Guess Who I Pulled Last Night? (33 page)

“Well our situation isn’t really normal is it?”

Niall dropped his head and started to play with the buttons
of his jacket.  “Well, at least we are on speaking terms it will make
business a lot easier.”

Charlotte gave a small sigh; it was obvious that Niall
didn’t want to talk about things.  “Yes it will, anyway we should go in
before we miss dinner.  Thanks for today, Niall, I’ve really enjoyed it.”

“It was only a walk along the beach, a few rides at the fun
fair, a couple of games on the bingo and a jackpot on the slot machines. It's
the least I could do for someone who has shown me their underwear a couple of
times.”

Charlotte blushed as she thought of the day that she had
hidden behind the bins, wet and dirty, showing her bra, and when she had fallen
flat on her backside in the car park, that time giving Niall a glimpse of her
knickers and stocking tops. Despite her embarrassment, Charlotte began to
giggle.

“Not always the consummate professional am I?”

“Ah but I love you for it anyway.” Niall instinctively leaned
across and kissed Charlotte gently.  She started to pull back, but Niall
grabbed hold of both her arms.  “Charlotte please don’t make me stop.”

“But Niall we can’t, you said…”

“I know what I said, but if you were listening just, then
you would have also heard me say I love you.  A little clumsily I admit,
but I do love you.”  He stroked her face gently and looked deeply into her
eyes.

“I thought that you hated me, you didn’t believe me.” 
Charlotte reached up and brushed her hair from her face.

“I didn’t say that I hated you.  I’m so sorry, but I
was just so hurt.  I was willing to give up everything for you. I know I
should have listened to your side, but Grant was so convincing.  I know
now that he was lying.” Niall dropped his head, ashamed that he had let Grant
spoil things for them both.

“How do you know?” Charlotte asked, feeling slight elation
that she had been proved right.

“He admitted to a mutual friend that he lied, to save me
from a fate worse than death apparently.  I can’t apologise enough. I
truly am pig sick about it all.”  Niall rubbed his hand through his
wind-swept hair.

Charlotte leaned over and hugged him tightly.  “Don’t
worry, it’s going to be alright. We could start again, make a fresh go of
it.  No more lies, no more Grant.”

Niall lifted his head and gently pushed her away, holding
Charlotte at arm’s length.

“You don’t know how much I want you, to be with you all the
time.  I presume that you know of the wedding?”  Charlotte nodded
solemnly.  “I wish I could cancel it, but I can’t.”  Niall’s eyes
were now filled with tears, as the pain in his heart began to grow stronger.

“Why, lots of people call off their wedding?” 
Charlotte had a feeling of dread, after everything she knew that still wasn’t
going to happen.

“I can’t sweetheart. I don’t know how to say this except
come straight out with it; she’s pregnant, and well, me being a good honourable
Catholic boy…”

Charlotte shrank back and leaned against the cold window,
trying desperately not to cry.

“Oh I see,” she whispered. And she did see she knew how hard
it would be for a good Catholic boy to call off the wedding to his pregnant
boss; it was impossible.  “How, I mean I know about the birds and bees,
but I got the impression that you were a pretty careful sort of person.”

“Ingrid reckons that the condom must have split.  It
must have been the night that I saw you in Paul’s office.  Since I met
you, we haven’t exactly had a full relationship, and that night was the one and
only time.  I was demented and almost grabbed you and ran away there and
then sod what supposedly had gone on.”  Niall hung his head as he
continued.  “But I didn’t, did I?  I went home and got absolutely
plastered.  To be honest I’m not sure how I managed it, but I did and even
committed the most heinous of crimes; I called out your name at the crucial
moment.”

Despite their sadness and despair, they both laughed. 
Niall reached out and pulled Charlotte into his broad chest.  She inhaled
his odour and closing her eyes imagined that this wasn’t happening.  If
she blocked everything out she could believe that they were happy with each
other, having a life together.  She lifted her head and looked up at
Niall.

“What next?” Charlotte whispered.

“I don’t know, you know that I can’t change the
wedding.  The thing is Charlotte no matter how much I wish that this
wasn’t happening, I have to marry her.  It’s not just the thing about my
religion, I can’t end up like my da.”

Charlotte looked puzzled.  “What do you mean?”

