How Not To Shop
Page 35
'Er . . . I'm sorry. Do you want me to do it again?' he asked.
'No, I've already sorted it. Will you just try and concentrate hard on the next thing you get from me?'
'Yeah, sorry.'
When Bella was on her own in her office again, she laughed at herself. 'Potential is all very well if you're 10' – she suspected she'd read that on a billboard somewhere.
She lit up another cigarette, took a deep drag and massaged her temples. This was turning into one hell of a day.
There was another knock and Kitty came in with an enormous bouquet of flowers.
'You thought we'd all forgotten, didn't you?'
'Forgotten what?' Bella asked.
'Your birthday, you idiot.'
'Oh God . . . thanks.' She went over to take the flowers, reading the note signed by all four of them.
'Thanks,' she said again, looking round her room and wondering where to put them.
'There's a vase at reception, shall I keep them out there till the end of play?' Kitty asked.
'Yeah, you're a star, Kitty. I bet everyone else would have forgotten.'
Nine hours later, after hundreds of calls, calculations and a gruelling meeting with Chris and Susan, Bella was finally tapping in her last memo and tidying her desk for the day. It was 7.15 p.m. when Chris appeared at the door to ask if she was coming for a drink over the road.
She declined because, at last, it was time to get home to Don. The traffic was infuriatingly slow all the way back across town, so she redid her make-up, sprayed on perfume and flipped through her CDs before giving up in disgust and enduring the radio. She couldn't wait to see Don again. Three whole weeks: it was the longest they'd ever been apart.
When she finally made it back to the block she swung open the front door, ran to the lift and impatiently jabbed on the button over and over again until the doors pinged open.
In the flat everything was still and for a heart-crushing moment she thought Don hadn't been able to make it back. Then she saw his bag and his battered oilskin coat in the hall. Quietly she walked through to the bedroom. The curtains were closed and Don was lying in bed fast asleep.
She was so happy to see him she felt her stomach flip. She moved closer to take a long look at him. His face was brown against the white pillow, but tired and drawn. His thick steely-grey hair was rumpled and still wet from the shower he must have taken. His glasses were on the bedside table and he looked deliriously clean and freshly shaven.
She was sure he was naked under the duvet and she couldn't help herself, she longed to feel his body against hers. She put down her bags and coat, took off her shoes and undressed, then slid into the bed beside him, curling her naked body up against her husband's warm, naked back. Wrapping her arms round him, she put her nose to the nape of his neck, breathing in the smell of the sandalwood soap she'd been using too because she missed him so much: 'Hello Don,' she whispered.
He stirred a little and answered with a 'hmm' so she moved closer. She ran her hands down his warm, fuzzy chest and stomach until she reached his sleeping cock.
A longer, throatier 'mmmm' came from him now as she held his cock in her hands.
'Hello,' she said. 'Aren't you going to wake up and say hi?'
'Oh yes,' he answered, surfacing from sleep now. He rolled round to face her and kissed her on the lips.
Then he smiled, creasing the skin round his eyes and looking at her with so much love and longing she felt a lump in her throat.
'Hon, I'm so glad to be back, you have no idea,' he said in a voice still thick with sleep.
'I've missed you too.' She kissed him back, winding her legs round his, pulling him so close their pubic hair brushed together and she could feel his cock stir against her as he moved his hands down from her waist to her buttocks.
'I still can't believe I'm married to you . . .' he said, in between small hungry kisses, 'and you're naked!'
He kissed her properly now, squeezing her into him and parting her lips with his tongue. She tasted his hot, minty mouth.
As he pulled her up against his hard erection, she wound her fingers into his hair and placed teasing kisses on his neck and round his ear.
'I have missed you so much,' she whispered.
'I've missed you too, especially your breasts,' he said with a smile, gently stroking and licking at her nipples and the soft white skin around them.
They felt and touched and kissed and licked until she rolled over and pulled him on top of her. Watching her face, he pushed inside and slowly moved in and out all the way along the length of his penis.
'You tease,' she murmured, holding her hands on his hips and moving him faster until they were gasping together in a fast and frantic fuck.
When they fell apart, they were slightly sweaty and breathing heavily.
'God you're good,' she said with a smile. 'I still can't believe you're my husband. I mean husbands are meant to wear slippers and wash the car, not give a girl multiple orgasms.'
'All in a day's work!' he answered.
'Hey!' she sat up, loving the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off her breasts. 'You better not have forgotten it's my birthday today.'
'I phoned you first thing, remember.'
'Yeah, you phoned, but where is my large, expensive present?'
'Bella, I've just come back from a war zone, there wasn't much to buy . . . give me a chance.'
She didn't know what to say. Maybe she was being unfair. What could Chechen Duty Free have had to offer?
