Roman found Ella in their bedroom rifling through her wardrobe. She'd pulled out a number of jeans and discarded them. He picked them up and hung them back on hangers.
She stopped and looked at him.
"I never noticed before how annoying that was." She told him.
"Sorry!" he grinned. "We can't all be messy people."
"Not those ones." She told him indicating a pair of combat style shorts in a pale tan colour. He looked at them and noticed that the stores label was still attached.
"And that is annoying!" he grinned back.
"What that we can change our minds and instead of taking it back we keep it in the back of the wardrobe?" El asked him.
He nodded.
"In that case don't even go into Nic's room." She warned him.
"So what exactly is this destruction in add off?" he asked indicating the two skirts she'd just pulled out and put to one side, on the floor.
"This is your fault." She told him, looking at from under her lashes.
"Uh huh, I had a feeling it might be!" he said. He waited and then said. "Why?"
"Well if you'd kept your hands to yourself I would have clothes that fit me!" She grinned.
"What already?" he asked walking over to her and pressing a hand on her belly.
"Yes Mister!" she grinned back.
He kissed her gently.
She responded eagerly wrapping her arms about his neck.
"Dammit!" she groaned. She kissed down his neck and pulled him closer to her. Her towel slipped to the floor and landed at her feet. He pulled away slightly and looked down at her.
"Uh huh!" he said. He kissed her a last time and stepped away. "I need a shower and you have guests coming remember." He waggled a finger at her. "I've made you three different salads and some chocolate chip muffins. There is also a cheese platter and I expect you to stay away from the soft cheese." He told her.
She nodded and then stepped forward and put her arms around him, then standing on tiptoe she placed a quick kiss on his lips.
"Thank you." She told him, pressing her naked body as close to him as she could get.
"Uh huh, that won't work either!" He told her. "I can see the bills are going to go down over the next few months with all these cold showers we'll be having." He told her, again disentangling himself and stepping back.
She pouted at him before turning back to the wardrobe. She pulled out a T-shirt with a purple butterfly motif on it and threw that on the bed before she found a maxi dress in a black crinkle fabric. She held it up and looked at it before she went to discard it. He caught hold of her hand and guided back into the wardrobe to hang it back up.
"See that's not hard is it?" he asked.
"Isn't it?" she asked, turning and looking at him, her true meaning clear to him.
"El!" he said.
"Look, just five minutes I'll be quick!" she told him.
He grinned as he felt her hands on the waistband of his shorts. He caught hold of them and walked to the door. He heard her sigh and knew she was thinking that he was planning to leave. He turned the key in the lock and then turned and looked at her pulling his top over his head. He walked towards her and picked her up in his arms.
"Ouh!" she said breathlessly.
He lay her on the bed.
"Five minutes?" he asked.
"Four and a half now" she told him.
He bent his head and kissed her, his hands roving freely over her naked body. She responded and tugged his shorts down. He pushed them down his legs and lay naked, his body against hers. She wrapped her legs around him.
"I love you!" she told him.
"That's good I'm sure it'll help with the performance anxieties I'm sure to have in the next few months." He told her tugging her bottom lip between his teeth,
She kissed him.
"Are you telling me that you never fantasised about sex on demand?" she asked.
She ran her hands down his back the way she knew he liked.
"Yes, but I had this thought it would be me demanding it!" he grinned. "Not being used as a sex object." He told her.
She laughed and then gasped.
"Oh" she said.
He kissed her deeply.
"How long have I got now?" he asked.
"Sorry I lost track!" she said moaning softly as she felt his hands on her.
"Do I have to start again?" he questioned.
She didn't answer but just smiled.
"El!" he said moaning as she wiggled.
"I was thinking about it!" she told him.
"Uh huh, you can still think?" he said. "I must be losing my touch."
Nicole brought Annie in. She thought about how to broach the subject of getting her to change out of the hideous dress without offending her. She carried through to the kitchen the party supplies and looked in surprise to see a selection of salads in bowls with covering over them already on the top and a basket of still warm to the touch chocolate muffins.
"Oh!" she said.
Annie walked in behind her,
"Ella's gone to a lot of trouble." Annie commented.
Nicole grinned.
"Nope!" she said. "She got my dad to do it. Ella doesn't cook."
They heard the shower come on and looked at each other. Nicole blushed.
