Chapter 7

A few weeks after my conversation with Sheila, I discovered a hotel near Chester that held residential weekend ballroom classes. Sometimes they were even hosted by a couple of the professionals on Strictly come Dancing. I mentioned this to Ally, wondering if she would like to go.

"With you?" I nodded.

"Yes, with me."

"Separate rooms?"

"Yes. In keeping with our agreement, separate rooms." Ally was thinking about that.

"You're right; it has to be separate rooms, although I would wish otherwise. I made the rules so I have to keep to them. I would love to go, Jack."

"Then we shall go. I will make a booking."

The first weekend I could get a booking was three weeks away, and although the instruction was being given by another professional couple, who did not appear in Strictly it was no matter. We drove up on the Friday evening and checked in, arranging to meet for dinner at eight o' clock. Even as we sat down to our meal, the orchestra was playing in the ballroom and Ally was impatient to get to the dance. That evening there was no tuition, so we were able to dance and enjoy ourselves. We changed partners for a couple of dances, something that Ally was concerned about. I explained that changing partners from time to time was important for developing our skills.

Saturday was all about tuition, with the professional dancers there from ten o' clock. They would demonstrate steps, and then allow the pupils to practice, incorporating the new steps in their routine. The professional dancers would wander around watching critically, and stepping in to demonstrate, also splitting a couple up and dancing with them separately for a few minutes. In the evening it was a grand Ball, Dinner jackets for the gentlemen and ball gowns for the ladies. Ally didn't wear her ball gown from before, and had opted for another in a very pale green, It covered her more completely, but the bodice was so tight it only served to accentuate her allure. Our dancing had affected Ally as much as the first time we really danced together. There is something about the constant body contact and two bodies moving in unison that stirs the libido. We were on a large floor and the other dancers were just as proficient as us, therefore we could expand the envelope a little and dance the more complicated steps. Towards the end of the evening, we were dancing a very slow fox trot, ignoring the steps but basically hugging in time with the music.

"Jack. Could we suspend the agreement, just for tonight?" She raised her eyes to mine. "We don't have to make love, just sleep together. I want to go to sleep in the arms of the man I love, and wake up in the morning next to him. Please, Jack." Ally was trying to square the circle. I could not immediately give her an answer. We made our way back to the table and I was still in conflict. My deepest desire was to say yes, take this lovely woman back to her room and make love to her. That was my loins speaking, yet at the same time my logic was telling me that would be wrong. But it couldn't tell me how to explain that to Ally without making her feel rejected.

I just opened my mouth and my heart, and hoped she would understand. "Ally, if you could see inside my heart, you would know how much I am tempted. How much I want you. I am not being cold and heartless when I say that we cannot suspend our agreement. If we do it makes a nonsense of all that has happened over the last six months, why did we punish ourselves? Believe you me it was painful, except to find out if we could commit to each other in time. Denying ourselves was part of the agreement, you said it, that you would go to your chaste bed, and I would go home to my cold bed. If we now say that for one night it suits us to ignore that, then the agreement is a mockery." She looked miserable hearing my words. "My sweet, Ally. You must have realised how my feelings have changed over the months. I know that not being able to see you often will leave a great aching chasm in my life. I enjoy your company more than ever, and my feelings towards you are growing warmer every day. Let's keep travelling this road, please?" The look of misery was replaced with one of hope.

"OK, Jack. I suppose you are right." We were walking towards the lift when she said. "I'm glad it has been painful for you." She grinned at me. "It means I am getting to you, Jack." Was I right? I think so, much as I was coming to the conclusion that Ally would be steadfast, there was still that little Gremlin that reminded me that I could still be deserted at sometime in the future.

We were travelling back the next day. Ally had been very thoughtful for most of the morning. I did wonder what that was about. She cleared the air when she turned in her seat. "Thank you, Jack." I may have looked surprised, wondering why she was thanking me. "You were right last night; our agreement has to be seen through to the end, whatever that may be. I was wrong, but you couldn't know, my Darling, how I wanted you. I was lying, when I said I wanted to go to sleep in your arms. I did but I wouldn't have let you sleep until you had made love to me." I was smiling then.

"Ally. There would have been no doubt about that."

She had a laugh in her voice when told me emphatically. "Well all you had to do was say yes." There was a moment of silence. "I called you darling, you didn't react to that." I shrugged my shoulders as well as you can when driving.

"I called you my sweet Ally, last night."