“He left Ma so many times that I’ve lost count.  Then
when his latest lady friend kicked him out he’d come crawling back.  Like
a fool, Ma would have him.  Nearly every time he would get her pregnant,
then when the baby was a few months old he’d bugger off again.  Do you
know my youngest two sisters, Julia and Helena the twins, didn’t even know that
families had a father until they were about four, and he turned up one
day?  He didn’t stay long that time, about two months I think.  I was
sixteen then, six feet tall and had started going to the gym’.  I wasn’t
scared of him anymore.”  Niall’s angry eyes were brimming with tears as he
recalled his childhood.  “I remember on my twelfth birthday, when ma was
heavily pregnant with the twins, he hit her in the stomach, so I went for him
with a rolling pin.  I’ll never forget the beating that he gave me; I was
black and blue.  Siobhan, who was ten at the time, took Clara and Francine
next door, in case he started on them.  Half the neighbourhood could hear
me crying and Ma screaming at him to let me go, but not one of them came to
help.  Do you know that over the years, he has left my mother with six
kids, two broken arms, four cracked ribs and a perforated ear-drum, yet the
thing that she hates him for the most is not being there for his
kids?"  Niall shook his head despairingly. “You see now why I have to
go through with it.  Most of my life I’ve had to be responsible, and I
can’t change, and I certainly don’t want my ma to think that I’ve turned out
like that bastard; a good for nothing, weak, selfish man who abandons his
children.”

They sat in silence staring at each other.  Charlotte
trying to take in everything that Niall had told her felt a deep ache in the
middle of her chest.  She felt extremely sad for him.  Her own father
was a wonderful man, who loved his wife and children beyond words, so she
couldn’t comprehend that Niall’s father could be so
different.    Niall spoke softly in the darkness.

“Charlotte, I know one thing for definite in my heart. I
love you.”

Charlotte could hardly catch her breath. They were the words
that she had been longing for, but in the great scheme of things, they meant
nothing.  Her breath quivered as she fought to find the words.

“N-N-Niall, if we can’t be together I’ll have to cope with
that, my hearts broken anyway.  I’m going to suggest something now that
could make me feel worse in the long run, almost like cutting my own wrists.”

“What, what is it that you are going to say?” Niall asked,
placing a tender hand on her cheek.

“You may not want to, a good Catholic boy like you.” An empty
laugh tinkled in the air as tears careered down her face.  “I know I’m
going to feel like shit afterwards, but why don’t we just spend one night
together.  I sound like a tart I know, and I would never normally
proposition someone else’s man, despite what Grant may say, but I love you and
have never loved anyone like I love you.  You’ve got inside my head and my
heart, and I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without ever having
made love with you.”  Charlotte finished with a loud sob.

Niall moved towards her and tenderly kissed the salty tears
from her cheeks.  “You know that you have battered my head Miss Price, and
my bloody heart as well.  The feelings I have for you are one hundred
times stronger than those I’ve ever had before.  When I wake up in the
morning I’m thinking about you, when I sleep at night I dream about you, yet
some other woman is going to have my child and you have to understand that I
can’t ignore that,” he paused, taking a deep breath before he could carry
on.  “I know that we are meant to be together, but cupid hasn’t come
around to our way of thinking yet.  Charlotte, I know that we only met a
few months ago, but I feel like I’ve known you all my life, you’re the girl I
always dreamed of.  You know I think I loved you almost from the moment we
met. I will always love you, will always wonder where you are and what you are
doing, my heart will always ache for you, and so I think that one night
together is the least we deserve.”

Niall held Charlotte against him, not wanting to let her go,
finally after a few minutes, he held her away from his sodden chest.

“Shall we skip dinner then, or would madam like room
service?” he asked.

Charlotte smiled, and started to wipe away the tears from
her face.  “I’m not really hungry, for food anyway, so perhaps room
service would be a good idea,” she giggled.  “Hang on a minute though, we
will have to sneak past Frank and Margaret first.  She'll be waiting for
our essay on the day that we had at the seaside.”

Niall kissed the top of her head, before ruffling her hair.

“I’ll don’t think that they’ll mind somehow.  This is
going to be our one night together, a night that has got to last us a
lifetime.”  Niall sighed heavily.

“You’re right this is our time, and I don’t want to waste a
minute of it.”

They got out of the car and together walked back to the
hotel, skirting the entrance door and heading toward the back, where Niall was
convinced there would be a rear entrance.  He was right; overlooking the
gardens was a small lounge area with French doors leading into it.  Off
the lounge were stairs that Niall and Charlotte climbed to get back to their
rooms. 

As they reached their landing, Niall suddenly realised that
they didn’t have a key to either of the rooms.  After some playful
arguing, they agreed that Niall would go back to reception to retrieve both
keys.  Charlotte waited impatiently for about ten minutes, tapping her
foot rapidly.  Just as she was about to go and find him, Niall appeared
from out of the lift.

