Secrets and Lies

by Joanne Clancy

  “I love you!” she cried out suddenly, digging her nails into him. She spiralled out of control as the waves built and reached their crescendo, finally exploding around him.

  “Come for me, baby, come for me!” Niall shouted, thrusting even harder into her until finally he released himself.

  He collapsed on top of her, burying his face in the familiar lemon scent of her hair. He inhaled deeply. “I love you so much,” he whispered as he gently kissed her mouth.

  He pulled her into his arms and wrapped the duvet around her. Hope felt like she was floating, all the stresses and strains of life had completely evaporated from her body. She revelled in her husband's strong, protective body which was entangled tightly around her and she pushed herself even closer against him. He lightly kissed her neck and rested his chin on the crook of her shoulder. “Did you miss me?” she asked, smiling as she already knew his answer.

  “I always miss you, darling, more than you could possibly imagine,” he whispered. “Did you miss me?”

  “Maybe,” she teased.

  “Maybe?!” he asked in mock incredulity.

  “I missed you a crumb, a tiny little crumb,” she continued her bantering.

  “I think you should show me how much you missed me,” he said, suddenly manoeuvring himself so that she was lying on top of him.

  “Ride me,” he commanded, his eyes resting on her full breasts.

  She pushed herself up and began to writhe on top of him, feeling him growing hard again beneath her. He cupped her breasts and sat up, pulling her into his lap.

  She gasped as he suddenly filled her entirely and deeply.

  “You're hurting me!” she cried, trying to resist.

  “Good.”

  He grabbed her hips and began to move against her. Then he pushed her onto the bed and pulled her legs wide apart as he thrust upwards into her in one long punishing stroke. He pinned her legs back, locking them with his arms so she couldn't move.

  “Niall! It's too much!” She cried out. “I'm too sensitive, I can't take you again.”

  “Take it!” he yelled, stopping her cries with another deep, probing kiss.

  He rode her long and fast and hard as she tried to resist him.

  He could feel how wet she was beneath him so he knew she still wanted him. He continued punishing her with his hard cock, until she she began to shudder when he slowed down, teasing her, wanting her to beg him for more.

  “Please,” she whimpered, feeling her orgasm build again.

  “Please, what?” he asked.

  “Please fuck me,” she begged. “Please.”

  He regained his momentum and pounded her until she exploded her wet juices around him once again.

  Hope woke and stretched languorously. Niall's legs were entwined with hers and she could tell by his even breathing that he was still sleeping. She gazed lovingly at his handsome face which was restful as he slept and traced her finger along the contours of his stubbly cheek. Her heart was full of love for him and she hadn't realised how much she'd missed him. She hated it when he went away; it felt like she was missing part of herself.

  She was addicted to him, an all-consuming heady addiction that she was more than happy to indulge. She loved him with an intensity that she had never experienced before him and she couldn't quite believe that he loved her in the same way. They were connected emotionally, physically and sexually, never in her wildest imaginings had she thought that it was possible to feel this way about another human being and have her love returned.

  She couldn't even begin to think of her life without him and was consumed with worry when he was away on business, imagining all sorts of horrors; his plane might crash, someone might rob him, he might be involved in a terrible accident. She lived her life on tenterhooks until he returned to her once again. A shudder ran through her at the thought of losing him and she gulped back the lump that had suddenly caught in her throat.

  Niall was the best thing that had ever happened to her. He loved and supported her unconditionally and she believed that he'd never leave her. She couldn't help feeling abandoned when he went away and ridiculously overjoyed when he returned. Her therapist advised her that she still had abandonment issues that were left over from her childhood, mostly because of her mother's leaving and to a lesser extent due to her father's regular absences from her life. Talking about her feelings helped somewhat but no matter how hard she tried she still couldn't quite shake the niggling doubt in the depths of her soul that one day Niall would leave and never return.

  She kissed the tip of his nose, waking him from his slumber. He opened his eyes slowly and smiled sleepily at her.

