Misspent Youth

32. SECOND TIME AROUND

WHEN THE BRUSSELS TREASURY began to pour its torrent of taxeuros into subsidizing the European train network, England was lucky that most of its old decommissioned lines could be revived without too much effort. Nearly all the old bridges had been knocked down, development projects had spilled across the abandoned stations and marshaling yards, and trees had grown up to clot the embankments out in the countryside. But the cost of resurrecting the old lines was insignificant in comparison to that of establishing a whole new network. Local trains were able to reestablish their prominence quickly in comparison to other countries.

Annabelle had been about five when they reopened Uppingham’s station, not that she remembered the ceremony. It wasn’t quite in the same place as the old one; the town had grown over the original site, pushing the new platforms out toward Bisbrooke. But the last century’s embankments had been renovated and reinforced, taking the new electric induction rails along the same route. They meandered along the lush newly forested valley between Glaston and Seaton before linking up with the main regional track that led directly into Stamford.

The modern two-carriage train whisked Annabelle from Uppingham to Stamford in just under fifteen minutes. She walked from the busy little Victorian station to the George Hotel, not five hundred meters away. Inside, a couple of Jeff’s Europol protection team were sitting in the wood-paneled lobby. Both of them had been in the BMW after the ball, following her and Jeff back to Uppingham. And now here they were again, watching politely as she went up the stairs. They know exactly what I’m here for, what I’m about to do. Their watching eyes had the odd effect of heightening her expectations.

Jeff had booked himself a suite overlooking the long courtyard at the rear of the hotel. In centuries past it had been an enclosure of stables for the coach horses. Now the remnants of middle England sat under its leafy vines to have their afternoon tea served by waitresses in black uniforms with white aprons.

When the door closed she gave him a huge smile. He’d done it, he’d asked to see her again. She was that desirable.

“You came,” he said, sounding surprised and elated at the same time.

“Yes.”

“I wasn’t sure you would.”

“I didn’t believe you’d ask me.”

He closed the distance with three quick steps, and put his arms around her. “Believe.”

Annabelle rested her head on his shoulder, nesting dreamily in his embrace. She fitted there perfectly. Belonged there. “We were bad, weren’t we?” she said huskily.

“So much. Did you like it?”

She tipped her head back so she could see his face. His lips were raised in a knowing smirk.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” She grinned.

“Yeah.” He slid a hand up to the back of her head, and held her immobile as he kissed her. She clutched at him, returning the kiss with an intensity that easily matched his. When they broke apart he growled: “This is going to be good.”

“It better be.”

“There’s something I want.”

“What?”

“A treat.”

Just for a moment her bravado faltered. “What sort of treat?”

He picked a long rectangular cardboard box off the bed; it was tied with a wide red silk ribbon. Standing behind her he pressed one hand against her stomach as he brought the box around in front of her. His tongue licked at the side of her neck. “Take this into the bathroom, and put it on.”

She tugged at the bow on top of the box.

“No,” he said. “In there.” He indicated the open door to the bathroom.

Annabelle gave a casual shrug, and sauntered into the bathroom. Once she’d closed the door, she scrabbled eagerly at the box. In among the folds of thin tissue paper was a white silk negligée. She picked it up by the gossamer shoulder straps and held it high, a slow smile building on her face. It was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. And she’d accessed enough exclusive store sites to guess what kind of price range it came from.

When she came back out of the bathroom, wearing the negligée—just—the inner blinds had been closed, leaving the room cloaked in a strong diffuse haze of gold sunlight. Jeff was standing by the big four-poster bed without a stitch of clothing on. She deliberately allowed her gaze to linger, enjoying his physique, the broad shoulders, flat belly, long lines of hard muscle, nice firm bum. His cock was already half erect, and still stiffening, which gave her a tingle of pride. And that was just from looking at her.

But then, as the luxurious silk revealed to him, her own body was equally aroused. The tip of her tongue emerged to moisten her lips.

“I am desperate to see you naked in the light,” Jeff said. He stroked her shoulder, fingers tracing the negligée’s strap down to her breast. “And I will. Eventually.”

