English Summer Tales Pt. 01

"Stay outside," she said to Alex. "I need to do this by myself."

Before Lucy went inside, she turned to Alex and asked, "Is this going to work? Or am I fucking something up here, not thinking this through?" She looked down at herself, at the shoes in her hands, used boots in a bag, a new man's jacket from another land on her back. "I've not even known you twelve hours yet."

She slipped the jacket off, stroking the soft leather as she did so. She put it up to her face, to breathe in the sweet smell of the leather and the scent of the sweet man who wore it.

"Here, you'd better take this back, in case I change my mind when I get inside. And the boots. They're not really mine until I've walked a mile." A mile with you.

She looked up at Alex, and saw a sadness on his face, sadness at the suggestion that she might go inside, shut the door, and never come back out. Lucy reached for his cheeks, cupping his face in her hands. She studied him for a full five seconds, absolutely motionless, and saw the deepest blue in his eyes, and a stillness there. I never want to see a storm in this man's eyes, she thought, there's a calmness here that could be dangerous, if the wind started to blow really hard. But I want to know this man.

Lucy put her arms around Alex's neck, and stood on the tips of her toes for another kiss, a longer kiss this time because she had so many more questions. Alex placed his hands on her waist, so gently. He didn't pull her body to his, it was just the quietest touch, just as his one hand on her waist, in the lobby of the club, had been a quiet arrival. This time though, his two hands held twice the promise. He held Lucy lightly, she wasn't his to claim or keep.

"I hope your mother is right," she whispered, "because I want to do this."

Not looking back, she climbed the steps to the front door and thrust the key into the lock. Lucy pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Don't close the door, Lucy," Alex called after her. Please don't close the door. He crossed to the other side of the road where he could see the front windows of the terraced house. And waited.

He saw the curtains at a second-floor window get pulled open, and saw her silhouette against the glass, against white light from inside the room. After five minutes the light went off, and the next window lit up. Here he could see a fainter silhouette, and Lucy's shadow went through the unmistakable motions of undressing, arms raised high over her head with a drape of cloth, her dress. Hands behind her back, undoing her bra quickly the way only women can, and men never can.

Then she was bending over and Alex knew she was pealing stockings down her legs and underwear too, all naked, her beautiful hair falling and falling. But her silhouette revealed nothing, and Alex hoped beyond hope that Lucy would repeat the undress in another room, another time, while he watched. Beyond hope, and his mouth was dry as a small fear crept into his gut.

She's undressing because she's going to stay, and Alex almost turned away and started to go. But hope kept him there, and the salt cellar fell to the floor. As she'd kissed him Alex had heard the little rumble of the glass on the wooden floor, and a faster click clack click as it rolled back and forth and finally stopped. Whatever was on his lips must have been good, because Lucy had tasted him again just now, and he hoped it was enough; whatever it was this girl found on his lips, he hoped it was enough.

Alex watched as she moved around the room, disappearing for five minutes, then came back into view. He realised that she was reversing her previous bend and stretch, dressing this time. He guessed she was pulling on tight jeans, as at one point she disappeared, falling backwards onto a bed perhaps, then reappeared standing to sling a blouse or shirt on.

That room's light went off and Alex hoped that she had a pile of essential clothes, including the lace and satin dress; because he so much wanted to take that dress off her and be forced to decide whether he wanted Lucy to keep the stockings on or take them off....

Alex waited another nervous fifteen minutes, his heart shuddering, until finally Lucy reappeared, dragging behind her a wheeled travel case, with a large bag over her shoulder. She turned, and pulled the door closed softly, not daring to make any noise to announce a silence; there, she's gone.

"Don't say anything, Alex, not until I want you too. That was horrible." Not so dreadful as telling Jesse to go, fucked up and desperate in the alley, but still, hard enough. "Walk beside me." Lucy reached for Alex's hand, and burrowed her little one inside his comforting hold. "Hold my hand."

Alex held Lucy's hand, just like his mother did when he was small. They crossed the road and went down the hill, and Lucy didn't look back. The wheels on the bag bumped on the cracks in the pavement, and it was a regular sound as they walked at a steady pace. After five minutes, Lucy squeezed his fingers to say, it's okay, I won't be long; and Alex tightened his grip to say, I know that.

