Faith Read online

  “I just think it’s a bloody shame that you leave yourself off the market for years because some dozy cow is stupid enough to dump you.”

  I smile in spite of myself. It was the first time I'd ever heard the punctilious, perfection-seeking Amy referred to as a dozy cow. A question suddenly pops into my head.

  “How do you know that I was the one who was dumped?”

  “You're a bit too melodramatically miserable for someone who did the dumping, love.” She smiles that cheeky smile again. It's starting to become my undoing.

  With a tilt of my head, I properly consider my blonde, uber-attractive new acquaintance, suddenly recall Celia's well-meant advice and then, quite unbelievably, completely impulsively, make a decision.

  “So what's your name then, Miss Blonde-Haired-Smart-Arse?”

  She grins, once again flashing those gorgeously even white teeth. “I'm Faith.”

  I stare directly into those fateful blue eyes.

  “Well Faith, I'm Beth, and seeing as you seem to be something of an expert on this subject, perhaps you can tell me how one goes about getting oneself back on the market?”

  She seems nonplussed by my sarcasm.

  “I'd start with a coffee" she replies cheekily. And rather annoyingly, I find myself all too willing to comply.

  One hour and two coffees later, Harvey-Moo is exhausted from his canine exertions on the beach after repeatedly chasing down a well-bitten red, rubber ball; the first splashes of rain then start to fall. We both look up in surprise. Too fixed on each other, we had failed to notice the storm clouds worsen. Faith looks at me with a grimace.

  “I'm going to get soaked walking home.”

  “Is my place any closer?” I ask. “Both you and Harvey are welcome to wait out the storm with me there.” The cynical, exhausted, heartbroken recluse inside my head screams in outrage.

  I deliberately ignore her.

  The look in Faith's smiling, cornflower blue eyes was the reward for my bravery.

  “That would be lovely" she says softly, reaching for the warmth of my hand.

  6

  “Tea or coffee?” I call out, more than grateful for the free beverages that had been provided in the apartment.

  “Tea please" she replies, emerging from the bathroom with a towel. “You don't mind, do you?” she asks, pointing towards the sandy, somewhat sodden pooch in my living room. I shake my head, and she starts to dry him off, leaning forward to reach his paws.

  With her coat now removed I can see she has on yet another V-necked t-shirt designed to set my pulse racing. I turn quickly before she sees the extraordinary effect she has on me, but Faith hears my soft gasp of breath, and slowly walks up behind me. She rests her hands on my waist and nudges, issuing a silent but firm instruction to turn around.

  Face fiery red, I turn to see those amazing eyes lit with life. Suddenly filled with need I drag her towards me and kiss her roughly, biting at her bottom lip. I reach for the buttons of her jeans in a frantic attempt to get her naked as quickly as possible, pushing her roughly back against the polished granite worktop. She stays my shaking, straying hands and looks straight into my eyes.

  “Slow down, Beth. We have all day. I don't want to rush this with you.”

  I take a deep, raw, ragged breath; it had been so long. The heady mixture of nerves and desire mean I want nothing more than to tear the clothes from her body and get straight to it; but a part of me wants this to be something more than just meaningless sex. And, despite her age and my reservations, something vaguely scary tells me that this encounter had the potential to be so much more.

  I look back into her eyes and then I slowly turn her around, nibbling gently at her ear en route. My hands start to gently stroke the incredibly soft skin on her stomach, whilst I take small, playful bites at the nape of her neck, tasting the salty sea air on her skin. She moans softly, and soon moves my hand insistently to the waist of her jeans. I slowly slip open the buttons and gently slide my hand downwards to find her warm wetness encased in soft silk. I tighten my hold so that the length of our bodies touch, and she writhes rhythmically into my moving hips. I stroke the soft fabric, teasing and taunting by brushing against the faint feel of her soft hair, and the heat of her desire warms my hand.

