What She Wants (82 page)

‘Poor Ursula is just a few years dead and you’ve no shame, Mrs Connell, dallying with her poor widower husband, a man who’s still in shock after her death. Call yourself a grieving widow? Hah, that’s a laugh.’ She would have spat if she could.

Virginia might have let her ramble on in vitriolic style except Glenys added another comment: ‘And you can’t have loved your husband if you’re so ready to hop into bed with another man and your poor husband not yet cold in his grave.’

Mentioning Bill was her big mistake. Virginia’s eyes flashed fire. She drew herself up and glared stonily at the other woman.

‘Have you ever heard of the phrase: don’t condemn a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes?’ she asked, her voice cultured and low. ‘You haven’t been widowed, Glenys. Lucky you. You don’t know what you’re talking about. You treat Richard with contempt.’ Glenys went to interrupt, but Virginia held up a hand to stop her.

‘You’ve had your say, now it’s my turn. I loved my husband very much and I appreciated him when he was alive, unlike you,’ she said scathingly. ‘Now he is gone and my carrying on with my life doesn’t mean I didn’t love him.

Bad-mouthing and bitter people like you make it hard for anyone who’s lost a loved one to move on, because you prefer us in grief. You don’t want bereaved people to have happiness because it’ll show up the lack of happiness in your own sad, twisted lives. Kevin Burton is my friend, that’s all. And may God pity you if anything ever happens to your Richard, because you won’t know what’s hit you.’ Leaving Glenys furiously mouthing, Virginia swept along the street regally and into the cafe where Mary-Kate was waiting for her. ‘You’ll never guess who I bumped into,’ Virginia said, sitting down calmly and putting her purchases on the empty chair beside her. ‘Glenys Smart and poor Richard.’ ‘Did she try and kill you with a knock out punch on the main street?’ joked Mary-Kate, waving at the waitress for another pot of tea. ‘She did her best,’ Virginia said, ‘all things considered. She wasn’t physical but she was very nasty.’ Mary-Kate’s eyes widened. ‘I was only joking. Are you all right? Was she awful? What did she say?’ ‘Calm down,’ said Virginia. ‘She told me I was a hussy for daring to look at Kevin Burton and that I couldn’t have loved Bill at all.’ Mary-Kate’s gasp of shock was so loud that people at neighbouring tables looked around in surprise. Virginia must have been devastated, she had to be in shock, Mary-Kate thought furiously. ‘It’s fine, I promise. I gave her a lesson in widowhood and she’s gone off with her tail between her legs. I admit, I’ve been dying to tell that woman a few home truths and it was very satisfying to actually do it.’ ‘You’re amazing,’ said Mary-Kate admiringly. ‘I’d be in bits if someone attacked me on the street, but you’re as cool as a cucumber. You’re a strong woman, Virginia.’ ‘I was always strong,’ Virginia said in surprise. ‘Losing Bill took that strength away from me but over the past year, thanks to people like you and my new life, I’ve got it back

again.’ Virginia’s lovely face was calm and happy. ‘I don’t know what I’d have done without you, Mary-Kate. You’ve been my saviour.’

‘Nonsense, you’ve saved yourself.’ Mary-Kate laughed suddenly. ‘Can I set you on Pauline, please? She’s received Delphine’s wedding invitation and she rang me up and left a message on my machine to say there wasn’t a hope in hell of her going.’

‘Ouch,’ said Virginia. ‘I can only assume she phoned when she knew you’d be out so she wouldn’t have to suffer your wrath.’

‘You betcha,’ Mary-Kate said grimly. ‘If she doesn’t turn up, Delphine will be devastated. I know she keeps going on about how it’s her mother’s choice and how it won’t affect the joy of the day if she doesn’t come, but of course it will. Delphine is so vulnerable. Her father’s delighted to come, though. He loves Eugene, although he wouldn’t dare tell Pauline.’

Fresh tea arrived and they drank it, both deep in thought. Virginia began formulating a plan. ‘Pauline is very religious, you say.’

‘First in the queue at Mass every Sunday.’

‘How about if we ask all the devout people along, like Miss Murphy who does the flowers, and so on? If they come, she’ll be shamed into coming. Oh,’ Virginia had a brainstorm. ‘And let’s ask Father McTeague. He’s a sweetie and I know for a fact that he deplores the fact that poor Delphine can’t get married in church.’

‘You’re evil, do you know that?’

They both laughed.

‘Pauline won’t know what’s hit her. Wait till everyone in the village is telling her they’ll see her on Saturday, she’ll be shamed into turning up.’

