Sexual Politics

"For security purposes," she added.

"Naturally, we won't trouble ourselves with raising a family, in fact, they rather insisted on that point." She watched the rage build in him, knowing just how much he would rue the wasted years.

"Bollocks! Who's behind this," he said angrily, "I'll have their balls in a wringer by morning."

"It doesn't matter — though it is pretty much the same people who instructed me to stop seeing you in '88. Times have changed, Jack."

"Monty! Is Tim Montgomery pulling the strings?" He rose from the sofa and headed out of the room.

She didn't need to answer, other than through her expression. She heard him speak on his mobile from the hallway, heard Montgomery's name a few times; then he came back into the sitting room.

"What have you done?" she asked, actually past caring.

"You'll hear on the news. He's been doing favours for people, nothing too serious but it will douse any plans he had for leading the Party. I take it you've turned them down."

"No. I told them I needed the weekend to think it through; I wasn't certain you'd agree."

"I haven't agreed to anything, Madeline," he said, deliberately.

She raised her eyebrows, "Nice to be on first name terms... after twenty odd years."

"It's such a bloody pretentious name, I swore to myself I'd never use it... not unless... "

"Unless what?"

"Unless you agreed to marry me... then it might seem churlish not to call you by your christened name."

"Is this your idea of a proposal?" she asked, probing his skin between the buttons of his shirt.

"Well... no. I've already asked once. I don't recall you actually saying 'no'. You said, 'we can't', well now we can. And I'm not asking again."

"And that's it?"

"I suppose... though we ought to get a move on if you want to have children."

She laughed, "Is sex all you think about, Jack?"

"Yes... but only with you. Are you going to resign your seat?"

"No, but I might join the Liberal Democrats. Put some effort into where your money is going. Do you think they will let me breast feed on the front bench?"

"Either way it will cause a hell of a stir, long overdue. I keep telling people, but no one wants to listen. Parliament is a 'gentlemen's club', always has been. It is time for a change."

"Before I let you have your way with me," she pushed his hand away from where he was trying to determine if she was wearing underwear, "I need to ask you something. While I was making the lasagne, I tried to work out how many times we've made love... "

"Christ... you do like to keep busy."

"Shut up. This is serious. Best estimate is short of a hundred, most in those few weeks when I was nineteen. Thing is, Jack, we've never used contraception... "

"Ah... I can assure you, all in working order."

She looked quizzically at him, actually dreading the news.

"I had a son, in Australia. Unfortunately, he died at a few weeks old... "

"Jack... I'm so sorry," she said, squeezing his arm, "I didn't know."

"He contracted meningitis, with babies it is difficult to tell. But the time the doctors had worked it out, it was too late."

"What about the mother... I'm sorry to ask."

"She's fine. We were not serious about one another; the pregnancy was a mistake. She's married now, with a family. You and I have been lucky, that's all."

"I think we were lucky I didn't fall pregnant when I was nineteen, and I also think we've been unlucky over the years since."

He looked at her, his face beaming a smile.

"You can have me now... if you want to," she said, "I mean, you don't need to wait... "

Jack was both crude and considerate in his lovemaking. He was on her almost before she'd finished speaking, hungry, animalistic in his urgency. She enjoyed him like this, relished in being swamped by his lust, confident that he'd never hurt her, not intentionally, and aware of some primitive instinct that urged him to possess her. She liked to remain passive during these assaults, let him take full control, bend her body to his desire. His strong hands molded her limbs and her torso into near contortionist form and he'd enter her deep and hard, not caring at that moment for her pleasure, anxious only to take her, and for his own satisfaction. Most of the time she managed to orgasm simply from the excitement of his desire; and always, after he'd unloaded, he'd then turn his attention to her pleasure, and make love to her gently, slowly bringing her simmering to a shattering orgasm that she struggled to prolong until it burst uncontrollably upon her.

That night, he barely let her sleep. It was as if he had every intent of making up for the missed years in a single night. She didn't mind, she'd made her decision before she'd even called him. Maddy was happy to surrender herself to him, she wasn't prepared to do the same for the Party, and their even thinking that she might told her how far they needed to travel before being eligible to assume the mantle of high office.

- - - - - -

She knew she would walk naked with him in Nude Day parade and to do so would not signify her surrender but would serve to bind him irrevocably to her, her lifetime partner, the pretence finally swept to one side. More than that, her doing so would signify to all women their right to choose. The leaders of the Lib Dem's took the news stoically, knowing the glare of publicity she would bring now to their Party would re-new at election time and trigger the long needed debate over the functioning of parliament. They would take some flack from conservative minded voters, but still, having Maddy in their Party, vastly outweighed any adverse risk.

She made the main television news just as she knew she would, walking proudly amidst hundreds of equally naked people across the grass. Once her presence at the parade was confirmed it was natural for the cameras and reporters to seek her out; the real surprise, for both her and Jack, was the protective shield of those equally naked who gathered around her keeping the curious, inquisitive and bluntly rude media cortege at bay. The warmth and affection afforded by those walking with her was not quite her resurrection, but it certainly marked the point of her political re-birth.

I hope I've entertained, and equally hope you will vote and/or send feedback. Thank you for reading