Handing her the cup of coffee Terry sighed
and nearly collapsed with exhaustion into a soft leather armchair.
“I’ve had just about enough of all this
celebrity mayhem.”
Libby smiled but didn’t say anything. She
felt she had no right to, she didn’t know anything about being a celebrity.
“So, Libby, tell me something about yourself. We’ve had absolutely no chance to talk all
evening.”
She glanced up from her coffee and smiled.
It had been a truly hectic night.
“What exactly do you want to know?”
Terry smiled back, and set his coffee cup
down, before resting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.
“Anything. I don’t
mind.”
“Well, my name is Libby Weller and I live in
a detached semi in
The room was silent and when Libby raised her
head she realised that Terry had fallen asleep. She stood up quietly and made
her way down the hall, glancing at each of the doors
before finally choosing one she thought might hold what she was looking for.
She tiptoed over to where Terry was sleeping
and gently covered him with the blanket from the airing cupboard. He stirred
but did not wake and she sat for a long time watching him sleep and studying
his face. There was something deep inside which nagged at her, but she couldn’t
figure out what, and when she finally stood up to go, she found that she
couldn’t bear to leave. Forcing herself out of the
door, she wrote a quick note and stuck it to the back of the front door, before
exiting and climbing slowly into her car with a heavy heart.
**************************************************************
“You look like
death warmed up Libby!” Sarah Ghost chuckled at her friend as she walked into
the shop late the next morning.
Libby grimaced at her and shook her soft
brown head, her blue eyes squinting at her friend. “Late night sorry, do you
think the boss noticed?”
“Yes she did, and she’s a bit pissed off.
Where’ve you been Libby?”
Libby stumbled over the chair beside the
counter and sank into it with a groan. The champagne and partying had soon
caught up with her and now she felt as though, not only would her heart explode
but her head would follow suit.
“Terry Jones’ party.”
“Yeah right, like anyone’s gonna believe
you!” Sarah chuckled and leant over the counter, her fluffy blond hair bouncing
in their ringlets and the familiar twinkle in her eye. Sarah had been Libby’s
friend now for years, ever since their first meeting over the Internet. They
had become fast friends and had even moved into the same house, sharing most
evenings with a glass of wine and a favourite film.
“Well, I was. It was the weirdest experience
of my whole life. I was Terry’s special guest.”
“Uh huh. And why
would that be?” Sarah looked skeptical. They had both
been really into Monty Python when they were in their late teens, and often
still discussed it and brought out the videos to watch and giggle to when they
were down. It seemed unthinkable that Libby could have met one and been invited
to his very luxurious party. It would be in all the daily papers if it were
true.
“I fell into his arms at the premier. He took
me inside, we watched the film, went to the party, had fun, met everyone, drank
and he fell asleep in the chair. Obviously I wasn’t that interesting to him.”
Libby shut her eyes as Sarah looked at her
unconvinced. She was exhausted. She really couldn’t handle working that day;
the party had really taken its toll on her. She leant back and sighed.
“Look if you’re tired, you could always go
home, catch up on some sleep.”
Libby’s eyes flicked open. “You’re here on
your own then, that wouldn’t be fair. The boss might get cross.”
Sarah smiled. “I am the boss remember.” She
reached across the counter and took her friends hand. “Go on, I’ll be ok here.
I’ve done it before, what do you think I did when you got ill? Hired someone
else? Now go on, go back to bed.”
Libby stood up slowly and hugged Sarah.
“Thanks, you’re the best.”
Sarah winked and said, “I know. Now go.”
Libby waved her good bye as a customer
approached the counter, and Sarah was soon in deep conversation with her about
a wedding that was approaching.
Libby wandered to the door, glancing around
and trying to remember when Sarah had first bought the shop. It had been a dank
and dirty little place with bad lighting and damp wallpaper producing a musty
smell that lingered on her clothes. But with Libby’s advice and both their
artistic natures, they had turned it into a bright, fresh and luxurious little
gold mine. Libby and Sarah had made quite a job of it selling both their
particular fields of work. Libby was a young genius in interior design and
Sarah was an expert in fashion and design. Together they had kitted out over
half the homes in
Libby sighed remembering those first few
months and smiled. The name choosing hadn’t been much of a problem – they had
both decided from the start that it had to refer to their Idol – Mr Eric Idle,
but when it was written, they decided to change it so it sounded the same, only
it was spelt differently. It had been hard going, but they had made it, and
although Sarah officially owned the shop, they never fought over whose it was.
