Living Two Lives - Book 20

Chapter 1

Andrew’s arms were still tired on that evening but he took Helena out to dinner. They did not get glammed up but did dress nicely and went for a lovely dinner. They talked about the future.

“Are you going to live with your parents when you graduate?”

“Yes, to start with. But next week after I get my results I am going to London to start scouting out a place to live as well as start the job hunt. So as soon as I find somewhere to live then I will move out of Mum and Dad’s place. I would rather live in London with flatmates in a crammed flat than stay out in suburbia. I don’t want to be like Dad, commuting into London every day.”

“Do you have any leads on jobs?”

“The careers service has been helpful and so I have plenty of places to try. My CV is all set, crisp and tight, I just need to add in the final degree classification and then I can send it out.”

Helena was worried. She was straddling the line between a First and a 2:1 and so the following Wednesday was going to be stressful for her.

“Make sure you remember to slip a note under my door, letting me know how you did.”

“I will. I can’t believe you are not even going to be here when your results are posted.”

“It is the annual camp that always screws everything up. If I don’t go back to Edinburgh on Tuesday then I will not be back until the middle of September.”

“You never take time off. It makes me ill thinking about it sometimes. I will write to you once I have found a place. You will keep in touch, wont you?”

“One of my many hidden qualities is I am a very good letter writer. Most Sundays I will spend a chunk of the afternoon sending letters to various family and friends. Some weeks I write more than 10. I will keep in touch, although you can already guess what my letters will say. ‘Studied really hard this week’.”

She laughed.

“True, we know that is a given. It feels strange for me, getting ready to leave. It is as if I didn’t make the cut or something, I failed an audition and I am off. It is only Nigel and me that are not coming back next year.”

More than a third of the year was not coming back as they were graduating but Andrew knew what she meant.

“Matt, Navya and I were always here for four years with our courses. Pedro and Justin have been accepted into Masters programs.”

“You didn’t even mention Abi Andrew.”

He said nothing.

“Is it that bad?”

“It is not anything Helena. She has moved on, not just from me. Over the course of the year she has moved away from most of us, other than you. I have hardly spoken to Emma since before Easter in 1^st year, I don’t even nod or say hi half the time. Same with David Castle. Abi is the now same. People change and grow and want something different with their life. Abi is doing that, has done that. I think her father is more upset than anyone else.”

“Her father?”

“Dan is a great guy, and is an engineer. We got on really well and even after things frayed between Abi and me we still chatted away. At the start of the year I had to be careful not to be bitter with her or about her, but I look at some of the people that I have seen or talked to in the past that I no longer keep in touch with. Nigel was in the room next to me in 1^st year, was a core part of our little group, but over the last two years he has been solely focused on his comedy writing with the Footlights. I don’t know that I will keep in touch with him. In fact, I couldn’t tell you the last time I sat and had dinner with just him. When it comes down to it there will be you, Matt, Navya, Justin and Pedro from College, Olivia and Keith from my course, and Rollie and Jack from the OTC. I will keep in touch with you nine, and maybe one or two more.”

“I remember talking to you that first weekend and you said to me that you had no interest in trying to know 170 people or however many there were of us that started. Better to know a few people well rather than lots of people superficially. I have more in my circles than you but it is not even double your number, 15 probably. That was one thing that stuck with me. Although being VP this year meant I am known to most of the College.”

That night they went back to Andrew’s room and they had sex for the last time just the two of them. Sunday night would be different but they both knew this was likely the end. His five friends at College and Olivia were the ones Andrew was closest to and Helena was the only one he had bedded. But it was not sad it was good dirty fun. From Helena’s classic blowjob face to being shoved from between her legs so hard he fell off the bed. They laughed, they giggled and they fucked each other into exhaustion. In the morning Andrew woke Helena up lying between her thighs before he and Helena Innes made love at Cambridge for the last time. He leaned against the wall, she straddled him and they kissed and fucked, fucked and kissed, and it was the perfect end. The two of them had their moment alone.

And on Thursday night Andrew did it all over again with Merry. The same scenario although he picked a different restaurant. They tripped over each other trying to thank the other person. They realised that what they had created that year was perfect for them, at that time. Andrew had no idea where his life was going and neither did Meredith. She had turned 21 three weeks before him and they were still young. She shared some of her plans.

“I am going to travel for at least a year. After graduation I am going to fly to Santiago in Chile. I will do some travelling but I will also see if there is a chance to work. I can bartend or waitress if I have to but I will see what there is when I get there. After that I will see, which countries are safe, where there is trouble, all the usual things. I would love to spend time in Argentina but I need to see whether being British is an issue before I try. The other place I may go to is the Philippines but that will depend if I work in Chile or not. Anyway I am young and it is a chance to see the world.”

“Have you talked to Pedro about working in Spain?”

“Lots of times. In terms of a medium term place to live and work, then Spain may be ideal. But I am not interested in the coming year, I want to travel to other parts of the world not a couple of hours away in Europe. I will think about Spain when I get back. If I find somewhere to stay for a few months in Santiago or wherever I end up in Chile then I will send you my address. I would like to hear how things are going. I know that we both have almost used each other as opposed to a more traditional dating model but you are part of the reason that the last year has gone so well for me. I would like to keep in touch. Do you have an address where I can write to you when I get back to London if it has been difficult while I am away?”

So there it was. The very first person Andrew gave his London address to was Meredith. He escaped lots of comments by not putting the district down so it was just the street, London and the postcode.

“Don’t bother sending anything until I am back here. It will give you a chance to get settled anyway. My summer job has me travelling again and I don’t know where I will be. Even if you send a letter here in early September they will keep it. I am not changing my room and so the address is identical. Better that I get the letter a couple of weeks late rather than not get it at all.”

“You don’t sound happy.”

“I am better than I was on Tuesday afternoon and yesterday morning but I would be lying if I told you I was happy. Spending a summer in London would have been great. I am over the worst of my pouting but it still sucks.”

“Would you like me to pout while I sucked instead?”

Meredith nearly got sprayed with red wine.

“Merry! Don’t say that when I have a mouthful of wine.”

Unrepentant smirking was her response.

“In answer to your question. Yes.”

They headed back to his room, the porters knew Merry very well from her regular signing in at the Lodge.

“They are going to miss you flirting with them.”

More smirking. Meredith was horny and their first fuck was a spirited romp with mutual popping the only goal. They often needed to get that out of the way to take the edge off. She was lying along him, everyone did, and looked adorable.

“What should we do about Sunday night? Is there a plan?”

“Have dinner, come back here, open the wine and then play all night long?

She looked down at him.

“Will you do to me what you did to Helena?”

“Of course I will.”

Merry squirmed on him.

“Fuck I wish she was here right now. The thought of her tongue on my clit as you fuck my arse.”

She shivered with excitement. Andrew opened the drawer on his bedside table and got the lube out. Merry was flat on her stomach beside him on the bed and raised her hips to help him spread her cheeks. Cute and pink and just waiting for him to ravish it. Yum. Rather than rush straight to the fucking Andrew licked and teased and caressed her little starfish. There was a tiny bit of give if he braced his tongue really hard but mostly it resisted all attempts at oral invasion. Andrew lubed his left hand fingers rather than his right hand and teased and prodded her while his more dextrous fingers caressed her g-spot. As he sawed back and forth across Merry’s g-spot he inserted the tip of his middle finger in her arse, just for a moment, before withdrawing again. The constant in and out together with the stimulation of her g-spot had Merry screaming into the pillow, and Andrew as hard as a rock.

“Let’s save it for Sunday, okay?”

Merry’s voice was muffled but he adjusted his aim and saved her pretty pink arsehole for another day. Andrew’s routine the following morning was the same for her as it had been for Helena. She was slower to wake up, which just made her startled awakening all the more arousing. But they too made love for the last time together the exact same way. The importance of Meredith Young to Andrew’s sanity in 3^rd year could not be overstated.

After a long relaxing swim Andrew packed his rucksack and headed down to meet Tony and Maggie. He was early but so were they. Tony relaxed in the back and let Maggie drive with Andrew beside her.

“We were up far too early and figured we might as well just head down. How did you do?”

Andrew told them about his exams, explained that he had done well but didn’t reference the chance to be top in the year. He would know soon enough.

“How have the two weeks been?”

“Oh we have plenty to tell you. But what else has been happening with you? What about your summer job?”

Andrew’s face fell and he tiptoed through the minefield of what he could or could not say.

“I found out on Tuesday that I am going to be away all summer, overseas. It is a complete shitshow to be honest. I am pretty unhappy about the whole thing.”

“Leslie told us just to ignore the job, you can’t really talk about it. Is that right?”

“It is for the Ministry of Defence and the list of rules and regulations is a mile long. It is just easier for everyone if I don’t talk about it. I am not trying to be super mysterious or anything but I worry about saying something I shouldn’t.”

He shrugged. And so did his friends.

“We will not put you in a tough position then. Do you get to fly back?”

“I don’t know yet, hopefully but it will depend how things are when I get there.”

“What’s the point of being a rich playboy if you can’t fly back and forth?”

