Bless This Love

by S M Mala

  ‘It’s not me he wants,’ Suri said, pulling her away. ‘He keeps talking about you.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Denise, he doesn’t know how to approach you and I think he wants me to help things along.’ She then spotted Leila. ‘Ted mentioned he liked your bondage.’ Denise raised her eyebrows in shock. ‘He thinks because I write continuity for porn, I’m more of a sympathetic ear. And, I know this sounds weird, but he wants a threesome.’

  Suddenly her eyes widened in anticipation.

  Suri had hit the nail on the head.

  ‘Not you?’ Denise then scowled, making Suri laugh. ‘No offence.’

  ‘Oh goodness, not me. I’ve taken a vow of chastity. I’m dating a Vicar, and he doesn’t want to have sex.’ She waited, and like clockwork, there was a loud laugh from Denise.

  Suri wondered if she was still with Joe, it’d hurt as much, knowing he loved his sex. Instantly she pined for the man but knew he’d never approve of what she was doing.

  That’s when she decided she was a bad angel.

  ‘Is there someone else who’d be interested? What about Leila?’ Suri glanced at the willowy young woman who blatantly fancied Ted. For a moment, Suri wondered if Ted could cope. Then she smiled, hoping he couldn’t. ‘Do you think she fancies him?’

  ‘Why are you doing this?’ Denise asked, eyeing her suspiciously. ‘What’s in it for you?’

  ‘I know you’ve got the hots for him. I don’t mind match making so you can get off my back and find a new continuity announcer for the adult channel. Unless you want me to placate his needs. Did you bring some bondage so I could tie him up and down? I’ll wash it before I hand it back.’

  Knowing how competitive Denise was, she waited for a reaction.

  ‘I’ll talk to Leila,’ Denise whispered. ‘And how are we going to play this?’

  ‘He wants a surprise, like female domination stuff. I only know from that show I was watching ‘Bitches with a whip.' Looks painful.’ Then she grinned to herself. ‘Do you think he’d like it?’

  Denise was deep in thought.

  ‘I can take him to his room and prepare him, if you like?’ Suri innocently said. ‘It might be fun but I need some gear.’

  The next half an hour, she ran around getting the things that Denise had brought with her for the weekend. Blinds, gags, ropes and a whip.

  It was pretty blatant that her boss had planned to get laid or accost someone to make them offer their services.

  Suri had set it up to lure him to the room and then let the others in. She had everything stuffed in her small clutch bag. All she needed to do was trap the lying bastard, then he’d leave her alone for good.

  Walking up to him and seeing he was quite wasted, she whispered in his ear, ‘My pussy’s waiting for you. I’ll be outside your room in five minutes.’

  ‘Excuse me,’ he said to the people he was talking to, knocking back his drink and clearing his throat. ‘I have to speak to someone.’

  Suri walked away quickly, making sure she went up in a separate lift.

  When she got to their floor, she waited for him.

  Ted walked down the corridor, and he looked like a man on a mission.

  ‘Let’s get in,’ she said, watching him open the door.

  Walking quickly, she turned and knew he was going to lunge at her.

  ‘You need to get showered,’ she said, holding her arm out to stop him. ‘And then I’ll freshen up. I know you don’t like licking my pussy when it’s not fresh.’

  He used to constantly ask her to wash to the point she wondered if he preferred the taste of shower gel to her.

  Stumbling out of his clothes, Suri watched him rush to the shower. Then she took her items out of her bag and put them under the pillow. Having to play along, she walked in, and he watched her. Slowly she took off her knickers, put on the bidet, checking the temperature and sat on it.

  ‘Show me,’ he said, showering and making a point of holding his dick in his hand.

  Suri shook her head from side to side.

  ‘When you eat me, you’ll look at it close up,’ she sweetly replied, pushing her hand between her legs and pretending to play with herself.

  Getting up, she grabbed a towel and wiped between her legs before turning the lights off and going into a corner.

  Ted followed her.

  ‘Now close your eyes,’ she said, putting a blind fold over his eyes. ‘I want this to be different and memorable.’

