Marianne Surrenders (5 page)

He gently laid her down, still kissing her all over as he did. Marianne slipped her hand up his shirt and across his bare chest. She pinched him. He flinched and kissed her harder. She pinched him again, she didn't know why but she did, as if to check whether he was real, whether this was real.

He took off his shirt, then began to remove Marianne's dress. He released her shoulders from the straps then expertly yanked the dress off in one clean sweep, like pulling a table cloth and leaving the cutlery in place. She let out a yelp as it vanished from her body, leaving her naked except for her panties.

He leaned over again, this time to suckle on her soft breasts. His hands glided over every inch of her body from her ankles to the nape of her neck. Then up across her thigh and gently down the front of her panties. The sound of her wet folds against his fingers revealed her desire and encourage him more. He rolled his wet fingers over her clitoris and she felt her hips jerked hard. The sensation of ecstasy surged from her loins in waves.

He peeled off her panties – she could never be too naked for Tommy.

She felt him lift her legs apart and then his soft lips on the inside of her tender thighs, kissing her, strong kisses that almost suck her flesh into his mouth. She looked down to see his thick dark hair between her legs, she grabbed a fist full and started to press his face hard against her crotch when she suddenly stopped. “Wait,” she whispered.

Tommy looked up in surprised concern. “What's wrong?”

“
Nothings wrong,” she replied. “Stand up. Let me do something for you.”

Tommy did as he was told and got to his feet. Marianne knelt before him and started to undo his belt buckle. She slid it out and let it drop to the floor. He looked down at her as he felt her tiny hands tugging at the button on his pants, then undoing his zip. She pulled them down over his muscular thighs, then let them drop to his feet. A long erection propped up his boxer shorts until Marianne released it and took it into her hot wet mouth.

Encouraged by Tommy's audible sigh of satisfaction, she ran her hand up his inner thigh and cupped his balls, squeezing them gently, her other hand working the rigid shaft.

The orchard was calm except for the occasional rustle of leaves and the gargle of Marianne's throat. Tommy looked to the sky, his chest heaving rhythmically as he battle to maintain control.

Marianne noticed how his leg begin to tremble quite violently before Tommy quickly withdrew himself, threw his hands under her arms and effortlessly lifted her into the air, as if she was made of nothing but feathers. He spun around and placed her onto the sturdy branch of a nearby tree. The sound of snapping twigs and apples thumping against the ground could be heard as her soft peachy buttocks pressed upon the bark.

He came in close to smother her face with kisses, nibbling on her ears and lips as he did. With her arms hanging loosely around his broad shoulders, and her legs wrapped tightly around his taught waist, she could now feel him burrowed deep inside her. He filled her well, a perfect fit she thought, as he picked up momentum. The sting of the dry and gnarled bark grazing her back, played in tandem with his balls as they slapped against her soaked pussy.

Marianne's screams of unbridled pleasure echoed through the orchard and deep into the dark night's sky.

They locked their entangled limbs together hard in a now wet embrace of dizzy ecstasy as they climaxed as one, then collapsed in a heap together on the ground, exhausted.

The orchard seemed to fall into a perfect stillness. She lay silently and gazed up, through the gaps in the branches, and towards the vast midnight sky. It was a deep dark velvet blue, marbled with bronze and gold hues, and scattered with a thousand stars.

* * *

Marianne awoke softly. Her face pressed comfortably against a cotton pillow, and a luxurious duvet draped across her naked body. Still not sure where she was, she reached her arm across the bed in hope of finding Tommy beside her. He was not there, although the sheets were still warm from where he must have been. Sitting upright she scanned the room and noticed that some of his clothes from the night before lay hanging from the back of a chair. She lay back down, wrapped the duvet close against her, and relaxed. He couldn't be that far away.

She dozed a little longer, drifting in an out of sleep, allowing pleasant dreams to visit. She dreamt of her and Tommy, not much older than they are now. They are walking near the edge of a lake. Tommy has is pants rolled up to his knees, and Marianne watches him from the bank as he wades, ankle deep, into the water. He has some flecks of grey in his hair. His face still rugged and handsome. He is holding the hand of a small child, a little girl no more than five or six. She stomps her tiny feet, splashing about and laughing before daddy whisks her up into his arms and holds her close to his chest. They look happy together.

Finally, Marianne plucked up the energy to leave the comfort of her bed, and seek Tommy. She grabbed what she presumed must be one of Sarah's dressing gowns from the back of the door and put it on. With a spring in her step, she made her why across the landing. Although she had no recollection of leaving the orchard the night before, it was now clear that she was still in Sarah's house. Tommy must have carried her in once she had fallen asleep on the picnic blanket.

From across the other side of the house she could her the sound of cutlery and breakfast being prepared in the kitchen. As she got a little closer, the sound of Tommy's voice became clear – he was speaking on the telephone. Rather than enter, she stood stealthily behind the door and listened.

“
... I know, I know,” she heard him say. “You have no idea how much planning has gone into this trip. I'm coordinating the whole Rwanda project and I have to be there.” He paused for a moment as he listened to the voice on the other end. “Yeah, I know. You're right, it is a long very time to be away for, but it's a big project. The tickets are booked, and the plane leaves in two days time. They're expecting me to be there.”

This was all Marianne could stand to hear. She felt the blood drain from her face, and her heart sink like stone. Anger welled up inside her. How could she have been so foolish to believe he was interested in her. All his talk of commitment, and how he wanted a real relationship. Why say those things when all a long he knew that he would be leaving in a few days? Why not just be straight with her? She thought he was different, but he was just immature boy. She felt used.