'But . . .' he leaned over to fish about under the bed, 'I did get you this.' He handed her a big, khaki green furry hat with earflaps. 'Genuine Russian Army issue,' he said with a mischievous smile.
'Oh! Thanks.' She tried to look appreciative, then added, 'My first ever birthday present from you. Next year, remind me to get a different husband.'
'And – ' he reached under the bed – 'I can't tell you how hard I had to barter on the black market to get this.' He turned round and presented her with a glossy pink box tied with ribbon.
'Happy birthday.'
She untied the ribbon and lifted the lid. Inside was an extravagant set of lilac and black silk underwear. A lace-trimmed bra and G-string, a camisole top and French knickers. She picked the bra up and looked at the label – correct size. She was impressed. Black market ha, ha.
'Is this a present for me or for you?' she asked, but before he could answer, said: 'Thank you very much. You're very sweet,' and kissed him on the mouth.
'Oh good, I'm glad you like them, because I really like them. Now stay there,' he said, getting out of bed and putting his dressing gown on.
'I'm opening the wine, ordering Chinese, and I'm going to try and persuade you to spend the whole evening in bed with me.'
'Well, OK then, since I now have the outfit for it,' she said, lifting the camisole out of the box.
They ate the food in bed and made each other laugh, Bella talking about work and Don telling war stories.
'God, I do wonder if I'm getting a bit old for it, though,' he said, serious for a moment.
'Will you stop it?' she told him. 'You are not old, you're 41, you're very fit,' she leaned over, letting her dressing gown fall open and kissing him on the forehead.
'In many ways, you're like a man half your age,' she teased.
He pulled her across so she was sitting in his lap. 'Thank you for your vote of confidence darling,' he kissed her on the mouth.
'Yeuuck, black bean sauce.' She screwed up her face in mock horror.
'I'm going to kiss you somewhere else then.' He dropped her down onto her back and began to kiss her breasts and her stomach. Then he moved down to her pubic hair and blew on it gently. She drew one foot up, bending her knee . . . as she thought about how she would not be taking her pill tonight, because she wanted to get pregnant.
Read the novel – available from Corgi Books
Also Available
The
Personal
Shopper
/> Carmen Reid
There's just one accessory Annie Valentine can't find . . .
the perfect man!
As a personal shopper in a swanky London fashion emporium,
Annie can re-style and re-invent her clients from head to toe.
In fact, this super-skilled dresser can be relied on to solve
everyone's problems . . . except her own.
Although she's busy being a single mum to stroppy teen Lana
and painfully shy Owen, there's a gap in Annie's wardrobe, sorry,
life, for a new man. But finding the perfect partner is turning
out to be so much trickier than finding the perfect pair of shoes.
Can she source a genuine classic? A lifelong investment?
Will she end up with someone from the sale rail, who'll have
to be returned? Or maybe, just maybe, there'll be someone
new in this season who could be the one . . .
'More heart-warming than an expensive round of retail therapy'
Daily Mail
A fabulous read. A sexy read. A
A Carmen Reid
Order your copy now at www.rbooks.co.uk
9780552154819
Late Night
Shopping
A little retail therapy goes a long way . . .
There are some things the man in your life doesn't need to know:
• The price of your delicious new handbag (... and shoes)
• The fact that you've reached the limit on all your credit cards
• You're planning to start a retail business of your own
(and there are 500 imported accessories in the spare room)
Then there are a few things you may have to mention:
• You've booked a 'surprise!' romantic holiday to Italy
(but your relatives are coming too)
• You seem to have put the house up for sale
• A gorgeous Italian has fallen madly in love with you
Could this be one challenge too many for Annie and Ed?
A fabulous read. A sexy read. A
A Carmen Reid
Order your copy now at www.rbooks.co.uk
9780552154833
And for teenage readers:
Secrets at
St Jude's
New Girl
By Carmen Reid
Ohmigod! Gina's mum has finally flipped and
is sending her to Scotland to some crusty old
boarding school called St Jude's – just because
Gina spent all her money on clothes and
got a few bad grades! It's so unfair!
Now the Californian mall-rat has to swap her
sophisticated life of pool parties and wellgroomed
boys for . . . hockey in the rain, school
dinners and stuffy housemistresses. And what's
with her three kooky dorm-buddies . . . could they
ever be her friends? And just how does a St Jude's
girl get out to meet the gorgeous guys invited to
the school's summer ball?
978 0 552 55706 1
www.rbooks.co.uk
Take the fabulous
How Not
to Shop
Quiz
Are you a Prada Princess, Topshop Tiger
or an Oxfam Opportunist?
Find out when you take the hilariously
funny How Not to Shop quiz at
www.carmenreid.com
Then reward yourself with
a recession-busting voucher for
35% OFF
other books by Carmen Reid!
Offer closes 01/01/2010 - see www.carmenreid.com for more details