When Tom Returns…

"... Cat gets the cream."

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1.Preamble.

Almost a month had passed when Simon’s mobile ‘pinged’ to alert him to a message from Cat. It was a pic of her in her latest lingerie purchase, with a simple note saying “Hi Simon”. He knew what that meant, and replied instantly to ask when she would be free for him to visit again. He had relived the last occasion many times in his dreams, and it had been arousing each and every time.

However, her reply was not to come until very late the next day, and he became a little uncertain, though he could not possibly have mistaken the ‘code’ they had agreed for a meeting. Something must have happened, he thought.

It emerged that Tom had suddenly called her to say that he was on the way home, and had good news. It seemed that he had succeeded in winning a major new contract and was taking some time off work to recover from the effort, and of course, to celebrate. He would be home for a full, uninterrupted week.

Even more surprisingly, he had attributed his success in no small part to the design work that Simon had developed for him, and wanted to hold a small celebration of their collaboration. He had asked her to invite Simon for an evening of drinks and socialising, and for him to deliver his invoice for payment.

Cat said that it would be a private evening for the three of us, and she would host, as she usually did on these ‘business’ occasions. However, this was to be a more intimate occasion than most, and she would prepare for the evening in consultation with Tom.

Cat was anxious to please both Tom, whom she loved and respected, and Simon, whom she desired and lusted after. She had been aching to meet Simon again, after their first illicit and spontaneous encounter, and did not have high expectations of the satisfaction she would get from Tom this week, especially if he began drinking heavily, as he was prone to do.

So it was agreed that Simon would visit next Friday evening, when Tom had settled back in at home and recovered a little.

During that week, Cat messaged Simon frequently, to say how much she wanted him, but Tom’s presence was inhibiting. She thought that they might have to wait until he departed again, but perhaps there would be opportunities for some excitement on Friday evening. She would do her best to encourage Tom to make it a frivolous and celebratory occasion, rather than a dull, businesslike meeting. She had dreams of pleasing both her love and her lover!

2.The Celebration.

Simon arrived on time, as always, with his invoice for Tom, and a large bunch of flowers for Cat; he knew that there was no need to contribute a bottle of drink, as the house was so well-stocked, and with wines and spirits which he would be unable to afford.

Cat was dressed in a clinging dress of bottle green silk, tightly tailored around the bust, waist and hips to accentuate her curves, but with a side-slit up to the thigh, which also revealed her long and shapely legs. She looked quite stunning.

She gave him a hug when he arrived, and subtly wriggled her belly against him, while her bright blue eyes shone with desire. Tom shook his hand at the same time, and praised his work, saying, “This is the biggest contract I’ve landed for a long time, Simon. Your work helped enormously, so we’ve planned a relaxed, celebratory evening at home together.”

To begin with, a series of gourmet courses were delivered elegantly to the table by Cat, each with a corresponding wine, and discussion began to flow easily.

Simon’s eyes followed Cat as she sashayed back and forth to deliver each course, her hips swaying exaggeratedly, and her thigh flashing out from the green silk at every turn. She was very well aware of the impact she was creating, if only on Simon.

When she poured his drinks, leaning forward towards him, she caught his eye and flashed a look of pure desire, which struck to his core. As the alcohol took effect, the conversation became more adventurous, but Simon was restrained in his drinking.

Tom was most interested in Simon’s travels and particularly in his romantic encounters en route, of which there had been a few. None had been serious, or lengthy, and Simon refrained from giving much detail, but noticed the seemingly jealous glances from Cat. She did not dare to join that conversation.

Once the final course was finished, Cat stood and said, “I will make some coffee now, but I’ll slip into something more comfortable, for the evening, I think. This dress feels too formal now.”

“It’s a fabulous dress,” said Simon, “but I’m sure your idea of a ‘casual’ look will be equally stunning.”

As Cat left the room, Tom said, slightly slurring his speech,“ She IS beautiful, isn’t she! And her sense of style only adds to her beauty. I’m so lucky to have her here, waiting for me whenever I come home. I know she feels neglected while I’m away, but there’s nothing I can do about that if we want to maintain our lifestyle.”

Simon said he understood completely, and sympathised about the conundrum of achieving the ideal work/life balance.

They settled on the sofa, with side tables alongside, laden with choices of wines and spirits. Cat entered in her new outfit, bearing a tray of coffee cups, full cafetière and chocolates, plus her own wineglass, and set it down on the coffee table before them.

