Part 30
Monday morning dawned and once again it was
time to get up and face reality. I had
to admit while I used to consider Mondays more often than not a total downer
and it always had taken me a while to get into the swing of things that was now
a thing of the past. Now I greeted each
day with enthusiasm and relished in the thoughts of what it would have in store
for me. I was well aware of the fact it
had everything to do with the woman that I now woke up beside each morning. On
those rare occasions that I woke up before she did I loved to watch her still
caught up in her dream world. Her eyes
closed peacefully, her nose crinkled and sometimes wiggling like a bunny, and
her lips often pursed into a mysterious little smile that just beckoned to
me. I’d often want to trace those lips
with my finger tip or kiss them softly and while the urge was great, I didn’t
want to risk waking her from her slumber.
I often thought if I could ever learn the
art of nipping out of bed stealthily enough so as not to not awaken her I’d
love to grab my sketch pad and capture her just as she was laying there. Not that I had sketched anything for some
time now but there was something about her that was rekindling my creative energies
and passions with in me. It was a great
feeling to have that spirit of creativity ignited once more and I could think
of no better subject than my beloved Lorelei to set it ablaze. If she did
awaken to find me sketching her I could hear in my head the protests and
arguments she’d initially give me. Liam
what on earth are you doing? I look a
total fright, besides that more importantly you shouldn’t be wasting your time
and talents on me as your subject.” I
was certain the list would go on from there as well, and she would consider her
protests to be both genuine and valid.
She wasn’t the sort of woman that had a
false sense of modesty and wanted to be cajoled and showered with compliments
in order for her to give in to something either. Despite her air of confidence and the inner
strength I knew she possessed, there was a vulnerable little girl side to her
as well. She didn’t expose it often but
I had discovered her Achilles heel as it were on our first date, and had it
confirmed when I took the time to really read the journal she had kept about
her thoughts and feelings. For the life
of me I could not fathom how this woman had ever or could ever think she wasn’t
worthy of me, that how had she put it, that I was out of her league? “I’ll
give you a penny for your thoughts, Liam.” Her soft voice greeted me. I’d been so lost in my own thoughts I hadn’t
even been aware of the fact that she was now fully awake and gazing at me
intently. “What’s on your mind darling? You were certainly immersed in your
thoughts whatever they might be.” She added.
She snuggled into me and caressed my chest with her hand as she
continued to look into my eyes while she waited patiently for a response.
“I’m thinking about what is always first
and foremost on my mind my darling.” I told her as I kissed her affectionately
on the tip of her upturned nose. “That
must be your subtle way of telling me that you’re famished and need a hearty
breakfast.” She returned as she gave me a quick kiss and began to pull back the
covers so she could climb out of bed and start her day the way she always did taking
care of me.“Not so fast.” I said as I wrapped her in a warm embrace and kissed
her lips softly. “Now that you mentioned
it I am hungry.” “Now that comes as a surprise to me. Not.” She giggled back at
me. “What I was thinking about though is how beautiful you are and how much of
an inspiration you are to me. I’m
planning on taking up sketching again and I want you to be my subject.” Her
protests began quickly just as I had imagined they would.
“Hush
woman.” I gently said as I tried to quash them on her lips. “I wasn’t planning on starting right this
minute though I wouldn’t have a problem doing just that if we had the time but
right now neither of us has that luxury. It will ultimately have to be your choice, and
you can bet I’ll be hoping that you will.
Right now what I’m hoping for is a proper good morning kiss before we
start our day.” I wrapped my arms around
her, pulling her on top of me and our lips melted into a blissful good morning
greeting. Running my hands over the
glorious curves of her body as our kisses ignited causing a spontaneous
combustion of energy. “Now that’s more like it.” I murmured as I stroked her
hair and nibbled on her neck. “Would you behave yourself?” There was no real conviction in the way she
delivered her words, and the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips
betrayed her. “My dear, you would like nothing better than for me to ravish you
here and now.” I breathed hotly in her ears as my fingers toyed with her
nipples and tweaked them. There was no
reason for words, as her soft little moans as I manipulated her taut nubs were
the only answer I required from her.
The lovemaking that ensued left us both
with a wild rush of endorphins flowing through us. It also left us scrambling to grab breakfast,
and get her off to work on time. It had
all been well worth it though and neither of us was the least harried over
having to hustle a little now. While I made the bed, she did her thing in the
kitchen, whipping up yet another totally amazing breakfast for me to wolf down. We really were running behind schedule so I
shooed her off to start her shower while I tidied up the kitchen and made sure
that Barclay’s food and water dishes were topped up since I wasn’t going to be
around the house the better part of the day myself. As I joined her in the shower for just a quick
fix of canoodling with her, I told her I’d drop her off at work to ensure she
was on time. Then I’d head over to the
apartment take care of things over there.