“What took you so long?” she asked, having to stop herself
from dragging Niall’s clothes from his back, right there in the corridor.

Niall thrust a key into her hand, and gently pushed
Charlotte towards her door.  “First the night porter wouldn’t give me your
key as well as mine, until I convinced him with a crisp ten-pound note that I
wasn’t a burglar.  Then Frank spotted me, but I gave him a big wink, that
thankfully he understood, and he guided Margaret past me without a word. 
I was on my way back to the lift when Luca came out of the dining room wanting
to know why I hadn’t been for dinner, and did I know where the beautiful Miss
Price was.  And that,” he sighed pushing Charlotte through the door, “is
why it took me so long.”  As they entered the room, Niall gasped and
looked around him.  “Very nice,” he whispered.

“Courtesy of Paul, isn’t yours like this?”  Charlotte
asked, grinning at him.

“Similar, although I don’t have a four-poster bed,” he said,
bouncing up and down on the mattress, “so I reckon this should be where hide
out for a while, what do you think?”  Niall stood up, and walked over to
Charlotte.  He pulled her to him, and kissed her passionately, until they
both needed to draw breath.

“Well I am impressed Mr Devine, that was better than I
remember it, but I reckon that you could do with a nice long shower.”

Niall smiled at Charlotte like a naughty boy, as he took his
jacket off then helped Charlotte with hers.

“I reckon you could be right.”

Kerry had not been sleeping for long when a sound in the
living area woke her.  At least, she thought that she had heard something,
but when she held her breath for a few seconds to double check, she heard
nothing, so slipped back down beneath the duvet.

She had just started to drop off again when the bedroom door
was flung open.  Kerry reached across to turn the lamp on, but couldn’t
get to it. Her heart was pumping fast as she tried to focus, just making out a
dark figure at the doorway.  She opened her mouth to scream, but just like
a reoccurring nightmare; nothing came out.  Her immediate thoughts were
for Esme asleep in the next room.  The thought of the intruder hurting her
baby was too much to handle; she had to get help.  Kerry tried to scramble
out of bed, thinking that maybe she could push past the figure and run for
help, but the faster she tried to pull her legs free the more they got tangled
in the duvet.

As she struggled to get free, the figure moved towards
her.  Kerry backed up the bed, pressing herself against the
headboard.  Desperately, she tried to think about what to do, whether she
could use something as a weapon, but her mind was blank.

The figure suddenly sat down heavily on the side of the bed,
not saying anything.  Kerry, desperate to focus through the pitch black,
opened and closed her eyes, trying to banish the sleep away so that she could
see, but it was too dark.  Breathing heavily, she was conscious that the
buttons on her pyjama top had become unfastened, revealing her heaving
breasts.  She didn’t want to make any sudden movements, but was petrified
at how exposed she was.  Moving her hands slowly to them, Kerry began to
fasten the buttons. As she got to the second one, the figure’s own hand shot
out and grabbed her wrist, holding it so tight that it started to burn.

“Please, please don’t hurt me,” Kerry whispered barely
audible, her voice trapped, deep down, inside her chest.

The man eased his grip and moved her hand to his
mouth.  Kissing the palm gently, and then taking it, he held it, against
his face, placing his own calloused hand on top.

Kerry gasped, as soon as she felt the deep scar underneath
her clammy fingers.

“Owen!”       

He reached over, and turned on the bedside lamp, the light
shining on his cruel smile and dark sullen eyes.  “Hello Kerry, long time
no see, have you missed me?”

Kerry’s mind raced as she wondered what to do or say to
him.  What was he doing here, surely his parents would be wondering where
he was, they would come looking for him? She was sure of it.  Owen must have
read her mind, because he started to laugh.

“I’m sorry, but I know what you are thinking, and the answer
is that they’ve gone out for the evening.  I paid for a night at the
pictures, followed by a meal in a nice fancy restaurant, so they won’t be back
for a while.”  He grinned sadistically.  “It’s just my way of
apologising for being such a bad son.”

Kerry quickly glanced over at the clock; it was nine thirty,
she had only been asleep about an hour.  Owen was right; the Llewellyns
wouldn’t be back for hours yet.

“Anyway,” he sighed, interrupting her thoughts, “it gives us
plenty of time to have some fun, and to finish what we started a few days
ago.  What do you say?”

He leaned over and touched Kerry’s partially exposed breast
with his forefinger. His hot alcohol fumed breath on her face.  She had to
think fast and try to delay the inevitable. Kerry knew that this horrible man
could not defile her without she put up a fight.

“Okay Owen,” she whispered.  “We could have a good
time, but how about we have a drink first, you know to get relaxed a
little.  There must be something back at the house.”