After another five minutes, no more than ten, Lucy stopped, turned to Alex and buried her head against his chest and he held her. Alex kissed her hair, and she nearly cried but didn't. She wasn't ready to look at him, couldn't bear the care that would be in his eyes, not yet. Lucy had to do this by herself, leave town.

"It's hard enough after a year, leaving." Lucy wasn't talking about Lyle, but her boy Jesse. "How on earth did you do it after seven years? No wonder you came to the other side of the planet." She kept walking steadily, and the wheels of her bag whirred smoothly on the concrete path. "Did you love Rosie, even as it ended?"

Alex walked beside her and his voice was steady. "Yes, I always loved her, hated her too, sometimes. We just stopped being in love today. It became a yesterday thing, not a today thing. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, I think so." They walked on. "So, I'll still love the silly prick from yesterday then?"

"Yeah, you don't forget."

"Good. I don't want to forget Jesse."

"You won't."

* * * * *

They caught the scenic bus through Bitton and Kelston to the city of Bath. It was only just up the road, but Alex wanted to go to the city of his birth to show Lucy places he remembered; and it was just far enough that Lucy didn't have to worry that Lyle might come around a corner and see her absconding with a man taller, more handsome and infinitely more interesting than himself. And Jesse would never see her there.

On the bus they'd found a luxury bed and breakfast on-line that was an old mansion set in the centre of immaculately groomed grounds, just south of the city centre.

While Alex booked a room, Lucy left her bags with him and went outside to call her Dad.

Alex glazed after her as Lucy stepped outside with her phone to her ear, then turned back to the reception counter.

"A room for two," he said.

"Just a basic room?" the kindly older woman at the counter asked. Her name tag: "Marjorie".

Alex glanced back at Lucy again, her hair a blazing waterfall of red in the late morning sunlight. He turned back to the receptionist.

"Do you have anything... romantic?"

The woman smiled at the man, and she too looked outside at the girl, pacing back and forth deep in conversation. Ah yes. Romantic. "What about a four-poster bed?"

Oh yes, thought Alex. That sounded perfect. He could already see Lucy spread out under him, her hair a cascade of fire against a cream frilled pillowcase. It'd be like something from another century.

"How much is that?" he asked.

Marjorie gave him a rate and he thanked her, asking her to put it on his card. He hadn't mentioned it to Lucy, but he'd been staying at the backpackers' in Bristol only as a way of meeting other travellers. The truth was his job paid well, and Bed and Breakfasts like this one were well within his means.

But he suspected he wouldn't be expected to pick up all of the tab. Not with Lucy, not with her pride. Alex thought Lucy was the kind of woman who'd want to pay her way, to never be bought. He looked again at her pacing conversation, and saw her tilt her head back and laugh at something her Dad said. She was bright and alive, that much was certain.

The receptionist handed him the room key just as Lucy came back inside.

"First night's on me," he said, and Lucy's shoulders relaxed a little. He was right, she was tense at the idea he might want to pay for her, as if he were buying something. But Alex knew Lucy wouldn't be bought, she wouldn't want that. But if he offered her opportunities to pay him back, she could accept them.

"Dad's agreed to loan me some travelling money on the proviso I check in with him every night. I didn't tell him about you, that's too complicated right now. Just that I was going through a bad patch with Lyle and need time to myself."

"Sounds like a good deal," said Alex with a grin. She really was going to come with him. For the first time in a long time, he felt quietly happy. And looking at the smile on her face, he thought Lucy felt the same.

"Dad could tell I was happy today though, even on the phone. Parents seem to know that shit, even when we think they shouldn't."

"Yes, they do. It's a bit unnerving, sometimes." He looked at her. "Like my Mum, last night?"

"Yeah. Like your Mum. She sounded nice. Very English."

"Yeah, that's my Mum."

They laughed. Parents making a fuss, always looking after their little children.

Marjorie directed them to their room, and she liked their joy together, giving them an indulgent smile. Lucy allowed Alex to help her up the stairs with her bag. It was her concession to his wanting to help her... but she did know it was heavy. At the top of the stairs she kissed him softly on the cheek and whispered, "You really are a gentleman, aren't you?"

"Milady." And he bowed, again with a flourish.

Lucy laughed, absolutely delighted with him. "God, you're gorgeous. Twice in two days! Wow!"

