Chapter 3

In the month that Andrew had been away Tony and Maggie had been busy. Between Maggie and Elspeth all of the old shoots, hundreds of them, had been entered into the program. Looking through the reports, sorted against different fields, they had discovered several older sets, early sets, of popular models. Some, like Naomi’s first set were never going to be published, but others were a possibility. There was lots of dialogue and communication back and forth but nobody had bought anything yet. But they were hopeful. Remarkably three of Stacey and Elspeth’s friends had booked fantasy shoots, and had decided that they would prefer Andrew as the photographer. Tony was also doing some of these shoots but Stacey and Elspeth had talked up Andrew and their friends were going to wait. Other than that things were moving forward; the shop was busy in the run up to Christmas and both the studio and darkroom had lots of bookings. The studio was close to 70% booked now, with the only significant chunks of free time being the weekday mornings. There was someone in there that afternoon. If they started selling some of the shoots then they were well placed.

The one other interesting thing Tony had done was buy another photographer’s portfolio of work. In this case it came about by chance. An old acquaintance of Tony’s, of his father’s generation, had based away and the widow had been in touch to see if Tony was interested in buying all his old camera equipment. Tony had gone to meet her and during the conversation she had mentioned that she was going to throw out all the old boxes of photographs. None of them were of the family and they were just going to be dumped. Rather than haggle over individual items Tony offered a modest amount for everything. He would dispose of anything that was broken or no use and would get rid of all the photos. It was as if she did an estate sale just of the photography stuff. The widow was delighted to get rid of ‘all that old junk’ and so returned with the back of the car piled high. Now Elspeth and Maggie had five boxes of additional shoots to enter in the program.

“Tank had photographs going back more than 35 years.”

You could tell what Duncan Millar, the deceased, did during the war.

“I gave Jessie a couple of hundred quid for the lot. More than the cameras are worth but he was a decent amateur photographer and I figured there will be stuff we can sell in among all those prints.”

It was a gamble but selling a couple of shoots from all the photographs would recoup that and more. Tony instinctively recognised an opportunity.

On the property front, the sale had closed the week after Andrew had returned to Cambridge, and in the intervening three weeks the old buildings on the site had been demolished. This had been planned and approved for months but was on hold with the sale. When the sale closed the buildings were torn down immediately. That had been one thing Hillier’s had checked very carefully. They were old buildings and fortunately for everybody had not been insulated with asbestos. They appeared to have been one step up from glorified barns. So now they owned a large plot of land with no buildings on it. Mhairi had suggested getting a second valuation of the property and that had been received. Rather than Hillier’s valuation of a range just below half a million pounds, the new valuation was a range with a base of half a million pounds and extending up from there. It made it easy for rolling into the property fund, Andrew and Tony offered a £0.5m piece of land in lieu of cash. All of that paperwork was still to be finalised but they were done. The last piece of business was that The EPIC Partnership had been set up and any sales of photographs were going to be through it.

It was only once these updates were discussed that Andrew dropped his bombshell news about Paris. They were both stunned into silence. For about a second.

“Real commercials that are going to be shown on the TV?”

Andrew nodded.

“And they are going to be like the shoot in March?”

Another nod. Maggie blew out her cheeks. She turned to Tony with a wicked smirk.

“He has been hanging out with us too long hasn’t he. Filming racy commercials in Paris. Bloody hell.”

“Mags has that right. Bloody hell Andrew. You will be filmed with your kit off. Completely.”

“Yes, although it will be edited to above the waist at the front.”

Maggie had stopped smirking and had swung the other way.

“Are you sure about this Andrew? This is television, it isn’t even print. After everything that I have talked about, you are okay with this?”

“I am not walking into this blind and unthinking. I have thought about this a lot. The big thing is that there is a double standard. Topless women are sexualised and topless men are not. I can’t change that. In ten years’ time nobody is going to care, in 10 months’ time nobody is going to care. If I am working at a construction firm, or an engineering consultancy you know that it is all going to be taking the piss or mild jealousy. My friend Heloise wants to do this to expand the breadth of her career. She only wants to shoot with me.”

Andrew shrugged.

“Your friend Heloise, the most famous model in France?”

He smiled and nodded at Tony’s characterisation. Maggie had been thinking about what Andrew had said.