"It could be innocent." Annie said.
Nicole shook her head.
They turned round and saw Ella walking down the stairs. She was wearing a long floral peasant skirt, with elastic waist and a white cotton top. She was pulling her wet hair into a rough ponytail.
"Hey." She said to them.
They both turned to her and looked guilty.
"Ok, did you get really bad films?" El asked them.
"No." Nic told her. "We just thought you were in the shower." She finished.
"No that's Roman. " Ella told them. Then "Oh!" she blushed. "We do have some self control you know!" she grumbled, after all hadn't she just gotten out of bed instead of staying in it for the evening, she thought, wearing a wicked grin on her face.
"Now then, I've put some clothes on Nic's bed for you Annie, They are brand new I've never worn then I'm sure you'll want to freshen up." She told the young girl with a no nonsense tone of voice. "I'm sure you haven't had a chance to unpack yet."
"No I haven't. My room was being used last night." She said pointedly looking at Nicole who was blushing even more.
"Yes well, I think we should change the subject here." Nic said.
"Why don't you two go and get ready and I'll sort out the rest of the bits." Ella suggested. She watched the girls go upstairs with Annie looking much brighter than earlier.
She looked in the bags and pulled out the wine putting the white in the fridge to chill. She saw multiple cartons of juice and lots of different chocolates. She tipped them into bowls and put them on the coffee table and then poured out a juice and sat on the sofa, looking at the dvds. She picked out Mama Mia to watch first then Nic had chosen Brief Encounter and Who will look after my Children and another one called Sweet November about a Girl who has month long affairs because she is dying. Great she thought, tearing up at the titles.
She turned her head as Roman walked down the stairs.
"Hey!" she said softly.
"Hey." He replied. "Aren't you supposed to cry at the end of the movie?" he asked. "Or at least after watching it?"
She nodded and held her arms up.
"As long as this is just a cuddle and you won't be attacking my body." He said.
She nodded again.
"Which part?" he asked.
"Come here!" she sobbed, comically.
He sat beside her on the sofa and held her in his arms as she cried her eyes out.
"I'm not sure I'm liking these hormones much." He told her.
"Me either" she sobbed.
"What do I have to do to get you to smile?" he asked.
"More sex." She told him, without thinking about the answer, then blushed.
"Sorry El I'm worn out." He said.
She laughed.
He pulled away and reached for a tissue and wiped her face.
"Com'on beautiful." He said.
She looked at him and burst into tears again.
"Ok, what are these for now?" he asked apparently.
"Because you called me beautiful but you don't want to have sex with me!" she said loudly, still sobbing, just as Leah, Rachel Colleen and Irene walked in.
Roman sighed.
"Of course I want to have sex with you. Just not right at this minute." He said unaware that he had an audience.
"That's a bit of a relief!" Colleen said. "I've already seen quite enough."
"There is a group of women standing behind me, isn't there?" Roman asked not daring to look around.
Ella pulled back and blew her nose.
"Yes." Ella said.
"How much did they hear?" he asked.
She shrugged.
"Pretty much everything." Irene said to him.
"Ok then. I'm just going to go to Miles's and drink a lot of alcohol and pretend I don't know any of you." He kissed her quickly. "You ok?" he asked.
She nodded.
"You sure?" he said standing up.
She nodded again.
"El I need to hear you say it.
"I can't talk because I'm just going to cry again." She said crying again. "Go!" she told him.
"You sure?" he asked for the final time.
She nodded and pointed to Rachel.
He smiled. "Was the El speak for you're ok and you have Rachel and I should stop fussing?" he asked.
She nodded smiling.
He bent down and kissed her.
"Love you." He whispered into her ear then turned and walked away, and out through the front door.
At that moment Nic and Annie walked down stairs. Annie had changed into the new outfit and Nicole had styled the other girl's hair. There was a black band in it, keeping it back from her face and Nic had also plaited it so that it fell over one shoulder. Nic had also changed into a pair of shorts herself and teamed it with a T-Shirt so that they matched. She nodded at Nic and smiled.
"Hello." Kirsty called from the doorway.
"Come in." Ella said. She pulled herself up form the sofa.
"Nic can you and Annie see to drinks for everyone." Ella asked her, thinking that if Annie had a job to do she wouldn't feel so self-conscious and was proved right.
Rachel took Ella to one side whiles the others were getting drinks.
