Snuggled naked together on the waiting area seat, she surfaced quickly from a deep, intoxicating kiss. She grabbed my wrist and held it to her face, her eyelids squeezing together as she tried to interpret the time.

“Fuck, Tommy,” she said with a start. ”It’s nearly nine. We’d better get out of here.”

I watched her as she tracked down her clothes. She talked as she moved, picking up garments from where they had haphazardly landed on the floor. I enjoyed every little twist and turn of her naked body as she bent and twisted while she moved.

She picked up a hand towel, ran it under a tap and wiped her body down, drying herself quickly with the top towel from a neat stack beside the sink.

“That’ll have to do,” she said, stepping into her thong and pulling it on.

“Fuck, Tommy,” she said, her hand fastening the clasp of her bra. “I’m not sorry we did this, but what are we doing?”

She pulled the bra around her body and adjusted it around her breasts. She looked at me. Her leggings in her hand, looking for an answer. I stood up and began to dress myself.

“It’s just the two of us seeking something we see or need in each other, Carmela,” I said.

She moved her hips from side to side as she pulled her leggings on. It was driving me crazy. She pulled her top on, tied her hair in a bun and put her arms around me.

“I need more of you, Tommy,” she said, her eyes pleading as she spoke softly. “This can’t be it.”

“No, it can’t be, Carmela,” I said, “but we have to be careful.”

“I know,” she said. “When will I see you?”

“Where can we go?” I said. “We can’t use your house, for obvious reasons, and we can’t use mine because our mothers would revolt.”

She laughed.

“He’ll be away until Sunday,” she said. “My Mam and me are bringing my sister’s kids to the Parade tomorrow. The pubs will be packed out. any suggestions?”

I struggled to think.

“We’ll be in here doing a bit, tomorrow,” I said.

“All day?”

“I’d say so.”

“Will you be on your own?” she asked, kissing me.

“No, Scorchy fucking Brown will be here with a couple of others.”

“I might swing by on the off chance,” she said. “I’m always forgetting things.”

“I think Anita Mangan will be here too,” I said. “I know that you two aren’t exactly friends.”

“Why will she be here?”

“I’m hoping she’ll take the office job,” I said.

“Fuck her, Tommy,” she said.

“Anita is ok, Carmela. Is it not time that you two buried the hatchet?”

“Maybe.”

“You’re going to need as much support as you can get, Carmela,” I said. “The last thing you need is an ongoing feud that started when we were kids.”

“I’ll think about it,” she said, “As long as I don’t have to go up to her fucking cathedral for a sermon.”

“Ah for fuck’s sake, Carmela,” I said. “I’m heading off now before I’m late. We can sort something out. If I don’t see you tomorrow, I’ll call you tomorrow night. Enjoy the parade.”

“I will, Tommy,” she said as she kissed me. “Thanks for tonight; you’re fantastic. Call me, yeah?”

“I will, love,” I said, and I left her to lock up the salon.

I decided to go home and change, intending to eat later that night. I sat down at my kitchen table, intending to write a list of priority tasks when my phone rang. It was Mark Long was our electrical contractor.

"Mark Long, how the hell are you?" I said.

"Hey Tommy, how's things?"

"Oh, the usual crap, Mark, you know how it goes."

"Yes, I hear you," he said.

"What's up?" I asked. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I hate doing this, Tommo," he said. "Do you have any work going?"

"Are you a bit slack?"

"Yeah, it's quiet at the minute."

"Can you work tomorrow?" I said, taking a chance.

"Yeah, fuckin' sure," he said, perking up.

"I'm moving back into the office, Mark," I said. "We'll be down there tomorrow, and I need to have it rewired completely. I want to make it look like a spaceship."

"I'll come down early and have a look at it," he said.

"There's no point in looking at it, Mark," I said. "I need it done. Fast."

"Do you not need a price first?"

"You charge €30 a point, plus tax, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Why do we need a price then?"

