Mrs R (Mrs R & Mr V #1) Read online

  MRS R

  By

  Jessie Courts

  Mrs R

  Copyright @ 2014 Jessie Courts

  All rights reserved.

  This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without the permission of the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  With thanks to all the amazing Mrs R’s out there who helped shape and form this book.

  There’s a little of all of us in Rachel……

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  MRS R BY JESSIE COURTS

  CHAPTER 1

  Another grey morning filtered through the blinds in Rachel’s bedroom. For a blissful few seconds Rachel woke with a sense of calm but all too brutally reality descended; panic set in and she pulled the duvet back over her head seeking relief in the smothering darkness. Another day alone: another morning where one side of the bed remained stubbornly, sadly empty; a harsh reminder of her devastating loss consuming her every waking moment and seeping cruelly into her dreams every night. No respite from the torment of finding herself a widow far too soon…

  Eight whole months and Rachel still missed Nate with every fibre of her being. Married for 21 years she no longer remembered how to function without him and wasn’t yet ready to try. He died and left her wishing she had been killed in the accident too. It was only the thought of the pain it would cause for their two beautiful daughters that held Rachel back from the brink of joining him on more than one occasion.

  Rachel’s idyllic existence had been abruptly shattered while away for a romantic anniversary weekend in Paris. Nate accidentally stepped into the path of a speeding courier bike and Rachel watched her strong rock of a man bleed out on the pavement before the paramedics could reach him and as his life drained away so did Rachel’s happily ever after.

  Now she dragged through each day feeling bitter, lonely, traumatised and bereft in varying degrees.

  **********

  Grief was a strange thing Rachel learnt. Her friends and family stepped in and arranged the funeral and kept watch over her; fearing she would just give up such was her state of mind. Rachel’s GP visited her and prescribed Valium to help her cope through those first terrible days. But through a false sense of guilt, she stopped taking them preferring the pain to the numbness – a constant cruel reminder of her loss. After continually refusing to see her friends and family, all but the closest few went back to their lives and Rachel was left to fend for herself in a seemingly endless spiral of memories and feelings torturing her daily existence.

  A shrill ringing penetrated the fortress of bed covers and Rachel cursed the bloody phone disturbing the numbing fog that had settled around her brain. Grabbing the handset she barked at the caller,

  “What?”

  “And good morning to you too.”

  Rachel groaned. “Karen, this isn’t a good time.”

  “Actually, this is the best time and it will continue to be every time you hear my voice reminding you to GET OUT OF BED!”

  Rachel’s best friend Karen continually harangued her to get into a routine. Apparently, this was a good way to take stock of her life and ease her way back to normality. She knew Karen would nag and nag and the woman was relentless. Karen had been shouted at; had the phone slammed down on her many a time, and had put up with Rachel sobbing for hours on end. On the occasions Karen actually got through the front door to visit, she forced Rachel to shower, dress and eat until she was satisfied Rachel could be trusted do it on her own.

  “I hate you!” Rachel croaked down the phone.

  “I know but you love me more honey. Get up or I’m coming over. Actually get up because I AM coming over.”

  A small smile played at the corners of Rachel’s mouth – she did indeed love her crazy friend and was grateful for the few hours of respite her company would bring.

  Later that night, however, lying in the dark, the grief wove its way into her dreams wrapping around her like a vine; moving and sliding across every part of her, conjuring up images of Nate; flooding her with memories of his familiar hands caressing the contours of her body. Over the years he had learnt every inch of her but always managed to keep their lovemaking sensual and satisfying. In her dreams she relived his exploration of her body and she of his.

  Although he had a desk job, Nate loved the outdoors and kept remarkably fit. He was an accomplished triathlete and had the trophies to prove his triumphs – for Rachel’s part she was happy to relish in the sight of his lean yet muscular body all just hers for the taking. As familiar as they were to each other they still enjoyed an active sex life and she missed his touch desperately. That she would never again hold or be held by her first love; engulfed Rachel in a perpetual state of sorrow.

  **********

  Rachel & Nate married when she was only just twenty-one; Nate was seven years older. They had planned for Rachel to finish her Law Degree while supported by Nate who was already on the career path to becoming a very successful corporate lawyer. They had met when Rachel was on work experience in the City office of the legal firm where Nate worked at the time. They fell into an easy friendship followed by deeper feelings and then ultimately love and marriage. Rachel was supposed to finish her studies and then a few years down the line they would think about starting a family, but inevitably nature took its own view of things and Rachel fell pregnant with twins in the first year they were married. It was terrible timing but Nate was over the moon and managed to persuade his new wife to take a hiatus from her studies to have their babies and look after them for a bit – she could always go back to finish her degree a later date.

