Chapter Two: All I Want For Christmas Is You.
Saturday 15th December 2018
Joey had had a busy and stressful day at the club and all he wanted to do when he got from home from work was have a long hot shower and play with Eve for a little while before she had to go to bed. And then he wanted to sit down in front of the TV with a beer or three and just relax. Throw in a takeaway and Joey would be a very happy man. He really wasn't in the mood for talking or being pleasant to anyone. He'd been doing that all day to various dim-witted morons who'd been at the club. All he was doing was having the bar changed slightly. Yet you'd think he was asking for the Taj Mahal to be built. The sketches he had were pretty straight forward and he couldn't understand why people were making such a pig's ear of it. It was too late to call the whole thing off as some of the remodelling work was already in progress. He blamed Lauren for the current mess the club was in and also the bad mood he was in. She was the one who'd talked to him into remodelling the club in the first place. Bring it into the 21st Century, was what she'd said. She'd taken the time to draw up some sketches to show him how the bar could look and he'd been blown away by her ideas. Now, however, he was severely pissed off. It was far more hassle than he'd expected it to be. Hassle he didn't need.
He walked towards the flat, his keys ready in his hand. He unlocked the door and stepped inside. He could the sound of splashing water coming from the bathroom as he shut the door and his mood grew darker. Lauren was probably bathing Eve and he wanted to have a shower. Dropping his keys in the dish by the door with a sigh, he took off his coat and hung it on the peg. He walked through to the kitchen and opened the fridge looking for a beer. He pulled one out and twisted the lid off, and took a long drink, almost finishing the beer in one go. He walked into the bedroom and saw a large gift wrapped box sitting in the middle of the bed. He sighed, he'd forgotten this was the second day of the Twelve days of Christmas gifts. If he was being truthful he wasn't really in the mood. He changed out of his suit and walked back to the lounge and sat down on the sofa. He picked up the remote control and turned on the TV, flicking through the channels until he found some sport. He settled back on the sofa, taking another drink of beer.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
He'd just started to relax when a he heard a giggle followed by little footsteps padding into the room. 'EVE BRANNING! Get back here!' Lauren called out, her voice sounded a little strained.
'NO!' Eve's little voice shouted back. Joey put the beer down on the table as a very wet and naked little girl ran into the room 'DADA! DADA UP!' she giggled urgently.
'You're all wet, Princess' Joey smiled as he scooped his daughter into his arms and onto his lap, not caring that she was soaking wet.
'I's baffed' Eve told him.
'So I see. You're very clean and you smell…' He leaned closer to her and sniffed her '…good enough to eat and daddy's hungry!' he licked his lips and pretended he was going to eat her. She squealed loudly.
'TOP DADA! TOP DADA! MAMA! MAMA! ELP EVIE!' she giggled and squealed as Lauren came into the room with a large towel.
'Joey!' Lauren frowned at her husband 'don't get her worked up, she needs to go to bed in a minute' her tone was a little snappish. Joey looked up at his wife and saw she looked more than a little frayed around the edges.
'I'll put her to bed' Joey told her. He stood up with Eve and took the towel from Lauren, wrapping it around his daughter. Lauren stroked her daughter's wet hair and smiled at her.
'Night night baby girl' she whispered and pressed her lips softly against Eve's cheek. 'Sweet dreams'
'Night mama' Eve whispered softly as she put her thumb in her mouth and lay her head on Joey's shoulder.
'Is everything okay?' Joey asked her before he left the room.
'Nothing a beer wouldn't solve' Lauren muttered as she went into the kitchen. Joey watched her go, a worried look on his face.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Half an hour later Joey came back from putting their daughter to bed 'she's asleep, finally' he said as he walked into the kitchen. 'I had to read the story to her three times'
'Oh, thank god' Lauren exhaled in relief. 'She wouldn't take a nap this afternoon and she's been running around like the energiser bunny all day and I haven't had time to even think about dinner let alone cook it' she told him. 'I'm sorry. I know you've been working hard all day' she apologised to him.
'And you haven't?' he asked her 'why don't we have a takeaway?' he suggested, Lauren looked up at him and nodded her head.
'A takeaway sounds nice' she replied, relieved she wasn't going to have to turn around and prepare a meal for the two of them.
'You've had a bad day?' Joey asked, putting his hand on her waist as his earlier anger towards her faded.
'Yeah, you could say that' Lauren replied, nodding her head. She rested her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around him.
'You and me both' Joey said 'those bloody builders at the club are doing my head in. They're completely fucking up the renovations' he told her.
'They are?' Lauren asked him in surprise. 'They're pretty basic designs' she said 'what are they doing wrong?' she looked up at him.
'I think the better question is what aren't they doing wrong?' he told her, rubbing his hands over his face with a sigh.
'I'm sorry' she said with a frown 'I know you weren't really all that into the idea of refurbishing the bar. I shouldn't have talked you into it' she told him, feeling a little guilty she was responsible for her husband's stress.
