Memoirs of a Swinger

This is the fifty fourth episode of my unreliable memoirs, recounting tales from the nineteen-eighties. Each episode is pretty much self-contained, so you can read them without having read the previous ones.

I'm going to try something different for the next couple of episodes. So far in this series, each episode has been written in the first person, usually from either Steven or Lesley's perspective. Recently, however, I've wanted to tell the story from more than one person's point of view. So I'm going to try writing this episode in the third person and see how it goes. Please let me know what you think.

It's October 1985 now and Steven and Lesley are both returning to London, but not together. Steven's coming back with Jemima from new York after the shooting at Jason and Pamela's engagement party, while Lesley is escorting Daniel back to London following his heart surgery in Miami.

I hope you enjoy it.

M4bloke

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Chapter 1

The New York flight landed in Heathrow at 06.35. At that time of day passport control was still empty and Steven and Jemima were in the Land Rover and driving into London within the hour. The traffic was beginning to build up as they got closer to Jemima's Chelsea mews house but, all things considered, they made good time for a Tuesday morning.

Steven had intended to take a quick shower then make a dash for the office, but Jemima, however, had other ideas. When she joined him in the cubicle, Steven knew he wasn't going to get out of the house without fucking her, and so he obliged, pushing her up against the shower wall and taking her from behind. It was just a quickie, but it was enjoyable and seemed to satisfy Jemima's burgeoning need for sex.

Afterwards, Jemima made some toast and marmalade while Steven changed into the suit he'd left in the car for work. He shovelled the toast down his throat, washing it down with a few mouthfuls of coffee then made his excuses.

"Do you have to go?" Jemima asked, undoing the chord on her bathrobe seductively, in an attempt to get him to stay.

Jemima's skin was pale and flawless. She was thin too. Any thinner and she'd have looked underfed. Steven liked the way she looked though, he always had, ever since they'd met at university. He could have easily spent the morning in bed with her, but he needed to get to work

"Yes, I do," he said bluntly, "and you need to get to work too."

"I'm sure Alice could do without me for a few more hours."

"But the world of interior design can't do without you a moment longer, Jemima Puddleduck," Steven told her, using her nickname as he slipped his hands under the open robe, pulling her towards him.

"Quack, quack," Jemima chuckled, then getting serious, asked, "What shall I tell Alice."

"About what?" Steven asked unnecessarily.

"About what happened in new York," Jemima clarified, hesitating a little.

"Tell her the truth, Duck..."

Chapter 2

Lesley's journey from Miami had been the journey from hell. The hospital in Miami hadn't released Daniel until late on Tuesday afternoon and the Medivac team couldn't touch him until the hospital's release papers had been signed.

The medically equipped private plane had been more functional than luxurious. The crew consisted of a pilot and co-pilot, who introduced themselves before take-off, but pretty much stayed in the cockpit after that, a male paramedic whose job it was to look after Daniel, and a female cabin attendant who was there to keep everyone else supplied with food and drink. Lesley soon found out there was no alcohol on board however and no in-flight entertainment either.

Daniel was given a sedative before take-off and he slept for the majority of the flight, leaving Lesley to amuse herself. She tried to engage the paramedic and cabin attendant in conversation but neither seemed particularly interested and so she re-read the only printed material she had with her, which was Alice's novel. Reading it for the second time she still found it a good read. Alice wrote with a pleasing tempo that brought the reader along with her. Lesley was more convinced than ever that the story deserved to be published. But it was a story with legs too and there were at least another two books in it she thought to herself.

The plane landed at Northolt on the outskirts of London at five in the afternoon and after the most cursory of entry checks, an ambulance took Daniel to a private hospital where his condition was to be assessed by a consultant in the morning. There was no point in Lesley accompanying the drowsy Daniel to hospital and so she took a taxi to Wimbledon and the house she hadn't lived in for two months. When the taxi pulled up outside she could see Steven's Porsche in the drive but there was no sign of her Land Rover.

Opening the front door she could hear voices. Then out of nowhere appeared a black Labrador. It seemed startled to see her and gave out a little 'woof' of surprise.

"Hello Coco," Lesley told the dog who, having decided she wasn't a threat, came up to greet her, tail wagging furiously.