When she entered, Simon’s jaw dropped slightly, but Tom was obviously well accustomed to his wife’s arousing appearance, and hardly reacted at all. He was pouring copious quantities of whisky into a large tumbler for himself, time and again.

She was now wearing a sheer, multicoloured silk blouse and a mid-thigh wraparound skirt of soft black material. It was immediately clear that she was not wearing a bra, because her erect nipples pressed hard against the sheer silk, and swayed gently back and forth as she stalked across the room in her high-heeled shoes,

From the look on her face, it seemed that she was thrilled with every step, as her nipples were caressed by their movement against the silk fabric. Simon thought she exaggerated the sway of her hips too, and when she bent to place the tray before them, she looked up into his eyes, while he was unable to resist staring past the open top buttons of her blouse, to glimpse the perfect breasts beneath. She smiled knowingly, and winked.

Cat came round and sat between them, wriggling her hips to make space for herself, and said, “Help yourselves, gentlemen!”

Tom didn’t want coffee, but poured another large whisky, while Cat continued to sip her own white wine. Only Simon poured coffee, and when Tom offered it, he refused a brandy to accompany it.

The conversation had slowed to a halt, partly because Tom had now slumped in the sofa, leaning against Cat’s shoulder. She turned to face Simon, and silently mouthed “Hello, Lover!” while she unbuttoned her blouse further. She put her arm around Tom, and he slumped lower, to rest his head against Cat’s naked breast. She gently pulled her blouse open to expose both of her breasts and turned to look at Simon.

Simon reached out to fondle the nearest breast and tease her hard nipple, while her hand drifted down to his thigh, and stroked upwards to reach his hard cock, pressing urgently against his trousers. He was not at all sure what to do next, but Cat was.

Cat put her arm around him and pressed his head down to nuzzle her breast; she had both Tom and Simon against her naked breasts now, but only Simon was really aware of the situation and taking any advantage of it.

He supported her breast in one hand, gently squeezing and massaging it, then clamped his mouth over her nipple to suck it hard inside his mouth and circle it firmly with his tongue. She threw her head back in a silent scream of pleasure, and pressed both her husband and her lover against her exposed breasts.

Tom stirred and mumbled incoherently, slumping back to the side, away from Cat.

Simon took the opportunity to play with both of Cat’s breasts, squeezing, pulling and teasing them more vigorously, and pinching her nipples hard. She was biting her lips in frustration now, trying to remain silent while in the throes of ecstasy, beside her husband.

Tom was very deeply asleep now, alongside Cat. She half-turned to face Simon and whispered urgently, “I have to have you, Simon!”, reaching down to unbutton his flies and expose his hard cock. She swallowed hard at the sight, now reminded of his length and girth, but quickly dropped her head into his lap.

Cat took the swollen head of Simon’s cock between her red lips, swirled her tongue around it, and sucked hard. One hand held the shaft firmly and squeezed it tight, feeling the rigid, steely strength as she moved her hand up and down.

Simon had one hand on the back of her blonde head, but resisted the overpowering urge to press her mouth down over him; his other hand went to his own mouth, to bite his knuckles hard. He had to remain silent, whatever Cat did now!

She continued to stroke Simon’s cock with one hand, more and more firmly, more and more quickly, while she suckled rhythmically on the throbbing red head in her mouth. She was breathing through her nose, and trying to stay silent, but as her own climax approached, she was grunting and gasping quietly. She felt Simon begin to angle his hips back and forth and knew he was about to cum soon.

All she had to do was to swirl her tongue, suck hard, and give one last firm stroke of his cock, pressing down against his balls, and clamping her mouth tightly over him.

They both stopped still, or as still as they could, while Simon pumped copious amounts of cum into Cat’s mouth; she nearly released him when the first shot hit hard at the back of her throat, but knew she had to keep him there while he emptied his balls, and swallow every last drop he delivered into her. None could escape, and she gulped down every pulse. She did so willingly, even hungrily, while she trembled with repressed ecstasy and Simon slowly relaxed.

She lifted her head from his cock, ostentatiously licking her lips and grinning like a Cheshire Cat, while she tucked Simon’s cock out of sight again and buttoned his flies. She sat up and pulled her blouse around her, to cover her breasts again, while Simon leaned towards her and said, “I can’t believe you did that, Cat!”

She smiled and said, “I just couldn’t resist you, Simon. Tom wasn’t going to notice.”

At that moment, Tom did stir back into consciousness and reached for his whisky. Cat quickly reached for her white wine, swirled it around her mouth and swallowed with a loud gulp. She said loudly “Wow, what a wonderful cocktail that was! Sweet and salty all at once,” and winked at Simon.

