Loneliness Trilogy Bundle Boxset (12 page)

“Name something he has on his body that nobody else has,” I tell her.

I breathe out a quiet sigh of relief - she’s fumbling, trying to think of something that he has on his body. Of course, I’m thinking of the tattooed griffin on his chest.

“Uh…well…he has a mole to the side of his cock,” she says triumphantly.

I laugh raucously. “You’ll need to do better! He has no such marking on his body.”

Meantime, poor Marcus is getting redder and redder.

“Oy, Lisa, just get the fuck off my stoop and don’t come back!” Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he dials the number quickly.

Lisa waits, ready to call his bluff.

“Yes, ma’am, I need to report a nuisance at my residence. My name is Marcus Hadley, and I live at…” After he gives his address and the specifics of the situation, he smiles, waiting.

Sure enough, three minutes later, a police vehicle pulls up.

Lisa goes ghostly pale and she turns on Marcus.

“You bastard! I…I loved you!” She wails as the police motion for her to leave the front stoop of Marcus’ flat. When she doesn’t leave, the stocky policewoman approaches and takes Lisa’s arm. Lisa resists, leading to her wrists being placed into handcuffs. Both the female officer and a large, muscular male officer place their hands around both of Lisa’s arms and escort her to the police cruiser. Once she is inside, they drive off, taking her to jail.

Marcus sighs. “Thank you.”

“Did you sleep with her?” I ask standing still next to him. If I move…and if he says he did…I shall break apart into a million tiny pieces.

“No. Never. I’ve never been attracted to her and I wouldn’t lead her on,” says Marcus. His serious eyes communicate the same message. He’s telling me the truth.

I melt into his arms and he pulls me close to him. I hear his heart hammering in his chest.

“Let’s go inside. Forget the wacky Lisas of the world,” he suggests.

Inside, we resume our cuddle on his long sofa. I fall asleep in Marcus’ arms and feel myself being carried to his bedroom. Stretching out on his comfortable bed, I feel Marcus removing my clothing. He joins me on the other side of his bed and we both sleep.

The next morning, I am feeling energetic again. We make love, touching each other’s bodies and arousing each other to the point of no return. My pussy is throbbing and I feel hot droplets leaking out as I play Marcus’ body like the finest violin. Groaning, Marcus returns the favor. He licks and suckles my tender and very sensitive nipples. This sends me shooting off his bed and I come immediately. Marcus pulls me to the foot of his bed so that my legs are dangling off the edge. He starts kissing and sucking me down there and my hips begin moving sensuously as I try to relieve the growing pressure. I reach for him, but he shakes his head.

“Your turn,” he says, and then he begins lashing my sensitive clit rapidly with his tongue.

“Agghhh! Oh, my God, Marcus!” My eyes close and I see bright, shooting lights as I come again. When I come back down to earth, I am panting heavily. I open my eyes and tell him, “Now, it’s your turn. Lie down.”

He obeys me.

I turn my eyes to his huge erection, smiling as I see it throbbing and growing even bigger. I clasp his shaft in one hand and his balls in the other, playing gently with both and sending his arousal even higher. His hips buck and he moans low in his throat.

“Johanna! Please!”

Hearing the entreaty in his voice, I give him what he’s asking for. I encircle his shaft with my mouth and begin sucking at him. Soon, he tells me, “Get on top of me!”

I do so and I sink down onto his shaft. Oh, my God, it feels so good! I feel the ripples beginning deep inside my body. My orgasm is a shimmering presence that envelopes the two of us and I whimper at the sweet, hot sensations flooding through my body.

Marcus’ eyes are opened and fastened on mine as we both come. I feel him throbbing and jerking deep inside me as his body sends his semen deep into me.

“Ah, God, Johanna! You are…my…ah! I love you!” he says.

“I…I…love…you, too!” I say in a trembling voice. I’m still coming. Our bodies move against each other as we feel the shocks reverberating through our bodies. We collapse against each other. Soon, too soon, I find I have to visit the loo. After I go to the bathroom, I clean up and join Marcus in bed again.

“I called my mum and she wants us to go round their house for dinner this Friday. Is that good for you?” I ask Marcus.

