“Bloody hell! How could you forget that?”
“Me? You’re the one pouring champagne down my throat. For some reason you find amusement getting me drunk. La vache! I better not be up the duff. A baby would spoil everything.”
“Fucking right about that. What about that new pill that prevents pregnancy?”
“I’d be sick three to five days with heavy cramps. I read up on it awhile ago. I can’t be sick on our honeymoon and I won’t cancel. Mon dieu. What will I do?”
“We’ll get one of those kits in a week. If it’s positive we’ll figure it out then. Get some sleep, luv.”
Due to a restless night, I slept past ten. Keith was playing piano when I emerged.
“There’s the love of my life,” he said. “Can I scramble some eggs and baby shrimp for you?”
“Why did you say baby?” I said, flopping onto the sofa.
Keith sat next to me. “Don’t worry about last night, luv. We’ll just have to wait.”
“It’s not only that. I have to call my parents. I’m dreading their reaction.”
He gave me a squeeze. “I’ll fix breakfast. Then we’ll go tell Frank and Louisa.”
Keith left for the kitchen while I grabbed the phone. I wrapped myself tighter in my dressing gown, listening to the ominous rings.
My father answered. “Brigitte, darling. How’s my girl?”
I took a deep breath. “Your girl is splendid. Get Mama. I have exciting news.”
I heard him yell to my mother and within seconds she was on the phone. “What’s the big news?” she asked me.
“Keith and me got married yesterday. We eloped!”
“You did what?” both my parents yelled together.
“We married at the register office in West London.”
“You didn’t really. You wouldn’t betray us like that.” My mother sounded hysterical. I half expected that, but also had a glimmer of hope.
All my hopes were dashed when my father chimed in. “I thought we raised you to have enough sense to make better decisions.”
“You know, I shouldn’t have called. You knew we’d be married.”
“I guess we hoped you’d come to your senses.” I thought my mother over reacted. “Ever since you were a little girl I dreamed of fussing over you on your special day.”
“I wish you could be happy for me. I’ve finished two years at the academy and managed to earn money on my own. Please be happy for me.”
“I would love to be happy for you,” my father said. “But I feel you’ve made a grave mistake. I’m very disappointed.”
“Devastated comes closer to how I feel,” my mother added. “You’re our only child. I saved that pearl encrusted comb I wore in my hair when I married your father, and my mother wore for her wedding.”
“You both were against us. That’s why we eloped.”
“We were never against, you ma cherie,” my father said. “You are so young and still in school. I don’t feel Keith is good for you, but it doesn’t mean we are against you.”
“That’s not true. You tried everything to keep us apart. That’s what broke us up last summer. But now we’re stronger than ever. Don’t you want me to be happy?”
“I do not wish you to be unhappy,” my father continued. “But you made a grave mistake marrying this young man.”
I sighed. “If only you saw how happy we are.”
“He will break your heart. Mark my words,” my father claimed.
“Ever since you got involved with Keith you barely call or visit,” my mother said. “It seems like you have forgotten we exist.”
Again I wouldn’t let her make me feel guilty. “I promise I’ll come down soon. I must go. We’re off to tell Keith’s parents.” I ended my conversation and wandered into the kitchen
“Everything okay?” Keith asked.
I sighed. “I hope Frank and Louisa take the news better. I upset my mother. I didn’t mean to.”
“Frank and Louisa like you a lot and they’re much more open-minded.”
Before long, we were zipping to Bayswater. As we cruised past St. Matthews Church, I gazed at its ornate curved windows and steeples that reached for the clouds, and wondered what it would have been like if I chose a fancy wedding. I wasn’t sorry we eloped but felt sad over the reaction of my parents. Keith brought the Healey to a screeching halt in front of the house. Its bay windows and well-manicured garden always made it inviting. But this time I felt apprehensive venturing up to the large wooden door bearing a welcome plaque. I held my breath as we went inside. Keith could do the talking.
Frank was called to hospital on emergency. We had to tell Louisa alone.
Keith made her sit down. “We have news.” He grinned his naughty boy grin and put one arm around me. “You’re looking at my new bride.”
Louisa jaw plunged. “You don’t mean you two are . . .?”
“Married?” Keith interrupted. “That explains why she’s my bride.”
“When did this happen?”
“Yesterday,” I confessed.
She sat, stunned for a moment. “Do your parents know?” She looked at me.
“Yes, I called them this morning. They weren’t ecstatic, but they didn’t disown me –- not yet anyway.”
“I didn’t expect this so soon. Frank and I would have preferred you wait a year.”
