Deceit of Angels (33 page)

She
came out of the bathroom.  Jason was sitting up in bed.  “I thought you’d taken
up residence,” he chuckled.

“Wanted
to look nice for you,” she said.

He
held out his arms to her.  “Sweetheart, you always look beautiful to me.  Come
here.”

Normally,
she wouldn’t need a second invitation but now she hesitated.  She walked across
the carpet and instead of sliding in beside him, she sat up against the
pillows, her leg tucked underneath her.  She could see the desire in his eyes
and thought of all the times they had made love in the past.  They had always
been such wonderful moments and taking in a large breath she convinced herself
that this time would be no different.  She loved him passionately and that very
fact would make everything all right.

Taking
her time, Anna started undoing the buttons on her pyjamas.  Jason watched her
mesmerised while she undid the first two, trying to control his breathing that
was coming in short gasps.  He found her so alluring and sensual that he
thought he was going to explode with yearning. 

“Let
me do that,” he whispered.  He undid the remaining buttons and then pulled her
down into his arms, kissing her hair, then her forehead and then her lips. 
“God!  How I’ve missed you.”

He
caressed her shoulder and then ran his hand tenderly down her body.  He felt
hungry for her, like a starving man suddenly offered a delicious plate of
food.  But he sensed something was wrong.  Anna wasn’t responding in her usual
way, she was tense and nervous.  They had been parted only one week, but it was
as though they had never made love before.  He would have to be as gentle as
possible.  And unhurried.  Perhaps just by loving her he could help her relax. 
He slipped the pyjama top over her shoulder, kissing her bare flesh.  But it
was when he tried to remove the top she tensed even more.

“Can
I keep it on?”  She clutched at the garment, pulling it to her, trying to cover
herself.

He
lifted his head, puzzled.  “Are you suddenly feeling shy?”

“No,
just a bit cold.”

Jason
gave a smile and drew her closer.  “It looks like I’m going to have to warm you
up,” he murmured. 

He
helped her out of her pyjama bottoms and then pressed his lips on her neck and
throat and mouth, his body aching with sexual tension.  Anna tried to relax,
tried to think of Jason and their love for each other.  But her husband’s face
kept floating into her mind.

She
didn’t know if she imagined it but Jason seemed to enter her with a violence he
had never used before.  Anna let out a muted shriek of pain and held onto him,
burying her face in his shoulder.  Pain and pleasure are often
indistinguishable and for Jason, Anna’s cry only meant enjoyment.  Not for one
moment did he believe he was hurting her.  And not for one moment did he think
that each urgent thrust into her made her grit her teeth and bring tears to her
eyes.  Only after he had fallen asleep, did Anna allow her pillow to absorb her
tears.     

The following
day brought some remarkable news from Nigel.  He phoned to say that he had received
the paperwork from the solicitor representing Anna’s husband, since now he was
divorcing her on the grounds of adultery.  

“Are
you OK with that?” he asked.

“He’s
got a bloody nerve!” she said crossly.  “He puts me through hell and then
calmly divorces me on grounds of
my
adultery.”

She
quickly glanced round.  Jason had just gone to the kitchen to make them some
coffee.  She didn’t want him to come in and catch her in the middle of this
particular conversation.

“I
was surprised, to be honest.  But it’ll be a lot quicker if you allow him to
divorce you.  It should be straightforward from now on and you could get your
divorce by April or May.  June at the very latest.”

“I
would like that very much!”

“Then
I will get on with it immediately.”

“Thank
you.”

“There’s
also some good news on the financial front.  He’s agreed to buy you out, so you
should receive a cheque when your divorce is finalised.”

Anna
felt stunned.  “He has?  Now I’m really confused.”

“It
looks like he’s being amicable and we have to be thankful for that.”  He gave a
nervous cough.  “Listen, Anna.  I’ll do everything I can, but are you sure you
don’t want to press charges?”

But
Anna was adamant.  The situation was totally impossible.  “I can’t do that.  I
don’t want to hurt my boys.”

She heard
Nigel sigh.  “Very well.  But let me know if you change your mind.”  There was
a slight pause before Nigel added, “I know I’m your solicitor but I’m also a
friend.  Ring me if you ever need to talk.  And Sophia says the same thing. 
Don’t be worried about ringing us at home if you really need to.”

Anna
bit her lip.  She could hear Jason coming through from the kitchen.  “Thank
you.  I’ll bear that in mind,” she whispered.  “Must go.  Bye.” 

She
quickly put down the receiver as Jason appeared.  He had heard her talking and
noticed her abrupt stop when he entered the office.

He
put the mug down in front of her.  “Who was that?”

“Nigel. 
It seems I’m going to get my divorce after all.  Dave has agreed to go ahead. 
Nigel thinks it’ll all be completed by the late spring.”

Jason’s
face became radiant as he pulled her onto her feet and swung her up in his
arms.

“That
means we can have a summer wedding at the Grange,” he said, laughing with
delight.

She
didn’t feel like laughing with him.  “Yes, that would be wonderful.”

He
gently put her back on her feet, his heart melting.  “I know it’s been tough
for you, but let’s look forward now.  There’s Christmas and your boys visiting
and then all the plans we can make for our wedding.”

Although
tears threatened she was determined not to give way to them.  She had spent
enough time crying over her husband’s despicable behaviour.  She gave a watery
smile and shook away her tears.  “Yes, of course,” she said briskly.  “Must
finish this letter so it can be posted tonight.”

She
sat down at her desk and started typing.

Jason
returned to his desk, his thoughts grim.  While making the coffee he had had a
conversation with Ben and Mrs Wilby who felt duty bound to tell him of Anna’s
terrible wretchedness while he had been away.  They put it to him that she was
missing her boys to the point that she could make herself ill, something that
he had already concluded.  Thank goodness a visit was imminent.

