Memoirs of a Swinger Ep. 33

Lesley reached out and touched Ursula's hand. "You don't need to ask my permission, Ursula and I'm sure Steven would love to visit you again."

"Anything for Pizza," I joked.

The four of us arrived at the hospital at around ten thirty. Heike and Ursula said a quick goodbye to Poppy, Alice and Anton then Lesley and I accompanied them back to their waiting taxi.

"Thank you for last night," Ursula said to the two of us. Then addressing me, Ursula said, "And thank-you for keeping me safe on Thursday."

"You're welcome. There'll be somebody to meet you in Munich?" I asked.

"Oh yes. Don't worry about that."

We said our goodbyes to Ursula and Heike but the moment the taxi was out of earshot Lesley asked, "What did Ursula mean about 'Keeping her safe'?"

"I need to tell you a few things about what happened when I was in Munich, but you need to keep them to yourself. Could we do this when we get home?"

"No we couldn't. Tell me now!"

Lesley couldn't deal with suspense. Making her wait a couple of days would have killed her. I should have known that. So I thought for a moment, trying to compose my sentence.

"Ursula has been on a terrorist kidnap list for a number of years. She and Ferdi don't go anywhere in public in Germany without a bodyguard," I began. "Andy has been training me to handle a gun and on Thursday, when Ursula and I went out for dinner, I carried one in case I needed to protect her."

Lesley looked surprised.

"We also know who stole Michael's Bentley and where it is now. So next weekend, Stefan Voigt is going to help me to steal it back."

Lesley put her arms around and gave me a squeeze.

"This is why I love you Steven. You're not afraid to do what it takes."

"So you're not mad."

"Of course not. You're my warrior."

"You can't tell anybody about any of this. Not Daniel and certainly not Michael and Claire."

"I won't. I promise."

"Thank you."

"Do you think Andy would teach me to use a gun?"

"I don't know. Ask Tracey next week."

"I will."

We spent the rest of the morning with Poppy, playing games and chatting. Poppy was very excited and keeping her calm was difficult at times.

After lunch Daniel and Kate turned up with Uwe and Suzy in tow. You could see that a bond between Poppy and Kate had formed but also that there was one between Kate and Alice too. Poppy made a point of thanking Daniel for her operation and I think that Daniel was a bit humbled by the young girl's words.

"And this is my friend Suzy," Lesley said introducing her.

"You live with Lesley and Steven, don't you?" Poppy stated.

"That's right," Suzy replied.

"And this is her friend Uwe," Lesley continued.

Poppy studied Uwe for a moment.

"Lesley says that Suzy 'luuuurves' you!" Poppy giggled.

"Poppy," Lesley shrieked. "That was meant to be our secret."

Poppy giggled some more and everyone else laughed except for Suzy who blushed.

"I may have said something to that effect in one of my letters to Poppy," Lesley admitted.

"Well I must be a very lucky man then," Uwe replied, coming to Suzy's rescue.

It was a bit crowded in the little hospital bedroom and we didn't want to monopolise Poppy, so at around three o'clock we all made our excuses and left Alice and Anton alone with her.

"So, what are we going to do tonight?" Lesley asked everyone when we got back to the hotel.

"Daniel's taking me out for a meal tonight. Just the two of us," Kate confessed. "You don't mind do you?"

"Of course not," Lesley replied.

"Erm, actually Uwe and I were going to do our own thing too," Suzy added apologetically.

"Is there something wrong with us?" Lesley asked me with mock concern.

"I'm sure we can find something to do," I told her, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her towards me.

"Well I guess we'll see you all in the morning then," Daniel suggested. "Have a good evening whatever you decide to do."

"Yes, have fun, but don't do anything we wouldn't do," Kate added.

It was good seeing Daniel and Kate so loved-up even though it left us at a bit of a loose end.

It was still only late afternoon and too soon to start thinking about food. I hadn't been for a run for a few days and when Lesley suggested it would be a good way to see the city's lakeside, I jumped at the suggestion.

Geneva sits at one end of a lake and the city bends its way around what looks like a natural bay. You can run for a good few miles along the promenade and as our hotel overlooked the lake, it was on our doorstep.

