A Fruitful Intimacy Read online

  Table of Contents

  Legal Page

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  New Excerpt

  About the Author

  Publisher Page

  A Totally Bound Publication

  A Fruitful Intimacy

  ISBN # 978-1-78430-353-2

  ©Copyright Donna Gallagher 2014

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright December 2014

  Edited by Sarah Smeaton

  Totally Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorized or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2014 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

  Totally Bound Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

  Warning:

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Sizzling and a Sexometer of 2.

  A FRUITFUL INTIMACY

  Donna Gallagher

  The fire and passion of their love has slowly ebbed away through years of neglect. Can a second honeymoon re-ignite that spark?

  There has been no physical contact in their marriage for so long that when Ben first hatches his plan to take Beth away for the weekend, it really is all about the sex and providing an environment where there are no distractions and no excuse for her to refuse his advances again. But while Ben is making all the arrangements, it suddenly becomes clear to him that there’s something more important at stake. His marriage, to the woman of his dreams, is actually in trouble.

  Beth believed that motherhood would come easily, that building a perfect world around her three sons and husband would be achievable. But reality has proven her wrong. The more she tried, the more her failures shattered her confidence. Where she planned to shower her family with home baked cookies, smiles and unconditional love, she struggles just getting the evening meal on the table. By the end of the day she’s so exhausted that she can’t even fulfil her marital obligations. Once upon a time making love to Ben was just as necessary as breathing, before her body was ravaged by the demands of pregnancy and childbirth. They’ve grown so far apart that Beth’s convinced Ben’s having an affair.

  Can a second honeymoon really help Beth and Ben bridge that growing divide between them and bring back the fire and passion that has slowly, through years of neglect, ebbed away? And will this give the couple a much needed chance to work together for a happier future? Or is it too late?

  Dedication

  For Beth—my mother.

  It’s been eighteen years since you passed but I still miss you every day. I’m sorry for being such a teenage brat and hope wherever you are you can read this story and laugh. I remember how much you loved your mangos.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Tim Tams: Arnott’s Biscuit Limited; Campbell Soup Company

  Heron Island Resort: Heron Island Resort

  Chapter One

  The heat from the sun’s rays kissed her shoulders. Droplets of perspiration ran down her bikini-clad back as she raced across the powdery, soft sand. Her laughter, using up the much needed oxygen from her lungs, joined together with the sounds of the gulls squealing above. Grains of sand from Ben’s nearing footfalls stung the backs of her calves as he closed in on her. She knew he would catch her quickly. She welcomed it. As his arms closed around her waist, she felt her feet lifted from the ground and their bodies tumbled together into the spill of the ocean.

  Ben had turned them at the last moment so his body would cushion her fall, but the splash of seawater covered her. The refreshing feel of the warm water cooled her skin but only Ben could extinguish the sexual fires burning within her.

  “Running from me already, Mrs. Russell? On our honeymoon, no less.” He laughed as his lips moved over hers, demanding yet gentle at the same time. His tongue exploring every crevice of her mouth in its welcomed assault, hers matching the intensity and hunger equally. The beach deserted—Ben’s hands explored her body, cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples into hard buds, causing a ripple effect to heighten her already sexual state. Liquid pooled in her bikini bottoms, mixing with the salty wash of the waves rhythmically lapping and breaking over her sensitized pussy.

  “Touch me, Ben,” she pleaded, as his strong fingers delved beneath the sides of her wispy swimwear, easily pushing the fabric aside. Their promised destination had her panting with need, spreading apart her thighs in encouragement. She arched her hips forward, impatient for that moment when Ben’s talented touch would make contact with her throbbing clit—wanting to make her pleasurable climb to destination bliss.

  What about the warm dishwater had Beth reminiscing about her honeymoon? There was nothing romantic about doing the dishes. After ten years of marriage and bringing three kids into the world, she had cleaned up more times than she could count. Could just the feel of the warm water on her skin be enough to bring about those memories of better times? Swimming, relaxing, or making love had been their only concerns back on that romantic, idyllic island. Whatever the reason for remembering how things used to be, it did nothing to improve her mood. Those days, when romance and sex had been a wonderful feature of her marriage to Ben, were long gone.

  Once upon a time they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. Ben had taught Beth all there was to know about sex—sensual, needy, or just plain hot and heavy sex. Together they had explored most of the positions listed in the Kama Sutra. Marking them off one by one as they’d groped, stroked, licked or sucked over every inch of each other’s naked flesh. These days she was lucky to get a kiss on the cheek as Ben raced out of the door on his way to work. More disturbingly, Beth found this new development a relief.

