Chapter 11

For the third occasion in a row, Andrew’s time in Edinburgh was chaotic. Now on each occasion the time spent there was progressively less so most of the blame lay with him. But the truncated week at the end of June in 1984 seemed to a microcosm of his life – trying to do too much.

Leslie told Andrew that Suzanne was home and so he went directly there before even returning to the flat. She stood on her front step looking wonderful, eyes peeking out from under her eyelashes and biting her bottom lip. Andrew nearly fainted from lack of blood to his brain. Neither of them spoke and they didn’t even kiss he just crushed her in a huge hug and reconnected. Eventually Andrew let her feet touch the ground again and Suzanne turned, shouted ‘bye Mum, see you on Friday night’, picked up her bag and walked with him to the car. Leslie sat smiling at their greeting and the three of them chatted away on the trip back into town. They fought traffic as it was rush hour but finally were through the city centre and heading up Marchmont Road.

“Come and see the new house Andrew. Suzanne has been here several times but you haven’t been here since we moved in.”

Now Andrew owned a house, and had done for four years but it was a trophy in a display case. His home was his flat, a small two-bedroom flat in among all the other student flats in Marchmont. It took less than three minutes to drive from his flat, and Julian’s flat, to their new house but it was a world away. Now the large Grange Cemetery acted as a buffer, a dead man’s land between student central and suburbia. As he swung into the drive of their house it was another moment where the significance of what they had done hit him. Sure, they had shown him round the place after they bought it but before they took possession, an empty rambling place with a big garden. As Julian stood at the front door to welcome him into their home there was a weightiness to the moment.

“I know.”

Julian pulled Andrew into a quick man-hug but even before he showed them in he was explaining.

“I could see it in your face. The sales agreements, the money in the bank, we know we are rich but here I am, 21 years old welcoming you into my home. What happened to us Andrew?”

Julian kissed Leslie and Suzanne and Andrew grabbed Suzanne’s hand and followed them into the house. More than half the place was either sparsely furnished or all but empty but they had been in for less than six weeks. It was entirely possible they would be living there for the next 50 or 60 years so they had time. They stood out on the back terrace and looked out over the garden.

“Dinner is here tomorrow night, the two of you, both of our parents and us. Is there anyone else you want me to invite?”

Andrew never even thought about asking his parents. With Tony and Maggie still on holiday, other than Fran and Nikki in Glasgow there was no one else here he needed to see that urgently.

“So is this the first of thousands of dinner parties here?” He teased.

Leslie whacked his arm.

“No, it is the middle of the week so it will be take out but you will be the first people to eat here other than our parents.”

Andrew was not so much tired as just weary and wanted to get everything into the flat and then just crash on the couch for a bit holding Suzanne in his arms. They lucked out and found parking close to the flat and between the two of them hauled the box and bags up the three flights of stairs. Everything was dumped in the hall when Andrew heard a voice, a female voice, yell.

“Hurry up, I am in here.”

He looked at Suzanne who looked equally bemused so they went to the living room. The next 20 seconds were full of screaming and shouting, all from the young lady, as they stood at the door, their mouths hanging open. It seemed that Pete had a friend staying at the flat and while he nipped out to the offie to grab some booze she had decided to surprise him in the living room upon his return. So Suzanne and Andrew walked into the room to find Melody sprawled out on the couch without a stitch on. It looked like Pete had got used to being on his own. Once Melody had a dressing gown on she started the shouting again.

“Who the hell are you and what are you doing in Pete’s flat?”

Andrew was trying, and mostly failing, not to laugh.

“I live here.”

“No you don’t, Pete lives on his own.”

She started to sound unsure of herself.

“During term time maybe but I live here during the breaks. I am Andrew.”

It was at this point that Melody finally started to calm down and put the pieces together. They left her to her embarrassment and opened his room and dumped all the bags. At this point Pete arrived back to the chaos of the flat and a pissed off girlfriend, not that any of it was his fault but he was to blame anyway. Pete had some beer in the fridge, he had gone to get wine for Melody, so Suzanne and Andrew grabbed a beer and went through to the living room.

“Typical Andrew, naked women everywhere.”

“More typically Andrew, women shouting at me.”

Andrew missed Suzanne. Leslie had been right, as always, on the drive up. He needed these people in his life. He needed the common sense of Leslie, the quiet male friendship of Julian and the sense of connection with Suzanne. Five years of togetherness. He had to blink rapidly a few times to get himself back under control. They sat there, Suzanne on his lap in his arms, just quietly drinking their beers. So much to say and yet no need to say any of it. Pete and Melody came through, both looking rather sheepish.