Rich playboy? Maggie’s face was full of mirth as Andrew looked askance at her. But then he realised, barely in the car five minutes, and she had already cheered him up. As her smile widened he had to start laughing.

“Tony and I were going to get you one of these velvet smoking jackets for your birthday but we couldn’t find anywhere that stocked them. Andrew ‘Hugh Hefner’ McLeod.”

They were half way to Norwich before they stopped teasing him.

“Tell me about the two weeks, how did it go?”

“Five models were great, not necessarily easy to work with, but professional. Of them three were pretty demanding but we did get a huge number of sets out of them. The other two were complete sweeties. Treated it like a holiday, they were still good models but it was more relaxed and fun. Two more were okay, just never seemed to get into it, worried about being seen, things like that. Now they all knew what the shoots were going to be like but were. What’s the word Mags? Timid?”

“Uptight. They never relaxed. They were fine in the boat, in the cabins, but were not very good on the decks.”

“And the last one was a complete bitch that both of us, and the other model, wanted to drown. She had just found out she is on the cover of one of the men’s magazines. She had tried to cancel at the last minute, and looking back we should have let her. We returned to Wroxham one day early, so the Wednesday night of the first week and drove her back to Norwich. Another day with her and they would have been looking for her body in one of the side channels.”

Tony shuddered. Maggie took over again.

“The other woman with her was one of the sweeties, just a nice sensible lass from Wales. She ended up staying for an extra day. She wasn’t afraid of hard work, we got a lot of sets with her, although she wasn’t as much of a show-off on deck as I am, but she came close. It was a great two days and she was nice and relaxing. We have her details and if any of her sets sell then we will definitely use her again. We nearly asked if she wanted to stay on the boat for the weekend with us. Just someone that we clicked with really easily.”

“Other than the bitch, everyone worked really hard. I will be in the darkroom for days, weeks, when we get back.”

“So was it worth it?”

“Definitely. That is the thing Andrew, you called it right two years ago. There just aren’t the nude models in Edinburgh. Sure there are one or two but they are rare. So more than 95% of my photography is standard bikini, lingerie, sexy dresses, lots of pretty ladies but everything stays covered. So it was good to work with nude models the whole time. I think I have shot 50 different sets over the last two weeks, well north of the 300 rolls of film. So we have splurged on nudity and Elspeth will work to sell them over the rest of the summer. But come next week I will be back to our day to day shoots, which are selling well and where we are making money.”

Maggie changed the focus to the business side.

“Talking of Elspeth she is loving her new digs. Everyone is very friendly and nice without being in each other’s offices all day. She told me that everyone has a job to do and so there are lots of days where there is nothing more than a quick chat over a cup of coffee.”

“Has anyone asked what she is doing?”

“Oh yes, everybody. She tells them that she works for us, the photography partnership selling pictures to advertisers, magazines, publishers, newspapers, anyone that needs some photographs. We had 10 or 12 sets that we keep to show people what we mean. There is no nudity and there are only two glamour shots, the rest we have used from some of the pictures that we have bought. Architecture, landscapes, there are a couple of fashion shots. It looks like a nice balanced portfolio and everyone goes away happy.”

“So we are still buying old photographs and negatives?”

They both nodded.

“Fortunately there is not too much of it because it does take a while to sort out. And there are still lots of small spaces for rent. When businesses go under there are leftover bits of leases. We found a two room place, really cheap, for 14 months. It is on the 1^st floor of a building down near the shore, there are a couple of windows so they get natural light and the second office has a cupboard. We installed a new lock on it and they put everything away at the end of the day. I think they sit there and chat away all day, drinking tea and reminiscing about what they see in the photographs. But they are getting through the boxes of stuff.”

“And the new darkroom is almost finished. Just waiting for the plumbers to connect the sink and then we are good to go. The second bench is used more than half the time in the main darkroom.”

Maggie took over again.

“We try and keep track of both the costs and the money we make from everything. Again it is something I hear all the time at work. There are constant complaints back and forth about why something cost more than the original estimate as well as arguments about how much money it made. Creighton showed me how to track it and we are pretty diligent. But we hired someone to help, we needed it.”

“How do you mean?”

“All these different businesses that we run, they have lots of small sales, making sure we get invoices out to people, charged them for using the studio or the darkroom. The shop was easy and Stacey is good at keeping track of what she is selling, even if it is on credit to some of the people. But there was just too much going on. Stacey is busy, Elspeth is busy, Tony is busy and I work during the day. So we got a youngish mum, her youngest has just started school. But she needs to get them to school and be there at the end of the day. She works 10.00 until 2.00 for us, which is perfect. She is happy to work, get out the house, we can cope if she misses a couple of days because the kids are sick and we are all caught up. And the thing is she has the same professional qualification that Creighton does but nobody would hire her part time. She is overqualified for what she is doing but is happy to be working. We did explain about the nature of some of the photographs and she was a bit shocked at first. Nah, that is too strong, startled maybe. But then she shrugged and asked when she could start. She doesn’t care.”

“Wow, every time I come back to Edinburgh or catch up with you, the business is expanding.”

“It does seem like that but I think we are at the end of this phase. We are a little self-contained series of businesses but once the new studio is built then I think things will be quieter for a while.”

“Are you sure?”

“The only thing left would be for Tony to get an assistant. We have toyed with that idea but are holding off. The shop is profitable, the darkroom makes money and the new one should pay for itself in less than a couple of years. The studios are all profitable, both together and individually. Again the two smaller studios upstairs will pay for themselves within five years, probably less. And the old photographs are just a licence to print money. One of the old guys working with Elspeth’s mum got excited about some old car shots they found. You know how everyone goes on about the Bond car in Goldfinger, the one with the ejector seat. Well this old guy recognised the pictures were of the same company’s cars but of earlier models. The Bond Car was a DB5 and we found some pictures of DB2s and DB3s. But it is these simple little things that make a different. We have made several hundred quid off these four sets of photos, more than we paid for the 17 boxes of old pictures. We gave the guy an extra 50 quid and Tony blew up two of the photos for him to hang on his wall and he was chuffed as hell.”

Maggie glanced over at Andrew.

“We have paid less than £5,000 for all those old photos, all the different purchases. And let’s say it is the same again in wages to Elspeth’s mum and her friends. It isn’t anywhere close to that but let’s use that number for the purposes of this. We have made more than £70,000 from these pictures. There is a reason that we are not stressed too much about the new studio. And Mhairi has been fantastic about making sure we license rather than sell the photos. Honestly Andrew the new studio could be this big white elephant out in the middle of nowhere that nobody ever uses and we would still be okay.”

Treasure in another person’s junk.

“That is fantastic. As you said, a license to print money. Should we do more?”

“More?”

“We are still at the edge of everything, there are 10 times as many people in England as there are in Scotland. Maybe reach out to some of the auction houses in other cities?”

They debated it all through Norwich. It would probably need someone to run it but they decided to try Newcastle and see how much more work it was. But as Maggie parked the car Andrew could see that she had moved on from talking about the business to the purpose of the weekend. Andrew shouldn’t have been surprised at the size of the boat as they approached the dock, after all he had booked it for them as a wedding present. It was substantially bigger than the one they had used for the last two years. Andrew dumped his bag in the living area and helped Maggie untie the boat while Tony edged it away from the jetty. Soon they were on the familiar stretch out of Wroxham past all the houses that backed onto the river, most with their own slips. Maggie disappeared inside the boat and Tony turned to Andrew.

“She is a bit wound up. Everybody was totally explicit, legs spread and a couple of the models played with themselves. She has seen an unrelenting procession of hot naked women for nearly two weeks, and she wants it to be her turn.”

Andrew nodded and looked around the upper deck. The seating area was higher than the previous year and more exposed, but the steering position was slightly lower, and Maggie would be screened from the waist down. Andrew turned to go and get his camera bag as Maggie climbed the steps back onto the deck. She looked amazing wearing a classic black bikini, not microscopic but doing nothing to hide Maggie’s charms.

“You had better get Tony to help you with sunscreen. All over.”

Andrew left and found his camera bag in the front vee-shaped berth. He changed into long shorts and carefully sun-screened the back of his calves. He looked like a nun compared to Maggie. Grabbing one of his Hermès hats he carried the camera back up onto the top deck.

“Take off the bottoms and drive the boat.”

Maggie didn’t bat an eye, smiled and just shimmied out of the bikini bottoms and took over from Tony at the wheel. She looked amazing sitting there, her full breasts spilling out of the bikini top but otherwise naked. But Maggie also looked happy. She loved posing and she loved to do risky outdoor shoots. This wasn’t even that risky, she was concealed from the waist down. Andrew fired up his camera and took picture after picture. Maggie leaned back and casually spread her legs. Between her and Tony she was maintaining her grooming and she looked raunchy and spectacular.

“Tony could you make sure that Maggie doesn’t get burned on her thighs.”

Andrew and Tony kept that rhythm up for two rolls of film. 10 or 12 shots then Tony caressed and fondled Maggie under the guise of making sure she didn’t get sunburned. Maggie just started to look more and more radiant.

“I think you should remove Maggie’s top, and then make sure she doesn’t get sunburn on her tits.”