We decided once we were ready to go that we’d take the bike, since I
didn’t have to bring anything back from the apartment with me. There was also the added bonus of having her
arms wrapped around me for the entire duration of the trip. It felt great having her moulded to me while
we navigated the streets to the bakery.
When we arrived, I parked the bike out front and walked her to the door,
where I gave her a bear hug and lingering kiss.
As I got back on the bike she turned and
blew me a kiss and a little finger wave with one hand as the other was wrapped
around her helmet. She then disappeared
through the door to start her day. I
waved at Mrs. Morelli who was bustling around the front of the bakery setting
up for the first customers of the day, she returned my greeting and with that I
was off. Mrs. Silverton was out in the front gardens when I pulled up and parked. She waved and greeted me warmly and we had a
nice little chat. I checked to see if
there was anything she needed done before I got started in the apartment but
she politely declined. She also informed
me that my friends had been in touch with her and they had dropped by so she
could show them the place. They’d fallen
in love with the place on the spot and were eager to move in. I was delighted of course and told her so, as
well as the fact that with my friends living there I was certain she’d be
seeing a fair bit of Lorelei two and she might even begin to wonder if we’d
moved out. This elicited a chuckle out of her. I bade her farewell and headed
up the stairs to get started.
First I took a walk around the apartment
checking out rooms and seeing what things I could disassemble. I also had a role of tape here at the
apartment so I could tape the doors and empty drawers in furniture shut to
avoid them swinging open or falling out while we carried them down the stairs
and loaded them. I’d also put any screws
or bolts from the things I took apart and place them in baggies, label them
with a magic marker and tape them inside the drawers as well so I’d no exactly
where they were when it came time to put them back together again at the
house. Over the years you learn to
simplify moving as much as humanly possible. The place looked entirely
differently to me now of course.
Bookshelves that now were devoid of books took on the appearance of gap
toothed grins, there were no more brightly coloured plants flowering and
blooming around the rooms. It was a far
more subdued atmosphere here now and that saddened me just a little to see this
way, as with Lorelei in it, it had always brimmed with such life and
energy. It would be filled with energy
and a life force once more when my friends moved in.
Working steadily with no distractions from
a certain woman that always wanted me to dance with her to a favourite tune,
try a new recipe for her or simply distract me by looking so desirable I was
able to accomplish a great many things.
I was nearly done when I heard a rapping at the door. “Hi. Mrs. Silverton.” I greeted her. “Come on
in. Is there something I can do for you?”
“Oh no dear, I’m fine thank you.
I just thought you might have worked up an appetite so I brought you up
a little something to tide you over.
I’ve been baking and it’s always such a comfort to have a little
something warm from the oven. I hope you
like milk as well.” I was touched by her
thoughtfulness and told her as much. She
declined my offer to come in and join me as she was heading off to meet one of
her grandchildren for lunch. “Just leave
the dishes on the table in the entry way when you leave Liam.” She reminded me
before toddling off.
“She’s such an old dear.” I thought as I
sat on the sofa munching warm cookies and drinking cold milk. We’d have to have her over to our place as a
guest in the very near future and try to return many of her kindnesses towards
both Lorelei and myself.Getting back to work after my delightful little snack
lost its appeal to me and I could have cheerfully stretched out on the sofa and
had a little siesta, but I did the responsible thing and got back to work. I
finished it “in jig time” as my Gran would say. After taking one final look
around the place to make sure that I hadn’t left any tasks undone that I could
manage on my own, I prepared to take my leave once I was satisfied. I picked up my dishes and balancing the now
empty glass on the plate locked the door behind me and headed down the flights
of stairs. I left the dishes on the
entry way table as requested and then slipped out of the silent house and
locking the door behind me.
It was a beautiful day
out and I was happy to be on the bike.
It was always such a rush for me to be out cruising on it and the
experience was even better for me now when I got to share it with a certain
lady I knew. I grinned as I thought of
her smiling face. Throughout my day no
matter how hectic it got or what I was doing my thoughts would often turn to
Lorelei, just as I was certain her thoughts would turn to me during her day. As
I cruised back to the house I reflected on just what a lucky guy I was to have,
her in my life. Her exuberant energy and
joy of life was contagious and you found yourself caught up in it and swept
along. She was never going to be one of
those people that sat on the sidelines and just watched life parade by
them. Nope not her, she’d be more likely
to be out there leading the whole parade, after organizing it to begin with. Even
coming home was better with her in my life I reflected as I opened the door and
Barclay bound out to greet me with a happy meow and flung himself into my
arms. “Hey there, big guy.” I said to
him as I gave him an affectionate cuddle and carried him into the living room
with me, after I slipped off my shoes. I
sat down on the sofa, to unwind for a bit and Barclay decided to take advantage
and get some attention while I did.
