The Beach House (26 page)

Thursday in February, light already fading
from the sky, the weather warmer than Jenni had expected as the
train whisked her into Paddington station. From there she did take
a cab, giving the driver the address she had written on a slip of
paper. The last leg made her the most nervous. She had to be at her
destination by six. Any later and the whole plan would be blown.
And trying to get across London at five in the evening was,
apparently, a lot harder than she had imagined.

Jenni leaned forward and spoke through the
open glass partition. Ahead of the cab stationery traffic had not
moved in five minutes.

“I really need to be at that address before
six. Is there anything you can do? It’s worth a good tip if you get
me there on time.”

The driver’s eyes met hers in the mirror.

“See what I can do, love.” He didn’t sound at
all like Dick van Dyke. His voice was the real deal. “As soon as we
can move an inch.”

Jenni slumped back. Checked her watch.
Five-forty.

Another five minutes passed before the
traffic started to move.

“This town’s a nightmare, love.”

Jenni nodded. Town?

The driver cut his black cab right across
traffic, raising a blast of horns, ducked into an alley that looked
too narrow but he barreled straight in, hung a hard left and right,
dipped down beneath an archway, back up and bullied his way into
another stream of traffic. Two minutes passed and he repeated the
maneuver. He was grinning, enjoying himself.

“I’ll get you there in plenty of time, love,
don’t you worry.”

They pulled up outside Foyles bookshop in
Charring Cross Road at ten before six.

Jenni pulled a fifty pound note from her
wallet and pushed it through to the driver. “Is this enough?”

“Too much, love. I’ll get your change.”

“Keep it.” She was already climbing out.

“I hope he’s worth it.”

Jenni stopped long enough to reply. “Oh, he
is.” Then she was standing on the sidewalk as people streamed
around her, looking at Joe’s picture on a poster in the bookshop
window. Written in large black letters: February 13
^th
-
Personal appearance by Joe Fransiscus signing his number one
bestseller
Dead Time
.

Jenni pushed through the door.

“Where’s the signing?” she asked a man
stacking books into a display. He pointed through to the back of
the store and Jenni wound her way through bookcases and display
stands.

Her watch showed five before six and she
couldn’t see him anywhere. She swung around, went back the way she
had come, tried another direction, panic fluttering in her chest.
She wished Kim had come with her, but she never flew unless she
absolutely had to, and beside Ami needed her at home.

“Don’t you worry?” Jenni has asked as they
lay in bed together, naked as they always were, sated after making
love, legs and arms tangled.

“Worry about what?”

“Me going to Joe. Don’t you worry I might run
away with him?”

Kim laughed. “Why would you want to do
that?”

“I don’t know. But aren’t you jealous?”

“Mm-mm, not me.” Kim shook her head, slid her
hand onto Jenny’s stomach. “I
know
you don’t want to give
this up, babe.” She kissed Jenni and five minutes later Jenni was
sitting astride her face, her tongue deep inside Kim’s pussy as
they worked slowly on bringing each other to a third climax of the
day.

No, Jenni thought, I won’t give this up.

If Kim had come they would have found Joe.
Now Jenni’s watch showed three minutes off six and she swung around
a big display stand, moving wildly now, without a plan and saw Joe
across a space. A bench was piled high with copies of his book and
three people remained in the queue as he took a book from each one,
spoke quietly with them, shook hands, and signed their copy.

Jenni grabbed one of Joe’s books and joined
the end of the queue.

Two people. One. Then she stood in front of
him. He reached out without looking up and Jenni placed the book in
his hand.

“Who shall I make it out to?”

His voice cut through her, making her melt
inside.

“Jenni.”

She saw Joe smile. “I know someone with the
same-” His voice stopped dead as he looked up, recognizing her
voice. His mouth dropped open and the book fell onto the desk with
a thud.

“Aren’t you going to sign it?”

“Uh…”

“Well, in that case.” Jenni crossed her arms,
made to turn away.

“What the fuck are you doing here? Why? When?
Shit, Jen, it’s good to see you. What?” Joe shook his head and
Jenni laughed. It had been killing her the last few weeks because
Kim had spoken with Joe but not mentioned Jenni turning up in New
York.