I'd grown accustomed to running with Lesley. She had a natural runner's physique and we were evenly matched on longer runs. We kept our pace to one where we could talk and Lesley wanted to know more about Michael's Bentley, so I told what I could as we ran.

After about three miles we stopped and had a breather at one end of the bay. The route was lined with swanky apartment buildings and, along with joggers and dog walkers, stylish couples were out for a late afternoon stroll. Lesley was being all affectionate and there was a bit more kissing and cuddling going on than between your average joggers, but we didn't care.

We were just about to set off again when a couple approached us.

"Steven? It is you, isn't it?" the man asked in a French accent.

"Alain?" I responded, surprised.

"Yes. Fancy seeing you here."

"Lesley, this is Alain Besson," I said, introducing the man in front of us. "Alain is a rather famous French film star. Carole and I met him in the summer."

Carole and I had indeed met Alain in the summer. We'd gone for a weekend to a hotel in the Rhone Valley, while Lesley and Fabien had gone for one in Monaco. Alain had been staying at the hotel while making a film in the area and one night, Alain, Carole and I had enjoyed a very memorable threesome.

"Pleased to meet you," Lesley responded. "Carole said about meeting you. I think you made a lasting impression on her."

"This is Julie," Alain said introducing a very pretty girl, probably mid-twenties with the most striking cropped chestnut haircut.

"Hello," the girl said shaking our hands. "You're English right?"

"Yes," I replied.

"I can guarantee you that Steven has no idea who you are," Alain joked to the girl. "It's very humbling,"

"Well actually, I'm going to take a stab at Julie Picardie the famous French pop singer. I hope I'm right otherwise this is going to be very embarrassing."

"You are right, Steven," Julie said laughing.

"I know a young girl who thinks you are the best thing ever," Lesley added.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Because Poppy and I have no secrets from each other," Lesley laughed and then explained to Alain and Julie who Poppy was and why we were here.

"But what brings you here?" I asked them. "Is it filming or a concert?"

Alain looked at Julie and smiled.

"Julie and I have rented an apartment here," Alain explained. "It's far enough away from Paris that we can have some privacy."

"What Alain is trying to say is that we are trying to make a go of it, together," Julie added.

"Good for you," Lesley responded then, hugging me, she added, "I can thoroughly recommend having a man in your life, Julie."

"Why don't you come out for dinner with us tonight?" Julie offered. "There's a young saxophonist playing at a jazz bar later. I'm thinking of hiring him for my next tour and I'd really like to see him play. We don't know many people here, so say you'll come."

"We'd love to," Lesley responded without even checking with me.

"Where are you staying?" Alain asked.

"Le Richemond," I replied.

"Very swanky," Julie commented. "Don't you just love the art deco there."

"You're wasting your time with this one," Lesley replied laughing. "Steven can tell you what the food's like, how comfortable the bed is and whether there's a gym but he won't even have noticed the décor or the furnishings."

"That's a bit harsh," I replied, "but true."

"How does seven thirty suit you?" Alain asked. "We know a lovely little restaurant in the old part of the city."

"Seven thirty's great."

We left Alain and Julie, saying that we'd see them later and ran back to the hotel. We had sex in the shower again then, afterwards, lay on the bed naked. We hadn't spent much together time over the past week and it was good to just lie there in each other's arms.

"Do you think Julie knows what you got up to with Carole?" Lesley asked.

"I don't know. I didn't want to say too much. They weren't going out at the time so there's no reason she should I guess."

"You know Carole was quite taken with Alain," Lesley told me.

"I know. What do you think of him?"

"Not sure. He's quite dishy but we hardly spoke. What do you think of Julie?"

"She seems friendly. She's good looking but that haircut was a bit severe."

"I was thinking about having mine like that," Lesley joked.

"I'll divorce you if you do."

"They're quite well known in France aren't they?"

"Carole seemed to think so."

We met Alain and Julie in the lobby of the hotel as arranged, and we immediately got an inkling of how well known they actually were. People would recognise them, check again to make sure, then nudge their partners and point them out. It would have driven me crazy but Alain and Julie were immune to the attention it seemed.

"The restaurant's just a short walk from here," Alain told us and so, wrapped up against the evening chill, we ventured out onto the street.

Julie and Lesley walked on ahead while Alain and I walked behind. Julie wanted to hear all about Poppy, and Lesley was only too happy to tell her.

