by Jonker, Joan
‘Shall I bring us a drink in?’ Evelyn asked. ‘We left a bottle on the table and our glasses, I’ll go for them while you get your breath back.’ She was reaching for her nightdress when Philip stayed her hand. ‘No, go as you are, my lovely Evelyn. Seeing you naked is like seeing a dream walking.’
She knelt on the bed and kissed him, showing no sign of embarrassment or shyness at seeing him naked. ‘Yes, my master, I shall do your bidding.’
Philip watched her walking towards the door, delighting in the sway of her hips and long shapely legs. She really was a beauty, and he would hazard a guess no other man had touched her. For although she had lost her shyness and aloofness, and was perfectly at ease with him, she couldn’t understand why he had suddenly halted the love making. Any woman experienced in the ways of men would have known without having to be told. For him this added to the attraction she had for him. He had never felt like this about any other woman, and there had been plenty. Evelyn satisfied him in every way, and tonight he’d proved to himself, beyond a doubt, that he had fallen in love with her. But he wasn’t going to tell her so, she might not have the same feelings for him although he didn’t think it was just in his imagination that she was drawing closer to him. She’d amazed and delighted him tonight when she hadn’t tried to hide the pleasure she’d experienced as he’d fondled her. What was happening was something new to her, and he couldn’t even imagine the heights they could reach when she’d learned all he had to teach her.
Evelyn came through the door with a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other. The fact that she was naked seemed not to affect her at all. ‘Here you are, my love, your favourite wine. Sit up and I’ll hand you a glass. I’ll have mine sitting on the side of the bed. We can chat, and say nice things to each other.’
Philip sat up and plumped the pillows at his back before taking the glass of red wine from her. He watched as Evelyn poured her drink before sitting on the side of the bed and lifting her glass. ‘A toast, my dear, to a lasting friendship.’
As he sipped the wine, Philip couldn’t tear his eyes away from her breasts. So full and ripe, and so near he couldn’t resist the temptation to fondle them. As he did so, he felt a stirring in his loins and groaned. He couldn’t hold out much longer. ‘Put the glass down, my lovely, and get back into bed. My need is desperate and I can no longer ignore it. I’m sorry, it’s out of my control. I will do my best to be gentle, but tell me if I hurt you.’
The pain Evelyn experienced was sharp, but it lasted only seconds, and soon she was lost in a world she had never known, writhing in ecstasy with Philip panting above her. Wave after wave of the most thrilling pleasure she had ever known overtook her. She cried out while her hands clasped his shoulders. It was a wonderland for her of sheer sensuous pleasure. When Philip stopped, wanting to see on her face the pleasure he was able to bring about with his love making, she begged, ‘Don’t stop, my darling, please!’
He rolled away from her. ‘I am sorry, but to lose my head and carry on would be foolish. That is how babies are made. But I can satisfy your needs in other ways.’ He threw all the bedclothes on to the floor, then his hands began to stroke and explore her body as Evelyn, with her eyes closed, reacted to his touch by stretching, and arching as her passion reached peaks of pleasure she had never thought possible. In the end, she could take no more and begged, ‘Please, my darling, no more for now.’
He took her in his arms. ‘Am I right in saying you have never been made love to before? Never known what a wonderful thing passion is?’
‘You are right, my darling, I have never been made love to before. My husband was a good man who I had been courting for a while, but I never lay in bed beside him for he went away to war the day we were married.’ This was the first time she had talked of her husband to anyone since her parents and the Lister-Sinclairs had refused to believe that Charles was the father of the baby she was carrying, and had disowned her. She was left with nothing, except a baby who wasn’t born out of love, and a heart full of bitterness.
‘I don’t want to rake up the past, it achieves nothing. You know now as much as you need to know, and as much as I am prepared to tell you, for talking of it is painful. Let us leave the past in the past, and talk of more pleasant things.’ She stroked his cheek. ‘Thank you for being so gentle and understanding, and for showing me what I have been missing all these years. And most of all, thank you for making me into a woman who is complete. The last hour or so has been absolute bliss, unbelievably thrilling and very fulfilling.’