He checks his planner. “It’s good for me. Nervous?” he asks.

“Yeah. Not so much about my mum. My dad though, he’ll roar and fuss about. Then the excitement of a second grandchild will overcome him and he’ll determine that he needs to accept the situation for what it is.”

“Which is that we’re meant to be together,” says Marcus. “I hope he’ll see how much I love you.”

“I think he will,” I say with a gentle smile.

That day, at practice, we talk about the possibility of recording a CD for international release.

“We’re becoming very well-known,” Tim says. “Nigel tells me that our U.S. fans are demanding a CD, so I’ve been looking at some of our current material, including some of the newer compositions. We have enough to make a CD with, say, fifteen or sixteen selections. What do you think?”

I raise my hand. “I’d love to do it, if we can get started as soon as possible. I’d like to have as much of this done as we can before the littlest Hadley makes his or her appearance.”

Tim grins from ear to ear. Proud uncle, him! “Linny? Laslow?”

“Let’s do it. We’re ready and we’ve been ready for a damned long time,” Linny says.

“I’m in. I agree with Johanna - the sooner the better. The bigger she gets, the more tired she’ll get and it’ll affect her voice.”

I nod, knowing he’s right.

“Right, then. I’ll have Nigel book time at the recording studio. He will work on all the details with a graphic designer for the CD cover, graphics and art. Nigel and I will discuss the tracks and, when we’re ready, distribution details throughout both the U.K. and the U.S.”

We cheer, knowing we’re soon going to be working on a second CD.

Marcus picks me up at my flat. I’m so nervous, I’m practically vibrating. I’ve chosen to wear a maternity duo that doesn’t look like a maternity outfit. The top skims my breasts, which are now slightly larger; beneath my breasts, the top falls down over my hips and slowly growing belly. The pants are a sleek not-quite-form-fitting pair. From my hips, they fall to the ground, making my waist look tiny. I’m wearing a pair of low-heeled boots. Already, my center of gravity has begun to change and I find that lower-heeled shoes are more comfortable and, indeed, safer for me to wear.

I am carrying the family gifts that I found and bought during our U.S. tour. The closer and closer we get to my parents’ house, the stronger my heart begins hammering. It will be all right. Daddy will yell, but, in the end, he’ll accept this baby with love.

“Mum, dad, I’d like to introduce my fiance, Marcus Hadley, to you,” I say, smiling.

“Fiance? How long have you been dating?” my dad asks.

“Since last March,” I tell him. “I bought gifts for everyone. Mum, here is yours. Dad…” I hand out the gifts and every one oohs and ahhs over them.

“Johanna, are you…expecting?” my mum asks.

I see my dad’s head whip around as his eyes go wide.

“Yes. About four-and-a-half months,” I say.

Dad’s mouth drops open and I wait…but nothing comes out. Then, “I’m going to be a granddad again?” He smiles widely.

I look at him in complete shock. I had expected him to yell! But he’s melting! I gaze at my mum. I see her smiling, melting and crying. Oh, my God, they’re happy! I have just enough time for this fleeting thought, and then I am enveloped in both of my parents’ arms. I begin to cry with happiness as my sisters and brother-in-law whoop and holler.

After this, Marcus and I explain how we met and started dating. Let’s keep this G-rated!

“So, Marcus, what line of work are you in?” my dad asks.

“I’m a technical writer, sir. I freelance.” Marcus says.

“You work from home? How does that work for you?”

“Very well, actually. I’m able to set my schedule and accept as much work as I’m able to handle. Any funds I earn over my immediate needs, I bank for future needs,” says Marcus.

Oh, he’s just endeared himself to my dad! I am so happy.

“Johanna, when is your baby due?” my sister asks. Her baby was born right before we left on our U.S. tour. He’s now nearly three months old and getting so big!

“January next,” I say.

Eventually, we sit down to my mum’s delicious dinner. Marcus is sitting next to me, fielding questions from my entire family. He’s explaining the kind of technical writing he does as my brother asks him questions. Meanwhile, my mum, sisters and I talk about my hopes for the baby.

“I just want this little one to be healthy. I suffered from altitude sickness in Denver and that, combined with my morning sickness, really scared me,” I say.

