Chapter 3: Both Hands On Both Cheeks

‘That will help you relax even more. But remember you do nothing in here unless you are happy with it. If you don’t feel ready to do that just yet, you can just turn over as you are. I’m just going to pop to the bathroom whilst you decide.’

When he returned a couple of minutes later, Mavis was lying on her front, her blouse on the arm of the settee down by her feet. She had a blue bra on. As he sat at her side, Lewis told her, ‘To be able to do that after what you suffered is not only a lovely compliment to me, but a good sign that you are getting over your attack.’

He massaged the top of her head and soon she said. ‘Go.’ As Lewis moved down onto her bare shoulders she cried out in delight. ‘Oh, that feels so nice.’ she told him. Then she started to tell him. ‘After the attack, nearly two years ago now, I had nightmares nearly every night.’

‘When you contacted me to tell me Potter and Cedric had been locked up, I was so tempted to come and see you then. But in the end, I decided there was no need. The nightmares had reduced to a couple a week and although I felt sure that I wouldn’t be able to stand any close contact in future, that didn’t seem to matter, as it seemed so unlikely to arise anyway.’

As Lewis’s hands reached her waist. she felt disappointed he’d no longer be on the skin. But as he massaged her cheeks, she found that she was now really enjoying his touch. She continued her story. ‘But a month ago a new man was taken on at work.’

‘He’s a year younger than me, not very tall and a little overweight. He’s very quiet and when I saw him eating alone in the canteen, I felt sorry for him and went and sat with him. Truth be told I was feeling lonely too.’

‘We chatted over our lunch and seemed to get on well. Over the next few weeks, we lunched together several times. We were slow starting, but once we got to know each other better, we told each other more about ourselves.’

‘Tim was living in a flat, having lost both his parents several years ago. He told me he didn’t go out much because he always felt strange on his own. When he discovered I’d been married and lost my husband, he was very sympathetic.’

‘Then the next time we sat together, he asked me if I got lonely being on my own. I told him, ‘Yes.’ Then I added, ‘It’s great at work, but evenings and weekends I really feel it.’ ‘I know how you feel,’ he told me, ‘But I’m even worse, I haven’t made any new friends here yet.’

‘Yes, you have.’ I told him. Then when he looked surprised, I told him, ‘I’m your friend now aren’t I?’ ‘Really,’ he said his face lighting up, ‘Oh wow that’s lovely, thank you.’ ‘Have you always been so quiet and shy?’ I asked him.’

Lewis had returned up her legs and was massaging over her cheeks again. As Mavis enjoyed it, her excitement was building at the thought of his hands returning to the bare skin of her back. Then as his hands touched, she cried out, ‘Oh, that feels lovely.’

She struggled to continue. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘Life was hell at school, I was always getting picked on.’ Over the next few days, we talked a lot more. I discovered he liked walking, reading, D-I-Y and his music tastes were very similar to mine.’

As Lewis reached her head, he took his hands away and told her to turn over. As she turned without thinking, Mavis thought of Lewis seeing her bare front in just her bra. She didn’t stop turning, thinking to herself, ‘I wouldn’t look any different if I was on the beach.’

As she relaxed on her back, clearly at ease, Lewis told her he would now go down her front whilst she continued her story. ‘When I reach your waist,’ he told her, ‘I’ll take hold of the top of your jeans and pause briefly. If you say ‘Pass,’ I’ll carry on down.’

‘If you don’t say anything, I’ll undo them. That will release the pressure on your stomach and help you relax even more. It will also enable me to offer you some additional relaxing options when I go down your back next time. But remember it’s your choice.’

Lewis massaged the front of her head briefly until she said ‘Go’ then moved onto her bare shoulders as she resumed speaking. ‘On the Friday when we lunched together, I asked him what his plans where for the weekend.’ Mavis said.