shoes off and began to sway.
She held out her hands, and gripped Holly’s. She twirled her out and Holly’s blue
skirt kicked up like the body of a jellyfish, her dark hair fanning out around her
face. She heard a clear whistle of admiration and stepped away from Jennifer, glancing
up to the balcony above them. Jack was staring down at her, admiring.
He was terribly handsome, his chiselled face framed by the warm glow of his red hair
and beard. He grinned and she imagined the tickle of his beard on the soft skin
between her legs. She closed her eyes. She was feeling a little dizzy. She felt herself
sway and Jennifer quickly steadied her, one arm around her shoulders for support.
Holly knew her nipples must be visible, erect under the delicate silk of her dress.
She crossed her arms over her chest.
‘You are such a lightweight,’ Jennifer grinned. ‘Three champagnes…’
‘I should probably go home.’
Jennifer looked at her Chanel watch, pink sapphires glinting under the fairy lights.
‘Oh my god. It is almost morning.’
‘Your carriage awaits you, ma’am.’
Jack was beside her, his elbow angled towards her. Holly took hold of it. He was
strong and steady. She remembered the sight of Craig’s soft silvered flesh. There
was really no comparison, and yet when they walked past his damp footprints, Holly
could feel the dampness between her legs, the tingling of her reignited desire.
Holly sank into the soft leather of Jack’s passenger seat. She toyed with the ring
on her finger, spinning it in slow circles as he eased the car out of the driveway.
She glanced nervously at Jack’s lap, remembering the bulge in Craig’s jeans, the
swell of his desire. It would be so easy to lower her head into his lap as Tess had
done. She rested her cheek against the cold glass of the passenger window.
True love waits.
She closed her eyes and let Jack swing the car around the suburban streets, the movement
of it like a cradle rocking her to sleep. She dreamed of a pool, a girl, a boy, a
head bobbing up and down, up and down.
Jack touched her gently on the arm and Holly flinched.
‘Your chariot has arrived, princess.’
She waited till Jack walked around to her side and opened the door. The sky was pink-tinged,
a pre-dawn glow. He helped her clamber out of the car and she hugged him, pressing
the taut buds of her nipples against his chest. When she tilted her face up he leaned
down to kiss her. Holly closed her eyes, opened her mouth. Jack pulled away.
‘Woah, tiger!’ He held her at arm’s distance. For a moment it seemed to her that
he was afraid. He stepped away from her somewhat warily. ‘One too many champagnes?’
Holly nodded, chastised. ‘Thanks for the lift.’
He smiled and patted her on the shoulder. ‘No problem princess. Sleep tight. I’ll
meet you at mine tomorrow night?’
‘Oh. That’s right. Valentine’s Day.’ As if she might have forgotten. ‘Where are you
taking me?’
‘A secret. Someplace nice. Wear a pretty dress.’ He laughed. ‘You always do.’
She stood at her door and watched his car speed off and around the corner. Red like
his beard, long and sleek as his body. He was right to push her away. She shouldn’t
have been so forward. Her open-mouthed kiss spoke of sex. She remembered the lovers,
Tess and Craig, and heard a sound, a deep, guttural animal growl. She glanced around,
startled, before she realised that the sound had come from her own throat.
True love waits. She shut the door quietly behind her and crept up the thick carpet
of the staircase to her room. The growl again, a little louder. She dropped heavily
to her bed and pulled her silk skirt up to her waist. The glow of her vulva was brighter
than the waning moon. She pressed the palm of her hand against herself. The strange
phosphorescence of her desire stained her fingers. She imagined Jack’s lap where
Craig’s had been, her own head replacing Tess’s. Her inner thighs were damp and shining.
She heard the