  “Good morning, sweetheart,” he grinned.

  “Good morning, sleepy head,” she grinned back at him.

  “Did you have a nice sleep?”

  “I slept all the better for having you beside me. It feels like an eternity when you're gone. I'm so glad to have you home.”

  “I'm glad to be home. What would you like to do today?”

  “I think I'll fix us some bacon and eggs with lots of strong coffee and then we should take the dogs for a walk in the park. It's been a while since we've been out as a family.”

  Niall laughed his deep, throaty laughed. “We're a strange looking family.” He teased her.

  She pulled a face at him and jumped out of bed, ready to face the day.

  “It's a beautiful day,” she said as she flung back the heavy curtains, letting the October sunshine pour into their bedroom.

  “My eyes! My eyes!” Niall protested, covering his face with a pillow. “Go and make me some breakfast like a good little wifey.”

  “Cheeky.” Hope tickled his feet as she padded past him and struggled into her warm, fluffy bathrobe.

  It was Saturday and she planned on having a relaxing day with her husband. Work had been very stressful that week as she'd attended several auditions, which were always nerve-wracking, so she was looking forward to a peaceful few days alone together. She pottered about in the kitchen, beating eggs and frying bacon. Then she poured fresh coffee into the percolator as Niall was a bit of a coffee snob and refused to drink instant. Hope wasn't bothered what she drank herself, it all tasted the same to her. Coffee was just coffee to her unsophisticated taste buds. She popped the toast under the grill and grabbed the butter from the refrigerator.

  “Something smells good,” Niall crept up behind her, making her jump, and put his arms around her.

  “You made me jump.”

  “Deep in thought as always,” Niall smiled at her as he poured them each a strong cup of freshly brewed coffee.

  “Intoxicating,” he said appreciatively as he inhaled the heady aroma.

  “If you say so.” Hope rolled her eyes and she helped herself to milk and sugar.

  She piled their plates high with warm buttery toast, crispy bacon and runny eggs. Niall's stomach growled right on cue.

  “Bon appetit!” Hope smiled.

  Poppy and Candy sat at their feet staring longingly at them while they ate, hoping for a tasty tidbit.

  “Don't beg you two,” Niall scolded, tossing them a piece of bacon which they promptly demolished

  The phone rang, breaking the peacefulness of their morning. Hope groaned in annoyance and struggled to her feet.

  “Who could possibly be calling so early on a Saturday morning?” she complained before picking up the receiver.

  “Hello,” she answered in her grumpiest voice.

  “Hope, my darling,” purred the voice on the other end of the line. It was Vivienne Maloney, Hope's agent.

  “Oh, hi Vivienne,” Hope immediately perked up when she realised who was calling.

  “How are you, sweetie? Is that delicious husband of yours home yet?”

  “Yes, he's home,” Hope grinned lewdly at Niall.

  Vivienne had met Niall a few weeks previously and she had instantly fallen under his captivating spell. Hope and Niall had attended the opening evening of a play in The Abb
ey Theatre and the party after the show. Niall had chatted to the older woman all night and had shone the full light of his magical charms on her, much to Vivienne's delight.

  “You're even more stunning than I imagined,” Niall had affectionately greeted Vivienne, who had positively preened under his appreciative gaze.

  Niall and Vivienne adored each other. They were both gregarious and charming personalities who had clicked from the moment they'd met.

  “You remind me of Meryl Streep,” Niall had once mentioned to her. “You have the same style and grace as her and the same high cheekbones and regal bearing. Meryl was always my favourite actress, just like you're my favourite agent.”

  “Don't be silly, Niall,” Vivienne had chided him.

  “Honestly, I mean it, you're the image of Meryl.” He'd studied her carefully for a moment. “There's a definite resemblance, especially in that movie “The Devil Wears Prada” that Hope keeps forcing me to watch. You have the same elegant figure and big, beautiful eyes. Don't you think so, Hope?”

