Chapter 414 Lori's Wonder:>35

• Arriving back in England was a lot less traumatic that I thought it would be. The flight was on time, our seats were good, and comfortable, and we cleared Customs & Immigration with only the token interview for Lori, as an incoming immigrant. Her passport duly stamped, we trailed through the Arrivals lounge, people stopping in their tracks to ogle this vision of hip-swaying, traffic-stopping loveliness by my side. We managed to hail a taxi into central London, to spend a few nights in Marble Arch to give Lori a chance to sight-see and do the tourist thing. After that, we'd decided to head on down to the flat in Epsom, in Surrey, not too far from the famous racecourse. We would be basing ourselves there for the next few months while we house-hunted and planned our formal wedding, thanks to my friend who owned it; he was on secondment in Dubai, so he told us to use it as a base for as long as we needed it. Lori and Aunt Sophie would plan the whole service, dress, cake, and reception thing; I was going back to finish my surgical rotation at the hospital I was trained at, St. Giles' in South London.
• When we arrived at the hotel, Lori was a little overwhelmed by it; the hotel was located at the top of Park Lane, looking all the way down Park Lane, towards Buckingham Palace. Our suite was an Edwardian fantasy; all Carrara marble walls and crisp linen tablecloths, polished brass fittings and teak panelling. Lori thought it was the most romantic place she'd ever seen or imagined, and put her in the frame of mind I was hoping for. She was not in Iowa anymore, and I wanted her to start feeling at home as soon as possible. After we had unpacked, I asked her what she wanted to do first. Her reply was to kiss me seriously, pushing me backwards until the backs of my knees hit the bed, and I went over, her on top of me. We horsed around for a while, wrestling, tickling, groping, until I was able to pin her down and look into her beautiful eyes.
• "So, Mrs. Denham, my real, true, actual wife-and-not-sister, what were you planning on doing now that you've decoyed me into your lair?"