“It was a whole ‘nother year,” I stressed. “We wanted to do it now and didn’t want a huge wedding in front of people we don’t know.”
“We had our two best friends as witnesses including your second born,” Keith said.
Louisa looked shocked. “Ryan? Ryan knew and said nothing?”
“Don’t be cross with him. I swore him to secrecy,” Keith defended.
“Besides, we wanted to tell you ourselves,” I added.
Louisa shook her head. “Wait until Frank hears about this. Wait until your parents hear.” She shot Keith a glance.
“I’m not telling them,” Keith said. “Are you still their informant?”
“I wouldn’t use that word, but, yes, your father still calls.”
“What have you told him?”
This was the first time I saw Keith mention his father without getting angry.
“I’ve only told him the band is doing well and that you and Brigitte are still together and she not only pulled you from the depths of despair, but got you to clean up your act.”
“That’s more than he deserves.”
“I wish you weren’t so bitter.”
The rest of the band staggered in and Keith joined them in the cellar.
“Well, marriage seems to agree with you, dear. I noticed a special glow about you when you came in.”
“I definitely made the right choice. I just wish my parents agreed.”
“You’re barely eighteen, darling. I’m sure they’re worried because you’re so young. Are you planning a honeymoon?”
“We want a night in Paris. I’ve saved money from selling postcards.”
Louisa smiled. “Things aren’t easy at first. Tell me, where are you staying in Paris?”
“Keith wants to surprise me, but he’s leaving information with Ryan in case of emergencies.”
We finally headed home, fixed a quick supper and packed a few things for our honeymoon before calling it an early night.
Keith woke me the next morning with several kisses. “Good morning, my beautiful bride. I’ll fix breakfast before we leave.”
I returned his affections and yawned. “What time is it?”
“Eight O’clock. Our train leaves at ten.”
“Let’s grab something on the way. I need more sleep.”
“Come on. You’ll feel better once you’ve eaten.”
I groaned. “I don’t know where you get your energy.”
He began tickling me.
“Okay, okay,” I laughed. “I need more kisses to wake up completely.”
He rolled half way onto me and we began kissing. “Are you awake yet?”
“I need a few more of those to be sure.” I ran my hands up the inside of his legs.
Keith returned the favor and stuck his hands up my negligee. “When we’re in Paris I’ll give you something sexy to wear.” He fondled my breasts. “This is like putting a Monet into a plastic frame.”
I giggled, impressed he’d paid enough attention to know who Monet was. I kissed him again and let my hands do more roaming. Before I knew it, we were peeling out of our clothes. “You have condoms, n’est pas?”
“I have one or two.”
One condom application and we were at it again. It was so intense I cried out. Sometimes it seemed we lived for making love, yet it was much more. We were soul mates.
Our undying passion left little time for anything but a quick shower. We bought breakfast on the go, making our train with seconds to spare.
Chapter Twenty-Two
We snuggled the whole way to Brighton. As we boarded the hovercraft, an elderly woman approached. “I’ve been watching you two and I’ve never seen anyone more in love.”
“We’re on our honeymoon.” Keith gave me a squeeze.
The woman’s face lit up as if a couple on their honeymoon was as rare as finding a pearl in an oyster. “For heaven’s sake. I might have guessed, you’re being so young.”
We went in a different direction. “You two have a long and wonderful life together,” she called after us.
“I think the whole world knows we’re in love,” I said.
The sun was shining and the sea was calm. The whole world smiled on us. We rushed to catch another train, finally arriving in Paris by late afternoon. The hotel was ritzier than I expected. It was old and the lobby had plush, red carpet with a faded floral pattern. It was very elegant, complete with a crystal chandelier hanging from a domed ceiling.
“I hope you didn’t break the bank on this place,” I commented.
Keith gave me a squeeze. “You’re on your honeymoon. Just enjoy yourself.”
We approached the front desk. Keith did all the talking. I was impressed with his attempt at speaking in French as I admired the decor. Dark, carved wood pillars and a grand staircase stood in the center. I turned my attention to the desk in time to hear, “The remaining balance is paid and you’ve been upgraded to two days in our honeymoon suite”
Keith looked surprised. “There must be some mistake. No one knows we’re here.”
“The balance was paid by Frank and Louisa Patterson.”
We looked at each other, astonished. “How did she know we were here?” I asked.
“Well, obviously she weaseled it from Ryan.”
“We are so lucky to have them,” I stated.
“I never denied that. They’re more a mum and dad to me than my biological parents.”
I grew more curious about his biological parents, but wouldn’t mention them on our honeymoon. Besides my own, Frank and Louisa were the parents every child should be blessed with.
A bellhop showed us our room, but before we entered, Keith swept me in his arms.