"Ok, I'll bring the van so. Thanks, Tommy."

"No problem, I can show you a little job we're doing across the road too," I said, "that'll be ready for first fix next week."

"Great."

"Mark, do you do network cabling?"

"Yes, I can stick a patch panel in and wire it in CAT 5," he said. "I'll bring Barry Reynolds in to connect it all up, he's an IT guy. That’ll cost a bit more, though.”

"Great, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

I decided to take a shower and then get a cup of tea. My mother rang me and asked if I wanted a spare burger that she had left over from dinner, so I asked her to drop it in. I wallowed in the shower for a while as I washed the grime and the day off. I dressed in a navy blue shirt and trousers and felt a lot better. My mother was in the kitchen when I walked in.

"You didn't have to come over and cook for me, Mam," I said.

"Ah, I was just watching the Telly. You look tired, son," she said.

"I'm fine, Mam."

She picked up the urn and perused it at length, turning it around in her hand as she examined it minutely.

"Where did you get this, Thomas?" she asked.

"A woman gave it to me the other day."

"Who was she?"

"Her name was Gráinne."

"Gráinne Dunbar?" she asked.

"Yes, do you know her?"

"Yes," she said, "her grandmother was a witch."

"Most grandmothers are," I said, "the problem is knowing which witch is which."

"Don't mock them, Thomas," she said, "and be careful with this. Your tea and burgers are on the counter. I'm off home."

I bit into the first burger, wolfing it down quickly and realising that I was starving for the first time that evening. I drank from the tea and the phone rang again. Sometimes, I felt like throwing it out the window. I cursed silently when I saw the Caller ID. Mick Cahill, our painter and decorator.

"City Morgue," I said.

"Have you anything still a bit warm on a slab?" he said. "Do you do deliveries?"

"How's it going, Mick," I said. "Are you still painting the flowers in people’s gardens?"

"Hey, that only happened once," he said, "I only did it because her daffodils were the wrong colour."

I knew that if he heard me laughing that we'd be there all night.

"I'm not going to ask the obvious question," I said. "So what do you want at this unearthly hour of the night when nobody calls about work."

"I was just talking to Longer there," he said. "Have you anything for me in your office?"

"Yeah, a fucking gun."

"Ah, Tommo," he said, "I have nothing booked in next week."

"Ok, drop down tomorrow and I’ll go through it with you."

"Tomorrow? Saint Patrick's Holy Day?"

"Do you want the work or not?"

"Yeah, fuck."

"I'll be there from early, and I want to use those buckets of Arizona White on the walls."

“What is it with you and Arizona White, Tommo?”

“I have twenty buckets of the stuff in the stores, Mick.”

"Grand, I'll see you then. Thanks, Tommo."

I grabbed the other burger, threw myself into a soft chair and relaxed for an hour until something occurred to me. I rang Mick back.

"What do you want now?" he asked.

"Fuck off," I said. "I've a question for you."

"Go ahead."

"Who is Eddie Jacobs riding?"

"How do you know about that?"

"A little bird told me."

"Was it a little Italian bird with a lovely arse?"

"It could have been."

"And was your cock halfway down her throat while she was telling you?"

"No, she said that I’d have to wait until next time for that."

He broke down laughing on the phone. After all, the truth is funnier than the fiction.

"He's riding Andrea Kelly. Do you know her?"

"No, who is she?"

"Do you remember the bloke who owned the shop over on the Glin Road?"

"I'd know him to see; I think he tried to break my leg in a match one Saturday," I said. "Joey something?"

"Yes, Joey Pouch, she was with him for a long time, but she was out whoring around. Eddie's doing her now. He's down in her place most nights of the week, does Carmela know?"

"Well, she told me, so I'm guessing that she knows or at least has an idea."

"He's taking her down to Cork for the Paddy's Weekend."

"Cork?"

"Yeah, Jury's Hotel, how are ya."

"Fuck, he must have come into money," I said.

