This is the forty-third 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 second in the series.
I hope you enjoy it.
M4bloke
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Chapter 1 - An Unexpected Turn of Events
It was odd not having to go to work on Monday morning. At some point I would have to go into the lab' to say goodbye to people and collect my stuff, but that could wait until another day.
Peters, Daniel's driver, had picked him up for work at eight o'clock. I tried to tempt Daniel into taking the morning off but it was never going to work.
I'd heard Steven leave for the gym on his Harley an hour or so earlier. Steven went to the gym every weekday religiously, providing he wasn't away on business. On Mondays he had a session with a personal trainer who gave him an exercise plan for the week. He knew he no longer had the same time to train as he'd had at university so he tried to train smarter. I admired his work ethic, especially since I saw myself as the prime beneficiary of all of that exercise.
After we'd had breakfast, Kate gave me a lift home to Wimbledon in her Range Rover. We sat chatting in the kitchen for a while but then she had to leave for a hair appointment. She went every week and when she asked me whether I wanted to come with her next time I thought, why not!
When Kate left, the enormity of having no job really hit me. I'd given up my job to support Steven, but now, sitting here on my own, I'm not sure what that actually meant. I decided that the least I could do was keep in shape for him so I got changed and did some calisthenics. The great thing about calisthenics was that you could do it anywhere and with very little equipment, so as it was a nice day I decided to use the patio.
About half way through my routine however I thought I heard a noise from inside the house and it spooked me. It sounded like someone had broken in. Tracey had drilled into us at self-defence class that you don't walk towards danger unless you have to. So I tried to work my way round the outside of the house and peer in through the kitchen window.
That was when I saw Carole sitting at the breakfast bar, crying.
Carole wouldn't be expecting me in the house either so I called out to her as I walked back inside then rushed into the kitchen.
"What's the matter?" I asked as I went to hug her.
Carole got up and hugged me tightly.
"Fabien and I are getting divorced," she replied.
"Why does he want to divorce you?" I asked.
"He wants to make a new life in Paris with Sybil. He says he doesn't want anything from the divorce. He just wants to be able to begin again with her. He says it was a mistake and we should never have got married."
"Carole, I'm so sorry. When did this happen?"
"A week ago. I came back from London and he was waiting to tell me. He'd already cleared out his belongings, his studio was empty and Sybil was gone. He told me it was over and that he was sorry, then he left."
"What a bastard," was all I could think of to say.
"I look like such a fool," Carole said. "It's ok for men to marry younger women but it doesn't work the other way round. Now everyone will be laughing at me."
"Nobody is going to be laughing at you and if they do then they'll have me to deal with. Actually who am I kidding they're going to have Steven to deal with."
That, at least, made Carole laugh a little.
"Do you want me to call him?" I asked.
"Don't be silly," Carole responded. "I'd planned to go into the office today but when I got into the taxi at Heathrow I just couldn't do it."
"I'm so sorry Carole." I told her again.
We hugged and I held her tightly. As I pushed my face against her neck it seemed so natural to kiss it. Carole pulled her head away and for a moment I thought I'd offended her but instead she kissed me on the lips. I was taken back by the passion but happily responded.
"I'm sorry," she said afterwards. "It's just that I've been on my own for ten days."
"Come up to bed," I told her, taking Carole's hand.
I'd meant it in a compassionate, not sexual, way and that's how it began at least. I did my best to comfort Carole and we hugged and kissed but Carole seemed to want more. She hitched up the expensive navy skirt she'd meant to wear to the office then worked her way on top of me until she could grind her pussy against my thigh. I grabbed her buttocks and pulled them down onto me as Carole humped my leg. She seemed lost in her own need for satisfaction and, when her orgasm began, she buried her head in my neck and continued humping me for all she was worth.
Afterwards there were more tears, so I held her in my arms and we cuddled.
"You don't have to go back to Provence. You can stay with us as long as you want. You know that, don't you?" I told Carole.
"I'm not sure what I want to do right now," she replied. "There are the boys to think of."
I'd forgotten about Carole's two dogs, Donald and Mickey.
"Who's looking after them now?"
"Sophie and Pierre. It turns out that Pierre's been taking them to work with him each day for a while now. All part of Fabien's grand plan I guess."
"Well at least you know they're being well looked after."
"I do."
"You know we're having a party on Saturday. You should come. It'll take your mind off things."
"I'm not sure I'm up to partying," Carole admitted.
"It could be just the distraction you need," I joked trying to sell the idea. "Promise me you won't go back to Provence this week. You need to be with friends."
"We'll see," Carole replied and I decided not to push things any further.
When we went downstairs I made us both a cup of tea. Tea really was the English answer to every crisis. Carole seemed a bit brighter now and wanted to hear all about our time in America. So I told her everything in intimate detail.
When Suzy came home from work Carole gave her the concise version of what had happened but there were no tears this time. As fellow lodgers in our house, Carole and Suzy had become close over the last year and I knew that Suzy would be there for her too, which only strengthened my belief that Carole would be best staying with us for a while.
The tears started again when Steven came home however and he listened intently as Carole told her story for the third time. When she'd finished he simply told her that she was too good for Fabien and better off without him. If I'd have told her that, Carole would have cried, but hearing it from Steven somehow seemed to make her feel better about the situation.
I knew I was redundant at this stage and so I suggested to Suzy that we went to the pub and let the two of them talk it out.
"I'm not surprised," Suzy said as we nursed our halves of lager.
"Why do you say that?" I asked.