“I wish I could disagree with you but it is true. Annoying but true. Here I am thinking I am the naked exhibitionist of the three of us and you go and do this.”

“The way the commercials are being shot, with at least some male and female nudity, they could never be shown here. But I also got Mhairi to write into the contract that they can’t be shown here. I just hope I don’t stink up the joint when I am there. An actor I am not.”

“Maybe not, but even the worst actor can stand in front of a naked woman and look lustful.”

“I hope so. One of the things that will be a challenge is if they want either feigned ecstasy or superior disinterest. You both know that I never shoot like that if I can help it. I think it looks more natural and real when the model is relaxed and smiling. What is the right way to say it. Something like ‘I know I am hot but I am having fun and I bet you can’t believe you get to see someone like me looking so happy’.”

With a catch phrase like that it was clear Andrew was not David Ogilvy’s successor.

“Yes, you always want me to smile and laugh. Often other photographers wanted me to be more serious, as you said, do the whole feigned ecstasy thing. But there is a reason everyone pushes for it, it sells.”

“That is what I mean. I don’t know how the actual shoot will go. Sure we will be wearing robes and towels and not even them half the time. But it is about conveying love, lust, attraction. Maybe it is different when there is another model there. I don’t know. It is when I think about stuff like that that I realise I am a rank amateur. I am more worried about the acting than I am about the nudity. They don’t expect my arse to act, they do expect the rest of me.”

“You will have a lot of tales to tell. When are you back?”

Andrew explained the timing and again confessed why they were in London at the start of the following week. Maggie and Tony’s reaction was pretty well a mirror of Pete’s.

“It puts it all into perspective. This will sound stupid and is almost cruel based on the circumstances but you know I don’t mean it that way. But ever since January 1979 everything in your life has been a bonus. When you sold the company and made all the money for this cancer research trust it is a double bonus. You have the absolutely bloody perfect attitude to doing something like this. Even if this all blew up in your face you have still achieved more than almost the entire rest of the population. And you beat cancer. When you look at it from what you have done, it is almost as if we should be disappointed if you didn’t do this.”

Tony’s speech was clunky but Andrew knew what he meant. When you win at the casino and are playing with ‘house money’ it is more fun, more relaxing. Andrew had beaten cancer; the rest of his life was house money. As Tony said the money was as if he had bet the lot on black number 11 and it had landed there. It was at that moment that Andrew thought about the phrase from that terrible penultimate meeting with Faith; Living Two Lives. So in a halting voice he talked to his friends about it. There were too many silos and his promise to Faith drove a lot of his behaviour. It was only 10 minutes but Maggie was crying and Tony was doing some rapid blinking.

“What made you tell us?”

“I have too many secrets. The way Tony described it was talking round the phrase, one that I had never talked about. But it drives so much of my behaviour, the restlessness, the jumping in and having adventures. And it helps explain my attitude to stuff like this. As you can tell it is not a story I share very much. Hah, very much. Hardly ever. Half a dozen people maybe. Not many more.”

Andrew stopped and thought. Leslie and her parents, Julian, Suzanne, his own parents and Ron down in Cambridge, and now Maggie and Tony. Ten in total. Maggie came over and pulled Andrew up for a hug and Tony was right behind her.

Although the afternoon ended on a sombre note, Andrew was not upset. His life was horribly over-compartmentalised and he needed to knock some of it down. He had known Tony, and Maggie, longer than anyone in his life, other than Pete. It felt good to be truthful, even if it was about a difficult subject. At dinner with the Campbells Andrew was relaxed and it was the usual fun time. The main topic of conversation at the start was Leslie and Julian’s engagement Party.

“Julian has offered to host it at Murrayfield, at the clubhouse. There is a lovely function room there.”

Andrew listened to Mary with half-interest but it was not about him, he would only have to say something at the wedding. Events such as these seemed to be designed to let the parents show off as much as anything. Given both father’s standing in the Edinburgh business community it would end up like Jim and Freya’s wedding, large and unwieldy. Andrew was also intrigued to meet some of Leslie and Julian’s friends. Just like him, they often felt isolated or separate because of the money, even if it was only in their head.

“Andrew!”

He looked round, surprised at the sharp tone.

“I swear you go deaf when you start thinking.”

