This story is set in spring 1981 and will reflect attitudes from that time. Bear in mind that means no internet, no smartphones, no social media so there is a better chance of getting away with things.
I have deliberately chosen to generally have longish sections where little sexual activity takes place. There will be back story and usually some flirtation before sexual activity takes place. That reflects my own preference in stories, but YMMV.
It has characters from earlier stories of mine and there is a strong link to Breaking the Speed Limit, but it is not necessary to read that one to understand what is going on here.
This will probably be in four parts.
/........................................................................................................................................................./
Alan Hampton took the train north to Coketown on Friday evening feeling annoyed and frustrated with his girlfriend. He was frustrated because he had been going out with Jill Summers for three years and engaged for two years now and she had neither settled a date for the wedding nor let him have sex with her. She insisted on him paying for separate hotel rooms if they went away together or on him sleeping on the couch if visiting friends. She was beautiful and intelligent though and he lay awake at night imagining making love to her.
He cursed that bastard who had fucked her, dumped her, and boasted about it. It had left her emotionally vulnerable. It would have been easier if he had been certain that she was incapable of letting herself go sexually. They could have agreed to just be good friends, but regularly she would nearly succumb. In recent months it had been more frustrating than ever. She was more demonstrative in public and once they got back to her flat she would usually invite him in for coffee. She would seem receptive, especially if they had danced together, but once his hand was touching her knickers she would panic, push him away and start crying.
He was annoyed that she had not travelled with him this time. He was seeking to be a Conservative party candidate in a seat where there was likely to be an upcoming by-election. The current Labour MP was known to be in ill health and so it was necessary to select a candidate quickly. It was understood that he had no chance of winning the seat even if selected and the likelihood was that a local candidate would be picked. Still if would help with his future political career if he were nominated and ran in a by-election. He had been told that the likely progression was that he would be allowed to run in a no chance seat at the next election and then be given a real chance at the following election if he was seen as having fought a good campaign. If he put up a good showing in a by-election, it would increase the chances at getting a winnable seat at the next election rather than the one afterwards.
The briefing that he had had from the friends he had in the party was that local associations preferred candidates with wives or girlfriends who would be happy to play a part in constituency life. One current MP had in the bar after a meeting with prospective candidates had put forward a blunter reason. "Frankly I couldn't care less where a man puts his prick in private, but there is no point in putting up a candidate in a northern seat whom the voters think is a bender."
He had immersed himself in learning about constituency over the last few months. He had visited the constituency five times and had subscribed to the local paper. He knew the major employers, the recent successes and failures of the local soccer and rugby league teams and believed himself to be a strong candidate. He wanted to do the best for the country. He believed that what the PM was doing was mostly necessary, but that in ten years' time there would need to be a move back towards more consensual politics. If only Jill would recognise how important this was to him.
Jill had come up with him for one weekend last November to walk round the constituency while he was doing the research. She must not have been listening to him properly when he had told her that the main purpose of the visit was to research the constituency. This had resulted in an argument on Saturday lunchtime, and she had refused to go with him that afternoon and had claimed to feel ill that evening. That was unfair. She had looked horribly unwell next day. They'd made up and she had forgiven him. He had agreed not to drag her along on any more research visits and she had said that if a local party called him for an interview she would go along with him.
She had had a wedding to go to at the time of the first interview. The constituency chairman had accepted the excuse and even claimed to be impressed that she had let him desert her for the hustings.
This weekend they would choose the candidate and there would be two separate interviews. The first was on Saturday when they would narrow the remaining four candidates down to two and then there would be the final selection on Sunday.
He'd told Jill that she could come up with him on Friday night, chat with the local party members before the hustings and stay the night in another room which he had booked for two nights. She had at first agreed to that provided that they went to a different hotel than the first time.