Tom was awake now, and realising the lateness of the hour, Simon said, “Perhaps I had better go soon.” But Tom thought he should not drive home after such an evening of drinking, even though it was he who had drunk the most. Simon agreed that it would be wisest not to, after all, and suggested he should simply sleep on the sofa.

“No, no, no,” said Tom. “We won’t hear of that! We have a guest room ready, and you can stay there; even for the weekend if you want. Cat will show you the way, but I’m afraid I need to roll into my own bed soon. I will see you in the morning, Simon.”

He stood uncertainly, helped by Cat, and the two of them disappeared towards what Simon already knew was the Master Bedroom.

Cat quickly returned and hugged Simon close. “Oh my God!” she laughed. “Look at the sofa! I’ve left a wet patch where I was sitting. I’ve soaked right through my dress. I will have to say I spilled a drink!”

She took Simon’s hand and led him to the Guest Bedroom.

3. The Sleepover.

The Guest Bedroom was as luxurious as the Master, with a king-size bed and its own en suite facilities.

Once inside, Cat pushed the door firmly closed behind her. It seemed she was boiling with passion, only heightened by the hot cum she had swallowed on the sofa beside her comatose husband. She had climaxed, but it was of a very different nature to the full orgasm of the kind she knew Simon could provoke in her when they fucked.

Simon said he was unsure, when Tom was so close, and might hear them in the throes of passion; he already knew that Cat could be quite loud when she was sufficiently aroused, though both of them had successfully maintained silence on the sofa!

Cat was sure they were safe, and asked Simon to go down on her now. She recalled that mind-blowing experience of their first encounter, and wanted to repeat it, with the added thrill of knowing that Tom was close by. He would rarely, if ever, go down on Cat and she wondered secretly whether she wanted him to witness what Simon could do to her. Perhaps a ‘Peeping Tom’ could learn something to his advantage?

That thought fled her mind as soon as Simon pressed his whole body against her, standing at the end of the bed, and deftly unwrapped her skirt, to throw it aside. He slowly unbuttoned her blouse and peeled it back over her shoulders, to fall to the floor. Her perfect, pert breasts confronted him now and he captured one in each hand, circling the light brown areolae with his thumbs, teasing her already-erect nipples, and squeezing them firmly.

Her head rocked back in pleasure as he dropped to his knees to confront her black silk panties, already soaked once on the sofa, but now freshly doused in her juices. He put one thumb inside them at each hip, and peeled them gently downwards, slowly revealing the dark strip of wet blonde hair which she carefully maintained.

Below that, her pussy lips were pouting, and Simon kissed them hard, flickering his tongue between her thighs, seeking entry to the delights of her inner sanctum.

Now she sat at the end of the bed, then laid back fully, spreading her legs as wide as she could, to allow whatever access Simon desired. His hands pressed against her inner thighs, to hold them apart, while he licked full length along her outer lips from back to front; she groaned a little when his tongue approached her clit, but he did not dwell there – yet!

Using only his tongue, Simon parted her outer lips, and explored the inner folds of her pussy until he was probing inside her vagina, which opened willingly before him. He could see into her darker depths, leaking tasty juices from within, and probed as deeply as he could with his tongue, but longer fingers were required.

He moved his mouth to clamp over Cat’s emerging, erect clit, and teased that with his tongue, just as he had teased her hard nipples earlier. Meanwhile, he pressed one thumb into Cat’s vagina. It was a fairly tight fit, but with her ample lubrication, it was easily accommodated, and he gently moved it in and out, while his tongue flickered restlessly around her clit.

He lifted his head, to find her blue eyes staring intently at him. He looked quizzically at her while he moved his thumb in and out of her, feeling her gripping it tightly with her practised muscles.

“This is delicious, Simon,” she said, “I was thinking that it is just like Tom fucking me, when your thumb pushes inside me, but with the added delight of your mouth playing with me down there. His cock is longer, of course, but feels probably no thicker than your thumb when I grip it.”

Simon grinned and said, “Should I call him Tom Thumb now?” and when Cat laughed, he thrust his thumb hard inside her, as deep as it would go.

She jolted with the force of it, then said, “Compared to you, Simon, he is Tom Thumb! I remember how I had to ease myself open to accept you into my tight pussy, and I’ve longed to experience that again, ever since,”

“Just lie back now Cat, and empty your mind of everything except the sensations you are feeling. Let your hands play with your breasts and nipples, while I play with your pussy and clit,” said Simon. His head dropped back between her thighs, and no more words were exchanged for a very long time; only gasps, grunts, moans and groans emerged from the two of them.

