Body Politic 3

With the summer recess behind us, Tenant’s office had been thrown into a maelstrom of work. She reshaped her shadow cabinet and, to my great pleasure, Libby Manning was appointed shadow for the Environment. My main tasks as deputy to Tony Riley (Chief of Staff) was to write speeches and act as a liaison between Sylvia’s office and the whips. Babs was still looking after admin at the constituency office but that required, happily, a great many visits to London where we had now rented a larger and very comfortable flat. Libby Manning invited me for dinner. I accepted happily but, with work as it was, it took a while to organise. At last, I was tapping on the front door of her imposing townhouse. I was surprised that there was quite a throng there. Libby kissed me and said, “Sorry, Sam. I had to invite a few others as you can see. It happens.” She smiled a little wanly, kissed me again and led me through to the drawing room where the guests had congregated. I looked around at the array of influential people who were there. This was why I did what I did, to be at the centre of things, to taste the power and the magnitude of events. I reminded myself who they were: two ambassadors, one European, one African, a high-ranking Arab, the Attorney General, the party chief whip, a press baron or two and a few others. ‘Thank God,’ I thought, ‘that I had dressed appropriately;’ although my main focus in getting ready had been to appeal to Libby’s love of feminine women. Her gently butch appearance (not so gentle when the mood took her), like Babs, always appealed to me. I sat at dinner between the Arab and the editor of one of our more influential and, to be fair, sympathetic newspapers. The Arab was a perfect gentleman despite drinking industrial quantities of red wine. The editor was a woman of about fifty, very funny and great company. She was wearing a wonderful red dress, silk with a mandarin collar and little sleeves. Delphine was sitting across the table from me. Her dress was tight at her breasts and long-skirted. The pale blue highlighted the darkness of her skin. It was over coffee that the work started. Libby stood. “Ladies, gentlemen, Delphine will leave us now. It’s not that anything particularly secret will be discussed but she gets bored witless by anything political.” “Except you,” said Delphine with a smile as she stood to leave. She discreetly blew a little kiss to me as she strolled out of the room. Libby talked briefly and, I thought, aimlessly which was very unlike her. I was astonished when a few moments later Delphine opened the door again, nodded Çukurambar escort at Libby and stood aside as Sylvia Tenant came in. She was wearing a black suit and looked all business. The door closed behind her. “Forgive the subterfuge, ladies and gentlemen but this is a meeting that has never happened. Are we all happy with that?” A general buzz of agreement followed. “Excellent. I’m here to tell you that I have been advised by the Prime Minister that he will be calling a general election and will announce it at the end of this week. Parliament will be dissolved and the campaign will begin.”That caused quite a stir and I sat quietly, lost in the moment and knowing that this was the start of something momentous. The meeting continued for some time and Sylvia held us spellbound as she laid out her plans for the campaign. It was about 2 in the morning when she finally left but not before she beckoned me. “A word, please, Sam. You’d better get your coat. I need you to come with me to the office and we’re going to talk. Tony is already there and he knows of course.” I followed her out of a side door into a large garage where a black Mercedes was waiting. We got in the back and the doors opened and the car whispered out into the night. Is it odd that my mind never once reflected until much, much later that Libby, Delphine and I might have had a fun night? At the office, Sylvia, Tony and I talked late into the night. We needed, and quickly, to sort out responsibilities, to ensure we knew who would be doing what. “Can I bring Babs up?”  “Sorry, but no. I need her to run my re-election campaign and I don’t intend to lose because not enough is done to ensure I win. Babs is so reliable, I need her there.” That made sense so I didn’t argue but was naturally disappointed. The campaign would be run from the offices we had used before and I’d have to make arrangements to ensure we’d swept for listening devices, sorted phones, agreed code words for people, sorted the physical security and on and on it went. I hit my bed at 4 am and was unable to sleep, so excited was I. Election campaigns are gruelling. There was no question of time off and even before the Prime Minister announced the election we were hard at it, getting ourselves prepared. Constant meetings, writing, reviewing, re-writing, it went on and on. I hardly saw Babs. I was in the office one Friday afternoon when Tenant came in. “What are you doing?” “I hardly know,” I grinned. “I don’t feel as though I have slept for a fortnight.” “Go home.” I started to object but she said demetevler escort bayan it again and clearly meant it. “Don’t come in until Monday. Promise me. You’re doing a great