As I sat idly stroking Barclay, which he
rewarded me for with throaty purrs of contentment, I planned out the rest of my
day in my mind and how it would play out. I was really hoping to finish the
renovations in the basement this week which would more than likely entail
enlisting the services of my brother and brother in law as dry walling was
doable on your own but went a lot faster with a couple extra pairs of hands,
and the same went for installing ceiling tiles as well. Today though I knew I could easily work on
and finish the project I had in mind for my little furry friend Barclay. First though I was going to grab a quick
lunch. Barclay was more than happy to join me as I dined, and smacked his
little chops over the morsels of my lunch that I shared with him. He rubbed against my ankles as I tidied up in
the kitchen when we were done eating. I
rubbed my hands together in anticipation of my next project and got down to
business.
By the time I was done I had not one but
two rather elaborately designed kitty scratching post/play centres made. One was for indoors and the carpeting I had
attached to it still needed to dry. The
other was an outdoor model on the back deck which also was fenced in and had
its own entry through a kitty door I’d made for just that purpose through the
house. I was pretty impressed with them,
when all was said and done. Both had multiple tiers to them with landings on
them for napping or just surveying the lay of the land. There were also a couple of cubby spaces that
he could curl up in for either protection from the elements or covert
surveillance operations of birds and squirrels. The kitty version of a man cave I thought and
chuckled over it. I glanced at my watch and realized I had just enough time to
grab a quick shower and change clothes before I headed off to pick up Lorelei
from work. I was eager to be reunited with her again and I whistled a happy
little tune as I freshened up. It was such a beautiful day and she always had
such fun when we took the bike out, and besides she still had her helmet with
her so once again I chose to take the bike out.
I was already to go when Liam pulled up in
front of the bakery. It seemed like ages
since I’d last seen him and I spontaneously broke into a broad grin the moment
I lay eyes on him. More than anything I just wanted to feel his arms around
me. My wish came true as he greeted me
with open arms and I gladly lost myself in his embrace. “I missed you sweetheart.” He crooned in my
ear as he held me close. “I missed you
too.” I responded to him in kind. It was with light hearts that we sped
home. The noise of the engine and the
wind made talking virtually impossible with the exception of a couple quick
exchanges at stop lights and stop signs, but with my body pressed against
Liam’s nothing else mattered to me, because I was exactly where I wanted to be
with him. When we got home I was tickled pink when I discovered the new
entertainment centres for Barclay, who was perched on the uppermost tier of his
outdoor kitty condo taking advantage of the view and soaking up the late
afternoon sun in the great outdoors.
Liam and I grabbed a couple of glasses of iced tea and joined him out on
the deck.
It was great to just unwind and spend some
time together unwinding and hearing how his day had gone. I was utterly amazed that he had been able to
get so much done in one day, and he got a playful ml swat when he insinuated
that he’d been able to manage it because
I hadn’t been there trying to distract him with my womanly wilds. He also mentioned his plans to get his family
on board to help with the renovations in the basement so we’d have more
finished spaces to utilize when all my furniture arrived at the house. Not surprisingly he had everything under control.
We also talked about doing a grocery run later this evening so we’d be well
stocked for the food prep I’d be doing, and then just taking the rest of the
night and enjoying ourselves. Tomorrow
would be another day and we could dig our heels in and get back to business
then. So after a leisurely dinner
together we were off and running.
The next few days passed in a whirlwind of
activities for the two of us and each night we dropped into bed totally
exhausted but elated. One thing that
remained constant no matter how tired we got, was making time for each other
especially the intimate times. If it
hadn’t been for those releases of energies I’m not sure either one of us would
have survived the pace that we’d set for ourselves. There was a good deal of
good natured teasing that went on between us as well which helped to defuse any
potential frustrations that may have arisen otherwise with all that was going
on. I teased him about the splatters of
speckle on his face and he in turn would tease me about a smudges of flour on
my cheeks. It was great having other
people over as well, his brother and brother in law were pretty cool guys and
also shared our humour for the most part, other times they just rolled their
eyes, shrugged and said that the two us were perfect for each other. Liam also
got to know a couple of my friends as well, when Matt and Skye joined me in the
kitchen for a couple of nights as well to help with the food preparations. Everything
was going great and we were both eagerly anticipating Saturday morning.
