by A B Turner
Kat had patiently waited while they had primped every inch of her, but when one leant forward to make one final adjustment, she could take no more,
“Enough, ladies, I really love everything you’ve done, but now, I just want to get married.”
With obvious reluctance, they stepped back, Kat glanced at me,
“Shall we go?” she asked, for a moment, allowing her regal composure to fall slightly, but as soon as I nodded, she raised her chin, took a deep breath and looked every inch a queen. She eased her hand through her father’s arm and slowly started to walk inside, I followed behind, completely committed to not forgetting one moment of this special day.
As we processed up the aisle, I glanced towards Matt, at first, he looked as nervous as Damon had described, but when he saw Kat, his expression changed completely, to one of nothing less than pure love. When we reached our positions, Kat turned briefly and passed me the bouquet, when our eyes met, she slyly winked, which seemed completely at odds with the rest of her elegant demeanour. As they exchanged their vows, I looked on with a mixture of pride and great affection for them both, they spoke clearly yet with such warmth, I could just hear a few of the guests sniffling back the odd tear.
At last, the minister said the words, Kat had waited for practically since the day we first met,
“I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride.”
Matt leant forward and gently kissed Kat, I tilted my head slightly so I could see her face, it was this moment, beyond any other, which I did not want to miss. When Matt pulled back, I saw what I had hoped, she was literally glowing with happiness, her large eyes sparkling and a broad smile lighting up her whole face. As they turned to walk back down the aisle, I gave her the bouquet, and stood back to watch them enjoy their moment, I was so lost, I barely noticed someone take my arm and firmly thread it through their own.
“Shall we go?” said a low, but almost familiar voice, I looked up to find a young man smiling at me,
“Yes, why not?” I answered, still trying to remember where I had heard that voice before, somehow my new companion seemed to sense my confusion,
“I’m James, Matt’s brother, by the way, and I’m guessing you’re Carrie,” he whispered, as we walked slowly behind Kat and Matt.
“You sound so similar to Matt, I thought we had met before,” I replied quietly, nodding appreciatively at the mouthed compliments from the guests, as we passed.
“ I’m sure I would remember if we had," he replied, I glanced up at him, expecting to see some hint of a vaguely-flirtatious smile, but instead, it was clear he was quite serious, I instantly resolved not to encourage this line of conversation, even though I couldn’t help but be flattered, after all, this guy didn’t look much older than Lainie.
Less than an hour later, we were at the reception, after the usual speeches and formalities, I watched like a proud parent, as Matt and Kat took to the floor for their first dance together as a married couple. Although some time had passed, her face still had the glowing expression I had seen in the church and, it was clear, Matt could hardly bear to take his eyes off her for a second. I sipped my champagne and glanced idly around the room, my eyes pausing every so often to absorb every moment, there were Kat's parents, sitting close together, chatting quietly, James had turned his attention to one of the other guests and was now sitting next to her at one of the other tables, some distance away, I saw Damon and Lainie , he was topping up her glass and she was smiling gently at him, when she leant forward to kiss him, I turned my attention away sharply, suddenly feeling slightly awkward. Almost immediately, my eyes were drawn to someone raising their glass towards me, it was Jay, I returned the gesture, trying to appear cool and sophisticated, whereas inside, my heart had leapt almost out of my chest. As I watched, he eased himself away from his table and slipped effortlessly through the now-crowded dance floor towards me, my mind raced, what should I say? Should I be obviously happy to see him? Or maybe try and appear casual? Before I had a chance to answer anything, he was by my side and offering his hand,
“Shall we dance?” he asked, I nodded, took his hand and let him lead me to the centre of the floor, still trying to calm the relentless thumping of my heart, with ease, he pulled me towards him and we started to dance.
“You look lovely ,” he said quietly.
“Thank you, I had no idea you would be here,” I answered, hoping the polite nature of our conversation would somehow distract me from acknowledging how good it felt to be back in his arms once more.
“I’ve known Matt for some time, we belong to the same gym,” he explained calmly, “It’s good to see you, Carrie.”
I glanced up at him, those amazing violet eyes, seeming even more captivating than I had remembered.
“It’s good to see you too,” I replied, now, despite my earlier resolve to try and maintain a certain distance between us, I allowed him to pull me slightly closer to his body. As we swayed gently together, it felt as if time had stopped completely, as if every other person had somehow faded away and now we were alone, just the two of us. In that moment, my whole body seemed to be remembering what it had felt like being with him, I shivered slightly,
“Are you cold?” he asked, looking at me intently, I shook my head and attempted to regain some control, although, by now, there didn’t seem to be a cell in my body that wasn’t screaming at me to do something, or say something which would lead to us being together again. But as we turned, I saw Lainie with Damon, and the moment crashed with an almost-sickening thud, as , much as I loved my daughter, this was one of the few times, I had not wanted to be reminded I was a mother. She waved slightly, clearly in an attempt to gain my attention, reluctantly I pulled away from Jay,
“It seems I’m needed over there,” I said, answering his confused expression, before he had a chance to speak.
