Looking in our direction, but not really present, she’s moving with her hips over her hand. I don’t think she’s aware of us staring at her.
“And you are?” I hear Alexander’s voice.
She jolts, pulling her fingers out and allowing her dress to fall down, like nothing has ever happened. Embarrassed enough not to make eye contact, she takes a sip from her glass and stares at the floor.
“I’m Lara. I’m sorry, Sir, I really am. I’m looking for a Dom and,” she looks up at him bravely, “Maybe I’ve found him.”
Alexander is not thrown off balance by having someone else with us. He stands up and takes his cock out of his jeans. He starts going up and down my folds with his head. I moan and focus on him as he glides his erection inside of me, groaning shamelessly. I don’t care who’s around, I want that cock to pump me to eternity and back! He’s slow-fucking me and talking to the girl at the same time.
“You have? Where does it say I’m a Dom, Lara?”
“All over your body, Sir. You look so arousing.”
He regards me as he thrusts harder, speeding up the tempo. “I do, don’t I?” Our eyes don’t leave each other.
“Yes, Sir. Um, I don’t mind sharing, Sir.”
Looking at his eyes, I suddenly see them darken, his sky blues become ocean deep. “My wife is not for sharing, Lara. But feel free to stay and watch. She’s amazing.”
“Sorry Sir, I shall go now. Thank you.” I hear her apologies before the door closes behind her while Alexander starts pounding me hard and growling loudly with newfound passion.
Within moments my body starts jerking and as I’m coming I grab his hips for leverage. His thrusts become hard, violent, his grunts tell me he is near and just before he empties his spawn inside of me, he wraps his arms around my neck, holding me steady and staring at me, fucking at the same time. I feel the veins on his hard cock inside me as he spills his spawn. With every thrust our bodies bang painfully, each time deeper, merging, fusing as one.
What a night! What a fuck! What a… I dreamily go over our evening while dozing in Her Majesty on our way home. Alexander is all I have ever wanted in a man.
~
Saturday morning comes with the sun shining magnificently over me. I lie in my bed, half awake. For a long time now I haven’t felt the beauty of a day starting. There’s always someone I worry about. But today I’m calm. Content almost. Alexander dropped me off last night at home, I didn’t expect to stay at his place. A serene smile washes over my face and I turn in my bed, enjoying the moment. One satisfied woman – tick. I snuggle myself into the bedcover properly and, happy with the warmth I feel, I open my eyes. There, right in front of me I see the clock; it’s ten fifteen.
I moan loudly in frustration and force myself to sit up on the bed, taking the bedcover with me. Why do I feel guilty for sleeping in? I look back at my pillow, my eyes longing for more sleep. It was three o’clock in the morning when I went to bed.
I haven’t planned the day yet but I know I’m spending time with the boys again. The game we played last night was an utter success. It made Jason and Michael talk. It made them open up. The idea is to find more of those games today. And after that, I’ll take them somewhere really fun. Maybe even get their friends to come with us. They haven’t had a play-date for a long time.
Up on my feet already, I put on my robe and head downstairs. Mrs. Saunders’s bedroom door is partly open and I see her in there, reading a book. She can’t fool me, though. She’s probably musing over the last few days. Michael and Jason are in my study, noisily discussing something but I choose to ignore them, it’s too early in the morning. I head for the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee.
That’s all I really want in the morning. The heavy, lingering anxiety I felt pressing on my chest lately is gone and it feels like everything will be okay. With the coffee cup in my hand I lean on the kitchen counter and take my first sip. Mmm…. Apparently, moaning while drinking coffee is frowned upon in England. Who would have thought so?
The peace I feel inside of me is soothing. Even the few knocks on the front door don’t make me jump like they used to. Nobody else hears it so I walk down the hallway and open the door.
“Good morning, Miss Jones.” John O’Prey is standing outside my door, dressed as impeccably as ever.
