Temptations
- a tale with a twist
(continued) "As long as you let me pay my half. I wouldn't like you to get the
wrong idea", said Alice dryly
Alex looked at the set of her lips and smiled. It was an easy
smile that contrasted with Alice's stiffness and reserve.
"I don't think you are the sort of person to let anybody do that",
he said.
The conversation at the table flowed easily between them. She told
him all about her sister and her young family. He described what it was like to
live in a time warp of permanent student life. This led them on to recounting
tales of College days when they too had both been young.
The meals came quickly, served by a lanky teenager who was also
one of his students. Alex had cottage pie, Alice a fish salad and a glass of
white wine to wash it down.
But at the back of her mind, Alice was waiting and observing. She
tabulated every look and every gesture, weighing it against what she thought
would be acceptable to a married partner.
Did the mere fact that they were eating together constitute an act
of infidelity? She thought not. It had all seemed so innocent.
What about the hand that had guided her to her seat in the dining
room? She'd thought it a bit over familiar and she had told him so. He had held
out his hand in penance after they had sat down and she had bravely tapped his
knuckles to remonstrate. Was she going too far by doing that? Leading him on?
Had his feet as he had stretched been intended to come into
contact with hers - although he had been quick to apologize.
While all these thoughts were going through her head, she kept up
the game of conversation, batting the words too and fro. Learning a bit here
about him, passing on a bit there about herself. She saw no reason to lie
although she exaggerated the geographical location of her sisters to give a
justification for being at the hotel.
For his part, he seemed to be enjoying himself and she had to
admit that she wasn't having a bad time either.
Would her husband have been happy to see them there together? She
rather thought not - but would that be because he would imagine there was more
to it than just lunch? Was it the act of infidelity that hurt or was it the
thought of it in a partners mind that caused the pain.
She tried to compose the report in her mind as she checked her
face and hair in the security of the ladies. She spent time recomposing it
while he popped out to say hello to his hotel proprietor friend. This latest
version had him down just as a nice guy who enjoyed sharing a meal with a new
acquaintance.
When he came back to their table with a complementary bottle of
champagne to celebrate the proprietor's birthday, she scrapped her latest
report and started to rewrite it yet again.
She reminded him that she was driving, but accepted a glass and
then quite a bit later another one.
As they got up from the table, after paying half each (she had
insisted on that), Alice swayed slightly against Alex's strong frame. He
steadied her with an arm around her shoulder.
"At long last", thought Alice something concrete to report. "An
arm around a shoulder cannot be mistaken.
But she paused again mentally to consider it from both sides.
"On the other hand, he did stop me from falling. The champagne
must have been a bit stronger than I thought.
But his arm was still round her, supporting her as they made for
the door.
"One last test", decided Alice. "I'll let him keep his arm there
(it felt quite nice anyway) and there won't be any question about his
intentions if he goes one tiny bit further than that.
The way to the car park led past a chalet extension of ground
floor hotel rooms. As they passed each one, she fully expected him to make the
proposition that would draw the line under her report.
They rounded the corner at the end of the chalets and through the
clear glass door she could see a small private pool with a summer house at the
end bathed in sunshine.
Alex's voice was soft and suddenly his lips were nibbling her left
ear lobe sending shivers down her spine:
"We've got no swimming costumes - but if you like it's ours for the afternoon.
Fancy a swim?
The report was written. There was now no question about his
intentions. A feeling of completeness at a job well done rose up inside her.
The line was drawn.
She turned to face him with her unequivocal reply.
"Only if you absolutely promise we're going to share a changing
room!"
......... Several days later she completed her report slowly and carefully
in long hand on lavender colored paper. Then bathing in the warm glow of her
memories, she rewrote it once again - to get it just right.
Now, all too soon, the reply from her fellow temptress lay on the
kitchen table. She'd got dressed, tidied her hair, dusted half the house and
still couldn't find the courage to open it.
What if John her husband had risen to the bait? How could she come
to terms with his infidelity. How would she be able to cope with the rejection?
What's more, their relationship had been so good over the last few
days. That long lazy afternoon of swimming and sunbathing had left Alice
tingling. Not a moment had gone by since without her secretly savoring again
those long blissful moments spent in the summerhouse.
In desperation, she'd turned to her husband not only to assuage
her guilt, but also to satisfy her reawakened desire.
To her surprised delight, John had responded with the vigor of a
man half his age. He had reveled in her ardor and had even come up with new
ways of pleasing her that they had never before experienced together.
Could all this be destroyed by the contents of that letter? She
didn't know. But the bull had to be taken by its horns. Drawing a deep breath,
she sat down at the kitchen table, drew the chair in tidily and slit open the
brown envelope. With a trembling hand, she slid out the single sheet of hand
written rose tinted paper.
'John is a delightful man, you are very fortunate - nothing to report!
It echoed exactly the words she had written.
The End
© Rob Hopcott 1999 - 2000, all rights reserved. All characters are fictitious in this story and no reference is intended to any person living or otherwise.
Now read 'Holiday to Murder' by Rob Hopcott - in which Alice sets out to write a wrong and, in her quest, reveals very hidden talents.
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