“What are you doing?” I laughed.
“I’m carrying you over the threshold.” He carried me in and set me on the floor.
I stood, gasping at the room’s splendor. A huge, dark wood canopy bed adorned the center, there was a plush red rug filling most the floor and red velvet drapes in the windows that were at least twice my height. I felt like royalty.
Keith wrapped his arms around me and we kissed. “What shall we do first?” he asked.
“Eat,” I said without hesitation
Keith grinned. “I’m actually a bit peckish myself. Shall we walk along the river and see what we fancy?”
“That sounds romantic.” I kissed him again.
We walked and walked, enjoying each other’s company without the stress of studies or concerts. We ate crepes at a small cafe’ and drank mimosas, before continuing on and settling into a bench overlooking the river. Keith played his guitar while I snuggled into him, watching the sun set and the city light up.
“Nowhere is more beautiful than Paris,” I said.
“The night’s still young,” Keith said. “Let’s see if there‘s any good bands playing.”
“I need to change into something more suitable then,” I said.
“Why is it you women have a different outfit for everything? You don’t see us blokes changing our clothes all the time.”
“It’s who we are,” I argued. “We’re multifaceted.”
We grabbed an entertainment paper on the way back to the hotel. Keith rattled off band names while I dug out my clothes. We settled on a band called Crise Cardiaque.
“Hurry up,” Keith said. “I finished one cigarette already.”
“Just a minute longer,” I said as I applied mascara.
With a final adjustment to my black fishnet stockings, I put on my beloved hot pink mini skirt and black ankle boots. That and a tight, black lace-up shirt completed my outfit.
We wandered about, looking for the club. Taking in Paris at night was mesmerizing. We passed a small café, which I noticed had an extensive dessert menu. “Oh, do let’s pop in,” I insisted. “I could murder a chocolate mousse.”
“I hope they have Guinness. You know I don’t like sweets.”
They had plenty of sweet choices, but no Guinness.
“You can have your precious Guinness at the club,” I said. Keith refused to order anything. I didn’t let him bring me down, and ordered my chocolate mousse with extra whipped cream.
An hour later, we found the club. Keith headed to the bar to order his beloved Guinness before we wormed our way towards the stage. The opening act just finished. Keith gulped his beer and lit another cigarette.
The band hit the stage and tore into their first song. They were pretty hard-core, very reminiscent of The Damned, and the lead singer was far from pretty. After the first set, however, I was bored. “Shall we ditch the last half and head back to our room?” I asked.
“I want to stick around awhile. These blokes are good. Besides, I need another beer.”
“You’ve had two already and I was hoping for more champagne.”
“One more won’t hurt.”
I now regretted coming to a club.
Suddenly all eyes turned to the balcony where some bloke was leaning over the railing with an inflatable doll. He performed lewd acts with it while everyone cheered him on. The band, not to be upstaged, invited him on stage and after a few moments, everyone on stage, including what appeared to be club staff, took turns performing lewd acts on the doll. It was disgusting. I turned to Keith to ask him again to leave, and noticed him laughing.
The lead singer yelled to the crowd, “Anyone else want to have a go?”
To my astonishment and disgust, Keith called out, “Aye, I’ll give it a go!”
“I’m leaving!” I raced from the club as fast as I could part throngs of sweaty bodies.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Keith caught me up. “Where the hell are you going?”
“To the hotel.”
“Why? We were having fun.”
“You certainly were and you should be ashamed.”
“Why? It was a laugh.
I turned and glared at him. “You know, there’s a side of you that comes out especially after you’ve been drinking, that I don’t like.” I kept walking.
Keith walked with me. “We were just having a laugh. What’s the big deal?”
“It’s demeaning to women. The fact I have to explain that really concerns me.”
“It was a fuckin’ doll, luv. It’s not like they were banging a real girl.”
“Is that how you feel about women, then, including me? We’re just sex toys?”
“That’s not how I feel about you. Come on, be fair.”
“You’re telling ME to be fair? We’re on our honeymoon and you want to bang some inflatable doll in front of 600 people? You blokes are so immature. Was I supposed to cheer you on while you acted like a complete twat in front of everyone?”
“Well, yeah, that would have made it more fun, but I really didn’t think about it.”
“That’s exactly my point. You didn’t think how it would make me feel, did you?”
“No, I mean I thought it was a laugh.”
We reached the hotel entrance.
“Look, luv, I’m sorry I upset you. It was just a doll.”
“It represented a real woman and how they feel about women.”
“It’s not how I feel about you. A lot of women act like sex toys anyway. I get my share of them at my shows. You weren’t like that. That’s why I love you. Please don’t stay cross with me — not on our honeymoon.”