  Not that she could blame Ben for his lack of motivation. Beth didn’t need to look in the mirror to confirm she had let herself go. Those bikini-wearing days, like back on her honeymoon, were a long way in the past—her once flat tummy, now flabby, covered in stretch marks. Her hair, her pride and joy back in the day—treated with regular hair dressing appointments and top-priced conditioning treatments—now lucky to get a quick brush before being drawn back into a ponytail. A top and shorts or sweatpants, paired with a floppy jumper, her choice of clothing these days, depending on the weather. She had little time to do much more, always something else needing her attention more urgently.

  Ben, on the contrary, looked just as good as he had when Beth had first met him eleven years ago. In fact, he looked even better, i
n her opinion. He had filled out over the years—but where her body had turned to flab, Ben had muscled up. The laugh lines now gracing his face highlighted his sea-blue colored eyes, while her wrinkles just illuminated the dark circles underneath hers.

  Enough with the maudlin thoughts, Beth. She slapped the last dish into the rack. Pulling the plug from the sink, she watched the water swirl around, listening to the gurgling sound as it disappeared from sight.

  Bit like the passion in my marriage. Once a powerful, whirlpool of emotion, now ebbed away to just a trickle of water going down the drain of life, the momentum almost at a standstill… Look at me, such a poet when it comes to describing my happy life. She sighed sadly to herself before stepping away from the sink and drying her hands on the dishtowel

  “Well, time to wash the clothes, make the beds. Clean the bathrooms. Yes, just another exciting day in the life of Beth Russell.” Her voice echoed back at her, bouncing around the empty room, as she went about her daily ritual. She had no time to spare grumbling, though, because before she knew it, the day would be over and the time to collect her children from school would arrive. Trying to achieve anything with her beautiful but rambunctious boys around would be pointless.

  * * * *

  “I need to make this happen, Luke. Beth needs some time away from the kids. She works so goddamn hard to keep those boys in line, making a home for me. She’s exhausted when I get home from the office.” Ben had been working on this plan for weeks. All he needed to do was find someone willing to look after the kids. He was hoping to convince his brother to be that person. “You know you’re their favorite uncle,” he added, hoping to guilt Luke into agreeing.

  “Nice try, bro, I’m their only uncle. Maybe you should have thought of how having kids might impact on your sex life before you knocked your wife up so many times. Now it’ s up to me, your fucking awesome brother, to swoop in and save the day so you can get some down and dirty sex on with the missus, without my little nephews stumbling in and needing therapy for the rest of their lives. God, man, that’s truly desperate when you have to go to this length just to get laid.”

  Hearing Luke’s comments on the other end of the line, Ben shook his head—a rather pointless action considering Luke couldn’t see him through the phone.

  “No, brother, that is not the only reason. Get your mind out of the gutter. Yes, I would like to spend some quality time alone with my wife. Especially horizontally on a mattress—feels like years since we’ve even touched one another. But it’s more than that. We need this. I’m worried about us… We used to have this connection. It’s hard to explain, especially to a boofhead like you.”

  “Me? A boofhead? Huh, well get fucked, Mr. I’m So Serious and Boring I Need to Schedule Time for Sex. I can do the caring and sharing thing when I need to. Just don’t want everyone to know about it. Lucy certainly has no complaints, and at least I’m getting some—unlike you, I might add. Seriously though, Ben, what’s going on? I love Beth. You know I’d do anything to make her happy…”

  Ben was getting the impression his brother might be weakening, ready to agree on helping out. Jumping back into the conversation at the first opening, Ben tried to hurry up the decision making by laying it on thick for Luke. “C’mon, man. Just say yes. Put me out of my misery. You know there isn’t anyone else I can ask, certainly not our dear mother. There’s no way she could handle the kids. Jeez, she couldn’t cope with us. You really are my last resort.”

  Ben knew Luke understood his comment about their mother. She wasn’t what you could call a maternal person. That was without dispute, given she had left them to run off with another man.

  He and Luke did have some infrequent contact with her but usually only when she needed them to do something. Growing up sans a mother had meant that their father had tried to make up for his poor choice of wife by showing them as much loving support as he could.

  But nothing replaced a mother’s love. He had prayed for the return of a more loving mother in nearly all of his nightly bedtime prayers. Losing their father to cancer a few years ago had been a huge blow, but it had brought his brother and him even closer. Luke, a few years younger than Ben, had only recently married—a fact Ben still found hard to believe, since for years he had watched his sibling jump from woman to woman. Ben had believed Luke to be gun shy when it came to relationships, because of their mother. However, Lucy—Ben was pleased to acknowledge—had had a settling effect on Luke’s life.