His laugh was hollow and his smile sneering.  “You
really are a silly bitch aren’t you?  Did you honestly think that I would
fall for that one?  Just because my mam was stupid enough to get knocked
up by some scabby gypo, don’t think I’m as daft.”  Owen’s sneering smile
had now turned into a grimace.

“No-no, I don’t Owen, honestly.  I like you, you know I
do. I'm just frightened that’s all. You don’t want me to be frightened, do
you?” Kerry asked desperation echoing through her tone.

Owen put his head on one side, as though thinking about what
she had just said.

“Actually you know; I think I do.”

He moved backward along the bed, and Kerry could no longer
smell his rancid breath. He shook his curls, back from his shoulders, and
looked up at the ceiling.

“If I didn’t want to frighten you, then why would I break
into your caravan at night?  You women are all the same, stupid prick
teasers.  You lead men on and then when you decide that they are not quite
what you are looking for, you cast them aside without a care.”  He moved
closer again now, placing a hand on Kerry’s shin.  “Well Mrs Johnson,” he
sneered.  “You are going to get what you deserve, just like Abby
did.  That’s how I got this scar by the way.”  He stared at Kerry,
his eyes menacing, and his face blank, devoid of any emotion.

Kerry desperate to try to remain strong and calm, took deep
breaths to suck the tears back in.  Unfortunately, the way her chest moved
up and down, straining against her pyjama top, seemed to excite him, and his
face turned into a manic grin.

“Please Owen, please don’t hurt me,” cried Kerry, no longer
able to stay strong.  Deep sobs wracked her body as he leaned forward,
grabbing her wrists in one hand and fumbling with her pyjama bottoms with the
other.

“Don’t cry Kerry, we are going to have a really good time.”

After feverishly ripping each other’s clothes off Charlotte
and Niall had taken a long steamy shower, exploring each other.  They
touched, caressed and kissed each other until it was almost the point of no
return.  They held back, so that they could appreciate and prolong every
moment; an understanding that the first time needed to be special and
savoured.  It had to last in their memories forever.  Niall finally
led Charlotte by the hand to the bedroom, where he slowly towelled her dry, the
thick, soft cotton lingering on her inner thighs and pert breasts.  He
moved around her, carefully wiping away the droplets of water from her skin,
kissing her shoulders, her neck and her wrists as he did so.

All the time Charlotte marvelled at his body, and his
obvious excitement.  The day that she had dropped the papers off at his
cottage had certainly given her a taster of what lay beneath his well-tailored
clothes, but she did not expect something as wonderful as this.

His lean thighs curved up to a strong, tight bottom. His
toned stomach was hard and muscular, his shoulders broad and angular.  She
trailed her finger along the line of hair leading up to his stomach, energized
by the feeling of him writhing at her touch.

Charlotte let Niall lead her to the bed, where she perched
upon the edge as he straddled her from behind, his thighs pushing against
hers.  She could feel his erection in the small of her back as he began to
caress the inside of her legs with his hands, his fingers moving in gentle
circles, edging further up to her thighs.  Charlotte felt her excitement
build as she thrust her groin towards his fingers, yearning for them to touch
her clitoris, knowing that if they did she would explode. Niall, sensing this,
and not wanting Charlotte to climax too soon, moved his fingers away and began
to place butterfly kisses along her shoulders and down her spine, until she
could stand it no longer.

Charlotte stood up and turned around to face Niall, her
nipples hard with excitement and anticipation; she throbbed with desire for
him.  Niall moved back along the bed, as Charlotte gently lowered herself
on top of him, and despite her need to make love to him, she now made him wait
as she moved across his chest, alternating between gentle bites and flicks of
her tongue, her groin and breasts rubbing against him and her hands holding his
wrists on the soft mattress.  Niall groaned as she made her way further
along his body, until eventually she stopped and dropped small kisses at the
top of his thighs.

No longer able to contain himself Niall reached down and
tenderly took her face in his hand. He brought it back to his, and kissed
Charlotte passionately, before gently rolling her over.  Their fingers
interlocked, creating a bond than no one could break, both letting out a gasp
of pleasure as soon as he was inside her.  They moved together,
rhythmically and choreographed; two parts of the same machine, oblivious to
everything apart from each other.

Charlotte manoeuvred on top of Niall, thrusting slowly as he
held her buttocks firmly, both groaning with the joy that they were feeling,
then Niall was on top of her, all the time their thrusts gradually deepening
with Charlotte’s fingers digging deeper into is back, until they both exploded
into a crescendo of delight as they called out each other’s names.  Happy
and sated Niall collapsed back onto the bed.

