My main writing interest at the moment is erotic romance. To me, this means a story with characters and a plot which includes at least the strong prospect of an intimate encounter. My ideal would be a story which works to some extent without the naughty bits, but those are rather fun to think about and write!
I enjoy thinking about situations which seem plausible and realistic, and characters who I might just meet. None of the locations or characters are based exclusively on any I know, of course. They're all composites drawn from multiple real and imaginary sources.
Some of my writing has been described as light-hearted and fun, which I found rather flattering. No harm in writing stories people find entertaining and amusing, after all. I find it's easier to do this in short stories. The novel I'm revising at the moment has a lot of darker moments, but having a lot more time to develop a storyline gives me scope for a wider variety of moods.
The Document Conservator
Julia couldn’t stop turning it over in her mind. She woke
early after another restless night. At work even earlier than usual, she
decided to see what the gardeners had done in the last few days. The gardens
drew in more visitors during the summer, the old house more during the winter.
The
forecast was promising a hot, sunny August and the sky was cloudless.
She admired the perfect lawns and the vibrant displays in
all the borders, tubs and hanging baskets, the neatly trimmed hedging between the different garden areas. She walked through the gardens to look at the neat
lines of trees in the orchard. She still felt a warm glow when she remembered
some of her visits to the quieter corners last summer. The sensation of the
grass tickling her naked skin while making love was still vivid in her memory.
That was the only
thing that kept me going last year, she thought. Should I stick with the memories or hope for more?
“I’ve got to be firm,” she muttered to herself. “It’s only fair.
And it’s sensible.”
Back in the old house, she walked the route the visitors were
guided along, checking on the posters, displays, signs, barriers and state of
cleanliness. And the warm glow she felt was gently boosted when she saw looked
into some of the rooms and remembered giggles, excitement and feeling wanted.
Pressed against the ancient wood panelling in one room, leaning over the bed in
another, his hands on her hips, the feeling of being filled and fulfilled.
“I’ve got to push this away,” she muttered under her breath.
“He won’t want me again. Not now.” But I
want him to, a little voice said in her head.
She sat down in her office, a small room in the Victorian
servant’s wing, booted up her laptop and looked at today’s long to-do list.
Keeping a large stately home dating back to the sixteenth century open to the
public almost every day of the year took a lot of managing, ten permanent and
eight seasonal employees, and thirty or so volunteers.
Eleven permanent ones
from today, she reminded herself. Then she felt a few butterflies in her
tummy.
“Grow up,” she said under her breath. “It’s not going to
happen. My luck doesn’t run like that.”
At ten o’clock, Julia was double-checking the latest
spreadsheet of projected visitor numbers her senior managers wanted. She heard
a knock on the door and almost jumped in surprise.
She took a deep breath. I
can do this. “Come in,” she called out, hoping she sounded more confident
than she felt.
He walked in, smiling a little nervously. His hair was
neatly cut, a little shorter and he seemed to have lost a little weight.
Suits him, she
thought. More butterflies in her tummy.
She stood up and held her hand out. “Martin, so good to see
you again. And as our new Document Conservator, rather than on a student
placement.”
He shook her hand and smiled at her warmly. His hand was
warm and dry. She remembered how it felt when those hands had explored her
body. How she'd felt. Alive, wanted, appreciated.
“Delighted to be back,” he said.
“Please, have a seat.”
She sat down and glanced at the sheets of paper on her desk.
“Congratulations on your Masters in ancient document conservation. A special
award for your dissertation, too. I’m absolutely delighted you’re back here. We
really need your skills with the materials in our archives.”
“I used the work I did last summer on that medieval manorial
roll for my dissertation. So I’m really excited to be back and in a position to
do so much more.”
Stay professional and
detached, she urged herself.
“A dissertation which persuaded the national management
board to unanimously approve your appointment. You earned this opportunity and I’m
really excited about you helping us find out what we have in our collection.”
Please don’t say
anything else about last summer,
she thought. She took a deep breath, swallowed, and dived in.
“Martin, last summer I was under a lot of emotional
pressure. What happened between us, well, I think we should leave it in the
past.”
There was a brief pause and she felt her face warm as she blushed. Oh shit, should I have said
that? Do I even mean it? I’ve let my day-dream affect my judgement.
“I thought you might say that,” he said quietly. “But please
don’t push me away, I won’t forget you or what we shared. It meant a lot to me.”
“But I was going through a painful divorce, I shouldn’t have
taken advantage of you.”
He looked her directly in the eye and she felt her hope
blossoming. “Julia, you didn’t. I was a mature student, remember, not some teenager. You’re
not that much older than me.”
There was a knock at the door and her new assistant Josie
carried in a tray of coffee and some biscuits.
Julia noticed Josie smile shyly at Martin. She fancies him, she realised. Why do I feel jealous?
Josie left, closing the door. Martin stood up and passed
Julia a cup of coffe. She looked at him. Tall,
handsome, fucking gorgeous, she thought.
She briefly struggled to remember where they were in the
conversation. “You’re sure I didn’t?”
“Absolutely,” he said, keeping his eyes on hers. “I wanted
you just as much as you did me. I had my pick of jobs with fascinating and
beautiful documents. But I’m here for you as much as anything else.”
She stood up and walked to the window, looking out so he
couldn’t see her face. So she couldn't see him. “I was going through a dreadful time last summer. I
don’t know why I did it. Completely out of character.”
She heard him stand up. The butterflies in her tummy started
an aerobatic display.
“Julia, I knew you were having a bad time,” he said quietly.
“That’s why I didn’t keep in touch, just like you asked. Even though it hurt
like hell. You needed time to get through it, I knew that.”
Does he really still
want me?
Martin moved closer to her. “I kept my fingers crossed that
we could find something special again. All I’m asking is for a chance to see.”
She swallowed. “Something special?”
He sound like he was almost within reach. “Maybe a future we can share?”
She turned around and reached out for him. His shirt soaked
her tears as he stroked her hair. This is
what I want, she thought. Him, my
beautiful, gentle, amazing Martin. She lifted her face to his and they
kissed.
They held each other closer and kissed deeply. She felt his
erection swell and press against her tummy. Oh,
his lovely cock again.
“I’ve only got a small flat,” she murmured into their kiss.
“Far too small for two.”
“How about overnight stays?”
She smiled. “Maybe we can manage that.”
“I’ll look for a place that’s big enough, just in case,” he
said. “I’m in a bed-and-breakfast at the moment.”
“We could have a few walks around the gardens after
closing,” she murmured. “Like last summer.”
“Or use all the fancy bedrooms,” he whispered.
“We used them all last year.”
He grinned. “So? Use ’em again.”
She felt a wave of euphoria and made an impulsive decision.
She walked over to her door and quietly locked it. Tucked away in a small pocket in her
handbag was a condom, one left there from the previous summer. “On
the basis that the future starts now, I think we should maybe make use of my
desk.”
He grinned and raised an eyebrow. “It won’t be very comfortable.”
“We’ll be quick. It’s your first day at work, I’m only
seeing you briefly as part of your induction.” She reached out and stroked his
erection though his trousers. “I’ve not had anything since you left last summer.
There’s no way I can wait until this evening now.”
Martin held her waist and lifted her onto the desk. She
unfastened his trousers, then leaned back so he could pull her panties down.
“I’m so bloody wet, Martin. Get in me, for God’s sake. A
quickie now, all night later.”
He rolled the condom onto his erect shaft, then stood between her spread thighs.
“You’re the boss, Julia.”
She sighed happily as he slid into her. “And don’t you
forget it, you big, sexy hunk. Now fuck me.”