Friday night we were both a bit concerned
that the forecasted rain for Saturday would put a bit of a damper on things,
but when we woke up on Saturday morning it was bright and sunny and not a rain
cloud to be seen. We were both up
earlier than we normally would have been because I wanted to get things ready
to take over to the apartment and also to make sure that we’d be there to let
people in. We’d checked in with people
the previous evening and thankfully nobody had had to bail on us, which meant
we should be finished the move in no time flat and we’d could all relax and
just hang out together and celebrate. Certain activities were pretty rushed but
none the less both of us enjoyed our little shower rendezvous. We were dressed and ready to go in record
time and had the car loaded with everything we should need for the move and to
give everyone ample snacks to keep them energized. The Morelli’s even though they couldn’t be
there to actively help us wanted to be a part of it and had graciously sent
several items to help us feed our moving crew.
We thankfully arrived before anyone else
did and Mrs. Silverton loaned us a couple of folding card tables to set
everything up on. Liam teased me about
the formality I set the table with, but years in the hospitality trade were a
hard habit to break and I had the need to make it look eye appealing. People
began arriving and some were more morning people than others, they were the
ones that headed directly for the coffee urn and began fortifying themselves
with steaming cups of hot java. The
assorted muffins and Danishes were also a pick hit with the crowd. Then it was time to roll up our sleeves and
get down to business. Liam organized
everyone and all of them trooped upstairs after him, but not before I gave him
a quick hug and kiss. With everyone else
occupied, Matt, Skye and I tided up coffee cups, and abandoned napkins.The
coffee urn was also refilled, platters of cookies and squares carefully covered
in plastic wrap were laid out on the table when they were ready to take a
coffee break.
The three of us were going to head back to
the house to finish off some things and set up for when they finished. We’d also give them a hand with the
unloading. We were taking Liam’s car
back to the house. Matt rode shot gun so
he had more room to stretch his legs and Skye too the back seat. I’m actually a
great driver but I’ve also a got a bit of a lead foot at times. When we reached the house, Matt couldn’t
restrain himself from asking if Liam knew he was planning on marrying a speed
demon.The three of us worked like a well-oiled machine. We planned on serving things buffet style and
would set everything up in the yard. We
set up the tables we’d borrowed and we’d covered the extra seating we’d need by
asking people to bring their lawn chairs with them. We tossed colourful checkered table clothes
over the tables and put the chafing dishes on them to hold them down in case of
any breezes
One of the great things about working in
hospitality for some many years was between the three of us we either already
owned our own things like chafing dishes or we had easy access to them and
could borrow them as the need arose. It
was great for keeping costs down when entertaining a crowd. Stacks of plates
and baskets with cutlery wrapped in napkins were placed where we wanted the
line for food service to begin. We had a
separate table for beverages and on that we placed metal buckets that we’d fill
with ice and fill with beer, wine coolers and the like a bit later. There would of course also be options like
iced tea, lemonade, sodas and bottled water as well for the kids and those that
didn’t care to have anything alcoholic. We also made sure we had dessert
plates, extra napkins and serving tongs and room for the platters on the
dessert table. Everything was coming
together and it totally looked amazing, we even had some potted plants to use
as décor and complete the casual look we were going for.
Checking the time I made a phone call to
Liam who informed us they were nearly done loading everything and should be
arriving at the house with in the next 45 minutes or so. Definitely time to kick things into high
gear, for Matt, Skye and I. The oven was preheated and waiting dishes were slid
into it to heat through. Platters were
arranged and garnished. Desserts were
set up on trays, buckets were filled with ice and bottles of beer and coolers
were buried in them so they’d be well chilled for our hungry crew of workers. I
heard the front door open and Liam’s voice ringing out “Honey I’m home. Better grab Barclay and sequester him in the
bedroom so he doesn’t accidently get stepped on or freak out and take off with
everyone roaming in and out.” I hunted
Barclay out and scooped him up, on my way to the bedroom I ran into Liam and we
exchanged a hurried kiss. “You two are
just the cutest things ever.” I heard someone call out, and I blushed crimson
for some reason.
