His American Fling

by Brogan, Kim

  I knew the ball would be thrown back in my court. Men aren’t very decisive when it comes to figuring out emotional dilemmas, especially if they have to play the bad guy.

  “Well, how I want it to play out and how it probably will play out are two different things.” I moved back down the bed and into his arms again. When his warm, masculine arms slipped over my body, I felt safe again. I knew logically that this was ridiculous. I wasn’t safe. In fact, after our little escapade, I was swimming in the sea of doomed relationships without a life jacket. He kissed me on my forehead and sighed, giving me a slight squeeze as he did. I nuzzled his chest, smelling his musk and a hint of his familiar cologne. I wanted it to stay this way.

  “I won’t tell you what I want, but I will tell you how it will probably play out. We’ll have this one night, this one little reminder of what was good between us. And then tomorrow you’ll wake up and take a good look at me. I’m a middle class American woman from California. I don’t sound, look, or act like you or any of your friends. I’m incompetent at the social graces required to run in your circles. In essence, I’m probably what you, Campbell Adair needs personally, but I’ll never be what you need to navigate your life as part of the upper class. So, you’ll go back to Gemma and I’ll go back to law school. I’ll date Henry or maybe I won’t. But, I’ll soon go home and practice law back in the States and you’ll finally marry Gemma, have some little Earls and go on your merry way.”

  “Christ, you don’t think much of me, do you? You really think I’d choose the appropriate woman over the woman I wanted?”

  I noted that he didn’t say “loved.” But it didn’t matter, he was too afraid to say anything that deep right now, not until he knew what he was going to do. “I think that you’re going to be the Earl of Falkirk soon and you’ll need a woman who can help you pass through those waters. I’m hopeless; I don’t even have a paddle.”

  “Maggie, those things can be learned. You’re incredibly intelligent, you underestimate your abilities.”

  “You say these things, but you know I’m right. You know that Gemma has the social graces I lack.” We both went quiet, “I tell you what, let’s table this discussion and just enjoy our night together. I love having the feel of your body next to me.”

  I felt him exhale as if the pain was leaving his body in one woosh of breath. “Let’s go to my room, it’s warmer in there.”

  We got up and walked down the hall, pulled the covers back and Campbell climbed inside the blankets. I did a little bump and grind as I took off my clothes again, earning a lot of grins and leers from Campbell. He finally held out his arm for me to join him in bed. Picking up the covers, I could see he had enjoyed the little strip tease and was ready to bring the show to a climactic end.

  He dragged his fingertips down my spine, sending chills over my body. I played with the hair on his chest until he slid closer to me, pressing his hardness up against my body. “Maggie, you’ve got such a pretty little arse.” He grabbed my ass with his hand, fondling it while we kissed, his tongue slowly running across my bottom teeth and then lightly touching the tip of my tongue.

  Taking me from behind this time, our lovemaking reached a new level of passion. By the time we both climaxed, we were sopping wet and raw from the frenetic and rough sex.

  After he rolled off and onto his pillow, I pulled the pillow out and then rolled over to look at him. He looked so content, like a cat with a bowl of evaporated milk. I chuckled, touching his face with my hand and then leaning in to kiss his lips. We just lay, foreheads touching, watching each other.

  “Oh God, Maggie, I don’t want tomorrow to come.”

  I stroked his hair. “Damn, if I just had that Tardis contraption, we could keep going back and doing this over.”

  A slight smile crept across his otherwise sad face. “I feel like Brokeback Mountain, I don’t know how to stop these feelings.”

  “Well, that’s not exactly the quote, but it’s the gist. Let’s get a shower.”

  Turning the shower on, I heard him brushing his teeth behind me. He was leaning on the sink when he turned and cocked his head. “You said you were going to start using contraceptives. I assume you’re on the pill?”

  “No, I was given the ring to use; they said it was easier than remembering the pill each morning. Henry uses a condom and I started using the ring.”

  “Oh…so, you have the ring in now?” He sounded nervous.

  “Yes, let’s see. I’m supposed to replace it every month.” I started counting in my head, “Crap Campbell, I’ve had it in for six weeks.”

  His eyes flew open. Walking over to me, his speech was rapid and high pitched, “You’re supposed to have it in for three weeks and then out for a week so that you have your period!”

  “Don’t you think I know that? But I’ve been sick and busy! I just forgot! It’ll still work, won’t it?”

  “Don’t be daft! The hormones in the ring have probably been depleted. Have you had a period?”

  “I had some spotting a few weeks ago, but they warned me that I might have some.”

  “Maggie, do you want me to get you the morning after pill?” He asked a little too eagerly.

