Memoirs of a Swinger Ep. 36

"You disobeyed an order. What happens if we all decide to disobey orders?"

Rich looked confused. He wasn't used to answering complex questions.

"Fucking anarchy. That's what happens," Andy spat the words into his face. "Is that what you want?"

"No, sir."

Nowadays, if you got knocked out, you'd be taken to hospital for a check-up, or at least sent home, but it wasn't that way in the eighties.

"In the ring, both of you, now," Andy shouted at Rich and myself. "One on one, and this time you don't fucking stop 'til you hear my whistle."

I don't know if Rich thought he stood a chance against me or not. In my experience coppers tended to act hard but that's because they usually had their mates, and the law, backing them up. Rich was a big man, he was certainly no stranger to sorting out Friday night pub brawls, but he probably didn't have much in the way of technique or stamina. Andy must have known this too.

At first, Rich went for the glory shots but every time he opened his guard he got punished. When he saw this wasn't working he changed tactics and waited for me to come at him. I didn't need to take chances, I just wore him down, picking my moments. In and out, with jabs to the face and kidneys and the occasional knee or kick to the thighs for good measure.

It was a slow tortuous process but, in the end it left Rich staggering, unsure where the next blow would be coming from. He did what most fighters do at that stage and tried to smother me against the ropes. But I was too quick for him and had much more left in my legs.

I waited for Andy's whistle but it never came. Andy knew that any sporting fight would have been stopped by now. So, I put Rich out of his misery with a punch to the face. It had enough, but not too much, weight to it. Rich's knees gave way and he fell forward onto the mat.

"Take this piece of shit out of here," Andy said to Dave and Pete. "And be back here at 0800 with your bags packed, ready to ship out. You're finished here, the fucking lot of you."

Dave and Pete picked up the semi-conscious Rich and helped him out of the gym. They were both shell-shocked. Suzy and Lesley weren't sure whether to cheer or stay silent. It was their instructor, Tracey who broke the deadlock.

"Your boy's coming along nicely," Tracey said to her partner.

"He's getting there," Andy replied.

"Are you really going to send them home?" I asked when the three men had gone.

"You decide," Andy told me.

"I don't have much respect for coppers but it seems harsh."

"I'll just let 'em sweat on it tonight then and put 'em out of their misery in the morning."

"Sounds fair."

******************

In 1953, as the Cold War escalated, a group of the Western Allies formed an organisation to allow them to quietly collaborate on joint security projects. It was called Blackfinch. Outwardly, it was set up as a legitimate business offering investigative services and private security, mainly to corporate clients, but behind this lay an organisation whose real purpose was to counter the threat of communism. This secretive part of the organisation operated in a style akin to the Freemasons, with each member country having its own Lodge.

Twenty years ago Blackfinch had recruited Daniel and Carole. Over the years, Blackfinch worked with Durolitum to invest in companies it wanted to see succeed. The investments had made Daniel and Carole both rich but when they divorced their active participation in Blackfinch ended. Now Blackfinch wanted Lesley and I to take over the relationship and, with the promise of wealth and adventure, we'd been easily swayed.

Soon after we'd joined, Sir Hillary Fortescue, who sat at the top of Blackfinch's chain of command in the UK, asked us to consider purchasing Iris Technologies. The purchase had to go through as a legitimate business transaction and because it was made with Durolitum's own money it had to make sense too. Fortunately Iris Technologies had valuable intellectual property, so the deal made commercial sense.

I met Sir Hillary Fortescue for lunch at his club on Pall Mall on the Friday. It was one of those places where time appeared to have stood still for at least a hundred years. After I'd signed in, an attendant led me to a drawing room where Sir Hillary sat reading the paper.

"Mr. Steven Carter, sir," the attendant said, announcing me.

"Good to see you my boy. How are you?" Sir Hillary greeted me, getting up and shaking my hand vigorously.

"Very well Sir Hillary, and you?"

"Oh, mustn't grumble."

I hadn't seen Sir Hillary since the up market swingers' party he'd invited us to back in October. He was a friend of Daniel's and looking back now it was clear that this had been part of the selection process. We'd spoken on the phone since, first to confirm that Lesley and I wanted to join Blackfinch and then to discuss the purchase of Iris, but that was all.