Nicole, Darius, Sam, Reenie, Sandra and Pammy stood in a little group in Heathrow’s Terminal One, with much hugging and kissing going on.

Pammy had taken a huge shine to Darius and was now half-crying because she wanted to stay with him and Nicole ‘You’ll have a lovely time in Ireland with your mummy ‘ Darius told her, his gangly frame crouched down beside Pammy as he tried to cheer her up. ‘And we’re going to have adventures,’ added Sam enigmatically. Thanks to Millie, she had enough experience of little girls to know that the promise of excitement to come helped cheer them up. Pammy sucked her lollipop thoughtfully. ‘What sort of adventures?’ she asked finally, looking up at Sam with her innocent gaze. ‘You’re definitely related to Nicole,’ Sam laughed, ‘your big sister asks all the right questions too.’ ‘I wish you weren’t leaving Titus,’ Nicole said wistfully to Sam. ‘I know.’ Sam shrugged. ‘I had to do it, but whoever takes over will look after you, Nicole. You’ve got a brilliant manager in Bob Fellowes and you’ve got the voice - and the professionalism.’ Nicole smiled. ‘You forgot to mention Darius,’ she said, sliding her arm through his. ‘That would be stating the obvious.,’ Sam replied. ‘I know he’s going to look after you. And I expect that single to go to number one, Mr Good,’ she commanded goodhumouredly. ‘It will, don’t you worry,’ he said confidently, squeezing Nicole’s small hand. ‘Do look after her, won’t you?’ Reenie said to him. ‘She should be coming with us.’ ‘I’ll be fine, Gran,’ Nicole assured her. ‘I just want you to enjoy yourself.’ ‘I will,’ Reenie said, her voice breaking. ‘We better go through,’ Sam announced, not wanting everyone to get upset. ‘Quick goodbyes and we’re off.’ Leading the way, she took her group through security until they could no longer see Darius and Nicole, hand in hand, waving goodbye.

‘I hope they’ll be all right,’ Nicole said tearfully.

Darius pulled her to him and gave her such a passionate kiss that a group of male golfers going home to Ireland after a week in Portugal gave them a round of applause.

Nicole giggled.

‘Sam Smith is looking after them,’ Darius said, as they walked away from their guffawing audience. ‘They could put Sam in charge of the space programme and she’d have it running like clockwork in half an hour. Don’t worry about a thing, love.’

Nicole beamed up at him. ‘I’m not,’ she said.

On the journey back to the flat, they were both almost too excited to speak. The sense of delicious anticipation made them both grin inanely and hold hands tightly. Darius had originally suggested they went out to lunch after leaving the family at the airport, but Nicole had taken a deep breath and suggested lunch at her place.

‘A special lunch,’ she’d said, gazing at him with those miraculous tiger eyes until Darius had felt his heart leap with love.

Once she’d made the decision, she’d had a wonderful time planning everything. Darius was a That food junkie, so Nicole had found a That takeaway and ordered everything for half twelve. She’d run round the flat first thing that morning, tidying and polishing, arranging the bright yellow gerberas she loved everywhere and making the bed up with the virginal white bedclothes she’d bought but never used. She shivered excitedly as she thought of curling up in them with Darius’s body moulded to hers. She’d deliberately left alcohol off her shopping list. There was no way that Nicole wanted this momentous occasion dulled by booze: she wanted to remember every incredible moment of it.

Thanks to frenzied traffic, it was nearly half twelve when they reached the front door, still holding hands tightly. Nicole was conscious of a certain sense of unease. Darius no longer looked deliriously happy; he looked nervous.

‘Come on,’ she said enthusiastically as she led him into the hall, ‘you haven’t seen my new bathroom stuff. I got a toilet seat cover that’s clear and has coloured fishes embedded in the plastic!’ Nicole dragged Darius into the small, modern bathroom where she had let her sense of colour go wild. The walls were raspberry pink, the tiles were tiny aquamarine mosaics, the fluffy towels were the colour of sunflowers, and above the hand basin a giant Dali-esque mirror was surrounded by movie-star light bulbs for making up Nicole’s face. ‘I always wanted one of these mirrors,’ she admitted, looking at their reflections. She, so small, dark and exquisite; Darius, tall and lanky, his fair hair and faintly tanned skin a total contrast to Nicole’s cafe au lait perfection. She leaned back against him, letting him support her and watched as the anxiety left his face. Darius put his arms around her, letting his hands rest on her slender waist. ‘Are you sure?’ he asked tenderly. She nodded at his reflection in reply. Darius gently swung her round so that she was facing him and, as tenderly as if he was leaving a butterfly kiss on a baby’s cheek, kissed her on her upturned little face. At first, his mouth was soft and then, as Nicole wound her arms around his neck, moulding her taut body to his, their kiss deepened into fierce passion. Their bodies leaned hungrily against each other as their hands ran greedily over arms and waists and hips. Darius inexpertly opened the buttons on Nicole’s fitted denim shirt and then buried his head in the softness of her breasts. Nicole leaned her head back as his mouth burned a trail along the fine lace of the sexy little pink bra she’d bought specially. She moaned with excitement as he kissed and nuzzled endlessly. She’d never felt anything like this before. Those few unpleasant late-night fumbles she’d had with other boys, encounters she’d felt uncomfortable about, had never been like this, this gloriously exquisite sensation that was sending ripples of pleasure straight down into her toes.