  I begin to explore deeper, beyond the thin fabric barrier, gently rubbing her already sensitive clit with the tips of my fingers, probing her moist softness. Her soft moans and frequent gasps make my knees weak. I remember the exquisite feeling of a woman when she's turned on and feel my desire for her burn deep inside me. I desperately want to make her come, but am filled with an equal need to do as she asked, to draw it out, to go slowly, to truly savour every minute. Reading my now overwhelming need, she reaches a hand behind her back and tries to find the buttons of my jeans. I wriggle away.

  “Slow down" I mock "we have all day.”

  She laughs out loud.

  “You're a fucking tease" she taunts.

  I don't reply but simply push deeper inside her, pulling down her jeans and pants with my free hand to give me easier access. She quickly takes the hint and shuffles them impatiently from her feet. Seeing her beautiful bare round cheeks makes me even more frenzied. I abruptly withdraw my hand and push both of her shoulders to bend her over the work surface. Standing behind her, I roughly slide two fingers into her now open, soaking wet cunt and her response shows me just how much she appreciates this change.

  I work her slowly, gently, knowing the tension I'm building, knowing what she is becoming desperate to feel, eliciting soft moans at first, which then suddenly become much louder. I feel her muscles start to contract around my firm, exploring fingers and I know she is close.

  My own excitement builds and I can feel a predictable wetness seeping into the warmth of my pants and jeans. I had forgotten about this incredible surge of power; the complete arousal and sheer thrill of making a woman come, of giving her so much unadulterated pleasure.

  I kneel on the floor and gently spread her legs with my hands. I'm filled with a deep need to put my mouth on her; to once again know the perfect smell and taste of a woman. I withdraw my fingers, lean forward and gently touch her with my tongue; she moans again and moves her hips closer to my mouth. I gently lick and suck at her flesh, sensing she is grasping at anything to steady herself for her orgasm. I pull back the protective sheath surrounding her hardened clit and I quickly flick her directly with my tongue, once again roughly shoving my fingers inside her.

  The orgasm comes. Leg muscles trembling, her cunt spilling forth the wetness I've created, she takes a deep shuddering breath and cries out.

  “Oh fuck, Beth! Don't stop.”

  I feel her contractions continue and I very softly, very slowly carry on stroking inside of her, prolonging the orgasm, loving the tender wetness against my hand. It had been too long.

  Minutes later, once her trembling had subsided, she stills my fingers and turns around. As we stand toe-to-toe she kisses me hard with her perfect rosebud mouth.

  “Your turn" she whispers, and leads me into the bedroom where a very tired puppy is fast asleep on the colourful, silk Persian rug. I walk to the windows to draw the fine linen curtains, dimming further the rapidly darkening room.

  “Don't" she says softly. “Leave them open for the storm.”

  I turn to look at her. As if only just aware of her semi-nakedness, she puts her hands to the hem of her t-shirt and lifts, revealing those perfect breasts encased in blue silk.

  She smiles coyly as she puts her hands slowly, teasingly behind her back, as if remembering my reaction to her amazing cleavage the night before. I hold my breath and wait. The blue silk joins her t-shirt on the floor and I am across the room, clutching at her in a frenzied attack on her now entirely naked body.

  Mouth-to-mouth and tongue-to-tongue, she guides me backward towards the bed, still perfectly made from the day before, and I stretch out on the soft covers. Tenderly she begins to remove each piece of my clothing, delighting in the effect
her touch is having on me; the process seeming to take an eternity when all I can think about is having her inside me.

  Finally when the last small piece of silk has gone, she slowly slides her naked body along the length of mine, letting the contrast of her soft breasts and taut, hard nipples press against my bare flesh.

  “You need to fuck me.” I growl at her.

  Suddenly, she sits bolt upright. For a second I panic, thinking that I've done something wrong, until I realise that she has simply moved to sit astride me, straddling my hips with hers. I feel the gentle prickle of her hair and the soft, wetness of her cunt against mine and my hips involuntarily begin to react; straining upwards to feel her against me.

