Francesca, page 50
Tony got his driver to drop Elle off now it was getting dark, and after looking in on Bobby, we went to bed. The following morning, I made sure I was up and awake for Bobby. I got him ready for school, and during the noise of Bobby running up and down the stairs, Tony came into the kitchen. I left him with his coffee and took Bobby to school. I felt a little awkward, now it was the morning after the night before.
When I arrived home, Tony was showered and dressed. He’d told his driver to leave and pick him up early this morning. I felt a little disappointed that it had all come to an end.
He cupped my face in his hands. ‘I need to get a change of clothes, and then I will be back later,’ he said as he gently kissed my lips.
‘You don’t have to come back,’ I said, giving him a get out clause. ‘Yesterday—well, that was just one of those things. Please don’t feel that you have to come back.’
Tony scowled at me, his eyes searching my face. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed. Had I said the wrong thing again? I just didn’t want him to feel obliged.
‘Don’t go cold on me, Francesca, not now. Yesterday was just the beginning. Don’t spoil it.’
Suddenly, there was a hoot from a car horn coming from the drive. It was Tony’s driver picking him up. I walked him to the door, and he kissed me and left. I looked at the clock. Now it was time for me to get ready for work.
Tony was floating on air. He was going to his apartment via the back stairs but decided to walk through the club instead. At this time of day, he knew Jake would be in the club organising things and going through the day’s diary.
Tony slung his coat over his arm and carried his jacket over his shoulder. He was strutting like a peacock, a big grin on his face. Jake was sitting at the bar reading the newspaper when he walked in. He glanced up at Tony walking towards him in yesterday’s clothes. Tony looked like the cat that had got the cream.
Jake put his elbows over the newspaper and gave Tony a smile. ‘No prizes for guessing where you spent the day and night then. I take it Fran welcomed you with open arms?’
Tony was still grinning from ear to ear.
‘Now, my dear, Jake, whatever makes you think that?’ said Tony, bursting to tell him all about It. ‘But yes, she did. And you know what, Jake? I feel great!’
Jake pushed the newspaper towards him. ‘Apart from that stupid look on your face, Tony, this’—Jake pointed at the front page of the newspaper— ‘tells me everything. In fact, it tells the whole world. So there is no point in skipping in here hoping we can guess. Your cover’s well and truly blown, mate. You randy old sod.’ Jake elbowed him in the ribs and started laughing. ‘I can’t believe it. You two have done it outside again. For God’s sake, Tony. I’m going to buy you a sleeping bag.’ Jake burst out laughing.
Tony looked down at the newspaper. his moment had gone. There it was in black and white. The headlines read, “Beauty and the Beast Reunited: Francesca Tames Club Boss Tony Lambrianu.’
Tony’s face paled. There were photos of himself kissing Francesca on the beach and then of the two of them emerging half-undressed from the little cave, their arms around each other’s waists. It was blatantly obvious what had just gone on in there. To cap it all, there was a picture of them both getting into the car with that unmistakable registration plate.
Tony burst out laughing. He didn’t care anymore what people thought. He was happy. ‘You’re right, Jake. It was outdoors, and then I remembered what you said and took her to bed. And I assure you, we did it many times, and it was warmer.’
They were both laughing out loud.
‘She can’t deny me now, Jake. The whole world knows about us. And you know what? I’m glad,’ said Tony, looking triumphantly down at the headlines again.
‘What about Fran? Are you going to warn her about this?’ asked Jake.
‘No, I am not, Jake. Let her find out for herself the same way I did. I’m going to take a shower and change my clothes. Get hold of that reporter, Jake. I want the original photos of Francesca kissing me like that.’ He was laughing out loudly as he walked away. Nothing was going to spoil today, no matter what.
Later that morning, I went into work, unlike the usual smiling faces that greeted me. I was met by sly grins and whispers. The other staff were nudging each other and giggling.
‘Okay,’ I said. ‘What is it? What’s the big joke,’ I waited patiently. I was obviously the brunt of some big joke, but I didn’t know what.