She ran back to the bedroom, her legs weak and numb from the shock. Gathering her clothes from the chair, her eyes filled with tears. There was no point sticking around now. The sooner she got back to the comfort of her apartment the better.

Tommy returned a few moments later, breakfast tray in hand, to an empty bedroom. He looked over to the unmade bed. On the pillow there was a small black box. He placed the breakfast tray down on the dressing table, and picked the black box up for a closer inspection. He opened it to reveal a silver pendent. It had a celtic design, with the name 'Tommy' engraved upon it.

Marianne was gone, and Tommy was none the wiser.

Marianne spent the day in her apartment. Alone, and in the dark, she lounged miserably on the couch in her pyjamas, nothing but her cat, Molly, for company. She gazed through a gap in the curtains and out of the window to the street below. It was another sunny day. She watched, like a wistful voyeur, as strangers went about their carefree lives, with blank expressions on their faces – no sign of pain there. She both envied them for their apparently uncomplicated lives, and resented them for not sharing her burden of heartache and loneliness. How easy it was for other people, she thought.

The light from the television periodically illuminated the room in hues of red and blue, but the volume was down and she paid little attention to what it was showing.

She thought about how terrible she must look at that moment – eye's all puffy and red from crying. Her hair a tangled mess no doubt.

It was only later on that evening when her phone rang that she managed to drag herself away from the couch. She got up to check who it was, and as expected, the call was coming from Sarah's home number. It must be Tommy. She didn't answer it, instead, choosing to let it ring out, then taking receiver off the hook. She didn't want to hear his voice again.

An hour later the phone rang again; this time her mobile. Once more, it was Tommy, and once more she ignored it. This happened once or twice during the evening, but by the next day the calls had stopped. Tommy had given up.

It wasn't until two days later, the date when Tommy was due to leave, that her mobile phone rang again. This time the incoming call was from Sarah's mobile number. She knew her and Sarah needed to speak about the last few days. Whether or not Sarah knew about the brief relationship with her younger brother, was unknown. Would she be angry with her? Would she be angry with her brother? Either way they needed to clear the air. She answered the call.

“
Hi Sarah.”

“
Hi there Marianne. How are you?”

“
Hmm, I'm okay I suppose.”

“
You know, I've been speaking to my brother. He's been trying to contact you.”

“
Ah, so I guess he told you all about me and him then?”

“
yeah, he kinda did yes.”

Marianne broke into mild panic. “Look Sarah, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to cause you any pain or upset you. That's the last thing I would want, you know that. I don't know what happened back there. I guess I just got a little swept off my feet, a little carried away with the moment. You know I've been feeling a little down lately and it clouded my judgement...”

Sarah interrupted, “Look, Marianne. You're getting yourself a little wound up.”

“
I know, I know. It's just that...”

“
Just calm down. We don't want you hyperventilating,” Sarah replied in half jest. “But listen, we need to talk.”

“
So you're not angry with me?”

“
Of course I'm not angry with you. Tommy's a great kid, a real sweetheart, and he happens to worship the ground you walk on. You'd be great for one another...”

Marianne interrupted this time. “You don't know how much of a relief it is to hear you say that. I've been worried sick about how you'd react. But, the thing is, me and Tommy can't be together. I don't think he's interested in taking things any further. He's off back to Africa, or wherever, today. I heard him speaking on the telephone.”

“
Well this is want I wanted to talk to you about,” Sarah replied, “That was me he was talking to on the phone. And yes, he was telling me that he was due to go back to Africa to help with the latest project over there.”

“
That was you? Why didn't he just be straight with me from the start Sarah?”

“
Marianne, will you just listen to me for a second, he also told me that he was going to cancel that trip to Rwanda!”

“
Cancel?”

“
Yeah, cancel. He said he met this amazing girl, the girl of his dreams, and that he was going to cancel his flight and put his return on hold for a few months just so he could spend more time with this girl.” There was silence for a moment, then she said, “He told me this girl was you Marianne.”

Marianne was shocked. “But I heard him on the telephone, and I didn't hear him say that.”

“
Well, you obviously didn't hear the whole conversation did you, silly!”

“
Oh my God. I can't believe this. I feel like such an idiot.” Marianne slumped down into a nearby chair. “So he's cancelled his trip back then?”

“
Well this is the thing Marianne. After you ran out of the house, and refused to answer his calls he thought you didn't want nothing to do with him anymore, so he's now going ahead with his trip as planned. He didn't see the point in sticking around if you'd dumped him. His flight leaves this afternoon, and he'll be on it.”

“
Oh no. This is terrible. I need to speak to him. I need to let him know how I feel before he gets on that plane.”

“
I've tried calling him today myself Marianne, but there was no answer. If you go now, you might be able to get to the house before he leaves.”

“
Okay, you're right. I should head over there and try to catch him before it's too late. Thanks for this Sarah. You're such a great friend.”

“
Don't worry about it, just get a move on!”

“
Oh, and I hope John's dad is feeling better?”

Sarah laughed, “Don't worry about him, he's fine. Now get going. He'll be leaving in about twenty minutes or so.”

Marianne hung up and immediately started to dial Sarah's home number in an attempt to catch Tommy but the line was engaged.

She grabbed the nearest pair of shoes she could find, an old pair of Adidas running trainers, and fled out of the apartment as fast as she could, slamming the door behind her.

Outside, she searched desperately up and down the road for a taxi, but there was none to be seen. She would never make it to Sarah's house in twenty minutes if she walked, but maybe she would if she ran. Normally the idea of running anywhere would be completely out of the question for Marianne, but as these were exceptional circumstances, she decided she had little choice.