They had a silent agreement that it was a partnership, and both stuck to it.
Outside “Idol Designs” the street was busy
with Saturday
Crossing the main street, heading for the car
park where she had left her Volkswagen Beetle not half and hour before, she was
about to step into the road when a hand grabbed her back and literally
catapulted her into their arms.
Gasping in shock Libby looked up and
recognised the face before her immediately.
Terry Jones looked down into her face with
his dark eyes now clouded with worry and anxiety.
“Are you alright?” His voice came to her like
a balm to soothe her and she had to fight back the urge to say ‘I am now.’
“Yes……….what happened?”
“I had to stop you running yourself over,
that’s what. Why didn’t you check the road before you walked straight into it?
You could’ve been killed!”
He set her up and held her shoulders with
powerful hands. She felt suddenly guilty, as if nearly killing herself had been
a cause of worry to him, as though she had hurt him deeply. She didn’t like the
look on his face, and found herself wanting to hold him, to make it all better.
“I’m sorry.” Libby looked at the floor and
felt her face grow red. He touched it with his hand and lifted her chin. He was
so gentle despite his size, and she felt herself grow a darker shade of red
when he smiled into her face, brought her face towards his and kissed her
gently on the lips.
“I should’ve done that last night.”
Libby was gob-smacked and fought for words as
he took her hand and led her to his limo that was parked on the other side of
the road.
Opening the door he kissed her again, now
with more vigour and she sensed a passion she had never felt before. It frightened
her that she was getting so involved with someone she had idolised as a
teenager.
“Where do you want to go for lunch? Italian? French? Traditional
English?”
Libby stared at him with wide eyes, still
unable to take in what had happened. She gaped at the limos interior, the
sparkling champagne in the fridge, the T.V set into the back of the drivers seat, and the smell of leather and Terry’s cologne
lingered in the air. It was the most pleasant drive she had ever taken, and
felt the lull of the engine pulling her eyelids down. She leant her head
against his shoulder and closed her eyes.
Terry put his arm around her and sighed
happily. He had wished for someone like Libby for a long time. Pretty, intelligent, accepting of people. The night before
had proved all of this to him. She had floated through his guests, introducing herself politely and easing herself gently into the
conversation, making people laugh and listening intently to what others were
saying. As his guests were leaving they had commented to him on what a gracious
and beautiful hostess he had had. She certainly was beautiful. She had been
wearing a soft lilac dress that showed off her graceful figure and her well
toned legs. Her hair had been pulled back from her face with just a couple of
ringlets dangling beside her ears and twisted and piled onto her head with more
ringlets dangling down to her shoulders.
And now here she was, snuggled comfortably
into the arc of his arm. Still beautiful in faded jeans and gypsy top with her
hair swept back in a loose plait.
He reached down with his other hand and
smoothed the wisps of hair back from her face. She looked like an angel to him,
and he wanted so desperately to tell her without frightening her off.
“Libby. I want to tell you something.” Terry
put his hand on hers but she never spoke to him. He took it as a sign that she
wanted him to carry on, so he squeezed her hand and began.
“I really like you Libby. I wondered if you
felt the same way. It’s just….well, I know I’m older than you……and, well, I’ve
never met anyone like you before. This is the strangest feeling I have felt in
my life. I feel…….happy and sad all at once. I don’t know how to describe it.
Look, I know you’re probably thinking ‘what a loony’, believe me that’s what I
am, but what do you think? Do you think you could love an old fool like me?”
He sighed when she didn’t answer, but she
didn’t move either, and when he lifted her chin again he saw why.
“Well I suppose that’s only fair,” he
chuckled to himself, and put her head back and let her sleep on.
*************************************************************************************
Libby awoke the next day feeling refreshed
and raring to go. She saw the sunrise through her closed eyes, and then quickly
yanked them open. She sat up and the room span before quickly readjusting
itself. The bed beneath her was soft and covered with blue satin sheets, an
unfamiliar luxury Libby had never experienced before. She gazed around the
pleasantly furnished room, taking in the oak drawers, chest and dressing table.
The curtains were made from dark blue velvet, trailing on the cream carpet
below. The sun swept over the small chandelier and sent beams of light
scattering across the room.
Swinging her legs out of the huge bed Libby
sank her feet into the plush carpet and pulled on a dressing gown draped across
a grand oak chair. She stared at herself in a large oval mirror and grimaced.
