Secrets and Lies (11 page)

“Let me see it.”

Saoirse lifted her top a little so her mother could examine the creation adorning her skin.

“It's very dramatic. What is it?” Kerry asked, curiosity momentarily getting the better of her.

“It's an alien,” Saoirse explained.

“It
’s horrifying!” Kerry cried, carefully studying the grotesque image. “It looks like a hideously deformed creature that's inexplicably wearing a suit.”

The tattoo sported an ugly exteri
or that resembled a cyborg which was turned inside out. The creature had an elongated head, double rows of teeth and peculiar black protrusions which helped to complete the sense of dread.

“Why could you not have gotten a small rose or something less obtrusive?” Kerry asked.

“I like aliens,” Saoirse replied shortly.

“Since when
have you liked aliens?”

“Since I've started
reading about the paranormal. It's so much more interesting than real life.”

“I've never seen you reading those sorts of books.”

Kerry searched her memory to recall what books she'd seen lying around her daughter's bedroom when she'd vacuumed. The last books she'd bought for Saoirse was The Chalet School Girls series by Elinor M. Brent Dyer. Kerry had instilled the importance of reading into both her daughters from a very young age. She had started reading to them when they were only a few weeks old and would be forever grateful to her Aunt Aisling who had given her the gift of reading when she was a small child. Reading truly was a gift, in Kerry's opinion. She loved being transported to a different world and bonding with new characters, who often felt like old friends by the time she finished reading.

Conor hated reading and admitted that he envied his wife's ability to lose herself in a story for a few hours. She loved curling up with a good book and a glass of red wine or a warm cup of tea, depending on her mood, by a roaring fire on a cold winter's day when the rain was beating against the window and on the rare occasion that she had the house to herself.

Kerry was an avid reader and had quite an eclectic taste in books. She read almost anything she could get her hands on; from historical romances to biographies or self-help books. She still resolutely preferred to read paperback books, loving the feel of turning the pages. She eschewed the latest trend for electronic book readers and had been annoyed when Conor bought the girls Kindles for Christmas. Saoirse and Emer were thrilled, of course, like most teenagers they were enthralled with any new electronic device they could get their hands on. They had the latest iPads and iPods and Kerry was convinced that their iPhones would have to be surgically removed from their hands! Kerry herself was technologically challenged, to say the least. She had only recently come to terms with sending text messages and insisted on keeping her old mobile phone because she knew she wouldn't be able to get her head around the gadgets and buttons of anything more modern.

“You haven't seen my books, mom, because I have them stored on my Kindle,” Saoirse explained. “Dad gave me a hundred dollar voucher to buy more e-books through Amazon before he went on his last business trip.”

“How generous of him,” Kerry said sarcastically. She was irritated at being made to feel that she was the bad guy while Conor got to play the good guy as usual. She swallowed her annoyance, not wanting to take her anger out on her daughter.

Saoirse looked blankly at her mother.

“What sort of books have you been reading?” Kerry asked, in a bid to change the subject.

“I'm into paranormal romance at the moment, especially Amanda Hocking. I love her books.”

“I read about Amanda in the newspaper last week,” Kerry suddenly perked up. “There was a feature on her meteoric rise to fame in The Independent.”

“It was hardly meteoric, mother. She'd written nineteen novels which nobody wanted to publish. It was her twentieth book that made her a fortune. She decided to self-publish all her books on Amazon in the hope of making enough money to cover her fuel costs so that she could see the The Muppets' creator, Jim Henson, when he was exhibiting in Chicago. She only expected to earn a few hundred dollars but ended up making over two million! Can you believe it?”

“Wow! I love hearing stories like hers,” Kerry smiled, all thoughts of her daughter's tattoo momentarily forgotten. “She's written twenty books. How old is she?”

“She's twenty six now. I think she's amazing.”

“It's an outstanding achievement,” Kerry agreed. “So which of her books are you reading?”

“I'm almost finished reading “Switched” which is a contemporary fairytale based on Scandinavian folklore. It's already sold more than a million copies online.”

“Why do you like “Switched” so much?” Kerry asked, fascinated, her interest piqued at seeing her daughter animated about something for the first time in weeks. It was like the light inside her pretty face had suddenly been turned on again and it was a welcome change to the sour-faced sulky girl that Kerry had had to endure recently.

“I like it because it's a well-
told, simple fantasy story and complete escapism. I love the fact that I can have fun and get lost in another world for a few hours.”

Kerry nodded in agreement with her daughter.

“Switched has done so well that it's even being made into a movie,” Saoirse continued. “Amanda's currently working on a new four-part series which I'll be first online to buy.”

“Maybe I should try reading some of her books,” Kerry pondered. “I've never read anything paranormal because I assumed it was about vampires and horror and my imagination is too overactive to be able to handle it.”

“Honestly, mom, I think you'd love her books. It's funny because even though Wendy, the main character in “Switched” is a teenager, apparently Amanda's biggest fans are housewives and mothers like you.”

“I can understand the appeal,” Kerry grinned. “We spend our time with our children and are constantly reminded of when we were teenagers ourselves,
a time when we had no responsibilities. It's an opportunity to step back in time to when our own lives were more adventurous and fun.”

“Ok, mom, too much information.” Saoirse was suddenly bored by their conversation. She found it difficult to believe sometimes that her mother was ever young. She'd always seemed old to her, especially the last few weeks, when she was constantly on her case about something.

“Mom must be going through the menopause,” she thought. Abigail, her new best friend from school, told her that her own mom was going through the menopause. They'd pulled up the details online one day after school and were shocked at the symptoms; hot flushes, moodiness and insomnia were some of the main signs which Saoirse had recognised in her mom.

