by Maggie Mundy
Could he have this dream? His hand was in his pocket fumbling with his keys. Beth heard the clink and sighed. Greg turned toward the door. If Jeff were still here he would try and stop him. Nothing happened as he walked out to the pick-up. He sat in the cab trying to work out what to do next. The trailer park wouldn’t want him back in a hurry.
Perhaps it was time to go walkabout again. A random thought came to his head. The bins should go out for the morning. Was this really his home? As he placed the bin on the curb and walked back to his car, he glanced across the road to see Beth’s neighbor put his bin out. Happy family people doing their stuff: did someone like him have the right?
He had locked himself out. He knocked, not wanting to ring the bell and wake the kids. Beth opened it but said nothing. She just stood there. Greg knew she was getting cold from the goose bumps on her arms, but it was the tears in her eyes that made his heart ache. He needed to say something or go, and he didn’t like the latter choice. Where the hell was he going to go, anyway?
“Beth, I don’t understand any of this, but I want to be with you.”
She was on him before he could say anything else. Her mouth pinned onto his, and her arms wrapped around his neck. He could hear his own heartbeat, and it pounded as he kissed her. The front door was shut, but they were against the wall inside. Her lips pressed against his as his tongue searched the heat of her mouth. He missed her mouth so much. His body fit perfectly into each curve and groove of hers. His hard dick ground against her. He needed to be in their bedroom, and in her. Keri or David showing up now wasn’t an option.
“If the kids weren’t here, I’d take you up against the wall right now,” he said breathlessly in her ear, and he continued kissing her neck, swirling his tongue just below her ear the way she liked.
“But they are.” Beth wriggled out of his embrace and headed down the hallway to the bedroom.
Her clothes were coming off as fast as his. The bedroom was cold, and they both slid beneath the covers. These past weeks he’d done nothing more than cuddle her. Now with her naked body next to his, he wanted to pleasure her so much. He lay on top of her and her lips parted to take his tongue again. Gentle kisses became deeper, and he fought with her tongue as his body moved on top of her.
He trailed kisses down her neck to her breast. Kissing one breast and then the other, he made little circles with the tip of his tongue around her nipple. He pecked little kisses down her side so that goose bumps came up on her skin. Making his way past her belly button, he moved through her curls to where he dreamed of being these past weeks. Spreading her legs apart, he licked her inner thigh and she gave a little jerk. Then he delved into her folds, licking and sucking and flicking against her clitoris. The musky smell of her spurred him on. This was better than he remembered. Beth let out a groan, and he heard Josh start to whimper. Greg came up from under the bedclothes.
Beth slipped out from beneath the covers and turned Josh over and tucked him back in. Shit, her ass was so sexy. She slipped back in beside him, shivering and cuddling him close.
“I think we need to be a bit quieter.” She giggled.
“I wasn’t the one making the noises, but I’m happy to take it slow and silent.” He moved on top of her, but made no attempt to enter her even though he could feel her keenness from the way she moved. He kissed her lightly at first with pecks along her lips and then his tongue explored her mouth and then the nape of her neck. As he did so, Beth ran her hands up and down his back. Not gently, but as if giving him a deep massage. He couldn’t have thought a year ago this was possible. He was relaxed, but as hard as ever at the same time.
He moved himself so he could enter her. He could feel the heat of her against the head of his dick. It was sin for anything to be so tempting. He moved inside her making each movement deliberate. How long could this go on? Lost in her mouth and her body, he’d be happy to stay there lost forever. Arching his back, he moved his head down to her left breast, his tongue roving around her taut nipple. His left hand wandered down to feel himself moving in and out of her. Her legs wrapped around his thighs and her hands were on his ass encouraging him to go deeper. She was so wet, and when he touched her, she started to shudder. The involuntary movements caused her to squeeze him and drive him crazy. Leaving her breast and coming back to her mouth, he gazed into her eyes.
