Fates Tied (7 page)

“Send me the link and I’ll check it out,” Suzanne said. “I have to go.”

She leaned forward to kiss him, unable to help herself. Their lips moved together slowly, Edward bringing his tongue into play. She felt herself melting beneath his touch, slowly sinking down to the seat beside him. She didn’t pull away as he gently tugged her hat from her head or began to unbutton her coat.

She tipped her head back and sighed with pleasure as Edward rained kisses on the soft skin of her neck and slowly teased the fabric of her scarf away to drop it on the floor. Her hands found their way into Edward’s hair and she pulled him closer. He leaned her forwards, laying over her and slowly began to undress her.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Suzanne muttered to herself as she walked down the street the next morning, “You stupid woman, thinking with your lady parts instead of your brain.”

She hadn’t left the hotel that night as she had planned. Edward had seemed to realise that he had done or said something wrong and had been determined to make it up to Suzanne however he could. That had resulted in her laying on the bed and receiving orgasm after orgasm at the touch of his hands and tongue before he finally slid inside her and they had rocked and writhed together well into the small hours of the morning. She was exhausted but her entire body was humming with pleasure.

It had been the closest that they had come to properly making love and in truth it was their best night together yet.

It had reminded her why she kept returning to Edward’s bed, why she kept agreeing to see him even though her mind and Claire were telling her that she should really run the other way.

Unfortunately, as passionate as their night together had been there had been no further deep conversation. Every time Suzanne began to talk about plans in the future or anything deeper than the surface humdrum of life Edward had kissed her or touched her and swept her away in a cloud of passion so that she forgot everything that she had meant to say. She could feel the lack of true intimacy in the relationship, it gnawed at her like a deep toothache or a splinter that just wouldn’t come out. She could love this man, she knew that, in fact she was at the very edge of falling completely in love with him. But still there was a distance between them and it was holding her back.

Suzanne began to wonder whether Claire was really right, she couldn’t help but start to agree with her friend. More and more it seemed like the sex and the company in bed was all that Edward was looking for from her.

Anything else that she attempted to bring to the relationship was stopped, with passion, and Edward never volunteered anything about his past.

“Maybe Claire’s right,” Suzanne murmured to herself as she waited for the bus. “Maybe I should just stay away from him.”

“Talking to yourself is thought to be a sign of madness you know dearie,” a small voice came from beside Suzanne.

She jumped, startled after believing that she was completely alone.

Then she recognised the old woman beside her. It was the woman from the bus, the one who had given her some advice and that she had eventually taken.

“Still courting that young man then?” The little woman asked, “Thing’s aren’t as wonderful as they first seemed?”

“No.” Suzanne said with a sigh, “He seems to avoid talking about anything but the here and now.”

“Has he had a heart attack or something?” The woman asked, “Only, I knew a woman, Edna, bless her soul, who always used to plan for the future and go on about how things used to be and then she ends up in hospital at 55 with a heart attack from all the stress.

Mind you she did have three grown children still living with her and eight grandchildren at that point.

Anyway, once she came out she was all about the present, wouldn’t think about the past or worry about the future at all. She even took up sky diving. Of course she passed away last year, may she rest in peace, but she had a good few years after that.”

“Sky diving accident?” Suzanne asked.

“No…” the woman said, “she was trying something from the Kama Sutra and somehow got a handcuff around her throat. No one knows how that happened mind you because she was the only one there. How she was going to do the actual sex part all by herself I’ll never know.”

“That’s… one of the weirdest ways to go I’ve heard of,” Suzanne said.

“The police didn’t know how to take it either,” the woman said. “But enough about that dearie. What’s going on with your man? He made you smile like a teenage girl from what I remember.”

The bus came and they climbed on, the elderly woman leading the way to a pair of seats away from everyone else and beckoned Suzanne to continue with her story.

“It just... it feels like he only wants one thing,” Suzanne said as she finished telling the woman everything that happened. “And whenever I try to bring anything else up he distracts me.”

“Ah it’s a tricky one love, no doubt about that,” the woman said. “Sometimes men don’t realise what they’ve got until it’s gone. And then they have no idea how to get it back. If he’s divorced though it might have hurt him lots, losing the woman he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with. Men are more sensitive than they let on you know. There’s a good chance he doesn’t want to get hurt like that again lovie.”

“But I’m the one that’s getting hurt,” Suzanne said, “I really like him but I feel like I’m spending all this time with him when really we’re going nowhere.”

“Take it from me love,” the woman said, patting Suzanne’s arm, “if the sex is that good don’t give it up, not yet. But a word of advice, don’t just stick with sleeping with this man. Date other men too, you never know, there might be someone out there who connects with you like this man doesn’t and is just as good in bed. Or maybe you could end up getting them both in bed together.”