That was the final straw. They were on a short empty stretch of the river and Tony untied her top. Maggie leaned back into Tony embrace and let his hands roam free. It was time for Andrew to drive. Andrew was never going to watch, or film his friends having sex, but apparently he was going to listen to them. Repeatedly. He heard the window of their cabin slide open and as they meandered down the river the afternoon air was full of Maggie’s exhortations to Tony. He left her in the bed and took over from Andrew at the helm. Andrew’s third roll of film was of Maggie just lying looking freshly fucked on the bed. No posing, nothing more than capturing a slice of real life.

Rather than wear the bikini again Maggie squeezed into an old tee-shirt that was now far too tight on her. Of course this meant it was skin-tight and highlighted and emphasised her body rather than concealed anything. It was perfectly respectable and borderline obscene, all at the same time. Before she even got to the upper deck Andrew shot a roll of film with her on the steps up to it. The light wasn’t fantastic but her attitude, the arch of her back, everything about the shots were great. Maggie stood on the steps, her legs as far apart as the treads would allow her, and yet you could have sworn she was strutting. Any of the shoots would have sold in an instant, they were ridiculously sexy and sexual but yet it was all for Andrew. And her and Tony. Later when they had docked Andrew had Tony sit on the top deck at the top of the stairs with Maggie standing between his legs. All you saw was his extremities, his hands caressing her arse but the overwhelming sexiness of Maggie was off the charts. Finally Maggie was behind the wheel again and they motored through Horning, the scene of many a terrible pun, as the pushed on down the River Bure.

“Is there anywhere you would like to shoot, either of you?”

“Part of the fun of all this Andrew is that we don’t know what is going to happen. I guessed that you would start shooting straight away but didn’t imagine I would be cruising past other boats wearing only a bikini top, all within an hour of you getting here. That sense of ‘shit, really? Right now?’ is intoxicating. Just keep surprising us.”

No pressure then! Maggie finally went and changed into a little sundress as they approached Ludham Bridge. They were going to dock and walk to the surprisingly well stocked store beside the bridge. It was a busy stopping point for boaters going in both directions. Although tempted to sit in the adjoining café they retreated back to the boat and carried on north. Maggie with her gleaming arms and legs attracted more than a few glances as she was channelling her inner Chiara that afternoon, almost prancing down the quay. Tony and Andrew were happy to trail along in her wake, laden down but hypnotised by her hem of her sundress swishing back and forth. Hmmm.

Tony drove the boat from the main indoor helm while Andrew photographed Maggie pottering around in the kitchen. The sundress didn’t last long and Maggie was happy to pretend to cook in the little galley onboard. She wasn’t actually going to make dinner, she was the worst of the three of them when it came to cooking. Andrew was passable but Tony was an excellent cook, a result of too many years on his own. So once the roll of film was finished Andrew took over at the helm. However, dinner was going to need to wait. Andrew retreated to the upper deck and a different stretch of the Broads was serenaded by Maggie as the tension of the last two weeks was further released. 20 minutes later, back to wearing her bikini top, although not the bottoms, she sat next to Andrew and gave him a peck on the cheek.

“You really are too good to me, to us. I have hardly given Tony a minute’s peace all trip but as soon as you turn up my libido goes off the scale. Tony’s too, although I think that is partly because he knows how I will be. Do you mind?”

Andrew shook his head.

“No, the quick and easy answer is of course I don’t mind. You are my friends and although what we do is unusual we know we have limits.”

Maggie kissed him on the cheek again.

“I was glad we had the talk back at Christmas. It needed saying because we would have edged closer to a point where one or all of us would have gotten uncomfortable. So thank you.”

“A couple of weekends ago we were sitting drinking and chatting, those of us that had finished our exams were enjoying the lower stress. I had my two projects to hand in but they were all but done. So it was Sunday night and the News of the World’s front page story was about some swingers club. It was some big expose. But one of my friends told us about his aunt and uncle. Their kids, so Justin’s cousins, had told him that they were pretty sure their parents were swingers. It was a perfect student conversation, listening to Justin tell us the tale, then talking about, speculating about our own family members. We must have chatted away about it for half an hour. But as I walked home that night I thought about our situation. Sure I have spent hours in your company where you have posed naked for me to photograph you, but that is it. You are my friend, Tony’s wife. Justin’s aunt and uncle have been married for 27 years but he supposedly fucks other women and she fucks other men. Then they go home at the end of the night, climb into bed and maybe fuck each other. Now part of our long chat that night was about the difference between sex and love. And I sort of understand but it shows that lots of people are wired differently. What we do is way more than how most married couples act with a close friend, but it isn’t as far as some others. But I don’t know that I would have thought about it that way without the random conversation at Trinity.”

Maggie nodded.

“That is a very good way of looking at it. It is different but so what? I think part of my concerns are around that it seems so biased in our favour. I am already excited, you turn up with your camera, you are now increasingly getting Tony involved, if not in the shots, then between them. And it builds up until I drag him off to our cabin and then you have to listen to us. It has already been twice today, there will be at least one more, and goodness knows how many tomorrow. It seems selfish to be flaunting it.”

“I have a confession, when I know that we are doing one of these shoots, I make sure that a friend is available upon my return to Cambridge.”

Tony came out onto the upper deck dragging the cushions from the banquette behind him. He laid them out before making another trip, this time with a sheet that Andrew recognised from the studio in Edinburgh.

“Take off your top and lie down here, you are just about hidden.”

The seating area on the top deck was open and exposed but Tony had made a bed on the deck itself that was just about below the edge of the surrounding trim. He produced the sunscreen again and as Maggie lay on her front Tony caressed and massaged her whole body from her scalp to her toes. Then she languidly flipped over and he did the same to her front. When he was finally finished Maggie gleamed in the late afternoon sunshine. Tony’s last act was to go back to their cabin and return with the dildo Andrew had bought her from Paris. Tony took over the helm and Andrew closed the door down into the cabin and leaned against it.

“Not yet, wait a second.”

Rather than waiting for a boat to pass Andrew was waiting for a boat to get near.

“Okay.”

Maggie stiffened as she heard the voices of the people, the noise of the engine as the boat passed. Tony and Andrew were polite and greeted their fellow boaters. As the engine noise faded into the distance he instructed Maggie again.

“Okay, wait for the next one.”

After the fourth boat Maggie rebelled, she was so worked up. Tony wasn’t really watching where he was going, he was watching his wife arch her back, a dildo buried deep in her. Andrew caught the whole thing on his camera and then he just put the camera down beside Tony on the helmsman’s bench and swapped places with him. They could have been docking at a marina and Maggie would have stood up and dragged Tony down to their room. It was nearly 40 minutes later that Tony came back up on deck carrying a couple of beers.

“You are as bad as she is.”

Tony grinned and nodded.

“As soon as we get out into Barton Broad just put the engine in idle and come and grab some dinner.”

They didn’t bother anchoring or finding somewhere to moor they just let the boat gently drift in the middle of the large ‘Broad’, a small lake. Maggie was back in the sundress and snuggled up next to her husband.

“Where shall we dock tonight?”

Andrew turned the little map round as he continued eating.

“Let’s see if we can find that place we have been at before in the south east corner.”

This corner was where Maggie had posed out on the deck before, on their first trip. It wasn’t late and wouldn’t get dark until after 9.00.

“I did several shoots over one weekend when I was in Cyprus at both sunrise and sunset. I thought I would sit at the prow and lean against that guard rail, low down. Then Maggie can cavort about on the roof over there and she should look like this golden goddess. I would like to capture her in that very deep, golden yellow sun at the end of the day. Okay?”

Maggie’s smile was all the answer they needed. There were boats puttering about across the Broad so the three of them retreated indoors. It let Maggie strip down and while Andrew concentrated on not hitting anything Tony sprayed bug repellant on Maggie. She would be eaten alive otherwise.

The same spot as the last time was empty. There was one house which had a commanding view right down the Broad from the southern shore so they edged the boat back so that the house and boat were hidden from each other by a stand of trees. Andrew shot two more rolls of film of Maggie, mostly standing statuesquely in a variety of poses. Tony stood on the seats on the upper deck and he and Andrew alternated posing Maggie. Tony’s shots were all of her backlit, the setting sunlight spilling round her body. Andrew saw what Tony was doing and went inside and got Maggie’s hat for her. He and Tony then worked to capture her physique, the outline of her body, while still letting Maggie maintain her anonymity. At 9.22 the sun dipped below the trees in the distance and they were done. Escaping inside to avoid the bugs they sat and chatted drinking beer and wine, Maggie snuggled up to Tony not bothering to put any clothes on. Andrew looked at the map and confirmed something he had noticed earlier.

“Why don’t we have an early start, get a whole slew of pictures and then re-moor and go back to bed. Get up when we are wakened by everyone else.”

In the gloom before the sun rose it took Andrew sitting at the bow yelling adjustments to Tony to get them back to the spot Andrew had seen. It was about 2 miles away and it took them an hour. When they got there it was to discover that it was a private little channel.

“Fuck it.”

Tony got the boat against the bank and Andrew jumped off and walked up the path that ran the length of the little channel. At 200metres there was a small quay, empty but just visible was a house on a rise behind it. He jogged back.