“Will you be back?” he asked, the tone had the urgency I wanted to hear, so without hesitation, I answered,
“As soon as I can,” the words sounded more blunt than I had intended, but, by then, I didn’t care, we were both adults and I knew he was more than aware of how being with him again had affected me, so there now seemed little point in pretending otherwise. As I edged through the other dancers, I could feel myself consciously returning to ‘mum mode’, which was harder now than it had ever been before.
When I reached Lainie, however, it was clear she was decidedly anxious about something , she grabbed my arm and pulled me through some large doors and into the hotel lobby.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, now completely back in my motherhood role,
“We’ve just heard, there’s going to be some kind of strike at the airport starting at midnight, Damon and I have to go, otherwise we won’t be back in time for Monday,” she gasped, her eyes frantically darting across my face, “I feel just terrible.”
I touched her cheek,
“Don’t, it can’t be helped, sweetheart.”
“But, what about Kat and Matt? I can’t just walk out of their wedding,” she continued sadly, I took her beloved face in my hands,
“They will understand, they’ll be leaving themselves very soon, Kat doesn't know yet but Matt’s booked them on the Orient Express, so you’ve nothing to worry about, OK?”
She nodded sadly, Damon appeared and strode over to us,
“I’ve just called the airport, if we hurry, we can stop by your house and pick up our gear, before getting the last plane, we got two of the last tickets.”
He turned to me and apologised, when I assured him I understood, he hugged me and kissed me on the cheek, before telling Lainie he would get them a cab. As he half-ran to the doors, Lainie thanked me again and was about to leave, when she paused, as if a thought had suddenly occurred to her,
“You do like him don’t you?” she asked, once more seeming to switch from woman to small girl in a second,
“I do, I think he’s a really lovely guy ,” I assured her, adding, “...and he loves you too, anyone can
see that.”
She blushed and hugged me again, I glimpsed an anxious Damon hovering by the door, so I forced us apart,
“Now off you go, that plane won’t wait...even for you !” I smiled, after one quick peck on the cheek, she scampered across the lobby, as she reached Damon, she stopped and looked back at me,
“Love you, Mum.”
“Love you more,” I replied, waving slightly as they disappeared through the doors and into the night, I sighed heavily, as I realised this was what our times together were going to be like from now on, just fleeting moments where we connected again, before something happened which would send her off once more. Suddenly I found myself feeling incredibly thankful we had shared so much of her childhood, even though I had worked, I had managed to make sure she always knew she came first, that the time we shared was the most important to me. It would have been easy to stand in the deserted lobby lost in my own thoughts, but the general noise coming from the reception, quickly snapped me back into the present.
As I re-entered the room, within moments, Jay was at my side,
“Now, let's finish that dance,” he said firmly.
As he led me back to the dance floor, I felt all trace of ‘mum mode’ disappear, after all, Lainie was safe and well, it was clear Damon adored her, so there was nothing wrong with just allowing myself to let all feelings of responsibility fade away, at least for tonight. As soon as Jay pulled me towards him, I released any momentary doubts and just pressed my body closer to his, with the soul purpose of wanting him to feel me. Through the soft silk of my gown, I could feel his strong hand on my back, pulling me still closer towards him until there was no discernible space between us, it felt so intense, I wanted it to go on forever, but suddenly, all the lights in the room seemed to switch on at once.
“The bride and groom are about to say their goodbyes,” a voice boomed, within seconds , the dance floor emptied as people started to make their way to the doors, Jay took my arm and guided me expertly through the throng until I was at the front of the crowd,
“I’ll see you soon,” he whispered, before turning and disappearing into the now-cheering party guests, Kat and Matt, appeared at the door, having changed from their wedding apparel, into clothes distinctly less formal. I watched as they worked their way around the crowd, hugging and shaking hands as they went, Kat still looked deliriously happy, especially when she was with her parents, who were still slightly weepy.
As she got nearer, I hoped some brilliant words of wisdom would somehow pop into my head, so I could send her off properly, but when she reached me, my mind was blank, so I hugged her.
“You take care of yourself, OK?” she whispered, “Especially with that mysterious guy you were dancing with before.”
I pulled back in mild disbelief she had managed to notice me, amongst all the excitement, when she saw my expression, she smiled knowingly,
“You should know better, Carrie, I never miss anything.”
I laughed and told her I loved her and to have a great time on the honeymoon, she laughed and made a joke about where she thought they might be going, adding,
“I haven’t seen any sign of any sleeping bags so there’s hope we won’t be at a dodgy campsite in the middle of nowhere.”
Matt appeared at her side,
“Come on, Mrs Croft, time to go, I don’t want to be putting up our tent in the dark !” he laughed, before moving on to shake an extended hand.
“Did you hear that? I’m Mrs Croft !” Kat gasped, “Well, fuck me.”
