Loving Alex (27 page)

“Shauna?” I address her, her
head down frantically scribbling her notes.

“Yes?”

“Can I call the police please
and how will he be punished?” I ask.

She looks up from her notes,
“I had a quick look on the Crown Prosecution website while the girls were
looking through the BMD records. The sentencing guidelines are that a custodial
sentence will be given if one party, that’s you, has been deceived and suffered
injury, which you have. I believe it can result in up to seven years, but some
recent cases have been much less than that, only a few months. But he’ll probably
receive a fine as well. As far as you’re concerned and I will need to take
advice, but I can’t see how you can divorce someone you’re not legally married
to!”

“Quite.” Is all about I can
manage in reply.

“Okay.” Shauna slips her
notes into the file, “you want to call the police? I take it you know where he
is? Please be my guest.” She pushes her telephone towards me, “if you get stuck
on anything they ask, pass the telephone to me and I’ll fill in the gaps.”

“101 isn’t it? Non urgent
calls?”

“Yes.” Anna says.

I dial the number and follow
the instructions tapping relevant buttons for various departments and I am soon
connected to someone taking calls for the Met in London. I give my details, why
I’m calling but soon get flustered. I’m feeling flushed, hot and bothered. I
pass the call to Shauna who explains who she is. I close my eyes and
concentrate on my breathing, my happy place, the beach from my childhood. Anna
holds my hand as I count my breaths in and out, in and out, bringing myself
down from the edge of another panic attack. Once, I feel right again I mentally
pat myself on the back, I’m getting good at this!

My solicitor finishes the
call, “All done, they’ll pop around and see him at some point, it won’t be
treated as a priority but, if anything happens again, like you’ve told me
about, please call the police, this is the reference number they’ve given me,
any sort of aggravation will be looked upon with a very dim view so make sure
you report anything and everything, and remember I’m here if you need me for
anything!”

She stands and walks towards
her door, “I’ll introduce you to the conveyancing team on the way out.”

We follow her along the
narrow corridor and she stops at a larger office with about six desks. A young
man near the door stands, “Shauna is this Mrs. Drake?” He asks offering his
hand.

“Hi.” I smile as we shake.

“My card. My name’s Gary,
when you’re ready give me a call and we’ll do the rest. Is there a mortgage
involved?” He asks.

“No, cash purchase.”

“That should be straight
forward then. I hope to hear from you soon.” He smiles at Anna, he must only be
a few years older than her, she smiles back and colours ever so slightly.

I look between this Gary and
my daughter, addressing the handsome young man, “We’re looking for a very quick
completion Gary. Anna’s moving to Birmingham for University, she needs to be in
by the end of next month or very, very early October at the absolute latest, I
assume we can do it in, what three weeks?”

“Mrs. Drake. Providing all
parties are happy and with no mortgage involved we could, at a push, do it in
two! We’re very good in this department.” He laughs as he brags about his own
team.

“I may just hold you to that
Gary!” I half laugh, “I may call you back later today, as soon as I’ve heard
from the agents.”

We leave the building and
find Jake waiting outside patiently. I see evidence of a sandwich and coffee in
a brown paper bag on the front seat of the Range Rover.

“You’ve eaten then Jake?” I
ask.

“I have Alex. Fully fuelled
and ready for home! Okay?”

I glance at my watch, part of
me thinks we should drive past my old house before we go, but another part says
“no”, go away, leave it in the past where it belongs, go back to James to my
new life.

“Straight home Jake please,
straight home.”

Jake
heads out of Birmingham and we drive south towards London, the reverse of the
route we took this morning. Our silent drive is broken by my telephone ringing,
the number shown as “private”.

“Alex Drake.” I answer. I
don’t know why I say it like that because truthfully I don’t know if my name is
Alex Drake any more.

“Hi Mrs. Drake. We met this
afternoon at the apartment in Brindley Place. I’ve some good news for you.”

“Good, they’ve accepted our
offer? – quick completion?” I ask.

“Yes, and yes,” He confirms,
“good news, yes?”

“Very good. I’ll call my
solicitor now and get them to put the wheels in motion, as it were.”

“Great. If you need anything
Mrs. Drake, just call me. And it was a pleasure to meet you this afternoon.”

“Thank you, thank you so
much.”

I end the call and smile at
Anna. “Well, there’s some good news – you got your apartment!”

“Thanks mum, oh thank you so
much,” she leans forward across the back seat and hugs me, “thank you mum I
won’t let you down I promise.”