Simon had his mouth clamped onto Cat’s clit, and two fingers probing inside her vagina, searching for the magic spot, to trigger her ecstasy, while moving them in and out of her, and stretching her wider all the time. He drew her hard clit between his lips and nipped it very gently with his teeth, then played it with his acrobatic tongue.

Cat breathed in deeply and tried to hold her breath, willing her orgasm to wait a little longer, but it was no use. She squeezed and pinched her own breasts hard, released her pent-up breath in one great gale, and bucked her hips frantically against Simon’s mouth. Then she released her breasts and grabbed Simon’s head, as though to force him inside her. She was shivering and shaking all over now, trying to remain as quiet as she could, for fear of Tom hearing her; in some ways, her attempts to remain silent only intensified the feelings which washed through her body. But eventually, the tremors abated and she flopped back, almost lifeless.

As she recovered, and returned to the real world, she suddenly jolted alert and said, “Did you hear anything, Simon? I think I heard sounds…“

Simon had not heard anything, with his head squeezed between Cat’s thighs, but roused himself to lie alongside her, his hard cock pressing urgently against her hip. He kissed her deeply, and she tasted her own self on his lips—a taste to savour, just as he had.

Now, though, she was unsettled, and said she thought she had to return to Tom. She apologised profusely for leaving Simon in his ‘unfinished’ state of arousal, but he laid back, saying, “It will wait, Cat, it will wait. We can’t fuck while you are anxious about Tom, so you must go back to him. At very worst, we will have to wait until he returns to work.”

“You are wonderful, Simon,” she said, “and in every way! You are right, of course; I have to go and check on Tom now, but I will try to return.”

So saying, she bent down to give the head of Simon’s cock a chaste kiss before she gathered her discarded clothes and quietly closed the door behind her.

4. Tom, Cat and Simon.

Cat slipped back into bed alongside Tom, who still dozed, but seemed a little restless. She was very well aware of the aroma of sex she had brought with her from the Guest room, and of her dripping wet, open pussy.

She pressed up against Tom, who stirred and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her towards him.

“Mm mm,” he said, “You smell good tonight, Cat!” Then hastily added, “You always do, of course! But I mean especially good. Have you enjoyed the evening? I think Simon is a great asset to me and could be a good friend to us both. Do you like him?”

Cat swallowed hard and tried to contain her emotions as she said, “I do like him, very much. He is a very worldly and experienced man. I enjoyed his conversation and his company this evening, and I hope we can have more evenings together in future.”

“I agree,” said Tom, and his voice deepened a little, “but now that we’re both awake, would you like to make love, my darling? There is no need to feel inhibited by Simon’s presence in the Guest room. I’m sure he won’t hear us.”

Cat almost choked as she said, “No, my love! I think I am ready for you, if you are able tonight. It must be quite a while since we did this.”

She snuggled up against him and said, “Would you like me to ride you, Tom? You know how much I love that, feeling you get as deep as you can inside me. Just lie back, and I’ll do everything.”

Tom rolled onto his back, and Cat teased his cock into firmness. She couldn’t get Simon’s joke about ‘Tom Thumb’ out of her mind now, and although Tom’s cock was of a very respectable length, it was true that it was only the thickness of Simon’s thumb, which had recently plunged inside her. Simon’s cock was soo much thicker, she thought!

Nevertheless, Tom was the man she loved and had married, and she dutifully straddled him, easily accepting his cock inside her tight wet pussy, so well-prepared by Simon.

Tom gasped as she sank down on him, and moaned with pleasure as she rhythmically rode up and down, while gripping his cock with her vaginal muscles. She sat up straight upon him, bracing herself with her hands on his chest, while her strong thighs lifted her up and down.

Tom reached up to play with her breasts, but it was not long before he seemed unable to contain himself any longer, and she knew he was about to cum. She thrust down hard upon him, and ground her still-swollen clit against him, while he delivered his cum into her with shouts of “Fuck, fuck, fuck… Oh Catherine.”

It was all over quite quickly, but Tom was clearly satisfied. In many ways, Cat was too. She had pleased her husband and had enjoyed the experience, but he had not taken her to the more extreme levels of pleasure she had reached with Simon, and she found herself wanting to achieve that again.

