Without Question

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Without Question - book excerpt

Chapter One

I was desperately trying to sleep, not only struggling with the heat, but also the noise from the Adonis and his Greek Goddess in the apartment above us.

I had come away with my husband – just the two of us – to get away from it all. The boys didn’t want to holiday with us anymore, preferring the lively action of Ibiza over the peace and tranquillity of Skiathos, somewhere we had holidayed for the past few years.

Just as I thought he had finished, the Adonis was off again; he had the stamina of an Ox, which was saying something in this heat. Her moans were telling me he was good, unless she was just a good actress. It wasn’t like I didn’t want them to have fun; I just wanted them to move the head board away from the wall to stop that continuous banging. He groaned with passion, while she screamed with pleasure, and I heard one final moan as I drifted off to sleep.

“What time are we going for breakfast?” I glanced over at my husband. He peered at me over his morning newspaper, his glasses balancing on the edge of his nose.

“It’s up to you,” he replied, glancing back at his newspaper.

“Ok, shall we go now then?”

With his gaze fixed to his newspaper, James replied “Let’s say ten minutes, shall we? I’ll finish my coffee and then we’ll go.”

            So why did he say, It’s up to you?! I rose from my chair and left him on the balcony.

At breakfast I couldn’t help but stare at all the couples as they were entering the dining area, curious as to whom the Adonis may be. On reflection, I thought maybe they wouldn’t be up yet; after all, they didn’t get much sleep – and come to think of it neither did I!

            One couple that did stand out were very tactile and constantly smiling at each other, clearly not married. I was unable to understand what they were saying, however; thanks to my basic Greek lessons, I was able to determine that they were not Greek.

            He was about six-foot-two and, judging by his olive skin, he obviously tanned easily. He had blue eyes, and his hair was an ash blonde which suggested that he may be Scandinavian. I had no idea really; I was just guessing. His partner was also blonde, nearly as tall and slender. They looked good together. He gently brushed aside the hair from her face and stroked the side of her cheek; she cupped his hand in hers and kissed his palm.

“Anyway, I look at it this way, if Bergan Corporate do take over the company, we’ve had it. I mean, where will that leave me? You will have to kiss goodbye to your fancy holidays… are you listening to me, Alex?”

            I glanced towards my husband, then back towards the couple. “Yes, dear, and I’d hardly call them fancy.”

            “I don’t think we would get away much. We’d struggle to get one holiday abroad a year, never mind two. Ed seems to think it’s a done deal and we’ll be out by this time next year.” I nodded hoping it was in the right places. “I mean, it’s not like I can just get another job, not at my time of life.”

            I stared back at James. “At your time of life! Good God, James, you’re only forty-nine!”

            “Forty-nine I might be, but there’s not much out there for a management consultant.” James noticed I was distracted and followed my gaze.

            “Anyway, who are you staring at?”

            “I’m not staring, I’m observing. It’s the couple who I think are staying above us.”

            “Oh, not more research. Don’t you do enough of that at work?”

            “No, not like that.” I proceeded to explain to James about the Adonis and his Goddess, and how they kept me awake half the night.

            “Well, lucky sod, that’s all I can say, I can’t remember the last time our headboard saw some action.”

Later that day as I lay by the pool reading my book, I began to reflect on my own life and what I had experienced along the way, which, in all honesty, wasn’t that much.

            I met James when I was nineteen at Nottingham University, where I was studying for a degree in research and development. James was twenty and studying business, with mousy brown hair and hazel eyes. He was tall, six-foot-three inches (to be exact), and lanky with not an ounce of fat on him. I was slim and lacking in breasts, though this did improve slightly after I had the twins. We were both what you would describe as geeks, I suppose, studying day and night for our degrees, which probably explains why we got on so well. I had very little experience in the sex department when I met James, and on reflection neither did he. I’m not saying that we never had sex pre-marriage, but I can honestly say the earth never moved for me, not once.
            After four years of studying, we celebrated big style – well, loosely speaking, a couple of bottles of wine and takeaway, which was all we could afford. You could say we were evolving rather than falling in love, and on October 26th, 1991, when I was twenty-three, we were married. It had to be then to work it around our jobs, which we were both obsessed with.

            Since I was an only child, my Mother wanted to spoil me, insisting I have the best of the best. I wasn’t really interested in anything fancy; I just wanted something plain and simple. I eventually got my own way, and although our wedding was only a small affair, it was nice; we were married at St Augustine's Church near my home, which my mother insisted on. James wasn’t bothered where it was. A small intimate reception followed at a local hotel, with family and some close friends. Jack was one of them. He was James’s best man and a real live wire, a lady’s man and cocky with it, so different to James. I remember on our wedding day in the reception line-up, Jack kissed me on my cheek, whilst squeezing my bottom in the process. I was familiar with Jack’s advances as I had experienced them a couple of times before. James never knew and still didn’t. Not that anything ever happened. I always just laughed them off. Despite that, I constantly felt nervous around him and didn’t feel experienced enough to deal with his sexual advances, so I always tried to make sure we were never alone.

On one occasion, Jack and Sarah, his wife, had come around for drinks; they often popped round or we all went out together. I was in the kitchen preparing some snacks when Jack came through. “Need any help?” I turned to look back at Jack. He threw me a cheeky wink like he always did.

            “No, I can manage, Jack, thanks.” I smiled back at him and turned to face the work surface.

            His eyes were a piercing blue and seemed to smile when he did. He always had my stomach doing somersaults. “God your arse looks sexy in those jeans.” I blushed as I turned back to face Jack.
            “Jack, would you like to take those sausage rolls through for me?” I turned back towards the work surface.

            “I’d rather take you.”

            Before I knew it, Jack was pressed up against me from behind. He moved my hair and his warm lips brushed the nape of my neck, a quiver ran down my spine. I quickly pushed away from him and repeated, “Jack – the sausage rolls. I’ll grab the crisps,” before making a quick exit into the lounge.

            “You ok, hun?” Sarah asked.

            “Me? Yes, I’m fine, why?”

            “You look a little flushed.”

I nervously arranged the various bowls of snacks on the coffee table.

            I headed back into the kitchen and called, “It must have been from when I took the sausage rolls out of the oven,” laughing as I said it. Things felt a little awkward for me all evening, not that anyone seemed to notice, least of all James. Jack, on the other hand, was not affected in the least and continued to wink and smile at me all evening.