Memoirs of a Swinger Ep. 44

This is the forty-fourth episode of my unreliable memoirs recounting sexual encounters in the nineteen eighties. Each episode is self-contained, so you can read them without having read the previous ones.

For a change, the next few chapters are written from Lesley's perspective and this is the third in the series. It's quite a long episode as I couldn't find a convenient place to break the story.

I hope you enjoy it.

M4bloke

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Chapter 1 - Puddleduck

Puddleduck Interiors was situated just off the King's Road in a fashionable side street. The exterior was understated, as if there wasn't really a need to lure customers in with something as vulgar as a window display.

It was Monday morning. Steven had caught an early flight to Munich and he wouldn't be back until Thursday. After the high of the party at the weekend I was feeling a bit low now, a bit lacking in purpose. I'd agreed to meet Kate for lunch and then we were going to the salon together to get our hair done. But I couldn't get out of my mind what Buster had told me about Jemima Putiford. So I'd arrived two hours early for lunch and was now standing directly in front of her shop. Nowadays they'd call that stalking!

When I pushed the door open, it triggered a bell announcing my presence. A smartly dressed lady sat at a very ornate desk while she talked to someone on the telephone. She looked up and smiled at me apologetically. She was too old to have been at university with Steven. I looked around the shop while she finished her conversation. It was an eclectic mix of furnishings, samples really. Nothing had a price tag on it.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," the woman said as she put the phone down. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking to redecorate my bedroom and was hoping to talk to Jemima Putiford about it."

"I'll get her for you," the woman replied and walked into a back room.

Jemima Putiford didn't so much walk into the room as waft into it, as if carried along by a breeze. Her long flowing summer dress added to the illusion of weightlessness, that and her figure. I could see what Buster had meant now when he'd described her as wispy. She was thin, model thin, with chestnut brown hair and the most angelic face I think I'd ever seen on an adult.

"Hi," she said with an understated air of confidence. "I'm Jemima."

"Hi," I replied. "I'm Lesley Carter."

"You're not Michael and Claire's daughter are you?"

"Sort of," I said, a little taken aback.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so pleased to finally meet you."

Jemima gave me a friendly hug that was so light, so delicate, that it was like being hugged by an angel, or a ghost. I wasn't sure which.

"I'm pleased to meet you," I told Jemima, hugging her back.

"You look a bit confused," Jemima said with that angelic smile on her face. "Let's get a coffee and I'll tell all."

Jemima explained to the lady at the ornate desk that we were just popping out then she took me by the hand and led me to a coffee shop just a couple of doors down the street. She must have been a regular because the owner greeted her fondly and guided us to a table by the window.

"I feel like I already know you," Jemima said enthusiastically. "Papa's told me so much about you."

"I guess I'm a bit confused," I confessed.

"Papa and Uncle Michael are old friends. They were at Charterhouse then Eaton together."

"Your father's nickname isn't 'Stinky' is it?"

"That's right. Stinky Putiford," Jemima laughed. "Although there's not many that get to call him that."

"I've heard Pops mention about meeting 'Stinky' for lunch or 'Stinky' for drinks on numerous occasions but I never knew who he was."

"Uncle Michael is ever so proud of you, you know."

"I'm not their real daughter," I admitted. "Although I wish I was."

"I know," Jemima said in an understanding tone. "What happened to Ophelia was terrible. But you've given Uncle Michael a reason to keep going. You've made him a proud father again. He's told Papa all about your wedding, and how you went to Le Mans in that vintage Bentley of his. And I know all about how it got stolen and how your husband managed to find it too."

"I think you know Steven from university, don't you?"

Jemima hesitated for a moment.

"That's right, we were in the same year but we did different courses."

"It's alright," I told her. "I know that you've slept with him."

"Did Steven tell you that?"

"No, Buster did."

Jemima chuckled to herself.

"What else did Buster say?"

"He said that it was just a casual thing and that both of you knew it wasn't going anywhere. He said that Steven didn't have any money so you'd discretely buy him his drinks on a Saturday night then take him out for Sunday lunch and buy him some groceries for the week on the way back."

"He was so poor," Jemima laughed. "But I thought I was doing it unnoticed."