  ‘God, you're very sexy.’

  ‘Just follow my lead.’ She then got a rope, tying it to the end of his penis. ‘I’m not going to hurt you.’

  Gently she led him to the bed and pushed him down. He was laughing, and she wondered how long that would last for.

  Straddling him, she tied one of his hands with a rope, while his other one tried to grab her breast.

  ‘No, you can’t do that,’ she said, taking it and tying it against the other side of the bed. ‘I want to sit on your face and come in your mouth.

  ‘Oh God, I want that so much. Will you suck my cock really hard at the same time?’

  She couldn’t help but let out a disappointed sigh.

  Ted was the only man she knew who could take something and make it all about his needs.

  Bending down, she kissed him.

  There was nothing.

  No love

  No care

  And even less remorse on what she was going to do next.

  ‘Let me take off my dress.’

  Jumping off him, she grabbed her bag and quietly walked to the door, gently opening it.

  Denise and Leila were outside.

  Momentarily she wondered if she was doing the right thing.

  Then she remembered the little boys he couldn’t leave his wife for were teenagers.

  ‘He’s a bit drunk and might call out who knows what, but he wants some fun. Whip him a little, not too much and sit on his face… a lot.’

  Neither woman spoke as they entered the room, and Suri ran to hers, opening the door and standing perfectly still.

  Then she laughed hearing some sort of groaning.

  Ted would hate to go down on anyone who wasn’t fresh.

  And Denise was the sort of woman who wouldn’t give a shit.

  Listening closely, she realised something was happening as there were giggles from Leila and grunts from what sounded like Denise.

  She lay back on her bed and closed her eyes, laughing for a moment then she stopped.

  Joe came into her head and then the tears.

  He’d have been ashamed of her behaviour.

  But Suri didn’t care now.

  Because Joe never did.

  ‘Skinny cappuccino, please?’

  Friday morning and she had been to the gym.

  All she had heard from Leila, on the sly, that Ted seemed very disorientated. Suri felt guilty on hearing it. Then she was told he got into the swing and managed to deliver his goodies to both the women. One even twice.

  The guilt immediately subsided.

  Leila had left early in the morning, leaving Denise alone with Ted. Suri thought that must have been the most terrifying bit of it all.

  Denise, on the other hand, hadn’t said much but was constantly smiling at her.

  Suri thought this was far scarier than when she was nasty. That was a little confusing.

  And then there were the messages full of expletives and the texts from Ted, calling her every name under the sun.

  Ted wasn’t a very godly man, but she was pleased to see his spelling wasn’t up to scratch either. It was a good thing he was on holiday for a fortnight.

  Walking to her new destination for the mornings, she sat in the park on the other side of the rail tracks, where she could see the steeple of the church and think about Joe.

  Two weeks and she still couldn’t get over the split.

  Now she felt tricked and wondered if he used her for sex, like Ted had done.

  He wouldn’t have been impre
ssed with her behaviour over the weekend, further strengthening his decision was right.

  But heart break for Suri was still heart break.

  She wanted to catch a glimpse of him, even for a moment. That would make her both happy and sad. A sign caught her eye about the local fete raising money for the church, a week on Saturday.

  The plan was for her to help her mum, as per usual, and then leave on the pretence she had to work. She already broke the news about not helping on the drinks tent (Jack had quickly stepped in to take her place). Her mother did coerce her into cutting up the fruit for the punch, so she agreed to do that in the morning.

  All in all, she felt depressed and couldn’t see a way forward.

  In a few weeks, she’d have to recall what happened ten years ago and how it changed her life forever.

  Right now, she felt alone and lost.

  Getting to her feet, she slowly walked towards her home. As she went under the bridge and crossed over, the early morning sunshine was hitting her face, and she wished everything was different.

  Her mind wandered off and thought of Rory. His laughter and adorable smile. She wondered what would have become of him had he lived.

  Her life might have been very different, and they would have been together.

  Or would they?’

  Felicity might have been his true love but no-one would ever know, not even Suri.