‘That’s wonderful,’ she sighed, ‘but you can’t do all the work, love.’

She pulled at Darius’s shirt, hearing buttons ping onto her tiled floor and wriggled until she was stroking and kissing his lean chest instead, making him moan with desire. The last thing Nicole wanted was to be made love to; she wanted to be making love, making Darius gasp with pleasure the same way he made her gasp with pleasure when his lips fastened on her nipples. She wanted to tear both their clothes off and …

Ding dong!

In their shock at the intrusion of the door bell, Nicole and Darius both jumped and he banged his shin on the edge of the bathtub.

‘Ouch!’

Nicole dissolved into giggles and she hugged him. ‘I bet that’s lunch. I ordered That food for a treat!’

Still giggling, with Darius laughing as he hobbled along behind her, she went to the front door and hastily buttoned her shirt up.

‘Don’t make me laugh,’ she warned him.

‘Hello?’ She opened the door to find a young, bored looking guy with a big paper bag in his hand.

‘That To Die For?’ the guy said, looking at Nicole’s shirt which was all buttoned up wrong. Both Nicole and Darius noticed it too.

‘Yes,’ said Nicole sedately while behind her, Darius had to stuff his hand into his mouth to stop himself corpsing.

‘Er money?’ said the guy at the door, still holding firmly onto the paper bag.

‘Oh, yes, money. Darius, have you got money?’

Finally, they managed to pay the guy and Nicole shut the door, at which point they both burst into hysterical laughter.

‘I thought I’d die when he started looking at my shirt,’ squealed Nicole.

‘Oh I don’t know,’ said Darius, taking the bag of take out from her and putting it firmly on the floor, ‘I could

understand him wanting to look at you, specially when you’re wearing this.’ He unbuttoned the shirt for the second time and took it off. Nicole stood still, enjoying the sheer sensuous pleasure, and let him continue. ‘I love this bra,’ he added, regretfully, ‘but I think it has to come off too.’ Then his lips were on her breasts again, this time unhindered by her bra. Nicole clung to him, feeling the heady excitement growing. They never made it to the bedroom and her white sheets. Instead, they fell, entwined, onto Nicole’s brand new couch, where they ripped off the remainder of their clothes. It seemed like hours of touching and caressing, fingers stroking and playing, but it was really only minutes because both Nicole and Darius were frantic for each other. When Darius gently pulled her matching pink lacy panties off, Nicole wound her legs round him like a little acrobat and pulled him closer to her, desperate to feel him inside her. ‘Nicole,’ he groaned, ‘let’s take our time.’ And he did. Nicole may have read about love making and how a man could give his partner exquisite pleasure, but reading about it and having it happen were two very different things. Just when she thought she could take no more without exploding, Darius’s body melted into hers. There was no pain, only the exquisite sensation of pleasure flooding through her body as Nicole’s orgasm screamed through her body like an express train. They were clinging together fiercely and she couldn’t stop yelling in passion until her orgasm died and she felt Darius finally let himself go. She’d never felt more love or tenderness in her life as she held his spasming body in her arms, clasping him to her until they both sank back onto the cushions, weak from love, their skin wet with sweat, their breathing ragged. The That food lay cooling in its bag but neither of them was hungry. Sated by love, they lay on the couch, limbs tangled, dozing lazily. Darius couldn’t stop touching Nicole; his fingers stroked her hair gently and tenderly caressed her smooth shoulders.

‘I’m glad I waited for you,’ she said, playing with his watch strap.

‘Me too,’ he said, kissing her collar bone.

Nicole smiled serenely as she lay there. This was what it was all about; what those endless articles about love and sex had meant. Perfect, wonderful love making. She was passionately grateful that she’d waited for someone like Darius. For the first time, Nicole was glad of having been ingrained with her grandmother’s beliefs.