“If we back in about 100metres, we will be away from the river and well down from the sightline of the house. It is 4.55, if we don’t make much noise we could shoot 10 rolls and still be away long before anyone is up.”

So Tony carefully backed the boat up the channel. Two trees were used to tie the boat off and their model got prepared. Which took three seconds. Maggie edged round the outside of the cabin and stood on the prow of the boat, shivering slightly in the early morning chill. They didn’t shoot 10 rolls of film it was only eight, four each. But in a reversal of the usual way they photographed models, Tony did all the tame shoots and Andrew got Maggie at her most explicit. For the final roll Andrew was so close that Maggie did put her feet on his shoulders. Tony was so upset he went and got the dildo again.

“Everything is to be slow Maggie. I don’t want any picture to be blurred. When you look at these later I want you to remember exactly how this felt from moment to moment.”

The best picture, the one that all three of them raved about later? Maggie slowly pulling the dildo out of her pussy and Andrew was able to capture a little string of pussy juice as it stretched before breaking. There was a puddle on the deck by the time they were finished. Andrew was left to untie the boat and get them back to the river. Maggie and Tony didn’t appear again. They fucked themselves back to sleep.

 

Chapter 2

In the morning light Andrew motored south, going much further south than he had ventured before. He remembered Tony saying that the stretch of river down to Great Yarmouth was quiet and featureless. He was able to refill his coffee without hitting a bank or another boat so he left the other two to sleep off their carnal excesses. He spent the quiet hours between 6.00 and 9.30 thinking about how debauched Maggie would be in the run back up to Wroxham. Prime his pump as it were for Merry and Helena awaiting him back at Trinity. Hmmm.

“Where are we Andrew? Have we been driving the whole time?”

“According to the map we have just passed Stokesby.”

Andrew showed Tony.

“Did you not sleep at all?”

“No. I got six hours last night. I can live on six hours for several days. Once I was back on the river I just kept going. I am not the best at docking and there was nobody to hold the lines, was there?”

“Oh, yeah. Oops.”

Tony’s utter lack of contrition made Andrew laugh.

“Go and make us some breakfast and send the captain up to take over.”

Once again Maggie gave Andrew a peck on the cheek.

“It reminded me of that set you shot with Naomi. When I could put my feet on your shoulders I knew you were as close as my gynecologist. And then when Tony handed me Lord Sutch I was fucking rabid.”

“Lord Sutch?”

Maggie looked embarrassed.

“It makes me scream. And my idiot husband named it after Screaming Lord Sutch. Men!”

Andrew smiled, he thought it was quite clever.

“Stop smiling. It will just encourage him. In fact I should worry whether it will encourage you.”

Andrew stood up and checked up and down the river, there was not another boat in sight.

“Hand me your nightshirt please.”

Maggie looked about as well before pulling it over her head.

“Thank you. You are not to sit down while you steer.”

Andrew turned and headed down the steps.

“Andrew! What if another boat approaches?”

He stopped and looked back over his shoulder.

“Holler out. Tony or I should be there in plenty time.”

Andrew paused.

“Well maybe.”

Maggie’s ‘Andrew!’ was helium filled. Tony and Andrew sat in the cabin and had breakfast, although they didn’t take long. When they returned to the top deck Maggie was still standing looking happy but nervous. And with organ stops for nipples. Tony knelt behind Maggie his arms round her stomach.

“You shouldn’t worry about encouraging Andrew. He did so well with your last present. Remember all the things we looked at when we were in Amsterdam?”

Maggie flushed but nodded.

“Do you think he will bring you a present back at the end of the summer? You know he has a very dirty mind, dirtier even than yours. I wonder what he will buy for you next?”

Once again the helm was abandoned and Andrew learned that Tony could make Maggie scream just as well as Lord Sutch. They were away for an hour and Andrew only heard faint echoes of their second time. When they returned Maggie was back in her sundress.

“Tony is always complaining he is not a young man any more, but I am not a young woman either. I need a break. I can’t believe you have been here less than 24 hours and you have broken me.”

He got a mock whack on the arm.

“Bad Andrew.”

He was then pulled into a huge hug.

“Thank you.”

She pulled him down and kissed him before relaxing at the helm beside her husband. They took a break from tormenting Maggie and moored the boat at Great Yarmouth and walked over the small isthmus to the beach. They strolled north away from the port and dodged English seaside life. There was chaos all around them yet it just passed them by. After a nice dinner at one of the hotels overlooking the beach they returned to the boat and headed back up the River Bure. Tony drove, Andrew had his camera and Maggie lounged around naked, but it was goofing off, playing about.

“Are you done with shoots?”

Maggie shook her head.

“I doubt that I can match the intensity of this morning, I don’t know that I want to match that intensity all the time. Let’s see how far up the river we get before we run out of light. If we can get to that place outside Ludham, the little separate channel, you know I love to pose where there is that frisson of risk. That was what made this morning so heightened, I had no clothes and was standing up. I know I should have some clothes on, be sitting down, even be steering from down here. But I love to force myself to risk exposure.”

Obligatory laughter.

“It will be 9.30 tomorrow morning, boats will be cruising by and I will be naked on our deck. At any moment a boat could come into that little channel just like us. And then when you factor in Andrew, his hungry eyes and his camera and it just ratchets right up. I am getting all horny just thinking about it. Bad Andrew.”

They all laughed. At 9.00 they were at the Acle Bridge, there was plenty of space at the quay there. It was less than two hours to Ludham so they moored for the night. The following morning was much more civilised, they slept later, stopped halfway to Ludham for breakfast at a little café and were tied off in the little channel right at 9.00 in the morning. It was a fun couple of hours. They all came down off the boat and made a small path for Maggie through the undergrowth. With Tony acting as a scout Maggie waited until a boat went past, stepped out from behind a tree and then Andrew would take several pictures of her with the boat over her shoulder. They managed this three times in each direction, and filled another roll of film.

At least Tony and Maggie helped Andrew untie the boat this time before disappearing to their cabin. Andrew knew the shoot they had just finished resonated strongly with Maggie and they were halfway back to Wroxham before the two of them returned to the upper deck, for what felt like the 10^th time since Friday. Tony had been dragged off for a lot of husband privileges. They took turns packing up and getting everything ready for transfer to the car. Everything was stacked and ready and Tony had the helm as they came closer to Wroxham.

“When do you get back?”

“Teatime on Tuesday.”

“When are you off again?”

“The train on Friday morning.”

“What’s that, not even two and a half days.”

“It is either do that or not come up at all. The May Ball is always on the Monday of the last week and my annual camp with the OTC always starts on the Saturday. I have taken the Friday night sleeper before but I have to see one of the Professors on Friday afternoon. It is tough but there is no other way.”

“What about the summer?”

“I will write and let everyone know. But it might be September before you see me again, well other than dinner next week.”

“You are not going to come by the shop, the studio?”

“There won’t be time. I have meetings about one of the Trusts, I want to spend time with Grandma, Suzanne, Leslie and Julian, you guys, maybe Pete. Even just saying all that makes it seem impossible.”

Andrew sighed.

“It would have been nice to invite you all down to the house. Actually spend a relaxing couple of days. There never seems to be enough time. Ignore me, I am moaning. These two days have been fun.”

“Are they really fun for you.”

“Of course they are. You are two of my closest friends. I just have to see how happy you both are, and how you egg each other on. The two of you have scared half the wildlife in Norfolk. I thought of you when I was in the store at Ludham Bridge. They had a whole rack of cheesy signs, and there was one. Don’t come knockin’ if the boat she is a rockin’, or words to that effect.”

They laughed and didn’t deny it. The rest of the afternoon was a pfaff. Everything seemed to take longer than it should and there were inevitable caravans on roads in all directions but at 3.45 Andrew had them pointed north. He had a 10 minute walk to get back to Trinity and they had a straight shot north out past Girton.

When he returned to his room he dumped his bag, did his push-ups and sit-ups, had a quick shower and suddenly was very keen to find two graduating 3^rd years. Helena was closer so Andrew went over to her room on the south wall of Great Court. When he knocked he heard a rustling inside the room.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Andrew.”

Helena’s head peeked round the door and he was pulled into the room and she locked it behind her. Merry was lying naked on Helena’s bed looking dishevelled but gorgeous. Helena had answered the knock equally naked and pulled his head down for a kiss. He could taste Merry on her lips.

“Hurry up and get naked, we started without you.”

After trying to drown Helena with his first pop Andrew was sucked back to hardness by Merry.

“Doggy, side by side. If you wanted to kiss that would be good.”

With the first pop out of the way Andrew fucked them both hard, a weekend of visual teasing from Maggie being cleansed from his system. It was selfish but he needed it. He switched between the two of them and when he felt his balls tightening for the second time Merry was off the bed in his arms as he pulsed into the condom. Rather than lie on Helena’s bed they leaned against the wall sideways, there was much more room.

“Andrew you were holding me like a wheelbarrow, my legs were off the bed. Where did that come from?”

“I met a couple of friends for the weekend and had to listen to them fuck like bunnies the whole time. Once was funny but after the 10^th time over the weekend I was looking forward to getting back to College.”

Merry leaned in and kissed him, Helena followed suit.

