Well, here we are at Z. Tempted as I was by the idea of a trip to the zoo, I resisted. I hope you like it!
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As weddings went, it had been as low-key as it was possible to make it. A brief ceremony at the registry office, a few drinks with friends, and a taxi home as darkness started to fall.
In the taxi they relaxed almost immediately, chuckling a little with relief that it was over. Lucien pulled off his tie and undid his collar, Jean took off her shoes which were starting to pinch.
Lucien started to slide his hand from her knee, up under the hem of her blue silk dress, but as he got tantalisingly near her stocking top, Jean flashed him a warning frown. He had come to know that look only too well over recent weeks as he had tried to test the waters. This time however her eyes signalled 'later' rather than 'back off'.
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Some time later they were in their familiar places in the kitchen, Jean at the stove waiting for the kettle to boil, and Lucien sitting at the head of the table. Except that Lucien was wearing his best suit, with the waistcoat hanging open, and Jean was in her wedding dress and stockinged feet.
They hadn't turned the lights on, and the house was almost silent; no Charlie tonight. In the thin moonlight they listened to the hiss of the kettle.
"Tea, Jean? Really?" He raised an eyebrow.
She didn't reply, but instead placed the full cup and saucer in front of him. The ritual settled her nerves, and perhaps Lucien's too, as he sipped the drink and watched her over the rim of the cup.
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Jean rested her forehead in the warm space between his neck and shoulder. Her lips were moving slowly and deliciously against his collarbone, and he was finding it hard to go slowly. Jean had already removed his waistcoat and dropped it, most unusually, on the bedroom floor. She was now turning her attention to his shirt buttons, and Lucien was beginning to feel at a disadvantage.
Her dress may have been beautiful, but it didn't come with instructions. He had one hand gently cupping her breast over the dress, while his other hand started to finger the row of many buttons that ran up the back of the dress. He struggled to manage them one handed, but was reluctant to move his other hand away from the soft curved place it had found.
Then Jean lifted her head for a moment and murmured, "Try this."
She took his hand from her breast and guided it to the back of her neck. He felt the tiny metal slider and realisation dawned: the buttons were just for decoration.
He grinned and slid the zip open just a little, then traced his fingers down her neck. He kissed her lips then, teasing them with his tongue, and gradually he opened the zip all the way to her hips. His hand was now flat on the curve of her lower back, and as he broke the kiss and stepped back a little, the dress started to fall away. Running his eyes in awe over her exposed shoulders and breasts, Lucien spoke at last.
" I don't know who invented the zip fastener, " he breathed, "but he was clearly a genius." And he pressed his lips to her bare shoulder.
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I've loved writing these stories. There's so much freedom in writing snippets and moments, and I've probably ended up with more ideas at the end than I had in the beginning!
If you have read most or all of them, could you be really helpful and give me some overall feedback? I'd love to know which stories you liked best, but also some constructive criticism would be good - which ones did you skip over? Was the crackfic too weird? Was there a character you wished I'd included (I feel guilty about Bill Hobart!)? And then I can try to do better.
Thanks for all the reviews xx