‘It is I who should be thanking you, my darling Evelyn. Last week in the office I said you were a slave driver. Well, you may be a slave driver in the office, but you are an angel in bed, and I adore you. Did I really please you?’
‘Oh, how can you ask that, my dear, when it must have been very obvious I was lost in a passion I didn’t even know I was capable of? If you had told me a few weeks ago that one day I would be walking around your apartment naked, or lying next to you in bed, I would have said you had lost the run of your senses. If you had tried to explain passion, and the delights it can bring, I would not have believed you. Oh, there is so much I have to thank you for, Philip, I really don’t know where to begin. You have taught me so much.’
‘Not everything, my darling, there is more for you to learn. And that is the way in which you can please me, and take me to the heights you have just come down from. Give me your hand, my love, and I will show you.’
Chapter Seventeen
Philip walked across the bedroom floor carrying a tray set with a pot of tea, a plate of pale golden toast, pot of marmalade, and the appropriate crockery and cutlery. He stood by the bed, gazing down at the sleeping form of Evelyn, and felt a quiver of excitement run down his spine at the memory of the joy she’d given him last night. He placed the tray on a small table near the bed, then gently shook her shoulder. ‘Evelyn, my lovely one, I have brought you some tea.’
She stirred, turned on her side, then after a few seconds opened her eyes. ‘Oh, Philip, for a while I couldn’t make out where I was.’ Her eyes caught sight of the tray, and she was pushing herself into a sitting position when she realised she was naked. She made a grab for a sheet to cover herself, but Philip anticipated her move and took hold of her hand. ‘Would you spoil a day which I am sure is going to be such a happy one for both of us?’
It was then she noticed that once again he was wearing no clothes beneath the dressing gown. ‘Pass the tray, my dear, then get into bed and we will enjoy breakfast in each other’s company.’ She was wide awake now, and felt a tingle as the memories came flooding back. ‘How thoughtful of you to bring me breakfast in bed. I will have to watch you don’t spoil me. I do believe it should have been me waiting on you.’
He placed the tray carefully on her lap, then slid into bed. ‘I want to spoil you, and go on spoiling you. What man in his right senses would not spoil a woman who is so beautiful and passionate?’
Evelyn was pouring the tea into small china cups. ‘Please be still, my love, otherwise the tray and everything on it will spill over. I think we should drink a cup of tea first, put the empty cups on the table, and have our toast. We can always have another cup of tea later.’
‘Oh, there won’t be time for a second cup of tea, darling,’ Philip said, a twinkle in his eye.
There was surprise on Evelyn’s face, and a look of disappointment. ‘But I thought I wasn’t going home until this afternoon? That is what we arranged.’
‘If I can bear to part with you, then yes, it will be this afternoon when you go home. But, my wonderful lover, I am hoping for several repeat performances of last night before then. That is if you are agreeable?’
The anticipation started with butterflies in her tummy and accelerated with her racing heartbeat. She held on tight to the tray while she closed her eyes. At twenty-nine years of age, she was just finding out the real meaning of happiness and pleasure, and she wasn’t going to throw them away. ‘I find I am
not so hungry after all, so shall we just have one cup of tea and one slice of toast?’
Philip nearly sent the tray flying when he put his arms around her and kissed her cheek. ‘You, my very darling Evelyn, are the most adorable woman I have ever met. And one slice of toast will be ample. I have an appetite, but it is not for food.’
Evelyn searched his face. ‘Talking of food, how is it you always have a well-stocked kitchen? Does your mother shop for you?’
‘Good grief, no! The person who does my shopping for me is the same person who keeps the apartment clean and attends to my washing and ironing.’
There was a look of horror on Evelyn’s face. ‘Then she must wonder who owns the ladies’ clothes in the wardrobe, and satin underwear in the drawers. Does she know you have a lady friend, or does she think you have a mistress?’
‘Keep calm, my love, keep calm.’ Philip began to chuckle. ‘I don’t know, though, they say anger is excellent for enthusiastic love making.’