She lifted herself off Tom, allowing a dribble of cum to emerge, and rolled aside to cuddle him. His eyes were already closing as he muttered, “Thank you, Cat, that was wonderful.” She sighed quietly to herself, and kissed him gently on the lips.

She had lain alongside him for a little while, but her thoughts and fantasies were now mainly with Simon. She felt she had treated him rather cruelly by leaving him hard and alone in the Guest room, after he had brought her to an ecstatic climax, which only served, in the end, to prepare her pussy for Tom.

She was caught ‘on the horns of a dilemma’—or perhaps that should be ‘on a dilemma of horns’?

In the end, she could resist her thoughts of Simon’s cock no longer, and hoped he had not yet spent all the cum he must have accumulated while he pleasured her earlier.

She slipped quietly from the marital bed- the very one in which she had previously mounted Simon for the very first time- and donned her red baby-doll nightie with matching red satin panties. Within moments, they were wet.

Quietly leaving the Master bedroom, she moved down the hallway to the Guest room, and peeped through the doorway. Simon was lying in the centre of the bed, covered only with a single sheet, and she could see his cock raising it, like a tent-pole. While she watched, he turned his head towards her and whispered, “I can see you’re there Cat! I heard you coming and just hoped it was you, and not Peeping Tom. Come in.”

She grinned and slid through the doorway, closing the door quietly behind her.

She sat on the bed alongside Simon, and reached out to touch the tent-pole, saying, “Have you been waiting for me all this time? I had to fuck Tom… It may not have taken long, but he is fast asleep again now. Would you like me to relieve you, now?”

Simon said, “I imagine you would like some relief too! Let me see you remove that nightie… slowly.”

Cat stood alongside the bed and, as slowly and seductively as she could, she drew the nightie over her blonde head, all the while keeping her blue eyes fixed on Simon’s. In the main, he met her gaze, but she noted his eyes flicker to her breasts when they were revealed, pert and upstanding, crowned with her erect brown nipples.

He sighed and his eyes drifted lower, to take in the sight of her soaking wet silk panties, and damp inner thighs. “It looks as though you’re ready for another good fucking!” he said.

“Indeed I am,” said Cat. “I would love to ride you again, Simon.”

He surprised her by saying, “No, Cat. Not this time. I let you ride me last time because you needed to ease your way onto my cock, but this time, you are more familiar with me and you have been prepared well. I’m sure you could accept this cock under my control, this time.”

Cat was a little concerned, just as she had been on their first coupling, and that was only heightened when Simon withdrew the sheet covering him. She gasped and said, “Oh my God! It seems bigger than ever, Simon. I know we succeeded before, but I’m very nervous. Please be gentle with me, won’t you?”

Simon stood to face her, his hard, thick cock pressed against her belly. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her away from him, now pressing his cock against her small, pert ass, and forcing the red silk between her cheeks. She gasped as she felt him move up and down her crease, wondering what he had in mind.

Truth be told, she was a little frightened, but in a strange way, that only heightened her excitement. She told herself that she would allow Simon to have her in whatever way he wished- she knew he would be considerate, and she was sure he would be gentle. She wasn’t altogether sure that she wanted him to be gentle, though!

She swallowed hard as she thought that there was no lube to hand this time, as they had used before, and remembered how tight her pussy had been around him even then.

Simon pushed her forward onto the bed, to kneel on the edge and fall forwards onto all fours. NOW she knew what he had in mind, but instead of pulling her panties down, he reached between her thighs and pulled them roughly aside to expose her swollen, wet pussy lips.

Her head dropped to the bed, raising her ass as high as possible, to give him complete access to her. She felt him force his cock downwards against her, to press the head to the entrance of her vagina, spreading her wet pussy lips to either side. He held himself there for what seemed an eternity to Cat, gently manoeuvring her open, ready to take him inside.

He began to rock gently back and forth on the balls of his feet, as he stood at the end of the bed behind her. His cock nudged further and further into her, but she was well aware that there was much more to come, and that the thick root of his cock would test her tight pussy to the limits.

Suddenly, he forced his cock roughly half way into her and she squealed; he held himself still now, just half-embedded inside her, and squeezed and massaged her ass cheeks around him. She found the sensations quite delightful, as the head of his cock throbbed inside her, but she knew that there was so much more waiting for her. Would he be slow and gentle? Or would he be fierce and brutal?

The answer came quickly, and so did she!

Simon pressed her ass cheeks apart and suddenly slammed his cock inside her, crashing against her cervix with force. She felt that he would split her in two! He withdrew slowly, but re-entered her with the same force, and he did so again and again and again, while Cat squealed and whimpered beneath him.

