Chapter 10 The atmosphere in the van on the drive towards Paris was muted and sombre and conversation was stilted, not because there was nothing to say, simply because they were both making sure they avoided the elephant in the room. They held hands across the cabin for as long as they could, re-clasping them after every gear change or when Dan needed both hands on the wheel for bends. There was none of the flirty and provocative touching and talking of the previous two days and Dan left the music system louder than before, shuffling through his music choice. About 9 hours into the journey, as they got closer to Paris the song playing came to an end and the rhythmic percussion intro of the next track caused Dan to reach across to the power button and turn it off just as a sorrowful piano line started. "Why did you turn it off? It sounded nice, I've never heard it before" His gaze looked into her beautiful eyes and then quickly turned his head straight ahead, put both hands on the wheel and after a pause, said: "It will make you cry and if you don't, I certainly will" "Then I think we should listen to it together and cry to it together. We've avoided talking about what happens next but we both know that there will be a lot of tears. Leave it off for now but please pull over at the next stopping place so we can hold each other and listen to it" 5 minutes later they turned into a quiet rest area and parked under some trees. The only place for them to really sit together was in the passenger seat with Juss in his lap, their arms around each other, their eyes locked together and their faces inches apart. He punched the power button to the sound system and the percussion and piano intro of `Drive All Night' carried on until Bruce Springsteen's plaintive voice joined in: When I lost you honey sometimes I think I lost my guts too And I wish God would send me a word send me something I'm afraid to lose Lying in the heat of the night like prisoners all our lives I get shivers down my spine and all I wanna do is hold you tight Tears started to stream down Dan's face and Juss cradled his head to her chest, but she too succumbed to the emotion of the lyrics and Dan's wracking sobs as the chorus played through. I swear I'll drive all night just to buy you some shoes And to taste your tender charms And I just wanna sleep tonight again in your arms By the time the saxophone wailed into life after the second chorus they were no longer really listening to the song but lost completely in the desolation of their situation and the last verse was nothing more than an accompaniment to their misery clutching to each other like they were drowning. There's machines and there's fire waiting on the edge of town They're out there for hire but baby they can't hurt us now Cause you've got, you've got, you've got, you've got my love, you've got my love Through the wind, through the rain, the snow, the wind, the rain You've got, you've got my, my love heart and soul Gradually their sobs slowed and their breathing quietened. Juss lifted her head and put one hand under his chin and lifted so that their eyes met. "It certainly spoils your beauty too" and they kissed, smiled and sobbed at the same time. After they had composed themselves and cleaned their faces up as best they could they remained cuddling in the seat but not speaking for a long time. Dan cleared his throat. "We both know that we cannot be together after this, so I'll just have to carry the memory of your beautiful face with me for the rest of my life. You know how I feel about you and I know how you feel about me, nobody can take that away from us even if they stop us being together" She put a finger to his lips to silence him. "Shhsh, lover! Rule 24; true lovers don't need to use words to explain their feelings." "Let's not prolong the agony, get me home and you can get this irritating teenager out of your life!" She grinned and dared him to challenge her. "Who made you so fucking wise, I think was your question?" They both laughed and kissed before Justine climbed off his lap and he resumed his place in the driving seat and they set off in a happier mood but without the music. "Why was he going to drive all night to buy her some shoes? That's not a great lyric, he could at least have got her a handbag as well!" she said teasingly. "Don't knock "The Boss" young lady, or I'll leave you at the side of the road!" She reached over and picked up his hand and kissed the back of it before holding it with both of hers in her lap. The journey continued in a lighter mood and they circumnavigated Paris using the peripherique and headed towards Maison Laffitte, 30km to the west of the city where Marie and Justine lived in an apartment in a beautiful park. Justine asked him to pull over before they got to the apartment and leant towards him and looked at him with love in her eyes and whispered: "Thank you! Thank you for trying to make it easy for me, for us. I know it's not allowed and I certainly can't invoke the extreme happiness clause but as I was