Chapter 5

"Hi Penny."

"Hey, Andrew, you're looking a lot better. The break was obviously good for you."

"It was. In fact, I need to book some more time in the New Year; another couple of weeks."

"Shouldn't be a problem. What are you thinking of doing?"

"Nothing much. Get married, start a family, look for a larger house."

"Okay, let me ... WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

I couldn't suppress a grin. "Oh, I'll be getting married to a young woman I met while I was away."

It's not often I get to render my boss speechless; I enjoyed it a lot.

"That's ... rather quick."

"I'll say. I proposed less than a week after we met." I could see the worry in her expression. "I'm sure, Penny. I've never felt the same way before, ever. A couple of times I got as far as proposing and both times the girl ran a mile. Bella is ... unlike ... any girlfriend I've had before."

"What's she like?"

"Quiet, gentle, caring; intelligent."

"You don't say what she looks like..."

"Because it doesn't matter."

"You have got it bad, Andy."

I smiled again; "I'd say I'd got it good, actually. Had I not better get to work?"

"Yes ... I've got a new project for you; the files are on your desk. But later, I want to meet this paragon, Andy. And, Andy, if I'd known you were in the market, I might have made a play for you myself."

"I didn't know myself, Penny. Let me get on. Oh, and I'm planning on meeting Bella for lunch at Tony's. Come along if you really want to meet her."

Antonio's is described as a Pizzeria, but that really doesn't do it justice. He does fettuccine to die for (possibly literally in view of the fat content). I'm no authority on Italian food, but ... it's a good place to get a good, economical lunch, or a very good leisurely evening meal.

Bella was there when we arrived. She'd obviously impressed Tony because she had a glass of wine in front of her; Tony only does that for very good customers and people he likes. He appeared, as we sat down, with the bottle.

"Just a little for us, Tony, we've got to work this afternoon," I smiled.

"Welcome, Signora e Signore! It is good to welcome you back. The Signorina said she was waiting for you. Will you order? Or perhaps sample the Piatto del giorno?"

I glanced round my companions.

"Yes, Tony, we'll go for the Piatto del giorno, please."

I don't speak Italian, but for a few words, so I can't tell you what it was called; I'd have guessed it was spaghetti bolognese, but it wasn't, and the taste was out of this world. Bella impressed us both by conversing with Tony in rapid Italian together with a great deal of gesticulation.

"What was that about?"

"I was just trying to get the recipe," she grinned, "Tony wasn't having any."

When Penny and I had to return to work, I kissed Bella, told her to take care and said I'd be home a little after six all being well. I then walked back with Penny, who seemed to approve of my fiancée.

"She's lovely, Andy, though if I may say so, not your usual style – and a little young?"

"That worried me, but she says it's not an issue. It's too late for me now, anyway; I love her."

"I've been thinking, Andy ... you could work from home, you know."

I looked at her, "Really?"

"You're too valuable to me to lose, Andy, and too valuable to burn out; which is why I sent you off. I hope your Bella will keep you sensible. She deserves your attention, Andy."

"And I fully intend to give it."

"No more than forty hours a week, Andy, whether here or at home."

"Got it."

Of course I had an incentive to obey Penny's injunction; I walked through the door of my flat a few minutes after six that evening to the smell of freshly baked bread and Bella in a tight t-shirt and snug jeans. She immediately moulded herself against me before pulling my head down for a kiss. She dragged me by my hand into the kitchen/diner where the table was loaded with home-made bread rolls, butter, cheese and salad things. She switched on the kettle, which had clearly boiled not long before, so she was able to make tea almost straight away.

She let me get well into my tea before speaking.

"I signed up with an agency this aftenoon."

I didn't quite get the significance right away.

"Oh?" I said, vaguely.

"I need to get back to work," she went on, "partly because I don't want to sit around doing nothing, and partly so I don't lose my licence to practice."

That penetrated; I didn't much like the idea. "You don't need to work," I said, "I'm well enough paid I can support both of us."

"That's as maybe," she replied, "I don't have it in me to be a kept woman."

"That's ... a pejorative expression," I said. "I was looking forward to having you around."

"And I will be," she tried to reassure me, "but ... I need something meaningful to do. I've only agreed to three shifts a week."

"They could be evenings or nights, though?" I was still not happy. Our eyes met. I thought about Bella's importance to me ... part of that was who and what she was; part of who she was ... was 'nurse'. She was biting her lip and looking unhappy. I reached over and took her hand. "Sweetheart ... I'm sorry. I'm being selfish, wanting you around when I'm not working. In fact, Penny wants me to start working from home most of the time, so I'll be here a lot, and I was hoping you'd be around. But ... I can see it's important to you so, okay."

She squeezed my hand. "I didn't realise it would make you unhappy," she said.

"It's not such a big deal."

"Hmmm..." she cocked her head to one side, still looking at me. "I'm not so sure," she mused. "But I'm clear from New Year's Eve to our wedding, and two weeks after, and if I get pregnant I promise to stop working by the sixth month at the latest."

"Thank you, darling. The important thing is ... you love me."

"Completely. And to show you how much, go take a shower and meet me in the bedroom."

I have never patronised massage parlours. That's not a boast or anything, just a fact. One or two of my girlfriends have tried their hands at massage, but this was something else. Naked from my shower, she had me lay on my face on the bed; equally naked, she straddled my legs and used scented oil – sandalwood in sweet almond oil – to smooth away tension I hadn't been aware of having until I was as limp as a wet dish-rag. When she told me to roll over, she shuffled up until her labia were pressing against my rapidly hardening penis, her stroking hands no longer relaxing me, rather tantalising. When I tried to move, she stopped, placed a finger on my lips.

"Just relax and leave this to me. I want to do this for you."

One part of me was a long way from being relaxed. She shifted and lowered herself onto my erection, but otherwise just kept stroking. Except ... her internal muscles were doing something. I groaned.

"You like that, huh?" She moved on me, took my hands and placed them on her breasts. "I've been doing some research," she said, rocking and circling her hips.

I wasn't really capable of a coherent response by that point ... In fact, what she was doing got me right on the brink and kept me there until she climaxed which triggered mine.

She collapsed onto me; I held her in my arms and whispered in her ear.

"Wonderful, darling. Thank you."

Thinking about what I've written, it sounds as though Bella was doing all the work in our relationship. She certainly took the initiative or we'd never have got together, but I've emphasised my fortune. For the rest, I'll just say she tastes as good as she looks.

I was never happy with her working. I was particularly unhappy about working night shifts in Accident and Emergency ... but that was her forte, her experience and training. Major holidays are particularly rough in Casualty and Christmas Eve is no exception. Bella had what should have been a straightforward procedure, sewing up a nasty gash in the arm of a drunk. He was okay about it, though apparently he made a continuous series of suggestive comments. It was his partner who was the problem; she was high as a kite and not happy about him flirting with Bella.