  We rock together gently at first, and then, filled with heat and passion move harder, wilder; my throbbing clit loving the weight and feel of her, but all the time desperate for something more; desperate for her to fill me. Faith's amazing sexual sixth sense means I'm not kept waiting. Greedily, she changes position to sit over my face, once again giving my mouth access to that magical musk-scented wetness. Obediently I flick out my tongue. She groans loudly and falls forward to finally feast on me, all the while stroking the softness of my inner thigh. I feel her warm, rough tongue quickly lapping, and then sucking at my now trembling clit. She follows soon after with her fingers, rubbing gently, whilst running her tongue along my soft, pink labia.

  It takes only seconds for my orgasm to come, and all the while I'm desperately trying to stay focused on her. It's no good; I can feel the explosion building inside as she continues her expert attentions on my clit, and then at last, wonderfully, gloriously, two fingers slide forcefully inside me. I grind down hard onto her hand and let the now unstoppable orgasm overtake me; muscles clenched, I moan and writhe, completely unaware that Faith too, had come into my mouth, and the storm had finally begun to rage outside.

  7

  Huge raindrops meander down the side of the large glass windows and I find myself almost hypnotically transfixed. I'm not sure how long I've been standing there watching the storm-laden seas and hammering rain.

  Earlier, I had watched as Faith had fallen asleep, her beautifully soft features framed by her messy blonde hair, breathing gently and evenly as she dreamt. Part of me felt that I should feel ashamed of what I'd done, as if I'd betrayed the almost obsessive love that until recently had been the centre of my life.

  But I didn't.

  As a result, my ever helpful, critical friend had retreated to sulk.

  My short time with Faith had helped me to realise just how much I had been seeing my life with Amy through ridiculously rose-coloured lenses. It was as if the world had been stripped of its heartbreak-induced haze and for the first time I could finally recognise Amy and I for what we were; an at-best semi-happy couple stuck in a predictable routine. Neither of us growing or challenging what we were making of our lives. I thought of the golden-haired girl in my bed and realised that I hadn't felt this kind of raw passion for years.

  Perhaps Celia was right. Perhaps I did need to have sex with someone else to make me see what everyone else had probably seen all along. I sigh to myself, not in sadness but in a final acceptance of the truth; as hard as it was, Amy was right to leave.

  I almost jump out of my skin when I feel two firm, warm hands slide around my waist. So wrapped up in my thoughts was I, that I hadn't heard Faith rise from the warm, cosy, unkempt bed. She nuzzles her face into the back of my neck.

  “Are you sorry?” She whispers, and I'm surprised to hear real fear in her soft voice.

  I lean back into her embrace.

  “Absolutely not!” My tone is clear and firm, and it seems to help reassure her as in response she tightens her grip and places soft, butterfly kisses on my shoulder.

  “Oh Beth, you're freezing!” she chastises me gently, and unexpectedly removes the warmth of her body from mine. I anxiously turn to find where she's gone, only to see her swiftly returning from the bed, now marvellously wrapped in one of the still-warm ivory sheets. She opens her arms and envelops me in its softness, and only then do I realise just how cold I'd become. I burrow further into her warmth, and feel a soft smile appear on her lips.

  We turn back to the window, locked in our cotton-cocooned embrace, both now silently mesmerised by the force of nature laying siege to the beach below.

  8

  I wake in the middle of the night after the first hours of dreamless sleep I'd had in months. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the cool night air from the bedroom. I slowly close my eyes again; the sickening anxiety that I usually feel on waking is, at last, absent and a small tear but this time of relief, slips from the corner of my eye, and slowly works its way toward my soft, feather pillow.

  I'm spooned around Faith's warm, silken body, and I gently stroke her tousled, golden hair as she sleeps. Suddenly overcome with tenderness towards this incredibly sensual stranger, I selfishly lean over and brush my lips softly across hers. She stirs briefly and moans. I continue, repeatedly planting a soft whisper of a kiss on those full, bruised, pink lips. Faith stirs some more and languidly stretches her legs as she turns towards me. Still half asleep she reaches her arms around my neck to pull me closer. I move to rest my weight between her taut, tanned thighs and she lifts her hips in appreciation.

  “No baby.” I whisper. “Not that. Not yet.”