"He's bent as fuck, Tommo," he said, "I heard that he hides money in bags under the patio."

"Who the fuck told you that?"

"Browner. He tiled the house for them, and he saw Eddie taking up a board at the front of the deck to pay him."

"That Browner fella is a nosey bastard, isn't he?" I said.

"You've no idea, Tommo."

"Ok, thanks, Mick. See you in the morning."

I checked my watch: 10:15. I called Carmela.

"Hey, babe," she said.

"I thought we were keeping it incognito," I said.

"Yes, I know, Tommy," she said, "today was just so great."

"It would've been better if you'd let me go down on you."

"And how would you go about that?"

"I'm not going there, Carmela, I'm getting wet thinking about it."

"Tell me about it," she said, "I had to take my knickers off when I came home."

"For fuck's sake, Carmela."

"It wouldn't take much for me to drag you over here tonight."

"Is Eddie gone away?"

“Yeah, he was gone when I got home,” she said. “It was just as well, the stuff that was running down my legs.”

"Do you know where he's gone?"

"Yes, he's down in Naas with a few of the lads he works with."

"Mick Cahill says he's going to Cork with Andrea Kelly."

"Is he now?" she said as her voice broke. "The sneaky, lying cunt."

"He also told me that there are bags of cash hidden under your deck, Carmela."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Whereabouts?"

"If you like, I can take a spin down there with Denis in the morning and check out that problem you have with your deck."

"What problem, I ... oh, I see. Yes, that'd be perfect," she said. "We’re leaving at 11:00, so any time after that."

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

"Fuck it. I'd rather know than not know, Tommy."

At 11:45 I found myself in the car park of the Sacred Heart Nursing Home on Sybil Hill in Raheny. It was pitch dark as I sat in the foreboding shadows of the utilitarian monstrosity built in the seventies. Anita came bouncing out the doors at 12:10 and I flashed my lights at her as she searched the area for any sign of me. I started the car and drove over to where she stood. She leapt in and leaned over the seat to kiss me.

"Hey Tommy, you're an angel for this," she said.

"I've been waiting all day, Neets," I said. "How was your day?"

"Yeah, it was busy, Tom," she said, "it's the late hours that get to me, really."

"I know what you mean," I said.

"So tell me about your day," she said, "yours are always more interesting."

I rattled off most of what I could think of, and she was enthused when I told her about the office. It was only as I spoke that it dawned on me how much I had got done that day.

"Where to, milady?" I said. "Your place or mine."

"Yours," she said, "I don't think I've ever been inside it. Besides, I brought a change of clothes with me."

"I think you were there on one of the days we were building it."

"Yes, I remember that."

"Are you hungry?" I said. "We can stop off and get something."

"Not unless you want to, Tommy," she said. "I had something at 8:30."

"No, I'm fine, Neets," I said, "let's go home."

I pulled up outside the house ten minutes later and we went inside. She dropped her bag on the floor and looked around.

"This is lovely, Tommy," she said as she explored the place like a tourist in a museum. "You did a fabulous job here."

"Thanks," I said, "I'm quite attached to it myself, although I’d rather your little church myself."

"Yes, I do love the church."

I pulled a chair out from under the kitchen table and asked her to sit down. She looked at me curiously.

"Why?" she asked.

"I want to talk to you."

"About what?"

"An idea I got today," I said.

"Ooh, now I'm interested," she laughed.

I put the bottle of Eternity down on the table, and her eyes danced.

"I got you this in town, love," I said. "I noticed, this morning, that you were getting low."

"Oh, Tommy, thank you," she said, "you're so good."

She rolled it around in her hands as she shook her head and smiled.

"I had an idea last night while we were talking, Neets," I said.

"Ok."

I slid the bookies paper in front of her. She quickly read it and she looked up quickly at me.

"Is this real?"

"Yes, and it's not easy to come to terms with."

I then slid the stuff I printed off from Basil O'Shaughnessy in front of her. It took her a little longer to read that, but she got it immediately.