“Bloody hell, don’t yer just know how to look after yer
man.  That was the most fantastic thing that I have ever experienced,” he
sighed.

Charlotte panting heavily, leaned with one elbow to look at
him, running a long finger nail down his chest.  “I know, I can’t believe
that we nearly missed out on it, can you?” she asked, dropping a kiss onto his
lips.

He gently stroked her breast with his hand, and reaching up,
pulled her towards him and kissed her tenderly. “I love you,” he whispered.

Charlotte’s eyes misted over as she suddenly remembered that
this was to be their one and only night together.  “I love you too, don’t
ever forget that will you?”  She held her palm on the side of Niall’s
face, and kissed his nose.  “I wouldn’t mind giving it another go.” she
giggled.  “Only, I’m not sure whether we got it quite right the first
time, what do you think?”

Niall laughed throatily, as he rolled Charlotte on to her
back.  “I think that you could be right,” he whispered, smothering her
mouth with his own.

As Owen ripped at her pyjamas, Kerry tried to scream, but
nothing came out.

“Please Owen, please don’t hurt me,” she cried, scratching
at his hands with her nails.

“Oh shut up you stupid bitch, you deserve what is coming to
you.  I ain’t gonna stop, so you may as well try to enjoy it,” he snarled,
moving his hand up her body.

Kerry knew that she couldn’t fight him; he was too
strong.  She closed her eyes, desperate to make him disappear.

“Don’t hurt me please, oh God, help me,” she continued to
sob, as she felt his hand now move inside her pyjama top.

Then suddenly she heard the slam of a car door outside. Owen
heard it too.  He stopped momentarily, bending his head to listen. 
When there was no further sound, he removed his hand from her now bare breast
and placed it firmly over Kerry’s mouth.

“Keep quiet until whoever it is goes away.  One sound
and I’ll kill both of you.”  His grip tightened around Kerry's wrist, as
his face twisted in front of her.

The car didn’t drive away, and he sat there, for what seemed
liked hours, with one hand pushing down on Kerry’s mouth, while the other
gripped her wrists.  After a few minutes of stillness, there was a loud
banging at the caravan door.  Kerry’s eyes widened, as if willing the
visitor to burst in, but she made no sound.  Owen’s angry face showing he
meant every word about killing them both.  As she lay there, petrified,
she was sure she heard someone call her name, but nothing happened.

“Ssh,” Owen whispered, “or you know what’ll happen to you,
and the brat.”

Very slowly he moved his hand away from Kerry’s mouth,
putting a finger to his own, indicating for her to remain silent.  He
stood up, and started to back out of the room, a finger still to his
lips.  As he reached behind him for the door handle, Kerry noticed it move
downwards.  Her face must have shown her surprise, because Owen suddenly
turned around and grabbed at the moving handle; however, it was too late.

Kelvin burst in and came face to face with him.  Before
anyone could say anything, Kerry screamed out.

“Kelvin, stop him!”

Kelvin quickly noted the terror in Kerry’s eyes, her torn
top, and the tears running down her cheeks, and barred Owen’s escape route.

“She’s a liar,” Owen screamed, desperately trying to push
past Kelvin.

“Kelvin, please don’t listen to him,” shouted Kerry, pulling
her top across her chest. 

Kelvin took no chances, and lifting the torch, which he’d
been using outside, bashed Owen across the head with it.  Owen clutched
the side of his head, as swaying slightly, he stumbled into Kelvin.

“You bastard,” he cried.

He tried to throw a punch at Kelvin, but it only served to
put him more off balance.  Kelvin took the opportunity, and hit him
again.  This time he went down like a felled tree, landing in a crumpled
heap on the floor.

Kerry quivered on the bed, pushed against the wall, as far
as she could go.  Gripping her top together with one hand, she wiped away
tears with her other, sobs echoing through the room.  As she wiped her
face with her palm, a small, weak smile escaped, as she looked up at
Kelvin.            

“Oh Kelvin, I thought that he was going to rape and kill
me,” she whispered tearfully.

Kelvin scrambled across the bed to be beside his wife, and
held her tightly in his arms, never ever wanting to let her go again.

“Ssh, ssh, you’re safe now. He can’t hurt you anymore,” he
cooed, as he held Kerry’s head against his chest.

As he held Kerry tightly to him, he looked down at Owen
again, checking he hadn’t come around.  He breathed deeply as he realised
what had been about to happen, it didn’t bear thinking about.  Thank God
he’d decided to act masterful, and barge in, in order to demand that Kerry come
home.