Lunch was an odd affair. The club's menu appeared to have been designed to replicate the food its members must have been accustomed to during their times at the great Public Schools of England. As we ate, Sir Hillary talked about anything but work; motorbikes, politics, the weather, women and I began to wonder if we were ever going to get round to discussing Iris, but as coffee was served he got down to business.

"Excellent work on Iris," he began. "What are your thoughts so far?"

"Technically the battlefield system seems sound. We should be ready for demonstrations after Easter. We're too small to manufacture anything ourselves, we'll need partners for that."

"Focus your efforts on developing the system. Let Blackfinch worry about partners," was his guidance

"Alright, Sir Hillary."

"Now how's that wife of yours?" Sir Hillary asked.

"She's very well sir, thank you for asking."

"Give her my regards and for god's sake look after her, man. Too many chaps lose sight of what's important in life."

"I'll try to Sir Hillary..."

Love and Friendship

It was Saturday morning and Lesley and I sat in the front seat of my old Mini looking out onto the back wall of the garage.

"Remember when we first started dating?" Lesley said, cosying up to me. "You used to drive over from Uni. on a Wednesday evening and we'd meet in that pub outside Leicester."

"How could I forget," I laughed.

"At the end of the night we'd sit in this car and make out before you drove back."

"You used to wear those ridiculously short skirts."

"I so wanted you to fuck me, Steven."

"I wanted to fuck you too, if it's any consolation," I told her.

"Looking back on it though, I'm glad we waited. You remember our first time in the flat?"

"Erm, excuse me!" came Suzy's voice from the back seat of the car. "Uwe and I are here you know."

"We should never have had children so young," I told Lesley, which got a chuckle from everyone.

"Besides, I don't think it's possible to have sex in this car," Uwe piped up. "It's way too small."

"We'll never know now," I conceded. "Anyway, let's get it out of the garage. The truck's coming to pick it up in half an hour."

We all squeezed out of the car and pushed the Mini into the January sunlight. The car was looking a bit sorry for itself. It had been twelve years old when I'd bought it as a student, it was fifteen now. Lesley and I had agonised over what to do with it, now that it wasn't really needed any more. She had her Land Rover and I had the Porsche, but the Mini represented a time in our lives which neither of us wanted to let go of.

So, we decided to have it restored and converted into a replica of the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally winning, Mini Cooper S. To be honest I wasn't sure how much of the original car would be left after the conversion. It was probably going to need a new bodyshell for starters. But this way, my old Mini would live on, in spirit at least.

When the transporter arrived to pick the car up, Lesley got a bit emotional. She wasn't good at letting go of things, even if it was only temporarily. It would be six months before the Mini was back in the garage though.

The real motive for inviting Suzy and Uwe over to the house that Saturday was because we needed help clearing the garage, so that the builders could start work on the extension. Daniel had offered space in his garage while the work was going on and so after we'd filled the Land Rover up with tools and whatever, Uwe rode the BMW and I rode the Harley over to Chelsea, while the girls followed in their cars.

We took the service road that led to the garage at the rear of Daniel and Kate's Chelsea home. The garage had originally been the stables for the main house but had been rebuilt to accommodate Daniel's cars. A mews apartment had been added over the top and this was where Lesley had lived while I'd finished my last year at university.

Lesley still had her own keys and so we opened up the garage and deposited the bikes inside. Then we set about unloading the Land Rover.

"We thought we heard you," a voice shouted from outside as we were finishing.

Daniel and Kate appeared and a round of hugs and kisses ensued.

"We weren't sure if you'd be in," Lesley replied.

"We were going to go out," Kate agreed, "but London's so busy with the New Year sales right now."

"Have you got time for a cuppa?" Daniel asked.

"Always," Lesley replied.

We finished moving the last of the tools into the garage then followed Daniel and Kate into the main house. It was Uwe's first time in their house and nobody could help but be impressed by it.

"This is a lovely house," Uwe said complimenting them.

"Thank you," Kate replied.

Daniel made a cup of tea for everyone and we sat in the huge kitchen, chatting.

"How was your time in Munich?" Kate asked Suzy.

"It was lovely. Uwe's mum and stepdad were so nice to me. Heike and Ursula Obermann came to visit us as well and we went to a party at the Obermanns. Can you believe they live in an actual castle?"

"It sounds like you've been accepted into high society," Daniel observed.

"Going to see each other's parents at Christmas. Do I need to be looking for a wedding outfit?" Kate said joking.

