Chapter 13

Sunday morning was normal. They trooped off to church in Ripley and then Mark had an early snack lunch and left. His family all wished him luck in his new job and Serena gave him a passionate kiss in public which caused Elspeth to smile.

He arrived at Bulford Manor at about half past six and, having circled the house decided which door was the ADC's flat entrance. He knocked and the door was opened by a little man, no more than five foot six, with jet black hair, vivid blue eyes and a wide smile.

"Hello, Mark, I'm the Roddie you've been writing to," he said and shook his hand. "Where have you left your car?"

"Round the front, I'm afraid, while I did a recce."

"Tsk! Tsk! Bring it round here. We'll unload your kit and then you can put it in the garage over there."

Mark brought the car round. Roddie helped him with his suitcases and Mark garaged the car.

Mark took to Roddie immediately. He was friendly, amusing and nobody's fool. Roddie did however echo Mark's CO's words. "A lot of the job is fun," he said, " and you meet lots of interesting people, but you're in a privileged position and it can be lonely because you can't go to the Mess and whoop it up with the boys."

The handover was seamless. The two generals with the help of the secretary virtually did their own handover. The following Monday when they were in post, Anthony Collins called Mark into his office.

"So, Mark, how did your takeover go?"

"Brilliant!" replied Mark. "Roddie couldn't have been more helpful and gave me lots of useful tips."

"Good! I'm not going to bore you with the various problems I've been left with: money, manpower, overstretch and so on but I do need to meet the brigade commanders, commanding officers and independent commanders as soon as possible. I've met the brigade commanders this week but I need to spend more time with each of them individually. Would you arrange a programme for the next month so that I can do this?"

"Yes, Sir. Presumably you want to visit them, particularly so that you can see their units."

"Yes."

"What about slap-up lunches?"

"No!"

Mark smiled. "I thought you'd say that, Sir. I'll get on with it."

The visits went off well. Mark sat in on all of them and took notes for his general as he chose not to take a staff officer with him. Mark was fascinated with the discussions. They gave him a completely new outlook on soldiering: a far cry from being a lowly platoon commander.

In the meanwhile, the following weekend the general drove up to Yorkshire to collect Frances and Mark took the opportunity to go home too. On Saturday night Serena slipped into his room again but this time when she took her dressing gown off she was naked. She stood self-consciously before him.

"Beautiful," whispered Mark drinking in her curves, her proud breasts and her flawless skin, "truly beautiful. Turn round, Serena, my sweet."

She did so and Mark marvelled again at her curves, her tight bottom and well muscled legs. There was not an ounce of surplus fat on her but she certainly was not thin. She was a beautiful girl in peak physical condition.

"Come to me, you goddess," he said softly lifting the bedclothes. With a squeak of joy Serena leapt into bed beside him. He gathered her in his arms and gently and lovingly kissed her. Slowly their kiss grew in passion. When they broke Serena gazed at him with tears in her eyes. Mark kissed them away and then proceeded to kiss her face, her ears, which made her gasp and squirm, her neck and shoulders. As he did so he began to knead her left breast delicately and to caress it. Her nipple stiffened and grew. Mark took it between his lips and drew his tongue over it. She gasped again and her body tensed but rather than push him away her hand went behind his head to hold him in place. He took the nipple carefully in his teeth and lashed it with his tongue. Her back arched and she gave a strangled mew of ecstasy. He moved to her right breast and repeated the operation with the same results. In the meanwhile he stroked her flat stomach finally reaching her pubic hair. Again she stiffened momentarily. He moved his mouth to her navel and stroked her thigh with long, soft strokes using just the tips of his fingers. At length, when she was purring with pleasure he slipped his hands between her knees and started upwards. Her legs parted. At the first touch of her pubic hair he spread his fore and middle fingers drawing them up outside her outer lips. Serena breathed in sharply and then let it out again with a whoosh as he removed his hand, went back to her knee and started the process again. He repeated it several times before drawing his middle finger the length of her slit. At the top he gently massaged her clitoris through the folds. Serena gave another little mew, her body tensed and she came. Mark moved back up beside her and, took her in his arms again and caressed her back.