Trying Not to Love You - Part Eighty Four

Chapter Eighty Four

                “So, you have nothing to do Saturday night?”

Sonny was spending the night sneakily at hers again. Martha curled into his chest nodded, “Ethan’s with my Dad, but you’re working.”

He shook his head, “what if I said I’ve asked Paul if he could help lock up a few nights, more of a managerial role...Saturday could be our trial run.”

A whole night to themselves sounded bliss, even if they were hiding away. She grinned, “sounds great. Better than that.”

He turned to face her, “we could book into a hotel somewhere, anywhere. Somewhere that no one knows us, then we can go out to dinner, or walk holding hands, or spend the night in bed.”

Her body lurched at the thought of being normal with him, doing things that other couples did. “I know an amazing hotel about an hour away. Quiet, discreet but close to bars, restaurants...I’ll try and get a room, I can call them after breakfast.”

He stroked her cheek, “I’m sorry that it’s like this, that we can’t do that every day.”

                “She’ll be back on the weekend, as soon as you see her you can tell her, though if she takes much longer I think you can presume you’ve been dumped cos she hasn’t phoned you since she left you that note!”

Sonny sighed, “it’s very convenient, if she knew she couldn’t have disrupted us more.”

Martha moved over him, “can we not talk about Jade in my bed?”

Giggling he was tempted into agreeing very quickly.

Twenty hours couldn’t pass quick enough, and the fact that it was more like thirty six hours from him leaving her bed at six am on Friday to the time they were due to rendezvous on Saturday, was all too much for Martha. She understood that they couldn’t spend every minute together, but without the focus of work she was bored, only Ethan truly occupied her mind and time.  She spent Friday in Northbury searching for a job, any job without much luck, after a quick lunch she passed a beauty therapist salon that seemed empty, and so ninety minutes later and with a serious dent in her wallet, she emerged, waxed, tinted, groomed and manicured. She felt a bit more glamorous, and that helped, and even though she couldn’t afford it, she visited several shops until she found some new underwear, something that would excite her man, because suddenly that was all important. She was becoming a little obsessed with him, but that was love wasn’t it? And she knew he felt exactly the same way.

After school Martha and Ethan went to the park, there was very little daylight after school, so they made the most of it. On the way home he tugged at her hand, “can we go see Sonny? I miss him.”

Me too.

Sonny enjoyed the early evening crowd, people like Eamonn, Bill, other she knew from around the town came into the pub for a post work pint, particularly on a Friday, and tonight was no exception. The older crowd were funny, teasing each other, yet buying each other drinks, all the while exchanging betting tips and thoughts about up and coming sporting events.

Sonny laughed as he fed them the beer and bar snacks they desired, and it wasn’t until he heard a youthful, “Sonny!” that he even realised the men had company. Looking up he saw Ethan rushing across the room to him, opening the half height door that was cut into part of the bar, he stooped to catch the hurtling child, swinging him around and peppering his face with kisses that made him Ethan squeal in disgust.

Laughing he looked up to see Martha slide onto a bar stool beside Eamonn.

                “What can I get you?” He asked her, Ethan still in his arms.

                “Glass of wine?” When he nodded she smiled, “you look really at home here.”

He laughed as he sat Ethan on the bar, his legs dangling the business side of it, then he tossed him a bag of Monster Munch crisps, “I’m enjoying it, more than I imagined.”

Eamonn nudged her, “not got around to acknowledging the loyalty of us regulars though!”

Sonny scoffed from his position across the bar pouring the wine, “you lot don’t need an incentive to come in here, you’re pestering me most nights!”

All the men laughed, and Martha smiled at the camaraderie, this is what Sonny needed, that sense of belonging, him enjoying himself. Watching him work the room, as well as amuse her son pleased Martha, she had doubted that sonny could be happy here, happy with just what the town had to offer. But here he seemed genuinely relaxed, this really was going to work, she suddenly believed that.

An hour later after the hardest time trying to hide her desire and love for Sonny, she took Ethan home.

                “Shall I come over later?” he asked quietly as he saw her to the door.

She shook her head, “I’m exhausted, I’m going to turn in early, catch up on some zees. Will you be ok?”

                “Without you?” he shook his head, “I hate it, but I know you need your energy...for tomorrow.”

That made her both laugh and swat at him with her hand, “it’ll be you who’ll be struggling not to explode...I went shopping today.” Then after a wicked smile she sauntered out leaving him almost panting in her wake.

Power was a wonderful thing.

