Jeremy desperately wanted to have an affair with a woman. He had only ever been with David. God, he wanted to try a woman. Dorothy had not attempted intercourse with him the night in her flat. Her gentle fingers had brought him to an orgasm and he had been too tense to try to move or to approach her.
Dorothy had laughed when Jeremy had said that he was unsure how to reciprocate. He admitted that he had never touched a woman. First silence, then her body relaxed and he knew she believed him.
“Not tonight,” she had whispered, “when I know you better, I promise. I will show you.”
“Let me try,” he had asked, “I know the general geography. I’m just not experienced.”
“Forget it Jeremy,” she had replied, “A man should be shown. That way he won’t be clumsy. Be patient, I’ll show you, but not tonight, go to sleep.” And that was final.
What would he say to David? How would David react? It was hard not to be a catholic in Ireland. Gay was a sin to a catholic. If his mother found out he would die of embarrassment. His mother would never understand. She had never forgiven him for giving up his studies to be a priest. If she found out he was gay, homosexual or queer as she’d say, and that he was living with a man in London she would most likely disown him entirely.
Dorothy’s hand was warm and he squeezed it. She looked at him, smiled and then returned her attention to the film.
Dorothy could save him, he thought, save his soul from perdition, and make it right for him with his mother. But he knew that once he saw David his heart would soften. He could not hurt David. They had too much together. Somehow he had to string David along. He did not really believe in his heart of hearts that Gay was a sin, a mortal sin. But in his head he was still a Catholic. Maybe it was just being in Ireland. In their circle in London no one took much notice. But the people in London, they were strangers.
Jeremy also longed for an heir. In discussion David had suggested that they adopt, but Jeremy could not agree. He believed a man and woman should have children.
Also, in Ireland it was different. It was small; no one could keep a secret for long. Ireland was like going home to family. He had never come out in Ireland. He wanted to behave differently in Ireland. He wanted to be respected, not looked down on as a queer. He knew times had changed in Ireland and he could come out, but in time his mother would hear of it. He wanted to keep his secret from his family, from his mother. He could not do that to her, he had hurt her enough already.
Seamus gently laid his hand on Ann-Marie’s. She snuggled up to him and smiled. Then she curled her fingers around his and when she was cosy she turned back to the film.
“Sweet?” he whispered, offering chocolates. Dorothy and Jeremy smiled and declined. Ann-Marie took the box, letting go his hand to unwrap a chocolate. This she popped into his mouth. Seamus’s dark eyes clearly showed his pleasure, even in the dark. He took her hand again.
Home by one o’clock, her father had agreed. Ann-Marie began to wonder how she could lose her sister and Jeremy after the show. She was warming to Seamus with every whisper, every movement. He was gorgeous, and even if she decided not to see him again, she would try to have one decent, no indecent kiss. Ann-Marie smiled and looked at Seamus. He caught her eye and smiled back.
Chapter ten
“Bite to eat?” Dorothy suggested after the movie.
“No thanks,” Ann-Marie chipped in. “I have to get back, school tomorrow. You and Jeremy work away. Seamus can get me a Taxi. I’ll see you on the weekend Dorothy.”
Dorothy had decided that there was no way she was losing a half hour to an hour running in and out with Ann-Marie sitting in the back seat getting a lift home on her date with Jeremy. And if she brought Jeremy to her parent’s home she would have to bring him in. She was not ready for that. And she guessed, neither was Jeremy.
“Fine, let’s go,” Ann-Marie said quickly, taking Seamus by the arm.
“Night, night,” Jeremy said, following Dorothy towards her car.
“Night, night,” Seamus and Ann-Marie said simultaneously, looked at each other and giggled.
“What did you think of him?” Ann-Marie asked.
“Who Jeremy? A bit poncy but looks very intelligent,” Seamus suggested.
“I wonder where Dorothy found him?” Ann-Marie said unkindly.
“Take me to your motor bike, take me home,” she added with a grin.
“I thought you said you had to get a Taxi?”
“I’ve changed my mind now Dorothy is gone.”
“O.K.” Seamus smiled and looked very pleased.
“Let’s walk a little, until we are sure Dorothy is gone. I don’t want her to know.”
“We could stand in the Queue for the Taxi. There are so many people out of the Cinemas it would take a while. There is a good view from the Taxi rank. Do you know Jeremy’s car?”
“No, but not to worry, let’s stand in the queue and talk. I think it is a better idea than walking in the car park.”
They stood holding hands standing close together, talking and slowly moving up the Taxi rank. Dorothy drove past in her BMW and gave a wave as they passed.
“Jeremy must have a good job with a big car like that,” Seamus remarked.
Ann-Marie said nothing. It was her sister’s car, but then he would find out they were rich.
“Is money important to you?” she asked after a moment.
“Money, no-mon, no-fun.” he said with a laugh.
“Oh?” Ann-Marie said concerned.
“Seriously, money is not an issue for me” Seamus continued. “ I presume you haven’t got any Ann-Marie otherwise you would not have had to work in that get up in the Parade?”
“I liked your face,” he added quickly, blushing as he remembered her low cut long legged costume.