“I feel like I would go mad without you, Beth, but when you do that, I think I’ll go mad with you.”
“Then let’s go very quietly crazy together.”
Slowly with each stroke in and out the sensations grew. When release finally came, it was as if they both held their breath together, to hang onto the moment. Feeling her pulsing around him was something he never wanted to forget.
Snuggling up afterwards, he wondered if she expected him to say I love you. If she did, she hid it well. Maybe one day he would say it out loud, maybe.
Chapter Eighteen
For Beth, the past three months since Greg’s operation had flown by. Things were going well except for these stupid notes. Beth sat in the workroom at the back of her shop on her own. She peered at the crumpled piece of paper in her hand again. Another letter had come to the shop addressed to her, and as before it contained a poem claiming undying love. The third in two weeks––she told herself if another came, she would tell Greg and go to the police. It was probably just some idiot, or a kid doing a prank, but it was creepy.
Tonight after work she would talk to Greg, but she already knew how he would react, and it wouldn’t be pleasant. He would get angry. He wouldn’t want to go to the police, and he would kill whomever it was when he found out. She couldn’t afford him getting into trouble or the police would have him put away again.
Diane walked in, and Beth shoved the paper back into her apron pocket.
“Have you done the Johnson order yet, or do you want me to do it?” Diane asked, as she checked off the list of jobs for the day.
What could the police do, anyway? It wasn’t as if anyone was threatening her. In fact, they were doing the opposite and saying she was lovely. It was just a bit stalker-ish and creepy to her, and after the past year or so, she didn’t need any more drama.
“Yes, it’s in the cool room. I can drop it off on the way home, as I’m going past where the Johnsons live.” Beth jumped at every sound and her nerves were on end. Why was it, just as things were going well for her and Greg, something else weird had to happen?
Diane brought a mug of tea over and put it down. “I saw Keri with Tyler yesterday. He must be having a good influence on her as she actually greeted me, which was a first. In the past, she just gave me the shrug ... no, that’s not true, I also would get an occasional grunt.” Diane laughed as she started on another bouquet.
“He’s nice, even if he’s a bit older than she is. I don’t know if it will last, but they seem to like being around each other.” Beth sipped on her tea.
“And how are you and Greg going?”
“He’s getting more work than he needs. He works Monday to Wednesday, and Mum and Dad have Josh those days, and he has him the rest.”
In the past three months, he started to get back to his old self again. He made love to her like he worshiped her body, but still said nothing about his past, or how he felt about her. Jeff kept his promise and left them alone. They didn’t go out much, but that was okay with her. When they did she would find him looking at people around them as a threat. She reckoned it was exhausting for him, and it was easier to just stay home.
“He’s looking good, and I have to admit, I notice when women look at him.” Beth was being silly.
“He’s not messing about, is he, after what’s happened?” Diane said.
“No, it’s me and my insecurities. I’m older than he is, and still haven’t lost the weight. I think some women like the bad boy image now they know about him. The world’s a strange place.” Some stranger was telling her he loved her, and the one person she wanted to say it wasn’t saying a thing. She kept cutti
ng flowers and making more bouquets. Beth was daydreaming as someone said her name. She turned. Will had come in the shop and stood on the other side of the counter.
“Will, what can I do for you? Another bunch of flowers for your aunt, maybe?” She knew Will had been helping his aunt out doing some work around her place. It was up in Gawler somewhere. She could ask Greg if he knew her, but he didn’t like talking about up there. Plus, he didn’t like talking about Will. Time had not made the two men like each other any better.
She was glad Will had stayed away, as his visits had been more difficult since Greg moved in. The last time he came around, they both just sat there with Will looking down his nose at Greg as if he was a lower life form, and Greg with folded arms and clenched fists as if he wanted to beat the stuffing out of him. Beth had never encouraged Will, but he did touch her arm too often sometimes. If he pushed it further, she would have to say something. She was with Greg now, even if it meant she might lose an old friend. She needed to concentrate on her work and her family.
