Dirty Minds

He changed the subject in case she asked him what research he was currently undertaking. ‘So you spend six days here each week. What about the seventh?’ He really wanted to know with whom she spent the seventh.

‘I’ve got a little place in London. Sophie and I take the train up most Sundays. If all goes well, we are back on the train again on Monday evening. Although I work from home most of the time, I like to keep up personal contact with my editor. I wouldn’t want her to forget me.’

‘I can’t imagine anybody forgetting you in a hurry.’

If she heard what he said, she gave no sign. ‘Of course, during spring and autumn collection time, I’m away a bit more. But I love Devon, and can’t wait to get back down here. And dear old Soph loves it to death.’

‘So when are you off to the bright lights again?’

‘Well, my editor is on holiday in the Caribbean, so I haven’t been up to London this week. I imagine I’ll be off on Sunday.’

‘So you will be here on Saturday?’

‘I certainly will.’

‘If you’ve nothing better to do, perhaps you might let me buy you dinner to say thank you for the tea and the shelter?’ Asking a woman out was something else he hadn’t done for quite some time. He suddenly found himself feeling quite unusually nervous.

‘Dinner in return for a cup of tea seems a rather unfair trade. But, if you are sure, I’d love to.’

He felt his spirits soar. But, no sooner had he registered his delight, than a sense of guilt had him questioning whether he was doing the right thing. It was too late now, he supposed. He cleared his throat.

‘Wonderful. Now I think the rain has passed for the moment, so I’d better make a break for freedom. Pick you up at seven thirty on Saturday?’

She nodded. Upon opening the door, they found Sophie the spaniel and a soggy Labrador squeezed together on the old armchair that served as a dog bed.

Somehow, neither of them chose to comment.

‘Come on Noah, let’s head for home before it gets too dark to see.’

Chapter Six

Nine thirty. All three kids were finally in bed. Tiffany could relax.

‘What’re you reading?’

She passed the letter over to him. ‘It came this morning. You remember that funny advert I replied to?’

He took it from her. It was addressed to Mrs Tiffany Rossi. Luca read it with interest.

‘So, are you going to send him a thousand words?’

‘I thought I’d give it a go. All I’ve got to do is to decide what period of history, what place and what sort of sex to write about. What do you think?’

He looked across at her. She was a fine looking woman. He reached across the back of the sofa and encircled her shoulders with his arm. She snuggled up against him.

‘Sex? Not sure if I can remember what that is.’ He was only half-joking.

‘Mmm. It has been a while, hasn’t it?’ She reached up and kissed his cheek.

‘I think you could have a lot of fun with this, Tiff. In fact, we could both have a lot of fun doing this.’ He kissed her ear and scratched his fingernail against the side of her breast. ‘You’ll need to do lots of research, you know.’

She laid her hand on his thigh and started a gentle stroking movement. ‘Do you think the kids are asleep?’

‘After swimming, a fifth birthday party and football practice, I should bloody well hope so.’ He pulled himself to his feet. ‘Of course, just to be on the safe side, I could stick a chair under the door handle.’

As he came back to her, he peeled off his jumper and shirt. She loved the way his black hair grew in a line down the middle of his chest, disappearing into the waistband of his trousers. He had put on a few pounds but he was still the very handsome man she had married. She reached out to him.

‘So what kind of sex have you got in mind, signora?’ His hands were undoing the buttons of her blouse.

‘For the book or for now?’ She undid his belt and reached for his zip.

‘Why not both?’ He stripped the blouse off her. Her nipples were pressing hard against the white lace of her bra.

‘It’s really supposed to be kinky sex for the book. We haven’t done a lot of that.’ She stretched an arm around his neck and pulled his face down so she could kiss him.

‘I’m not averse to a bit of kinky.’

She felt his hands on her body. ‘How kinky is kinky?’ She was purring now.

‘How about this?’ His free hand slapped her hard on the buttocks, twice.

‘Ouch.’ She felt the sharp impact. It snapped her out of her delicious sense of dreamy pleasure. Annoyed, she pulled herself away from him, but he tightened his grip, holding her to him. He swung his hand again and again, the pain increasing each time. After six blows he stopped, and released his hold on her. She stumbled and would have fallen. He took her hand and sat her down on the sofa. Pushing her backwards, he stood up, tore off his remaining clothes, then stepped towards her. She clenched her teeth to stop herself from screaming with pleasure. This was definitely not the time to wake the kids.

He thrust at her powerfully, pushing her back against the cushions until she could hold on no longer. Reaching up, she caught his chest hair in her fingers. She tugged him down towards her until her mouth reached his. Spearing him with her tongue, she climaxed more violently than she had for months, years, maybe ever.

Seconds later she felt him shudder. Her hands slid round to his buttocks, gripping him firmly, his muscles tensing against her fingers. She held him as he climaxed in his turn. They remained like that for some minutes. Then, slowly, he leant forward and pressed a soft kiss onto her lips. He slumped down onto the sofa beside her, one hand cupping her breast.

‘Wow.’ She could barely speak.

‘Wow, indeed.’ His voice was little more than a whisper.

They lay together for quite some time, before she roused herself, sat up and took stock. Her neck was aching from the pressure against the back of the sofa. Her nipples were stinging, and her buttocks hurt. But it didn’t matter one jot. What they had just experienced had been amazing.

‘Did I hurt you?’ He sounded subdued, apologetic even. She looked over at him, flopped on his back, still bathed in sweat. He looked unexpectedly vulnerable.

‘Of course you did. I feel as if I’ve just been run over.’ Seeing the concern on his face, she slid across towards him. ‘But I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.’

He hugged her to him.

‘Well, I think that maybe answers the “encounter” question. Now all you need is a historic period of time and a place.’

She returned her mind to the question in hand. She felt sure that if she could reproduce in words what had just happened between them, she would be chosen to write the book. But what about the where and when?

Any further discussion of the writing project was interrupted by a plaintive little voice from the hall.

‘Mummy, Ben’s taken Mr Ted and he won’t give him back.’ There was a muffled sniff. ‘And the lounge door won’t open. Mummy, are you there?’

Luca caught her eye as she dropped onto her knees and started to collect her clothes from the floor. He gave her a broad wink.