“You spent a lot of the Parade looking at my face?” Ann-Marie remarked, sensing his discomfort. Seamus blushed. Ann-Marie looked at him in surprise. She had not expected him to blush so readily.
“Well of course, I did notice the rest of you, especially when I opened the cab door on the lorry,” Seamus replied a twinkle in his eye.
It was Ann-Marie’s turn to blush. “Shut up,” she said, giving him a friendly elbow. “And don’t get any ideas Seamus. I am a respectable girl.”
Seamus lightly kissed her nose. “Ann-Marie,” he said softly and put his arm around her shoulders.
They stood for a moment, feeling each other’s warmth.
“Come on, Dorothy is well gone now. Where is the Bike? I hope you still have a spare helmet. Otherwise it’s the Taxi for me.”
“No worry, come on, it is this way.”
The Bike was not the courier’s bike she had seen him on at the Parade.
“Gosh,” she said, “it’s huge. Don’t go too fast when I am a passenger. No macho stuff all right.”
“Don’t worry.”
Ann-Marie looked at Seamus; she had such a tingle of excitement with him. He was so big and strong and yet uncertain in how to handle her. She wondered how he would handle the next five minutes.
“Gosh, how do I get on?” she asked. “My skirt is very tight.”
Seamus had noticed the short leather mini skirt which emphasized her soft round figure.
“You can’t ride side-saddle.”
“Don’t look Seamus. I’ll have to pull up my skirt.”
“Take my jacket, it will cover up some of your tights.” Seamus offered, taking off his leather Jacket and handing it to Ann-Marie. Ann-Marie smelled the jacket and put it around her shoulders.
Then, to Ann-Marie’s annoyance, he took her at her word and completely turned his head away, still holding the bike by the handlebars to steady it as she climbed aboard.
He missed the flash of her white inner thigh where her black stockings stopped, leaving a white stretch before her black knickers. He also missed her black garters. When he turned his head back Ann-Marie was sitting modestly, covered up with his jacket across her knees. She decided she would have
to catch him when he got off the bike.
When he got on she put her arms around his waist and gripped the buckle of his belt.
“Which way?” he asked when they had put on the helmets.
“Down the dual carriageway. I’ll tell you when to stop.”
She pulled herself tight to him as he kick started the engine.
They sped smoothly along on the big powerful bike. Ann-Marie felt the wind blow the jacket back and show her thighs and garters to the world. On route several drivers beeped their horns in celebration of the sight of Ann-Marie’s black garters over white skin and black tights.
Ann-Marie pressed in against Seamus. She let her tongue lick the back of his cotton shirt, tasting him. The power of the bike and his ease and strength in control gave her a warm glow of excitement despite the cold wind whipping around her legs.
At the gate of the O’Byrne estate Ann-Marie made him stop. “My mother will be asleep,” she said indicating to the gatehouse.
In reality Imelda the old family Nanny and Housekeeper, occupied the gatehouse. They had kept her on and then retired her to the gatehouse as the family grew up. To Ann-Marie, Imelda was still ‘Nana’ and she visited her practically every day. She did not want Seamus to see the Estate House for fear such obvious wealth might turn him off, or worse give him a mercenary interest in her.
“Help me down please,” she asked when Seamus pulled in. This time he could not help what he saw as she climbed down and then fell against him, her soft breasts against his hard chest. She was surprised that he blushed again, but gratified to see the soft look in his eyes as he drew her closer against his firm body.
“You blush a lot,” she whispered.
“You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
“I’m not a thing.”
“Sorry... I think…”
“What?” she interjected.
“I think it is love at first sight.”
Ann-Marie giggled nervously and then met his eyes. Gently they kissed.
“Put on your jacket, it’s too cold,” she whispered, offering it back to him.
He slid it on, leaving the zip down and she snuggled into his warmth. “Kiss me again.”
He kissed her. She kissed back. She had promised herself one decent kiss and she let her tongue touch his for a second. His hand came up and touched her breast. He drew back a fraction and she blushed. She pushed him back.
“Can I see you again?” he asked.
“Of course,” Ann-Marie replied brightly, in these things she followed her instincts.
“Do you have any other girl?” she added.
“No. I don’t date a lot. I don’t know many girls. Most of the time I play football or have a pint with the lads.”
“Would your mother approve of me?” Ann-Marie asked.
“I don’t have a mother.”
“What?”
“My mother and father were both killed in a car crash.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Ann-Marie kissed him, aiming for his chin, but he brought his face down and their lips met. There was a long lingering kiss and Ann-Marie felt herself swooning into him. She pushed to push him away but found she had no strength.
“My granddad brought me up,” he explained when they paused for breath, He was still holding her tight in his arms and Ann-Marie looked at him through her eyelashes. Maybe having no mother explained his apparent inexperience with girls.
They talked to past midnight, pop groups, U2, the world at large and every minute the electric current of attraction sparked and crackled. Ann-Marie even let him fondle her breasts from outside her clothes. She didn’t usually go so far on a first date, but he was gently persistent and she was intrigued by his curiosity.