brought up to be polite, if nothing else, I should say `thank you' for taking my cherry in such a considerate manner." She giggled and added "and with such a wonderful cock! Now, kiss me and tell me you will be ok. Lie to me if necessary." "You really are wonderful and because of that I will be ok!" "Ok, let's go, but you stay in the van while I go in and explain. As she had no keys she had to buzz the intercom and it was obvious that someone was home as she pushed the door, turned to look at him and blew a kiss, and the door closed behind her. He was sorely tempted to leave, just drive away and not look back. They would find it difficult to trace him unless they remembered his van's reg number and even then they would have to look hard throughout Europe. He knew that it would make it difficult for Juss because Marie would be suspicious if he didn't want the anal cherry that was on offer and to carry on with the burgeoning relationship they had started in Croatia. He had to stay and take what was coming to him and try to protect Juss as much as he could. After a couple of minutes Juss and Marie appeared in the lobby and beckoned him in frantically. He got out of the van and they opened the door to the block and Marie looked at him strangely as though she couldn't quite believe it was him. She stood on tiptoes and kissed him and whispered: "Thank you for bringing her back to me'" and pulled him down for a longer kiss that he felt that he had to match in passion. He caught sight of Justine's stricken face and heard her say in her stroppy teenage voice: "Get a room, you two" and walked to elevator up to the apartment. Marie withdrew from him and smiled. "You didn't manage to improve her manners then!" and took his hand and led him into the apartment. Marie fussed with drinks and offered food and the three of them sat in the large living room with Marie sitting close to Dan in one sofa and Juss on her own on the one opposite. Dan was not sure what Juss had said so far and she wouldn't meet his gaze as he looked at her so didn't know where to start. Fortunately, Marie launched in with her own tale of how she had become concerned when Juss didn't answer her phone on Friday and early Saturday and obviously wasn't online on Facebook. When she hadn't been able to contact Henri either on the Saturday, she had sought help from the Irish embassy in Zagreb who asked the local police to make enquiries at the campsite The information had come back later on Saturday that the smaller RV was still there but empty and the big RV had left on the Friday but the occupants had left on the Thursday evening. This was worrying to Marie as she had no idea where they may have gone. Not knowing what else to do she had flown back to Paris to discuss things with Marie's father and he had finally tracked Henri down at one of his homes in Cannes. Henri had been less than forthcoming about where Juss may be, saying that she and Eloise had a falling out over some boy they had met at the beach and when he was called urgently away to a business meeting he had taken Eloise with him but assumed that Justine would remain in the other RV. Increasingly frantic they had arranged via the embassy for a photograph of Juss to be handed out that very morning in the campsite and public places nearby. There had been only one response, early this afternoon, from an old gentleman who remembered seeing Justine and her boyfriend at a supermarket on Friday. His description of the boyfriend was vague as he had been entranced by the lovely girl. At this point Marie stopped. "Shit, I had better call your dad to let him know you are all right and then the embassy in Zagreb to call the search off. Justine, why you don't show Dan the guest suite so he can have a shower while I do this stuff. You look like you could do with a shower and clean clothes yourself. I won't be long." After she left the room, Dan moved and knelt in front of Juss and took her hands until she finally looked at him with the look of a rabbit caught in the headlights. He smiled lovingly at her and tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. "Oh, Dan I don't know if I can do this, when I saw her kiss you, I was shouting `he's mine' in my head. Then I started to blame you for kissing back. I'm so sorry, I can't help it." "Yes, sweetheart, it's difficult and the sooner I get out of here the better for both our sakes. Now, show me the shower before she comes back." They could hear Marie on the phone in another room so she took his hand and pressed it to her lips. She showed him the guest bedroom but didn't come in with him and hurried away to her own room. Dan climbed into the shower and let the emotional day wash away down the drain. Not having clean clothes with him he started to put his dirty ones back on but the bed looked so inviting, after the marathon drive and exhausting sex of the last two days, that he lay down for a few seconds and closed his eyes with the towel still wrapped around him. He awoke with a start. The room was now dark but with light