Amelie and a redhead who must have been Alice appeared in the hallway and Amelie let out a little squeal of excitement on seeing Lesley. It had been several months since Lesley had last seen Amelie and she'd been worried that somehow they might not feel the same about each other. But that fear seemed to evaporate in an instant as the two girls hugged each other tightly.

"I'm so glad to see you," Amelie told Lesley. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too," Lesley told Amelie. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you first arrived."

"It doesn't matter. You're here now."

Alice had stood next to the two girls stroking Coco and waiting patiently for her turn to say hello. She looked nervous, as if she was worried about needing to make a good impression.

"I'm guessing you must be Alice," Lesley joked.

"That's right, Mrs Carter, er Lesley. We've spoken on the phone," Alice said nervously.

"It's very nice to meet you," Lesley told Alice giving her a hug.

"I wasn't sure when you and Steven were going be back, so I made a lasagne for dinner. All we need to do is heat it up."

"Where is Steven by the way?"

"We don't know. He and Jemima got back this morning but Jemima said he went straight to work."

"Sounds like Steven," Lesley agreed. "But right now what I really need is a glass of wine. Either of you care to join me?"

Chapter 3

Steven spent most of the day updating people on Daniel's health. He was spared the office knowing that he'd killed a man at the weekend, as news of the attempted assassination of Artemis Brock had gone largely unreported in the UK. Artemis wasn't well known outside the U.S. and so the tabloids hadn't been interested. The broadsheets had focussed on Brock and Planet Extinction rather than details of the assassination attempt itself. Nevertheless, Steven briefed Charles Pemberton as well as his own direct reports on what had happened, so that if anyone asked them then they already knew about it. people would find out eventually.

He stayed late at the office to catch up then, at seven, changed out of his suit and caught a taxi to 'The Friary," fish and chip bar on the High Street in Kilburn, North London. It was the sort of place that did both take-away and eat in. Steven looked around at the diners until he spotted who he was looking for.

Sitting at one of the tables, waiting for Steven, was Andy Conlan, the man who'd trained him for Blackfinch. It was unusual for Andy to meet outside the gym. The special forces soldier, turned close protection instructor, wasn't one for socialising with his pupils. But when Steven had rung him that afternoon he'd agreed to meet up. Andy already knew what had happened and was half expecting Steven's call.

"Thank you for coming," Steven told Andy, shaking his hand.

"Not a problem," Andy replied.

A waitress came over and took their order. When she'd gone Steven continued.

"You heard about what happened at the weekend?"

"I did," Andy replied. "Well done. How are you feeling?"

"When I close my eyes all I keep seeing is the guy's face," Steven admitted. "Just lying there, dead in a pool of his own blood."

"And you feel guilty?"

"Yes... No... I'm not sure."

"What would have happened if you hadn't shot him?"

Steven thought for a moment.

"More people might have died, probably."

"And do you think he'd have killed you, if he'd had the chance."

"I guess."

The waitress came back and deposited two enormous plates of cod and chips down in front of them.

"It's normal to feel like you do," Andy said after she'd left. "Especially the first time."

"Did you?"

"Of course," he said firmly, tucking into the chips. "You carry it with you for the rest of your life. You've crossed a line most people never have to. You've become judge, jury and executioner."

"How do you cope?"

"It was easier for me. I was part of a unit back then. We had a way of dealing with it."

"What was that?"

"Eat up and I'll show you."

The two men ate their fish and chips in silence then Andy settled up and they walked out onto the street. They walked about fifty yards before reaching a pub called O'Mally's. As its name suggested, it was an Irish pub. Kilburn had a large population of Irish immigrants, mainly working in construction. Most of the building sites in London had an Irish crew on them somewhere. The Irish were a hard-working, hard-living breed, with a patriotic, if not slightly romanticised, attachment to their homeland.

Steven followed Andy into the pub and Andy bought them both a pint of Guinness.

"I hope you're in a fighting mood," Andy told him.

Then, getting up onto the bar Andy began to sing the national anthem.

"God save our gracious Queen,

Long live our noble Queen,

God save the Queen!

Send her victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to rein over us,

God save the Queen!"

"Come on, join in you bastards. You all know the words," he shouted to the bar's occupants

It was as far as Andy got. Someone threw a pint glass at him and seeing who it was Andy dived off the bar onto him. Steven jumped in for support and the bar erupted...