“Altitude sickness? What is that?” my sister asks.

“Your body needs to get used to higher altitudes. We went from a lower-altitude setting in Dallas, Texas straight to Denver. I had no time to get used to the higher altitude, so I got deathly sick. I was in the emergency room and received an I.V. to rehydrate myself and another to give me medicine to settle my tummy.”

By the end of the evening, Marcus is a full-fledged member of the Williams family. Mum and I have discussed my wedding plans. She promises to get in touch with the vicar and we decide that, as soon as Marcus and I ring her up with a wedding date, she’ll let the minister know.

At my flat, I sit down, exhausted. “Oh, my God! That went much better than I thought,” I say.

“Yes! I was afraid your father would have a go at you - but he cried!” Marcus gathers me into his arms and I nestle into his solid, muscular chest. “Now. A wedding date.” His large hand covers my rounded belly. “Soon, I would think.”

“Yes, soon. Two or three weeks?”

“I suppose we have to wait, don’t we? I’d love to marry you tomorrow!”

I giggle. “My mum needs time to arrange things! The vicar. The church. The reception! Thank God I already have a dress. I need to tell her that.”

“Okay, then, two weeks. That gives me time to start working on making space for you in my flat.”

I inhale. “I need to give notice for my flat! I’ll send the note round to my landlady tomorrow and tell her that I’ll give her the keys one month from tomorrow.”

“So, you’ll move in with me and relinquish your flat two weeks later?”

“Yes. That gives me time to dispose of things and get things moved into yours.”

“Good plan, that. No rush, hopefully. You do know that you won’t be doing the heavy lifting, right?”

“You’re not doing everything!” I say.

“No, I’m not. You’ll be loading boxes and taping them shut. Deciding what to toss in the trash bin. We’ll get the band to do the actual lifting.” He laughs. “We’ll stack your boxes into the back of a truck and get them moved to my flat.”

“Okay, then, let me get my family involved as well. Let’s make a party of it - order food for after the big move,” I suggest.

“Hmmm, I like that! Okay.”

In this way, we start our planning to join our lives. I wish I could say that it’s this simple with mum and me! She objects to my idea of wearing one of my concert performance dresses as my wedding gown. Then I show her the dress I have in mind and she gives up.

“Oh, Johanna, this is lovely! Put it on. I want to see how it looks on you,” she orders.

I slip the dress on and model it for her and she gets tears in her eyes.

“Oh, luv, this is perfect! You won’t be too much bigger in two weeks, and you barely show as it is. What kind of bouquet are you thinking of?”

“Bouquet? But, mum, I haven’t…”

“Thought of one? Of course, you’re going to carry a nosegay bouquet, Jo! How about yellow and pink baby roses with greenery and baby’s breath?”

My mouth drops open. The visual imagery is…beautiful!

“Yes. I can see that kind of a bouquet, but not a huge one. I just want a small bouquet. This will be a small wedding, you know.”

“I’ll order one, then. Now, about the food for the dinner after you and that lovely boy marry.”

I can’t help it. I have to giggle! Big, buff Marcus being called “lovely boy?”

“Mum, I’m glad he’s working right now! He’d melt into the ground of embarrassment at being called a ‘lovely boy!’ He’s not twelve!”

“Oh, Johanna, we’re just thrilled that you’ve actually met someone who obviously loves you so much. Of course, you put the cart before the horse, but at least you’re committed to one another,” mum says.

I decide to tell her of the decision I made so long ago.

“Mum. Let’s sit down. There’s something you need to know.”

Her face goes ashen-pale. She’s expecting bad news.

“Mum, don’t worry. I just want to tell you that, while I was still in the Queen’s music academy, I met several boys and, yes, I dated a few of them. But, you know my goal has always been to make a success of my musical career. I’m well on the path there. I also decided that, until I met the right man, I would not be sleeping around. I mean, sure, I snogged and all that, but as far as going any farther than that, it would not be happening. I met Marcus and we just seemed to click with each other. We share so many beliefs! Then he asked me out after one of our concerts and it just felt right, mum, to give him that gift. D’you know that when I told him I was a virgin, he actually cried?”