Laura."

I dialled Vancouver. Ted answered the phone in his Canadian drawl.

"Hiya Tom, how's it goin'? Is my Ellie a grandma yet?"

"Yes she is Ted. That's why I'm ringing."

"I'll get her for you Tom and you can tell her all about it. Congratulations anyway."

I heard him calling out her name. I liked Ted. He was a nice guy and really doted on Mum. They had been married now for five years. She had been widowed for about three years when they met, my father having died from cancer about ten years ago.

"Hello Tom, dear."

"Hello Mum or I should say Grandma! You have a little granddaughter. She was born this morning. We're calling her Laura. She weighed seven pounds three ounces and she is very pretty."

"I'm so pleased for you son," she said, "and how are they both?"

"Clare's fine Mum, but we do have a little problem with Laura. She's got a web of skin linking two of her toes. The doctor did tell Clare what it's called; syndac something or other."

"Was it syndactylyl?"

"Yes, I think it was."

"That's nothing to worry about, Tom. It's just a minor operation to separate them."

"Really?"

"Yes! You had it yourself when you were a baby. It's hereditary. We used to say it was 'Wilson's Web'. You had it; your dad had it and so did his sister, your aunt Iris. I think your grandfather had it too, but we never knew for sure because he was killed in the war."

"You never told me I had it."

"Didn't I? It just goes to show how trivial it was then. I think you were less than a year old when you had yours done. All it entailed was a bit of surgery and a couple of small skin grafts. So there's no need to be getting overly worried. Now tell me, when are they coming home?"

"I am going to collect them from the hospital in a little while."

It was when I put the phone down that the real significance of what Mum had said really hit me. Laura had 'Wilson's Web'. She had got it from me. I was Laura's biological father! She was my daughter! Who would have thought it? I had no idea of the numbers involved but I fondly imagined my lone potent sperm, hopelessly outnumbered by thousands of Ray's, but still managing to attach itself to Clare's egg in order to fertilise it. I could not help smiling to myself. I might not produce that much potent sperm, but mine was like the Pony Express; it always got through!

I was still smiling when I strode through the hospital corridor, a blissfully happy father, with baby carrier to prove it.

I went into the maternity ward where Clare was sitting on the bed waiting for me.

"Hello Laura's mum."

"Hello Laura's dad!"

It was so wonderful to hear Clare saying this, and now that I knew it to be actually true, it brought a lump to my throat. I sat down next to her and related what my mother had said. By the time I had finished, we were both in tears. A nurse asked us if we were all right.

"We really couldn't be better thank you," I said.

A short while later I noticed that Clare was frowning.

"Nothing's the matter, is it Clare?"

She smiled at me. Her eyes were still wet.

"No, not really Tom. But I'm just thinking, what do we say to Ray? He thinks he's the father and it will be a terrible disappointment when he finds out that he's not."

"Does he have to know Clare?"

"What do you mean?" She looked nonplussed.

"Well as you say he will be really disappointed and he's only now showing signs that he is beginning to get over Fran. Now it might just be coincidence, but I think it's more likely it's because he thinks he's fathered Laura. What will happen if we tell him that this is not the case? Will he revert to his former depressive state? Why not let him continue to believe that he is her father? It can't do any harm can it?

Remember he promised that Laura would be ours whatever her paternity. The only thing different is that now we have the comfort of knowing that even if he were to change his mind, we will be able to prove that she is mine."

I left her in the lobby of the hospital as I went to fetch the car. As I drove up to the main door she came out holding the baby carrier into which Laura had been securely strapped. The baby seat bracket was already in place on the rear seat, and I locked the baby carrier into it. Clare opted to travel in the back to keep an eye on her.

I could not have been more careful as I drove home with my precious cargo.

Ray was already in the house when we arrived. He was overjoyed to see Laura, and I knew we had made the right decision not to inform him about her paternity.

I poured out the champagne. Ray picked up his glass before clearing his throat.

"Congratulations to you both. Laura is absolutely lovely and you must be very proud of your baby daughter. I said 'your daughter' and that's exactly what I meant. She is yours Tom, not mine. So a toast then, to Laura's future. May she be happy and healthy."

We clinked our glasses in time-honoured fashion. Ray spoke again. "There is something else I want to say to you both and this is the ideal opportunity. Three months ago I applied to emigrate to Australia." He paused for a moment. "I've now been accepted. I intend to make a new start there."

Clare and I looked at each other as he continued. "There are three reasons for my decision, but any one of them would have been enough." A wry smile crossed his face.

"And what are they? I'm looking at them now...it's the three of you!" He drank some more of his champagne. "When Fran and the baby died I didn't want to go on; at one point I actually contemplated suicide. You two pulled me through, and I can never repay you for what you did.

"But then things became a bit more complicated when you decided you wanted a baby. Having sex with you, Clare, was truly wonderful. I could easily fall in love with you, but I know it would be for the wrong reason. You're Fran's twin, not Fran. But it's not only that; you're the wife of my best friend. Is this how I repay the two of you after all that you've done for me ...by seeking to break up your marriage?"

I glanced at Clare and saw a single tear trickling down her cheek. I was choked too. How could I have doubted him? I felt ashamed of myself.

Ray was not finished. "And then there's Laura. We don't want her confused about her identity, do we? I will be more than happy if she knows she has an uncle Ray, and I will enjoy sending her a card and a present at Christmas and on her birthday." He was doing his best to conceal them but there were tears in his eyes, too.

Clare opened her arms to him and they briefly kissed. "We're going to miss you Ray," she said in a voice breaking with emotion.

I picked up Laura, and the four of us fused into one.