They
carried on working for the rest of the day.  It was now Friday and it was a
week since her ordeal with Dave.  The memory will fade, she thought
confidently.  Jason was right, she must think of the summer and the wonderful
life she and Jason would have together.  She would take each day as it came. 
Her thoughts turned to the night before when she and Jason had made love.  She
had still felt some pain, but of course she was still a bit bruised since she
hadn’t quite healed yet.  But she would, she convinced herself and then
everything would be as it was before.  All she had to do was be patient.

The next day was
Saturday and that evening they were to go to the Marriott Hotel for the
Christmas dinner dance.  That evening, Anna dressed feeling very nervous, but
the fact that they were in one of the suites eased her mind somewhat.  She only
had to walk through the main door and into the foyer.  After that she would be
in a room that had no association whatsoever with her husband.

She
dressed with care, wearing her hair as she had that night of Margaret’s party. 
In fact, she decided to wear the same jewellery.  It had been a wonderful
evening and she and Jason had made love for the very first time that night. 
Perhaps she could capture some of that magic again.  But she had forgotten the
love bite on her neck.  It was slowly fading but was still noticeable.  There
was nothing for it but to wear a scarf.  She selected a silver one to match the
trimming on her dress.

Hollie
came bouncing into the room.  “Do I look pretty?”  She was wearing a pink party
dress and Anna had already done her hair, tying it up with a ribbon.

“You
look wonderful.  The belle of the ball.”

“What’s
that?  The bell and the ball?”

Anna
couldn’t help laughing.  “No, sweetie, the belle of the ball.  It means the
prettiest young lady there.”

“You
look good too,” she said, skipping round the room and then out of the door.

Jason
appeared.  “Goodness!  You look great.  And that scarf really sets it off.”

Anna
pulled the silver taffeta more closely round her.  “Thought it would look more
Christmasy.”

Anna
didn’t look to either left or right when she entered the hotel.  She kept her
eyes firmly ahead, her hand through Jason’s arm.  And before she knew it she
was in the suite, decorated with balloons and garlands with the tables set with
silver cutlery, shining wineglasses and Christmas crackers and party poppers.

The
evening turned out to be very pleasant and the meal was delicious.  She and
Jason watched with amusement as Ben and Mrs Wilby did a ‘turn’ around the floor
and then spent the next ten minutes fanning the large lady with their menus as
she panted with the exertion.  During the evening, Anna started enjoying
herself as she danced with Jason.  There was always something so wonderful
about being in his arms and seeing him smile at her.  It was if she was the
only woman in the room and he always made her feel very, very special.  She was
so desperate to recapture what they had shared that she was unaware that she
was drinking too much. 

Jason
noticed.  “That’s your fourth glass of wine, sweetheart.  Be careful, you know
you can’t hold your liquor.”

She
leaned towards him.  “Oh, can’t you handle me when I’m drunk?”

He
gave a smug smile.  “Of course I can.  I’m just thinking of you.”

He
put his arm round her shoulders, pulled her close and gave her a quick kiss on
the lips, relieved that she seemed more relaxed.  The alcohol was certainly
helping.       

Graham
crossed the floor towards them.  “I wondered if Anna would care to dance?”

“Love
to,” said Anna, rising unsteadily to her feet.

Jason
smiled with amusement.

It
was gone one in the morning when they finally arrived home.  Although Hollie
had been allowed to stay up just this once, she had fallen asleep and her
father carried her upstairs and Anna undressed her and put her to bed.  It had
been quite a wonderful evening and with the wine inside her, Anna felt more
relaxed and happier than she had been for the last week.

She
went into their bedroom and fell backwards onto the bed.

“I’m
absolutely pooped.”

Jason
was just starting to undress.  “It’s all that alcohol you drank.  I’m going to
have to watch you, or you’re going to turn into a drunken sot.”

“Cheek!”

He
lay down next to her, leaning on his elbow.  “Well, is milady going to get
undressed?”  He caressed her cheek.  “Or do you need some help?”

She
gave a sleepy smile.  “I can undress myself.”

He
slipped the straps off her shoulders and started kissing her.  Anna began to
float away on a pink cloud and when he kissed her lips she responded
passionately, flinging her arms round his neck and pulling him down towards
her.  He ran his hand up her leg to her thigh.  Suddenly she was aware of his
weight pinning her down.  This seemed so strange as Jason never positioned
himself so that his full weight was on her, he was always considerate of her
comfort.  At first she thought she was imagining it, but he felt very heavy. 
His kisses became more ardent and she found it difficult to breathe.  She began
to struggle against him. 

Jason
lifted himself up and grinned.  “Now what’s going on here?” he murmured.  “Are
you wanting to play a little game?”

Anna
had never suggested ‘games’ in their lovemaking, but there again, she had had
very little experience in sexual matters.

“I…want
to get up,” she said.  She tried to push him off.

Completely
misreading the situation, Jason pushed her back and held her hands in a vice
like grip behind her head.

“Oh
no, you don’t.  You’re not getting away from me!”

She
struggled more violently.  “Jason, please don’t!”

He
pulled her dress up to her thighs and started unfastening his own clothing. 
Anna gave out a muffled scream and he saw the fear in her eyes.  He stopped
immediately and sat upright, frowning in bewilderment.

“Sweetheart,
I’m sorry.  I thought you…”

She
jumped off the bed.  “Don’t ever do that again!”

He
got up slowly.  “I won’t, I promise you.”

“I’m
sleeping in my old room tonight.  I’ll get my things,” she said, heading for
the bathroom.

He
caught her by the arm.  “Please don’t.  I said I’m sorry.”