The Lady Eve Pt. 01

This story is set in spring 1981 and will reflect attitudes from that time. Bear in mind that means no internet, no smartphones, no social media so there is a better chance of getting away with things.

I have deliberately chosen to generally have longish sections where little sexual activity takes place. There will be back story and usually some flirtation before sexual activity takes place. That reflects my own preference in stories, but YMMV.

It has characters from earlier stories of mine and there is a strong link to Breaking the Speed Limit, but it is not necessary to read that one to understand what is going on here.

This will probably be in four parts.

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Alan Hampton took the train north to Coketown on Friday evening feeling annoyed and frustrated with his girlfriend. He was frustrated because he had been going out with Jill Summers for three years and engaged for two years now and she had neither settled a date for the wedding nor let him have sex with her. She insisted on him paying for separate hotel rooms if they went away together or on him sleeping on the couch if visiting friends. She was beautiful and intelligent though and he lay awake at night imagining making love to her.

He cursed that bastard who had fucked her, dumped her, and boasted about it. It had left her emotionally vulnerable. It would have been easier if he had been certain that she was incapable of letting herself go sexually. They could have agreed to just be good friends, but regularly she would nearly succumb. In recent months it had been more frustrating than ever. She was more demonstrative in public and once they got back to her flat she would usually invite him in for coffee. She would seem receptive, especially if they had danced together, but once his hand was touching her knickers she would panic, push him away and start crying.

He was annoyed that she had not travelled with him this time. He was seeking to be a Conservative party candidate in a seat where there was likely to be an upcoming by-election. The current Labour MP was known to be in ill health and so it was necessary to select a candidate quickly. It was understood that he had no chance of winning the seat even if selected and the likelihood was that a local candidate would be picked. Still if would help with his future political career if he were nominated and ran in a by-election. He had been told that the likely progression was that he would be allowed to run in a no chance seat at the next election and then be given a real chance at the following election if he was seen as having fought a good campaign. If he put up a good showing in a by-election, it would increase the chances at getting a winnable seat at the next election rather than the one afterwards.

The briefing that he had had from the friends he had in the party was that local associations preferred candidates with wives or girlfriends who would be happy to play a part in constituency life. One current MP had in the bar after a meeting with prospective candidates had put forward a blunter reason. "Frankly I couldn't care less where a man puts his prick in private, but there is no point in putting up a candidate in a northern seat whom the voters think is a bender."

He had immersed himself in learning about constituency over the last few months. He had visited the constituency five times and had subscribed to the local paper. He knew the major employers, the recent successes and failures of the local soccer and rugby league teams and believed himself to be a strong candidate. He wanted to do the best for the country. He believed that what the PM was doing was mostly necessary, but that in ten years' time there would need to be a move back towards more consensual politics. If only Jill would recognise how important this was to him.

Jill had come up with him for one weekend last November to walk round the constituency while he was doing the research. She must not have been listening to him properly when he had told her that the main purpose of the visit was to research the constituency. This had resulted in an argument on Saturday lunchtime, and she had refused to go with him that afternoon and had claimed to feel ill that evening. That was unfair. She had looked horribly unwell next day. They'd made up and she had forgiven him. He had agreed not to drag her along on any more research visits and she had said that if a local party called him for an interview she would go along with him.

She had had a wedding to go to at the time of the first interview. The constituency chairman had accepted the excuse and even claimed to be impressed that she had let him desert her for the hustings.

This weekend they would choose the candidate and there would be two separate interviews. The first was on Saturday when they would narrow the remaining four candidates down to two and then there would be the final selection on Sunday.

He'd told Jill that she could come up with him on Friday night, chat with the local party members before the hustings and stay the night in another room which he had booked for two nights. She had at first agreed to that provided that they went to a different hotel than the first time.

On Thursday night he had briefed her about the most important people on the committee who she should make conversation with. He told her about the constituency chairman who enjoyed speaking to women and behaved as though he was thing of beauty and a boy forever. He warned her that he would be likely to flirt with her. She had asked the man's name and he had told her Rupert Grimsdyke. He had added that he was a dapper man in his late fifties who had served in the RAF during World War Two.

Then yesterday afternoon she had told him that a friend who had just broken up with her boyfriend needed her support that night, but she would travel up on the Saturday to join him in time to go to the hustings or at any rate on the Saturday evening. She had chosen to tell him while he was teaching the upper sixth history class so that he could not argue with her. He reminded her of the name of the hotel he was staying at, the time she would need to arrive at the hotel by to go with him to the hustings and that a room for herself was already booked and paid for. They spoke quietly, but he suspected that the class must have spotted something was up.

He got into the Castle Hotel at eight on Friday evening and spent some time reading this week's issue of the local newspaper, the Bugle. He met Douglas Allardyce, the representative from party central office, for a quick drink. Douglas said that it was likely that the local candidate would be chosen, but that he was in with a shout. He made it clear that it would help his chances if Jill were there tomorrow.

He had an early night but had difficulty getting off to sleep. He lay in bed imagining having sex. To make things worse he actually found it easier to wank to the image of having sex with one of his students Rebecca rather than Jill. Both were tallish brunettes and had long hair. Jill dressed elegantly while, apart from that one time, he had only seen Rebecca dressed plainly. They had very different hairstyles.