“Can we join you?”

“This is your place too Pete, you don’t have to ask.”

“How are you both? I must admit I didn’t know when to expect you.”

“Well if you did you forgot to tell Melody.”

Melody giggled and mock whacked Pete on the arm.

“It is a flying visit. I am working in London all summer and have my OTC camp next week. I won’t be back here during the week until the second half of September. I will be up at the weekend whenever I can manage it.”

“I have my camp next week as well. You are away the almost the whole summer?”

And so the evening started. Melody was from northern England, south of Newcastle somewhere, and had been an ever more regular presence in Pete’s life, and the flat, over the term. She was acerbic and funny and the two of them seemed happy. She just seemed to shrug off the whole ‘let’s flash my pussy to the world’ moment and treat it as if it never happened. A good attitude to have for such incidents. The four of them chatted away but Pete and Melody claimed to have plans and headed out after finishing their drinks. Andrew didn’t question it and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

“If I run out to get some takeout do you promise to be in the same position as Melody when I get back?”

Andrew had to run out the front door to avoid the attack. When he came back Suzanne, rather than being draped deliciously over the couch, was sorting through all the bags. Most of his clothes needed to be washed, or dry cleaned, but rather than deal with that they ate and talked.

“I have rather fucked up my summer by deciding to take this job in London. Leslie rightfully gave me an earful on the way home and I need to be a better friend. I am starting to act like I don’t live here already. So as you heard me tell Pete I am going to try to get up here for some of the weekends. I also would like you to come down to London.”

So far Suzanne had been chatty and enthusiastic without really saying much. Now that they were talking specifics she was unsettlingly quiet.

“Why Andrew?”

He started the response in his head three or four times before finally getting the words right.

“Life is better with you in it Suzanne, and my priorities got seriously warped while at Cambridge, especially last term. Selfishly, I miss you and want to spend time with you.”

“I would like that too. I don’t have to try to be something or somebody, with you I can be myself. After five years there are no secrets and while it is good for me, it is equally important to you.”

The frantic fucking could wait, that night was for making love. Suzanne was on the pill and they were still safe with everyone else so it was a night of condom free sex, something they could only do with each other. So Andrew sat with his back against the headboard with Suzanne riding him gently at the perfect height for kissing. It was all about reconnection.

After Andrew’s morning exercises and a lovely run round the Meadows they walked over to Warrender. The Baths were almost deserted that summer’s morning and they swam for more than 45 minutes almost pacing each other side by side in the lanes. Suzanne was in superb shape and although still wonderfully curvy you could see the muscle tone in her body. She had clearly been serious all term about continuing to work out.

Neither of them showered when they finished and quickly dressed before scampering across the road to the flat. They went straight to his room, really their room, and they closed and locked the door before stripping. Suzanne did not have Helena’s expressive eyes, she did not paint a picture with her eyes, rather she had something that Helena would never have, she was Suzanne. Just that fact, and the sight of her body had Andrew boiling much quicker than he hoped. When he threw her back on the bed, rather than grasp her breasts Andrew ran his hand over her stomach from under the crease beneath her breasts down to her groin. It was a tactile confirmation of what he had seen at the pool. She was in wonderful shape, tight across the belly, full across the hips with strength in her thighs.

As Andrew lay there between those blue white thighs, Scots are not great tanners, he just marvelled at Suzanne’s body. He lost himself in her fragment pussy, leaking her desire even before he ran his tongue across her. Just as she could have him exploding all too soon, so it was for her as well. There was no patience and subtlety that morning it was a time to rip orgasms from her, leaving her breathless and sweaty, and glorious. After her third oral orgasm Andrew just flipped her onto her stomach and she was on her knees before his hands reached her hips. The muscles of her arse rippled beneath the surface, her hips flaring perfectly drawing his hands to them. Suzanne might be the absolute epitome of the perfect woman for doggy style fucking. First of all, and most importantly, she totally got off on it, she would meet him stroke for stroke. And then the visual, oh the visual. Tousled, sweaty hair pressed down on the sheet, wide shoulders with her ample boobs peeking out the side of her rib cage before the waist narrowed, as his hands ran down her flank they were drawn in, captured, resting on her hips. Andrew looked down and he was lost. Magnificent arse, full and firm, the flesh rippling as he pulled her back onto him. And to cap it all off she had the prettiest pink little rosebud. Andrew knew what he had done to it, and what he would do again. Put that all together and it was a miracle he lasted one minute let alone three.