ANNABELLE FLOPPED BACK ON THE BED as he finally rolled off. Her arms and legs were flung wide, but she was heedless of how that appeared. It was too much effort to move them right now, and besides, he was the only one looking. She wanted that.

Looking was something that simply didn’t happen with Derek. In his digs she’d taken off her clothes and they’d got on with it. She hadn’t known that it could possibly take so long to be stripped out of a garment so tiny, nor that the experience could be so incredibly sensual for her. Then her body was forced to surrender its secrets for him to exploit. He’d laughed delightedly as she squirmed and squealed in reaction to a dangerously proficient caress. And all the time his praise and admiration for how magnificent she was rang through her brain, clever words that made her so hot.

By the time he finally worked her to an orgasm she wasn’t even rational anymore.

Trading up? You better believe it.

She glanced down at herself, experiencing a sultry pride at how wanton she looked. “That was me,” she said out loud. “I did that.”

“You certainly did.” He was lying on his side, skin beaded with sweat. The greed was still burning bright in his eyes.

“This is a cliché, innocent young girl being taught the facts of life by older man.”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to call you innocent.”

Annabelle laughed, stroking her hands and feet across the sheet. “Not anymore. I’ve never felt so…free. I can be as bad as I want, and it doesn’t matter. Bad isn’t even bad anymore, it’s just what I enjoy.”

“Damn, you’re so beautiful. And exciting.”

“I excite you?”

“Yes.”

She smiled that sultry smile again. “What next?”

“Give me a minute, I’ll show you.”

“I mean, after today?”

“After today there’s tomorrow, and then another tomorrow after that. I’ve got this suite for a fortnight.”

“I even get turned on by that part of it. This is an illicit affair. Sneaking around behind Tim’s back.”

“You know why we have to do that.”

She sobered. “Yes. It’s strange, he’ll never know how much we care about him. That’s sad in a way. I feel quite virtuous protecting him from the truth.”

“He’s pretty upset over your bust-up.”

“He’ll get over me and find someone else. Look at me, I did.”

“You got a sister he could date?”

“No!”

He laughed at her indignation, then reached for her again.

THIS TIME WHEN THEY WERE SPENT her limbs had an actual physical ache, deeper than any gym session had ever given her.

“Martina Lewis was right,” she said. “They really did rejuvenate every part of you.”

Jeff was flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah, I’m well worth several trillion euros.”

“Smug pig.” She slapped him playfully, then rolled onto her side to look at him. “Were you like this before? When you were young, I mean?”

“I dunno. I remember I did get laid quite a lot at university. I was lucky, that was the late seventies, just before AIDS broke out.”

“The seventies,” she said in wonder. “You have to deep mine a database to get that far back. It’s history, like the World Wars and airships and knights and kings. I know you had CDs; were there computers then as well?”

“Other way round, actually. CDs came in during the nineties. Computers were just starting to get smaller in the seventies. But thanks for making me feel old.”

“You’re not old. You just have a lot of memories. That’s good.”

“You think so?”

She stroked his chest, fingers tracing the lines of muscle. “Yes,” she murmured. “When I do think about your age and the difference between us, it’s kinky. I like that.”

“God, there was never anybody like you in the seventies. Maybe that’s why I was really chosen for rejuvenation, so I could meet you.”

“We were destined to meet!”

“Yeah.”

“Jeff?” she asked shyly. “Can I be the one leading this time? There are things I’d like to do to try and please you.” Derek had shown her techniques to gratify a male body that she was curious about trying with Jeff, who didn’t seem to have a single inhibition. Although it wasn’t so much what you did, but the way you did it that made them so euphoric. Things that she’d never considered doing with poor old bashful, uncertain Tim; he would never have been able to cope with knowing what his girlfriend had got up to previously. Another reason why that had been a big mistake from day one. And why this was so right. “They’d be bad things.” Her tongue licked down the edge of his ear. “I would have to be naughty…really naughty to do them to you. Would you mind that?”

“Oh Jesus.” Jeff sounded as if he was in pain.

He didn’t see her little grin of victory as she slowly climbed on top of him.