filtering in from street lights outside and somebody had covered him with a blanket although the towel was still wrapped around his waist. He started to move and realised there was someone else on the bed behind him. "Juss, what are you doing here. It is not a good idea" "So you've been fucking my daughter, you bastard" said Marie's venomous voice from above him. He twisted around quickly and saw that she was sitting with her back against the headboard. He looked at her but couldn't see her eyes but guessed they were blazing" "Marie!" "Yes! Remember me?" He had guessed that this conversation might one day take place but had never planned how to respond and thought for a long time for something to say, but could think of no appropriate response. "Cat got your tongue you fucking pervert? She's 14 for Christ's sake!" He didn't think the `she seduced me' line was going to cut any ice and was hardly the action of someone who loved her, Juss deserved to be protected from any blowback that would happen not be thrown into it" "How did you know, unless I just gave the game away?" "She told me." "Oh, Juss, what have you done" he thought. "She told you? When?" "We found you asleep on the bed and she got the blanket and wrapped you in it and just by the way she did it I could tell she is completely and utterly in love with you. So I asked her and she nodded and then burst into tears. I thought it was because it was unrequited puppy love so I told her she would eventually share love and happiness with someone special and that she would forget her crush on you. Do you know what she said?" He shook his head. "She said that she had shared more love and happiness in 3 days with you than I have had in my whole life. She said it with such passion that I knew ... I knew ....." she tailed off, paused for a long time and then continued in a quiet, pleading voice" "Why, Dan? You and me, we had found something that looked like it was going to be very special. I know it was only for a few hours but it was real to me and I thought it was real for you." He reached his hand over and put it on her thigh, she flinched but didn't push it away. "It was real for me and I know this sounds trite but I never intended this to happen. If it's any consolation, she really is a truly wonderful person, it wasn't just about the sex." "No that's no consolation at all. I know it, she's my daughter, she's my 14 year old child." "Trust me, she is anything but a 14 year old child and maybe you need to consider that. She's a very beautiful, clear thinking, funny, sensible, caring, considerate, wonderful young woman with all the dreams and desires of a young woman. For a little while I had the honour and privilege to share some of those dreams and desires but she and I both know that it can't continue. Despite what she may say, and I've told her this, I know that if it did continue, at some point in the future those dreams and desires would not include a man 20 years older than her and I would lose her, and I would be devastated. See, it wasn't just about sex with a 14 year old girl for me, I too am, to use your words, `completely and utterly in love' with her." "I know and it is that that hurts most" "What do you mean?" "I can hear the glow in your voice when you speak about her and I would see it in your eyes if it wasn't dark. I want someone to speak about me like that and I thought you might be that person. I've come out second best to my daughter" "Marie, you are second best to no-one" She touched his head and stroked it. "Giving me compliments and boosting my confidence again, trying to share the love like we did in the restaurant?" She was silent for a long time and Dan thought he could hear her quietly sobbing. He stroked her thigh and she stoked his head again before sliding down in the bed to be next to him and resting her head on his chest. He slid his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. She snuggled closer. "What are we going to do?" she asked with a tear streaked voice. "How do you mean?" "What are the three of us going to do? If you leave now, she will be devastated and ... and .... so will I. If you stay, it will be very complicated because your relationship would have to stay secret and I would be very jealous of what the two of you have and maybe she would be jealous of me at times." "You would seriously consider me staying and continuing on with Juss? I had expected to be handed over to the authorities for trafficking, kidnapping and statutory rape of a minor" "I did think about that when I first knew because I was so fucking cross but what would my relationship be like with Juss if I put her forever life partner in gaol? Yes, she told me, and she is very determined to prove you wrong." "I don't think it is just up to us, we have to ask Juss what she wants" "I vote for you to stay" said a firm voice from the doorway. "Juss!" they both lifted their heads. "How long have you been there?" asked Marie. "Long enough to know that you both love me very much! Not that I doubted it for a minute." She