  Even now she was unsure if he loved her as much as he had said. And she wasn’t strong enough for it all to be raked up again and again. Mutterings by the local gossips and church goers.

  It was too much to take.

  Then she noticed someone running past, who looked like Joe. She turned, and they were gone. It was the desperation of wanting to see him and knowing she couldn’t.

  Right now, that was another pain she was finding hard to cope with.

  ‘Can’t you chop faster?’

  Her mother was looking over her shoulder as Suri slowly cut the strawberries into quarters. ‘We need it for today, not tomorrow.’

  ‘I know but I’ll get this done in time,’ she sighed, looking at the clock. ‘It doesn’t have to be there until ten thirty.’

  ‘But I need to be there for ten. We’re setting up the tea and cake stall plus the Reverends want people to be able to go into the church and look around. It’s going to be a wonderful day, it really is!’

  Glancing over her shoulder, Suri could see her mother looked excited. She was wearing a pretty yellow dress with a matching cardigan, and her roots had been dyed.

  ‘Oh, and Reverend Isley, that’s the name of the new Vicar, will be bringing along his family.’

  Suri accidentally sliced her finger when she heard.

  ‘Shit!’ she said, sucking the small cut on her finger.

  ‘You can’t bleed over the fruit!’ her mother gasped.

  ‘It’s Pimms? Who’s going to notice?’ she replied, the finger still in her mouth.

  Mary grabbed a tea towel and wrapped it around the injured digit then put Suri’s hand in the air.

  ‘It’ll stop bleeding soon.’

  ‘So this Reverend Isley is bringing his wife and kids?’ Suri asked, trying to compose herself for the shock. ‘That’s nice.’

  ‘He’s not married, silly. His parents are coming from Newcastle and his sister and nieces or nephews? I can’t remember. I think that’s a good thing. He’s not been himself for a few weeks. I don’t know what happened, but Janet has a bee in her bonnet about something.’ Her mother let out a sad sigh. ‘I hope she’s not making his life a misery, that poor young man. I’d love you to meet him.’

  ‘Never,’ Suri said, trying hard to hide her hurt feelings. ‘He’s a man of God and I’m a woman who is not. We have nothing in common.’

  ‘Joe loves music and so do you. He has the most beautiful voice, but not as good as yours.’

  Suri grunted a response.

  ‘Though for the past few Sundays, he hasn’t been singing happy songs, they’ve been sad. Last week, I can’t tell you how emotional it was. ‘Lately’ he sang by Stevie Wonder, your one true God.’ Her mother sniffed in her direction. ‘I’ve never seen so many grown men cry, you know, the gay ones. Even Joe looked devastated. And he didn’t use the guitar; he played the piano.’

  ‘He plays the piano?’

  ‘Oh, he’s very musical. Studied it, you know, before becoming a Vicar.’

  ‘Full of surprises. He probably split up with whoever he was with and now feels sorry for himself,’ Suri blurted out. ‘Typical man!’

  ‘He asks about you, you know. Especially recently. It’s lovely that he takes an interest.’

  ‘What do you say?’ Suri put her hand down and examined the blood on the cloth.

  ‘I tell him the truth. I don’t know what goes on in your head, but I do know, right now and at this time of the year, you become very sad. I asked him to pray for you,’ her mother gently said, getting a plaster and wrapping it around her finger. ‘I pray for you every day.’

  ‘Pray for us to win the lottery, you’ll have more luck there.’

  ‘How much have you had?’

  She dropped the large plastic bucket of fruit on the side, seeing Jack jump. ‘Don’t get pissed. You’ll never hear the last of it.’

  His face gave it away. The rosy cheeks and bright smile.

  ‘Bloody hell, Jack, you’re not going to make it to one o’clock at this rate,’ she said, quickly looking around at the people setting up the stalls. ‘I can’t stay and help, I have to go to work.’

  ‘Sure you do,’ he said, sipping from a pint glass of the alcoholic fruit punch. ‘Your mother bought the story, I take it.’

  ‘Let me put some jugs together and you can drop ice in, to make them cold when you’re ready. Remember, money first then the drink. Some of your parishioners and locals are deceitful. When you turn your back, they’ve knocked back half the contents and accuse you of not filling it up.’