He looked a bit abashed.

“Sorry. What did I miss?”

“We were talking timing, the Saturday between Christmas and New Year. It is not available before Christmas, too many parties. Are you going to Glasgow?”

“No idea. Why?”

“We are inviting Fran and Nikki, I wanted to know your plans.”

Andrew hadn’t given Christmas much thought. Last year had been such a shitshow that he had tried to forget it. If he stayed away another year then the estrangement would only deepen. Nikki and Fran could stay at the flat, for how long would depend on Fran’s shifts. He would talk to his Grandma and find out what was happening for Christmas. The rest of the evening went by in a flash. There was no business talked about, unusual for them, it could all wait for a couple more weeks. The pair of them drove Andrew back to the station in his own car. Well, for a little while longer.

“I know this is stupid, but I hate car shopping. Can I keep the Golf Andrew? I will give you some money for it but I like it. It is small, fast, light, easy to drive. I don’t want to have to deal with car salesmen.”

What was unsaid was that she was stubbornly independent and didn’t want her dad or Julian to go with her, or for her. Easiest solution, take Andrew’s car. He just laughed.

“I was talking to Pete about this on Friday night. It is not unexpected. I will look at getting a new one when I return, then we can transfer this one over to you. It is not worth much, so don’t worry about the money.”

“No Andrew, I have to give you something.”

“Rubbish. But I am not going to fight you. Look, if I ever drive the Ferrari up here I will need to keep it in a garage to make sure it is safe. There’s the price, Ferrari garaging.”

It made Leslie stop and think.

“You know, I hadn’t thought about that. You can hardly park it in the street in Marchmont. Okay, deal.”

Andrew turned and looked at Julian.

“Hey, do you want to come with me when I look for a new car? You’ve had that Capri for a while. We can do a couple of test drives. I am going to get another Golf but you could see what is out there.”

Julian was crammed in the back seat but Andrew could see him thinking about it.

“I will come with you for sure, let me think about trading in the Capri. Is there a Ferrari dealer in Edinburgh?”

Leslie just laughed derisively, as a wind up it failed miserably. So the two of them acted like 7 year olds for the rest of the journey wondering about ever more outlandish cars. Leslie? She nearly crashed she rolled her eyes so many times. Andrew was still smiling 40 minutes later in his sleeper berth.

By the time he got back to his room on Monday night it was 11.00. He had gone from the station to the Department, and classes were just as intense with three days of the term left, and from there straight to Addenbrooke’s. His evening volunteering shift had run late for no specific reason, just lots of odds and ends. He explained to Tim and Kevin, the two teenage boys that he had spoken to the previous week, that he had gone home to Edinburgh for the weekend. The chat had ranged quite freely and although it was not much more than 20 minutes, it felt substantial, or at least substantive. But by the time Andrew got back to College he was tired and went straight to bed.

When he got back from the pool there was a note on his door to go and get Abi on the way to Hall. Andrew smiled at her impatience. They would have a minute to talk before they got to Hall for breakfast and he had OTC that night. Abi however had other plans. When Andrew knocked on the door it was pulled open and he was yanked inside. Andrew was being kissed before the door latched shut. He dropped his backpack and pulled Abi tight against him. When they finally broke apart her eyes were sparkling, and Andrew was sure his were too.

“Well good morning to you too.”

“If we didn’t have class right now it would be a very good morning. I expect you back promptly after OTC tonight Andrew.”

Hardly knowing whether he was coming or going, they were down the stairs on the way to Hall seconds later. Andrew’s smile could have been seen from space. Classes had a way of wiping the smile off his face and that day was no different. Lectures finished on Wednesday while their last labs were Thursday morning. But the first term of 2^nd year was almost over.

OTC was painful for two reasons. Even before he left for OTC Abi had stripped and climbed into Andrew’s bed, just to torment him, her peals of laughter painful to his ears as he walked down the stairs. The second was that all anyone cared about that night were the arrangements and preparations for Friday night’s bash. But eventually the evening dragged to a conclusion.