  “Vivienne has lovely eyes,” Hope had agreed. “I'm especially envious of her long, thick eyelashes.”

  “It's actually a birth defect,” Vivienne had explained. “I was born with a double row of eyelashes.”

  “It's the best birth defect I ever heard of,” Hope had rolled her eyes.

  Vivienne was delighted with the attention and compliments from someone as young and handsome as Niall, although she tried her best to hide her pleasure. She didn't usually fall so easily for men's charms but Niall Gilligan was a consummate charmer and he had quickly won her over. He'd even shown her a photograph of Meryl Streep, who was posing with her hand on her hip, looking coquettishly up at the camera under her thick eyelashes.

  “Go on, pose like Meryl,” Niall had encouraged her. “I'll take a photo of you and you'll see exactly what I mean, Meryl.”

  Niall called her Meryl from that day. Vivienne Maloney was a wise woman of the world and wouldn't usually fall for Niall's sort of flattery but from that moment she was completely under his charming spell.

  Hope wasn't worried. Vivienne was old enough to be Niall's mother so she found the older woman's outrageous flirting to be amusing rather than threatening. She was still a very attractive woman and Hope could see that she must have been quite stunning in her youth. Her hair was thick and lustrous and dyed a flattering shade of light brown, sprinkled with golden highlights, which she always wore in a tidy chignon, adorned with an elaborate piece of jewellery. Her face was tanned from the many cruises she regularly enjoyed and she wore just enough makeup to accentuate her pretty blue eyes and high cheek bones. She was sixty eight years old but seemed much younger than her advancing years. Vivienne owned Lights, Camera, Action which was the most prestigious acting agency in Ireland. She'd established the agency with her late husband, Frank, forty years previously.

  Lights, Camera, Action had started off as a small business, which Vivienne and Frank had originally run from the spare bedroom in their house. They'd carefully built the business up over the years; using Vivienne's natural charm and uncanny ability to spot a potential star and Frank's business acumen. They'd expanded the business to such an extent that they'd thought it best to buy some offices in the city centre which would make them much more accessible to their clients.

  Vivienne had tried retirement for a few years and signed the business over to her daughter, Olivia, but retirement bored her to tears and she'd come back to work within a year. Olivia had assigned her a few select clients, not wanting to over-tire her mother with the day-to-day worries of the business, and Vivienne had been thrilled to be back. She had never been the type of woman who could relax easily and since the death of her husband five years previously she'd felt lonelier than she cared to admit rattling around their big house on her own.

  Vivienne missed the drama of her agency. She often joked that her role as an agent encompassed many parts including psychiatrist, accountant and saleswoman. Her daughter found the work exhausting and stressful and couldn't understand where her mother got her energy, but Vivienne relished her job. She found it exhilarating and exciting and was never happier than when attending the opening night of one of her latest stars. Vivienne had an uncanny knack of being able to see a plain, shy girl and see her shine on the screen or stage. She was a tireless perfectionist in every area of her life; obsessively tidy, awesomely efficient and possessed with a grinding ambition and all-consuming determination to succeed.

  More than any of that it was the sheer, unadulterated love she had for her agency work that had made her so successful. She loved the buzz and adored the established theatre world in Ireland where she could mingle with actors and playwrights to her heart's content. Everyone in the business knew her and absolutely adored her. She was a witty, charming, lively woman who knew the acting world better than most and who was on first name terms with most of Ireland's glitterati. Everyone joked that they'd do anything to get their hands on Vivienne's little black book of contacts. Anyone who was anyone was in that safely guarded book.

  Hope felt privileged that Vivienne was her agent and although they'd only known each other a few short months they'd immediately clicked and Hope truly believed that with Vivienne's help and her acting ability she would soon have her first serious acting role.

  Vivienne had a soft spot for Hope. She'd always dreamed of her own daughter becoming a famous actress and that she would manage her entire career from unknown to international superstar, but it wasn't meant to be. Olivia had never been remotely interested in acting. She didn't have a dramatic bone in her body and was definitely her father's daughter; practical and sensible and business-minded.