came forward and sat on the bottom of the bed. "The one thing that did surprise me was the amount of love you have for each other, I can hear the glow in both of your voices to use your expression, mummy, just like that evening in Croatia. And, yes, I did feel a twinge of jealousy; I hope I can learn to control that. However, with all the love around how can we go wrong? Now budge over I want a cuddle too!" She slid on to the bed and nestled in the crook of his arm with her head on his chest close to Marie's. They looked across at each other and Marie stroked her daughter's face. "He's right; you really are a remarkable person" "That's because I'm the daughter of a really remarkable person. Do you know that Dan said he couldn't decide which of us was the most wonderful person he had ever met and declared it a tie." "Well that's settled then. He is either a coward who can't make a decision or he is a man of incredible perception as well as having a fantastic cock." They giggled. "Talk about me as if I'm not here, why don't you?" "Shsh, we're having a mother - daughter bonding session, you will have to get used to these, but only as an outsider because it is an arcane ritual as old as time and completely closed to men!" "A mother - daughter bondage session did you say? Now that sounds interesting, sure I can't join in?" "Well now you come to mention it!" Mother and daughter looked at each other and both pulled the blanket down and ran hands down to the towel which by this time was starting to look more like a tent. For the first time in his life Dan found two hands on his cock which did not belong to the same person. The introduction of a third hand stroking and fondling his balls was almost enough to make him come on the spot. It was only the fact that he had to pull Juss up and kiss her to shut her up as she tried to tell Marie how he liked his cock sucked that broke the climb up that mountain. He cradled her in his arm and they looked at each other and smiled their smile, the one that rule 24 was written expressly for. They kissed slowly and lovingly and he said: "I'm sure there is a rule about not critiquing other people's methodology whilst in a multi-person situation but I don't know what it is because I've never been here before. I love the way you suck my cock but right now I'm loving the way your mum ..... OH FUUUCCCCKKKK .... you Irish witch what have you DONNNNE?" They both looked down to see Marie, with lips and jaw practically dislocated, face down on his thick cock with her nose buried in his pubic hair as she took all of his 8 inch cock past the gag point and was milking it with her throat muscles with a mixed look of triumph and panic on her face. Dan had never been deep-throated before and the sensation was incredible but he used his one free hand to pull Marie's hair so hard that she lifted of his cock and he continued pulling on her hair until she was back in the crook of the other arm. He kissed her gently. "Sorry if I hurt you but we need to sort this out, right here, right now or it isn't going to work. Here are my rules, these are my lovers' rules and if we can't all live by them then this wonderful situation is going to fall apart quicker than a self-assembly kitchen" He looked at there uncomprehending faces. "Yeah, ok, wrong analogy; you don't know about self-assembly stuff, you have people do it for you." Marie, started to chuckle loudly and then gulped as it hurt her recently ravaged throat. "Ok, these are rules ..... alpha and omega ..... call them what you will. Firstly, erm, alpha ...." He looked at Juss as he spoke; "I love the way we have made love so far in our relationship and I will love the way we will make love in the future as our relationship develops and we develop as lovers and learn more about each other's bodies and likes and dislikes. There is no need to think that we have a monopoly on the right way to make love and should always be open to learning from someone else, so long as we are both comfortable with it, and I stress `both'. As far as I know, making love is not an Olympic sport and there is no competitive element to it whatsoever. It is the giving and receiving of pleasure from one person to the other and not a trial of strength, technique or speed against time, distance or other people. Do you understand the rule and can you abide by it?" She looked at him with wide eyes but nodded. He kissed her and then turned to Marie. "Did you understand that rule and can you abide by it?" She also looked slightly stunned but nodded as well. "Good, because there is no ... erm ...omega rule" and kissed Marie deeply and passionately. "For Christ's sake, never, ever do that again until you are ready, you will hurt yourself. You're my lover, not some porno starlet trying to make it big" "Are we lovers now?" He looked quickly at Juss with a question in his eye. She smiled their smile and nodded. "Yes, we are definitely registered as lovers" After that, there was no need to talk very much, in a contented jumble of bodies they fell asleep.