  “Okay, enough of the begging, I’ll do it but only cause I want to corrupt my nephews some more. I warn you it’s going to be pizza, sugary drinks and ice-cream all weekend.” Luke was laughing so loudly the sound was almost deafening.

  Ben was forced to move the phone away from his hear to save his eardrums.

  “Thanks, mate, but for fuck’s sake, don’t tell Beth that or she’ll never leave them with you. And just so you can’t say I didn’t warn you, sugary induced spew is not pretty and you will be the one cleaning it up.”

  “Naw, no need to worry, Ben. I can get Lucy to do it. She’s used to drunks spewing up on her, so a couple kids can’t be any worse.”

  Ben thought Luke was being overly optimistic—there was no way Lucy would cop that if it was Luke’s fault the kids got sick. She’d be handing him a bucket and a mop quick smart, and busting his balls for being so irresponsible. “Well, I won’t tell Lucy you said that if you don’t breathe a word of this conversation to Beth until the time is right. We gotta deal, little brother?”

  “Deal. Don’t worry about Beth. She’s not like mum. She loves the boys and you, for some unknown reason. This is probably just some kind of bump in an old married couple’s life. Glad I can help give you both some time, though, geez, mate we should’ve done this for you before. Let me know the details of when and what you need us to do. Catch ya later, big bro.”

  “Thanks, Luke, I reckon you’re probably right. Beth’s just tired and needs a few days. I’ll talk to you later.” Ending the call, Ben couldn’t help but smile at the thought of how his seven-year-old and twin five-year-old sons would run his brother ragged. Be good practice for when he becomes a father himself. Ben replaced the phone into its cradle. Turning back to his computer monitor, Ben returned his concentration to making the final arrangements for the surprise he’d been planning for Beth.

  Going through the list one more time, Ben double-checked everything was as it should be. The flights were booked, helicopter connection from the airport to the remote island off the Queensland coast confirmed. He smiled as he read the receipt for the private beachfront accommodation. It was going to be an expensive break—probably more than they could afford—but worth every dollar he spent if it made Beth happy. The most important feature in the house, especially for Ben’s plan, was the inclusion of the large bath—the very lavish, two-person sized tub.

  The whole idea had come to him a few weeks ago when he’d been moving photo albums. One of the boys, while horsing around, had managed to knock out two shelves in the lounge room bookcase. Ben had been forced to empty the whole damn thing to repair the damage done. As he’d replaced the books and family knickknacks, he’d noticed the honeymoon album. Memories of that time had flooded Ben’s mind. In fact, for the next few nights he’d thought and dreamt of little else. The island they had spent their honeymoon on, the intimacies they had shared there, had been one of the most perfect times in Ben’s life—back when he and Beth had only had each other to care for, live for—love. Now responsibilities had eaten away all that time.

  “Well not on this weekend. No responsibility allowed. Just me, my Beth and a whole lot of loving,” Ben told his empty office. “Mangos… I need to order a basket of tropical fruit to be delivered to the room,” he continued with his one-sided conversation, trying to get everything just right.

  “Champagne!” he yelled triumphantly as he added the latest idea to the to-do list open on his desktop, at the same time noticing the time display on the screen read seven o’clock. “Shi
t, late again!” He groaned, glancing out of the window from his office to the darkened world outside. “Damn! I promised Beth I’d be home an hour ago.”

  Chapter Two

  Beth hadn’t had a chance to check the time, but she knew Ben was late—again.

  The twins had been exceptionally hyper since arriving home from school, joining forces to annoy their brother who, in return, had spent the afternoon moaning at her. All three little devils had tested her patience to the limit. Beth had wanted the house to be tidier, in some sort of order, before Ben got home from work, but as usual what she wanted and what happened where two different things entirely.

  By the time Ben walked through the front door, the house was mayhem. She had bits of pasta sauce splashed over her face, on her clothes and spaghetti in her hair.

  “Hello-o-o! Any one home?”

  “Perfect!” she mumbled. “Stop right there, you lot. I’m not finished with you,” she yelled as the kids scrambled from the table, squashing and spreading food even further as they continued to completely ignore her protests over their bad behavior at the dinner table.

  Beth still couldn’t believe they had participated in a food fight, right there in front of her. She raced after her brood, trying to catch them before Ben had to listen to all three clamoring at once, trying to get their version of the preceding chaos heard, hopefully bringing a reprieve from their father.

  “Boys…I…said, stop!” she roared at the top of her lungs.

  Judging by the shocked look on all four faces that turned her way, Beth realized she had shouted very loudly.