  Of course, Vivienne loved her daughter dearly but she was thrilled when she'd met Hope and was determined to make her a star. There was something about Hope that reminded her of herself and she wanted to give her every possible opportunity to succeed. Hope was very talented and disarmingly unaware of how gorgeous she looked. She had a certain inner presence that lit up a room as soon as she walked in. She was grateful for every piece of advice that Vivienne gave her and was a hard worker. She willingly accepted any bit parts and commercials that came her way and treated them all as a learning experience on the road to her “big break.”

  Hope made a pleasant change to some of the other actors who were on the agency's books. Many of the younger actors were quite volatile and very impatient and would turn up at the agency after a failed audition crying loudly and bemoaning their bad luck or the directors' lack of vision in not casting them. Sometimes it was all Vivienne could do to restrain herself from slapping some sense into the youngsters. Hope seemed to take every rejection in her stride, always remaining positive, and Vivienne loved her for it.

  “I won't keep you away from your handsome man for too long, my love,” Vivienne continued. “I'm calling to let you know that you are through to the second round of auditions for the sit-com. The lead role is between you and one other girl.”

  Hope almost dropped the phone in shock. This was it, this was what she had wanted for years; her first official acting role.

  She'd auditioned to play the lead in a new sitcom, “Marmalade”, which was the story of four friends who get involved in each other’s lives and loves while renting flats in a large London Victorian town house. Liz, the female lead in the sitcom, and the role which Hope was desperate to play, was a single woman who was gutsy and big-hearted. She couldn't afford to pay the rent so she illegally sublets a room in her flat to Jerry, who was neurotic and incident-prone. Sexy hunk, Theo, lived across the hall. There was an undeniable spark between Liz and Theo but it took a while to ignite. Natalie was another tenant and she spent more time in Liz's flat than she did in her own. The trials, tribulations and romantic endeavours of the quartet were the essence of the show and Hope had been praying fervently that she would get to play Liz.

  “Sweetie, are you still there?” Vivienne asked on the other end of the line.

  “Sorry,” Ho
pe gulped, not realising that she had been holding her breath. “I can't believe it. I'm in complete shock!”

  “Don't be shocked, my love, believe it! Your name will be up there in bright lights with the best of them sooner than you think.”

  Hope couldn't help smiling at Vivienne's enthusiasm. She was like her personal cheer leader sometimes.

  “The only thing is darling, auditions are this afternoon at four o' clock.”

  Hope's heart sank in disappointment. She'd been so looking forward to spending the day with Niall before he had to rush off again.

  “No problem,” she replied, trying to sound positive. “I'll be there at four on the dot. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you so much Vivienne.”

  “You're very welcome, my darling. The great news is that you won't have to wait long to find out if you've been successful either. The director will let you know tonight if you get the part because he wants rehearsals to start next week.”

  “Wow,” Hope couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed. Everything was happening so quickly. She'd spent so long playing the waiting game that she'd forgotten to imagine what might happen when her acting life actually took off.

  “I'll let you go, sweetie. Call me as soon as you know. Ciao for now.”

  Hope slowly replaced the phone in its receiver and turned to face her husband who was watching her expectantly.

  “Well, darling, tell me everything, that sounded very exciting,” he beamed at his wife.

  “I'm down to the final two for that role I was telling you about,” Hope explained.

  “Oh, darling, that's fantastic news! Congratulations! I'm so proud of you,” Niall jumped up and wrapped her in a big hug.

  “I haven't gotten the part just yet,” Hope laughed. “I've got to fight off the competition first. The only problem is that the final audition is this afternoon so I won't be able to spend time with you like we'd planned.”

  “Don't worry about me, darling, your career is more important than a few hours with little old me. I can amuse myself for the afternoon and I'll be waiting for your return.”