"Fuck, how did you manage this?"

"In a minute," I said.

I then slid the bank's documentation on the site in Donnycarney in front of her. She read it and got it quickly. She looked at me then and laughed.

"Anything else?"

"Yes, I'm moving back into the office from today," I said, "I'm taking Sean Haughey's old rooms too."

"Did you see Carmela?"

"Yes. Did you know her husband is fucking around on her?"

"No," she said, "poor Carmela. That's awful."

"Ok, getting back to us," I said. "Would you be interested in coming on board and managing the paperwork and the office, Neets?"

"In what way?" she said. "And how?"

"You'd be in total control of it, and you'd be an integral part of everything we do."

"What about college?"

"No need to disrupt that," I said.

"What about the nuns?"

"That's up to you, Neets," I said. "If they depend on you to do the admin, then just do that for a few hours a week. I'll pay you a proper executive salary."

"How much are we talking?" she asked.

"I don't know the going rate, Neets," I said, "I thought you might be better able to tell me."

"We can Google it."

"I handed her my phone."

"€35K?" she said, in a low voice.

"Would you be happy with that?"

"Fucking sure I would."

"Do you want the job?"

"Yes, I'd love it, Tommy."

"Ok, it's yours," I said and sat back in relief.

"You'd have to let go of some of your controlling personality, though, because the office systems are sacrosanct."

"To be honest with you, I'm quite happy to do that."

"Can I do up a list of equipment that we need?"

"Yes, you can even shop for it but, if you have time tomorrow, would you meet Mark Long down there and show him what electrical and IT stuff we need? I haven't the foggiest."

She placed her hand on the pile of papers sitting on the tabletop.

"You do realise what this is worth, don't you?"

"Yes, I do, Neets," I said, "and it's only the beginning.”

“I’m impressed, Tommy,” she said.

"Drink?"

"Yes, what have you got?"

"I have most stuff."

"I wouldn't mind a vodka and Britvic."

"I'll join you," I said.

"Is it ok if I take a shower and change my clothes first?"

"Yes, of course," I said. "I'm sorry, I should have realised."

She went off to do her thing, and I fished the vodka and a few bottles of Britvic orange out of the bottom of a cupboard in the kitchen. I checked the freezer for ice, and it was full, courtesy of my mother. I fished a few cubes out and lined two glasses with them. I then took out the Häagen Dazs that I'd bought earlier and left it to soften on the countertop. I was pouring the vodka when she returned.

She picked up her drink and we clinked glasses.

"To us," she said and knocked it back in one.

I made her another and she sipped on it this time. She placed the glass on the table and reached for me. We kissed and it was a long lingering kiss that allowed our tongues and lips to explore each other intimately. I felt the tension fall away from me as my whole world began to centre on Anita's soft lips and her even breathing as she took me to a place that must only have been heaven. I began to return the kiss with a sense of attachment that bordered on devotion. My lips tingled, and I felt her vibrate with a low moan.

She looked at me then, her eyes shining and her glasses misting over. I took them off and wiped them down before handing them back to her. She put them back on and she took my hand and led me, wordlessly, to the bedroom. Anita wasn't one for flashy trashy modern clothing that girls of her age were into. She was a total opposite. It could have been because of the financial situation at home or an antiquated outlook on life which was possibly a trade-off for her enquiring personality. She wasn't a shallow, frothy individual and she had depths to her that most other girls, or men for that matter, didn't possess.

She was dressed sensibly in a tailored blouse that featured a ruffled Jabot that ran from her throat to her navel. It was an old-fashioned look favoured by older ladies, but on her it looked correct. Her blouse itself was brilliant white and her bra underneath was visible through it. It was tucked into a navy blue pleated skirt that fell below the knee.

"You look beautiful, Neeta," I said.

"I'll need to modernise my wardrobe a little, Tommy," she said. "I don't want to let us down at the office."

"There's a budget for that, Neeta," I said. "You're welcome to use it."