"It was nice of you to help him. Until Buster told me, I hadn't realised how difficult those first couple of years at university had been for him."

"Your husband's a good man. I think his life changed for the better after he met you, though."

"Both of our lives did."

"You know I didn't sleep with him after that. Steven said it wouldn't be fair on you."

"In some ways I wish you had," I told her. "I was somebody else's mistress at the time. It's not something I'm proud of."

"We all make mistakes," Jemima offered. "I slept with Buster once. Couldn't walk for a week!"

"He is a big boy. I know how you feel," I laughed.

The penny dropped with Jemima.

"You know I think I like you, Mrs Carter."

"Are you married now?" I asked.

"Didn't Buster tell you?"

"He said you were dating a Banker at university but that you had an open relationship."

"Miles is currently head of trading for Bertel's bank in Hong Kong. His family have owned it for generations. He has a couple of years to go then he comes back to London to take up a position on the board. After that we'll get married."

"That must be difficult for you both."

"I've known him since I was six and he was eleven. He's like my big brother. I guess I've always known I would marry him. And before you ask. Yes I do love him."

"How often do you see each other?"

"About four times a year, plus when he comes back to London for meetings."

"And the open relationship?"

"There's plenty of time to settle down when we're married. I miss the intimacy though. That's one of the reasons I liked spending time with Steven. He didn't just want to have sex, he wanted company too."

"I'm taking a friend away this weekend," I explained. "She's going through a divorce at the moment and needs a bit of pampering. Steven's going to be at loose end. I don't suppose you'd consider going out for dinner with him on Saturday night. I'd like it to be a surprise."

"And if he asks me to go back to his place afterwards?"

"Then you should say 'yes.' If you want to of course. Besides I was hoping that you would consider redecorating our bedroom and you can't do that if you haven't seen it."

Jemima gave another one of her angelic smiles.

"You know I definitely think we could be friends, Mrs Carter."

"Please, call me Lesley..."

Chapter 2 - Ships That Pass

I didn't enjoy being separated from Steven, not even for a few days. What made it worse was that I didn't really seem to have much of a purpose at present. The evenings were ok. I spent Monday with Steven's parents, Tuesday in Richmond with Michael and Claire and Wednesday in Chelsea with Daniel and Kate. But filling the days was the problem. There was only so much shopping Kate and I could do together and I did begin to wonder about what Kate did with the rest of her time.

What I did find, was that now I had time to do two things I enjoyed. The first was exercising while the second was playing the piano. I loved the piano but it worried me that, if I wasn't careful, I could easily spend all of my time doing it and end up becoming a recluse. So, I rationed myself to no more than two hours a day.

My new found freedom did allow me more flexibility when I needed it though and, after her split with Fabien, I decided that what Carole needed after her split from Fabien was a surprise weekend away. So, with Daniel's help I booked the two of us a couple of nights at a famous resort in Scotland. We would leave on Friday morning and be back on Sunday night.

It was bad timing however. Steven only got back from Munich on the Thursday afternoon and would be leaving for Washington on Sunday morning, which meant we'd only have Thursday night together.

To make matters worse, Thursday night was our training night at the International School of Martial Arts. Normally I enjoyed our training sessions but this time it felt like the longest two hours of my life. I couldn't wait to get home. Steven could have had me any way he wanted that night.

Fortunately, what he wanted was just to make love to his wife and I was grateful to him for being like that. Steven understood that sometimes, and more often than I cared to admit, I needed a bit of reassurance that I was the one he loved.

It was my turn to get up early on Friday. Carole and I had a plane to catch. I got dressed as quietly as I could but, before I left, I had to tell Steven about the surprise I'd arranged for him.

"I've fixed you up on a blind date this Saturday," I told him. "Be at the Appalachia restaurant for eight o'clock. The table's in your name."

"The Appalachia eh? That's posh," he replied.

"Only the best for my husband," I told him.

I think Steven assumed it was Kate.

"And will my date be expecting to spend the night?" he asked.

"That's up to you and her," I told him.

"And will you be needing my permission this weekend?" he asked.

"I don't think so. It's just girl time. But you never know," I laughed.

