Forget Me Never (6 page)

“Maybe it’s because I haven’t had sex for something like nine months. Maybe I was so desperate…”

“There is only one way to find out,” he grinned.

“Not before I pee,” I smiled and climbed from the bed, wrapping the sheet around me and trotting into the bathroom.

When I returned to the bedroom, he was checking his phone, he looked upset by something and glanced up at me as I sat on the bed,

              “We have to go back, don’t we?”

              “No, not at all.” He answered.

              “But?”

              “But I have two more meetings added to my schedule for next week. I have some business to take of before next weekend, so I may have to head up to San Francisco.”

              “Oh,” I frowned, I couldn’t imagine being away from him, already I could feel apprehension filter through me at the thought of us being apart. Maybe I was desperate.

He stood from the bed. “Let’s not allow it to ruin this afternoon. I’ll hop in the shower and then…”

              “Sounds good to me,” I smiled and stood with him. “There is shower gel and shampoo in there, but only enough for one shower, so there is only one thing for it.”

              “I’m listening.”

              “We’ll have to share,” I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him deeply.

We didn’t have sex in the shower, but boy did we play. Touching, kissing, feeling, stroking and massaging. The warm water, the sensual smelling shower gel intensified everything. Water spraying over our slick bodies, fingers exploring, teeth biting, toe curling orgasms created by the playing, all of which added to another incredible love making session in the bedroom before we both drifted off to sleep.

As I lay there in that moment between being asleep and being awake, I thought about him and how I had begun to feel at the thought that we may not meet again after this holiday. Call me crazy, call me ridiculous, but I knew my heart and my heart had fallen hard and fast.              

I opened my eyes finally and turned over to face him. He was asleep with his long eyelashes resting on his tanned cheeks, stubble had begun to pierce through his skin and I don’t know why or if it was possible, but it made him look insatiable in the soft golden glow of the room as the sun started to set.

I watched him as he slept, not quite believing that he was there, let alone real and had given me the best sex I had ever had. At least I knew now that it wasn’t me, that it was a failure on Kevin’s part and he obviously hadn’t a clue. I decided that was the last thought I would allow Kevin to have, that he was a terrible lover. I had Alec now and however long or short that may have been, I couldn’t give him all of me if half was still wallowing over someone who, evidently, could not care less about me.

I jumped awake when my phone rang out, I immediately checked on Alec and he was still sleeping, so I stopped my phone from ringing and ran into the bathroom pulling my loose shirt over my naked body,

              “Hello?” I whispered loudly.

              “Grace, its Saff,” she said, I could hear music in the back ground. “I thought you were going to phone me last night.”

              “Sorry, we uh, we ended up staying San Diego after going to Sea World.” I explained quietly.

              “And?”

              “And, wow,” I smiled. “He is amazing, Saff, you’d really like him.”

              “So, did he make you see stars?”

              “Stars, the moon, galaxies, fireworks…”

              “Agghh! Oh My God! Finally,” she screamed into my ear. “Where is he?”

              “Sleeping.”

              “You have worn him out.”

              “Yes I have,” I smiled proudly. “Saff, I think I’m in trouble.”

              “Great, now you are going to tell me he is under age, your new man is actually a toy boy.”

              “No, I think I am falling for him, in a big way. What if…?”

              “Sod the what if’s, just enjoy it, Grace, you deserve to smile.” The bathroom door opened and Alec frowned at the light.

              “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” I said.

              “It’s almost three, who is it?” he asked.

              “My friend, Saffron.” With that he took the phone from me.

              “Hello, Saffron, this is Alec,” he smiled. “It’s nice to ‘sort of ‘meet you too. Your friend here is an amazing girl and I can assure you that she is not in any trouble at all.” He heard me, my face began to burn, I buried it in my hands, how could I look him in the eye now? “Yes, I don’t doubt that you are telling the truth, but I can guarantee you that we will meet when I get back to London, because in all honesty, I am falling for her too.” I looked up from my hands, he smiled warmly, “Thank you, and uh, goodnight, Saffron, it was nice talk to you.” He handed the phone back to me and left me standing in the bathroom, dumbfounded.

              “Oh my God, Grace, he sounds so charming, I am bursting for you here, really bursting.”

              “Thank you. I had better go, I’ll call you in a couple of days.”

              “Make sure you take lots of pictures, okay?”