I pushed the button for the lift. “Just because girls act like that, doesn’t mean you encourage them.”
“I don’t. That’s why it was funny to have that doll. It’s like playing arcade games where you crash cars. It’s not real.”
I kept hitting the button. “I thought it was vulgar.”
“Obviously, but I had no idea it would offend you.”
The lift finally arrived and I stomped inside, slamming the iron door shut just as Keith stepped through.
Our room was on the tenth floor, which made me a captive audience while Keith continued to plea his case.
“If the hotel got my message, there’s champagne in the room,” Keith said, shooting me a little boy grin. “I also got you something sexy to wear.”
We trudged down the long corridor, the wood floor creaking under the faded red carpet, and entered our room. There in a bucket of ice, was a bottle of champagne.
Keith immediately popped its cork. “Ahh, nothing like fine champagne.” He still grinned like a naughty schoolboy.
“Haven’t you had enough to drink?” I couldn’t help asking.
He handed me a glass of the golden nectar. “Hell no! I’m
celebrating being married to the sexiest woman alive. And speaking of sexy . . .” He went to his bag and pulled out something red. “I said I wanted you in something sexy. I got this in red to match the highlights in your hair. I hope it fits. They didn’t have children’s sizes.”
I managed to stifle a smile as I took the crimson teddy with black lace up front. “It doesn’t look like it’ll cover much,” I commented.
“That was the idea. Go put it on.”
“Very well, but you don’t deserve my cooperation.”
I went in the bathroom, yelling at Keith not to peek. I removed my concert clothes, folded them into a neat pile, then put on the teddy. I pulled my hair from its ponytail and ran a brush through it a few times.
“Hurry up,” Keith yelled. “I can’t wait much longer.”
“If you keep yelling I’ll take longer,” I yelled back.
Keith broke into a wide grin when I emerged. “So it fits. You are so bloody sexy.”
“I look like a cheap tart, you twat. What were you thinking buying me this?”
I wanted you to look sexy and sexy you look.” He unlaced the front and stuck his hands inside. “So sexy I’m unable to keep my hands off you.”
“Did you see the size of that bath? It’s big enough for two and has jets. Let’s sip bubbles while playing in bubbles.”
Keith looked uncomfortable. “I don’t do baths.”
“It isn’t a bath. It’s a Jacuzzi.”
“Same bloody thing.”
“What’s more romantic than sipping champagne in a Jacuzzi?”
“I don’t do baths.”
I wrapped my arms around him. “It would be romantic.”
He kissed me and ran his hand up my leg. “Romantic is shagging you all night.”
“It would be a way for you to redeem yourself.
He let out huge breath. “All right, I’ll give it a go, but only five minutes.”
We dragged the champagne and glasses to the bathroom and I turned the water on.
“Are you wearing your Levis and Sex Pistols shirt?” I asked.
“Steady on.”
He finally climbed into the bath with me, but didn’t seem to relax until we’d had a couple glasses of champagne.”
“See, this isn’t so bad, is it?” I pointed out.
Keith set down his glass and kissed me. “It’s about to get better.”
We began snogging and within seconds were shagging. Shagging in a Jacuzzi was pure ecstasy and my anger over the evening’s events quickly faded. I wasn’t sure if the steam I saw was from our steamy sex or the temperature of the water. All I knew was I was in heaven and nothing could top this moment.
“What do you say we carry on in bed,” Keith said. “We can shag all night.”
He got out and wrapped a towel around his waist. I followed, toweled off and grabbed my negligee.
“Hey, I bought you something sexy. Why the hell are you putting that on?”
“This is more comfortable for sleeping in.”
“Who said sleep? I thought we were shagging all night.” He yanked the negligee from me. “Don’t wear that bloody thing.”
“Fine, I’ll wear nothing.”
A big grin spread across his face. “Now that’s more like it.”
“If I’m wearing nothing, so are you.” I pulled his towel, letting it drop to the floor.
Seconds later we were falling on the bed in fits of giggles.
After more sensual, red-hot shagging, I was drifting into blissful sleep. Suddenly I remembered Louisa telling me about Keith showing up at their door barefoot and soaking wet the night they took him in. I wondered if this explained his aversion to being in the bath. What did that monster do to him? I snuggled closer.
The morning dawned with sunlight glinting between the red velvet curtains. I looked at the clock. It was nearly ten. Keith was still sleeping, so I peeled back the sheets to get out of bed. In an instant, Keith grabbed my arm, causing me to scream.
[To be continued… Click here to view all chapters.]