It helped that he knew that Rebecca accepted that it was reasonable for men to expect her to get her tits out and give hand jobs on dates if her escort paid for the cinema tickets and the drinks. He doubted that she would be offended at men imagining having sex with her while Jill would be. The fact that he knew nothing would ever happen with Rebecca because it would be morally and professionally wrong to have sex with a student oddly made it easier to indulge his fantasies.

In the morning after having a light breakfast, he tried phoning the number he had been given by Jill but found that all he got was a buzzing suggesting that the number was unavailable. He called her home number but had no answer. He began to worry that she would not make it and walked round the town to steady his nerves. He returned to the hotel at around eleven and checked to see if Jill had arrived or if he had any messages. There were none and he could not see her in reception.

He had been told that he should be at the local Conservative Association no earlier than 1.00 and no later than 1.30 and after checking train times knew that if Jill had not arrived by 12.50 he would have to go to the hustings without her. It was now 11.30 and he was beginning to suspect that she was going to leave him high and dry.

He swore to himself and exited the hotel to go to the station to meet the next train. He then smelled a familiar scent and looked round. To his delight he saw Jill's ponytail hanging down her back and she was wearing a black knee length skirt and a red jacket which was her normal choice when she wanted to be smart without being overly formal. She had put her glasses on to check the name of the hotel. He regretted having doubted her and gave her a hug from behind.

"Darling, it's great to see you. I'm so glad that you could make it after all."

Jill turned and kissed him on the cheek. She then looked him in the eyes and giggled. "I think this may be a case of mistaken identity." To his shock he realised that he had embraced a stranger. The accent was not that different -- a sort of BBC English.

Alan felt embarrassed and said, "I'm sorry but I thought you were my fiancée."

"She is a lucky woman." The woman winked at him. "I wish my fiancé showed as much enthusiasm as you. My name's Eve Harrington. Delighted to meet you..."

"Alan Hampton. It's good to meet you Eve."

Eve looked at her watch. "I was just about to have a bite to eat. If Arnold is not here now he won't be here before two thirty at the earliest and I'm ravenous. Would you recommend anywhere?"

"The caff over the road is better value and quicker than the hotel. Actually, come and eat with me. I owe you for not calling the police when I kissed you."

"Lead the way, Alan."

They sat down and both ordered gammon, egg, and chips. She had coffee, and he had some water. The caff was a little smoky, but it did not matter as he knew most of the committee were chain smokers.

She asked him what he was doing in Coketown. He explained about trying to be nominated to stand as an MP as a Conservative candidate and that the choice would be made this weekend.

She said, "No wonder you were so delighted when you thought I was Jill. I'm told that constituency associations prefer an MP has a wife who spends time in the constituency."

"That's right." He replied glumly. She spotted that and encouraged him to talk about the hustings this afternoon. She asked intelligent questions and seemed genuinely interested. She then asked about his job and past and he found himself opening up to her.

He thought that he had talked enough about himself and asked about her betrothed and why they were staying here. She frowned prettily and then said, "Well. It's not as though you and I are going to meet again. I'm here for a dirty weekend to check that Arnold and I are compatible."

"Compatible?"

She sighed and said, "Arnold is ten years older than me. He says that he wants to look after me and is quite well off. It's just that I'm not certain that he is attracted to me as a woman or only as a possession to show off to his friends."

Alan laughed. "Surely both can be true?"

"He puts his arm around me in public but does not try to make love to me when we are alone. I suspect that he is a virgin and to tell the truth I spent my time at university being the original good time who was had by all. I do not want to marry someone who does not enjoy making love to me or is not interested in giving me pleasure."

"But what if he decides to abandon you after having had sex with you?"

"Provided I don't get pregnant then I am better off without him. I'd rather find out now then marry him and then have to give him grounds to divorce me or wait five years."

They finished the meal and walked back to the hotel and went into the bar. He ordered a G&T for her and a coffee for himself.

Eve looked at her watch. "Jill's running it fine if you need to be gone in twenty minutes."

He said, "I don't think she's going to make it."

She looked at him and frowned, "She's left you in an awkward position. I know Arnold would be justifiably furious with me if I did that to him."

"I wish Jill realised that."

"What does Jill look like?"

Alan got out a photograph he had taken last November on the Saturday morning before the argument. Eve looked at it closely. "Well, I can understand why you made the mistake outside the hotel. She does look a lot like me."

She then giggled, "It's a pity...."

"What were you going to say?"

"You are going to think that I'm a wicked woman, but if it wasn't for the fact that I expected Arnold to arrive soon, I would volunteer to pretend to be Jill at the hustings."

He laughed, "But you know nothing about me."

"You've told me about your job, where you went to school and university, and your ambitions. I think that I could bluff it out. If as you say they are going to choose the local candidate anyway then provided you make a good showing then there is no harm done and it may even help you in the future."

Alan laughed and said, "It's tempting but perhaps it's for the best. I'm afraid that you would so impress them they would select me and explaining that to Jill would have been hard."