"Really?" she smiled, "Are you going to choose my outfits, Tommy Dunne?"

"No fucking way, Ms. Mangan," I said, "I would never presume. All I want is to take it off you."

"What are you waiting for then?"

"My heart to stop racing."

"Oh," she said and reached for me again.

Her blouse and skirt fell to the floor as I slipped them off, and she opened her bra and let it fall away from her breasts, leaving her wearing a matching thong, which was something I did not expect. I smiled, and her eyes lit up.

"Do you like that?"

"It's just an item of clothing, Neets," I whispered, "it's what inside that matters, although you do look very fucking sexy right now."

"I was aiming for demure combined with winsome and devilish."

"If only I knew what half of those words meant."

“One of them, at least, would mean sexy, I suppose.”

She laughed, and I joined her as we slipped onto the bed. She unbuttoned my shirt, kissing the exposed flesh as it appeared in front of her. I unzipped my trousers as she reached my navel and slid them off. I sat up so she could remove my shirt completely lying back down and surrendered myself to her lips and her hands as one of them slid under the elastic waistband of my shorts and took my erection in her soft palm, gently squeezing me until I felt like screaming in agony.

"You still want to taste me?" she whispered, her eyes praying for affirmation.

"Please."

"Can I try yours, too? It's my first time, Tom."

"Oh please, Anita."

She slipped my shorts off and positioned herself between my legs, closely examining the structure of my penis. Performing a microscopic investigation of its structure and construction. I knew then that she had researched oral sex that day and was familiarising herself with the physical embodiment of it over the photos she would have seen on the web. She glanced up at me and then stroked the tip with her thumb, wiping away some preliminary ejaculate as it began to form there.

She settled in and slipped the head into her mouth, slowly testing its texture, sensing its warmth and, finding it adequate, sliding her mouth further down over the shaft, her tongue actively seducing me and causing palpitations in the entire area of my groin. An involuntary moan escaped me, and it spurred her on, her hand cupping my testicles in a warm cocoon as she gently weighed them and massaged them slowly with her fingers.

I felt myself beginning to come and I panicked in case I came in her mouth. I lifted her head slowly and smiled at her, my eyes wide with arousal.

"Did I do okay?" she whispered, a concerned look on her face.

"Fuck, yeah. Where did you learn that?"

"I spent the day on the internet. It's a great resource for everything, Tommy."

"It was beyond imagination, Neets. I didn't want to come in your mouth," I said.

"I wouldn't have minded, Tom," she said, "I think it might be an integral part of the entire process."

"You can do that the next time," I said, "but it’s your turn now, my dear."

"Ooh, goody," she said, "I Googled this too."

We both laughed at her excitement, as she climbed up to me and turned on her back.

"You know," she said, "I'd quite like to try a soixante-neuf."

"We will, Neets," I said, "we'll do anything you desire. I promise."

We looked into each other's eyes but all I could focus on was the splash of brilliant white in her thong as it called me through my peripheral vision. I kissed her lips softly and then touched my tongue to her nipple.

"I'm ready for you, Tommy," she whimpered as her skin prickled. "Don't make me wait."

I slid her thong over her thighs and down over her feet as she cupped my testicles again, spreading her knees apart as she did so. She had trimmed her thatch drastically, stopping just short of a total shaving of her Mons. I kissed around her Mons and down between her legs as she squirmed under me, her breath staggering as her arousal built rapidly towards her peak. Her vulva was soaked as I tasted her for the first time, her hips rolled as my tongue descended deeper between the lips of her labia and an audible moan rent the air as my finger touched her vaginal opening.

She was almost there, so I slowed my movements down, lapping gently and evenly along her pink inner walls, opening her up with my fingers and falling into a trance of intoxicated indulgence and comfort as my tongue and her vulva almost became one. Her movements became stronger and her moans louder as I touched my tongue to her clitoral hood, slowly lifting it slightly and receiving a sudden release of fluid as she cried out in an agonised voice. I slipped my fingertip inside her vagina and stroked her gently, slowly heightening the speed and pressure as I found her G Spot and massaged it quickly until a stream of fluid ejaculated from inside her, covering my face and hand in a sweet smelling, musky tasting fluid that was her taste and fragrance.