  The twins arrived – two beautiful baby girls and they consumed Rachel and Nate from the off. Jess and Lucy became the sole centre of their universe and completed their family. Rachel and Nate agreed they didn’t want any more children after the twins preferring instead to devote their time and energy on creating a safe and secure environment for them to grow up in. This meant Nate working long hours to establish his position in the City, and Rachel resuming her studies part-time so she could split her day between work and home. They managed with the assistance of a fantastic nanny stroke housekeeper so that Rachel felt confident the twins were not neglected when she was at Law School.

  Raising children it seemed was more taxing than either parent had considered and consequently, it was years before Rachel was able to take her Law exams. Subsequently, when she finally passed the bar she had given up all hopes of a glittering career in the City and settled instead for working in a local family firm of solicitors.

  Heath Associates had a reputation for being fair and honest. Their clients, most of whom were working class people who toiled long and hard for their living, were
loyal and had been with the practice for generations. Some of their work was pro bono and many clients were local charities – this is what Rachel found herself doing mostly as it fitted in well with her hours. She loved the fact that she could be of service to those who wouldn’t necessarily be able to afford legal counsel and she had fully anticipated working there for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, Heath Associates lost a few major clients during the recession and had to cut costs. Inevitably, pro bono had to stop and Rachel found herself out of a job.

  At the time, Rachel had been terribly disappointed especially as Nate was particularly busy around the same time.

  He had just made partner in a large firm of City Corporate Lawyers and was putting in extremely long hours.

  “Don’t worry darling.” He’d soothed, “This is perfect timing – I have masses you could help me with.” Rachel loved how Nate always made her feel better and always seemed to have the solution to everything.

  He asked Rachel to help him out on some of his cases and she ended up doing this for many years instead of finding herself another permanent job. It kept her up to date with the Law and she enjoyed the challenge of the work. Once they were financially secure, she was able to cut her hours and enjoy being home for the kids. Rachel had lots of friends nearby; did a lot of lunches; went to the gym and just enjoyed a very comfortable lifestyle.

  Just before his untimely death, Nate had been working on an idea that had renewed his passion for the law and it was infectious. He had shared his dream for the future of the firm with Rachel and they had even toyed with the idea of her returning to work with him once the twins had left for university. Nate had told her that things were finally going to kick off and he feared he would be so busy over the coming months that he had wanted to take a weekend away with her for some quality time together before the madness took hold.

  Sadly, Nate would never realise his dream and at just 42 years old, Rachel was now a widow.

  **********

  Weeks passed and Rachel’s despair cloaked her every waking moment. She knew she was alienating those who cared about her but she didn’t have the energy to care. She moped around the house opening and closing cupboards full of Nate’s stuff knowing she would have to clear it out at some stage but she was nowhere near ready to contemplate their home without his presence.

  Periodically she felt she was going mad with grief and at these times she sought out the one place that calmed her. Rachel would lock herself in Nate’s walk in wardrobe; strip naked and slip into one of his exquisitely cut suit jackets. The material was crafted to fit his beautifully defined physique and his unique scent still clung faintly to the fabric.

  Sometimes she allowed herself to remember how he made her feel – breathlessly caressing herself imagining him there with her – her hands were Nate’s hands smoothing their way up her thighs, skimming across her clit; dipping between her legs, making her moan at the memory of his long fingers pushing into her body through her wet heat.. With her other hand, Rachel would pinch her aching nipples through the fabric of the jacket; arching her back and gasping as the sensitive nubs of her breasts brushed against the material. Images of Nate would assault her mind as her desperate thrusting and rubbing brought her to climax. With the remnants of her orgasm pulsing through her body the pathetic reality of Rachel’s situation soon brought her crashing back down to earth.

  “Oh Nate, I miss you,” she would whisper, “I miss you, I miss you…”

  Then after, silent tears would slide down her face as she wrapped his suit jacket tighter around her body and rocked back and forth in the darkness, emptiness and sorrow claiming her once more.

  **********

  “Again with the bloody phone!” Rachel pulled her head out from underneath her pillow ready to give whoever had disturbed her restless night a right mouthful, but her heart melted when she saw caller display. “Jess?”

  “Hi mum – how you doing today? Lucy is here – hold on I’m going to put you on speaker.”

  “Hi mummy.”

