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"Hi darling I'm home," Jake shouted as he closed
the door behind him. Dumping his bags in the hall, he checked
his watch. It was just after 10 p.m. and he was glad to
be home at last. The flight back from his IT conference
in Paris had been on time, but the combination of travelling,
work and socialising was exhausting.
Of course he might have felt better if he hadn’t stayed
out drinking far too much Pernod until 3a.m., chatting up
the wildly attractive Octavia from Communications. Funny,
he thought, how aloof she’d seemed at those strategy
meetings they’d both attended a few weeks ago. But
last night, she’d shown a completely different side
of her character, and he hadn’t been able to stop
himself from falling for her hook, line and sinker. So much
so, that he’d been more than a little disappointed
when she had refused his invitation to come back to his
hotel room or chez nous as he had called it. He’d
definitely have to orchestrate another meeting soon! Still
now wasn’t the time to be thinking along those lines.
" Hi Jake, I'm in the kitchen, ” Helen, his wife,
answered. Jake wondered what sort of a reception he was
going to get. When he’d called Helen from the airport
earlier, she’d given him the third degree for not
answering his phone last night. Well he could hardly say
he’d turned his mobile off because he didn’t
want his wife ringing whilst he was trying to get inside
the pants of the sexiest woman in Paris.
In fact the irony was that Helen had been totally on the
wrong track, accusing him of shenanigans with Sarah his
PA. For once his conscience was clear, so he’d been
sharp with her for questioning him. Anyway Sarah had not
been there last night, which was fine by Jake as she no
longer interested him. God if he thought about it he’d
been damn lucky not to be caught with her. Kissing her in
his office, how stupid was that? Anyone could have walked
in. Not to mention the chances of being seen getting into
his car together when they’d gone for a lunchtime
quickie at her flat. Just as well that she’d just
started going out with a rich vet she met recently on a
speed dating evening.
Jake took off his overcoat and walked through to the cosy
kitchen at the back of the house. He loved this room with
it's red aga, large kitchen table, warm lighting, and the
family photos with their boys, Ben and Tim, that Helen had
stuck in clip frames around the walls.
She was standing at the sink rinsing her coffee cup with
her back to him. He was suddenly struck by her great figure.
Absence really did make the heart grow fonder then. Tonight
she was wearing low rise jeans and a white t-shirt. As she
turned around to face him, he could see that she had put
some makeup on and combed her hair
Still in pretty good nick, he thought.
"Hey, I missed you, gorgeous," he said, looking
into her green eyes and realising at the same time how much
he loved her. Leaning over to give her a kiss, he slipped
his hands round her waist, but Helen quickly disentangled
herself.
“ Did you Jake? Did you really miss me? Because its
normal for husbands to ring home when they miss their wives.
You never rang and you didn’t answer when I rang you.
What am I supposed to think?”
“ Look Helen. I’ll be honest with you. You’re
right. I had my phone turned off and a few of us stayed
out drinking until some ungodly hour this morning, including
my boss. But it was all completely innocent of whatever
you are insinuating. Anyway you can’t go to bed before
the boss can you? To tell you the truth I feel completely
knackered now and I could do without being given a hard
time.”
“ So what about Sarah, that new PA of yours. Was she
with you?”
“ As it happens, Helen, she got taken ill after lunch.
Some moules or something disagreed with her and she went
back to the hotel, so she wasn‘t even with us. Okay!
Satisfied! Now stop being so bloody neurotic and tell me
what’s been happening at home.?”
Helen’s mind was racing. She must have been wrong
about him last night after all. Looking at him now she realised
she had jumped to the wrong conclusion about him and the
PA. God she’d been a fool last night. How could she
have let it happen. Sex with her son’s guitar teacher
of all people! It wasn’t even as if Andy was that
attractive. What a total idiot! There was only one way forward,
and that would be to put it behind her and get on with her
life as if it hadn‘t happened. Except for the fact
that she would most certainly have to cancel Ben’s
guitar lessons until she could find a new teacher!
“Oh you know, Jake” she replied in a throw away
tone, “Just the usual stuff; tea, television, Ben’s
music lesson."
She paused and laughingly said, “And of course having
mad passionate sex with the music teacher on the sofa.”
Jake laughed too, safe in the knowledge that it was a joke.
“ Well I wouldn‘t blame him for wanting to.
You‘re looking pretty tasty if I may say so. And since
its getting late I think its time I took you upstairs and
showed you just how much I missed you.”
Jennifer Turner
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