"Are you feeling ok?" she asked quickly.
"Yes, no cramp or nausea and I've eaten. Aside from crying and…." She blushed and looked around to make sure the others weren't listening. "I can't keep my hands off him!" she said.
"Yes well he is a good kisser." Rachel said with a grin.
"I found that too." Said Leah, handing Rachel a glass of white wine, overhearing the last comment.
"Yeah!" Rachel said taking a sip.
"Excuse me, but that is my husband you are talking about." El said trying to look offended. "Is there anyone he hasn't slept with?" She said grinning.
"Well there was me and Martha and he dated you." Leah said with a gesture at Rachel.
"Yes but it was only the once!" Rachel said. "And speaking of Martha, she sort of invited herself I hope you don't mind."
Ella looked at her for a moment without saying anything.
"I'm sorry." Rachel said quickly.
Leah looked at them.
"No it's ok. I need to see her sometime." She said. Ella turned to Leah. "I only just found out about Lindsay." She told her. "And it wasn't Roman who told me."
"Ah." Leah said nodding understandingly. She took a drink of her wine and put her hand on Ella's arm. "We probably shouldn't tease you about Roman then" she said with a twinkle in her eye.
El laughed.
"I am aware my husband had a past. " she grinned. "Just not that it was so varied."
Suddenly she raised her head and saw Martha and Belle coming in.
"Hello!" Ella said quickly and smiled at them. "Nic and Annie are on drinks duty in the kitchen." she told them.
Ella walked over to the TV and put in Mama Mia. As it was playing the trailers she turned to everyone.
"Ladies, take your seats. Tonight's entertainment is about to begin!" Ella told them and watched as they took various seats around the room. Kirtsy, Belle, Annie and Nic were sitting on big cushions on the floor that left one space for her she noted. "Now in conjunction with the DVD's I have ordered a selection of Pizzas from around the district for us to eat. They should begin arriving soon. Can I ask my lovely assistant Nicole to had round these please? " She handed Nicole a bundle of sheets printed with the names of the Pizza parlours on and a box for scoring them. She gave Annie a collection of markers to hand round as well.
"Now ladies these are not to score the food. We have a solemn duty as woman who will be drinking alcohol, well most of us anyway, " she grinned, " then we must check out the delivery boys. Whomever scores highest we'll call them back and give them a tip!" she said.
Rachel and Leah looked at each over and grinned.
"I'm up for that." Kirsty said.
Belle chuckled.
"Now you have a column for manners, cute-ness, brain-ability. How smart they are." Ella explained walking over and sitting down in the last seat. "And then an overall score."
Colleen looked down at the piece of paper.
"So if they are cute we score them?" she said.
"Yes Colleen! Strewth!" Irene told her.
"Marks out of 10!" Martha said and drained her glass.
"Yes!" Rachel said.
Ella pressed the button on the remote and the film started. As they watched the first delivery arrived. Nic answered the door and started talking to the delivery boy.
"Hi there." She said, hooking her thumb through the loop in her shorts.
"Hey, I have one four cheese and one meat feast it that right. " The boy said.
Nic looked over at Ella who nodded then turned to him and flicked her hair over her shoulder.
"Yeah!" she told him.
He looked down her body and blushed, stammering a price. Nicole paid and he left after giving her change.
"Hey Nic, " Belle called with a big smile on her face. "How about a bit less flirting before they start giving you the money!"
"Oi! Nic said with a grin, showing she was no way affronted. "See if you can do any better!"
"Ok, I bag the next one." Belle said.
Annie carried the pizzas into the kitchen and Nic got the plates and napkins out of the cupboard just as there was knock at the door.
Belle shot up.
"Watch and learn future sister in law. " she called to Nic.
Nic stood in the kitchen door.
Belle opened the front door.
"Hey there, just in time we are so really hungry." Belle said.
"I have an Hawaiian and a vegetarian." He said.
"Oh great just what we ordered, How much?" Belle said softly.
He had to lean in closer to hear her and found his gaze lingering on her cleavage that had improved with breast feeding two babies, she thought proudly.
He named a price and she handed over the money. She took the menu off the top of the boxes as she handed them to Annie and fanned herself with it.
"It's hot tonight isn't it" she said to him.
"Yeah it is. Here how about I put my number on that and if you decide you want any free garlic bread give me a call and I'll come back." He said to her.