  ‘They won’t do that to me,’ he grinned, tapping his collar. ‘They know the consequences. Why don’t you stay and help? I’m sure you’ll be an asset.’

  It was automatic. Her eyes were drawn to Janet Peters walking around as if she was the queen. The woman looked over at Suri and frowned.

  She’d not aged gracefully. Always a tall woman with the added haughty look, her hair was now white but beautifully styled into a one length bob. Very slim and poised, she gave the impression that she ruled the world.

  Suri never liked her since she was little. Janet Peters had a way of making you feel that you weren’t good enough. And when she was friends with Felicity, she made it very obvious she didn’t approve of her or Naomi.

  ‘I better go,’ she said, letting out a disgruntled sigh.

  ‘Joe’s coming later with his mum and dad. You should have heard what he sang on Sunday. It made me weep and-.’

  ‘Don’t!’ she said sharply. ‘He’s feeling sorry for himself. Anyway, he’s bound to pick someone up soon enough.’

  ‘You think that’s what he did to you?’ he laughed, pouring her a pint glass of punch and handing it over. ‘It’s on the house.’

  ‘I don’t care. I’m sick of being used and…’ Suri did a double take. ‘Oh shit! Hide me!’

  Ted was on the green, looking around, and she knew he’d know she was there. Suri threw herself onto the ground, behind the table.

  ‘Is that someone I shouldn’t know about?’

  ‘He’s the married one. I did something to him a few weeks ago, and he wants revenge.’

  ‘You better not have had carnal relationships with him!’

  ‘I had carnal relations with your Vicar, and he wasn’t impressed!’

  Jack started to laugh.

  ‘I set Ted up,’ she moaned and shook her head. ‘Led him on, to show the slimy piece of shit that he can’t dip in and out when he likes.’

  ‘Please!’ he smirked, looking down at her. ‘I don’t want to know about your sex life. Bless the lord! He’s heading ov
er here.’

  ‘Fuck!’ she said as Jack kicked her to go under the table cloth.

  ‘Hello there, son,’ Jack said happily. ‘I can’t serve until another five minutes.’

  ‘Do you know where Suri Thomas is?’ he asked and she could tell he sounded agitated.

  ‘Suri? I’ve not seen her.’

  ‘Someone said she was over here.’

  ‘She was. Is it urgent?’

  ‘I have to see her,’ Ted replied. ‘She’s not returning my calls.’

  ‘Are you her boyfriend?’ whispered Jack, letting out a little chuckle. ‘Would you like to meet her mother?’

  Suri had to hold her hand over her mouth to avoid the shocked gasp.

  ‘I’m a very close friend. Do you know where she lives by any chance?’

  ‘Not a clue! Let me think. She mentioned about going to work after she delivered the fruit. That was about fifteen minutes ago. I think she’s based in the business park over there. Works for some pornographic channel. She doesn’t take part in that sort of thing, does she?’

  She was now trying to hit Jack on the leg to stop him from talking.

  ‘Suri? No,’ Ted replied, sounding anxious. ‘Thanks for your help. Here’s a donation.’

  ‘Twenty pounds! How wonderful! God bless you my son.’

  Peeking under the covers, she watched him walk off.

  ‘You’re no bloody help,’ she hissed.

  ‘You and him? He’s a bit, you know, smooth. How old is he?’ Jack started to laugh. ‘What were you thinking? I mean, he’s a handsome fella but Suri? Even I can tell he’s a lady's man.’

  She wasn’t listening.

  Suri saw Joe with his arm wrapped around a woman who looked like him. He was happily walking with his family. There were two little girls, who she could only assume were his nieces.

  They were the picture of happiness. Then she noticed he stopped to talk to her mother, who turned and pointed to the stall. Joe then left the party and headed over.

  ‘Oh God!’ she said but received a swift kick from the Vicar.

  ‘Don’t bloody well blaspheme,’ he hissed. ‘Two men in a matter of minutes. Are you sure you’re not Mary Magdalene?’