‘Have a nice day yesterday, did you, Fran?’ one of the girls asked me, trying hard not to laugh.
I looked at her strangely. What a strange question. Why would that be so funny? She held out the newspaper to me. She had a big grin on her face, and the rest of them waited for my response.
My face drained. Then I could feel it start to burn with embarrassment. I was shocked and didn’t know what to say. There were no excuses and no denying it. It was definitely Tony and me. I rushed to the toilets, the newspaper still in my hand, and read the column. It was a full description of us running towards each other, reunited in our love. I couldn’t read anymore.
I took out my mobile telephone and rang Tony. I didn’t know what else to do. This was the ultimate humiliation, and I only had myself to blame.
‘Tony!’ I half screamed down the telephone when he answered. ‘Have you seen what the newspapers are saying about us?’ I was panicking. I didn’t know what to do. Oh no! A thought occurred to me. My mam would read it. What on earth would she think about me?
Tony’s voice was calm and controlled. ‘I have Francesca darling, and they are only telling the truth. What’s the problem? It’s not an invasion of privacy, is it, in a public place.’ He didn’t care. If anything, during the rest of the conversation, he told me not to worry about it. How could I not worry, when everyone was laughing behind my back?
‘Are you going to marry me now, Francesca, and end all of this curiosity?’ was all he said.
‘No, I am bloody not. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it,’ I snapped and hung up.
I was angry because I was ashamed, and then came the icing on the cake. Julie rang me.
‘Well, well, you dark horse. Come on. Tell me.’ You could actually hear her smug smile over the telephone.
‘There is nothing to tell, Julie. It was a mad moment. I hadn’t seen Tony for a while. And, well, you know the rest. In fact, everyone knows the rest.’ I felt like I was going to cry. No one was taking me seriously.
Julie seemed angry now. ‘What the hell do you care what anyone thinks, Fran? Apart from the fact that it wasn’t just a kiss, and he looks like he was sucking your face off. If he’d have stuck his tongue any further down your throat, he would have been licking the soles of your shoes. But then, you weren’t doing so badly by the looks of it.’ Julie was used to reporters displaying her life, and she had learnt to ignore it. She couldn’t understand why I give a damn.
Apart from her odd comment about our tongues, which I didn’t rise to, she told me she’d told Ralph they would be moving into the cottage. She’d telephoned the local storage removals firm, and they were going to empty the house today.
Then she went on to tell me that Tony and Jake would have to go to Paris on their own. Ralph couldn’t go. He was need here. It was a standard legitimate board of directors meeting. I couldn’t believe it. I had spent all of yesterday with Tony, and he hadn’t mentioned Paris once. I didn’t say anything. By the sounds of it, she thought I knew already.
Was I making a fuss about nothing? I told Julie that Tony had asked me to marry him, but it was in a kind of nonchalant way—like he didn’t care either way. That one took her breath away.
‘What?’ she half shouted down the telephone. ‘He asked you to marry him, and you said no. Are you crazy? You spent all day and night in bed with him, and you’re still not sure. You’re the one with the problem, Fran, not him.’
I could hear workmen shouting for her in the background, so we agreed to speak later.
After my colleagues had had their fun, everything went back to normal. When my shift was over, I went to pick up Bobby. We ate and then had the usual bath and bedtime story while Susie curled up on the end of his bed. There was a knock at the front door. I was slightly surprised because you had to press the buzzer first to get in through the gates.
When I opened the door, Tony was standing there.
‘Peace offering,’ he said. He was holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a bouquet of yellow roses in the other. ‘I said I would see you later, Francesca, and I meant it. Stop worrying about nothing. It will blow over. Anyway, I’m more concerned about who the beauty is and who the beast is.’ He was laughing and trying to make light of it for my sake., he put his arms around me, and the day just seemed to melt away.
We opened the bottle of wine and took it with us to the bathroom and luxuriated in bubbly scented warm water. I was lying with my back against the bath and he was lying with his back to me, resting his head on my breasts. This was pure heaven.