  She seems to understand that far from being a rejection, this was an attempt to achieve even deeper intimacy. I feel an urgent need to meld my skin with hers, to wrap myself up in her beautiful body and seek even more solace in sleep.

  But Faith, having now woken, clearly has other ideas. She slowly wraps her legs around my calves and hooks her arms even further around my neck, pulling me closer. In the still darkness of the room, she seeks out my lips with hers, gently becoming ever more insistent, sliding the tip of her tongue along the bottom of my lip, a motion that sends a tingle straight down my spine.

  We sink into our deep, prolonged kiss, and time becomes an irrelevance, as we lie loosely entwined, limbs tangled among the crumpled cotton sheets. Faith's smooth legs gently glide along mine, creating an unbearably sensual friction. Her tongue, by turns, teasing my top and bottom lips. With every sense heightened I hear her quiet, ragged breathing, feel the cool air travelling along my exposed spine and smell the clean, ocean-tinged scent of her skin. I wonder to myself how long it's possible to stay here, in this warm haven, cradled by this incredible woman. Faith also seems in no hurry to move, and begins gently playing with the hair at the top of my head. I sigh and nuzzle my face into the perfumed hollow of her neck.

  “It's alright my darling" she breathes. “Go back to sleep. I've got you.”

  And with childlike obedience I close my eyes, and once again gratefully fall into a sound, dreamless sleep.

  9

  I slowly open my eyes, having to work hard to adjust quickly to the unexpected brightness of the sunlight streaming through the still-open bedroom curtains. My eyes then try to focus on the blurred, moving shape in front of me, and I quickly realise that two soft, brown, puppy-dog eyes are staring curiously at me from the side of the bed.

  “Good morning, Harvey-Moo" I murmur, still drowsy from the deep slumber I'd happily fallen into during the very early hours. I reach out a hand to ruffle his head.

  “Good morning, yourself" he replies, and I give a start, only to realise that the female voice is in fact coming from the open door to the bedroom. I half-smile in embarrassment at my foolishness, and turn to confront the fresh-faced, fully dressed figure carrying a fully-laden tray in the doorway.

  “I've managed to conjure up some breakfast" Faith says happily. “I don't know about you, but I was famished after yesterday.” My cheeks turn their regular shade of pink at the thought of the variety of activities that had contributed to this hunger. She walks toward me and carefully places the tray at the bottom of the still-rumpled bed.

  “What time is it?” I ask, openly appraising her frustratingly cover
ed curves as she props herself up on the pillows next to me.

  “A little after eleven" she replies, pouring a cup of hot, steaming coffee into a pristine, white china mug. She hands me the mug with a thoughtful smile. “I hope you don't mind that I let you sleep in. You looked as though you needed it.”

  I gratefully take the hot mug from her hands and sip cautiously.

  “I did, thank you.” I have to concede, and then with absolute joy, spot the mounds of food on the tray in front of me.

  “Where did you get all of this from?” I ask in amazement. “There's absolutely no food in the cupboards.”

  “I have a friend that works in the kitchen in the hotel next door"' she admitted. “I just rang him and asked him to send over a few bits they had left from breakfast. I hope you don't mind?”

  Mind? I could have kissed her all over again, and come to think of it, kissed her again all over. Suddenly feeling rather warm, I snatch at a slice of thickly buttered toast and crunch down on the wonderfully warm, golden brown bread. What was it with my appetite at the moment? My stomach wasn't going to know what had hit it. Six months of near nothingness, only to be followed by three days of gluttonous chomping. Uncaring, I continued to munch my way through the toast, and Faith grins at me.

  “I'm going to take Harvey home in a minute" she says, and the flash of disappointment I feel must have made it onto my face, as she quickly continues. “I'm meant to be working this afternoon, but am happy to see if someone can cover my shift.”

  “I can't ask you to do that.” I mumble grumpily into my mug.

  Faith gently takes the mug from my hands, and looks at my mildly dejected expression.

  “I want to do that, you nana. That's if you want to have me around?”