Chapter 39

The world was quiet as Lauren woke, surveying the darkened room before slipping quietly out of bed. Naked, she sat on the toilet in her bathroom and wondered what she would do that day. Too many of her days took the same form: Breakfast, swim, shower, get dressed. Take Emma, maybe Jamie down to Boquette, buy something they don't really need. Maybe visit the supermarket. Maybe have lunch in the square. Back home for a snooze, swim, tea, watch the news.

Lauren found her bikini bottoms, pulled them on along with a short T-Shirt and wandered into the kitchen. She had a feeling, after glances between the cleaning staff the day before, that they wouldn't be coming that day. Or any day in the near future. She scratched, annoyed with the stickiness of her T-Shirt, the heat that had already built up in the kitchen, and the need to swim. It was seven-thirty. Even if the cleaners did arrive, there were not due for at least an hour. She tidied up quickly, finding two letters that had been neatly placed on the worktop beside the oven, both addressed to her. One was obviously from her mother - no knickers or cardigans this time - and the other appeared to be from the bank. Lauren took her coffee and letters out onto the patio and sat on the lounger, watching the still water, the birds pecking around the small rock borders and the bright flowers in the garden that led to the stables.

Her mother's letter talked again about the problem of her schoolfriends, and Lauren knew, reading between the lines, that her mother was unhappy. Still defending her and her decisions but clearly bearing some of the brunt of local gossip. Contained, in 'Gisal family code' were her concerns about Lauren and her ability to look after the children properly. Lauren stopped reading, a lump in her throat. She wondered if Nikki had said something when she had returned, whether she let slip about the screams of delight that she had heard that night. Lauren thought it was very unlikely, continuing to read, imagining her mother, crouched over the dining room table at home, writing, shaking her head, tut-tutting as she related the news.

Lauren brushed a tear from her eyes, sniffing loudly as she dropped the letter to the ground. Part of her wanted to call her mother right away, shout and scream about the unfairness of it all. The other part wondered why she had to do anything. She was over eighteen, an adult, making her own choices in life. The incidents with Emma were not her fault, she had been pressured into them. Her reasoning continued as she re-read the letter, her mind finding myriad excuses for her excesses, her pleasures. She had been teaching them, dammit! They had fun. It was Emma that came into her room that night, anyway, who slipped into her bed. What was she supposed to do? Her anger boiled inside her. She threw the letter into the air and grabbed the other, ripping it open so that she had to piece the contents back together. It is debatable which letter stunned her the most.

The bank statement showed the account that had been set up for the house management by Elizabeth. There was a balance on the account of the equivalent of two hundred thousand Swiss francs - about a hundred and forty thousand US dollars. The previous balance had been only three hundred dollars. She saw that the account had been credited only three or four days ago by post. She carefully put the statement back in the envelope and lay back on the lounger, wondering what she was meant to do with all the money, and how much trouble was brewing that needed that sort of some to help them survive.

Romantic notions faded after several minutes, and she concluded she would wait for Elizabeth to talk to her. Standing up, she pulled off the T-Shirt and dropped it on the lounger. She walked across to the pool and dipped a toe in the water, judging it to be perfect. She glanced around, saw nobody, and slipped her bikini off before carefully descending the steps into the shallow end of the pool. The water lapped at her legs, then up around her thighs, finally finding her pussy as she pushed off from the last step and swam cautiously to the edge.

Slowly, the household stirred, ambling into life. No school, no private tutor. No duties, no responsibilities except the children. Perhaps they needed a war, just a small one, to unite them in purpose. Lunch and pool followed breakfast and pool. A siesta in the lounge followed lunch and their daily dose of national news.

The phone startled Lauren and she was delighted to learn that Felix had decided to leave work early and would be with her in less than ten minutes. She thought briefly about running to her bedroom to change from her bikini but thought better of it and wandered out to make sure there were enough chairs by the patio. Emma made no attempt to cover herself and continued to lay on her stomach reading. Lauren knew that a few weeks earlier she would have insisted that Emma wear her bikini top, but now Lauren had no energy to insist on petty rules and regulations, and, she thought, it was debatable whether Emma would take much notice anyway.

Lauren looked at her, the slender form of the young girl stretched out at the mercy of the sun. She was engrossed in her book, unaware that Lauren followed the tanned line of her neck, down over her shoulders and round her small breasts. A tremor ran through her as she recalled their firmness and the delight she had experienced as she took the nipples in her mouth. Lauren pressed herself harder against the lounger, rubbing the thin cloth of her bikini against her pussy.

True to his word, Felix arrived moments later, smiling at both girls before kneeling between them. He kissed Lauren, pulling her towards him as his hands ran over her buttocks. She turned onto her side, pleased that he took the opportunity to press the tanned mound of her breast with his hand as he again kissed her. Emma watched intently, missing nothing as they held each other close.

"Let's grab a cold drink, eh?" suggested Lauren as she swung off the seat. They walked together into the kitchen and Felix pulled two lemonades from the fridge while Lauren dried glasses at the sink. He shuffled up behind her and pulled her back against him. Lauren shrieked loudly as she felt something rock hard digging into her back.

"Jeeze, what's down there?" she said, smiling into his eyes at her forwardness.

"You'll have to find out!"

Lauren ran her hand over the front of his trousers and felt the rigidity of whatever was down there. "Is that you?" she asked, wide-eyed.

Felix shook his head. "Nope, but it is for you. Take a look!"

Lauren looked quickly towards the kitchen door, and satisfied that Emma was still on the patio, unzipped him. Whatever was there was inside his underpants. She flicked the button to his trousers and reached inside. She knew instantly what it was.

"What do you need one of those for?" she asked.

"For you!"

"Why me?"

"Remember what was so painful?" Lauren did indeed recall. "This'll help" he said. He pulled it from his underpants and pushed it gently down her bikini bottoms, laughing as he pinged the elastic waist back in place.

"What's all the laughter?" said Emma. Lauren shot a glance over Felix's shoulder. Emma stood framed in the doorway, a cream coloured silk sarong tied around her waist, a towel hung round her neck, just hiding her breasts. The afternoon light showed the shape of her parted legs and mound. Lauren knew if she had been alone she would have had the towel off before you could say 'bedtime, young lady'. Felix turned to soak up the view as well, affording Emma a view of his unbuttoned trousers.

"Felix!" she hissed, looking back at her open-mouthed boyfriend. "Come on, my room!" Lauren maneuvered him so that her bikini and his trousers gave away as little as possible, then sidled out of the kitchen.

As she walked towards her room she realised that he was absolutely right. She did want to try it again, to find out if she was somehow physically incapable of having anal sex, or if she could, whether she enjoyed it. Slowly, the thought dawned on her that he had possibly taken time off work just so that they could experiment. She closed the door behind them and tugged his shirt with her free hand, pulling him back towards her. She kissed him lightly on the mouth as she felt him swaying closer, his groin hard against her bikini.