Andrew knew that Abi got dressed and sat and worked at the computer while he was away, but when he returned to his room she was exactly as Andrew had left her, naked in his bed. When he came into his room Abi’s smile rivalled his of that morning. As Andrew was fighting to get out of his uniform as quickly as possible Abi grabbed a pillow and knelt in front of him. Nervous determination was the best description of her look. There were no tentative licks or hesitant kisses she opened her mouth and the head of his cock disappeared between her lips. Her eyes were down at first but then her face turned up and the look was what? The look was whatever his imagination wanted it to mean. Approval, satisfaction, delight, naughtiness. A beautiful blonde giving her first blowjob, tongue randomly teasing the underside of his corona, this was only going to have one ending. And soon.

“I am close.”

At least Andrew gave Abi a warning. All she did was redouble her efforts while trying to smile up at him. Close became now.

Abi’s first blowjob ended with her swallowing some, some dribbling out her mouth onto her tits and with some up her nose from Andrew’s second pulse which she struggled to contain as she coughed on the first pulse. She looked a little shocked and stunned at the turn of events but Andrew handed her a towel before pulling her to her feet and kissing her soundly. Pushing her back on the bed Andrew dove between her thighs. There was no foreplay needed with Abi, she was hot and horny already, this minor interlude was to allow him a couple of minutes to recover. And he liked eating pussy. So of course he didn’t touch her there. Both thighs were kissed and caressed, nibbled, it was all tease. But the powers of youthful recovery were as ever a wonder and Andrew stopped his torment and wrapped up quickly. Abi had sat up and was leaning on her elbows watching him. Andrew bent over and kissed her.

“When you can take no more say ‘mercy’.”

Her look of confusion gave way to pleasure as Andrew drove into her. She was slick and turned on. Sliding his hands under Abi’s bum Andrew pulled her towards him and leaned back onto his knees. He had done nothing like this to Abi before but once he closed his eyes and got into the rhythm, focusing on nothing but her pleasure, she realised what he was doing. The second orgasm followed the first very quickly and when he pressed down on her mons pubis, effectively getting the g-spot from both sides, she pleaded for mercy. Slowly lowering her back to the bed Andrew lay beside her waiting for her to recover. Abi turned towards him and mumbled into his chest.

“I will beat that smug expression off your face Andrew McLeod. What the hell did you do to me?”

Andrew guessed it was rhetorical and just rubbed her back letting her regain her equilibrium. Abi pulled herself up onto his chest and stretched long and thin down his body. She looked at him.

“I try to give you a night to remember, I am all ready to rock your world and then you do this crazy sex move on me. I am an innocent country girl, not wise to your big city ways.”

Abi might have been down but she was not out. Andrew pulled her to him and they kissed for a long time.

“That’s what you get for teasing me before you left. Have you ever tried to march when all you can think about is the hot blonde lying naked in your bed?”

He caressed her arse and kissed her again.

“We never talk any more, all you want is my body. My eyes are up here.”

His mock whining made her snort and just so he didn’t think that this sort of thing was to be tolerated he got a whack for good measure.

“If you had told me at the end of last year that before the end of this term I would be lying naked in the arms of a man laughing about sex I would have thought you were crazy. Sex is fun with you Andrew. No big deal, just endless orgasms and lots of kissing and hugging. Never mind all the peripheral stuff.”

She stopped.

“I have about a thousand things I want to talk to you about, or discuss or, oh I don’t know. You make me so crazy with your wicked ways. No sex tomorrow until we talk. Bad Andrew.”

What Abi was forgetting was that Andrew had not come. They had stopped before he was close to blowing. Andrew stopped Abi’s chat with a kiss, his long arms curled under her arse and started stroking her pussy lips. His kiss stifled her gasp before he began kissing her neck. He started murmuring in her ear, nothing that made sense, just teasing her. The prospect of continuing to fuck Abi had already worked its magic on him and with a quick check to make sure that the condom was still rolled down tight, Andrew lifted Abi up and lined her up with his cock. It took a second for them to seat properly but then he was buried deep inside her. Holding Abi’s arse Andrew flipped her onto her back. Abi wrapped her legs round him but flung her arms wide. She looked fantastic, and she knew it, but in the end it was all mental. The look on her face, the way she held his gaze, the whispered ‘harder’. All to soon Andrew was holding himself up, struggling to not squash Abi, as he came down from his orgasm. The talking could wait for the next day, they were back in bed after quick pee trips, and minutes later were both fast asleep.