“Can you give me their address please, I want to send them a thank you note.”

He laughed.

“We have been playing around for three hours, I came over after lunch, and it has been great. But we both realised that we really like cock. It was nice to experiment and the kisses were soft and gentle and we both knew our way around a woman. But Helena would be eating me out or even just lying beside me kissing and I was thinking I needed a good fucking.”

“And I was thinking the same thing. This really was an amazing experiment, days from graduating I know that I prefer men. A woman would be a nice alternative but by preference nothing beats getting fucked.”

Helena shrugged.

“So hurry up and get hard again, I want to feel you fucking me as I kiss Merry, tease and lick her nipples, guzzle greedily on her moist little pussy.”

Helena’s dirty talk had the intended effect and Andrew wrapped up. They pushed him flat on the bed and Helena lowered herself down on him. Merry then knelt over Andrew’s stomach so that she and Helena could kiss while Helena was fucked. Which left Andrew with idle hands and Merry’s cute little bottom right in front of him. And you know who makes work for idle hands….

Using Merry’s leaking lubrication Andrew started teasing, caressing and gently pressing against her rosebud. No penetration yet but just a focus of all the sexual sensations on that part of her body. Merry leaned back from kissing Helena who took the opportunity to latch onto a nipple.

“Fuck, he is playing with my arsehole.”

When Helena came they swapped positions although Helena knelt across his thighs behind Merry. Kissing Merry’s neck, Helena’s left hand teased her nipples while the other continued Andrew’s exploration. When Helena’s finger popped into Merry’s arse Andrew could feel her pussy tighten up. And then he was conscious of the movement of her finger beside his dick. They were separated by the internal tissue but it was the oddest feeling. Andrew felt Helena move and lie down between his legs. The first time she had fingered Merry’s arse her fingertips had been pointing up. But now her fingers were orientated the other way and so like an old time Morse code operator Helena started tapping against the shaft of Andrew’s dick. It was very real, like her finger was there in Merry’s pussy. Andrew pulled almost all the way out and when Helena’s finger started its staccato tapping it was against the head of his dick.

“Put a second finger in and then press down, Merry let us know if it gets sore.”

Helena’s fingers constricted Merry’s vagina which meant Andrew’s dick rubbed against her g-spot with every thrust. She was babbling away and when she came she went through the roof. Merry slumped down on Andrew’s chest and Helena lay beside them, stroking Merry’s hair. Helena’s freakishly quick ability to bounce back from an orgasm was a source of wonder to Merry who would lie there in an orgasmic daze while Helena had an air of impatience for more. It was more than a minute until she was capable of speech.

“That is a new sexual experience for the first time in, I don’t know, years.”

“Was it okay? We didn’t hurt you, did we?”

“No, not at all. Everything just felt tighter, less space for everything. And the way you pushed just meant his fat dickhead was driving me wild. In case you hadn’t realised.”

Merry was recovering and she looked over at Helena.

“Want to try it?”

Helena all but pushed Merry out of the way. Rather than sit upright like Merry had, Helena lay on Andrew’s chest, letting him do the work of fucking her, while her arse was high, proud and just begging for attention. At first Merry tongued Helena’s little rosebud before slipping one and then two fingers into her. Andrew felt the same sensation, a downward pressure from Merry’s fingers and Helena had a small squeaky orgasm. But she wanted more. She dismounted and turned over so her back was against his chest. Andrew held his dick up while she impaled herself on it. Merry had gone and washed her fingers and returned to feast on Helena’s pink pussy. She alternated lips, tongue and fingers but when she slipped her fingers into Helena and her lips went in search of Helena’s clit they all knew it was going to be the big finish. Andrew was supporting Helena off his body so that his fucking wasn’t jostling Merry and the two of them fucked Helena into oblivion. Merry played Helena’s body like a Stradivarius, releasing the pressure as she crested before attacking her clit again and sending her back into the throes of another orgasm. Helena finally cried for mercy.

It had taken until that moment but Andrew and Meredith had finally made Helena unable to bounce back from an orgasm. It was nearly five minutes before she was capable of making sense.

“The physical was insane, I couldn’t stop coming and I really did need to call ‘mercy’. But even as my body was just thrashing around I had an out of body experience. It was if I was standing next to the bed watching myself be fucked by the two of you. Andrew just relentless fucking my arse while you, you crafty bitch, you were just toying with me. I imagined you taking your lips off my clit for 20 seconds or whatever it was but then smiling and attacking it again. That was the best sexual experience of my life.”

The three of them draped over each other and lay there dozing for more than an hour. But Merry hadn’t forgotten about her big finish. She wanted to experience the pause right before the head of Andrew’s cock slipped into her arse and Helena latched onto her clit. Helena got her revenge and took it one stage further. Merry’s little rosebud was stretched wide, distended but Helena kept hold of his cock and left it poised for an agonisingly long second before her fingers tapped 3-2-1 on the side of his cock and she let him plunge into Merry. Merry got her comeuppance as Helena and Andrew fucked her the way she and Andrew had fucked Helena, relentlessly. Andrew finally coming ended her torment but she later confessed to being seconds away from calling for mercy as well. That was Andrew’s fifth time coming and he was done. They were all done. It was uncomfortable and they were all hungry but they squished together and fell asleep.

The following morning Andrew sat sideways on the bed with his back against the wall with Helena and Merry kneeling on each side. They tried a three-way kiss all at once but it didn’t work so just went round the circle kissing the other two. After getting dressed Andrew kissed them again, but this time it was kisses of goodbye. As he and Merry walked down the stairs he was sad. They would see each other that night for the Ball but two important people were moving on and out of his daily life, not from his life forever but Cambridge University and Trinity College would be very different without them there.

The Ball itself? It was a fun night with endless dancing. Justin and Helena came together so that they each had a partner, as did Pedro and Olivia. The eight of them danced away having a blast and just switching round between dance partners. But it was not just Navya, Meredith, Olivia and Helena that Andrew danced with. He had 14 other hockey players that each received a dance. Interestingly Catherine Vickers, the first year friend of Navya Andrew had spoken to at the start of second term, she danced with him three times over the course of the evening. But the surprise of the night was the number of dances with Enfys Williams. They must have danced six times including three in a row at one point. She was graduating and if Andrew had been on his own he suspected they would have left long before dawn. Several other of the women’s rowing team also asked him to dance, there was a stretch where Andrew wasn’t off the floor for more than two hours. But the food at the Ball was fantastic as always and he didn’t fade away.

With Helena not touring the room like a politician Andrew talked to fewer people that year but coaching the hockey team meant that he was not as isolated as he would have otherwise been. Other than Catherine and a couple of other people on the hockey team he was not close with any of the other years. Most societies were really good at mixing and mingling the years so that people did have a chance to meet and get to know other years. The OTC was a little different given that each of the years were doing different training and it was across all the Colleges. And the truth was Andrew was still shy, and did not make an effort to mingle. And that was the main part of it. He didn’t make an effort. He was not a networker, someone who could work the room, meet lots of people. He had no interest in meeting lots of people and actively avoided situations where he had to. Andrew had met with Dr. Wakefield the previous week, one of the many end of term items that needed to be checked off. But he only met the other four students that Wakefield tutored at the start of each year with him. That year’s end of year chat had been much more cordial than the previous one. They spoke about hockey, the OTC and Addenbrooke’s and Wakefield had asked Andrew to be the ‘parent’ of a College family in his final year during Fresher’s week. He would be there by the Sunday anyway and couldn’t think of a reason not to so he had agreed. Andrew thought back to Dominic the acerbic ‘parent’ from his own 1^st year. He couldn’t be any worse than him. One more thing to deal with when he came back in October.

It never occurred to him that the hockey team would want him to dance with them and so it was only after he had been dancing with Navya for a couple of songs that first one and then the rest of the team danced with him. It was the same with Enfys. He really was lazy and clueless, although also shy. The three of them made it to the survivors’ photograph, around 6.40 that year. Helena and Andrew walked Meredith down to Newnham and both kissed her goodbye at the gate, consequences be damned. They wished her luck with her degree, she would find out her classification later that day. Then they walked back to College and kissed for the last time at University. It was a bittersweet moment but exhaustion took hold of him and he passed out on his bed.

He had not let too much stuff build up at College but it was still more than he wanted to carry all the way out to the car so Andrew got the Porter’s Lodge to call him a taxi. Around 1.00 he was on his way north. Andrew thought about Helena a lot as he drove up the A1 towards Scotland. Once he was settled in the house he would see her regularly when he worked in London. They were friends and he was going to work to continue that. He would also be intrigued as to how his relationship with Meredith evolved. Was there a sustainable basis for friendship or was this one that was destined to fade over time? But most of the journey was spent thinking about the summer job and West Berlin.

The Soviets were not going to invade just West Berlin. There were substantial British, French and American forces which would make an assault a difficult task. The western allies would inevitably lose given the mismatch in forces but the Soviets could not just waltz in. If Berlin was invaded then it was likely as part of World War 3. So in that sense Berlin was no more or less dangerous than anywhere else in West Germany, and arguably Western Europe. But it was an isolated enclave 100 miles east of the border between East and West Germany. It was this isolation that was giving Andrew pause.