“Good morning, Mr. O’Prey.” I look around and behind him, just to make sure he’s alone. “How can I help you?” I sound detached. I’m calm, fucked thoroughly, at peace with myself. My life is good and I know where I’m heading. There’s no need for hostility.
“Um…May I come in?”
“Why would you want to come in, Mr. O’Prey?”
“I came here to talk to you about Thomas,” he says with concern in his voice.
I look at him without any emotion; he knows how I feel about Thomas.
“Please, I’ll only be five minutes.”
I motion him with my head and open the door wider.
“Come in.”
I lead him straight into the study, where Jason and Michael are. They’re completely ignoring us, immersed in the laptop, watching a YouTube video of god knows what. Some cars.
“Children, can you please give us a minute?”
“But aunt Lia, we need to finish this video. It’s important. This kind of car…”
“Oh my god, Michael, look at this!” Jason exclaims, interrupting our conversation, pointing at the screen.
“Wow!” Michael’s forgotten about me already. His head is now next to Jason’s, engrossed in the video. I go over to their little corner and gently close their laptop.
“No! Aunt Lia!”
“Oh shucks!”
“Michael, Jason. I only need five minutes. You’ll continue with what you’re doing later.”
Upset, they both complain and only now do they notice John O’Prey.
“Oh, hi, John,” Jason greets him informally.
“Hello, Jason. How are you?”
“Not very happy. We were watching this video of a car that…”
“Jason!” I raise my voice. “Not now.”
“Both of you, go.”
I watch them as they leave my study, then turn to John O’Prey, motioning him with my hand towards the sofa.
“Have a seat, Mr. O’Prey.”
“It’s John… Please, call me John.”
He sits, making himself comfortable before clearing his throat, another sign of how uncomfortable he is.
“Miss Jones, um, may I call you Amelia?” I nod and he continues. “Thomas was badly beaten a few days ago and…”
“I know about it,” I lift my hand. “Spare me the details.”
“Look, Amelia, whatever happened between you two, it’s done already. The reason I’m here is because he sent me with a white flag, to be honest. He wanted me to talk to you. He doesn’t care about Alexander Reeves, or whoever you’re seeing, but Michael and Jason are everything that he has left in this world. And they mean so much to him. My wife and I tried to persuade him to find a better solution for his violent behavior, to calm down, to ask for help. Clearly, something is wrong with him. And yes, he’s making loads of money now and that’s great, but what use will it be if he spends a lifetime in jail? He just can’t find a way to talk to you. With him, aggression is the only way. But he wants to change.”
“Good for him,” I say coldly even though my heart warms up; I know Thomas, and he is not the person he’s become recently.
“The court letter arrived this morning. I gave it to him and, right now, he’s at the doctor’s doing a psych evaluation. Whatever comes up, he won’t fight it. He just wants the kids to be near him. If you go to San Francisco, he’ll ask for a transfer if it’s at all possible, but I doubt it. He’s asking you, no, begging you to stay here, Amelia. He can’t live without the kids. He loves them so much.”
“I know that.” I shouldn’t feel guilty at all and yet, somehow, I do.
“Then please, don’t do that to him.” he paus
es, looking at my eyes. “Don’t go away. It will kill him.”
“John, thank you for the talk. I’ll certainly think about it.”
I stand up and wait for him to do the same. He said what he wanted and I don’t intend to spend my Saturday morning talking about how Thomas will change, although it’s good to know that he actually has a conscience.
“Yes, erm.. Thank you.” John stands up and shakes my hand. “Thank you, Amelia.” Too self-conscious, he hurries out, hoping to cut his embarrassment but, glancing more than once at my laptop I see his eyes flicker. Something got his attention and he stops and kneels down at the coffee table.
“Well, what do you know!” he slowly exclaims.
“I beg your pardon?” It’s only a laptop, what is he talking about?
He reaches out and takes the little car toy sitting next to it.
“This….This little jewel here,” John regards me with animated eyes as he stands up, utterly thrilled. “How much?”