“We’re gonna keep it a surprise,” Kim has
said.

Now Joe looked past Jenni. “Just you?”

Jenni nodded. “Just me.”

“When did you get here?”

“About an hour ago.”

“Wow.”

“You going to sign that or not? I used to
have a signed Joe Fransiscus, but someone burned it. I’d sure like
another one.”

“In that case.” Joe opened the book and
scrawled inside, not allowing Jenni to see the inscription, but she
knew already what he had written. “Are you staying?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t got anywhere
booked.”

Joe laughed. “I might be able to find a spare
room at my hotel.”

“Maybe they’re full.”

“Maybe. I guess you might have to share with
me if that’s the case.”

“I do hope they’re full.”

Joe glanced beyond her. “You’re the last one.
Come on, let’s get out of here.” He stood and came around the desk,
put his arm around Jenni and kissed her, tentative at first as
though she might have changed her mind about him. Jenni kissed him
back hard, letting her tongue into his mouth, making sure Joe know
she hadn’t.

Joe took her hand. As they turned an
assistant was standing watching them with a puzzled expression.

“Would you like a photo with Mr. Fransiscus,
madam?”

Jenni laughed. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Oh.”

Jenni made to walk past the woman but she put
her hand on Jenni’s arm. Jenni stopped.

“You need to pay for your book, madam.”

Jenni laughed. Joe joined in, tears in both
their eyes they were laughing so hard and the book shop assistant
had no idea what she had said that was so funny.

***

Joe closed the door of his room as Jenni
walked ahead. This was more than a room, this was a suite, with a
living room looking out over busy streets.

“You want something to eat, drink?”

Jenni turned back to him, nervous.
“Nothing.”

Joe crossed half the distance between them,
stopped. Jenni realized she wasn’t the only nervous one.

“How have you been, Jen?”

She nodded. “Good. How’s the shoulder?”

He shrugged, lifting his arm. “That’s good
too.” Joe took another two paces. Stopped again. Three feet
separated them now and Jenni caught his scent, the essence of Joe,
unchanged from months ago, her body responding.

“D’you think I could use your shower?” Jenni
felt grubby from the flight, didn’t want to get close to Joe, sure
she smelled bad.

“On one condition.”

“Yeah?”

Joe nodded.

“What condition’s that?” Jenni felt her
stomach trembling. It was going to be okay.

“I can wash your back.”

Jenni shook her head, suppressing a smile at
the puppy dog expression on Joe’s face. “My front’s dirty too, Joe.
I need more than my back scrubbing.”

Joe’s cock showed thick inside his pants and
this time Jenni took the steps, closing the gap between them to
nothing.

“How have you really been, Jen?” His breath
covered her face.

“I’ll tell you all about it, Joe, but first I
need you to fuck me. It’s okay, Kim knows.”

“She does?”

Who d’you think talked me into this?”

“That Kim,” Joe said.

Jenni nodded. “Yeah, that Kim.” Her fingers
were stroking his cock through his pants and her knees went weak.
She wanted him so much.

Joe turned her around and unzipped her dress,
slid it from her shoulders. His fingers fumbled with the clasp on
her bra but Jenni refused to help, waiting until he unclipped her.
The bra clung against her breasts and she let it stay while Joe’s
fingers found her panties and pulled them down. His lips touched
her back, her ass, her thighs.

“I really do need a shower, Joe,” she said,
her voice low.

“You smell great.”

“I don’t think I do.”

“You do to me. Besides, I can’t wait.”

She turned to him, letting him see her shaved
pussy, letting his mouth close over her clitoris and suddenly her
knees went and she fell to the floor, her bra finally releasing its
kiss from her breasts. Joe leaned over her and she said, “Take your
clothes off Joe and fuck me right here, right now, any way you
want.”

Joe sat back and unbuttoned his shirt, tore
at his pants and shorts. Jenni twisted, grabbing for his cock while
he still fumbled with his shoes and socks, wriggled close and took
him inside her mouth, the remembrance of his taste flooding her,
the remembrance of his body raising gooseflesh along her arms and
legs. Joe gave up on his shoes and lay back, his pants and shorts
rucked around his ankles and Jenni took his cock deeper, took it to
the root, the thick ridged head sliding into her throat and Joe
cried out and came instantly, a flood of semen filling her mouth
and she let it pool and slip between her lips.