"Does Lesley know what happened with Carole?" Alain asked quietly as we walked.

"She does," I confirmed. "What about Julie?"

"She does too," he laughed. "That's a relief. I was worried I might drop you in it."

"Lesley and I were saying the same thing earlier."

The restaurant was an expensive but dimly lit affair situated in one of the medieval stone buildings that made up the old town. Alain and Julie had made a reservation and the waiter discreetly showed us to our table. When he took Julie's coat for her I was stunned at what was underneath, or rather what wasn't. Julie had on the shortest black skirt imaginable, her long trim legs were covered in a pair of glossy tan tights while her blouse was completely see-through, showing a black lace bra underneath. If she'd worn anything less it would have been indecent. The waiter tried to act as if he hadn't noticed and I did too.

"So what do you both do?" Julie asked after we'd ordered. "I quizzed Alain but he couldn't tell me."

"I'm a biochemist," Lesley volunteered. "I work in the laboratory of a hospital in London. We do tests on blood and things like that."

"That sounds technical," Julie replied with genuine interest.

"It can be. It doesn't pay that well but I enjoy it and I get to use my degree for what it was intended."

"What about you Steven?" Alain asked. "I never did get to find out."

"I work for a venture capital company in London."

"I didn't have you down as one of those bowler hatted businessmen," Julie laughed.

"I don't think there are many of them left now, but you do see the odd one or two still."

"Getting Steven to talk about himself is virtually impossible. So I end up doing it for him." Lesley said, apologising for me. Then, proudly she said, "Steven is the Director of New Technology Investments for a company called Durolitum Investments. He also runs their consulting group."

"Alain thought Steven might be Carole's kept man after he met you in the summer," Julie said daringly.

Lesley laughed then replied, "If Carole could keep Steven all to herself she would. But, you know, I think Alain made a lasting impression on her too."

It was Julie's turn to giggle now.

"He can have that effect on women," she added.

"Have you seen Carole recently?" Alain asked.

"Oh yes," Lesley replied. "She stays with us in the week at the moment then goes back to Provence for the weekend. Steven's been in Munich this week but I saw Carole on Thursday."

"So you live with two women then Steven. What's that like?" Julie said teasingly.

"Well actually it's three," Lesley got in before me. "We also have a lodger, Suzy. She's here with us in Geneva to meet her boyfriend. He's lives in Munich but he's here because Steven is trying to get Uwe to come and work for him."

"So you're not here by yourselves?"

"No. There's also Daniel, Carole's ex-husband and his new wife Kate too. I used to live with them when Steven was studying."

"This sounds like the plot to one of your films," Julie said to Alain.

"I didn't have a great childhood," Lesley explained. "But all of these people aren't just friends they're my family now. And of course I've got Steven."

Trying to change the subject before things got too sentimental, I asked Alain "Are you working on anything at the moment?"

Alain looked slightly nervously at Julie across the table.

"No I'm having a few months off," he continued.

"What Alain means is that we're both taking time off to try and sort out our relationship," Julie said bluntly. "You see, I've been a first rate bitch to him over the past few years, while all the time he's been the only good thing in my life."

Alain looked at her with puppy dog eyes and I could see he was captivated by her.

"I was a child star at fourteen," Julie explained. "After that I was just a money making machine for my father. I had my first boyfriend when I was sixteen. He was an actor, much older than me. He had a thing for young girls and I looked good on his arm when we were out. My father approved, he thought the publicity would be good for my career.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I told her.

"I was twenty before I could stand up to my father and even then I had to go to court to get control of my life back from him. That's when I found I'd inherited some of his traits. I used men for what they could give me. I'd sleep with anyone if I thought it would be good for my career."

"You don't need to do this," Alain told her.

"I want to, Alain. Lesley and Steven don't know me. They haven't read about me in the papers."

Alain shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"I met Alain when I was twenty two. It wasn't hard to get him into bed," she laughed. "I knew he'd had lovers before me. But Alain was different. He was genuinely interested in me as a person. He wanted to take me out to dinner or to an art gallery or go for walks. He'd send me poems and flowers."

"That's sweet," Lesley said trying to sound positive. "Steven's never sent me a poem. Although looking at how he writes that's probably a good thing."