Both Suzy and Uwe looked unsure of what to say but Uwe stepped up.

"One day I hope," Uwe said taking Suzy's hand then he explained to Daniel and Kate the terms of his inheritance.

"So, until Uwe's thirty, you won't be needing the outfit," Suzy said plainly.

"But you can spend time together?" Kate tried to clarify.

"Up to fifty percent," Suzy clarified. "We just can't get married or live together."

"I'm sorry," Kate said sympathetically.

"Don't be," Suzy replied. "Uwe and I have talked about this a lot over the last couple of days. Uwe's father wanted him to enjoy life before he settled down and I don't want to be the one that spoils that."

Suzy paused for a moment before continuing.

"If I'm honest, I'm not ready to give up what I have with you guys either. Uwe understands that too. So for the next three years we've decided we're going to be boyfriend and girlfriend, and we're going to make the most of whatever opportunities present themselves."

Lesley gave Suzy a hug then asked, "So that means you're going to keep living with us?"

"If you'll have me," Suzy smiled. "But when Uwe turns thirty, if we've managed to stay together, then we plan to get married and we'd both like to start a family."

If Lesley was thrown by this last statement then she hid it well.

"So does that mean I get to be a bridesmaid and a godmother?" she asked.

"I hope so."

Lesley and Suzy shared a hug.

"But if I heard you right," Kate asked. "For the next three years, things carry on pretty much as they are."

"That's right," Suzy said looking at Uwe.

"That's right Mrs Davidson," Uwe confirmed.

"In that case you need to start calling me Kate for starters," Kate said with a glint in her eye.

'Ok, Kate," Uwe replied correcting himself.

"And the four of us were going out for a meal this evening so you should come too," Kate told Suzy and Uwe. "And bring your swimming costumes for afterwards."

"I'm afraid I don't have any swimming trunks with me," Uwe confessed.

"He will do by this evening," Suzy reassured Kate.

Lesley was quiet in the car on the way back to Wimbledon. We'd left Daniel and Kate back at their house while Suzy and Uwe had gone into town in search of swimming trunks. When we got home the house was empty.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

Lesley put her arms around me and had a little sob.

"I love her," she whimpered.

"We both do," I told Lesley "and she loves us."

"What happens if she moves to Germany?"

"That's three years away," was all I could say.

We regrouped back at Daniel and Kate's later that afternoon and the girls went up to get ready, taking a bottle of wine with them. Uwe seemed a little nervous in Daniel's presence and Daniel tried to put him at ease by getting everything out on the table.

"I guess it's a bit of an odd situation," Daniel said, speaking plainly. "Steven's your boss and I own the company. But we're not at work now so don't let that worry you. We all think the world of Suzy and we want her to be happy. She wants you in her life and that's good enough for us."

"Thank you, Daniel," Uwe replied, deciding that 'Mr. Davidson' probably wasn't appropriate.

"It goes without saying that if you treat her badly we won't stand for it," Daniel added. "But nobody thinks you're that sort of a person."

"I can assure you, my feelings for Suzy are genuine," Uwe responded. "Suzy wanted to tell you about our plans this afternoon, so that you knew that nothing really has changed as far as she's concerned."

"You know that Suzy has an expense account which Kate and I pay for?" Daniel asked.

"I do," Uwe admitted. "And if you wanted to stop that, we'd both understand."

"Of course not," Daniel replied. "We set it up so that Suzy doesn't feel out of place. Keeping up with Kate, and Lesley these days can be expensive. But I wanted to make sure you were aware of it."

"I am," Uwe replied.

"I think Lesley's worried that Suzy is going to move to Germany eventually," I told Uwe.

"That's not going to happen," Uwe laughed. "Suzy made it quite clear that, while she loves me, under no circumstances is she going to leave her friends and live somewhere else."

"And you're ok with that?"

"If that's what it takes to be with her, then yes."

When the girls came down, all three of them had gone for fashionable rather than sexy. 1985 was the year of big belts and dresses with shoulder pads. It wasn't a look I was fond of and personally I'd have preferred sexy.

I wore a pastel blue casual suit over a tight white tee shirt. I'd seen Don Johnson wearing something similar in Miami Vice. Lesley had bought it for me. She bought most of my clothes, which was probably a good thing as I had little fashion sense.