"I suppose so. Certainly, I would have flirted with the party members."

"I've no doubt about that. I think that's one of the things Jill does not like about me trying to become an MP."

"But that's part of the deal. You have to be pleasant with her friends and relatives and she has to do the same with yours and your employers. My deal with Arnold is that he will keep me in the style I wish to become accustomed to while I will be loyal to him and do my best to be a social asset. I've no problem with that. It's just that I won't be able to stay loyal if he does not even try to satisfy me sexually or make me feel that he enjoys having sex with me."

Alan realised that this was a problem with Jill. She did tend to find things to do when there were dinners without dancing at the local Conservative club in Birmingham. Certainly, she could not imagine her finding flirting with Grimsdyke amusing rather than an ordeal.

He looked at the woman next to him and she smiled back. He guiltily realised that while she looked a lot like Jill she was sexier. There was an extra button undone on her blouse than Jill would have thought proper, and she was more naturally tactile. She had touched him on the arm a couple of times when talking to him or when laughing at his jokes.

They finished the meal and he paid for her as well. She said "Thanks. Maybe the four of us can have a drink together in the bar tonight?"

"That would be good."

They left the caff. He said, "I'll have last one check for her and then go."

She looked him over and then reached around his neck and straightened his tie. "You must look your best for your meeting." She leaned in and pecked him on the cheek.

He liked the sensation. Eve stepped back from him, looked at him and clicked her tongue twice. "Best not let you go into the meeting with lipstick on your cheek." She took out a hankie, licked it and then put one hand behind his neck and bent his neck so that his face was looking down at her.

He felt himself getting an erection as his body reacted to the touch of her hand on his neck combined with the view of her cleavage which was barely contained by a black bra. He put his hands around her waist to steady himself, and she leant into him as she used the handkerchief to wipe the lipstick off.

While he thought that he did quite well at the hustings, things could have gone better. Towards the end of the afternoon there was a flurry of activity and Allardyce had been called out to make phone calls. At 5.45 PM Grimsdyke announced that they had not finalised the shortlist and asked the candidates to go home or back to their hotel and they would let them know tonight who was needed tomorrow.

He strode back to the hotel and found that Jill had not yet arrived. He decided to have a quick drink at the bar to steady his nerves as he waited for his fate. As he entered he spotted Eve sitting at a table looking at her watch with a small suitcase by her side.

She looked up, called him over and said, "Alan, good to see you. How did it go?"

"I did well in the interview, but it was obvious that Jill's absence was noted."

"Christ, I should have gone with you to the hustings rather than sit around like a lemon all afternoon.

He said, "I almost wish you had. No sign of Arnold?"

"Afraid not."

"Can I get you a drink?"

"That would be marvellous. G&T?"

When he returned with two drinks she patted the seat next to him and he thought it would be impolite to decline. She said, "Any news from your fiancée?"

He said, "No, damn her."

He paused, "Do you mind if I let off steam?"

"Steam ahead."

"I knew that a local candidate was likely to be the favourite, but they did like me. Grimsdyke said that for an outsider and a Midlander I had impressed them by at least been arsed to find out more about the constituency than most of the committee members."

He paused, "It was clear Jill not being there counted against me. I may have been protesting too much but I told Grimsdyke that I had booked a room for Jill and expected her tonight. I even showed him that picture of her by the war memorial here I took the one time she came up here with me."

He did not add that the older man had stared closely at the photo and told Alan that he was a lucky man and that if he had been thirty years younger he would have tried to get Jill for himself.

"It sounds as though you did well anyway."

Alan nodded. "I suppose so. I just wish Jill would recognise how important politics is to me."

"Well, at least she sounds like a kind woman being there for her friend when no one else was."

Alan thought about it and almost snarled, "I don't think she ever meant to come. Joan was just an excuse. There were plenty of other friends who could have given her a shoulder to cry on."

She patted him on the hand. "I'm certain that if you let her know the difference she could have made she will join you next time. After all she must have helped you out in the past with your political career."

"I suppose so." He realised that he did not sound convincing and added, "Yes, she has been encouraging."

He looked at his watch, "Do you mind if I just went and made a call. I will be back in twenty minutes, and I can then say hello to Arnold if he has arrived or we can have another drink if he hasn't."

"No problem."

"Fine."

He went to his room and called Jill's home number. When she answered the phone they had an awkward phone call during which she said that she had had a migraine and felt sick and had decided that it was best not to travel. When he complained about her not having let him know at the hotel, she apologised unconvincingly but said that she had mislaid the number. When he asked if she were coming down tomorrow, she said that she did not think that she would be well enough to travel. He decided that it would do no good to argue with her. If she were really ill he would feel like a bully and no good would come of doubting her story if she were lying.

He came back down and saw that Eve was still seated in the bar yet.

He came over, "Is Arnold here yet? I would be happy to say hello to him if he is."

She looked up at him. "Do you mind if I let off some steam myself?"

"Of course not."

"I've called him earlier this afternoon to ask why he was not here. He said that the fact that he had decided that I was willing to have sex with him before marriage meant that I was not good enough for him."