Although she was clad in a fine cream nightgown that moulded her figure
perfectly, her hair was a mess and her makeup had run. There were three doors
into her room, and pulling one open she saw a corridor, remotely familiar, but
her desire to clean herself up was so strong that she soon forgot the corridor,
and headed towards another door. On the other side was exactly what she was
looking for. The en suite was dainty, with only a shower, toilet and sink, but
it was designed perfectly in gorgeous marble and soft blue colours. She
couldn’t have designed it better herself, and she
smiled to herself as she noticed that there were even candles resting on the
little shelf next to the sink.
Stepping in she let the door swing shut and
shook the nightgown from her body, hanging up the delicate item on the peg
alongside the dressing gown she had adorned earlier.
The shower was the ideal setting, the
pressure exactly the way Libby liked it, and when she stepped out half and hour
later she was feeling clean and cleansed. Wrapping the dressing gown around her
naked body she stepped back into her room.
“Hello
Libby.”
Libby yelped and then clutched her sides.
“How long have you been there?”
Terry grinned sheepishly and smiled at her.
“Not too long. I just came to see if you were up yet.”
“Well I am.”
“As I can see.”
Terry stood up and headed towards the door that led to the corridor. Turning
back he nodded towards the oak drawers.
“I think you’ll find your clothes in there.
Or there might be some other items. I don't know. They’ve been cleaned so
they’re ok to put back on.”
“Thank you Terry.” Libby blushed and looked
back at the man she had met only days before, but had fallen so deeply for.
“Thank you for everything.”
Terry approached her and held her shoulders
with his powerful hands again. He kissed her lightly on the head and grinned
into her face. “That’s ok. You were beat. What was I supposed to do? Leave you
to go home in your car and get yourself killed? Hell no! It was the least I
could’ve done.”
Libby smiled up at him. “Yeah well, thanks
anyway.”
There was an awkward silence where they stood
staring at each other. Then, gently, Libby reached out towards him and brought
his face towards hers. They wanted each other so badly and when their lips met
it sent an electric current down both their spines.
Terry reached into her dressing gown and felt
her body, still wet from the shower. He touched her tenderly and she groaned
with pleasure as he fondled her breasts. He pulled off the towel that wrapped
her head and let her brown hair fall down to her shoulders; dripping wet onto
her already soaked body.
Libby pulled him closer and felt him rise and
harden against her. She was almost completely naked as he laid her on the bed
she had raised from only almost an hour before. He gazed down at her and kissed
her neck, smelling the scent of her, taking in every breath of her to make sure
he never forgot this moment.
Terry smiled at her and she pulled him on top
of her, wanting him inside her, aching with desire and passion, afraid that
she’d burst there and then. No one had ever made her feel this way before,
Libby couldn’t remember if she’d ever wanted a man this much, but as he entered
her and they moved passionately on the bed, their naked bodies tangled and
writhing with pleasure filled agony, she knew she had never experienced love-making
like this, nothing came near.
*************************************************************************************
The evening drew
in and Libby lay exhausted but happy on the bed she had acquired only days
before. Terry lay soundlessly next to her, and she rolled onto her side and
gazed at his face in the dusky light that had rolled stealthily into the room.
She felt her heart swell as she watched him,
and felt herself keen towards him, which surprised her after their hours of
lovemaking during the day. She had never been able to make love with a man so
much and still ache with desire. She traced his chin with her finger and he
turned towards her, eyes bright with love and longing, wondering if he should
take her again.
Terry had told her about his previous
marriage – a bitter affair that ended with his wife aborting their child and an
ugly divorce that had uncovered her secret affairs with other men and had left
him heart broken. They had told each other almost everything about themselves during
the ten hours they had laid together, and he thought Libby was the best thing
that had ever come his way.
Terry knew he was taking a risk, giving her
his heart, but as she teased him with her tongue he didn’t care and soon they
began again, this time he taking her with force and passion, grinding into her
with such a hard emotion that she cried out and yelled, bit him and scratched
him, but they didn’t care. It was the best time of their lives. She had never
wanted anyone so much in her life, and he had never known anyone cause such an
emotional stir in him.
They stayed together in bed for another two
hours, in which time he nearly burst with wanting, pushing into her every
chance he got.
At
“The servants have gone home,” he smiled at
her as he pulled back her chair, “It’s just you and me.”
Libby looked up at him mischievously and
winked, “Oh really?”
“Yes really. But first of all, lets eat.”