Seamus was loath to depart from Ann-Marie. However Ann-Marie was being insistent. “I have to be in at one if we are to date again. I can’t foul up. I have to be in on time otherwise Dad won’t let me go out with you again. I’ll be grounded.”
Seamus stole a last kiss. “Goodnight,” he whispered.
Ann-Marie squeezed through the railings beside the high iron Gates. They were locked remotely from the house and she could have buzzed through but preferred her own tried and trusted way in. They kissed again through the bars. Ann-Marie giggled and pressed her breasts through the bars and she giggled again as Seamus stroked her while he kissed her. Seamus was too broad to squeeze through after her and they played about for a few minutes, him trying to hold onto her, letting her go and catching her again.
“When do we meet again?” he persisted.
“Next week.”
“Jesus, what about tomorrow?”
Ann-Marie laughed. “Saturday. I’ll meet you outside Eason’s in O’Connell Street at half eight on Saturday. You can take me somewhere.”
“I’ll live for the moment,” Seamus said fervently and kissed her again.
Ann-Marie pushed him away with a friendly shove and reluctantly Seamus went to his Motorbike.
Ann-Marie watched him as he drove away. Then suddenly scared at being alone in the dark she skipped up the driveway. She always had a vision of a vampire on dark nights on the driveway.
She thought of Seamus. Oh God, he was dishy. A real man, not like the crowd she usually met. Spoiled rich over-confident brats most of them. But Seamus... She laughed aloud at her thoughts.
Seamus gunned his bike along, enjoying the speed on the open empty roads. Eventually he reached a large Garage bearing the sign ‘O’DONOGHUES.’
The entrance to the garage was like a scrap yard. For about twenty yards deep on either side of the forecourt there was an accumulation of forty years of scrap from Cars, Tractors, and Trailers. Part of the business was breaking down old agricultural machinery and cars and anything else, which would produce saleable second hand spare parts.
Seamus’s Grandfather still worked with the mechanics in the garage despite his eighty-four years. He had started the business from there. It was his son, Seamus’s father, who had made Freight Delivery and Courier Service into a large enterprise.
Seamus was the only child and when his father was killed with his mother in a car crash Seamus had been taken on by his Grandfather. The Grandfather had continued to grow the business, having the good sense to hire a well-paid management team and to give them the scope to get on with the business. These days the Grandfather kept a light but skilled and firm hand on the tiller of the business but found most of his time going in the scrap business. He enjoyed the work and it gave him something to do with his hands while he considered the broader strategies of the greater business. His driving concern was to leave it in top shape for when Seamus came of age.
At the back of the garage Seamus eased the bike through a gap in a hedge and then followed a trail up to the house. It was a classical Georgian House set in about twenty acres with mature woodland to the rear and a lawn and courtyard to the front. The house was well maintained with reception hall, three reception rooms, six bedrooms, a nursery and four bathrooms. The space was more than adequate for Seamus, his Grandfather, Dwyer who was the family retainer, and the dog.
The dog, a fat golden Labrador, padded up to Seamus, tail wagging.
“Who is out there at this hour?” his grandfather called.
“Me Granddad,” Seamus called and went up into the house.
Chapter eleven
As Dorothy had manoeuvred her BMW out of the ‘Square’ in Tallaght, she took a good look to reassure herself that Ann-Marie was indeed queuing for a Taxi.
“There’s a good Restaurant in Templeogue,” Dorothy suggested. “Let’s go and have a bite.”
“Absolutely,” Jeremy had agreed.
They parked in the forecourt of the Templeogue Tennis Club and crossed the road to the Restaurant. After a few minutes the waiter showed them to a corner table. They spoke little until they had ordered.
“You seem a little tense tonight?” Dorothy remarked after they had settled in to eating. The meal came on hot
plates with various portions, which they shared. Despite the takeaway end, it was a high-class restaurant.
“Absolutely not,” Jeremy replied after chewing a little.
“If you say absolutely again I’ll pour some spaghetti down your pants.”
Jeremy giggled, “Dorothy.”
“Why are you so uptight?” she persisted.
“I… I am gay.”
“Yes,” Dorothy agreed reflexively, her face blank with shock.
She tried not to show what a blow Jeremy’s confession was. She felt that she would burst into tears. But she hung in, staying calm, wanting to hear and understand the full story.
“Well my Partner in business, his name is David. He is also my lover.”
“I see.”
“Don’t sound so accusatory.”
“I’m not. I understand. I wasn’t born yesterday. Just exactly what are you telling me Jeremy?”
“If I am uptight Dorothy, it is because David is coming to Dublin. I don’t know how to handle it. It has me in a black knot.”
Dorothy studied Jeremy. He was starting to work his fork into his table napkin with tension as he spoke. She put her hand on his.
“Don’t wreck the table napkin.”
“Sorry.”
He withdrew his hand and started eating. Awkwardly Dorothy withdrew her hand also. They ate in silence for a minute.
“Is this our last date?” Dorothy asked.
“No,” Jeremy hissed vehemently.
“Ssh,” Dorothy whispered with a smile, “ keep your voice down.”
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