"I know. A girl remembers things like that and it thrilled me. Is it alright if I call you darling?"

"No problem."

"Good. I have wanted to call you that for a long time, you don't know how often it almost slipped out."

"Well I nearly slipped up last night. More than once I almost got up and came to your room."

"No, no, Jack. Remember the agreement and my terms." I could hear in her voice the teasing tone. Then it changed. "If you had my darling you would have discovered me doing something that may have got you really hot. My fingers were very busy." This conversation was getting too much for me.

"Let's talk about the weather. I really have to concentrate on driving..." Ally giggled, happily.

"Yes perhaps that is best."

"Oh look!" I said. "The Sun's starting to shine."

Looking back on that weekend it proved that Ally and I were becoming more comfortable with each other, and with our sexuality. For me in particular I realised that I eagerly anticipated her joining me for workouts. It wasn't that I saw her in very skimpy clothing, although that was delightful, but our habit of sitting down afterwards and having breakfast. Ally knew her way around my kitchen well, and we worked as a team, our individual activity slotting seamlessly to produce the drink and food. Conversation was always bright, cheerful and interesting. She would tell me of her work; without mentioning names of course; and I would discuss the plot lines I was developing in my latest story, and listen carefully to her observations. Some of my stories had been published on the internet on free sites, and Ally brought up the topic of my being paid.

"I don't write to be paid. I enjoy the writing and the reward I get is the pleasure I can hopefully give to others by reading them."

"But what about your novel?" I had mentioned that to Ally some time ago, and she had read quite a lot of it. "You haven't done anything with that for some time."

"I'll get back to that soon, I promise. I know how the ending will be, it's just how to get there which is a problem at the moment."

"Will you put that on the internet?"

"No, Ally. If I think it good enough, I will find a Literary Agent to see if it can be published properly."

"See that you do. It's good, and I want to find out how it ends. And I will look after the contract for you."

"Solicitors are expensive aren't they?"

"I will do it at a special rate for you."

"And what sort of rate will that be? Forty quid an hour rather than sixty?"

"Oh no. It will be free. Well almost free." She giggled mischievously. "Payment in kind." I knew what she meant.

Ally became thoughtful. "Can I ask a question?"

"Yes." I wondered where she was going now. There was a moment as she gathered her thoughts.

"Your stories are all romances, with a bit of sex thrown in. I like the sex bits." She grinned inviting me to comment. "Are you writing from experience by any chance? You have main characters doing some quite inventive stuff. If you are, I have interesting and exciting times to look forward to." Ally's eyes sparkled "But why romances?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl again. They live happily ever after. It's the oldest plot in literature. You can add making love, tears, joy, anger and all sorts of emotions. There's all sorts of situations you can weave into that basic. Why do I write them? It makes me feel good, by writing them and hopefully others by reading them. I suppose I am a romantic at heart." Ally was in complete agreement.

"I know you are, Jack." Then the twinkle came to her eyes.

"Well, I like your descriptions of making love, and you can write about us when we have made love." Then she changed her mind about that. "But I don't think I want that being published."

It was getting close to Christmas, three months until our agreement was fulfilled. Ally had little choice but to go to her parents for Christmas, but she was adamant that it would only be for the day. Boxing Day she would be with me. For some years now the festival had not meant that much to me, so I had no problem being alone on Christmas Day, it was a day much like any other. Because Ally would be here on Boxing Day I had gone to some trouble, putting up an artificial tree with fibre-optic lights, and some multi-coloured flashing lights around the window. On the day I was settling down to watch the DVD of 'Dances with Wolves', a classic movie from my point of view, when the phone rang. I was very surprised when I recognised Richard Ewing's voice.

"Mr. Hunter, I am told that you have been seeing a lot of my daughter."

"That's correct, Mr. Ewing."

"I was once of the opinion that you were seeing her to interfere in my life. A sort of revenge for my taking your lady from you." I said nothing as his was a cheap shot and a distortion of the reality. My silence may have disappointed him but it did compel him to go on. "It would appear that Alicia has formed a strong regard for you. It would also appear that you have not taken advantage of that. I am grateful. But I would ask you what are your intentions towards my dau..." He stopped speaking suddenly. I heard Ally's voice in the background.

"Who are you talking to Daddy? Is it Jack? It is, isn't it? How dare you. It is nothing to do with you." I heard the phone rattle as if she was trying to wrestle the phone from Ewing, then after some muffled conversation she spoke to me.