Chapter 45

In the early evening of Valentine’s day, Sid had hustled Anne out of the door of Boundless Waves. Stan had rung him to make arrangements earlier. Downstairs, in the vestibule of the building, she was surprised to find Denise and Stan waiting for her.

Stan, Anne and Denise all went in to Covent Garden, and had dinner at ‘Trotters’ cafe in Covent Garden. They didn’t make a huge thing of it as Anne would have to be back in work the next morning, but a loving, relaxed meal was enjoyed by all three of them. The restaurant was, of course, very busy but the food was glorious and the wine chosen by the sommelier complemented the meal perfectly.

“I’m really sorry we couldn’t celebrate properly,” Anne said to Stan.

“Don’t worry, Anne. I really enjoyed the meal, and it’s just lovely for the three of us to be out together like this,” Stan told her.

“Besides,” Denise added, “any later than this and you’d be dead on your feet tomorrow.”

“Oh, God, I’m going to be that anyway!” Anne told her.

- - - - - - - - - -

On Saturday, the seventeenth of February, Anne, Stan and Denise attended Elaine and Susan’s Civil Partnership ceremony. First thing in the morning they went to the registry office, close to the local library. 

There they watched, as Elaine and Susan completed the legal formalities and signed the register. That was all they needed do to become as close to wife-and-wife as the current legal system would allow.

The registry office was actually a large room, almost a small hall, with seating split by a central walkway leading to a small lectern at the front. The floor was polished wood, the walls were a clean pale tan up to the window level, where on one side you could look out onto the parkland outside, and on the other into the library itself. There were small rooms at front and back, one for coats and such, the other a small office where the Registrar actually worked.

Elaine and Susan entered. They were wearing simple but elegant suits, and each had her hair up. They said ‘Hello’ to each of their guests as they slowly walked together to the front, and as Elaine passed Denise she leaned over and whispered, “I’m so nervous I’m shaking! Wish me luck?”

“Good luck, Elaine – but you don’t need it. You’re a winner, here. Where’s your Mum and Dad?”

“They wouldn’t come, they don’t approve. Neither would Susan’s. We’ll talk about it later.”

The Registrar cleared his throat, wanting to get things going. Elaine joined Susan at the front, facing him, and he began.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to welcome you here to the register office today, to the Civil Partnership ceremony of Susan Seeley and Elaine Solberg.”

“This room in which we are met has been duly sanctioned according to the law for celebration of Civil Partnership Ceremonies. I am now going to ask Susan and Elaine to repeat after me…”

“I declare that I know of no legal reason why we may not register as each other’s civil partner. I understand that on signing this document we will be forming a civil partnership with each other.”

Elaine and Susan repeated the words, watching each other, not the registrar.

“Will you both now please sign the schedule and the register?” he intoned.

Susan did so, and then stood back to be followed by Elaine.

“May I now ask the witnesses to sign?”

One of Susan’s friends did so first. Then it was Denise’s turn.

She had been incredibly surprised when Elaine had asked her, and initially demurred. But she had insisted, saying “I can think of no-one else I’d rather have, Denny. Please?”

So it was that Denise stepped forward and signed ‘Denise Bottomley’ where she was indicated. She looked up into first Elaine’s eyes, then, a little tentatively, into Susan’s. Susan winked at her! She looked down, breaking eye contact, knowing that she was blushing, and stepped back into her place.

“Susan Seeley and Elaine Solberg, you are now partners in law. May I offer you both my very good wishes!” the registrar said. The two ladies, now legally partners, kissed briefly. The registrar gave a momentary small smile, then turned and walked back into his office.

Everyone else there crowded around Susan and Elaine, offering their congratulations, and the two celebrants basked in their good wishes.

Elaine and Susan smiled for the photographer as they posed with the registrar, and then their guests, for a series of pictures based in the registry office.

“There’ll be more later,” Elaine explained to Denise, “Suze and I will go home in a minute and get changed into something a bit prettier first, though!”

Elaine and Susan had wanted more than just a simple signing at the registry office, and they’d arranged for a celebration of their ‘wedding’ to take place at Apricots. So everyone reconvened there a few scant hours later, along with some more of their friends.

Elaine and Susan arrived in a vintage Rolls-Royce. The chauffeur helped them out, and they walked hand in hand to the centre of the courtyard, and then turned right into the restaurant, where a small dais had been set up.

Because it was February everyone was dressed fairly warmly, but still Susan and Elaine both looked stunning. Elaine’s dark blue dress was cut on the bias with a diagonal hem, her blonde hair was still up and crowned by a delicate gold tiara. Susan wore a lighter blue, with both front and back cut deeply, and the front hem slightly higher than the rear. Her hair, too, was still up, in her case in a French braid.