Afterwards, in bed, I laid my head on his chest and stroked the hairs on his chest, while his arms were wrapped around me. He made me feel safe and loved. Most of all, he made me feel like a woman.
He told me he had to go to Paris, adding that Ralph was being made to move into the vicar’s cottage, which was why he couldn’t go. It seemed weird, hearing all of the gossip Julie had told me from a man’s perspective. I didn’t tell him that I already knew.
‘When are you going to your mum’s for Christmas?’ he asked me.
I was surprised. I had told him I was going, but I didn’t expect him to remember. ‘Hopefully the day before Christmas Eve. Depending on the weather, it may have to be sooner,’ I said.
He pulled me closer to him and kissed the top of my head. ‘I know its selfish, Francesca, but I wish you weren’t going. Will you come back in time for the New Year’s Eve party at the club?’
His question hung in the air. My mind wandered back to the last New Year’s Eve party. It made me wonder who he would be spending Christmas Day with this year.
‘If you want me to. But if you change your mind and you’re busy, no hard feelings. Okay?’ I didn’t want him to feel pressured into asking me.
Over the next couple of days, a new routine was established. Tony would either come home in time for dinner or just after. I always had some dinner waiting for him, and I enjoyed sitting around the table with him and listening about his day.
On the weekend before Christmas, Tony went to Paris. I was due to go to my mam’s on the following Wednesday. Bobby was now officially on his school holiday and adding last-minute things he wanted to his list for Father Christmas.
Julie was determined that we would have our own family Christmas when I got back. ‘The queen can have two birthdays, Fran. Why can’t we have two Christmases? You go and see your mum and brothers, and then we will have our own,’ she said.
We had agreed not to exchange presents until then. Bobby had put Elle and Albert’s presents under her tree.
We had bought a new cap for Albert and a gold charm bracelet for Elle. She’d admired it when we’d been on a shopping trip. I knew she would like it. We’d bought a couple of charms for it, including a Father Christmas to mark the occasion.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, my mobile telephone rang. I always slept with it under my pillow for emergencies, even though there was a telephone in the bedroom.
‘I didn’t get a chance to kiss you goodbye, Francesca.’ Those dulcet tones, articulate in every way, floated down the telephone into my ear. Even though I was still half asleep, just hearing him made me smile. ‘I forgot to trace my tongue over your lips and kiss you, feeling them open warm and moist.’
My knees went weak, and my mind was wandering to a very different sort of kissing. He was teasing me, and he knew it. ‘Stop it, Tony, you’re a hundred miles away, so there is no point in saying such things.’ I giggled down the telephone.
‘Why don’t you go downstairs and open the door?’ he said. Then suddenly the line went dead.
I ran to the window and looked out on to the driveway. There was Tony’s car.
I ran downstairs and opened the door, throwing my arms around his neck. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home’? I was hugging him so tightly I nearly squeezed him to death.
‘I’m not home. I just needed to see you. No one knows that I’m here, Francesca. I have three hours, and then I have to be back in Paris.’
I took his hand and led him upstairs. He told me he’d been alone in his hotel room and was thinking about me when, on impulse, he’d decided to come and see me instead. He hadn’t even told Jake. On pure impulse and need, he had gotten his driver out of bed and told him to find any flight that would bring him to England and drive him to the airport.
Well, any effort like that needed rewarding, didn’t it? Only when we were in bed, it was different. It wasn’t the usual frenzied passion we had shared many times before. It was slow, loving, and more intense. In the darkness of the bedroom as we reached for each other, he looked down at me lying underneath him. ‘I love you, Francesca.’
Reaching up, I put my arms around his neck. It was the first time he had ever said it. My whole body was aroused with deep sensual emotion. The warmth of love overwhelmed me so much I felt a tear fall on my cheek. I cupped his head in my hands. ‘I love you, Antonias.’
He lowered his head again and kissed me, kissing away the tears on my cheeks. He trailed his lips down onto my breasts and onto my stomach, my body arching towards him, wanting more.
