AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, we did.”
She hums, and sucks on her false teeth. Then: “I met your grandfather at work, you know. I was a typist in his office. Kissed the daylights out of him, right there in the staff coat room.”
Felicity spares me from reacting to that, thank god. She clutches her chest and gives this big, dramatic sigh, but the strange thing is… I don’t think she’s faking.
“Tell me everything,” Felicity says. “What was he like? Did you have a crush on him right away?”
We’re hit by a cloud of lily of the valley perfume as the old lady leans closer.
“Percy was astallion, dear. With terribly broad shoulders, and a very masculine, bristly mustache. When he kissed me, my legs turned to jelly.”
Felicity sighs and smiles.
Hm. Should I grow a mustache?
“I’ve never heard that story before,” I say. So many years of chatting with my grandmother, and I never knew how she met her husband. Surreal.
She wheezes a laugh. “Well, it’s hardly Bamford fare, is it? No, it was quite the scandal back then. They all thought I was miles beneath him. A typist, and a girl from his office? Oh, no. Took them years to warm up to me. Poor cousin Edgar had to have his meltdown before they’d turn their focus elsewhere.”
My assistant fiddles with the corner of a cushion. She’s completely absorbed by this conversation, practically forgetting I’m here.
Soft music drifts through the room. My legs ache from kneeling beside her armchair, but I don’t get up. Not yet.
“But your husband didn’t care?” Felicity asks. “He loved you anyway?”
My grandmother pats her hand. “He did. Maybe even a little extra. Men love a challenge, you know.”
Oh?
Felicity glances at my raised eyebrow and smiles. Then pure mischief flits over her beautiful face.
She leans toward the older woman. “Sebastian would never kiss me at the office,” she confides. “Sometimes all I want is for him to ravage me against the copier, but he’ll never do it.” Her eyes are fixed on me, sparking with challenge.
This is fake,I remind myself. She’s teasing me, that’s all. She’s always loved to tease.
But fuck, my body heats at her words, and my hands itch to plunge into her silky hair.
“Well, that’s no use,” my grandmother says. “Can’t you coax him out of his shell? My grandson was always rather shy, you know.”
Felicity shrugs. “I’ve tried everything. I wear the skirts I know he likes; I rub his shoulders when he gets tense. I’m at a loss, Maude. Next thing I’ll be draped over his desk, fully nude with an apple in my mouth.”
Jesus Christ.
My knees crack as I lurch to my feet. “Tea,” I declare, head spinning as I look for a server. “I’ll get us tea.”
Shedoesrub my shoulders sometimes when I’m stressed. How much of this is real? I stagger toward the nearest server in a daze.
For god’s sake. This is ridiculous.
I’m losing track of my own con.
* * *
The piano music ends after another hour or so, and the more sprightly members of the audience shuffle back out into the corridor. My grandmother winks at us before hobbling away, and I lift Felicity into my arms then leave the napping octogenarians behind.
“What’s next?” my assistant murmurs, her arms wrapped around my neck. She offered to walk, said she could manage it in the hiking socks, etc, etc, but obviously I won’t allow that. Our faces are close, her breath tickling my cheek, and my steps drum against the marble tiles. “A vineyard tour? Afternoon drinks on a private yacht?”
“More lawn games, I believe.”