On Thursday night he had briefed her about the most important people on the committee who she should make conversation with. He told her about the constituency chairman who enjoyed speaking to women and behaved as though he was thing of beauty and a boy forever. He warned her that he would be likely to flirt with her. She had asked the man's name and he had told her Rupert Grimsdyke. He had added that he was a dapper man in his late fifties who had served in the RAF during World War Two.
Then yesterday afternoon she had told him that a friend who had just broken up with her boyfriend needed her support that night, but she would travel up on the Saturday to join him in time to go to the hustings or at any rate on the Saturday evening. She had chosen to tell him while he was teaching the upper sixth history class so that he could not argue with her. He reminded her of the name of the hotel he was staying at, the time she would need to arrive at the hotel by to go with him to the hustings and that a room for herself was already booked and paid for. They spoke quietly, but he suspected that the class must have spotted something was up.
He got into the Castle Hotel at eight on Friday evening and spent some time reading this week's issue of the local newspaper, the Bugle. He met Douglas Allardyce, the representative from party central office, for a quick drink. Douglas said that it was likely that the local candidate would be chosen, but that he was in with a shout. He made it clear that it would help his chances if Jill were there tomorrow.
He had an early night but had difficulty getting off to sleep. He lay in bed imagining having sex. To make things worse he actually found it easier to wank to the image of having sex with one of his students Rebecca rather than Jill. Both were tallish brunettes and had long hair. Jill dressed elegantly while, apart from that one time, he had only seen Rebecca dressed plainly. They had very different hairstyles.
It helped that he knew that Rebecca accepted that it was reasonable for men to expect her to get her tits out and give hand jobs on dates if her escort paid for the cinema tickets and the drinks. He doubted that she would be offended at men imagining having sex with her while Jill would be. The fact that he knew nothing would ever happen with Rebecca because it would be morally and professionally wrong to have sex with a student oddly made it easier to indulge his fantasies.
In the morning after having a light breakfast, he tried phoning the number he had been given by Jill but found that all he got was a buzzing suggesting that the number was unavailable. He called her home number but had no answer. He began to worry that she would not make it and walked round the town to steady his nerves. He returned to the hotel at around eleven and checked to see if Jill had arrived or if he had any messages. There were none and he could not see her in reception.
He had been told that he should be at the local Conservative Association no earlier than 1.00 and no later than 1.30 and after checking train times knew that if Jill had not arrived by 12.50 he would have to go to the hustings without her. It was now 11.30 and he was beginning to suspect that she was going to leave him high and dry.
He swore to himself and exited the hotel to go to the station to meet the next train. He then smelled a familiar scent and looked round. To his delight he saw Jill's ponytail hanging down her back and she was wearing a black knee length skirt and a red jacket which was her normal choice when she wanted to be smart without being overly formal. She had put her glasses on to check the name of the hotel. He regretted having doubted her and gave her a hug from behind.
"Darling, it's great to see you. I'm so glad that you could make it after all."
Jill turned and kissed him on the cheek. She then looked him in the eyes and giggled. "I think this may be a case of mistaken identity." To his shock he realised that he had embraced a stranger. The accent was not that different -- a sort of BBC English.
Alan felt embarrassed and said, "I'm sorry but I thought you were my fiancée."
"She is a lucky woman." The woman winked at him. "I wish my fiancé showed as much enthusiasm as you. My name's Eve Harrington. Delighted to meet you..."
"Alan Hampton. It's good to meet you Eve."
Eve looked at her watch. "I was just about to have a bite to eat. If Arnold is not here now he won't be here before two thirty at the earliest and I'm ravenous. Would you recommend anywhere?"
"The caff over the road is better value and quicker than the hotel. Actually, come and eat with me. I owe you for not calling the police when I kissed you."
"Lead the way, Alan."
They sat down and both ordered gammon, egg, and chips. She had coffee, and he had some water. The caff was a little smoky, but it did not matter as he knew most of the committee were chain smokers.
She asked him what he was doing in Coketown. He explained about trying to be nominated to stand as an MP as a Conservative candidate and that the choice would be made this weekend.