"I couldn't handle it. I didn't want to be loved," Julie continued. "I've been so cruel to Alain but he's put up with it. When Steven and Carole met him, I was having an affair with a footballer. It was in all of the papers and it really rubbed Alain's nose in the dirt. Then one day I woke up and thought, 'What the hell am I doing with my life?' I begged Alain to take me back and, of course, he did."

"So things worked out in the end," Lesley said hopefully.

Alain looked unconvinced.

"Except now I feel like I don't deserve him. I mean, how could he trust a whore like me, after what I've done?"

Julie started to cry and Lesley reached over to hold her hand.

"When I first met Steven, I was another man's mistress," Lesley said glancing over at me and then continuing. "Deep down I was ashamed of who I'd become. I thought nobody would want a proper relationship with someone like me. But for some reason Steven did. Meeting him quite literally changed my life. I mean, if it wasn't for Steven I wouldn't be here tonight eating dinner with a pop star and a famous actor."

"Albeit French ones," Alain joked trying to lighten the mood.

"Now, my husband might be a terrible poet," Lesley continued, "but he's an excellent judge of people. The fact that we're here now tells me that he thinks Alain's a decent guy, and it seems to me that Alain wants you. The only question you need to ask yourself is whether you want him. I mean really want him."

"I do," Julie snivelled.

"That's all that really matters, isn't it? You know what you have to do then," Lesley concluded.

"I guess."

"Then why don't we go and fix our make-up?"

Lesley led the half smiling, half crying woman off to the restroom and the eyes of every man in the restaurant followed Julie's legs out of the room.

"She can be pretty persuasive, your wife," Alain said.

"She's a pretty remarkable woman. She still surprises me. Earlier this year I learned she could play the piano. But not just play it, I've never heard anyone play like her. I mean how could I not know that?"

"How long have you known each other?"

"Eighteen months. We got married after six, just before I went off to do my final year at University. We only really started living together this summer."

"If you don't mind me asking. How does someone who finished university six months ago become director of a venture capital firm?"

"It's a long story," I joked. "I've actually worked for them for as long as I've known Lesley. You see, as much as meeting me might have changed Lesley's life, meeting her has had the same effect on mine."

When Julie and Lesley returned from the restroom, Julie made a beeline for Alain and bending down from the waist she kissed him full on and in plain sight of the other diners. In fact those diners directly behind Julie probably got a lot more than they bargained for. Alain had no choice to respond and the pair kissed passionately.

"From now on, I am going to be the best fucking girlfriend you could ever wish for," Julie told him then she took her seat at the table again.

Neither Alain nor Julie wanted desert and I guess you have to think of these things when you've an image to worry about. They said they didn't mind if Lesley and I had one but we opted out too. I insisted on paying for the meal, because Alain had paid for Carole and me the last time, then we set off for the jazz club. The night air was cool now, so we took a taxi.

I was expecting a dive, like some of the old Soho clubs, but the place was quite modern and the clientele seemed both hip and well-heeled. It was table service only and you must have needed to book, possibly even been a member, to get a seat. Unlike the restaurant however, where we'd been able to eat with what seemed like anonymity, here everyone seemed to know who Alain and Julie were and eyes followed us to our table.

When our drinks arrived so did the manager who told us that they were on the house and if we needed something then we only had to ask. Fame has its perks.

As we waited for the first set of the evening we chatted. Julie and Alain seemed more relaxed now.

"Steven says you're a great pianist," Alain said to Lesley.

"He's biased," Lesley said, "but yes, I do play. I used to find it comforting but now I just enjoy it."

"What do you play?" Julie asked.

"I grew up playing classical but now I like to play stuff people recognise."

"You should hear her playing Billy Joel," I offered. "She sings beautifully as well."

Lesley reached over and kissed me on the cheek, pleased at the compliment.

"I love Billy Joel. I listen to him on my Walkman when I'm touring." Julie said. "I'd do covers of some of his songs but unfortunately it's not really what my audience wants to hear."

Clemens Grond was a young half-caste Dutch saxophonist. His dreadlocks made him a striking figure in a room full of white people. I'm not a jazz aficionado but I could tell he was good and he played with the house band as if they'd been together all their lives. Lesley loved the music and Julie listened intently at first until I think she must have convinced herself that this man was the genuine article.