Denise stood with Stan and Anne, watching as the two stood while poems were read. Then Elaine turned to Susan and said, “I didn’t know, at first, just what to say here. But then I thought about you, my love, and the words came.” She closed her eyes, summoning the words she’d memorised.

“I promise to be there when you need me, 
to fill your days with sunshine, to comfort you and encourage you, 
to help you reach your goals, to be your best friend ever,
and to love you for all of my life, with all of my heart.”

She was smiling as she said it, but her eyes were bright and she finished in almost a croak as her throat plainly closed up.

Then it was Susan’s turn. She said, “I’m hopeless at this sort of thing, really, but I did manage to write this.” She pulled a small piece of paper from her dainty bag, and read aloud.

“My love for you
Is the love
That the rain has for the sea.
 
You remind me of the moon
I am the tide
Begging for you
 
You are smooth and supple under my fingers
As though someone cast you
Around the curve of a lens
And left your skin shined by the glass.

I love you
And I have become lost in your eyes.”

They reached for each other, and kissed… the kiss went on for a while. Someone coughed, gently, and they parted. Elaine blushed a little, but Susan carried it off with aplomb. Various photo flashes went off, which made Elaine blush some more. Recovering herself, Elaine called out to the crowd, “Thanks, everyone, for coming here today. Now, everyone take your seats, and we’ll have a little meal!”

It was lunchtime, well, a late lunch, so it wasn’t a big meal. But there was plenty, and it was up to Apricots’ usual standards. Stan, Denise and Anne were placed together, with Denise at Stan’s left and Anne at his right. On Denise’s left was Elaine, then Susan. Their parents had elected not to attend, neither set of parents approving of their daughters’ homosexuality.

Susan explained to Denise. “Both our mums and dads think we’re going to ‘grow out of it’, that it’s just a phase. Well. Hello, I’ve been attracted to girls my whole life, and I see no reason to change now. But my folks won’t accept that- they wanted grandchildren and a nice rich hubby and a nice conventional daughter. Sorry, that’s not me!”

“It’s worse in my case, because I have been out with a couple of guys,” said Elaine. “So they think it just wasn’t the right ones, you know? Actually, they disapproved of you almost as much as Susan, Denny. Possibly more – they’re convinced you ‘turned’ me. As if!”

“So, they wouldn’t come. Well, so what? If they can’t love me for what I am, then screw them!” Susan said. But she had a tear in her eye as she said it, and Elaine had quickly moved to comfort her. Denise swiftly changed the subject. As they were all eating the photographer came by and took more photos.

After eating, the guests filed out past Elaine and Susan and had their photograph taken with the two ladies. Stan, Anne and Denise were the last to reach them. After the photos were taken, Elaine pulled Denise to one side. “Stay a moment, please, will you?” she pleaded. Elaine told Stan and Anne, “I won’t be a minute.” Anne took Stan along, giving their lover a moment with her exes.

Elaine and Susan each took one of Denise’s hands. Susan spoke.

“Elaine told me I overreacted, and I think, now time has passed, I can see that I did. In the event, I think I wasn’t really cut out for a poly relationship, Denise, but it was fun for the short time it lasted. I’m really, really sorry that I hurt you though. Please come and see us – as friends. I don’t think I can handle seeing you as a lover, at least not yet. But I can do this.”

She turned her back.

Elaine pulled Denise to her, and kissed her. Denise, surprised, responded.

Letting go, Elaine told her, softly, “The love of my life is Susan, but you’ll always have a place in my heart too, Denise. Know that, always.”

Susan cleared her throat and turned back. “That was part of my wedding gift to Elaine, you know,” she said, smiling at Denise. “Now, go to your loves outside and give them all a hug from us. We’re heading to one of the rooms where I can ravage my now legal partner!”

Denise smiled back and gave Susan a peck on the cheek. As she turned to go, Susan stopped her with a touch on her shoulder. “Oh, and Denise? Do you fish?”

Denise was more than a little surprised by the question, but answered, “Not really, no. Why?”

Susan smiled at her and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially into her ear.

“Because I think, if you use a light line and a lot of finesse, you might manage to land a prime, tall, blonde fish. I might be wrong, but… Good luck!”

She stepped back and smiled at the redhead.