“Oh fuck, Jen, I’m sorry. That was so…”

She waited and then climbed along him, kissed
him, knowing his cum coated her lips. Joe kissed her back, his
hands on her body.

“Don’t worry, babe.” She reached down.
“You’re still hard.”

“Oh God, Jen. I’m dreaming. I got to be
dreaming.”

“Mm – good dream.”

“The best.”

Jenni stroked his cock, slid back down and
pecked the tip with a kiss, kept going and untied his shoes and
finally released the tangle of clothes from his ankles.

She stood and walked naked, tall and slim,
knowing how good she looked, confident and assured now, no longer
beaten down. She sat on the edge of the couch, knowing the windows
were behind her and not caring. They might be too high up for
anyone to see what they were going to do, but she didn’t care if
they did. She beckoned Joe with her finger and he stood and came to
her, his long thick cock swaying from side to side with each
step.

He knelt between her legs and kissed the
smooth shaved skin above her pussy.

“Kim did this to you?”

“Of course.”

“I like.”

“Me too.”

“I think I can last a bit longer this time,”
Joe said, and Jenni laughed.

Joe sat back. “What?”

“Nothing, honey. You reminded me of someone
else, that’s all.”

Joe frowned, but Jenni knew he wouldn’t stay
puzzled long. “I want you to fuck me now, Joe. My turn.”

He slid along her, kissing her thighs,
heading towards her pussy. Jenni twisted her fingers in his hair
and pulled him up, shaking her head. “No, I don’t need that. I’ve
been waiting for this too long already. Just fuck me, Joe.”

He let her pull him up but Jenni released him
and slid down off the couch underneath him. She sucked his cock,
licked his balls, turned so her legs were raised on the cushions of
the couch and her pussy presented beneath his cock. She looked up
along his back, put her hands on his ass, feeling the muscle
beneath the skin. She twisted her body, tendon and muscle loose and
she could contort herself into almost any position. She wanted to
surprise Joe, wanted to delight him.

“I want to be fucked like this,” she said and
Joe pushed his cock down against her, the head finding her slit and
Jenni rocked so he entered her an inch. Joe shifted back and Jenni
touched his asshole and felt him twitch, then he was filling her
and she closed her eyes and breathed hard as his rigid thickness
opened her cunt walls, so slick and wet and she had no idea why she
had wanted this position but found Joe could fill her completely,
felt the head of his cock touch her cervix and she came hard and
fast, instantly tipping over, grinding up against Joe, her finger
pushing hard and invading his asshole, crying out as the world spun
away, grayed out and only slowly returned.

When she came back Joe still filled her,
twisting round to look at her, his hands reaching back to caress
her breasts.

“I’m not the only one around here comes
fast,” he said.

Jenni laughed. She pushed him, his cock
slipping from her, emptiness ready for something else. She had
promised Kim she would do this for Joe, while they lay together in
bed, playing with each other.

A week after Jenni moved in Kim had come to
bed, shy for once and when Jenni pressed her she said she wanted to
try something but didn’t know if Jenni was up for it.

Anything, Jenni said, you know that.

Kim had left the bed, came back with
something in her hand, Jenni laughing with glee when she saw a
dildo and straps for securing it.

“You or me?” Jenni asked.

“Me first,” Kim said.

“Me after?”

“If you want.”

“Want.”

Now it was Joe’s turn. Jenni rolled onto her
front, grabbed a pillow and stuffed it underneath her so her ass
was lifted. She raised one leg and stuck it out to one side.

“You know what I want, Joe.”

“Fuck, Jen.” He stared at her, not
believing.

“I like being fucked in the ass, Joe. I like
it a lot.”

“Did… did Mark…”

Jenni laughed. “Never. But others have. Fuck
me, Joe, fuck me now.”

“Oh God.” Joe’s voice was strangled. He
sounded lost and Jenni smiled, knowing how much he wanted this. She
felt his weight against her back, his mouth on her parted ass, his
tongue.