She took the handle of her bag from Alex and wheeled it down a short corridor, then waited patiently for him to unlock the door, watching his hands....

The place they'd chosen was called 'Paradise', and it truly was.

Lucy, accustomed to living in a tidy but gloomy student flat, took in a deep breath as she set her bag against the wall. "Now this is wow. This really is beautiful. It's so decadent."

The room had a huge four-poster bed in its centre, covered in rich cream sheets and covers, and an elegant dresser to one side. The en-suite bathroom was lined with Italian marble and filled with light. Lucy ran her hand down the thick towels, not used to such luxury.

The room itself wasn't large, but featured massive arched windows that looked out over immaculate gardens. A wide expanse of lawn spread before them, down to a strip of trees marking the boundary of the gardens.

Lucy caught Alex's hand and he turned to her. "Are you happy?" she asked, not quite certain of herself in this moment, it didn't seem quite real.

He smiled down at her. "Right now? Yeah, I'm happy. With you, Lucy, I'm feeling pretty bloody good!"

Lucy tilted her chin up and offered Alex her mouth with her kissable lips, so he kissed her.

What started as a chaste kiss quickly turned into something more passionate, and Lucy shed her coat, then tugged off Alex's jacket.

Their mouths still locked together, she pulled him towards the bed, walking backwards until the backs of her legs hit the bed. She swayed, and Alex caught her, his arm about her waist, not letting her fall.

"This is beautiful," she said breathlessly, and she didn't just mean the room, or even just the man in front of her—although she did mean both.

Alex lifted her by her waist and laid her on the bed. The fact he could lift her sent a jolt of nervousness through Lucy, but the look in his eyes was so gentle that her momentary fear evaporated, and she let herself be adored.

Jesse had looked at her that way—with warmth and a hint of admiration. Alex was so much bigger than she was... but so gentle, so caring. She remembered her earlier thoughts when she gazed into his eyes and saw a calm before a distant storm, so very, very far away. Seeing his gaze on her now, his look just for her, Lucy thought if there was a violence in this man, she knew it would never be directed at her.

Then his lips were against hers as Alex held himself over her on the bed, and Lucy lost herself in the kiss.

She stroked his jaw as they kissed, holding herself up off the bed on one elbow as Alex bowed his head to meet her mouth. She broke the kiss and fell back against the bed, her fingers moving to the buttons of his shirt. Her fingers brushed against his chest as she undid the top button, then she paused, her head tilted, as if she were listening to distant music.

"We should wait," she said.

"Wait?" asked Alex, confused and unbearably horny.

"At least a week," she said. She glanced down at the sizeable bulge in Alex's jeans. "You can hold that thought for a week, can't you?"

Lucy laughed at his comically tortured expression. "Just kidding. Let's get this off you."

Her fingers expertly undid the rest of the buttons, and she peeled the shirt down his arms and tossed it to the floor.

Once Alex's chest was bared, she ran her fingers over his skin, tracing the curves of his pecs, the tautness of his abdomen. In the late morning light, his skin was golden brown, tanned and firm. Her skin was so pale, and she splayed her fingers over his flesh to compare.

"Are all Australian men as gorgeous as you?" she asked.

Alex grinned. She thought he was gorgeous. "I've been told I've a body even gay men go gaga for."

A shadow flickered through her eyes, and while Alex only knew bits of her story, he could see he'd touched something raw. But the shadow passed, and she smiled up at him again.

"But you're here with me."

"Sorry, I shouldn't brag." Alex kissed her sweet, soft lips. "Yes, I'm here with you, Lucy." I'm here.

Lucy pushed him off her and kneeled up on the bed. Alex watched as she stripped for him, first tugging off her soft woollen top, revealing small breasts high on her chest, sheathed in a soft gauzy bra. The sheer blue fabric showed the shadow of her breasts, her pale nipples trapped under an iridescent haze of cloth.

Alex reached out a hand to touch her, but Lucy shook her head. "Not yet."

She lay on her back a moment to unzip her tight jeans, then drew them down over her hips, discarding them along with her boots at the side of the bed.

Her panties were the same shimmering blue as her bra, and Alex knew she'd dressed for this moment. The moment when she first undressed for him.