Suzanne burst out laughing. An elderly woman, sweet and innocent looking, was actually suggesting a threesome. She couldn’t stop laughing, even as she said goodbye and got off the bus, heading to work.

“Oh Suzie!” Tiffany called out.

Suzanne looked up from the paperwork she was scanning to watch Tiffany skipping in through the doorway, holding two bags from the sandwich shop down the road.

“It’s time for some lunch,” Tiffany said, plonking herself down on the sofa near the door and digging through one of the bags. “And I thought moving away from your desk and having a little girl talk might do you some good.”

“What do you really want?” Suzanne said as she walked over to join her younger colleague, “You don’t buy Palducci’s unless you’re trying to butter me up.”

“Busted!” Tiffany said in a sing-song voice. Then she turned to her friend with a pleading look. “Dale has this friend at work, an older guy, who keeps moaning about never having a woman in his life. He mentioned you and the guy seemed interested.

He was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with him.”

Suzanne opened her mouth to reply but words failed her.

“I told Dale no of course,” Tiffany said quickly around a mouthful of sandwich. “But the guy’s pretty insistent and Dale says he’s an ok bloke. I mean, he’s a little weird still but more normal than most of the guys Dale works with. Plus he’s got all these muscles and tattoos that I think you’d love. He’s really hot in a brawny geeky sort of way. I told Dale no  but anyway the guy, Brad, really wants to meet you. I didn’t think you’d want to go on a blind date with a total stranger all on your own so I sort of said we could do a double date thing?”

“You’ve already arranged it haven’t you?” Suzanne asked blankly, chewing her delicious sandwich.

“Yeah…” Tiffany said, wincing, “I kind of got carried away and thought I’d asked you and you’d agreed but then I realised it had been one of those weird daydreams that seemed really real and that I still had to ask you properly so I thought the sandwich might help.”

“It’s a good bribe I’ll give you that,” Suzanne said.

“I know,” Tiffany said happily. “And I know you’re sort of seeing that Edward bloke but you keep saying it’s just sex and I figured maybe you’d like to meet a guy who will actually make future plans and is ready to be a grown up. Plus he’s really old, like older than you and you’re the oldest friend I have so I thought you’d be the best pick.”

“Thanks…” Suzanne said sarcastically. She thought for a few moments, eating slowly as she did so. Tiffany stared at her anxiously. Suzanne swallowed her meal and spoke, “Ok, I’ll give it a go. What are your plans?”

Tiffany cheered and clapped her hands excitedly.

CHAPTER 6

But we’re supposed to be going away this weekend,” Edward said down the phone to Suzanne. “I booked it and everything!”

“Well I’m sorry but something came up,” Suzanne said as she wiggled into her dress. “Look I can probably make it tomorrow night so why don’t you head over there tonight, get all your work done while I’m not there and I’ll meet you at about lunch time tomorrow.”

“I just… why can’t you make it tonight?” Edward asked. He sounded a little like a whiny child.

“Because I already made plans,” Suzanne said tiredly even as she wrestled with her zip. “I told you to check if I was free before you booked anything and you just went and ignored me. You can’t be surprised that I actually have a life outside of you.”

“I’m sorry,” Edward said with a sigh. “You’re right, I should have checked first… again. I’ll get my work done tonight, away from all the distractions and I’ll make it up to you tomorrow with a nice relaxing spa treatment, just like you said. Then tomorrow night you’ll get all of my attention.”

“You said that last time,” Suzanne said, leaning closer to the mirror. “And the time before that, and the time before that, and yet still you kept taking phone calls from your little lab minions.”

“They were very important phone calls,” Edward said. Suzanne made a sound of irritation and he backed up quickly, “And you know what minions are like, they have to have everything checked before they do anything else. I bet you had the same thing with Tiffany before I gave her her big break? Anyway, I’ve told them I’m unreachable except in the direst of emergencies.

I’m even going to take the special phone and leave my main one at home. Only you and Christian have the number for it so we’ll get left alone.”

“You couldn’t have done that sooner?” Suzanne asked coldly, “I kept telling you about those phone calls annoying me but you just ignored me. Now you’re saying that you had a second mobile all along? What else haven’t you told me? Do you have another girlfriend hidden away? Maybe this one you actually share things with and talk to about stuff other than how much you love their pussy! You should be telling me things like this sooner.”

“I’m telling you now!” Edward cried. “Look… this is getting us nowhere.”

“You’re right,” Suzanne said. “And I’ve got to go in a few minutes. I’ll see you tomorrow and I expect your full attention!”