              “Okay.” I smiled and hung up the phone. I gazed at my reflection, my hair was a fuzzy mess, but my eyes looked alive, wild and smouldering, Alec had put a spark back into them and it made me smile both on the inside and out.

When I returned to the bed, he was lying with the light above the bed on, his hands tucked behind his head and his amazing tweaked chest, baring all. I smiled sheepishly and placed the phone back on the cabinet beside the bed.

              “Saffron is quite a character, isn’t she?” he remarked.

              “She is insufferable at times, be she is my best friend,” I nodded and sat on the bed beside him.

              “I know, she told me that.”

              “What else did she say?” I asked almost not wanting to hear.

              “Things I already know, like how wonderful you are and how badly you were hurt before.” He reached over and took hold of my hand. “I want you to know that I will never hurt you, Grace. I am not Kevin and by what I have learned of the fella, I don’t ever want to be.”

              “You are nothing like him, Alec.”

              “Good, because right now, all I want is to be with you. I don’t know if what we have is love yet, but I do know how I feel and I honestly don’t think I have ever felt this way about anyone before. I want this to last forever and I really don’t want to return to England and never see you again. So, as I have just told your friend, I have fallen for you, Grace Matthews. You have given me more in a few days than I could have ever hoped for and to think it all started over some scrambled eggs.” He smiled and kissed the back of my hand.

              “So, are you asking me out?” I asked hopeful.

              “That’s so retro,” he grinned. “Yes, Grace, please be my girlfriend, my significant other, please be my everything.” I leaned toward him and kissed him tenderly.

              “Okay,” I smiled as I pulled back from his lips. He pulled me closer to him and my breast, peeping out from the shirt pressed against his chest.

              “You look insanely hot in that shirt,” he said between kisses. “It is a shame I have run out of condoms.”

              “That is a shame,” I agreed. “But, I am a modern girl, I was also single for a while and all good, single, modern girls carry condoms in their bags these days, didn’t you know that?” I asked and climbed from his body. I lifted my bag and unzipped the inside pocket. I pulled out a whole new pack, “So,” I smiled and handed them to him, “I am not sure what the expiry date is, so we had better not waste any more time.” I pushed off my shirt and climbed onto the bed once more.

Five

I opened my eyes and smiled, what an incredible night. The sun shone in golden rays through the cracks in the curtains over the window. I turned over to find an empty pillow beside me, I thought that maybe he was in the shower, but I couldn’t hear any water running. I sat up clutching the sheet over my body and climbed out of bed. His clothes were gone and so was his shoes. I pushed the bathroom door open and nothing, he was nowhere to be seen.

              Panic filtered through me as I used the loo and took a shower. if he had left then fine, I had that one night, that amazing, earth moving night that would live with me forever. I told myself not to get upset, there could be a thousand explanations as to why he left me in bed.

With a towel wrapped around my body and one wrapped around my hair, I opened the bathroom door. Alec was opening the lid to a cup of coffee, he smiled warmly.

              “I wanted to surprise you,” he said as he approached me. I must have looked upset, “What’s wrong?” he asked.

              “I thought, well, I thought you had left me, here, I mean.”

              “Grace,” he frowned, “I would never do that to you. I left a note on the pillow.” He turned to the unmade bed, “I put it…” he walked towards the top of the bed and looked on the floor, bending over he lifted a piece of the motel paper and handed it to me.

‘Good morning, Grace,

              I am absolutely starved, you must be too, so have gone to get us something to eat for breakfast,

              I shan’t be long,

              Alec xx’

              “Sorry,” I muttered, I felt foolish now
.

            
 
“No, Grace, I am sorry. I should have waited until you woke up. I was just so hungry, we only had that hotdog for lunch yesterday and then nothing else. I woke really early and you looked so peaceful… Do you forgive me?”

              “There is nothing to forgive. I feel silly.”

              “Don’t feel silly, I know you had a bad time with your ex, but I promise you I have never run out on a girl the morning after, even if she wasn’t who I thought she was. I certainly wouldn’t do that to you, especially after a night of the best sex I have ever had,” he smiled and pecked my cheek. “So, are you dressing for breakfast? I may not be able to concentrate on my bagel if you don’t.”

              “In that case,” I grinned and dropped the towel, lifted my shirt from the floor and put it on, fastening only one button across my belly before sitting on the chair. He grinned admiringly as he sat opposite me.