‘Philip, please be serious. I do not want anyone thinking I am your mistress or that I am a paid paramour. It would spoil our relationship for ever.’
‘My maid of all work is a woman in her fifties, with a husband and four children. She is an excellent worker, doesn’t ask questions, just gets on with what needs doing. I stole her from my mother who has never forgiven me. Annie had worked for her for ten years. Now, does that explanation satisfy you?’
Evelyn raised her brows. ‘And she will never be here when I am due?’
‘Certainly not!’ Philip was enjoying this. ‘I could never attend to two women at the same time, I haven’t the stamina for it.’
This brought a smile to Evelyn’s face, another indication of how she had changed. ‘Oh, from what little I have seen of you, my dear, I would say you are perfectly capable of attending to two women at the same time. But I would not advise it, as I have a very jealous streak.’
‘You would be prepared to fight for me, then, my darling? What a very lucky man I am. Now shall we partake of a little sustenance to give us the strength for the very pleasant task ahead of us? I should hate to fall by the wayside before lunch.’
Their love making became more playful, each teasing the other and both filling the room with laughter. It was perfect heaven for Evelyn who had never known what it was to be so happy. She felt contented, taking the love Philip was giving her and giving it back in return. She was shocked to realise she had never before known what true love was. For her parents weren’t loving or even affectionate towards her. She couldn’t remember ever once being kissed or hugged, and never a word of endearment.
Evelyn gave a start as Philip cupped her chin and turned her face towards him. ‘You look so serious, my darling, what thoughts were in your head to bring a frown to that beautiful face?’
‘They weren’t pleasant thoughts, my dear, but they have helped me understand why I have never known any real happiness until the last few weeks when you came into my life. Oh, I thought I loved my husband, and if he hadn’t been killed perhaps our love would have blossomed. But it was not him I was thinking of, it was my parents and the miserable existence they lived.’ Evelyn felt Philip pull her close to comfort her, and opened a little of her heart to him. ‘My parents were never loving towards me. All they cared about was money, it was their only topic of conversation. They were very frugal, almost miserly, and I was never given pocket money or allowed to bring my school friends home. There was never any laughter in the house, it was frowned upon. On my nineteenth birthday I was allowed to go to my first dance with a girl I knew from school. And because my mother bought my clothes, ones in the style she liked, I was the frumpiest girl at the dance.’
Philip was shaking his head in disbelief. ‘How could they treat you like that? They should have been so proud of you!’
‘I could have understood if money had been scarce, but it wasn’t! Father had a decent position and earned a good salary, but he and Mother hated parting with a penny.’ Evelyn felt she had said enough now about her past, but hoped what she had told Philip would help him understand why she might have appeared aloof and secretive. He had been drawn to her by her air of mystery, and it was vital she should keep back the most important part of that mystery, her daughter Amelia. If he became aware of her existence, it would surely have him walking away … their association at an end. She realised now that would break her heart, for she had fallen in love with him.
‘In a few short weeks, you have brought me out of my shell and shown me how loving a person can bring happiness,’ she told him. ‘Especially last night. You were so understanding, so gentle and loving. I will always love you for that.’
‘My poor darling.’ Philip pressed her head to his shoulder and stroked her hair. ‘Never again will you be without laughter or love, I shall make sure of that. From now on, my main priority in life will be to protect you, take care of you, and love you. In fact, my darling, I think it would be a good idea if you were to move in here permanently and then I can take care of you, properly. If you would agree, my life would be complete.’
A cold hand clutched Evelyn’s heart. There was nothing in the world she would like more than to be with Philip every day, but she knew that could never happen. At least not for the forseeable future. ‘No, Philip, much as I would love to live with you, I think we should have more time to get to know each other. It’s barely a month since we met for the first time.’
‘I know all I want to know about you, my love.’ He looked disappointed. ‘I know every part of your body, as you know mine. And, little by little, I am finding out what you have done so far in your life. I really see no reason to wait.’