"Well, you have it, but be careful and make sure you and Carole look after each other."

"We will. I promise..."

Chapter 3 - Spa Time

The flight to Edinburgh only took an hour and a half, but when you added the time it took to travel to Heathrow airport, plus the time spent waiting for the flight and then the time to pick up a hire car and drive to the hotel, we were looking at the best part of five hours, door to door. I'd best not say the name of the resort but, if I told you there was a championship golf course attached to it, then that should give readers a clue.

It was two o'clock before we'd checked into our room, which had a lovely view of the estate from its window. It was a relief to have finally arrived. When the porter left, Carole and I stood alone in the room and had a hug.

"It's beautiful," Carole said. "It must have cost a fortune."

"I had a bit of help from Daniel," I admitted. "I also chose a double bed rather than two twins or even separate rooms. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind," she said. "Come on, let's check the bed out."

We lay on the bed facing each other and Carole let me kiss her.

"I'm lucky to have such good friends," she said afterwards. "If only I could keep hold of my husbands."

"You never know," I chirped. "You might find one here."

"Not if they're wearing one of those stupid golfing sweaters," Carole replied laughing.

"Well, in that case, you seemed to be getting on well with Magnus the other day," I teased.

"I did, and thank you for introducing us. I like him and I'm going to see him again. But just as a friend."

"And sex?" I clarified.

"Of course," she giggled.

"I've set Steven up on a blind date this weekend. He thinks it's with Kate but it's actually with an old flame from university that Buster told me about."

"Is that wise?" Carole asked.

"It's fine. I met her. She's called Jemima Putiford, she's very posh."

"I'm sure I've heard that name before."

"Her father's a friend of Michael's."

"Stinky Putiford. Of course," Carole laughed.

"Jemima's already engaged to a guy called Miles. But he works in Hong Kong apparently so they have an open relationship."

"Miles Bertel. It's coming back to me now," Carole said. "His family own one of the oldest merchant banks in the City."

"Apparently."

"And Steven used to go out with Jemima?" Carole asked, surprised.

"It wasn't anything like that. They just had sex every now and again. I think they liked each other though, but Steven stopped seeing her after he met me."

"He's quite principled like that, isn't he?"

"Sometimes I wish he wasn't," I admitted. "I was fucking David for months after we met."

"That's different," Carole told me. "Steven knew about that and he accepted it.

"But I still feel guilty."

"I know," Carole said, giving me a hug.

"God, listen to me," I told Carole. "We're supposed to be having a good time, not talking about my regrets. Come on. Let's hit the spa."

It was too late to book any treatments that day but we organised a couple for Saturday then had a swim in the pool and a sauna. The spa wasn't too busy. I guess that on a Friday afternoon people were either just arriving for the weekend, or already out playing golf.

Of those that were in the spa, quite a few were American. These days they were the ones with the money and of course they loved everything 'Scottish.' We met a couple of them in the sauna and I immediately had them earmarked as 'trophy wives.' I guessed they were much younger than their husbands, who were almost certainly on their second marriages. It was just a guess though.

Both women were in their mid to late thirties. One was blonde and wore a Versace swimsuit. She was tall, elegant and without an ounce of fat on her. If I'd had to guess I'd have said she'd had a boob job. The other had light brown hair and a swimsuit from a brand I'd never heard of before. She was shorter than her friend but like her, she watched her weight. In some ways she was a bit like an older version of me. The only difference was that she had much bigger breasts and they weren't fake either.

Saunas aren't really the place for conversation however so we just politely acknowledged each other then sat like nuns in quiet contemplation.

"Have you tried any of the treatments here?" Carole asked after a while, trying to break the silence.

"You should try the mud chamber," the woman in the Versace swimsuit offered. "Your skin feels sensational afterwards."

"We both had a deep tissue massage a couple of days ago," the other woman added. "It was fantastic but it took a day to recover from."

"I had a facial too," Versace swimsuit added.

Her friend struggled to keep a straight face at the comment and seeing her reaction caused me to try and suppress a giggle. But I failed and instead it came out as a huge snort. It was really embarrassing.

