Lucia had made plans for us to go away for the Christmas/New Year break. I’d been so engrossed with running the business and the impending takeover that I'd just grunted when she asked me what I wanted to do for the holidays.

In normal times, I would have made all the arrangements myself, This time, I was more than content to let her take control of this due to the sometimes problematic issue of selling my company or as Lucia correctly called it, my ‘baby’. It was that in more ways than one. That phrase had come up more than once during my divorce. I got the blame for not producing an heir and, as far as I knew ‘she’ had not had a child since our parting of the ways.

Lucia had been massaging my shoulders and neck for about ten minutes when I asked,
“I saw the Beemer all packed up. Isn’t it time for you to let me know where we are going?”

She stopped working on my neck and came around to face me.

“At last… He returns to the real world!”

Lucia was right. I’d been living and breathing the business and the takeover for weeks.

“Sorry Lucia. I didn’t mean to be a total jerk.”

“You have had a very good reason to be a jerk so I forgive you.”
She smiled back at me,
“Just this once…”

I wondered if anything ever really got to this woman?

“I have rented us a cottage in the country about ten miles from Barnard Castle. It is ours until the 2nd.”

“I wondered what all the food was for.”

She grinned.
“You know me… I cook on impulse so we are prepared for everything or almost everything.”

“Judging by the lack of space for Scamp in the car, I can see that.”
I’d seen Scamp’s travel cage sitting by the front door when I arrived home.
Then I added,
“I need to go and take a shower and change out of this suit. Then we can get going.”

“Don’t take too long. I told the agent that we’d pick up the keys by 7:30.”

I did a few mental sums.
“The shower can wait until later. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Lucia smiled and picked up Scamp’s lead. She immediately got up from her basket and sat by my side. Her tail was drumming on the wooden floor.
“Not me Scamp but mummy.”

Lucia was clipping the lead to Scamp’s collar as I went upstairs. It was a well-used ploy to get her into the cage. There were times when Scamp refused to go in the cage even when tempted by her favourite ‘doggy treat’. I hoped that this holiday, Scamp would just be nice to us.

---

“Got them,” said Lucia as she returned to the car and waved some keys.

We’d just made it to the Estate Agents before they closed for the holidays. The centre of Barnard Castle was busy with late night shoppers and people already celebrating Christmas. Bright lights and sounds of happy people were very alluring.

I dragged attention away from the scene.
“Great. Where to now?”

“I’ll feed the address into the SatNav. It should take us around twenty minutes.”

“Great. I’m starving. The supermarket sandwich that I had for lunch was a long time ago.”

Lucia put her hand on mine as it sat on the gear lever.
“Don’t worry, I have something that only takes fifteen minutes to heat up in the oven.”

“Good. I was going to suggest getting a Chinese to take with us but if you have something then I’m good.”

---

Any thoughts that I had that we were going to be staying at a small ‘cottage’ were soon dispelled when I pulled up outside a large detached house.

“This isn’t really a cottage, is it?”

“We’ll be fine… I promise.”

I wasn’t sure but my stomach was making loud noises so I went along with Lucia.

“Grab that red cooler. That’s our supper. Can you put foil dish on the top of everything into the oven? 200C.”

“I can do that.”

“Good, I’ll unload the car while you lay the table and everything…”

---

“This is very good,” I said as we ate our meal.
“But… not very Italian, is it?”

“Not all Italian cuisine is based around Pasta you know?”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Well, you do now.”
That was me put in my place perfectly.

I cleared away and did the washing up while Lucia busied herself with something. I began to get a feeling that she was up to something. I had no real idea what it was but at that moment, I didn’t really care. I was away for the holidays with a truly remarkable woman and that was something to cherish.

---

“Time to get up sleepy,” said Lucia as she gently shook me awake.

I opened one eye and saw that it was after 10:00. I made a move then relaxed.

“I’m on holiday. Can’t I have one day off?”

“That’s why I let you sleep in this long. We have a busy day ahead of us.”

“Us?” I mumbled.

I slowly sat up and wiped the sleep out of my eyes. When they’d cleared, I saw what Lucia was wearing.
She saw the look on my face and smiled.

She was wearing that very seductive outfit that she’d worn the day that I’d come home unexpectedly.

“You… you look wonderful.”

She grinned.
“I was hoping that you would say that. I’ve got one just like it for you.”

It took me a few seconds to grasp what she’d said.

“You can’t be serious!”

“Oh… my darling, I am perfectly serious. Isn’t this the perfect time to have some fun.”
The grin on her face told me that she wasn’t joking.

“Besides, I got you your very own cleaner.”

In a bit of a panic, I looked around and saw two identical pink hoovers propped up against the wall. No wonder she had insisted on unloading the car the previous evening.