“I know you won’t, you just
keep up with the good work, keep your head down and make me proud of you, very
proud.”

“You got the apartment then?”
Jake asks from the front.

“We did Jake, great isn’t
it?”

“Yes Ma’am!”

“Jake!” I grumble at him.

“Sorry Alex!”

We slow down on the outskirts
of London as the traffic builds. Anna has been talking about furniture, what
she wants in her new apartment. She talks about learning to drive and tells me
that she’d love a SmartCar, she rattles away part of me listening, part of me
away with my own thoughts. I have no idea what’s going to happen to me now,
what will happen to Lewis? Do I care? What will happen to my sham of a
non-marriage?

My thoughts are interrupted
as my mobile pings with a text, it’s from James.

Can’t
wait for you to get home Y.A.S.F.F

I glance at the text, confused
and reply:

YASFF??

He replies straight away:

You
Are So Fucking Fuckable

I laugh.

“What’s up mum?” Anna asks.

I panic as she leans towards me,
“Nothing sweetheart, nothing for you to worry about.”

Holding my phone so that Anna
can’t see the screen I text back.

Well
I can’t wait to get home. Lots to tell you. Can’t wait to be F.F’d

As I hit the send button I can’t
believe what I’ve just text. James really has introduced me to a whole new
life, a whole new world.

We arrive home after what has proved
to be a long journey being delayed by the sheer volume of traffic which slowed
us to a snail’s pace in places.

We’ve only been home for an hour
when James arrives with a takeaway in hand. “I thought it’d be better than
cooking at this time of night.” He explains as he sets the plastic containers
of various Chinese dishes on the island.

All three of us sit on the
stools and I tell him about our day, the apartments we looked at, our meeting
with Shauna and what will happen to Lewis, I feel emotionally drained as I
explain that the records show that Lewis
was
possibly married to Muriel
before he married me.

We sit in silence, James eats
well and so does Anna but I pick at my food, I can’t get the whole thing, the
last twenty odd years out of my head, I don’t think he ever said he loved me, I
wonder if he ever said it to Muriel – their relationship must have been more
fulfilled, sexually, than ours, they had two children! Once I’d had Anna he
more or less left me alone, rarely coming anywhere near me in the early years
after her birth and then backing away further and further until, well all
intimate contact stopped completely. But to deceive me to this level?

“I need to know what will
happen.” I blurt out, thinking aloud.

“About what?” James reaches
forward placing his hand on top of mine.

“My sham of a marriage. What
will happen? Do I just walk away?”

“Shauna will let you know surely.
Why don’t you ring her again tomorrow?” He says as he stands and walks around
to where I am sitting, he puts his arms around my shoulders and kisses the top
of my head, “You’ll be fine Alex, we’ll be fine. No - we’ll be great, we’ll
sort it, whatever it takes.”

He pulls me up in front of him
and hugs me tightly, “We’ll sort it Anna won’t we?” He says to my daughter who
is looking on, totally embarrassed.

“Yeah, whatever.” She mutters,
looking anywhere but at us.

We clear away and spend a quiet
evening looking through the property details and talking about the future, a
future without Lewis when my past will be firmly behind me. James tells me that
Nial has signed the paperwork I had drawn up and the transfer will be completed
within the next few days, once the lawyers give me the okay I will arrange to
pay the creditors in full and also transfer funds to Nial. I have asked James
to handle this fully, I don’t want to meet with Nial again, not after last
time. Whilst I think he’s harmless, he is a creep and I want nothing to do with
him.

As we sit chatting I recall the
conversation I had with David Deykin, Lewis’s business partner, I bet he didn’t
know that Lewis was a bigamist, maybe that’s another call I should make
tomorrow, maybe I’ll call Carol, his wife.

“Did anyone contact Lola?” I ask
James.

“No, I think Marcus tried
several times, but nothing, nothing at all.”

“I hope she’s okay?” I worry
about her, she’s a really lovely girl stuck with two monsters for parents.

We eventually head off for bed
at around eleven, I’m tired and so is Anna. I change into a t-shirt before
climbing into bed. James follows me up a few minutes later.

I snuggle into James and rest my
head on his shoulder. He smells so masculine yet fresh, I place little kisses
on his neck and he murmurs softly. “I shouldn’t feel turned on,” I whisper to
him, “I should feel angry and upset, but I don’t. I want you!” I whisper in his
ear.