I laughed and with one last hug, I watched Matt lead her away, through the horde of well-wishers and towards the main doors, they were about to leave, when many of the guests called out to throw her bouquet. Kat paused and tossed the flowers high into the air, there was a frantic scramble, I craned my neck to see who had caught them amongst the seething mass of outstretched hands. Suddenly, the slight madness subsided and I saw Daniel holding the bouquet aloft, before passing it to his girlfriend who kissed him lovingly, the rest of the group turned back to Kat and Matt, who waved one last time, before leaving arm-in-arm, through the large doors to begin heir new life together.
The party guests drifted back into the reception room, clearly with the intention of continuing the festivities, even though the guests of honour had now left the building. I hesitated, unsure whether or not I really wanted to join them, but completely sure, I wanted to spend some time with Jay. I had barely taken a step, when I felt someone take my hand, I looked up, and there he was, his deep, purple eyes burning into me, which I knew from experience, meant this was no time for indecision. So what if we had decided this would never happen again ? My whole body felt as if nothing less than pure electricity was flowing through every pulsating vein. Without even a backward glance, I followed him up the stairs, as we walked, I saw him reach into his pocket and produce a keycard, which obviously meant, he had a room booked. Within moments, we stopped by a door, which he swiftly opened and pulled me inside, without stopping, he somehow managed to slam the door shut and lead me to a large bed.
The room was in darkness, but I could still see those eyes, they seemed even darker now as they burned into my own, for a split second, I thought one of us should say something, but as soon as I felt his hand on my back once more, he reached behind my head and pulled his face towards me, his mouth pressed hard against mine, his tongue plunged between my lips and was met by my own, as we kissed, I felt his hand slip across my gown and on to my breast, the feeling of the sheer silk encasing his firm grip caused me to gasp with pleasure. I quickly slipped the shoulder straps off and the dress fell to the floor. Jay looked at me hungrily and pushed me back on to the bed, pulling my bra off as we fell, then, like some crazed animal his mouth ripped into my soft flesh, biting and sucking at my nipples while I squirmed underneath him.
I reached for him, almost tearing my way through his trouser fly, once my hand felt his body, I took a firm hold and pulled him towards me, wanting nothing but to feel him inside, as if he could somehow stop the waves of moist heat coursing down my thighs. Feeling my desperation, he rammed into me over and over again, with such force, I was sure I was on the point of blacking out completely, but completely unwilling to stop until I felt him burst inside my heaving, sweating body. I gripped on to his shoulders, even the sensation of my nails sinking into the flesh seemed to drive me even further towards giving into him completely, I didn’t care anymore, I just wanted every inch of his thrusting body on mine, I wanted to feel his now-frenzied mouth suck every last drop from me. At last, when I felt as if my lungs were on the point of exploding, he pumped into me with yet more force and I felt everything he had, fill me up in a raging, burning rush.
He collapsed on to my chest, breathing heavily, unable to move, I tried to regain some control over the frantic, bruising, thumping of my heart against my ribs while gasping for air, we lay in this tangled, sweating mass for several minutes, neither of us able to do anything. Finally, he rolled off me to rest by my side, the cool air on my body was a welcome relief ,as I felt as if we had somehow melted together in the sheer heat of the moment, the sudden stillness of the darkened room seemed totally at odds with what had just happened within its walls. After several breathless moments, I finally looked across at him, his eyes were half-closed, his dark, almost black hair, framing his strong face. I reached across and gently traced an imaginary line, starting at his chin, down his neck and on to his chest, leaning forward, I allowed my tongue total freedom to explore his body, slowly circling and tasting his warm skin. I shifted closer, as my focus became more and more intense, my mouth seeming to be possessed by an unquenchable desire, what had begun as an almost tender exploration seemed to quickly gather pace and urgency. Suddenly his eyes opened, he pulled me up until I was straddling him, the feel of his body between my thighs sent ripples of pleasure through my body. He took my hands and put them on my breasts,
" Feel them," he said firmly.
The sensual combination of the white
,softness of my own flesh and the dark rigidity of his torso, was overwhelming, I bit my lip in an attempt to stop myself crying out with sheer pleasure, I looked at Jay, he seemed almost hypnotised by the sight of me squeezing and pulling at my bouncing breasts. I could feel myself grinding harder into his body, he slightly shifted position, but without taking his eyes off me, he sat up , his mouth only inches away from my erect nipples, so close I could feel his warm breath on me. I wanted him there, I wanted him to suck me, but at first, he didn't move,
"Jay, please," I croaked, barely able to speak, he glanced at me and then opened his mouth, his lips tantalisingly close as he licked them slowly,
"I say when,Carrie," he whispered, I pushed harder and harder into him, hoping the feel of my now- soaking body would make him lose control. I was thrashing wildly on him, screaming and moaning, when he suddenly grabbed by breast and forced the nipple into his mouth, just seeing him tear into me with his teeth, sent me over the edge of control and plunging into the world of total abandon.
When I was completely drained, I fell back on to the bed, my mind spinning, totally unable to function, every part of my body felt too heavy to move any more, so I lay there and waited for the sensation to pass. Jay rested his head on his hand and looked down at me,