I collapsed back onto the bed. Lucia followed me and laid at my side. Her lips found mine. She tasted so nice that it was impossible to resist.

Part of me wanted to run a mile in 60 seconds but most of me wanted to be right here with Lucia. Having a good old snog was just nice. It had been so long since… Well, far too long.

“Are you ready to live a little dangerously?” asked Lucia a considerable time later.

“Only if I have some tea first!”

Her reaction was immediate. She punched me in the bicep.
“You and your tea… Why can’t you have coffee in the morning like civilised people?”

“Me? uncivilised? I know how my body reacts to that extra strong Espresso that you love and it isn’t nice.”

“Ok, I’d better go and put the kettle on then.”
“Why don’t you take that shower that you didn’t have time for yesterday, while I prepare us some ‘tea’ and toast?”

I smiled back at Lucia. Then I closed my eyes. I wanted to remember this moment for a long time. Lucia looked and smelt so… so fantastic.

---

A fairly cold shower helped to wake me up but I wasn’t prepared for what I found in my bedroom, when I returned.

Lucia had laid out an outfit that was almost the same as hers. There was no doubt about her intent and the image of her lying beside me just a half an hour before was right there in my mind and wasn’t going away.

The prospect of that and better made me put on the outfit. I knew that I looked like a total dork or plonker or something worse but being close to Lucia was all that I could think about at that moment.

Lucia had called out ‘Tea is ready’ at least twice before I was ready for my great entrance. Ok, great was a total exaggeration. Anything less than Lucia not falling about laughing would be a success.

“Ok, get the laughing over with now,” I said from the door to the kitchen.

Lucia smiled and came over to me and took my hands in hers.
“Shall we say that there is room for improvement?”

“Improvement? I look like a plonker pure and simple.”

“Then we shall have to work on it won’t we? But… first, tea and toast, is the order of the day.”

For someone who didn’t usually drink tea, Lucia certainly knew how to make an almost perfect cup of my favourite Green Tea. Green, in the morning and until lunchtime, then, Darjeeling after that. As for the toast, for too long, I used ordinary supermarket bread. While it was pretty tasteless, it generally lasted between my irregular trips to the shops. Since Lucia had been around, apart from some homemade ciabatta, Lucia had been buying sourdough loaves.
That morning, we dined on a sourdough boule with lashings of butter. Lucia certainly knew how to find a way to my heart even if it would eventually have a bad effect on my waistline. By the way she licked her lips after eating a slice, she liked it as well.

After we’d cleared away, I asked,
“Ok maestro, what is next on your list of humiliation tasks?”

“Today, we look at your hair.”

I smiled,
“Or rather my lack of it. In case you hadn’t noticed, I like it short.”

“That is the old you. What about the new you?”

“The new me? That’s the first I’ve heard about it.”

“The new you, is you without the worry of your business. Isn’t that a good start?”

“Ok but… but, I can’t help but think that there is a lot more in your plan for me… Am I right?”

Lucia grinned.
“You are right.”

“So? What are they?”

Lucia came around to my side of the table and sat on my lap or rather she straddled me. Just the thought made me get all excited.

“It appears that you like this. I shall have to remember that.”

“Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be sorry. What just happened, was a natural reaction to someone dangling the prospect of sex right in front of you. That is not wrong.”
Then she kissed me. It shut me up but only made the bulge in my dress even worse.

“So, what is your grand plan for me? Isn’t it about time that you shared it with me?”

Lucia chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”

“This is not how I envisaged telling you but it will do. I guess that I have your undivided attention for now at least…”

I sighed as Lucia made herself comfortable on my lap.

“While you were busy making sure that you got a great deal for your company and employees, I would take you know who for a walk down the coast at Mablethorpe. There are miles of sandy beaches and she could enjoy herself. It also allowed me to think about what happens after you completed the sale.”

“And if I didn’t sell?”

She shook her head.
“I didn’t want to think about that.”

“And? What did you decide as my fate?”

“I had this crazy idea of us becoming housekeepers and working for rich people.”

“But? Aren’t we rich?”

“Yes. That’s why it would be so much fun. We’d get all those juicy secrets of the rich.”

“Why do I get the idea that you want us to appear as a lesbian couple?”

“Something like that.”

“Something like what?”

“Why don’t you let things flow until the new year. Loosen up and have a bit of fun? How about it, Sophia?”

“Sophia?”

“Yes. That’s the name I have given you. Sophia Bertolini.”

I thought for a moment.
“Not bad, not bad at all but I don’t speak any Italian.”

“That’s where we have to dream up a suitable backstory for you?”

“What about our lack of references.”

