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New Years Eve - Part 4.
Sitting at the bar later that night, with one foot resting on the stool foot rest and his other down on the floor, Joseph took a sip of his drink and looked across the room towards the dance floor while placing his glass back down on the bar. There were loads of people up dancing and enjoying themselves, but he was only interested in one person in particular. Not only because it was his job too, to make sure she was safe, but because he simply loved to just look at her. The most beautiful woman in the world to him. And she knew it too, stealing glances over at him whenever she got the chance too.
He was glad that he decided not to say anything yet about hers and Sabrina's conversation earlier that night, because seeing her happy and enjoying herself with their friends after everything that had happened, made him happy too.
Meanwhile, as the song finished and the band began to sing another song, and as most of the guests remained on the dance floor to continue dancing, Clarisse and Harry, who she had been dancing with, weaved their way from the dance floor and over to where Sabrina stood after talking to another guest. "Did you two have fun?" Sabrina smiled as they approached, "I saw you dancing."
"You bet we did," Harry laughed as he stood to Sabrina's side and turned to face her.
"Your husband is a very good dancer," Clarisse smiled as Sabrina took a sip of her champagne.
"Aww, thank you," Harry smiled to Clarisse then to Sabrina while stepping closer to her and put his hand on her back, "see, I told you I was good," he added and they all laughed.
"Hmm, alright," Sabrina smiled as she turned her head to look at him before looking back at Clarisse, "anyway, I'm glad to see you having fun."
"Oh I am, I'm really enjoying myself," Clarisse smiled as she put one hand up on her chest and started playing with her necklace. "I'm really glad I came tonight."
"I am too," Sabrina smiled and raised her hand to take another sip of her drink but stopped herself when Harry kissed her neck, "Harry," she exclaimed while turning to face him and put her free hand up on his chest, "not now, behave."
"I can't help it when you're so so beautiful," he exclaimed happily and put his hands on her sides to pull her body closer to his as she gasped. Lowering his head, he whispered in her ear. "You know I can't keep my hands off you."
"Harry, not here," Sabrina said and shook her head slightly, trying to get him to stop in front of Clarisse.
"Oh, please don't stop on my account," Clarisse laughed, "I'll leave you two love birds to it."
"Clarisse, I'm sorry," Sabrina said as she turned away from her husband, leaving him stood with his eyebrow raised.
"Don't be sorry, it's fine, honestly," Clarisse smiled and stepped closer to whisper in her ear while putting her hand up on the back of her shoulder, "you should never turn away from a man wanting to worship you," she said before pulling back to look into her friends eyes and gave her a small nod.
Turning away from her friends, Clarisse took a deep breath and made her way back over to the bar where Joseph was sat observing the area. Observing her. "Are you alright?" He asked as she approached him and stopped a few feet away.
"Yes," she nodded, seeing him sat with one foot still on the stool foot rest and his other foot still down on the floor. The truth was, she felt giddy, a little tipsy, her voice a little slurred and the more the night wore on, the more she wanted him. Smiling, she moved closer to the bar and placed her hand on his knee while reaching to pick up her drink. "Just Harry being a little too amorous."
"Ahh," he nodded and looked down at her hand still resting on his knee. It took every inch of his willpower not to touch her; it was like fighting against all of his natural instincts to not take her in his arms. Looking back up at her as she removed her hand, he watched as she took a sip of her drink. "You looked a bit nervous when you were over there talking to them?"
"What makes you say that?" Clarisse asked as she placed her glass back down on the bar and looked at him.
"You were playing with your necklace," he said, watching her climb up onto the stool beside him. The stool that had worked it's way closer to his through the course of the night. But he wasn't sure if it had been hers moving closer, or his to hers.
"Was I?" She said coyly as she settled in her seat and rested her arms on the bar in front of her before turning her head to look at him, "I hadn't realised," she smiled, somewhat happy that he had noticed, as he laughed. "Can I ask you something?"
Nodding, he looked up into her eyes and smiled. "Sure."
"Okay," she said while looking at her glass sitting on the bar in front of her a moment, "what do you see when you look at me?" She finally asked and looked up at him as he raised his eyebrow in confusion. "I mean, what you really see when you look at me?"
"I see the most caring, most loving," he began to answer and leant closer to whisper in her ear while resting his arm along the back of her stool, "most beautiful woman in the world. The woman who has owned my heart ever since the first moment I laid eyes on her 25 years ago."
"Even though I'm not the same woman as I was back then," Clarisse asked as she watched Joseph pull back to look at her face, to look into her eyes.
"You're still that same beautiful woman to me, and you always will be," he said, a smile playing on his lips as he watched her laugh a little while picking up her glass.
"You wouldn't be saying that if you see me now," she said and looked at him, "I'm not as slim as I was when we first met all those years ago," she said with a shake of her head before looking across the bar, "not after having three children... I guess that's why Rupert slept with Ruth, she's slim, doesn't have any children that left her with so many stretch marks."
"He's a fool," Joseph said while shaking his head, watching her take a sip of her champagne before leaning closer to whisper in her ear once again. "You're still beautiful to me," he paused, making sure he was holding her gaze as a breath hitched in her throat. "Incredibly, perfectly beautiful."