  “Hello my babies. It’s good to hear your voices.”

  “You say that every day mum!” Rachel grinned and the three of them chatted for a few minutes. This was the happiest part of Rachel’s day and the only reason she was still breathing.

  “Listen we have lectures now so gotta go – but we’ll see you tomorrow. Can’t wait!”

  “Ok – have a safe journey. Drive carefully. Love you.”

  “Bye mama – love you too.” The silence was deafening but Rachel was somewhat mollified knowing they would be together again very soon. With a gargantuan amount of effort she hauled herself out of bed and into the shower. She needed to clean up the house a bit and prepare the twins’ rooms – it was the most she had done for months and once the chores had been done, Rachel collapsed back into bed where she stayed until they arrived the next day.

  Rachel and Nate’s twin daughters made sure to call home regularly to check on Rachel. They knew their mum was struggling but they at least had uni life to distract them. However their own grief simmered close to the surface and it was a constant battle to keep their emotions in check. To them Nate was their hero – a father all their friends were jealous of. He was a warm, friendly man who welcomed visitors to his home and made them feel comfortable from the off. Lucy and Jess were truly the apples of his eye and he spoilt them to death but they were gracious and beautiful and never took him for granted – they loved him too much to disappoint him and only wanted him to be proud of them.

  At 20 years old and in their 2nd year of uni – the girls caused quite a stir. Long, dark wavy hair framed their oval faces and green eyes; they were tall like their father but they had their mother’s slim physique, with lush breasts and silky smooth olive skin. Neither had boyfriends currently, but male attention was not something they were short of. Jess and Lucy didn’t need to make much effort – a touch of make-up enhanced their naturally stunning features.

  They loved university life. Fortunately, they had no responsibilities and no money worries as Nate had paid for their degrees in full not wanting them to have huge debts. They were both quite bright and studied hard in their subjects. Jess, was reading English Literature indulging her passion for the classics. It was her dream to go on and become a secondary school teacher specialising in her chosen field. Lucy on the other hand wanted to change the world. She was studying Politics and was determined to make her mark in the world.

  The twins decided to stick together away from home and opted for University of Leeds. It was a city that offered everything from designer shopping to plentiful clubbing. The buildings where their lessons took place were majestic and the facilities second to none. The friends they had made there would last a lifetime they were sure and Jess and Lucy were very happy young ladies.

  Many of the twins’ mates had been keeping an eye out for them on their return to student life after the passing of their father. Jess and Lucy had partied hard at first drowning out the pain with far too much vodka on a regular basis, and although they still loved to party – they felt like they were able to manage their loss a little better with each passing day.

  **********

  CHAPTER 2

  “Yay – home at last!” Jess sighed as Lucy turned into their road.

  “Hope Mum’s is ready for her surprise.” Lucy pulled her Mini on to their driveway and hooted their arrival. Both girls looked in the rear view mirror and smiled at their friend fast asleep in the back.

  “Wake up sleepy head we’re here!”

  Lucy and Jess were looking forward to the comfort and security of home and their mother, and they were also very excited to surprise their mum with a blast from the past. Banging on the front door they were literally jumping up and down until Rachel opened the door. Both twins gasped at Rachel’s dishevelled appearance – their mother was always so well groomed, but they covered their shock quickly drawing her in to their arms.

  Hugging each other tightly, Jess shouted, “M
ummy it’s so good to be home. We brought you a surprise – Luc’s come with us!” and both twins turned around and pointed at their friend.

  “Who the hell is Luc?” barked Rachel at the twins. She clocked the look of shock on their faces as they rarely heard her ever get cross at them and immediately regretted her snappy tone.

  “Mum” admonished Jess, “You remember Luc Vincent from when we were little. He was always over to play!”

  Rachel thought for a moment and dragged up a vague memory of a chubby blond haired boy with a big cheeky grin who was always getting into mischief. She remembered that she had been friendly with his mum for a bit when the twins were at primary school but then the family moved away.

  “Why is he here now though?” Rachel asked looking puzzled.

  “Mum, we told you we discovered each other again at uni – you’ll love him he’s so cool. Anyway, we invited him to come for Easter as his parents are away – we didn’t think you’d mind.”

  The twins actually thought it would be good to have someone else in the house to distract their mum – she was still so melancholy it worried them and they both thought Luc would be a tonic with his crazy sense of humour and endless ability to make them laugh. It was such a thrill to have him back as a friend – he was very protective and often got them home safely after their clubbing nights ended in a boozy haze.