Edward agreed and finally they hung up. Suzanne was never sure how to end their conversations over the phone. She kept feeling the urge to say ‘I love you’ but she knew that that wasn’t true. On the other hand though, she felt like ‘goodbye’ wasn’t intimate enough. She sighed and sat back at her dressing table, throwing her mobile on to the bed. It was no use overthinking it anyway. Tonight was the night she was going on the date with Brad, Tiffany’s boyfriend’s work colleague. And she had decided too that tomorrow night would be the last time she and Edward would spend any time together unless he proved that he was more open to getting closer mentally and emotionally. If he didn’t, if he showed yet again that all he seemed to want her for was sex then Suzanne had already decided that she would leave him behind and not look back. She wondered though, as she finished touching up her make up in the mirror, whether he might be changing.

The second mobile and agreeing to do all his work tonight seemed to be a change in itself. Usually he would just laugh off her concerns and act as though his time was more important than hers.

On the phone he had been a little annoyed certainly but he hadn’t ranted at her or shouted at her as he had a time or two in the past. Maybe he was making some headway. Suzanne just wondered whether it would be enough for her and what she needed.

The doorbell rang and she rushed to open it. As soon as the door was moved out of the way Suzanne was enveloped in a cloud of flowery perfume and sequins as Tiffany threw herself at her and grabbed her in a big hug.

“Oh my god I can’t believe I actually got you to agree to this!” The younger woman cried, “I’ve been trying and trying for ages and I thought I’d lost all chance when you started seeing that Edward guy but now you’ve finally agreed. Oh sweetie, is that what you’re wearing?”

“Yes…” Suzanne said, looking down at her dress, a simple black number cut just above her knees. “What’s wrong with it?”

“You look like you’re going to a funeral,” Tiffany said matter-of-factly. “A slightly sexy funeral but a funeral nonetheless. You need to show Brad what he’s getting, suggest a bit of flesh. Right now you look like my Aunt Bonnie.”

“Your Aunt Bonnie’s about 80,” Suzanne said. Tiffany shut the door and headed into Suzanne’s bedroom and the older woman followed, “I met her at that barbecue remember? She was wearing that massive fur coat even though it was the middle of summer.”

“Ok, you don’t look like my Aunt Bonnie,” Tiffany admitted. “She’s much more stylish.”

“Hey!” Suzanne cried out, affronted.

It was no use arguing with Tiffany though. She had already pretty much burrowed herself into Suzanne’s wardrobe and was tossing out item after item. She dragged Suzanne over and started holding up dresses to her friend’s body, tutting or shaking her head before tossing the dress on the bed. Now and then she would tilt her head to the side and put the dress down gently on one of Suzanne’s chairs.

“Stop wasting time and take that thing off,” Tiffany ordered once the two piles had grown in size and the wardrobe was empty. “I need to see what I’m working with.”

“You can’t be serious,” Suzanne said in disbelief, “I am not letting you dress me.”

“She means it Tiff,” a voice said from the doorway.

The two women turned and saw Claire stood there holding a glass of wine and watching them both in amusement.

“I tried to get her into something skimpy once,” Claire continued, “she wore it for a whole half hour and then came back from the toilet in a pair of trousers and a woman’s blouse that she traded.”

“Well she won’t be doing that tonight,” Tiffany said sternly, “I’m not letting her out of my sight.”

“Can please stop talking about me as though I’m not here.” Suzanne cried before she turned to Claire, “And how the hell did you get in?”

“Spare key,” Claire said, letting said key dangle from the hand that wasn’t holding a glass of wine.

“I wondered where that went,” Suzanne muttered before turning back to Tiffany, “I am wearing this dress and that is the end of the matter.”

“Suzie,” Tiffany said firmly, “there are two of us and one of you. Claire might be an old lady waiting for her hip replacement but I’m fairly certain that we can both get that dress off you if we work together. Now, what’s it going to be?”

Suzanne glared at her work colleague and her best friend but knew that there would be no changing their minds. They were set and the look in their eyes was in truth a little scary. Suzanne eventually sighed and began to wiggle her way out of the dress.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with the dress I picked,” she said, her voice muffled by the fabric.

“You’re hot, you’re single and it’s time to show it off,” Tiffany said, helping Suzanne get the dress off. “Besides this is way too tight and way too old fashioned. You need to get a new one.”

Saying that, Tiffany tossed the dress at Claire who caught it and pulled a pair of scissors out from behind her back. Suzanne stared at her in horror as her best friend began to cut up her favourite little black dress. She made a small squeaking sound as she watched.

“Now,” Tiffany said, dragging Suzanne around to face her, “let’s get you all sexy-fied.”

She was fifteen minutes late by the time Tiffany and Claire had finished dressing her. And then she was half an hour late by the time she and Tiffany were climbing out of the car outside the restaurant where the date was to take place.