With Barclay whisked away to safety the
madness began in earnest. Liam had had
the forethought to place labels with masking tape on various pieces of
furniture so that the process of where to put things was greatly
streamlined. Matt ensuring that Skye and
I were in good shape went to help cart the furniture and other belongings of
mine into the house. The timing was
impeccable as Skye and I got the last items ferried out to the table just as
people started coming out to the back deck. Liam came over and wrapped his arm
around me and pulled me close. He
cleared his throat. “If I could have
your attention for just one minute please ladies and gentleman, and in some
cases I use that term loosely guys.” He said which earned him a round of good
natured chuckles and guffaws from our friends. It was kind of ironic but in the short time I
had known these people I truly did consider them not just Liam’s friends but
ours. “Lorelei and I just want you all
to know how much we appreciate all of you giving up your day to help us out
like this. We really do appreciate it
more than mere words can express. So in
order to show just a little appreciate for all of you, Matt, Skye and Lorelei
have made us this amazing feast to enjoy.
So everyone please just help yourselves and grab a drink. Just make
yourselves at home.” There was a crest
of approvals in expressed in various manners and the party kicked into
gear. Plates were heaped with food,
bottles were popped open. I slipped
inside and put some music on in order to add to the festive atmosphere.
Liam slipped in quietly and put his arms
around me and nuzzled my neck. “You and
your friends are amazing pulling this meal off the way you did and all those
great snacks earlier. People were
totally blown away by all the effort you’ve put into taking care of everyone.”
He said. “It’s nothing really, just something I do is all.” I said turning
around to face him and wrap my arms around him, all the better to draw him into
a kiss. The kisses were warm and tender,
with just enough tongue action to keep them sensual and a bit naughty with so
many people around. “You must be
exhausted.” I said as I lovingly stroked his face and ran my fingers through
his hair. “Yeah I am, but it’s so
totally worth it to have you finally moved in, lock, stock and barrel. I could cheerfully just curl up with you in
my arms and take a nap, but right now we’ve got a backyard full of guests and
we’ve got to do the whole host with the most routine.” He gave me a tight little hug and another
kiss.
“I
agree. You must also be starving
yourself so let me get you a plate and a cold beer and get you settled while I
check on things. We’ll have a more
private celebration for two later when everyone else leaves.” I said as I gave
him a sly little wink and cupped my hand over a certain area in his jeans,
which responded with a twitch. “You’re a naughty girl, but I like the way you
think and I think I could find the energy to celebrate with you later.” He
grinned at me and gave me another kiss before we headed back to our guests. Everything
was in full swing as I got Liam and I plates and circulated amongst our
guests. Thanking them each personally
for all that they’d done and trying to ensure everyone was getting enough to
eat and drink. People seemed to be enjoying themselves and the laughter and
chatter had a cheerful little buzz to it.
All good things must come to an end though and finally people began to
gather up their lawn chairs, children and any other belongings they had with
them and make their way home. There where hugs and handshakes galore, as well
as chorus of thanks for the great meal, and promises to give us a great house
warming when we were finally settled in totally.
Matt
and Skye helped us carry everything back into the house and packed up the
things they’d brought along with them to make this whole thing a success. They offered to stay and help finish the
cleanup, but Liam and I shooed them off, thanking them profusely for their kind
offer. More than anything we just wanted
to relax and unwind together in our own home. All things considered it didn’t
take us that long to finish the job.
We’d freed Barclay from the bedroom and he was now outside on his kitty
perch chattering away like a mad man at some rather frisky squirrels that had
arrived in the yard. Liam and I just
collapsed on the sofa together. He
draped his arm over my shoulder. “Well
we did it, it took a lot of help but we did it.” He said surveying the boxes and furniture
that still needed to be sorted out. I
snuggled into him “Yes, we did. There’s
still a fair bit to do but right now I just don’t have the energy. Besides tomorrow is another day.” I added
cheerfully.
“The rest of today is just about us. I am ignoring all texts, phone calls, e-mails
and any other form of communication from anyone other than you.” “I’m happy to hear I made the short list.” I
teased him with a slight elbow to the ribs.
He just laughed and pulled me closer.
We sat nestled together far too tired to even talk and so we merely
revelled in the fact I was finally home to stay. Eventually I did find my
second wind and decided Liam needed a little extra tender loving care for all
of his efforts. “Where are you off to?”
he asked when I stood up. I think he was
more amazed that I had the energy to move than anything. I leaned over and
kissed him on the nose. “I’m going to
run you a hot bath to soak in to help you relax and unwind. Then if you’re up to it, I might just see my
way clear to joining you in it.” I
grinned at him. “Hmmmmmmmm a hot soak in
the top sounds wonderful, and I think I might find the need for the pleasure of
your company as well.” He said as his eyes shined at the prospect of the
company part.
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