‘But what about me, Philip? I would have to get used to being a kept woman, and even though I do love you, that wouldn’t sit easy on my shoulders. I do not want to give up my job, I enjoy it and it makes me independent. The staff at the office would soon notice the difference in our relationship, too, and I’d feel they were talking about me behind my back.’
‘Hang the office staff! Who cares what they think? I wouldn’t want you to live here as my mistress but as my wife! And under no circumstances would I permit a wife of mine to go out to work.’
Evelyn was stunned. For a brief moment she listened to the voice in her head which was saying, If only your life wasn’t such a mess … But it was a mess, and although she would like nothing better than to be his wife, that could never be. ‘Philip, I feel very honoured, and I know your intentions are good. But I don’t think you have had time to consider what you are saying, or what the consequences would be if I were to encourage you into asking me to be your wife. For your sake I suggest we carry on as we are for a few more months, to give us both time to find out if getting married is what we both want.’
‘I don’t need time to consider.’ Philip’s expression mirrored his stubborn streak. ‘I know without any doubt that I want you to be my wife. We may only have known each other a short time, as you point out, but I think I knew from the second I set eyes on you that I wanted you. I admit that in the beginning, when you were so cool and off-hand with me the attraction was more of a challenge.’ He managed a grin. ‘I was going to stalk you, like a tiger stalks its prey, until I got what I wanted. But as each new day came, and you walked into the office, I could feel a pounding in my heart which went beyond lust.’ He gazed at her naked body, the firm breasts jutting out so proudly, and stroked a finger over a taut nipple. ‘I have opened my heart to you, my lovely, now it is your turn to tell me your thoughts.’
‘Let us snuggle down under the clothes,’ Evelyn said, ‘and we can hold each other close. I want to feel you near me.’
With a soft feather eiderdown over them, they snuggled up close. ‘The way I feel about you now, Philip, I would marry you tomorrow. I have truly fallen head over heels in love with you. But in my life so far I have been dealt some hard blows and have learned to be cautious. That is why I am going to ask you to wait a few months, until we know each other inside out. Ou
r good points, and our bad. I am considering your welfare, not just my own. It’s Christmas soon. Why don’t we carry on as we are until the festive season is over, see how we feel then? It is not an eternity, my love, just a matter of weeks.’
‘And we’ll see each other as often as possible in those weeks, won’t we?’ Philip pushed a lock of dark hair back from her forehead. ‘I won’t agree to your terms unless we continue to meet as often as possible.’
‘Yes, I promise.’ Evelyn had something on her mind that was troubling her. ‘What about your mother? Does she know about me, and my visits to your apartment?’
‘No, she doesn’t. Until last night your visits have been on a friendly basis, remember. But I am going home today. When you are ready to leave, I shall leave with you. Mother rang this morning while you were still asleep, to ask if I had forgotten where I live. So I’ll have my evening meal and sleep there for the next two or three nights. That will keep my parents happy. Which means, apart from Annie coming in to clean, the apartment won’t be used until we meet for our tryst at lunchtime on Wednesday. I shall leave a note asking her to have a light lunch set out for us.’
‘I’m going to request, Philip, that my name is not mentioned while you are at home. Promise you won’t tell your parents about me? If your mother knew I visited you here, unaccompanied, she would be entitled to think I am not the sort of woman she would welcome as a wife for her son. So you would do our relationship no favour by discussing our friendship.’
A sheepish grin crossed Philip’s face. ‘You are far more practical than I am, my love. I want to tell the world about our romance. But that would be foolhardy of me. My parents are quite strait-laced and I haven’t always lived up to their standards. But being free from any tie, old enough to know what I’m doing, attending parties several times a week where the girls were practically throwing themselves at eligible males … well, my parents must have known I wasn’t living the life of a saint! And I have never pretended to you that I was inexperienced, have I? I have had several affairs. None of them has lasted longer than a week or two. I find myself getting short-tempered with females who cannot conduct an intelligent conversation, whose only interest in life is having the most fashionable clothes and being invited to the best parties. They make very dull companions.’