She tugged at the hem of her skirt, trying to pull it lower only to discover that ended up pulling the front of her dress further down, threatening to spill her breasts everywhere.

“Stop it,” Tiffany scolded, swatting at Suzanne’s hands. “You’ll ruin the look.”

The small blond tottered away on skyscraper heels, walking as though she were on the catwalk and looking around as though she owned the place. Suzanne couldn’t help but envy the younger woman’s confidence. Right now she wished that she was in her pyjamas at home in her flat rather than outside a restaurant, about to meet a total stranger and dealing with the stares of a dozen people. Suzanne sighed and followed after Tiffany, settling in to her regular sashay.

The tight dress made her butt sway from side to side, she could feel it. She was forced to take smaller steps, the skirt of the dress stopping her legs from going any wider. Suzanne knew she could take larger steps if she really wanted to but that would involve pushing the dress higher up her thighs and she preferred to hold on to the little bit of dignity that she had left. She couldn’t remember even buying the red dress that she was wearing now, she never bought anything red. But when she had tried it on and looked in the mirror she had been amazed by how curvy and sexy she looked.

Claire and Tiffany had stopped arguing about what to do with her hair and had stood there gawping at her. In the privacy of her bedroom Suzanne had thought that the dress was perfect and she had never felt sexier. But now, out in the world with people staring at her she couldn’t help but feel like she had made a mistake. There was no change for it now though, she was already late and she hated that.

She stepped through the door to the restaurant and heard the buzz of conversation suddenly stop and felt dozens of pairs of eyes on her. Within seconds the conversations returned and for a moment she wondered whether she had imagined that silence but when she looked around she spotted Tiffany watching her with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. It had been planned.

“Suzanne,” Tiffany whispered, falling back to link her arm through Suzanne’s, “there’s Brad. And there’s Dale… oh no he’s already had three pints.”

“We were late,” Suzanne hissed. “Really, really late! I’m surprised they’re even still here.”

“I text Dale to let him know what was going on,” Tiffany admitted with a giggle. “Didn’t want Brad to think you’d stood him up when we went to so much trouble to get you into something nice. Now, smile and play nice. Remember your grown up manners.”

The two women finally got close enough to the men to see them clearly. Suzanne instantly recognised Dale, his jeans worn low on his waist, so low that the top of his butt was poking over the top and the crotch was only a few inches above his knees. The other man though was a stranger, tall, broad shouldered with a crop of curly brown hair that looked like it was beginning to thin on the crown.

He turned slightly and Suzanne caught sight of a straight nose and a twinkling brown eye surrounded by lines from smiling so much. Maybe there was some promise here after all.

“Baby!” Dale cried, turning and finally catching sight of Suzanne and Tiffany, “Finally! We thought the taxi driver had kidnapped you or somethin’.”

“Nope,” Tiffany said, throwing her arms around her boyfriend and kissing him hard on the mouth.

When she pulled away there was a bright red lipstick stain on Dale’s lips, “We had to make her look less like Aunt Bonnie and more like Auntie Em.”

“Oh I like your Aunt Em,” Dale said with a leer.

“Shut up,” Tiffany snapped, hitting him around the arm. She turned towards the other man who was watching this with amusement. “Brad, this is Suzie. Suzie this is Brad, he works with Dale.”

“Pleasure,” Brad said, smiling tightly and holding out a hand towards Suzanne.

Suzanne smiled widely and took his hand, shaking it firmly before stepping back. He looked her up and down while Suzanne did the same.

Now that she was closer she could see the small paunch appearing around his middle and the thick stubble that covered his face. She wondered whether it was intended as a fashion statement or whether he had simply forgotten to shave. She didn’t know which one she would have preferred in all honesty.

“You didn’t need to go to all this trouble for me, really,” Brad whispered to Suzanne as they made their way to the table, following the waitress, “I barely made any trouble, mostly because I came straight from work but there you go. I’m sure you would have looked lovely whatever you wore.”

“Thank you,” Suzanne said, smiling tightly.

The more that this man spoke the less attractive she was finding him. Then he pulled her seat out for her to sit down on and her opinion began to change.

“So I hear you’re in events management?” Brad asked, leaning close with his glass of wine, “Is that fun or is it a lot of boring hard work?”

“It can be fun at times,” Suzanne said. “It can be really rewarding too when you arrange events for people and things finally come together and they’re amazed with it all.”

“I know that feeling,” Brad said, “I’m working in a garage at the moment with Dale and it can be really satisfying to see some old wreck come in and when it leaves it’s practically a completely different machine and the customer’s overwhelmed.”

“Exactly!” Suzanne cried, “That’s exactly the feeling I’m talking about.”

The pair continued to talk. They didn’t discuss too much personal information but what they did discuss Brad shared willingly and without prompting.