After a breakfast of bagels smothered with cream cheese and fruit and a cup of smoky coffee, I got dressed and we headed back toward LA. I couldn’t wait to back for one thing only, a clean change of clothes. If we decided to go sightseeing again, I planned to bring a change of clothes just in case.

We arrived back at the hotel a couple of hours later, there was virtually no traffic and I guessed that was because it was Sunday. We walked into the lobby hand in hand and a man, with brown hair and dressed to play golf, approached us.

              “Where have you been, Mr Richards, you dirty, little stop-out?” he asked.

              “My business is my business, Landry, you know that.”

              “Well, at least introduce me,” he grinned. I didn’t like him, his eyes were too small and he seemed to have too many teeth in his mouth.

              “Sorry, Gerald Landry, I’d like to introduce you to my uh, well, I suppose I can say this now, my new girlfriend, Grace Matthews.” Alec beamed proudly. I smiled sweetly.

              “Girlfriend eh, wow, you went out on a ‘not date’ as you put it and came back practically married,” he joked.

              “Hardly married,” I frowned. “Nice to meet you though, Gerald.” I then turned to Alec, “I really need to go up to my suite.”

              “Sure. I’ll see you later, Gerald,” he said.

              “Okay, we’re meeting at the club after the game, please join us, bring your
girlfriend
too,” he smirked.

              “Oh, I don’t know about that, I think we’re just going to go to bed and make the most of it,” Alec stated and walked towards the lift towing me behind.

              “Sorry, but your friend is horrible,” I grumbled.

              “And has a mouth bigger than the Mersey Tunnel, everyone will know within the hour, Alec has a new girlfriend and will be having sex all afternoon.” He scoffed.

              “Well, I suppose he won’t be lying,” I smiled and squeezed his hand.

              “Haven’t you had enough of me yet?” he asked as the doors open. We stepped inside and watched as the doors closed.

              I turned to face him, “No,” I said, “never.” I added before diving into his arms and kissing him. Pushing my tongue into his mouth, moving my hands down his back and inside of his shorts where I grabbed his backside, squeezing lightly.

              “God, woman,” he said between kisses, “I’ll stop this lift in a minute and ravish you right here,” he threatened.

              I stopped kissing him, “Is there a camera in here?” I looked at the mirrored ceiling.

              “Probably,” he smiled. I stepped back and composed myself before the doors opened on my floor. “What are we doing this afternoon?”

              “If you insist we do something else, then we can go out,” I sighed playfully. “I’ll change my clothes and meet you in an hour.”

              “After kissing me like that, you are just going to leave me high and dry?”

              I stepped out of the lift and smiled, “Well, Mr Richards, who’s fault is that?” 

I turned and smiled as the lift doors closed, he grinned just before they met in the middle.

I found my room and closed the door, leaning against it until it clicked shut. A grin crept across my face, what a night, what an amazingly, incredible night with such a wonderful man? He was gentle and kind, caring and sincere, some might say too good to be true, maybe he was, but that afternoon, with the sun shining through the windows in my room, I allowed my heart to thaw out. I felt foolish for thinking what we had could last, but thinking hurt my head and I just wanted it to be real.

              Why couldn’t it be real? I had heard so many stories of love at first sight and of how others had met the one, their soul mate. I don’t know why I was so open to be like this with Alec or why my heart hadn’t prevented me from falling for someone ever again. After all, Kevin had done to me, the lying and cheating, you would have thought I’d think twice, burned fingers and all of that. It just seemed as though I had no control over my heart or my head. It petrified me to feel so out of control, but it excited me too and I think I loved it.

I took a long shower, allowing the water to massage my aching body. A night of love making was something I had never done and when my muscles seemed like they couldn’t take any more, Alec had to give me one more work out. I seriously felt like I had spent hours at a gym, not in bed.

              I put on a light cotton dress of turquoise and slipped my feet into my flip flops. I decided to call my mother. I felt sure she would still be up. We talked for a while, I told her about Alec and she remarked at how happy I sounded, I suppose I was happy, the happiest I had felt in a long time. I wanted her to tell me to get a grip and remember the pain I felt before. I wanted her to talk me out of falling too fast, but she didn’t she told me to enjoy myself and that should it be all I hoped, that she got to meet him soon. My mum, the hopeless romantic, as least I knew where I got it from. 

As I ended the call someone knocked on my door.

“I need to ask you something,” Alec said standing in blue jeans and a light blue shirt.