He vanished for a few minutes and Libby
studied the painting in the corner more accurately. It was a beautiful piece of
a young girl of about 20, her bouncy blonde hair framing her face and her blue
eyes sparkling with happiness. She wore a deep blue dress that showed off her
marvellous figure and her creamy skin, and Libby gasped with wonder at such a
beautiful woman.
Terry burst into the room, “Pizza in ten,
what do you think?” He saw the look of awe on Libby’s face and approached the
painting.
“My ex.”
Libby looked shocked and then went to sit
back down in her place.
“Sorry. I know it shouldn’t be there, but
it’s a work of art. It’ll be worth a fortune in a few years.”
Looking at him as he crossed the dining hall
and sat down she giggled and then reprimanded him. “She’s very beautiful. How
can you say such things? Work of art indeed. Maybe you
should have kept her and hung her on the wall instead?”
Terry smiled and put his hands behind his
head. “No, it’s all right. At least this way she’ll always stay beautiful. If
I’d had kept her she would have dried up and wrinkled like a prune before too
long. And no one wants orders barked at them while they’re eating do they? I’d
have to cover her up!”
Libby laughed heartily and after a bit Terry
joined in. He was a funny man, and this only succeeded in increasing her love
for him.
A chime in the distance announced the arrival
of their pizza and Terry went to collect it.
Libby slipped from her seat and took the
opportunity to wander around the room, gazing at the pieces hung on the walls.
She was studying a piece of Monet when Terry came into the room with what
looked like 10 boxes of pizza.
“I didn’t know what you liked,” he grinned
sheepishly, “so I got the lot.”
Libby went to him and kissed him lightly on
the corner of his mouth. “I don’t mind, it’s sweet of you to think of stuff
like that. Thank you.”
He put the pizza on the table, pulled her
close to him and planted a passionate kiss on her lips.
Libby returned with full vigour and soon she
found herself lying naked on the magnificent dining table, clutching him to
her, pizza forgotten, not wanting to let him go. They stayed on the table a
while after, making love twice again before Terry picked her up and took her back
to the bedroom. He plopped her on the bed and then disappeared, returning with
the pizza boxes and smiling contentedly.
“Now we must eat before we die of
starvation.” He dropped onto the bed and she smiled up at him.
*************************************************************************************
The pizza had been delicious, she had never
realised how hungry she had been. They had consumed nearly four pizzas between
them before giving up and pushing the boxes away from them with disgust.
Terry lay back and the moonlight from the
open window streamed onto his body, making it seem pallid, almost like the
china Sarah loved so much.
“That is much better. Now I feel completely
sated.”
Libby turned towards him and leant on her
hand. “Really?” she teased.
“You know what I mean girly.” He pecked her
on the cheek and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“These past two days have been the best in my
life you know that?” Terry looked seriously into her eyes and she smiled back
at him, wanting so much to kiss him and have him again.
“It’s been lovely Terry. This is lovely. You
are lovely.”
He pulled away from her and sat up on the
edge of the bed, his naked back turned toward her.
“It means a lot to me for you to say that
Libby. I haven’t been this close to a woman in……….well…………probably never,
unless you count my Mum.”
Libby stifled a giggle and reached out
towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek.
He stroked her arm and relished the feeling
of her naked body against him.
“I think I love you Libby.”
She stopped her kissing and let him go,
sinking back on her haunches in amazement. No one had ever told her they loved
her, well, told her and meant it anyway. She sensed that he meant it though,
she could tell by the shaking of his hands as he clutched them together and by
the truth in his eyes when he turned around on the bed to face her.
“Are you ok?” Terry rested a hand on her
shoulder, a hand that only moments before had been giving her the pleasure she
never knew she could experience.
Libby nodded and crept towards him, and he
held her in the circle of his arms. “I love you too.” She whispered.
***********************************************************************************
Sarah pulled out the key to the shop and
glanced up at the sign above the window. She loved this shop; it was her life
and soul. She didn’t have a boyfriend and her family had all moved to
Birmingham to be closer to their other relatives, so she was pretty much alone
in London, apart from Libby, but even she had gone missing for the last two and
half days.
Twisting the key in the lock and punching
the security code on the wall the door hissed open and she stepped inside.
Libby had made an excellent job on the décor, it was the best job she had done
yet, and had gotten them many awards over the years they’d owned this shop.
Shutting the door behind her Sarah headed toward the counter and switched on
the light over the display cabinet behind her. It shot light into the gloom of
the shuttered room and sent strips of rainbow light across the wood panelled
floor.