That was not true. It was one of the many things giving him pause. He was going to be stuck in West Berlin all summer. He would not get to see or visit his house until he was back at Cambridge. The organisation that he was going to be working for did not want him there. Andrew felt he was going to be the piñata that everyone could take a swipe at all summer long. And most importantly it kept him away from Suzanne and Ara and did nothing to help him figure out what he was doing there and what the future held. And when he returned it would be just in time to see Ara fly off to Istanbul for three months. Oh, and Freya orchestrated the whole thing including pushing him to return to the Ministry for another summer. There were literally no positives to this whole situation.

That catalogue of moans kept Andrew distracted through all of England. He was back in Scotland, less than 90 minutes from the flat, when he started to look for the positives. 89 minutes from the flat and he was finished that task. The best he could come up with was that this was an introduction to the real world. And an introduction into the world of intelligence, specifically here counter-intelligence. Every British boy had imagined being James Bond, however unrealistic that portrayal of MI6 is. This was the other side, catching the spies not being a spy but the institutional mindsets were the same. Andrew’s limited exposure to them at the interview was not positive but he was not sure he would have been any different if he was on the other side of the table. The issues they raised were all valid, at least to his inexperienced eye. But 10 weeks of grunt work, wherever it may be, would give Andrew an invaluable insight into whether this was something that he wanted to pursue. He could get the end of the summer with some clarity as to his future career. Shit, he had found the reason to do this, and to do it willingly.

When Andrew returned to the flat there was note from Suzanne saying she would be at her parent’s that night but that she would see him in the morning. He was dog tired and crashed, his last thoughts were of Suzanne as sleep claimed him.

The dream was incredible, the touches were so faint at first but then he felt warmth, and moisture. Andrew groaned. This was torture. Just thinking about Suzanne had him achingly hard. He awoke with a start to discover it was not a dream. Suzanne had crawled under the covers and was treating him to a good morning blowjob. There is no such thing as a bad blowjob but waking up to find yourself the recipient was just exquisite. When he felt Suzanne’s fingers on his ball sack Andrew embraced the additional stimulation, didn’t fight it and came with a grunt. He felt Suzanne’s other arm hold him down across the base of his stomach as he tried to drive his dick deeper into her mouth.

When she popped up from under the covers she was already lying along him and it felt like she belonged there. They kissed for a long time neither of them having uttered a word yet that morning. Eventually they parted and she slid slightly lower so that she could focus on him.

“What a great way to start the day.”

“I was thinking the same thing! It was the most vivid dream and then I awoke with a start and then it was just lie back and luxuriate in it.”

“Well that and try and choke me with that big cockhead of yours. Someone had some extra zip in his hips this morning.”

“It is bloody fantastic to see you. We have a ton to talk about but let’s go and swim. I will exercise later.”

Seven minutes later they were in the water. Having a swimming pool 40 metres from the door of the flat was fantastic. Suzanne looked incredible, the muscle definition in her legs and torso was amazing. She was still curvy to hell and back but it was over a frame of solid muscle. She looked magnificent and was powering through the water. Andrew was taking it easy that day but even if he had been going flat out he would have struggled to keep pace. She was swimming like a machine, and she knew it. There was a proud strut to her walk as they headed back to change. Neither of them showered there and they walked back to the flat. Andrew stopped her in the hall and stripped first himself and then Suzanne. He lifted her up under the arse and they kissed in each other’s arms for several moments. Carrying her through to their bedroom he tossed her down onto the bed knowing that this would just turn her on like crazy. He grabbed her ankle, pulled her down the bed and bent her into an ‘el’ shape. Bending down he kissed the inside of both her ankles before clamping his arms across the tops of her thighs. The sensation of entering her was electric. His cock parted her tight but sopping pussy. Every little bump, every fold of flesh, every internal indentation, Andrew bottomed out and flexed his pubic muscle feeling Suzanne’s body grip and hold his own. He had closed his eyes as he entered her, trying to focus all his senses on the penetration of her flesh. When Andrew opened his eyes he saw a raw need on Suzanne’s face, a sure reflection of his own.

He fucked Suzanne relentlessly and passionately, watching her perfect body as it writhed and rippled in front of him. The tautness to her skin, the muscles evident in her arms, and thighs and stomach, they drove Andrew wild. They had known each other for a third of their lives and Suzanne had never looked better. He was lost just looking at her. Andrew sank to his knees after he came, his head resting on her thigh as Suzanne’s legs dangled down off the end of the bed where he had dropped them. Hauling himself up Andrew sprawled out on the bed and Suzanne pulled herself up the bed and climbed up to lie on him. But before she got comfortable he rolled her onto her back beside him and sat up.

“Your body looks fantastic, what have you been doing? Flex your legs for me.”

Suzanne flexed her right thigh and muscles popped along the length of it.

“Tense your tummy.”

Fucking hell. When Suzanne Jenner walked down the beach in a bikini she was going to draw a crowd. Good god it was breathtaking. Andrew pulled her back up onto him and kissed her.

“How? When?”

“You are looking at the result of my sexual frustration. With no outlet I spend more time at the pool and at the gym. I was in good shape already so the muscle tone built from the start.”

“Sexual frustration?”

“It has been a tough term. We will talk about it this week but it has not been easy.”

Andrew held Suzanne in his arms. Okay, he held Suzanne’s arse in his hands with inevitable consequences. She slid off to one side until he sat back against the headboard and then she climbed into his lap. Neither of them were trying to come but the connection was wonderful, to kiss and caress her. Hold her in his arms.

“Tell me about the summer.”

“It is about as bad as it can be. I am away for the whole 10 weeks overseas and there has been no talk about coming back. Now I have the money obviously but it is four to five hours with the change at Heathrow. So I will see if I can work a couple of weekends and get some Friday Monday time off in lieu. I will have to see.”

“The whole ten weeks?”

“Yes. I seriously thought about declining the job but in the end, I am sort of resigned to it.”

“What about the house?”

“Exactly. I have two weeks of camp, 10 weeks away, a week in Paris and then one week here at the end of the summer. I won’t get to see my own house until I am back at Cambridge. Unless I meet you in London one weekend I won’t even know what state it is in. Not seeing you, not seeing the house, not seeing anyone, isolated and abroad. It is about as bad as it could be.”

“You are not saying where.”

“I know.”

“Is it really that secret?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

“Look it sounds flash and arsey but I am not allowed to talk about it. I don’t know the rules about what I can say, and what I can’t. Enough of my whinging, what about you?”

“Well the Commission came through again and I will be based out of Inverness for most of the summer. I have the weekends off and I would come down to Edinburgh whenever you were here but most of the time I think I will just stay up there. The A9 is full of bloody caravans in the summer.”

Andrew remembered his trip to Kyle of Lochalsh. He nodded in grim agreement.

“Well you can take the car. It is yours for the whole summer.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. It will sit on Spottiswoode Street otherwise.”

“Thank you. Come on let’s get cleaned up and figure out what we are going to do for breakfast. When are you leaving?”

“Friday morning first train.”

“Two days Andrew, two days.”

There was nothing to say to that and Suzanne climbed off him and went through to the bathroom. Andrew stripped the bed and waited for her to finish. His own shower was quick as the hot water gave out early on but he was clean and the chlorine was off his body. Half an hour later they sat drinking coffee.

“Do you ever think you will slow down? Stop this insane pace?”

“Yes I do.”

He recapped his thinking on his goals, how he needed to be careful and cautious that he didn’t try and repeat the success of the computer company.

“The reason I decided to do this project is twofold. Firstly Freya helped set this up and I don’t want my refusal to reflect badly on her. Now I am not happy about it at the same time. But Jim and Freya have given me an enormous amount of support and stability in the last three years and so although I am unhappy with the outcome I am not unhappy with their support, especially Freya’s. But I could have talked to her about this and potentially not taken the job but I want to see what this is like. Sure it is in a shitty place and that is most of my annoyance. If I had been assigned somewhere in London, even somewhere in the UK then I think I would be much happier. It is where I have ended up that is causing all the problems because I lose the summer. But this is also a potential future career and it is definitely a chance to see if the reality matches up to my imagination.”

Suzanne pondered that for a moment before looking down at the table. Forcing herself to look at him she carried on.

“What about us?”

As always, the question without an answer. Andrew sighed.

“I don’t know the answer Suzanne. And I don’t think you do either. You told me here in this room two years ago that until I put someone ahead of the plan I was never going to find love. Those weren’t the exact words but they were the sentiment. When I graduate the plan will need to be overhauled completely, the goals amended and several new ones discussed. I would like to do that with you. But I don’t think it makes sense doing it now for all the reasons that we know. I am not being a bastard bringing this up but we both know there is something missing between us. You need something more. And it is not that I am unwilling to try to push myself for you, for us. But you know I will never be that person.”

Andrew stood up and went and found the table tennis paddle.

“I can smack you on the arse with this as much as you want, as much as you can handle but we both know that I will get excited because you are getting excited not because I need to do it. I have endlessly thought about what you told me last Easter and last June. I understand it, I even think I understand the other side of it, and I totally get the power dynamic part.”