“Okay,” I nodded.

              “Can I come in?”

              “Sure,” I smiled clumsily and stepped back. He entered and strode across the room as I closed the door. He looked nervous, it looked so cute, I almost smiled. 

              “I always end this visit with a trip up to Vegas. I’ll be honest, I do like to gamble a bit, not stupidly and I am not addicted or anything. I only gamble when I come to the US, my point is, it means I would leave here just before your flight home and have a week away from everything. Would you like to come with me?”

              “I only have two weeks here; won’t it revoke my Visa or something?” I frowned. “Then there is my job, I am sure they wouldn’t like it if I were away another week.”

              “Both are valid reasons, minor complications, but also doable.” He responded. “If it was possible and neither of those things were a slight, very slight, issue, would you come to Vegas with me?”

              I smiled warmly, “Yes, but…”

              “It’s settled then,” he smiled, “we’re going to Vegas.”

              “Alec, I can’t just call work and say
Hey, I won’t be back on the twentieth as planned because I met a man and we are going to Vegas
.”

              “Of course you can,” he shrugged. “I bet you hardly take time off sick, I even expect that this is the first real holiday you have booked off in years.” I flashed my eyes to him, “I am right, aren’t I?”

              “Kim will kill me, she would have a stroke, honestly…”

              “Kimberly Parsons, thirty-two years old and from Cambridge, the same Kimberly Parsons who used to play football for Chelsea Women’s team and has recently got married to a man called Philip Lennox, an American and former soccer player from LA Galaxy.”

              “You know Kim?” I frowned.

              “No, I searched the company. If she recently got married then she’s all loved up and feeling romantic, she’ll be happy for you.”

              “Alec,” I sighed and sat on the arm of the couch, “Why do you have to know now?”

              “I am booking us into a hotel on The Strip and need to confirm as the rooms go quickly.”

              “How would we get there? My car has to go back.”

              “I will get you there, just call Kim…”

              “It’s Sunday.”

              “Call her mobile, she’ll appreciate all the notice you can give her.” He grinned and sauntered towards me, “That dress makes you look so beautiful, your eyes look practically the same colour.” He added.

              “Thank you,” I smiled slightly as he lifted my hands and pecked my fingers. Gazing at me with his warm brown eyes.

              “I promise you will have an amazing time, a holiday to remember.”

              “What’s the real reason you want me there; won’t you be with your friends?” I asked.

              “I will have some acquaintances there, but also I cannot bear the thought of you going back to London and leaving me here. Now that I found you, I don’t want to lose you again.”

              “I have already told you I will see you when we get back.” I explained.

              “Yes, but a lot can happen in a week.” He frowned, pouting almost.

              I thought about it for a few moments, I’ll admit, it was on my bucket list, “Okay, I’ll phone Kim tomorrow and ask her, but what do I do about my Visa?”

              “You can spend three months on a visiting visa, so you will be fine. I will get you on my flight back to London.”

              “It will cost a fortune,” I grumbled.

              “You are so worth it,” he leaned in and kissed me tenderly. “So,” he said leaning back from my lips, “how would you like to spend the afternoon tasting wine?” I frowned slightly puzzled. “A friend of mine owns a vine yard about twenty miles north of LA, we could go to his place and taste some of the most amazing wine that ever touched my lips, if you are up for it.”

              “Sounds perfect.” I smiled and kissed him again.

Daniel arrived shortly after lunch and we headed up to his friend’s vineyard. I did like wine and was looking forward to trying some. As we sat in the back I watched the hills of California pass by. He slipped his hand into mine and pulled them to rest on his lap.

Every touch or gesture he made towards me made my heart soar. The thought that he didn’t want me to leave him to go home made me smile, maybe he liked me as much as I liked him and maybe this was real and people met and fell in love within days… Oh my God! Did I just say that, was I in love with him?

              If love is defined by wanting to spend every moment with someone, by wanting to touch every part of their body, wanting to make them happy, tending to their every whim, their every need and by never wanting to be apart from them, then yes, I suppose I had fallen in love with Alec. I had known him a few days, but felt I truly that I had known him a lifetime.

We turned off the highway and followed a white fenced drive towards a huge mansion. There must have been twenty windows on the front of the building alone. Daniel stopped the car and we climbed out. I gazed around at the emerald green fields at the front of the building, I couldn’t even see the road the driveway was that long.