I move my leg on top of his and
lift my body so that I straddle him. My sex rubbing against his hard length. He
feels so good, he moves his big hands, holding my waist as I gently lift myself
onto him. I sit, adjusting to his size and then lift myself up before lowering
myself down, rising up and down and back and forward, working my clit against
him as I do. The feeling is intense, deep. I throw my head back as I continue
to ride my amazing James, the Bossman, the man who has shown me so much,
introduced me to the pleasures that I believed were only experienced by others.
I love him so deeply, so completely.

I quicken my pace, “God James!”
I cry out. His beautiful face is twisted, contorted. He reaches up, moving his
hands from my waist to my breasts, he squeezes my engorged nipples, the little
painless pain shooting to my core. I quicken my pace again, backwards and
forwards, up and down, feeling his length inside me, filling me completely.

“Shit Alex.” He grumbles, I feel
him pulse as I shudder around him, completely and utterly spent. I lean
forward, he’s still within me, my head on his chest, my hands cupping his face.
I eventually move myself to his side, his big arms around me, holding me so
close. I feel so wanted, so protected and loved so very much, allowing myself
to drift off into the deepest sleep, a peaceful sleep although I have no idea
why, it should be disturbed, fractious, full of terror but whilst I’m with My
James the angst of the past years seems to pale, dwindle and disperse. He makes
everything right.

The next week passes quickly and
rather uneventfully to be honest, apart from the evenings and nights with my
lover, my new best friend. The buyout at Henry’s is progressing well and I hope
to be sole owner by the end of next week, conveyancing with Anna’s new
apartment is also going full steam ahead. Lewis has been arrested and charged,
the evidence of the assault that was reported has been noted and as a
consequence of this he is being held in police custody. I wasn’t aware that
although bigamy is also a crime and that’s one of the charges against him, he’s
also been charged with fraud as he led me to believe he was free to marry.

I have withdrawn the settlement
that I initially offered as part of the divorce process, we also have
restraining orders in place for me, Anna, Lola and Josh, he can’t legally come
anywhere near any of us. With regard to Muriel, well I’m unsure what she’ll do.
She knew about everything so I expect she’ll stick by him. I understand that
there’s a strong possibility he’ll receive a custodial sentence, although case
studies indicate that this will only be a few months.

I called Carol, David Deykin’s
wife. She knew that Lewis played away from home but had no idea he was married
to somebody else. She told me that he hadn’t been to the office for a few
months, initially because of the broken bones but then recently just hadn’t
seemed interested. She explained that she and David had invested wisely over
the years and she thought that David would eventually walk away from the
business, maybe sell it. Of course as it’s a partnership Lewis would have to
agree, but she didn’t seem to think there would be a problem, I got the
impression that him and David had been in touch with each other and discussed
this.

As Lewis is now locked up,
although I don’t know for how long, there is no need for Jake to be hanging
around all of the time, which I’m grateful for. I like Jake, once we got to
know each other we actually got along quite well.

Anna has been buying furniture
for her apartment – she’s chosen very modern pieces, very nice things in fact,
all will be delivered as soon as the sale completes. Oh, and the Audi’s back
although we’re keeping the Jaguar until Anna goes to Birmingham, once she’s
gone that will be passed back to the hire car company, so for the time being
Anna and I are back in the R8, tentatively driving around London, or not if
it’s anywhere I don’t feel confident with and James is using the Jaguar.

As the weekend approaches I
start to prepare for Ramiro and Franco’s visit, they arrive on Monday. I check
the guest room is clean and tidy for Franco and talk with Gia, who has done the
same for Ramiro. I’ve brought extra food in, I have no idea what Franco likes
to eat or how much he eats, but I’ve no doubt that James will plough through
any extra. I’ve also stocked up on strawberries, although the British ones are
coming to the end of their season, I know he prefers the British ones and dread
to think of the look on his face when I present him with fruits that have been
grown in Spain or some part of Africa!

Monday soon comes around, my
birthday; forty-three today!

I wake early, curled up to my
sexy man who’s still fast asleep. I shift myself up on to one elbow and look at
his beautifully handsome, angular face so peaceful, I run my finger across the
short growth of dark beard that shrouds his jaw so perfectly, the curls, that
unruly dark hair tangled from sleep. I trail my fingers down his neck and
across his firm chest and further down his torso, he stirs as I travel further
down, past his belly button and towards his happy line, that line of fine hair
that descends to a very impressive appendage! He wakes as I run a single finger
along the length of his now semi erect manhood, opening his eyes slowly, sleepy
eyes, “Happy Birthday.” His voice is husky, croaky from sleep.

