On the final morning of our stay at The Hideaway, I awoke to find myself alone in bed. I could hear music playing and so, after a quick bathroom visit, I went downstairs. In the kitchen, naked as she had been virtually all the time we had been in the cottage, Janine was cooking breakfast: bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, sausages.
"Morning," I said, cheerfully. "You didn't tell me you did cooked breakfasts."
"I work in a hotel."
"...as a receptionist..."
"Who do you think cooks if the breakfast chef doesn't turn up?"
"Careful then. I could get used to this."
"Don't worry, after today you're going to start losing those few pounds we talked about."
"I see. Not content with cutting my hair like Samson, you now want me on starvation rations. I'll waste away... Delilah."
I did look younger though, with short hair and a neatly trimmed beard. I reached out to take Janine in my arms but she swatted me away.
"No interfering with the chef!" She flashed those green eyes at me. "Not until after breakfast anyway."
For the second time, or was it the third, I nearly said it. I love you, I thought, even though I know it is madness.
Breakfast was perfect. After we'd eaten, Janine opened the door to the garden and pulled me outside. We stood, naked in the sunshine, hidden from the world by the high, thick hedge and the surrounding trees.
"Here," she said, "Take me here. I love it so much, this amazing place where the world leaves us alone. I want to remember it always."
"We will come back."
"And every time we come here, I will ask you to make love to me in this garden."
"Nice enough idea on a sunny morning like this. What about in January?" I laughed, but she gave me a fierce look.
"Then you can lay me down naked in the snow." Janine dropped to her knees and sucked me to full hardness, then turned and knelt on the garden bench. My cock slipped into her easily, so ready was she. As I started to move she looked round at me. "More," she said, "Much more. I said take me." I took hold of her hips and began thrusting hard, then reached around and took hold of her little breasts, squeezing them in time with my thrusts. "Yes," she grunted. "Yes, like that." I kept up a steady rhythm for several minutes as she continued to vocalise, getting gradually louder, and then I felt her pussy clench around my cock. Now I was vocalising, and we both knew that I was about to come. "Yes," cried Janine, triumphantly. "Give it to me. Now. All of it."
So I did.
We stayed in position for four or five minutes, neither wanting to spoil the moment, and then Janine moved forward slightly and my softening cock slipped out of her. She turned and stood to embrace me, and there we stood for what seemed like forever, naked and entwined like some classical statue. Finally, we moved back into the cottage.
"What time do we have to leave?"
"Officially we have to be out at eleven, but I've stayed here many times and they aren't too precious about that." I looked at my watch -- it was only eight-forty-five. "Let's have another coffee and then we'll pack our stuff." I paused for effect. "Yours won't take long -- you only brought a couple of dresses and a pair of scissors." Janine returned my gaze with laughing eyes.
"Ok," she said. "No need for me to get dressed yet then."
"Absolutely not," I replied. "I'm in no rush for that."
I started the kettle.
The first phone call came at around nine-thirty. This was from a friend and former colleague at home, who had a key for my house. He confirmed that there was no damage or graffiti to be seen, and that he had let the estate agent in, as I had requested by text the previous day. The agent would be calling later, apparently. The news that my house was undamaged was a great relief. I had been worrying about that ever since my daughter had called, she having heard a rumour that I was having an affair with a schoolgirl. Just who had started this rumour was still a mystery, but I had my suspicions. A second call, from my literary agent, came about ten minutes later, bringing more welcome news, concerning the royalty income from my last book and the likely advance from the publishers of the next one. When the phone rang for the third time, I took the phone and a cup of coffee into the garden, to hear some very positive news from the estate agent.
Amid all the distractions, I packed my things, and we were ready to leave just after ten-thirty. Janine was still stubbornly naked, of course.
"Ok," I said, "l guess it's time. We might as well start for home."
Janine slipped a dress over her head and picked up her bag. We walked out to the car, and met an elderly couple at the gate. I say elderly, but all I could say for certain is that they looked a fair bit older than me. They introduced themselves as the owners of the cottage.
"We've come in response to your message," said the man, who had announced himself as Brian. "I was going to call you, but Mary said perhaps we should come and talk to you in person. We're so glad you're still here."
I drove home, once more attempting to focus on the road and not on my deliciously naked passenger. Nothing was said for about half an hour, until Janine broke the silence:
"So let me get this straight. You've just offered to buy that cottage, is that right?"
"I've just asked if they'll consider selling it to me, yes."
"What about your house?"
"I'd sell it."
"And live out here."
"Yes."
Silence, for three or four minutes at least, and then Janine spoken again.
"Ok, well... I love it out here, but it would be a fair way to come for just a few hours. We'd only see each other properly for a couple of days every other week."
"No, I said, "We wouldn't."
"You mean..." She was getting upset now. "...but I thought... you said you wouldn't leave me."
I stopped the car in a field gateway, and turned to face Janine. A tear was running down her cheek. Just one. I leant over and kissed it away.
"What I'm suggesting..." I said, taking her hand in mine, "...is that we both come and live out here. Together."
We continued the drive, eventually. There had been more tears, but they seemed to be tears of joy. Once the tears were over and done with, Janine asked about a hundred and one questions, mostly about things which I didn't yet know. We got closer to home.