He could see the tears in Suzanne’s eyes leaking down her cheeks. Andrew knelt beside her.

“We both need time to figure out what is important. I have thought a lot about life after graduation.”

The last year had been spent mending fences, getting close and comfortable with each other again. But that last 5% or 10% could not be bridged. Andrew held Suzanne for a long time while she calmed down.

“I hate that I need that. That is why I am in such good shape. I have become paralysed with worry about finding that person. Especially when compared to you everyone else is pathetic.”

She looked at him with huge eyes.

“When you were here at Easter it was all very regular. Will you play with me this week? Will you get excited at my excitement and take as much pleasure from me as possible?”

Suzanne’s smile as Andrew nodded could have been seen from space. He picked her up and carried her through to their bedroom but when they got there he put her down gently and turned back to the dining room.

“Andrew?”

“I will decide when we are going to play. You don’t get to decide, you know that.”

He kissed her on her cheek and went back to his coffee. Andrew was sure he heard the stamp of a dainty foot behind him.

 

Chapter 3

They went out to breakfast, as usual the flat was utterly devoid of food, but after that Andrew left to do a couple of visits. He stopped by to see his Grandma and was delighted to find she had a visitor. Mrs. Graves, the librarian at school, was sitting having tea when Andrew turned up. His Grandma seemed younger somehow, although she was about to turn 81. Mrs. Graves must have been a decade younger.

“Oh Andrew, it is good to see you. You remember Margaret?”

“Hello Grandma, you are looking great. While I do remember this lady I remember her as Mrs. Graves.”

“Oh yes of course.”

There was no earthly way Andrew was going to call Mrs. Graves anything other than Mrs. Graves. It was just way to weird. The two widows had met on separate church outings that had ended up at the same place. The connection of him meant they had kept in touch and now visited for tea every week. It seemed to be making a difference for Grandma. He spoke about Cambridge for a while, giving more detail and more history than normal but when he was done and Mrs. Graves had been caught up Andrew stood up to leave.

“I will let the two of you finish. No it is alright. I will be back tomorrow with dinner. Fish suppers as usual? It will be Suzanne and I and you and Vi can win some money off us at cards.”

It was nice to see them both, his leaving then would allow his Grandma to bask in all the stories he had told. Grandparents love to boast about the grandchildren. Talking of grandchildren. Andrew’s next call was to go and see Mhairi Connelly and her infant son. He had been so focused on studying when he was there at Easter that it never even occurred to him to go and see her. A telling off from Leslie over the phone one Sunday had fixed that so he had arranged to go over for lunch. Mhairi had a month of maternity leave left and then she was going to go back to work. When she opened the door she was back to her usual size. She looked very well. Andrew and babies? He was 21 years old and the only child he had held in his entire life was his little brother Scott when he had been 16, so it was a long time ago. And Andrew had worried the whole time that he was going to drop him. Since then nothing and Mhairi took pity on him and didn’t force him to hold her son. Andrew was at the age where all kids looked the same to him and he had little to no interest in them. He oohed and aahed appropriately for half a minute, enough to satisfy the new mother and then they sat at the kitchen counter and caught up.

“How are three of you doing?”

“I think Callum is doing the best of us. He shouts, I feed him. He shouts and Neil changes his nappy. He has us well trained already.”

Andrew smiled not really knowing whether she was joking or not. He knew nothing about babies.

“How has Neil adapted to fatherhood?”

“Really well. He is a patient man and so is really good when Callum is cranky. And his mother is just giddy. It is the first grandchild on his side, for Mum it is her third. She is pleased but the ‘oh my gosh I’m a grandmother’ is not there. How are you doing? There were a lot of questions from those investigators.”

He shrugged.

“Careful what you wish for. I am working overseas for the entire summer. I don’t know whether I will even get to see the house before I have to return to Cambridge for my final year. That really annoys me, more than I can explain almost. Finally after five and a half years I get the chance to see the house, look round the house, never mind live in the house and then it is denied. I am like a child having a tantrum about a denied treat.”

“It is understandable. I remember you saying to me once that you had all these things, the house, the car, the distillery but they weren’t real. You never saw them.”

“I drove the car for the second time two weeks ago. It is best that Creighton hides the bill that I will get from DK. I can’t imagine what I have spent with them for somewhere between 10 and 12 hours of driving. All he ever tells me is that the value has gone up.”

“As you say, best not to know. Switching topics Grace told me that the office building finally closed. That took a long time.”

“Yeah, at one point I really thought they didn’t want to sell because they were dicking around so much. Iain Barrett from the estate agents told me there were several silent partners involved and getting all the approvals and signatures was what took so much time. Something about them being overseas, offshore maybe, something like that. Anyway it is done. It would be no different if someone tried to buy the distillery from us. It would be like herding cats just to get us all in the same place never mind agree on something.”

“Hold that thought but let’s finish London first. Are all the rental agreements in place?”

“Yes they are. Three different dates of expiration if I remember right. The shop has a five year lease, I think they wanted ten but Barrett recommended we stand firm at five. The area is cleaning up quickly and when it comes time to renegotiate we should be able to lock in a better rate. The first floor offices both have 40 month leases, to the end of September 1989. A lot will depend on how big AMJS gets. I doubt we will need the space, we’ll see. And the offices that AMJS is going to take over have until June next year. Then we will renovate over the summer ready for occupancy in September. That is the plan at least.”

“Good, that all makes sense. And there were no issues with Grace?”

“You know me Mhairi, I disappear at long stretches of time. Hell, I was here at Easter for two weeks and barely left the flat. I studied really aggressively, even for me. We were lucky, there was nothing that needed a quick answer. I would look at anything she sent at the weekend, sign off or change something and then send it back. The course was tough, you picked a good time to be off as I hardly thought about anything other than engineering.”

Someone had been practicing their concerned mother look.

“I have expressed my concern to you about your study habits before. There is only one more year of being able to hide behind a book. Next summer you need to work on getting balance.”

“I know. Next summer is going to be very busy. Is there anything else about the distillery?”

Mhairi shook her head at his blatant changing of the subject but let it go.

“The three of you have eight shares of the sixteen. Creighton and I have one, Julian’s dad has one, three of the original investors now share one, and the remaining five are individually owned, and Julian senior knows them all well. I think we should start to raise questions now about what is going to happen in seven years. The place is a money pit at the moment. We have a distillery, and the capital requirements are finished for present, although there is always the risk something breaks and needs replacing. We are also spending a lot of money every year laying down whisky. And that is mainly the purchase of the barley, casks, and the salaries and wages of the employees together with the costs of actually running the distillery. To get that money back we have to sell the whisky. There is some very bland and vague wording in the original partnership document and I think we need to start thinking about it. The process of bottling the whisky will be expensive but then we have to sell it. Shops, off-licences, duty-free, the UK, overseas, all of that needs to be taken into account. We are on track to have hundreds of casks, thousands of casks, of whisky. But we need a plan to get our money out of the business.”

“Was it really not that clearly laid out?”

“There were costing assumptions made and a lot of the final year’s cash requirement was to set this part of the business up. We are paying slightly more than the annual running costs so that at the end of nine years there are enough reserves to fund that part of the business in the 10^th year. The 10^th cash demand is for the sales side. So the costs are considered, although the assumptions will need to be revisited. But what the actual organisation looks like, are we setting up ourselves, are we just selling the casks to other distillers as the base for a blend for example.”

Planning seven years in advance seemed a long time even for Andrew but it was also important to understand what everyone thought the end game was. He had given it no thought.

“I agree then. I think we need to find out what everything thinks the plan is. Personally I thought we would bottle and sell our own malt whisky but that might have been what Julian senior told me and I am merely parroting that. But since we invested that is the vision in my head, realistic or not. I think that Leslie and Julian are the same. Creighton, Leslie, Julian and I all have the same idea as you. I will talk to Julian senior and get him to sound out the others.”

The conversation had quickly turned to business, even if it was personal rather in her role as his lawyer.

“Is there anything else new that I will need to deal with when I return? What are saving for my return?”

“I have been so tied up with the course that I have thought about nothing else. I sent Grace a letter asking her to have Iain Barrett do a walkthrough of the house when the French family have left. I asked for a builder to accompany him and I want their recommendations for the place.”

“That is a good idea. It was in brand new condition when it was leased so I doubt there will be anything substantial. Replace some skirting boards, check the appliances, stuff like that. There were kids in the house so it may need to be painted. It is all going to be superficial.”

“I hope so. Leslie furnished it, I did not have any knowledge and so had little input at the time. That is why I am so disappointed to be away. It doesn’t feel like my place and I want to look at it. I want a bed like the one I have in the flat, I will need to get bedding. Who the hell knows about the kitchen. None of this is earthshattering or a big deal but I worry that it is going to be this time next year and I still live out of a backpack.”

“Would that be the worst thing?”

Mhairi brought Andrew up short with her question.

“The reflexive answer was going to be yes but I can see your point. Suzanne helped me furnished my flat. It has two bedrooms, a box room, living room and the dining room with a small kitchen off it. It did not take us long. But this place is five bedrooms with a drawing room, dining room and kitchen, all of which are huge. I have no idea how I would live in such a place. I will rattle around like a pinball. It is all the little things, being there for deliveries, getting groceries.”