“I’d like a bunch of flowers for a friend.”
“So, whom are we sending this to?” Will gave an address in Unley of a girl named Wendy. “What would you like on the card?”
“Wendy. Thanks for everything. See you Friday. Hope the tulips hit the spot. Will.”
She was certain about one thing: Will wasn’t the poet writing to her and freaking her out, not that she had ever thought he was. This was ridiculous. She’d even suspected her neighbors. She really needed to talk to Greg later. A problem shared was a problem halved.
Will paid and left. She helped Diane load up the van with deliveries, including Will’s bouquet to his mysterious woman. Perhaps he would be visiting Unley more, rather than knocking on their door. It would be one less problem in her life.
****
Pulling up outside of the address Will gave her, she thought it must be wrong: It was a shop, and from the look of it had been closed down for a while. The windows were painted white and the sign above the shop had most of its letters missing: Ara’s Hoe Op. Looked to her like a shoe shop for derelicts. She stood at the door and knocked. She must have written it down wrong. If no one answered, she would phone Diane and double check it. The door opened.
“Will.” Beth jumped. She would need a whiskey at this rate when she got home.
“Beth, come in, Wendy’s out the back. She’s renovating the place to open up her own jeweler shop. The flowers are going to be a surprise.”
“If you were going to be here, I could have just given them to you at the shop.” She tried not to snap, but she was tired. It annoyed her he’d made her come all this way for nothing. Oh well, she had charged him for the delivery, so she couldn’t complain.
“I wasn’t going to see her tonight. I’m going back up to my aunt’s. She’s taken a turn for the worse and needs me. I just thought I’d pop in on the way. I didn’t think we would be here at the same time, but this is perfect.”
Beth followed him as he walked through the front of the shop, which showed no signs of renovation. She reckoned Wendy must have been starting out the back and working forward.
“Wendy, I have a surprise for you,” Will shouted out, but there was no reply.
Beth walked through the door into what seemed like a small empty storeroom. She went to turn around, but Will placed his arm around her chest and held a rag over her face. The stench from the cloth caused bile to rise in her throat. Dear God, it was him. She lashed out with her arms, and felt her nails connect with his face. She tried to fight but as she breathed in everything around her started spinning. Will let go and her knees buckled and her head connected with something. There was so much pain shooting through her head––and then the room went black.
Beth tried to open her eyes, but they didn’t want to obey her. Will was there, leaning over her. Where was she? What was he doing? She tried to raise her head but it felt like lead and wouldn’t move. Her arm hurt. She squinted down to see Will with a needle and syringe inserted into a vein in her arm. She moved her other arm up to push him away. He slapped her hand away. She wanted to stop him, but everything took so much effort. The world went into slow motion.
“It’s all right, I’ll be back soon. I just need to move your van. I’m sorry, I’m going to have to tie you up––but it’s for the best, you’ll see that later.”
The walls were suddenly every color of the rainbow and were melting. Will was there again, untying her feet and helping her out of the room. There were rustling noises around her and she thought she saw creatures lurking in the dark shop as they made their way to the front door. Outside the streetlights were turning to fire and were all pointed toward her. Her tied hands grabbed the front of Will’s shirt.
“Help me, Will, they’re after me. They’re going to burn me.”
Will guided her toward a car. Where was her van? He opened the back door of the car and helped her in so she could lie on the back seat. Her breathing slowed and started to relax as they sped away from the burning lights. Closing her eyes, she let oblivion come.
****
Josh wouldn’t stop crying as Greg walked up and down with him. Where was Beth, and why didn’t she answer her phone? Diane said Beth was doing the deliveries and then popping back to the shop to sort out the list for tomorrow’s orders.
Keri came over and said, “Give him to me, and I’ll give him some custard. Mum’s always forgetting to charge her phone so it’s probably just that. If you’re worried, maybe pop down the shop? We’ll be okay here.” Keri took Josh.