“Can’t you write one for me?”

“Ok, that’s you sorted but I don’t have any work history.”

“A minor detail that will resolve itself in time. But that is the least of our problems.”

“I know. I look horrible.”

“That why we start with your hair.”

It was clear that Lucia was not going to give up at least before the new year.
I leaned over and kissed her.
“Ok, I’ll play ball until the new year. It will be something very different.”

“Only very different?”

“Strange as well.”
Then I looked her right in the eye,
“You are taking me on a walk, not just on the wild side, but headlong into an Alligator ridden swamp. Please let me make my own mistakes in my own time… Then on the first, we can look back at this week and laugh.”

Lucia smiled and then sighed.
“Yes master!”

It was my turn to laugh.
“Master? Looking like this?”

I kissed her and we were good.

---

[New Year’s Eve]

“Ready for a trip into town? We need to get a few items of food,” said Lucia as I cleared away after breakfast.

“You mean my first venture into the real world as Sophia?”

“I do. Isn’t it about time?”

“Ok,” I said without a good deal of enthusiasm.

“It will be fine. You look pretty good and probably better than a lot of others we’ll meet today.”

“I hope so.”

---

[Lunchtime that day]

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” said Lucia as we returned to the BMW laden with shopping. A few items turned into a full-scale food shop.

“It was fine. More by luck than judgement.”

Lucia smiled back at me.
“Whatever happened to the optimist I once knew?”

“The optimist is on vacation as you well know!”

Lucia laughed. She was right. It hadn’t been so bad after all.

---

[Later that evening]

Lucia had made a lovely meal to end the year. I’d opened a bottle of bubbly to see the old year out and the new one in.

We had just settled down to watch an old movie when my phone rang.

“It is Sue. She’s probably calling to wish us a happy new year,” I said after picking up the phone.

I answered it.
“Hello Sue. I’m here with Lucia.”

I listened to what she had to say. The smile that was on my face disappeared almost instantly.

“Let me put you on speaker as it affects Lucia as well.”

I enabled the speaker.
“Ok, Sue. Say that again.”

“Hi Lucia.”

“Hello Sue. What’s wrong?”

“Are you two somewhere near Barnard Castle?”

“Yeah. We went shopping there this morning.”

“Well,” said Sue,
“Your trip is all over Facebook and Instagram. Someone has been watching you. They also recorded you going up to Hadrians Wall with the dog.”

“Why?” was all that I could manage to say.

“Sue?” asked Lucia.
“Can you send me a link to the posts. Do you know who is responsible?”

“It is your ex. They sent out a message to everyone and let rip. What she is saying is pretty libellous if you ask me.”

“Anything else?”

“She started spewing off about all the money you walked away with that is rightfully hers. Somehow, she found out how much you sold the company for down to the last penny and she wants half of it, or that is what she is saying on social media.”

“Does she know about the money I gave all the employees?”

“I don’t think so but when she finds out, she’ll be wanting all of it for herself,” said Sue.
“But I don’t think that she cares. She thinks that she is owed by you and she wants blood.”

My phone pinged. Sue had sent the link.

“Thanks for the link, Sue. We’ll take a look,” said Lucia.

“Have a great New Year you two. Don’t forget to invite me to the wedding!”

I looked at Lucia who smiled and squeezed my hand.

“I’ll see you in a few days,” I said.
“Thanks for the tipoff and a happy new year to you and your family.”

“Thanks Boss and stick it to your ex. You deserve to be happy and … I think that you are with Lucia.”

“Thanks for the kind words, Sue,” said Lucia.

“Hang in there, both of you,” said Sue before hanging up.

We watched the two postings on Facebook and one on Instagram.

Neither of us said anything for several minutes once we’d seen the videos. Eventually, I broke the silence.

“Look Lucia, if this thing with me goes viral then I won’t hold you if you want to bail out.”

“I’m going nowhere unless you are with me.”

“Even????”

“Even if your ex takes you to court and by some magic, gets half of the money from the sale, I have more than enough for us to live on.”

“But… half of the money from the sale is most of what I have left. She’s not going to give up even if the court tells her to get lost.”

“Then we fight fire with fire.”

“What do you mean?”

“Won’t she will be expecting you to deny whatever is it that she has posted?”

“Probably. Why?”

“Then admit it and be Sophia to the world. That will take away some of the sting in her tail.”

“Are you sure that I could pull this off?”

“You managed very well when we went shopping.”

It felt like the walls were closing in on me and there was no door or window to kick open and escape.

Lucia came even closer to me and kissed my neck. That was guaranteed to make me go wobbly at the knees. She knew how to wrap me around her little finger and with unlike my former wife, I didn’t mind one little bit.

[to be continued]