'Talked me into it?' Joey looked at her questioningly. 'Is that what you're calling it now?' he asked her raising his eyebrows 'because I think you'll find stunning me speechless with your very sexy body and seducing me with your womanly charms and then suggesting the idea whilst I was enjoying post coital bliss is a more accurate description of what you did' he told her with a smile, slipping his hand around her waist and pulling her against him again. 'Either way, I agreed to refurbish the bar. I alone am responsible for the tossers I hired to do the job. Tossers that may well be sacked tomorrow' he added with a frown. 'I don't know about you but I could use a nice hot relaxing bath' he told her softly. 'I'll order the takeaway whilst you run one?' he suggested. 'And then you can tell me why your day has been so bad?' he asked her. 'How does that sound Mrs. Branning?'
'That sounds perfect. You have a deal Mr. Branning' Lauren replied standing on her tiptoes to give him a firm but brief kiss. He slapped her lightly on the bottom as she moved away from him.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Joey kissed Lauren's neck as they lay together in the bath 'so why was your day so bad?' he asked her. Lauren sighed and he felt the tension return to her body.
'My boss threatened to fire me if I didn't start spending at least two days in the office' Lauren told him. 'She was a complete cow. She knows I have Eve to take care of now but she was insistent that I put her into day care or nursery for two days'
'She can't do that' Joey said with a frown 'can she?'
'No, she can't tell me what to do with Eve but she says that two days a week in the office was in the contract that I signed. She says I have to be available to meet with authors and discuss the illustrations for their books. But when I think about it I'm sure it was only one a day a week. I've looked for my copy of the contract but, as you know, my office is not the most tidiest room in the house and with an 18 month old running around demanding attention...' she trailed off. 'Oh! And she said one of the authors told her I did the complete opposite of what we agreed on the illustrations for one of her books and she refuses to pay'
'Did you?' he asked her.
'No! Of course not' Lauren frowned, turning her head slightly to look at him. 'At least I don't think so' she said with a sigh. 'I don't know. It was one of the books I was working on about 6 months ago' she said 'I have a copy of the story boards and the notes I made somewhere in my office but…'
Joey smiled, kissing her neck 'I think someone needs to do some tidying and filing' he told her.
'I know' she sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder.
'Maybe you should quit the publishers' Joey told her 'we're doing okay at the club. Or here's another idea, you could try being self-employed if you wanted to. I bet there's a lot of authors that have to pay a huge commission going through the publishing house to get you to illustrate their books, you'd have loads of clients. You could work from home, once you've tided your office that is' he teased her with a smile.
'You'd be okay with that?' Lauren asked him, a little surprised that he'd suggested it.
'Of course I would' Joey told her 'If it makes you happy then I would be more than okay with it' he kissed her neck again.
'How did I ever end up with you?' Lauren turned her head so she could look at her husband.
'You were just very, very lucky' he grinned at her. Lauren giggled as she reached up to kiss him.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
After they'd eaten, Lauren cleared up the takeaway boxes and put them on the side to go into the fridge once they'd cooled down. She walked back into the lounge and towards Joey. 'Do you want your gift now?' she asked him.
Joey remembered the large box on the bed and nodded his head 'Yes please' he said. Lauren held her hands out to him and he slid his much larger ones into hers. She turned around once he was on his feet and she led him into the bedroom. Joey watched as Lauren slid onto the bed and pushed the box towards him. He saw the excitement on her face and he sat down and pulled the ribbon, untying the bow she'd tied on the box. Joey lifted the lid and when he looked inside he saw a camera.
'I thought we weren't going to spend money on expensive gifts' he said to her, a little angrily as he peered inside the box.
'I didn't spend anything' Lauren said quickly as she heard the hint of anger in his voice 'this is my camera. I'm just lending it to you' she told him. Joey frowned, looking at Lauren clearly confused as to what he was meant to do with it. 'I thought…I thought…' He watched as her face turned pink and then bright red. 'I thought you could take some pictures of me…pictures only you would get to see…' she explained 'some sexy ones…'
Joey's face lit up 'naked ones?' he asked her hopefully.
'Maybe' she worried her bottom lip with her teeth.
'When can I take them?' he asked her 'Evie's sound asleep' he looked at Lauren expectantly, hopefully. 'Can we take them now?'
Lauren nodded her head 'if you want to, I just need to go to the bathroom first' she told him. 'Why don't you have a think about if you want me to wear anything…special for you' she leant across the box and kissed him softly before climbing off the bed and exiting the room. Joey grinned, this was one of the best presents she'd ever given him by far…it was up there with the Five gold Rings and 9 Ladies Dancing gifts from a couple of years ago, the first time they'd done the 12 days gifts…actually the more he thought about it all of Lauren's gifts had been amazing…well apart from the seven swans a swimming, that had lacked a certain something. He got up and walked to her bedside table, flicked on the baby monitor so they could hear if Eve woke up (which he prayed to god wouldn't happen). Opening the drawer he searched for the items he was looking for, giving a little "whoop" of joy as he found them. He lay them down on the bed and he stripped off his t-shirt and socks and then unbuttoned his jeans, slipping them off as well as his underwear, before pulling his jeans back on again. He'd just finished re-buttoning them when Lauren came into the room.