“I'm meeting Abi in town later, so I'll need a lift please mom.”

“Excuse me, young lady, but you're not going anywhere. First of all, you can ask me for permission to meet your friends and secondly, I've never met this Abi person so you can invite her over here for dinner one evening and thirdly, you can consider yourself grounded for the foreseeable future after your stunt with the tattoo. Don't think I've forgotten about it.”

“You have no right!” Saoirse cried.

“I have every right!” Kerry yelled at her daughter. “You are thirteen years old and already this week you have died your hair pink and gotten a tattoo without even asking me.”

“Why should I have to ask you? It's my body!”

“You're my daughter and I'm responsible for you until you're eighteen years old, whether you like it or not! Now go to your room until I decide how best to deal with you.”

Saoirse stomped out of the living room and slammed the door loudly behind her.

Kerry sighed, resisting the overwhelming urge to shout at her daughter. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself. It was the second show-down they'd had in less than a week and she felt worn out from their emotional turmoil.

She was counting down the days to Conor's return home. He was due back on Saturday afternoon; only another three days. He could deal with Saoirse for a change. She went to the refrigerator and poured herself a large chilled glass of crisp
white wine, Pinot Grigio.

“Ahh,” she breathed appreciatively as the wine started to relax her tense, stressed mind.

She briefly contemplated calling her sister, but she decided against it. Maura had already taken Saoirse off her hands last weekend and had sorted out the fiasco that was her niece's neon pink hair. She'd bleached it and then toned it back to a shade that vaguely resembled her natural dark blonde hair colour. Apparently, aunt and niece had bonded over movies and popcorn and much to Kerry's relief, Maura reported that Saoirse's appetite seemed to have returned; she'd eaten an entire sixteen inch pizza all by herself!

Kerry's mobile phone bleeped, shaking her from her reverie. It was Emer texting to say that she missed her and she couldn't wait to see her at the weekend. She'd been away in France for the last few weeks with her class from college. Kerry smiled and quickly replied to her daughter's text:

“I miss you too, sweetheart. Hope you're having fun. See you at the weekend. Love mom, xxx”

“
At least one of my girls doesn't hate me
,” she thought forlornly, taking another long sip of her wine.

Kerry absent-mindedly twisted the new ring that Conor had given her and admired the glittering diamond as it sparkled in the light. Their anniversary seemed like a lifetime ago even though it had only been a few short weeks. Conor had made passionate love to her that night and an involuntary thrill of excitement ran through her body as she recalled the pleasure of their lovemaking.

Making love with her husband had been an unusually intense experience on their anniversary; it had felt as if he was trying to possess her or devour her and she'd never felt more desirable in her entire life.

They had always enjoyed a very fulfilling sex-life, excluding, of course, a brief lull when the children were very young. Kerry often thought that Conor's frequent absences kept the spark alive in their marriage; one of the few positives of being apart.

They were each other's first loves and had discovered one another's bodies slowly and tenderly. Conor was the only man who Kerry had ever loved. She vaguely wondered what it might be like to sleep with another man; his taste, his smell, his touch, but she had no real desire to be with anyone other than her husband. Sometimes, in her dark moments, she wondered if Conor had ever slept with another woman. He had ample opportunity on his business trips, but she didn't dare to even contemplate the idea for more than a few moments as she was petrified of tempting fate. He loved her, she loved him and that was all she needed to know.

“Mmm,” Hope sighed deeply as a delicious tremor passed through her entire body. She didn't want to wake up from her heavenly dream, so she kept her eyes tightly closed, willing herse
lf to stay unconscious. Gentle hands skillfully caressed her long, curvaceous legs, tracing an invisible line all the way from the tips of her perfectly manicured toes to the warm skin of her inner thigh; up and down, up and down; first her left leg and then her right; in perfect rhythmic motion, until every nerve of her beautiful body was tingling.

“I got home early, baby,” Niall's hoarse voice whispered in her ear.

Hope shivered involuntarily as delicious goosebumps erupted along her spine.

“Welcome home, darling,” she reached for him and pulled him to her, kissing him long and soft and slow, losing herself in his kiss, savouring the taste of him on her hot, wet tongue.

She felt his light stubble brush her mouth as he pushed her lips open with his tongue, searching, probing.

“I missed you, baby,” he said, pulling away from her momentarily as he stopped to undress.

“I missed you too,” she replied, watching him closely as he removed his shirt and tie to reveal his broad shoulders and tight, toned chest. She couldn't wait to taste him and bury her face in the furry hair of his chest. She wanted to breathe him in, inhale deeply, his own unique scent.

He didn't take his eyes off her as he slowly unzipped his trousers and let them drop to the floor, revealing his huge, hard erection that would soon be buried inside her.

She moaned involuntarily as she took him in her hand, moving slowly up and down his shaft. Niall groaned under his wife's touch, growing even harder as she worked her magic on him.

“I want you,” he said, running his fingers through her silky hair.

“Then take me,” she replied, pulling her negligee over her head, revealing her warm, naked body.

Niall ripped the duvet off her and took her in his arms. He kissed her passionately again, breathing her in, inhaling her intoxicatingly musky scent. Then he slowly made his way down her voluptuous body.

He kissed her neck and gently nibbled her nipples, which immediately sprung to attention under his expert touch.

He kissed her stomach and blew lightly on her soft skin as he went lower on her body. She writhed with desire beneath his touch.

“Please,” she whispered, desperately wanting to feel him deep inside her.