"I have no idea why they don't come up with a different name for one or the other," Versace swimsuit said, seeing the funny side of it. Then she added, "I'm Anna and this is Beth by the way."

"Carole and Lesley," Carole offered.

"Are you here with your husbands?" Beth asked.

"No. We're just here for a weekend by ourselves. You?"

"We've been sentenced to two weeks. We've done almost a week now," Anna explained with an air of resignation. "Our husbands are playing the Championship courses of Scotland. They're up in Inverness today which is apparently even further from civilisation than here."

"I think if we'd known better, we'd have stayed in Edinburgh," Beth continued. "But we're here now so we're trying to make the most of it."

"There are worst places to be," I said.

"You're right," Beth responded positively.

We got chatting and found out that they were both from Philadelphia. Anna seemed to be the one who was more switched on but I liked Beth, she had a cheekiness about her.

You can only spend so long in a sauna however and my tolerance of the heat wasn't great, so eventually we got up to leave the Americans to it.

"I don't suppose you fancy eating with us tonight," Anna asked. "Our treat."

"Please say yes," Beth pleaded. "We're so bored of each other's company."

I looked at Carole and smiled.

"We'd love to," Carole replied. "Thank you,"

"Eight o'clock?" Anna suggested.

"We'll look forward to it."

I spoke to Steven on the phone that evening. He told me he was on his own and that the house felt empty without anyone else in it. I knew what he meant.

"Are you excited about your blind date tomorrow?" I asked.

"I meant to ask you about that," he replied. "Apparently Kate's with Daniel in the Cotswolds this weekend."

"Who said it was Kate," I replied. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"Whoever it is, I'd rather it was you," he told me.

"I'd rather it was me too, but I think you're going to enjoy yourself all the same."

"You're not going to tell me who it is. Are you?"

"Nope, you're going to have to wait and see."

"I love you," he told me.

"I love you so much," I told him back.

I wasn't sure what to wear for dinner that evening. I asked Carole but she was no help, she just told me to wear what I wanted. So, I waited to see what she chose then wore something similar, which in this case was a plain summer dress.

By the time we met them in the bar, Anna and Beth had already started on the cocktails When the waiter came to take our order, they knocked theirs back quickly and ordered some more. I ordered a Cosmopolitan and so did Carole then Anna and Beth decided to make it four.

"So, are you both married," Beth asked innocently.

"Lesley is," Carole offered. "I'm going through a divorce at the moment."

Beth looked mortified.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry," she said, embarrassed.

"Don't worry," Carole told her. "I've got to get used to saying it."

"So, we thought we'd come up and see if there are any eligible men in these parts," I joked.

"Good luck with that," Beth responded. "They're only interested in one thing up here."

"What's that?" I asked naïvely

"Golf," Anna replied, making the two girls chuckle.

When we went through to the dining room Anna looked at the wine list and ordered Champagne without asking anyone if they wanted anything else. I looked at the menu and it was pricey.

"Are you having a starter?" I asked.

"Have whatever you want," Anna replied. "I'm going to."

Champagne goes to my head and I think that during the meal I probably talked more than I should have. But Anna and Beth were easy to get along with though and time seemed to fly by. We'd had two bottles between the four of us and although I'd tried to drink in moderation, Anna and Beth sort of dragged me along with them.

I have no idea how much the meal cost but Anna charged the bill to the room without even looking at it. Afterwards we had another drink at the bar then decided to call it a day.

When we got to the lift, Anna asked us if we fancied a nightcap. I'd already had more than enough already but Carole accepted for the both of us.

Anna, Beth and their husbands, when they were there, shared a luxury two-bedroom suite on the top floor of the hotel overlooking the golf course. The four of us went into the room but no sooner had the door to the suite closed than Carole and Anna began to kiss. It took me completely by surprise. I can only guess that the Champagne must have dulled my senses because I'd really not been expecting that.

Beth turned to me and took hold of my hands but I was still a bit stunned and hesitated for just a moment.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," she told me.

"No, I want to," I told her.

I put my hands on Beth's waist and she let me kiss her. She tasted of Champagne, her mouth was soft and her lips were delicate, not at all like a man's. I let the tip of my tongue tease her and hers came out to greet mine.