Denise smiled back. She didn’t say anything. But she did think, ‘Hmmm…’

- - - - - - - - - -

By the end of February Anne had made a lot of progress with her design, but she was feeling continually frustrated by constant interruptions and exhausted by the travelling. Sid was concentrating on marketing the product while Ken was always meeting potential customers and backers, intent on ensuring they had money enough to stay afloat. Valerie would be acting as personal assistant to both of them, as well as receptionist, switchboard operator, “And anything else management sees fit,” as she put it to Anne that Friday afternoon.

Anne smiled wearily across at her. She shoved a stray hair up out of her left eye and turned back to the monitor. Her eyes burned, and she closed them momentarily.

She felt a hand tugging at her shoulder. “What!?”

“Anne, it’s me, Sid. You’ve been asleep. Go home. I don’t want to see you until Monday. You’re exhausted.”

“But there’s more to be done –”

“Not by you, not until Monday, Anne. I’ve had Maggie nagging away at me enough as it is. She’s coming to pick me up in a few minutes, and if she sees you here like this she’ll really tear me off a strip!” He continued quietly but intensely, “It’ll wait, Anne. Go home!”

She went home, home to Stan’s house where she’d be with Stan and Denise.

- - - - - - - - - -

Anne slept almost the whole of Saturday through, but eventually woke up. She looked at the clock and saw that it was almost four o’clock in the afternoon! She felt groggy with sleep, so she dressed, went to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea and some toast.

She was alone in the house, but found a note pinned to the refrigerator by a magnet:

Anne, 
Denise and I are going to do some grocery shopping. 
Be back soon!

Half an hour later Anne felt much more human. Just then, she heard the sound of a key in the lock, the door opened and in walked Stan and Denise. They looked very happy together. 

Stan saw Anne and rushed over to her, dropping his shopping bags as he went. Denise took hers to the worktop, deposited them and turned to find Anne and Stan in a tight embrace. She smiled at them both. 

In her head Anne felt nothing but love from the both of them. Her body had ideas of a baser nature. It was telling her that Stan was nearby, and she could feel his arousal. Her own pussy was slick with moisture already.

Stan pulled back a fraction and winked at her, then turned to Denise. Eyes dancing and a sloppy grin on her face she told them, “Go upstairs you two! I’ll put the shopping away! Sheesh!”

Anne dragged Stan up the stairs. Stan, laughing, followed her up, pretending to be reluctant. Once in his room, however, all pretence ceased.

Anne nearly shredded her clothes, getting them off in such a hurry. Once again Stan was left behind, racing to try and get undressed. By the time he’d managed to drag all his clothing off, Anne was in bed, batting her eyelashes at him. Her hazel eyes, now deep, liquid pools, watched him as he slid in alongside her.

She reached for him, finding him already half-hard. She, herself, was already quite ready for him. There was a few short minutes of mutual fondling, then Anne murmured, “God, I want this…” and reversed herself to take his cock into her mouth. Not entirely coincidentally, this placed her pussy close to his mouth, and he gladly began, lightly tonguing her outer lips, darting in towards her already wet opening, spreading her moisture around, playing with her inner lips.

In the meantime Anne began to suck him in earnest. She hadn’t been kidding him, she needed this. She knew that Denise had been with Stan much more than she’d had the chance of late, and, deep down, she wanted to ensure that he knew that she loved him, wanted him, needed him as much as her.

Plus, she was turned on beyond belief. Anne had no idea why; it was just a fact.

So now she made love to his dick with her mouth, sucking him, trying to ensure that when he came, she came. It wouldn’t be long, the way he was sucking, licking, lightly biting and generally gently abusing her pussy, she was about to go off like a rocket. In fact…

Anne screamed around Stan’s cock. He stopped what he was doing for a moment in shock, and then stroked her lower back as she shuddered in aftershocks. Then she attacked his cock, jacking with her hand as she sucked the bulbous end. Stan came quickly, groaning as he emptied his balls into her mouth. Anne collected his semen and pulled off his cock, then dribbled it down again, letting it wet his shrinking member. Then she lapped it all up again, before twisting around, looking at him mischievously.

“Wow.” That was all Stan could manage.

“Yes, wow!” was Anne’s reply. She kissed Stan, and snuggled into him. Still Stan could not believe that this wonderful, beautiful woman would, could love him as much as he loved her, but he was grateful that it seemed to be so.

It was a while before Stan recovered, but he did, and then he and Anne made love, gently but passionately. Eventually they came back down to find Denise.

The redhead was smiling as they walked into Stan’s living room.

“Feeling better, Anne?” she asked, with a giggle. Anne blushed, but held her ground, saying, “A woman has needs, you know, Denise.”

“Oh, do we ever,” replied Denise. Anne laughed, and Stan groaned, saying aloud, “Oh my God! I think I’d better have a headache…”

- - - - - - - - - -