Each stroke made the cheeks of her small, tight ass quiver with the shock, as his body hit hers, and sent waves of pleasure coursing throughout her body. She tried to restrain herself, and covered her mouth to prevent herself shouting out too loudly, but it was almost impossible to remain quiet when Simon slammed into her.

It took very few, but very forceful strokes, to bring Cat to orgasm; an orgasm like none she had known before. Simon impaled her on his cock and began pumping pulse after pulse of cum deeply into her, while she shuddered, shook and trembled beneath him, and her pussy lips fluttered around the thick base of his cock.

He was gasping with effort too, as every pulse forced its way through the tight grip of Cat’s vagina and shot up into her. But finally, he was spent, and fell forwards over her back, kissing her between the shoulder blades, and wrapping his arms around her to squeeze her hanging breasts.

Under his weight, she collapsed on the bed too, grunting and writhing as she felt his cock slowly withdrawing from her, to release a flood of cum from her pussy.

They lay there quietly for several minutes, without moving, before Simon rolled aside.

They looked at each other and kissed passionately, their tongues probing each other, sucking and tasting each other, until they fell back, quite exhausted.

“You see,” said Simon, “I knew your tight little pussy would let me in if I really tried!”

“Well, it was certainly something of a squeeze,” said Cat, “but I can’t think of a more satisfying way to prove it, Simon!”

After a little while, she composed herself enough to pull her satin panties back over her pussy, and slip her nightie back over her head. It was time to go.

She gave Simon one last kiss, and tottered uncertainly to the door, waving as she left, to return to her husband’s side. She slipped unnoticed into his bed and tried to sleep, but it was difficult, with all the thoughts and feelings spinning around in her mind and in her body. Even so, she must have slipped off from pure exhaustion, and the next she knew, the bright morning sunlight was spilling into the bedroom.

She raised herself on one elbow, and looked down at Tom, to say, “Breakfast, darling?”

5. The morning after.

Cat was buzzing with energy and vitality. She sped around the kitchen, preparing pancakes, fruit, cereals and all manner of goodies for the two men sitting at the dining table. They appeared to be deeply engrossed in conversation, which seemed very businesslike to her, and she thought it rather inappropriate, in some ways.

When she joined them at the table though, Tom clarified the situation.

“Cat,” he said, “I’ve asked Simon to accept a retainer as a consultant, and he has accepted, so you may be seeing more of him in future.”

Cat tried to suppress her delight, but flashed her eyes at Simon.

Tom continued, “I may not always have enough for Simon to do, though, so we’ve been speculating how he might help you too.”

Cat swallowed hard and said, “Oh, really?” and flushed a little in embarrassment.

“Yes,” said Tom. “I know you are very bored when I’m away, and you fill your time with jogging, yoga and so on, to keep yourself fit. But I also know that you adore lingerie, and have an urge to design your own one day; you’ve said as much to me before.”

“It occurred to us that you might be able to start a small business from home, selling online? I’m very confident that you could design, and even hand-make the garments on a small scale, and as they sell at such high prices, you might even make some profit!”

“Simon thinks he could contribute some design thoughts too, and could certainly produce any promotional material or website you needed. He’d be happy for that to be part of his remit, IF it’s something you really DO want to pursue.”

Cat was standing in shocked silence, her mouth open in astonishment, as she looked at Simon and Tom. They both waited for her to speak, and eventually, she did.

“Wow, this is so unexpected, Tom,” she finally said. “I know I had mentioned this idea to you before, but it was really speculative, and when you didn’t follow it up. I thought you were against it!”

“I just didn’t have time to think about it, really,” said Tom, “but Simon thinks it is a good idea, and the costs are so limited that it would be a very low-risk enterprise. He’s convinced me that it would be worth a trial, and he’s ready to help.”

Simon added, “It would mean that we have to see more of each other, Cat, and collaborate on designs and photographs, and so on, but as Tom says, it would give you a clear focus, especially when he’s away.”

Cat was almost speechless with a mixture of shock, pleasure, desire and happiness, but managed to blurt out, “Yes, yes, yes, I would LOVE that! It would be a dream come true for me, and with Simon’s help, I just KNOW I could make a success of it!”

“Well, that seems to be agreed, then,” said Tom, and they all gathered for a group hug. Cat was trying to avoid Simon’s direct gaze for fear of saying or showing something inappropriate, but she gripped his hand tight and squeezed.

It seemed she had a future to look forward to.

Published 11 months ago

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