Belle smiled at him as he wrote his number on the menu.
"Thanks a lot. I'm sure I'll be calling you later!" she told him seeing him out and shutting the door.
Nearly everyone burst into spontaneous applause.
"And that my dear Nic is how you do it…" Belle said taking a bow.
Nic laughed and went with Annie to the kitchen to add the pizzas to the others. She picked up the wine bottles and topped up glassed while Annie brought in the juice for Ella and Irene.
"Thank you Darl!" Irene told her.
Annie smiled.
"Ok, who wants to take the last one?" Ella said.
"I think you should do it El." Martha said and there was just an undercurrent in her tone.
"Sorry Martha, I'm spoken for!" she said quickly.
"That's not an excuse." Martha said and was about to say something else when a knock sounded at the door.
Annie jumped up.
"I'll go." she said.
"No its ok Annie, it'll be my pleasure." Ella said and let down her hair. She loosened the ties of her blouse and walked over to the door. Tucking up her skirt she kicked off her shoes and then opened the door just a few inches.
"Sorry," she said breathlessly.
"Hey, no problem." He said watching as she caressed the door with the leg she had exposed with pulling up her skirt.
She pulled the door open further with her foot.
He gulped.
"Are those our pizzas? She asked, she made her voice low and breathy.
"Er… yeah sure. And here's some garlic bread, on the house." He told her.
"Oh that's great." She said and pulling the door wide open she fanned herself and loosened the top just a little more. She handed over the money.
"Silly Me. " she said with a girlish giggle. She moved quickly and placed her hand on his arm.
"How much?" she asked.
He named a sum and she looked at what she given him.
"Well how about you keep the rest as a tip?" she suggested. "In fact I tell you what, there is me here." She said, touching her hand to her neck. "And my friends, we would love a little fun. Tell me would you be up to taking your shirt off for us?"
He grinned and handed the pizzas over. He reached down to the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Flexing his arms he showed off his muscles. He did a slow turn and winked at Colleen.
"Oh my stars!" Colleen said.
She pulled another twenty out of her purse.
"Here you go I think you deserve a tip!" she told him.
He muttered his thanks and pulled on his top and left.
Ella shut the door behind him.
Nic and Belle looked at each other and began clapping.
"Thank you!" Ella told them. She took a step toward them and felt herself go dizzy. "Woah!" she said.
"El?" Rachel asked quickly.
"Just dizzy." She said.
Nic moved quickly over to her side.
"Its ok." She told them "I'm fine. Ladies, how about we grab pizza." She said and watched them move into the kitchen.
She sat on the sofa and was surprised when Irene handed her a slice of the vegetarian pizza.
"Thanks. " she told her.
Irene sat next to her with her own pizza and some salad.
"Good job with Annie." She said. "I was pulling my hair out trying to get the story out of her and that dress." She said. "You better keep a watch out for Martha, I can't think what got into her tonight, especially when you have to think about the little one." She said guessing about aher condition.
"I'm fine." Ella said, grinning.
The others started walking in and she restarted the film.
The watched it and polished off most of the pizzas. She found herself eating another two slices that Annie bought her. They watched Brief Encounter next and Colleen was the first one to cry! They finished the popcorn and made sort work of the chocolate. She noted that everyone had a muffin. Belle managed to snag two muffins. Then Rachel declares that it is home time and leads people out, ensuring that Martha is one of the first to go.
"Do you want a hand clearing up Darl?" Irene asks
"Yeah, it doesn't seem fair to leave you with this?" Annie adds. "I've had the best time though" she adds.
Ella stands up slowly.
"Its ok. We'll sort it out tomorrow." Ella told them. She hugs both of them as they leave.
Nic yawns as she too hugs them.
"Night!" she says and watches them walk away.
Nic closes the door and picks up the bowls off the table.
"I've filled the dishwasher, put the remaining food away. So there isn't anything to worry about!" she told her with a grin.
"Nic you are a star." Ella said.
"Right up to bed for you step-mama!" Nic said "and I'll finish down here. It was a brilliant night."
Ella yawned and started climbing the stairs. She was tucked up in bed when Roman came in an hour later. She didn't stir when he climbed into bed but she did sigh and snuggle up to him in her sleep.
Roman chuckled and then fell into a deep sleep himself.