“Good morning sleepy head.” I
move forward and kiss those soft full lips, kissing him softly and nip his
bottom lip as I draw away.

“You slept well?” I ask.

“I did, I always do when I’m
with you Blossom…always.” He reaches for my left hand and plays with the pink
diamond, my engagement ring. “Not too long before I can make you mine, all
mine.” He growls.

“I already am yours James, you
know that!”

He rolls towards me, wrapping
his arms around my waist, pulling me close. I feel his now rock hard length pressing
against my stomach. “You want your birthday present?” He asks.

“Have you got me one?” I tease.

“Wait there, don’t move.” He
orders. He rolls to the edge of the bed, to his bedside table and pulls out one
of the drawers. He drags out his little black drawstring bag.

I gasp. “Oh!”

“Did that surprise you? You
don’t know what’s in it yet.” He opens the bag. “Lie back Alex, and close your
eyes.”

“Why?”

“Just do it, please…” He pushes
himself up on one arm, facing me.

I lie back into my pillow and
close my eyes. I’m aware of him fumbling around with something, I hear the soft
rustle of fabric, presumably the bag.

I feel his hand on my thigh,
pulling my legs apart slightly and runs a finger over my labia, gently parting
my lips with his fingers, I’m conscious of a cherry smell and then something
warm being gently rubbed onto my clit, the tingling sensation is like nothing
I’ve experienced before. He squeezes my nipples tightly and I feel the same
sensation there too. I writhe around, groaning.

“Slow down Blossom,” he growls,
“there’s more to come.”

I’m aware that his hands have
left my body and then I feel something hard pressed between my legs, the
vibrations start, “Fucking hell James!” I moan as the sensations blast through
my most sensitive parts. Within seconds I’m on the verge of a most explosive
orgasm. My hips buck against whatever he has, whatever he’s using, I moan out
loud throwing my head back, it’s the most intense feeling I think I’ve ever
experienced. There’s not one part of my body that isn’t affected by the
pleasure coursing through every inch of me. I open my eyes and look at him as
he smiles, “Close your eyes,” he orders, “now!”

I return to my darkness, I feel
completely out of it, stoned on sex, tripping on the sudden rush of hormones
that my brain releases into my body. I’m out of it as I throw my head back
again, groaning and shuddering reaching an ecstatic climax unlike anything else
I’ve ever experienced before. The same climax hits over and over as I shudder
and tremble, riding it out. He tosses his toy aside and pulls me close, holding
me tightly to his chest, I’m spent, totally and utterly spent.

“You ready?” He asks.

“Ready for what?” I whimper.

“Me!”

I gasp, “Oh God James, I can’t
give any more!” I plead.

“Oh, but you can.”

He positions himself between my
legs and I feel him thrust into me, he pulls back and thrusts again, over and
over. I feel full, I feel every inch of him as he drives further, in and out
back and forth. He kisses and sucks on my nipples grazing them with his teeth
as he continues to thrust.

“Bloody hell James.” I croak “I
won’t be able to walk!”

He laughs “You will, trust me.”

He continues to thrust into me
over and over, picking up his pace, harder and faster until he gives one final
thrust and stops. I feel him pulse and he spills his seed inside me, one final
thrust and he collapses onto me, holding me tightly.

We’re a tangle of perspiration
covered arms and legs. Lying for a while until he moves, climbs off the bed and
walks through to the en-suite. I hear the shower turn on. Poking his head
around the door he crooks a finger at me “Come on Alex, shower time!”

“No, no more James…seriously, I
can’t do anymore.” I gasp as I stagger out of bed and walk like, well it feels
like I’m walking like John Wayne, into the shower.

He makes no further attempt at
sex but helps me shower, squirting some of my coconut bubbles onto my shower
puff and soaping me down, washing my hair and helping me rinse. I stand under
the warm water as he washes himself. I step from the shower and dry in one of
the large fluffy towels and blast my hair dry.

I clean my teeth as James dries.

“I take it you’re not going in
today?” I ask tidying what I have used away.

“No, home all day. It’s your
birthday, I can’t go to work on a special day!” He smiles, he finishes up in
the bathroom, I notice he doesn’t shave, I like it.

“Breakfast?” I ask.

“No, no. You’re not doing any
work today, I’ve sorted breakfast.” He says quickly as he throws on his jeans
and a white t-shirt and fumbles around for socks.