"Don't you look smart, Mr. Carter," Lesley told me, making a point of noticing the suit.

I have to admit that I thought I looked pretty good. Vanity is a terrible thing.

The restaurant Kate had chosen was what I would have called 'nouvelle cuisine'. Small portions, exquisitely presented. Not my sort of food. Over dinner, Suzy recounted what they'd got up to in Munich then Kate told everyone about New York. Lesley and I didn't have much to contribute so we sat and listened. It was good to see Suzy so confident and at ease with everyone and after a while Uwe settled down and began to feel comfortable too. We weren't an intimidating bunch but we were a close knit one.

It took two taxis to get the six of us home, the girls took the first one but the guys had to wait an age for the second. When we finally arrived back, we found the girls in the kitchen. Daniel opened a bottle of champagne and poured us all a glass then thought about a toast.

"Suzy, it's good to see you so happy," he began. "Uwe, we have you to thank for that, so welcome."

"Can I say something?" Suzy asked.

"Of course," Daniel replied.

"I just wanted to say that nothing has changed between us and I don't want any of you to think it has." Then turning to Lesley, she said, "Especially you. I'm not going anywhere, not now, not in three years' time, not ever. I love you and I owe most of my happiness to you. And while we may not always live in the same house, I promise you that we will grow old together."

"I love you too," Lesley said, unable to hold back her tears

The two girls hugged and although Lesley cried a bit, they were tears of joy.

"Right who's for a pool party?" Kate asked.

We went up to our rooms to change and, when we were alone, Lesley hugged me tightly.

"Happy now?" I asked.

"Very," was all she said, burying her head in my chest.

Lesley and I were first to arrive at the pool. It had been built into the basement when the house had been renovated, so there was no natural light. Instead the room was lit from beneath the water line, creating a pale blue shimmering effect on the walls. Lesley knew how everything worked and she got to work putting some music on the sound system while I started the hot tub up. The hot tub was my favourite and I couldn't wait until we had one of our own.

I guess there wasn't really any need for swimwear but, to my mind, most guys look better in a pair of trunks than they do with their dangly bits on display. Women on the other hand look fine naked, but sometimes a nice bikini can tantalise. Lesley suited delicate, brief bikinis. Green was her favourite colour but tonight she wore black, which was unusual for her. It looked bold against her pale skin and highlighted her taught body. She knew she looked good in it. I had my trusty speedos on. They were veterans of two summers now but I liked them.

We got into the hot tub and began to make out but it wasn't long before we could hear voices approaching. Daniel, Kate, Uwe and Suzy arrived together, bringing a bottle of champagne with them. They took their robes off and made for the hot tub.

Kate looked stunning in a gold bikini. She always stood out, even when she didn't try to. Kate couldn't help it, she was programmed to make the most of her looks. Daniel wore trunks. He was still trim and he probably could have got away with wearing Speedos but he was stylish and knew he wasn't in his twenties any more.

Suzy also wore a black number. I'd seen her in it before, back in Greece. She favoured black as it matched her raven hair. Physically, Suzy was a slightly scaled up version of Lesley. A couple of inches taller, slightly larger breasts, but the same lithe figure I found so attractive.

Uwe, like me, wore Speedos. I've said it before but he looked like the poster boy for Hitler's Aryan Master Race. Blonde hair, blue eyes, square jaw, broad shoulders and narrow hips. Any other similarity stopped there however. Uwe was part of a generation of German's who'd been taught to be ashamed of the war. He was a gentle guy, not at all arrogant or threatening.

We got into the hot tub as couples but I could see that Kate had her eyes on Uwe. Kate didn't get to meet many new guys so her hooking up with Uwe was pretty much a foregone conclusion. I just wondered if Suzy had explained this to him.

"Would you like to come for a swim?" Kate asked Uwe after we'd all had a glass of champagne.

"I'd love to," Uwe replied throwing a quick glance at Suzy, who smiled at him.

Kate stood up and offered Uwe her hand, making sure he got a good look at what was on offer.

"She's such a tart," Lesley giggled after they'd gone. "Come on Daniel we'd better go and make sure she doesn't embarrass herself."

With Kate choosing Uwe, the evening's couplings fell into place and when Daniel and Lesley got out of the hot tub, Suzy and I were left alone.

"Do you want to go for a swim?" I asked.

"I'm happy here," Suzy replied.