He snorted.

“Goodness only knows where the nearest supermarket is. Fuck it. It is done. I will deal with it at Christmas as much as I can and this time next year. Jim and Freya did not want me to leave cold turkey anyway.”

“How are they?”

“I have not seen them much since before Easter. They were away for Moira and Lars’ wedding in Iceland and then I have been tied up at university a lot this term. They are fine and are incredibly generous in letting me stay there whenever I want.”

Andrew decided not to mention his ambivalence about Freya. Instead he and Mhairi talked about Jim and she reminisced about the consternation his befriending of her caused. But then Callum loudly announced his hunger and so it was a chance to head off. He gave her a quick hug and left her to be mum. It had been nice to catch up.

Suzanne was masturbating when Andrew got back to the flat. And making no attempt to hide or stop. He had not been quiet entering the flat so it was clearly part of her plan to break down his resistance. Andrew had to admit it nearly worked.

“If you don’t stop at once and get dressed there will be nothing but cuddling tonight.”

Someone’s pouty face was getting a workout that day. But he distracted her by talking about the house. He pulled out the folder of the house details back when he purchased it from the half filing cabinet at the side of his wardrobe. Andrew had a two drawer filing cabinet that sat under his shirts, often partially hidden by them. It was where he stored things like these details. Bloody hell, show a woman a floorplan and all thoughts of sex went out the window.

Andrew’s Mews house had a basement which opened out on a small paved patio, the ground floor which had the garage, and the two upper floors. In total it was about 3,500 sq. ft., not massive but way more than one guy needed. The top floor had three bedrooms, all around 12’ by 10’, one of which had an ensuite and the other two shared a bathroom. The first floor had the master bedroom and a large drawing or living room. The master bedroom was not huge and was ‘el’ shaped because of the ensuite. The ground floor had the garage, hall and the main reception room. That is what the plan called it. A more formal living room. There was a small terrace looking out over the patio below. Finally the basement had the kitchen and dining room at the back of the house with a bedroom at the front. There was access from the dining room out onto the patio. Given that they were in central London the back of the house was overlooked by several office buildings from neighbouring streets. This was his home and what he had to furnish, or at least personalise.

“Wow, Andrew. It is only when you look at the floorplan that you see how much space there is. I am glad they have put the dimensions on the rooms. Look the dining room is 20’ by 10’. That is huge. The kitchen is almost the same size. All the living space is really huge. Your bedroom is an odd shape but still big. Even these three bedrooms are as large as the ones here in the flat. It is a lot of house for just you.”

The thought had crossed Andrew’s mind more than once as well as then, and as he looked at how big the house was it was even more obvious. He explained how it had been decorated and furnished more than five years earlier in time for leasing as a furnished let on July 1.

“So part of my anger at the job situation is that I don’t know what state the house is in. What, if anything, needs to be replaced or refurbished. I want to get an identical bed as the one here for my bedroom. I doubt I will replace sofas or the dining room table but there will need to be one bed swapped. And I think I want all new linens. Even if they are clean, someone else has used them for five years.”

With Suzanne’s help they worked their way down through the house. It was hugely beneficial since what seemed like a huge task was suddenly manageable. Bedding and towels were the main purchases other than the new bed for his room. Most other things would still be fine, at least at first. Andrew relaxed a little and realised that the house was not an overwhelmingly daunting undertaking. Living in it on his own was a different matter but that was a challenge for another day.

They were going round to Leslie and Julian’s for dinner and so it was time to reward his helper. When he took Suzanne’s hand and led her towards the bedroom her face lit up. Andrew stifled a smirk. He stripped her naked taking a moment as he knelt in front of her to sniff and savour the aroma she was producing. Someone was seriously turned on. When she saw him take out the playsuit Suzanne all but jumped with glee. His resolve almost cracked when he turned her to face him after tightening the buckles on the back of the suit. Magnificent, spectacular, you get the idea. But Andrew stayed strong and they went through to the front room, notionally her bedroom but in reality, her enormous closet. It took him a moment or two to find the perfect summer dress, light, short and very sexy. He lifted the dress over her head and did up the zip at the back.

“Come on then, we should go. We don’t want to be late.”

“Like this?”

Suzanne tried to control the squeak. He nodded with a smile.

“Pick a pair of sandals with a heel but still comfortable to walk in. I will carry a jacket for you in case it gets cold on the walk home.”

Suzanne walked up to him, put her arms around his body and laid her head against my chest.

“I am already leaking down my thigh. My whole body aches.”

She shuddered before pulling him down for a kiss.

“You are such a bastard.”

There was no need for her to bend at the waist while she selected her shoes but it was clear that she was not lying about her arousal. This time Andrew had to close his eyes to not give in to her wiles. When he finally risked a peek Suzanne was standing there looking triumphant. When they got to the house Julian showed Andrew something in his study and so it was a minute or so before they headed back to the kitchen. As they got to the door he overheard Leslie.

“That’s it. Bloody hell. Julian will be walking into walls all night.”

When they came into the kitchen Leslie and Suzanne were hugging. Leslie’s greeting was a whack, so clearly there were no secrets between the two of them. She hugged and kissed him.

“Pervert.”

Failing to curb his smirk sufficiently Andrew was whacked again. Julian looked mystified right up until Suzanne came up and hugged him. Then he went red, tongue-tied and afraid to look at anyone. Leslie and Suzanne laughed and turned to get the wine. He looked at Andrew and mouthed ‘oh, my, god’. It was fun to fluster him. Things settled down after that and they caught up as usual.

“Let’s skip all the business stuff. We have meetings tomorrow to go through all that. What have you been up to? How long are you here?”

Andrew explained about the summer job and how it was overseas.

“Shit, so we can’t even come down and stay with you this summer?”

“You are welcome to use the house, it would be nice for somebody to use the damn thing but I don’t know what it will be like. I get back from camp on the Saturday and am at Heathrow on Monday morning. I am sure I will give in and go and see the place but I don’t know what use it will do me. It will just depress me. But you are welcome to use it as a base while I am away if you want to have a holiday in London. I am asking the estate agent to get someone to launder all the bedding and towels so everything will be clean. You can drive if you want, the garage is empty.”

At least someone was going to use the place. Andrew was pleased for his friends but it heightened his own disappointment. They all took it in turns to chat. They were as interested in Suzanne’s summer in the Highlands as his own time at Cambridge.

“Tell us about Snetterton Andrew. Was it better the second time?”

“Yes in that I got faster, my times were more consistent and I touched 147 before having to break for the hairpin. But it would be nice to take her out on the open road, although I would have to be careful about the cops. She goes from 70 to 120 without any fuss and you hardly know you are going that fast. If I get caught doing that I would lose my licence.”

“147? Wow. I don’t think Knockhill has a straight long enough to get up to that kind of speed. Plus that is close to the top speed for the Jag. What is the top speed of the Ferrari?”

“Wait, what? What Ferrari?”

Andrew didn’t know why he looked at Julian and then Leslie. How did Suzanne not know he had a Ferrari?

“I own a Ferrari, I have for more than six years. I bought it with the house. I must have told you.”

Suzanne looked pissed off for a moment but then just burst out laughing.

“You got a Ferrari when you were 15? 14?”

“Er, yes. When I bought the house in May 1980 there was a Ferrari in it. It had been crashed and it was described as wrecked. It wasn’t and I had it restored. Plus I also needed to get it out the house so that they could rebuild the ground floor and the stairs both up and down. I took it to a race track near Cambridge in November of 2^nd year and again for my birthday last week. It was the fastest production car in the world in the early 1970s. In answer to Julian’s question it is supposed to go up to 174.”

“Where do you keep it? Is it in the garage at your house?”

“No, the company that restored it also has a storage facility for exotic sports cars and I keep it there. I have driven it for two days in the more than 2000 days I have owned it.”

“I am afraid to ask but is there any other crazy toys that I don’t know about. Do you have a yacht? A helicopter?”

“No this is the only thing. As you could tell from the conversation I thought you knew about it. Although the number of people who know is very small now that I think about it. Probably less than 10.”

“You took your Ferrari to a race track and played with it all day?”

Andrew smiled and nodded.

“It was bloody fantastic.”

“Did I mention that my birthday is coming up soon.”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea?”

Suzanne looked crushed.

“Can you imagine if you turned up with a Ferrari 365, wearing that dress. You would cause a riot.”

Andrew smiled and kissed her as she flushed prettily.

“I think I just threw up in my mouth.”

Thank you Mrs. Strong! Talking of which…

“I have been meaning to ask. Are you Leslie Campbell still or did you change to Leslie Strong?”

“Both. Legally I changed it to Leslie Strong so that I will have the same name as our children. But for work I still go by Leslie Campbell.”

That made sense. It was one of those questions Andrew always thought of when she wasn’t around. Once they all had a drink he and Julian wandered through to his office and Andrew spent the next twenty minutes talking to Julian about the software project he had just finished. Ignoring the group dynamics some of the coding had been tough and used programming languages that he had only limited knowledge of.

That was a preview of Living Two Lives - Book 20. To read the rest purchase the book.

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