He pulls a pair of black socks
over his beautiful feet, and picks his Chelsea boots up. “Will Anna be awake
yet?” He asks.

I nod, “I think I heard her go
downstairs. I hope
we
didn’t wake her?”

He smiles back at me, winking
before marching out of our room as I pull a straight plain beige cotton skirt
from my wardrobe and simple white blouse. I team it up with a pair of tan
sandals and my tan handbag. I check my face before going downstairs, despite
the shower I still look flushed, aroused and I feel very sensitive
down
there
, I have no idea what he used but with every step I take I feel like
I’m going to explode again! Hell, how am I going to meet my birth father
feeling like this?

As I walk into the kitchen I’m
faced with Anna and James at the far side of the island “Happy Birthday mum!”
Anna says with a huge smile. She walks around towards me and gives me the
biggest hug. I hug her back and wiggle my hips, scowling at James. I can’t live
with this feeling all day, it’ll drive me mad, or madder!

Anna hands me a package covered
in pink floral paper, and a card in a pink envelope. “Your pressie mum,”

I open the card first, it’s a
handmade card with my favourite blue irises, the words I have no doubt that
Anna has drafted herself.

To My mum, my very best friend

On the inside the words
continue, and I shed a tear as I read through.

Mum,

You know I’m
useless at verse, and always have been,
But I hope that the words here, although they do not rhyme
Will stay with you forever, until the end of time.

You are my
mum, the light of my life
The woman, the lady who showed me wrong from right,
Gave me encouragement and praise,
Pushed me when I needed a shove
Gave things up for me, and showered me with love.

I love you
mum, more than you will ever know
I’ll miss you mum when I have to go

But it won’t
be for long, before I’m back
Giving you grief, but you never snap.

You see mum,
you’re an angel sent from above
Crafted from stars, from silk and above all lots and lots of love.

Beneath her words she has
written

Sorry
about the poem mum, I know it’s rubbish but I mean every word.

I
love you mum.

Anna

XX

I read the card and read it
again, tears running down my cheeks, “Oh Anna, my darling girl, I love you too,
so very much.” I reach for her and hug her closely.

I wipe my tears away trying not
to smudge my mascara as I open the package that she’s given me.

I carefully pull the wrapping
paper apart inside I find a large silver photograph frame with a picture of my
mum and dad. I stand and hold the photograph as I break down, sobbing. I put
the picture on the island and reach for my daughter again.

I hug her, taking a deep breath
“Where did you get it?” I stammer between sobs.

“When I stayed with Katie, when we
got our exam results, I took my keys for dad’s house. I knew you’d left it
there and, well I went in and got it. Had it taken out of that revolting frame
and put in that one.” She explains.

“It’s the only picture of my mum
and dad I’ve got,” I look at James, “he made me get rid of them all.”

I pick the picture up again and
run my palm over the image of my parents. As a young girl and woman I loved
them so much, and I idolised my dad, he could do no wrong, not at all. But
recently I’ve also hated them, just a little bit, and certainly a few months
ago when I found out who I was and what they’d done. The more I think about it,
the more I always felt like I didn’t quite belong, like I wasn’t really
supposed to be there. Even as a tiny child I used to lie in my bed and think
why
am I here
,
why here
?

I take the picture through to
the living room and place in on the mantel piece, right in the middle, pride of
place in my new living room. “We need one of your dad James.” I say.

“I don’t know Alex,” he mumbles “It’s
your house.”

I look at him sternly, “No, it’s
yours as well.”

He wanders to the kitchen and
comes back with a small box and a card in a white envelope. The box is about
four inches square and not very deep.

I open the card first. It’s
evident from the picture of a huge fat strawberry that it’s one of those
personalised cards that you can have made. The wording on the front is so
James.

Blossom, my Fiancée

If I had to choose between
strawberries and you.

I’d choose……

As I open the card I expect to
see the word strawberries, but I find

YOU - covered in
strawberries, chocolate and cream

“James,” I half gasp and half
laugh. “I can’t put this out, what will people think?”

“Well don’t put it out then,” he
smiles “but I mean every word of it!”

“Let me look.” Anna reaches for
the card in my hand.

“No, it’s rude!” I pull it back
and put the card back into the envelope, flushing wildly, God that stuff
between my legs, I’m dripping wet and all I’m doing is opening cards. I’ll have
to change my knickers before we go and collect Ramiro from the airport.