The next morning she took Ethan to the cinema, he’d been nagging her all day, it was either that or swimming, and after the fortune she’d paid at the beautician the last thing she wanted was chlorine on her skin. So instead it was diet coke and popcorn.

She took him to her father’s mid afternoon, she intended to make it later, but she had a lot of things to do, grocery shopping, tidying the flat, and packing a bag for the impending night.

                “Going to be free by six...I’ll meet you near the church?”

She was walking around the supermarket when that message came to her phone, she grinned, it was all coming together.

                “I’m already ready...and waiting. Be at the church from six...hope you had three weetabix for breakfast.” She could only imagine him reading that in the pub, in the middle of the day; chuckling to herself she finished her weekly shop.  Back at home Lucy was getting ready for her night out, she had a legendary social life, one Martha could only dream of in her twenties and she was in her seventies.

Once Lucy left for her dance, Martha moved in to full on ‘get ready’ mode. Hair dried, straightened, skin buffed and moisturised, make up carefully and sparingly applied, and then the clothes, new sexy underwear, a slinky dress, sheer hold ups and her favourite cowboy boots. She was going for sexy without selling her soul to the trendy world and hoped she carried it off. The stress of the last few months meant she’d shed a few pounds and she was pleased that the dress looked better than previously.

It was just before six when she took her bag with literally her jeans, a t-shirt and a toothbrush, and made for the car. She’d never felt more nervous, and she couldn’t put her finger on why, she knew that Sonny loved her, knew that he wanted to spend time with her, but the planning seemed to make things very organised, maybe it was that that made her so anxious.

The church was at the edge of town, tucked away behind the shops and new houses that had built up over the years. The road took her past the pub, which was busy; people were already out in the beer garden drinking as they had a cigarette. As she passed Helen and her sister waved, they were just approaching the pub. She wondered if her friend would work out where she was going when she realised that Sonny wasn’t working that night.

There was a small car park next to the church which she pulled into and was just checking her reflection in the rear view mirror when the passenger door opened and a hold all was thrown on to the tiny back seat next to hers. Then Sonny was there all beaming, smiling and deliciously sexy in a black shirt open at the neck and a suit, his dark hair still damp from the shower.

                “You look amazing,” she offered with a smile.

                “That’s my line!” He grinned, leaning across to press his lips to hers. “Beautiful.”

She never took compliments well, so as she blushed to the roots of her hair, she started the engine and drove out of town. By the time they hit the motorway that would take them a safe distance from home, Sonny’s hand was on her thigh and had found the lacy top to her holdup.

Despite his requests to pull over, she brushed him off; she didn’t want anything to spoil the night.

The hotel was non descript, but they checked in and found their room quickly. Sonny pulled her into his arms, “You’ve been teasing me all day, I have to have you now.”

She shook her head escaping his embrace, “we have made the effort to leave town, I want us to go out, on a date. So get your wallet, you’re paying.”

A few streets away they found a Thai restaurant, and Sonny surprised her by having a vast knowledge of the food.

                “I was supposed to go to Bangkok for one of my employers, I investigated what that involved. I never went there...” he leaned forward, “which I’m glad about as I don’t think I was due to bring legal things home with me.”

She gasped, “you could have been stuck in a Thai prison for years...life Bridget Jones!”

He laughed at that, “you are the craziest woman I know.”

Inclining her head in a coquettish fashion she murmured, “I’ll take that as a good thing.”

                “Take it as a VERY good thing!”

They hadn’t been out together like this before, as committed lovers, as partners, as two people who were honest with each other, and for Sonny it was liberating. He loved the way that Martha shone, she was happy, confident, and even gave him a sexy sashay of the hips as she crossed the restaurant to the bathroom between courses. And he noted the envious looks of several men as she passed them. She was beautiful covered in soot and smelling of smoke, or in her wellies knee deep in mud, but here, in a silvery dress that clung to the curves that he knew so intimately, her hair billowing like silk as she walked, and those cheeky cowboy boots that only accentuated the long shapely legs that had been the first thing that he’d noticed about her almost a year earlier. His love for her, his desire, his dependence knew no bounds, and he had no intention of ever letting her go.

He looked forward to the night ahead, no, he was desperate for it, but he was equally enjoying being with her, being the envy of everyone else. As she emerged from the bathroom her eyes searched for his across the room and the bolt of lust that hit his body meant that he was already battling with what could and what should happen. But it was a battle he was more than happy to war as long as he was with her...forever.