He drove too fast and didn’t care. He trusted his senses and had a bad feeling about this. The shop was dark with no van outside. He used the spare key to get in and turned the lights on. There was nothing to show she’d been back at all. Picking up the phone, he called Diane.
“I don’t understand it, Greg. She should have been back ages ago. Maybe the van’s broken down, and her phone is dead. I’m bet you’ll hear something soon.”
“Yeah, you’re right I’m sure.” He wasn’t sure though. He rushed home thinking her van would be in the driveway. It wasn’t. The kids were inside expecting someone to cope––they needed him to take control. His body felt cold with dread. He couldn’t get out of the car and face them like this. For once in his life, he had no choice. Well, he did have the choice to be an asshole. He saw the curtain pulled back and David staring out. He had to be the calm strength. Shit. He took a deep breath as he turned the key in the door.
“Where’s Mum? Wasn’t she at the shop?” David asked, looking at the front door as if she would appear behind Greg.
“No.” Greg pressed speed dial on his cell phone again, but as before it said her phone was turned off. He never thought he’d see the day he would phone the police, but he was going to do it now.
They were sending someone around. The cops spent most of their time asking him why she might have gone missing. Had they had an argument, had he hurt her? Fuck them. It was easier for them to assume he was the culprit and that she had run off.
Two days later, and nothing was solved. He’d been down to the police station again, but was getting more questions about his past than about where Beth was. He adored her. She was the first person apart from Trudy who’d cared. Why would he hurt her?
The kids were bearing up, but looked drained. None of them were sleeping. Trudy phoned and offered help but there wasn’t anything she could do. Beth’s face was on the five o’clock news again. They were asking for any information. The phone rang. It was the police. They had found her van, but no sign of her. They wanted to come around and talk.
Greg heard the car pull up outside, and his hand shook as he opened the door. He wasn’t used to feeling helpless, but these past few days were killing him. He took control of things with violence, but now he couldn’t do anything. Keri came in with coffee. For a moment, Greg could see her calm mother there in her expression. She sat quietly next to her brother on the couch. He had no right to tell them not to
be there.
“Her van was found at Glenelg. Do you know why it would be there, as none of her deliveries were in that area?” the policeman asked.
“No. I can’t even remember her mentioning any friends, who live down there.” Greg answered, looking to Keri for confirmation, but she shrugged her shoulders.
“She didn’t make her last two deliveries. We were aware of that already. They were still in the van. What we did find of interest was this note in her work apron and two other notes in the glove box. Do you recognize them?” The policeman handed over the crumpled bits of paper.
Greg stared at the typed notes. It was poetry addressed to Beth. It was someone who knew her well and had been in this house, suggested by the line about her sniffing the roses as she went out. It was true, he had seen her do it. She said she had planted that particular rose after Jeff had died.
Keri picked up the notes and looked at the cop. “So, this guy who’s taken Mum likes her, so he won’t hurt her, will he?” The paper trembled in Keri’s hand as she held it.
Greg knew the look on the policeman. It meant they didn’t have a clue. He wanted to hit something, but with a cop around it wasn’t an option. With the kids here, it made it even worse. He didn’t like things being taken from him. Too much had been taken from him as a child, and he would go to hell rather than accept this loss now.
“At the moment, that’s what we’re hoping. We’re looking at all the deliveries she made that day in the hope one will give us an idea of her whereabouts.” The policeman stood up.
“So basically, you don’t have a fucking clue.” Greg wanted to throw his coffee mug across the room, but instead he held onto it tightly.
“We’re proceeding with our investigation and will inform you of any findings.” The policemen left.
Greg reckoned cops these days should become politicians given the way they spoke, saying nothing at all. Keri hugged David who stood sobbing in her arms. They both looked up at him as the front door shut. This was shit. He wasn’t meant to be helping other people hold it together. He was still a mess himself, grasping onto something in one place for the first time in his life.