And best of all? Suzanne knew it. A woman who still had moments of self-doubt and body issues, but with Andrew she knew she was desired and irresistible. Three minutes later she felt the proof pumping into her. They lay face down on the bed beside each other.

“I can feel your gaze on me when we fuck like that Andrew. I love the hunger, the desire. Last night was wonderful and I wouldn’t trade it for anything but there is no doubt how much you need me, can’t keep your hands off me when we fuck like that. It is amazing, face to face, kisses and tenderness followed by a rutting from a magnificent stallion trying to drive me through the mattress. The same man, the same couple and both of them are wonderful.”

Andrew could have lain there all day, chatting and fucking the day away but he had to get to Mhairi’s office and time was marching on. He quickly showered while Suzanne cleaned up before she drove him down into the city getting him there just in time. Andrew was pretty sure she was going back to bed when she got to the flat. Unfortunately for him that was not an option. Most importantly for his own conscious Andrew wanted to play an active part and not just sluff these business decisions to others. It was more than a £1m of his money and although he trusted everyone he needed to be involved.

As usual at these investing meetings Andrew sat with Julian, the two of them seeking support from each other. They were the two who had the least expertise and often sat and listened. What was fun to see was how working with Leslie seemed to have re-invigorated Doug Somers. They were two kindred spirits and Leslie had been an attentive and willing student to all that he passed on. Andrew was the softest touch there, his setting up the art gallery rather proved that, with his head and intuition guiding him as much as the cold hard facts. Leslie was the perpetual devil’s advocate, who wanted an investing success to establish their track record, and to just prove to themselves that they could do it. They were 23, 21 and 19 and had made a lot of money through hard work, being in the right place at the right time and sheer dumb luck. What it did not bestow upon them was some kind of mystical ability to keep making money in other ways. They had actually stopped doing the one thing where they had made money. Every day during these meetings for years later, Andrew had to focus on that. But Leslie had a good business brain, they all knew their limitations and were fortunate to surround themselves with good advisors.

First off there was a lot of talk about science spin offs from university research. Universities were developing Science Parks and Research Parks across the country and across the world. Trinity College had set up Cambridge’s Science Park more than a decade earlier. So they were in no way in the vanguard. But there were opportunities for them, in some unusual and interesting places. They took some small stakes in fledgling companies and the offices on the south side of the city between the two main campuses of Edinburgh University saw a lot of activity. Did they get in at the ground level on life sciences, biotechnology or computing companies that made their reputation as well as fame and fortune? They had some small stakes in some successes and in one or two cases made outrageous returns. But in investing like this you win some and lose a lot. Some of the best ideas never made it past the initial stages and in several cases start-ups that they passed on went on to be successful.

Looking back on these early days the thing that they did consistently was believed in the power of innovation and they spent money on it. Scotland is a small country and there are very few secrets and it was no different in academia. Leslie’s idea of supporting science teaching at the high school level as well as funding research grants at university, and doing it for more than 30 years, well that made more difference than any other thing they did. Professors, researchers and universities themselves, all got more sophisticated and cynical about the investment community. CMS’ track record of spending modest but noticeable sums on basic science for decades gave them more credibility, and allowed them the opportunity to invest, than anything else.

Andrew had started this whole thing, had the idea for what became CMS, as a way to try and do something about the appalling job losses of the early 1980s. An extension and continuation of trying to make a difference. From that idea this had all come to pass and the two streams seemed very complementary. On one hand they were reviewing proposals for people, projects and companies that were looking to start up, to expand or to move into a new market. They were trying to spread that investment across the whole country and different parts of the economy. Their challenge there was that all the best opportunities were in the north east around Aberdeen, the onshore hub of the UK oil industry. At the same time as doing that they also tried to invest in completely new technology, the things coming out of the universities.

So the day was full of proposals from the universities. By the end of the day they had committed to spend another £290,000. They had £5.4m of money to invest but every day at the end of these sessions it was still disconcerting to sit there as a 19-year-old and have spent that kind of money. Yes, mostly it was their own money but it still felt like there should be a grown up involved somehow. It took Andrew many years for these feelings to completely go. Suzanne was outside and they drove home, dumped the car, and headed back across the Meadows to his Grandma’s. They stopped at the fish and chip shop and bought four fish suppers. Andrew had offered to take his Grandma, and Auntie Vi, out for dinner but she had no interest. For her, just spending time with him was good, and a fish supper was all she wanted. When he had called the previous evening she had been adamant so there they were, eating fish and chips at the kitchen table.