Chapter 4

At eight o'clock Lesley decided they'd waited long enough for Steven. She'd phoned his office but Steven wasn't there, then she'd called Jemima but he wasn't with her either. So they heated up the lasagne and she, Amelie and Alice sat down to eat it, washing it down with a second bottle of red.

Afterwards they sat in the lounge with another bottle and Lesley told them what had been happening in her life. She had little choice but to tell Alice and Amelie about what had happened in New York that weekend, but it turned out that both girls had already knew. Lynne had told Amelie and Jemima, Alice.

It was almost eleven o'clock when they heard a car pull up outside, followed by a ring on the front doorbell.

When she opened the door, Steven and Andy stood there looking like two schoolboys who'd got into a fight. Their clothes were covered in dirt and smattered with blood. Steven was beyond drunk and, while Andy wasn't quite so far gone, he wasn't sober either.

"Hello love," Steven said pathetically, clinging on to the door-frame for support.

Coco padded into the hall followed by Alice and Amelie.

"Hello Coco. Who's a good girl?" Steven said.

He crouched down to stroke the dog but lost his balance and fell flat on his face.

"Is he alright?" Lesley asked Andy.

"It's worse than it looks," Andy offered. "He just needs to sleep it off."

"Help me get him upstairs," Lesley instructed.

Between the four of them they manhandled Steven up the stairs and into the main bedroom.

"Amelie, will you take Andy downstairs and make him a coffee?" Leslie suggested. "He looks like he could do with one. Alice, could you get a cloth and tidy Steven's face up while I get him out of these clothes?"

Andy and Amelie went back downstairs while Lesley and Alice got Steven ready for bed. Lesley removed Steven's clothes, making a mental note to bin them in the morning. When Alice returned, Lesley watched her carefully mop the blood and dirt from the now naked Steven. Lesley saw the look of concern on Alice's face as she gently applied the cloth to him.

"Do you think we should call a doctor?" Alice asked.

"He's a Carter. He wouldn't want a fuss," Lesley replied. "His father was a bare-knuckle fighter. Besides, Steven's been through worse."

"Jemima said his scar's from a knife fight," Alice said looking down at his waist. "Is that true?"

Lesley thought for a moment.

"I think that's something you need to ask Steven about."

"I did but he just laughed it off."

"Next time you're in bed together, tell him you deserve the truth.

Alice looked a bit uncertain.

"I wasn't sure if there would be a next time," Alice replied. "Now that you're back."

"Let's talk about it tomorrow. You work for Jemima in the mornings don't you?"

"That's right."

"We'll talk in the afternoon then. But now I think we should see what Andy has to say for himself."

They went downstairs and found Andy and Amelie chatting in the kitchen.

"Ok. What's going on Andy?" Lesley asked bluntly. "Why has my husband been fighting?"

Andy looked at Amelie and Alice.

"Do they know?"

"About New York? Yes they do. Alice and Amelie are our new lodgers," Lesley explained to Andy. Then for the girls' benefit she added, slightly ambiguously, "Andy trains Steven."

Satisfied, Andy continued.

"As you'll know, Steven's been finding things difficult to process after the shooting. It's not every day you kill someone, however justified it is. So he came to me for advice," Andy explained.

"I didn't know," Lesley said, embarrassed that she had no idea. "I only just got back from Miami."

"When he closes his eyes he sees the face of the man he shot, "Andy explained. "Remorse isn't a bad thing. But it needs to be controlled or it can eat you up inside."

"I understand. But I don't understand how he's ended up drunk and covered in blood."

"I did for Steven what my old unit did for me the first time it happened. Helped him to get it out of his system, if you like."

"How?"

"We had a fish supper then we went for a pint in an Irish bar and started a fight. We took a bit of a beating but we put up a good show while it lasted. When the coppers came, everyone denied anything had happened and we ended up getting pissed with the lads we'd been fighting with."

"So you took the CEO of a major venture capital firm out brawling, on a school night," Lesley said, a little unimpressed.

"If it's any consolation, I decided against getting him laid afterwards," Andy offered, unrepentant. "My unit did it for me but I thought it probably wasn't appropriate, what with him being married to you and all."

Alice laughed nervously and Lesley couldn't help seeing the funny side of it too.