The lustrous red of her hair against the butterfly-wing blue of the delicate cloth covering her breasts and sex left Alex hard and hungry to touch her. To peel that cloth away and feel the softness of her breasts, the dampness of the folds between her legs, her pale skin against his; ah yes, the moment he first undressed her.

But, it seemed, Lucy wasn't ready for him yet.

She put a hand on his chest and pushed him back onto the bed, her fingertips trailing across his nipples, a light graze of sensation, as she ran her hands down to his waist.

There, Lucy's fingers slid along the inside of the waist of his jeans, waking his anticipation as she moved to grip the cloth that held him firmly locked away from her gaze.

She tugged open the top button, then slowly drew down his fly, revealing his hard length in its tight cloth prison.

Careful not to touch him, Lucy tugged his jeans down past his hips, and he lifted his ass to help her pull them down his legs.

Only then did she come back to the solid source of his desire. His evident desire for her.

Lucy stroked her fingers lightly down the length of him, and seemed delighted with the tight swell against his briefs. She supported herself on all fours between his spread legs and raised her ass into the air while she lowered her head to examine him more closely.

She licked a line along his hard length, dampening his briefs with her tongue, then slid her tongue against the end of him. Alex's cock strained to escape from its tight prison, but Lucy held it there, wanting to keep it hidden, wanting to see it all.

"You smell ever so horny," Lucy said with a wicked grin. "I can't decide what to do with you first."

But Lucy could, and Lucy had. She moved herself up Alex's body so that her arms were either side of his head, and she let her hair fall around his face so all he could see were her blue eyes burning into his.

The invitation was unmistakable. Alex lifted his hands to her breasts and finally felt her soft, trapped flesh.

Her smile stayed wicked, but her eyelids closed halfway as he pressed up against her breasts, his fingers rubbing over her nipples gently. He reached back behind her and undid the clasp on her bra. Lucy pulled her arms out of the straps in turn, and tossed the bra to the floor with the rest of their clothes.

Alex put his hands on her waist and brought her up so that he could take a firm breast into his mouth, his teeth and tongue tugging and swirling against her hard nipple.

Lucy moaned, and pressed her ever-dampening sex against his heat as he transferred his attention to her other breast.

"Here's what's going to happen," she whispered, and Alex met her gaze as he cupped a breast with one hand, his mouth still on the other nipple. "I want you to teach me your body. What you love. What turns you on more than anything else. What makes you shudder, what makes you cry for mercy." Lucy's look was serious, she wanted this to work, but she didn't know this man. She needed a crash course in Alex.

"This time's for you. Next time's for me. I want to understand every part of r body, even the things you're afraid to ask for. Will you do that for me?" Lucy needed to know.

She dropped her head and kissed his forehead.

Alex took his mouth away from her breast and whispered, "I can do that."

Lucy smiled. And so much more. You'll do so much more. Just wait.

"But we should wait," Alex said. "If you're going to take lessons in Alex, we should wait."

Lucy looked at him with a glint in her eye. "Oh, I see. You want me to wait now, huh? What's this, payback time? You can't wait a week so now you want me to wait?"

Alex laughed, and wrapped Lucy in his arms, rolling her onto her side on the bed. He kissed her on the tip of her nose. "No, just give me five minutes to have a quick shower. I been sleeping in a station with a bag lady, walked all over town, grotty clubs, greasy Joe's, you know?"

Lucy was a little slow.

"What the fuck, a bag lady?" She punched him on the chest. "I'm far too elegant to be a bag lady. See!" And she spread herself wide on the bed, her legs open and her arms over her head. "You never seen a bag lady look like me, Alex. I'm all elegance, dontcha know, on my fancy sheets."

"You're pure gorgeous, is what you are, but I gotta shower, really."

Alex couldn't help but look between her slender legs sprawled wide in Lucy's playful abandon, and was delighted to see the spreading darkness of her lips blooming like an opening flower against the lighter cloth of her underwear.

She saw the direction of his gaze, and langourously closed her legs and rolled back on her side. "Go then, if you must." She waved him away with a flick of her hand. "But don't expect me to be here when you get back."

She peeped up at Alex from behind her hair, her best coquettish look.

"Oh, so you're going where, exactly?" Alex scooped all their clothes up from the floor and went through to the bathroom.

Lucy watched him go. Sweet Christ, you're beautiful. Where did you learn to look like that?