“Wh-what?”
“How much for this old toy?” Waiting eagerly on my answer he grins ear to ear and observes the car carefully while I try to think. Too many thoughts suddenly cram inside my head.
“I-I’m not sure.”
“This is a rare and very old toy. It doesn’t have much value as a single piece, but together with the other two, it’s worth a lot. I have the other two cars and I’ve been looking for one like this for years.”
I’m absolutely confused. “Jason, Michael!” I shout. They’ve been waiting for me in the kitchen.
As they run back in, they don’t look at us but immediately go to the laptop. Jason switches it on and Michael looks around, searching for something. Upon seeing the toy in John’s hands he stops and taps Jason on his shoulder, to get his attention.
“John, may I have the car, please?”
“Is this your car, Michael?”
“Yes. Yes it is.” Anyone can tell when he’s lying.
“Michael, tell me the truth. Where did you find this toy?”
“Find it? It was here, on our coffee table. Jason and me started playing with it and noticed the few grooves and bolts it has, so obviously, we thought we could open it. All morning we’ve been on YouTube searching for a way to unlock the tiny bolt.” he grabs the toy from John's hand and shows it to both of us. “See? This here is the place we believe opens up. The video on YouTube says that if we open it, we'll make it into a boat. Or a plane. This toy is so cool, aunt Lia! It’s ours right?”
“Michael Floyd,” I scold. “This toy doesn’t belong to you and you know it.” How the fuck did this toy get here?
“But aunt Lia, can we at least try to open it? Please? We just want to play. Come on…” he begs while Jason has joined his palms together in a praying action and pleads with him, too.
I open my palm and wait for Michael to give it to me. He knows there’s no way around it so he passes me the toy.
“This is not your toy and you should have asked me before doing anything with it.”
“Amelia, let me see it.” John’s attempt to save them is flawed; I know he wants to play with the toy himself.
I’m looking at him and deliberating what could happen? He’s an adult after all.
I open my palm and he takes it from me slowly and carefully, fully absorbed in it. Jason and Michael are regarding him without making a sound, as if they know he knows what he’s doing.
“Riiight…,” He takes the side view mirror between his thumb and index finger and starts winding it. Michael is about to say something but John interrupts him. “Shh!” We’re all listening intently, and I hear a faint click coming from the car. He stops with the rotation and takes the other side mirror, doing the same. When I hear the second click I glance at the boys. Their mouths are open, waiting to see what John will do next.
“Now, watch this,” he says with childlike excitement and he presses the trunk in the middle of the car. In an instant, all four doors of the toy open and his thumbs push down one more time. The car flattens out and now he is trying to twists it up from both sides.
“No! Um...wait. Don’t break it, please,” I say in panic.
“I’m not. Something is stuck...I can’t...” He applies more pressure and as both sides twist up and the car turns into something with wings, I see a small piece falling out of it.
“Shit! You broke it!”
“What?” John is completely immersed in the toy; he didn’t see anything falling down. “I assure you, this car is not broken. It’s in impeccable condition. Well, except these two corners, they seem, I don’t know, burned, maybe.” He rubs the little brown burnt plastic.
W-what?
“What is it aunt Lia?” Michael’s perceptive eye has noticed the shock in me; I have literally stopped breathing. Could this be …no, it can’t be it.
“N-Nothing.” I kneel and pick up the tiny piece that has fallen down. With my eyes trained on it, I’m afraid to look away because then I’ll be caught lying.
My hands shake as I observe the minute object, some type of plastic. To me it looks like it’s part of the car, but right now I’m not sure of anything.
“It’s probably rubbish stuck in it during the years.” John’s not really interested in what I’m holding but his eyes are focused on the little airplane in his hand. “Simple perfection,” he concludes.
“You see? Now it’s an airplane. Oh what a wonderful toy!” he finally looks at me. “Come on, Amelia, please, let me buy it off of you. Or from whomever it belongs to. I’ll pay big money for it.”