job, Sam and I need you alert and firing on all cylinders.” I went home, stripped off and ran a bath. I ran it hot and deep and stepped in gingerly, allowing my skin to acclimatize to the heat. The bubbles almost flowed over the tub’s edge. “Hey Sam, room for one more in there?” I must have nodded off because there was Babs, naked and standing by the bath. She grinned her wolfish grin, kissed me and stepped in with me, facing me. “Fuck, that’s hot.” “So are you.” “I’m under strict orders to make you sleep and sleep you shall.” “Later.” “Well, obviously!” We got out of the bath but not before her toes and mine had explored a few intimate places. We kissed as we dried each other and Babs led me to the bedroom. “Who’s been in here with you lately?” “You’re having a laugh, right?” “I thought not. No time, just like me, although Delphine asked me up last week. Said she was sick of Libby being either away or knackered. I told her I was the same as Libby so she went to that club in Soho apparently.” She meant the club that I occasionally went to when need overcame me. That was the end of any coherent conversation. Tired as I was, I was also hungry for Babs. Just the sight of her flat, muscular stomach, her fine tits, her red trimmed patch made me wet and she pulled me down on top of her. We kissed for a long time and she wrapped her legs around me, pushing her mound up to mine. We ground against each other slowly as our tongues danced together. It was what Babs called a languid one. We were both too tired for athletic sex but too aroused to sleep. Too aroused, that is, until our orgasms arrived separated by a few minutes and then, still wrapped together, we slept. * British elections are always held on a Thursday. By the end of Wednesday, my work was done and I crawled gratefully into my cot and slept the sleep of the dead. Babs was going to have a long Thursday, cajoling voters, stirring up the staff and generally running around like a blue-arsed fly. I drove down to the constituency with Sylvia very early on the Thursday morning. She went to her polling station and did that pose they all do as they vote for themselves. Why do the tv stations always show that? Beats me. I helped out a bit at the constituency office but I wasn’t a lot of use. Babs had it all sorted and although she had to do a lot of running about and phoning and shouting and Escort dikmen swearing, it all went smoothly. Sylvia Tenant won. She won in her constituency by a massive margin and she won the general election with a good majority. I was now working for the next Prime Minister. Champagne was already on ice at the constituency but Tenant and I had to go to Party HQ to join the great and the good in celebrating. Babs didn’t want to leave her troops. I didn’t realise then but that was the end of our relationship. Victory is only briefly celebrated before the work begins. It’s hectic. Tenant had an audience with the Queen and was invited to form a government. We sat in varying groups to work out who would get what job in the Cabinet and in Ministries. Henry Wayne called me. I wouldn’t have answered if I’d recognised his number. “Sammy, darling, Henry here.” “Henry who?” “Wayne of course. Surely you hadn’t forgotten me?” I’d tried to forget the pompous, arrogant, useless twat as quickly as possible but didn’t say so. “Marvellous campaign, Sam, really well done. I hoped you might put in a word for me with our new Fuhrer. What do you say?” “Not sure what I can do, Henry, but I’ll always be grateful you gave me the chance so I’ll see what I can do. No promises though.” “Absolutely understood, thanks so much. Always thought the world of her you know, you might tell her that.” Since he’d once said to me that she was the worst product of state schools and had the all the qualities of a hyena I knew he was lying through his teeth. ‘Idiot!’ Needless to say, I said nothing to Sylvia. She’d have thought I was insane. I went home to see Babs one evening. She opened the door and smiled. It’s funny how you just know, isn’t it? She kissed me and I felt the lack, the absence but I didn’t want to believe it. She poured me a large gin and we sat together. I touched her hand but she pulled it away and I had to admit it then, even though nothing had been said. “I’m going to America, Sam.” Just like that. “You’re right in at the thick of it and I’m down here and, well, I don’t see me going anywhere and I was offered a job.” “What job?” “A guy called Henderson. He’s running for Congress and he wants me. He’s like Tenant. A good chance he could go all the way. I’ve learned a lot from you and Sylvia and I think I could do well.” “So do I. Actually, no, I know you’ll do really, really well. Congratulations.” “You’re not mad?” “I’m sad, not mad but sad, for me. I’m happy for you and I genuinely understand.” She hooked her arm around my neck and pulled me to her. She ravaged my mouth. She leant back and looked into my eyes. We both knew ours was not a love match, it was a lust match, always had been. We had never claimed each other, expected exclusivity but we’d also known our sex was the best sex.Her hand slid over my blouse and her fingers seemed to be making a record of them, their shape and weight.