Pressing the buttons for the automatic
shutters to lift, Sarah looked through that morning’s paper, flicking
absentmindedly through the pages, chuckling at funny articles she spotted
there, and voicing her opinion to the empty shop about those she thought were
wrong.
The floor filled with bright morning sunlight
and the shop was transformed into a shimmering golden palace. But this did not
amaze Sarah this morning. What did amaze her was the front page of the paper.
As a rule, she usually started from the back of the paper and read her way to
the front, and when she stumbled upon the page her jaw dropped and she began
reading intently.
‘Three days ago saw the opening of the Premier
of Monty Python member Terry Jones’s new film, “Scatter the Roses”, a romantic
comedy about…….’
Sarah scanned down the article and her eye
caught on Libby’s picture and the line she was looking for.
‘a surprise
attendance was one Miss Libby Weller, fashionable new interior decorator for
Idol Designs. Miss Weller was reported to have fallen into Terry’s arms and
then led inside for the film and then the party afterwards. Terry divorced his
wife after he discovered she was having multiple affairs with other men.’
Sarah sank back onto her stool and smiled
happily. So she had been telling the truth after all. And it was probably where
she had been for the past two days. She took out her dress making scissors and
cut the article out, including the picture of Libby herself, smiling at Terry
as he helped her up from her fall.
Putting the paper away and the cut out in her
drawer, Sarah opened the shop door and flicked the closed sign around to open.
She’d certainly take it up with Libby when she saw her.
***************************************************************************************
Terry threw the paper onto the fire in anger
as Libby entered the lounge area, pulling her bag over her shoulder ready to be
driven to work.
“What’s wrong?” she walked towards him and
touched his forearm anxiously and felt him shiver at the touch. They had lain
in bed together talking all night, and she had felt him shiver every time they
touched, an electric current shooting down their skin.
He pointed at the paper now burning in the
fire. “That. They wrote a story on us. They know about you.”
Libby smiled at him and pulled him toward
her. “So? Don’t you want the world to know that we’re together?”
He grinned weakly, still angry, but succumbing
to the passion that took over him when she was near. “Yes, but it would’ve been
nice to tell the world myself, not have it dragged through that trash,” he
motioned towards the fire and sighed.
“You’re going to have to get used to that I’m
afraid.”
Libby took his face in her hand and kissed
him gently. “I don’t mind honestly.”
“Sure?”
“Sure.”
He took her in his arms and kissed her and
soon they were becoming passionate when she pulled away.
“As much as I’d love to stay and play, I have
to get to work. There’s a big job on at the moment in the Davison’s House.”
Terry grinned, but it was still a painful
one. Libby glanced down and noticed the bulge in his trousers before he turned
around to pick up his keys from the glass coffee table.
“I think we’d better get you to work before I
lock you away in my bedroom.”
Libby laughed as he took her hand and led her
towards the front door.
*******************************************************************************
“Nice of you to join me at last.”
Sarah smirked as Libby slipped through the shop door. With a quick glance she
could see that she was wearing the same clothes as when she had left with a
hangover more than two days ago.
“Good time?”
Libby grinned sheepishly. “The
best.”
“Wanna tell me
about it?” the shop was quiet and the last customer had left as Libby had
entered.
Libby sank onto the sofa next to the windows
where they usually entertained the customer who wanted samples and serious
discussions. It was a very open plan business, and both partners liked the idea
of making the customer feel comfortable and not under any pressure to purchase
anything.
“It has been the best three days of my life
Sarah.” She sighed and closed her eyes, calling up the image of Terry lying
asleep next to her.
Sarah saw the look on her face and recognised
it instantly. “You’re in love aren’t you.” It wasn’t a
question, more of a statement, and Libby looked at her, her eyes sparkling and
a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
“Yes, yes I think I am.”
Sarah came around the counter in a rush and
hugged her friend tight. “I’m so happy for you Libby. I always knew you’d find
someone you loved eventually. I wish you two all the best.”
Libby hugged her back. “Thanks Sarah. Thank
you.”
The shop door swung open and Mrs Gresham
stumbled upon the hugging friends. She coughed politely and they sprang apart,
Sarah beaming and Libby wiping her cheeks from the happy tears she had spilt.
“Is this a bad time?” Prunella
“No, this certainly isn’t a bad time. Come right over Mrs Gresham. Now, what can we do for you today?”