“John, I’m sorry. It’s not mine to sell.” I clear my throat and open up my palm. “And, please, I don’t mean to be rude, but if you don’t mind, we’re busy today.”
“Of course, yes,” he passes me the toy. “Thank you for the conversation, and thank you so much for letting me play with the toy. I will be persistent, though. I want that car.” He smiles; the reason he came to see me today seems distant now.
Rejuvenated from the experience he just had, he’s out of the door in an instant.
I lock the door behind him and, turning around, I lean on the door. Michael and Jason are standing by the entrance of the study, regarding me.
“Can we play with it now?”
“What? No, of course not.” I shake off the hundreds of thoughts running in my bewildered head. “Go and play with something else. This is not your toy to play with.”
“Aunt Lia, you’re not fair!”
I glance at the clock on the wall. “You have rugby in fifteen minutes. Upstairs, now!”
Reluctantly, and with a big sulk they go up the stairs.
I get my cell and with shaky hands I dial Alexander’s number.
“Alexander, hi, it’s me. Where are you?”
“I just saw Max’s plane take off. I’m on my way back from Heathrow. Is everything all right?”
“Yes, don’t worry. I just wanted to ask you about the last time you were at my house. Do you remember leaving something behind?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The boys found a toy this morning. An old toy car. Well, actually, I found it a few days ago next to your suit jacket but I thought it belonged to Michael and Jason. And this morning, when John O’Prey saw it, it turned out that this is a very old and rare car and…”
“Wait...Wait a minute. Wait. Amelia, stop talking.” He cuts through my ramblings. “John O’Prey?? Where did you see John O’Prey? Was he at your house?”
“Alexander, that’s not the point. Are you listening to me at all?”
“And you? Did you hear my question? What was John O’Prey doing at your house?”
“Nothing! He came holding a white flag, sent by Thomas. It appears that my brother in law wants to make up, he doesn’t want to fight anymore. He said something is wrong with him and he’s doing the evaluation today. Thomas will also ask to be transferred to San Francisco if we go there. He just wants to be near the kids,” I say in one breath, “Which is great, Alexander
, but that's not why I called you!”
“That’s… surprising.”
“Alexander, did you leave an old toy car yesterday morning in my house?”
“An old toy car?” I hear him shuffling, I imagine him checking his suit jacket. “Shit! I don’t have it anymore! Fuck!!…Wait! Did it…..fuck, tell me you have it!” There’s panic in his voice.
“Yes! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! I found it and I thought it was one of the boys’ toys. Then this morning, they found it lying on the coffee table and they were playing with it and...”
“It’s not broken is it?”
“No, it’s not.” I look at the car, now turned airplane. “Well, um, it’s not a car anymore.”
“What? That’s the.. that’s…” I hear him whispering to himself. “Fuck!”
“I know, Alexander. I remember. That’s the car your mom…” I stop, suddenly overwhelmed by the silence on the other side of the line. “…that your mother had in her hand when she died.”
I hear him taking a deep breath and clearing his throat.
“What do you mean it’s not a car anymore?”
“Well, apparently John O’Prey knows a lot about this little car. It’s very expensive and very old. He was showing the kids how it works and the way it can turn into a different toy. So he played with it and clicked it around and the car turned into an airplane.”
“What?” he whispers, surprised.
“Yes. We were all amazed. It was like unlocking a safe. So many clicks before the main dial turned it into something different.”
“Are you sure this is the same car? Red, rusty,” he makes a pause, “Burned at the edges?”
“Yes. But that’s not all. When the car got twisted and turned into an airplane, something fell out of it. It’s a funny looking thing, a small piece of plastic in the shape of a memory card but maybe it’s not. God knows what it is; definitely not rubbish as John suggested.”
“Stop the car.” I hear him ordering to whoever is driving him. “Head to Epsom, Surrey.”
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