'I checked on Eve too, she's fast asleep, cuddling Mr Pink ' she told him as she looked down at the bed, a small smile spread across her face as she saw the pink baby doll nightie and matching thong she'd worn for him 'Oh you've chosen that little outfit have you?' she asked him. Joey nodded his head enthusiastically 'I'm not sure it's going to fit me now…I've had a baby you know' she reminded him, a little self-consciously.
'It will' he told her softly. 'Will you put it on for me?' he asked her.
Lauren scooped the scant fabric into her hands 'Turn around then' she said as she realised Joey was staring at her.
'I have seen you naked before' he replied.
'Turn around' she repeated firmly. Joey rolled his eyes, turning to face the window. He peered out at the square. The sky was clear and the stars were bright in the sky. All that was missing were the lights that usually hung around the square. Next year he was going to make sure the Council put them up. He wanted Eve to see how beautiful the square could look at Christmas. He was lost in his thoughts when he heard a soft voice behind him. 'I'm ready' Lauren whispered, he heard a little anxiety in her voice and he turned to look at her. The sight of her took his breath away just like it did when she wore this for him two years earlier.
'Wow…you look amazing' he whispered to her. He stared at her for a long time before he reached for the camera and hooked the cord around his neck, he smiled at her 'Ready baby?' he asked her. He took a few pictures of her looking at him awkwardly and then she smiled at him. She posed for him and Joey encouraged her to do more. She turned her back on him and turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. 'That's really great, babe' Joey told her, 'very sexy'
Lauren's initial awkwardness seemed to wear off as she posed more and more for her husband. She climbed onto the bed and moved to her hands and knees giving him an ample view of her cleavage. She grew more confident as she heard the click of the camera and the husky words of encouragement from her husband. She turned her back to Joey and pulled the baby doll dress over her head and peeked at him shyly over her shoulder again. Joey smiled, she was truly an amazing woman. Lauren turned on the bed, her arms crossed as she covered each breast with her hands. She flashed him with a giggle and Joey laughed with her. Joey continued to take picture after picture until she was completely naked. She lay across the bed with the baby doll nightie covering her intimate areas. Joey stood over her on the bed as he took more and more pictures. She really was a very sexy woman. And she was all his. 'Ready for the big finale?' Lauren asked him. Joey nodded his head and Lauren pulled the nightie away from her body and dropped it on the floor. Joey's groin tightened and he groaned softly.
'You're so beautiful, Lauren' he whispered 'so beautiful' he licked his lips 'are you sure you're okay for me to take this picture?' he asked her.
'Yes' she replied in a soft whisper. Joey pressed the button on the camera a couple of times and then put the camera down on the bed. Lauren watched as he undid his jeans and slipped them off, his impressive erection catching her eye. 'Something tells me you enjoyed that?' she said with a smile.
'I really did' he replied, nodding his head. 'I can't wait to develop the pictures' he smiled at her as he lay down beside her on the bed.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
The camera lay on the bed, forgotten. The discarded condom wrapper lay beside it. Joey gazed at his wife's naked body, you really couldn't tell by looking at her that she'd had a baby 18 months prior. She looked just as slender now as she did before. 'You're so beautiful' he repeated in a soft whisper as he bent his head to press a soft kiss to her belly button as he moved over her. One of his hands trailed up her leg, starting at the ankle, feeling the soft silky smoothness of the skin beneath, he hooked her leg over his hip and thrust his hips forwards.
'AH! JOE!' Lauren cried out as he entered her swiftly.
'Ssh…you'll wake the baby' he murmured close to her ear as he withdrew to the tip and thrust inside her again with equal force. He moved again and again and they both groaned as he brought them to the heights of pleasure. She erupted around him like a fire cracker, her walls clenching around his cock tightly, he buried his face in the crook of her neck as his orgasm raced through him.
The only sound in the room was the sound of their rapid breathing and a slight snuffling noise from the baby monitor as Eve murmured in her sleep. Joey raised himself up onto his arms and looked down at her 'I love you, Lauren. You know that right?' he asked her.
'I do. I love you too, Joe' she replied pulling him down into a kiss.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
'Happy second day of Christmas, babe' Lauren whispered as she closed her eyes.
'Yes…Yes it was' came his reply. 'Thank you Mrs. Branning' He whispered. Lauren opened her eyes to gaze into his.
'You're welcome, Mr. Branning' she whispered back.
AN: Well…I think Joey loved the gift his wife gave him. His very own private sexy photo shoot! That has to be a pretty great gift right? And Joey's having the club redesigned thanks to his very talented wife. I think it's safe to say that they're both feeling relaxed and de-stressed now! And Evie is just so super cute! Guess what…. She gets even cuter! Leave us a review and let us know what you think….back tomorrow with another chapter from 74Crazychick…