"Thank you, Andy," she told him.

"All part of the service."

"You can crash here if you want."

"There's a car waiting for me outside and Tracy will be wondering where I am."

"Give her my regards and tell her I'm dying to get back to training on Thursday."

"I will do," then turning to Alice and Amelie he added. "I guess we'll be seeing you two as well at some point."

"Let's see how it goes," Lesley interjected.

She walked Andy to the door and gave him a hug.

"Thank you again," she told him.

"You're welcome," Andy replied.

A black Range Rover sat waiting patiently at the end of the driveway, engine running. Andy got into the back seat and it drove off into the night. Lesley went back into the kitchen where Alice and Amelie were waiting.

"Not a word of this to anyone at Durolitum," she said firmly. "Alice, you can tell Jemima but no-one else. Is that understood?"

"Yes," both girls answered, sensing the gravity of the situation.

"Thank you," Lesley replied. "I'll see you in the morning then."

Lesley climbed the stairs to the bedroom. It hadn't been the homecoming she'd expected, but somehow it hadn't disappointed either. She undressed and climbed into bed then curled up next to Steven. It had been a long day and she should have been exhausted, but her body was still on Miami time and Steven's alcohol induced snoring did little to sooth her. After fifteen minutes of trying to get to sleep, she got up, walked out of the bedroom and along the corridor to Amelie's room.

"Are you awake," Lesley whispered as she opened the door.

"Just about," Amelie giggled.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Lesley asked, hopefully.

"Of course," came the reply.

Lesley climbed into bed and immediately the two girls were wrapped in each other's arms, their bodies pressed together. Lesley kissed Amelie gently to which Amelie responded with an explosion of affection. Amelie's response took Lesley by surprise, but in a good way and a wave of relief washed over her.

"I was worried you might not feel the same way, when you'd had time to think about us," Lesley admitted after they'd stopped kissing. "Chamonix was a bit of a whirlwind after all."

"I've thought about you every day since then," Amelie reassured her. "And when I saw you this afternoon, all I wanted to do was hold you."

"You should have," Lesley told her. "I would have. If I'd been more confident you felt that way."

"I'm not sure it would have been fair on Alice," Amelie laughed.

"I think Alice would have understood. Besides, I don't care who knows."

"Seriously?"

"Starting now, I want the world to know that Amelie Desgrange is my lover," Lesley proclaimed. Then, reeling in her enthusiasm, she added, "If you don't mind, of course."

"I don't mind at all. But what about Steven?"

"He won't mind. You'll have to have sex with him every once in a while though," Lesley joked. "Just to keep him on side."

"I like Steven. He's serious but fun at the same time."

"He likes you."

"Not quite as much as he likes Alice though."

"Steven has a thing for Alice," Lesley agreed. "I just need to be sure Alice feels the same way."

"I'm sorry about your friend Daniel," Amelie offered.

"He's not had a lot of luck recently," Lesley sighed.

"I liked him when we met in Chamonix. I thought he was quite sexy for an older guy." Then she added teasingly, "Uwe told me he was very generous toward Suzy. New car, expense account, lingerie..."

"I'm not sure Uwe was all that pleased about the arrangement, but he didn't have much choice when he and Suzy first started dating. But that's in the past now, Suzy and Daniel agreed it should stop a while ago. But even though it had, Suzy still came out to help Daniel in Miami."

"So there might be a vacancy?" Amelie asked curiously.

"Are you serious?" Lesley replied.

"I could do with the money, Lesley. I don't like being poor."

"Durolitum pays you reasonably well doesn't it?"

"Unfortunately not," Amelie explained. "Lynne tried, but my university insisted that all the students on my course were paid the same amount and it's not very much. If I wasn't staying with you I don't think I could afford to live in London."

"Can't we just pay you a bit extra. Surely no one would find out."

"But, if they did, they might throw me off the course."

"Well, I'll pay for you then."

Amelie reached over and kissed Lesley.

"Thank you, but think about it for a moment. You can't look after Daniel all by yourself, not without ruining your marriage. Besides, it's not fair on Steven, even if you do manage to set him up with Alice."

Lesley knew Amelie was right, she couldn't be wife and carer to two men. She'd already spent a month looking after Daniel in Miami and she needed to get some balance back into her life before Steven's patience ran out.