She cried out for me as her whole body trembled and shook. Her thighs trapped my head in place, and she gyrated against my mouth as the waves of orgasm burst through her. I rolled on my back and pulled her with me, her hand finding my ravenous penis and taking it into her mouth again. She took me in deep and stimulated the head with her tongue until we both felt my orgasm approach. Her lips held me fast as they locked about halfway down the shaft and I surrendered to her with a loud groan as she coaxed my seed into her beautiful mouth, purring like a kitten as she swallowed it all and licked me clean. I spent a few minutes cleaning her up with my tongue, causing minute little shocks of electricity to spark through her and, when we were replete, she rolled off me and curled up safely in my arms.

We cuddled in silence; the only sounds were of our breaths as we fought to regain control of them. I sensed her eyes on me in the half darkness.

"Do you still read Yeats?" she asked.

"I do."

"What's that poem about the roses in the darkness?" she asked.

"He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven."

"Do you still know it?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Will you say it for me?"

"When?"

"Now," she said.

"Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."

Her eyes closed and she fell asleep in my arms. I covered her and joined her, my head spinning.

I woke the next morning to the sight of a half-naked Anita Mangan, wearing only a thong and carrying two cups of tea and a few slices of toast into the bedroom. I stretched out and smiled as she bent down and kissed me.

"Good morning," she said, waiting for me to sit up in bed. "Happy St. Patrick's Day, Tommy."

"Good morning, Neets. Happy St. Patrick to you, too."

She kissed me and climbed into the bed beside me. I reached out and put my arm on her back, stroking her soft skin as we sipped our tea and chewed our toast. I looked at her and she caught me.

"What?" she giggled.

"You're amazing, Neeta," I said.

"So are you," she said. "By the way, I had to use the bathroom this morning and I saw that depilatory kit you put in there. Was that for me?"

"I forgot about that, love," I said, "I was going to show it to you seeing that you were enquiring about it yesterday."

"Actually, I got one of the nurses to give me a trim yesterday and she told me I should invest in one."

"Do they work?"

She placed her hand in the waistband of her thong and pulled it down slowly.

"You tell me," she said with a laugh. "I feel so free, Tommy. I'm sorry I didn't do it years ago."

I took her empty cup and placed it on the bedside locker before taking her in my arms.

"Are you off today?" I asked her.

"Yes, I am," she said. "In fact, I called in and told them I was leaving."

"Wow, that's fantastic news, Neets.”

"I told her I'd give her six hours every week for two weeks until she got someone in to take over. I was thinking I'd do them on two afternoons between 2:00 and 5:00. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me, love," I said.

"That means I can work all except three afternoons every week when that's finished."

"You can set your own hours, Neets, I'll leave that to you," I said. "I'll also get you a company credit card that you can use for incidentals, clothing expenses, etc."

"What's the clothing budget?"

"What do you think it should be?" I said, "I haven't a clue."

"I don't know, maybe your accountant would know."

"I don't know about that, love," I said, "he's a bit of a Wally. Although I think I heard somewhere that up to six grand a year is about where it's at. Maybe you could give Revenue a ring yourself and find out, it'd be no harm to be able to fact-check the prick in advance."

"I like how you think, Tommy," she said. "That's a great idea."

"Do you need an advance on your salary?"

"No, I’ll be good until payday," she said. "When is it, by the way?"

"What's usual?"

"Bi-weekly? Does that work?"

"I thought that was a magazine."

She laughed and slapped my shoulder. I caught her hand and pulled her to me.

"Would you care to take your new vagina out for a spin?"

"I will if you let me shave you later."

"Well, that sounds interesting. Does it hurt?"

"Only when you laugh."

TBC