‘Marry me, Francesca,’ he whispered in between kisses in the darkness of the room. ‘If you say no now, I will never ask you again.’ His own voice seemed husky with emotion as our bodies trembled with need.
I stopped and looked him directly in the face. ‘I can’t, Antonias. This way, we have no promises, no commitments, and no lies. We are together because we want to be, not out of duty because we’re married. I don’t want you to get tired of me, not yet anyway. And when you decide you have had enough, you can walk away. No hard feelings, just beautiful memories.
Tony looked at me and nodded. I couldn’t quite see his face in the darkness, but I could feel his disappointment. I didn’t want to spoil this with marriage. I had been married, and that had been a disaster. Luke had gotten tired of me the day he put the ring on my finger. All I wanted was Tony, as we were now. How could I make him understand that?
The air seemed electric, although slow and calm. And for the first time, I noticed Tony didn’t reach for his usual protection. It was his usual practice, no matter what the situation. ‘Aren’t you forgetting something?’ I smiled at him.
He shook his head. ‘No, never with you, Francesca, my love. I need to feel all of you. No barriers should ever be between us, ever.’
We had gone beyond our secret longing. The raging tide we had held inside was held no more. Every joyous word of love was spoken. Our bodies fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, consumed in love and passion. I would never forget this night for as long as I lived.
When I woke the next morning, I turned over and reached out for him, but he wasn’t there. He had gone and left me asleep and content. My heart sank. It was time to get up and start packing up the car with all the Christmas presents for the family and the long drive ahead.
Today felt great. Each time I thought about Tony and myself last night, I couldn’t help smiling.
When Julie arrived to say her goodbyes, I didn’t mention it. Not only did Tony say he shouldn’t have left Paris, but I also felt it was our secret.
‘Come and see the Christmas tree at the cottage, Fran. It looks beautiful, all warm and cuddly. That Albert of yours, Elle, Is a miracle worker with his hands.’ She laughed and gave us one of her cheeky winks. She loved teasing Elle about Albert.
She linked her arms through mine and Elle’s and walked us to the front door, with Bobby hot on our heels.
‘Is Josh home yet?’ he almost shouted at her. ‘Is he coming to Grandma’s with us?’
‘No,’ said Elle. ‘Maybe another time. This year, he wants to spend Christmas with Julie, Ralph, and his baby sister.’
On arriving at the cottage, I saw Julie had been right. Albert had worked miracles. From the main road to the driveway, the drive to the cottage was lined with trees, cherry blossom and willow. He had transformed the cottage itself into what looked like a farmhouse cottage. In the lounge was a huge pine tree, giving out that beautiful scent from its branches. It was a different place completely, full of up-to-date kitchen gadgets and a slate kitchen floor. It was a farmhouse, and it looked lovely.
It was starting to get late. So we said our farewells. It was time for me to leave. I knew the drive back to Yorkshire would be a long and arduous one, especially with all the other drivers on the road wanting to make it home for Christmas.
After a while, we stopped at a motorway café and had something quick to eat and a toilet break. Everyone was in the Christmas spirit. People who usually ignored each other were actually smiling and wishing everyone well, be it for Christmas or New Year.
We eventually arrived at my mam’s. Bobby ran to the front door, and my brothers came out to meet me with their shouts and hugs. They also helped me empty the boot of my car, which was full of bags and boxes, hoping to be able to see inside.
Yet again, like all the years in the past, the house smelled of my mam’s baking and her homemade Christmas pudding steaming away on the cooker top. My brothers were full of gossip about school and their friends but most of all what presents they were hoping for.
There was the usual Christmas movie on the television and a steaming cup of coffee and a homemade mince pie. This was what Christmas was made of. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and all of that last-minute shopping, mainly fruit and vegetables, had to be picked up.
We went out early the next morning to try and beat the queues and the oncoming northern weather, with its icy wind and snow. After a hectic day, shopping and organising things, Mum stuffed the turkey. As usual, because it was so big, she left it on a very low light in the oven so that it could cook overnight.