Turning her head away, she could feel the temperature rising between them, her stomach somersaulting, her heart racing. Had he really just said that, or was she imagining it? Placing her glass back down on the bar, she went to answer him but was interrupted by Harry announcing for everyone to gather out on the balcony to see in the new year with fireworks. "Oh," Clarisse said as she checked the time on her watch, "it's that time already."
"Yep," Joseph said, checking the time on his watch and nodded while looking back up at her, "it certainly is."
Moments later they were out on the balcony with the other guests, counting down the seconds and breaking into song when the clock struck midnight and big bens chimes could be heard across the city, followed by the bang bang bang of all the fireworks going off. Feeling safe, happy and comfortable, with Joseph standing close behind her, Clarisse smiled to herself and looked up into the night sky, admiring all the colours of the fireworks when she suddenly felt a hand slip onto her side under her shawl. Looking down, she simply enjoyed the feeling that it caused deep within her a moment before turning her head to glance over her shoulder at Joseph. "Happy new year," he smiled.
"Happy new year," she smiled back and studied his face a moment before turning her head to look back up in the sky, his hand remaining on her side.
After everyone had gone back inside, Clarisse moved across the balcony to lean back against the balustrade and watched as Joseph walked over to join her, just as she shivered. "You're cold," he said, concerned, "we should go back inside."
"No, not yet," Clarisse said with a shake of her head and looked up into his eyes. "In a little while."
Reluctantly, he nodded and began to remove his jacket. "Then wear this," he said and stepped closer to her, to wrap his jacket around her shoulders, "we don't want you catching cold, do we?"
"Thank you," she replied while slipping her arms into the arms of his jacket and closed her eyes momentarily. The smell of his cologne intoxicating her senses, making her weak at the knees.
"Harry and Sabrina have done a marvellous job tonight," he said as he moved to stand to her side, resting his hip against the balustrade she was leaning back against and placed his hand on it behind her back.
"They really have," Clarisse nodded as she looked across the balcony, looking through the windows at the other guests enjoying themselves inside a long moment before she looked back at Joseph. "Did you mean what you said earlier?"
"Yes, every word," he nodded and moved to stand in front of her while leaving his hand on the balustrade behind her, "and I meant what I said about Rupert being a fool too."
"Oh, that bit I know you meant," she said with a chuckle and tilted her head while looking up to study his face.
"He makes me so damn angry over the way he's treated you," he said with a shake of his head, "you deserve so, so, much better than him."
"Someone like you, you mean?" Clarisse said and watched as he turned his head to look away.
"Yes, alright, someone like me," he nodded and looked back at her, studying her face, "you know I will treat you the way you deserve."
Hearing those words, Clarisse couldn't hold back anymore, she reached up and took his face in her hands and kissed him. Just a quick kiss on his lips before pulling back to study his face a mere second before closing her eyes and reaching up to kiss him again, this time for a longer, more meaningful, heated kiss as she snaked one arm around his shoulder, placing her hand on the top of his back and letting her other hand fall down onto his chest.
Stepping out onto the balcony, to ask them a question, and seeing them locked in a embrace with Clarisse pinned against the balustrade, Harry froze. He didn't know what to do, where to look, or what to say. So, turning sideways, to give them a little privacy, he cleared his throat in the hope that it made them aware that there was someone out on the balcony with them.
Breaking the kiss, both Clarisse and Joseph looked into each other's eyes for the briefest of moments before Clarisse lowered her arm from his shoulders and bit her bottom lip, trying desperately to stifle a laugh and compose herself as she turned her head the opposite way.
Smirking, Joseph turned his head the other way to see Harry stood with his hands in his trousers pockets, waiting for them. "Hello Harry," Joseph said and watched as he turned his head, giving them a quick look before looking away again when he saw them still stood together. "What can I do for you?"
"Sabrina, and myself of course, were wondering if you both wanted to join us in our suite shortly, for a drink?" Harry said and finally turned to them as Clarisse buried her face under Joseph's chin. "But if you already have plans, then please don't worry about it. We can do it another time, absolutely." He mumbled nervously.
Turning his head, Joseph looked down at Clarisse as she lifted her face from under his chin and looked up at him. "What do you think?" He asked.
"We could join them for a drink, it is new year after all," Clarisse said while looking at him then over at Harry, "we would love to join you both for a drink."
"Great," Harry smiled and nodded, "we will be leaving shortly."
"Okay," Clarisse nodded and watched as he turned to make his way back inside before she looked back up at Joseph. "We should probably head back inside."
"Hmm, yes," Joseph nodded and reluctantly let her go, "I suppose we should."
Meanwhile, back inside Sabrina waited anxiously for Harry to get close enough to her before quietly asking. "Did you see them? What were they doing?"
"They were kissing," he whispered, "like I'm guessing you had suspected they would be."
"I knew it, I just knew that was going to happen," Sabrina said and shook her head, "they've been flirting all evening."
"So what if they have? It's none of our business," Harry said and watched as Sabrina looked back at him. "They are our oldest friends so don't go meddling in their life's, they are both consenting adults and if they want to kiss, or do other stuff, when they are away from the palace then it's up to them."
"But," Sabrina said and gasped as Harry shook his head.
"No, leave them alone Sabrina," Harry said firmly and watched as Sabrina slowly nodded. "Okay, good," he said and turned, just as Joseph and Clarisse came back in from the balcony.