  I was less eager since I would be the one going through the cramping that comes with the pill. “Sure, if you want.”

  Getting into the shower, he seemed relaxed again, knowing that with a wave of his pen and a prescription pad, the problem was solved. I soaped his body down and shampooed his hair. He did the same for me. Before getting out, he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me joyfully, the way you do when you haven’t seen someone you care about for a long time. We kissed and then toweled off, I brushed my teeth before crawling in bed around midnight.

  I was warmly wrapped in Campbell’s arms, sleeping like a baby, when I heard the sound of the front door close. I racked my brain and realized we hadn’t locked up last night. A booming voice called out, “Campbell? Maggie?”

  It was Henry. I jerked, shaking Campbell as I did. Whispering, “Campbell—wake up! It’s Henry!” I jumped up and started darting around, grabbing my clothes and running down the hall. I wasn’t even sure Campbell was awake. I grabbed a gown out of my dresser and threw it over me, running to the landing, just as Henry reached the top of the stairs.

  “Mags!” He swept me up in his arms and kissed me looking great in his yellow shirt and V-neck sweater. “I drove up to apologize to Campbell. Did he tell you about our fight?”

  I shook my head, looking out of the corner of my eye down the hall to see if there was any movement in Campbell’s room. “Henry, let’s go start a pot of coffee so we can talk.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” The voice came from Campbell, who was standing in his doorway in a T-shirt and boxers.

  “I came up to fetch you for the match. If we get going soon, we can make it.”

  Campbell looked at his watch, “We have time for coffee.”

  Henry nodded. “I guess we have time for a cup.”

  We went down the steps together even though I knew that Campbell was desperate to get me alone to discuss this turn of events. We made the pot of coffee while Henry did most of the talking.

  “Mags, this weekend was the wedding of one of our friends and Campbell went bonkers when he found out that I hadn’t invited you. He appears to have adopted you as his new cause. Once he stormed out, I realized he was right, I was missing you. I’ll be in London the next two weeks, but maybe you could join me next weekend? There’s an art show in Chelsea next weekend and Fiona’s cousin is one of the artists. We’re all going.”

  I wanted to ask him about Sophia, but he’d suspect that Campbell had told me about her and I didn’t want to get him in any trouble. I could see how uncomfortable Campbell looked being in the same room with Henry and me. I decided not to rock the boat. “It depends on how much I have going on at school.”

  “That sounds fair. I’ll ring you in a few days for your answer. Now! What did you two do last night?”


  I tried not to look suspicious. I shrugged my shoulders. “We watched television, didn’t we Campbell?”

  He tried to appear bored. “Monty Python…again! Apparently the Yanks are still reliving the seventies. Maggie constantly watches Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

  I piped up, “Only a flesh wound!”

  “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” Henry blurted out.

  I laughed, “You two better get going if you’re going to make the match.” They tossed back the rest of their coffee. “Campbell, say hi to Gemma for me.”

  He turned his lip up in a snarl that only I could see from that angle. “We’ll be back later. Perhaps then, I could talk to you about your arrangements.”

  Henry piped up, “No need. Maggie, I’ve been thinking, I’ll rent a little flat up here for the two of us.”

  Campbell stepped forward, his eyes wide, voice high, “But you have an apartment in Audley End!”

  Henry thought for a second. “He has a point, perhaps I could simply bring up one of my other cars and you could use it to get to school. Then we could stay at Audley End and Campbell can restore his relationship with Gemma. She’s not too happy about you staying here.”

  I was dumbfounded. “Henry, let’s talk about this later, you two need to get going.”

  Henry glanced up at the round kitchen clock next to the door. “Yes, I’m afraid you’re right, we’ll get this all settled later. We better get a move on. Take care darling.” He gave me a kiss and as he and Campbell walked up the stairs, Campbell turned around and gave me a forlorn look. I felt horrible. Confused, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Campbell or how he felt about me. Guilty, I felt like I had cheated on Henry, who had been exceptionally contrite and kind to me. Exhausted, I was emotionally and physically depleted and yet, I needed to study and get caught up. All in all, it added up to being a crappy situation.

  Rather than go back to bed or clean up, I opted for a walk through Cambridge. I had grown to love the city with all the beautiful college buildings dating back to Edward II in 1284. The flowers, the grounds, the cobblestone streets, they all made you feel like you were living in a Merchant and Ivory movie. I sat for a while on Midsummer Common before making my way back to the house and studying. I was in bed when I heard voices downstairs, raised voices, angry voices. Gemma and Campbell were having a fight, a very loud and vicious fight.

  Chapter 14

  Putting Dead Things to Rest

  “You acted horribly this weekend. Why shouldn’t I go off with Peter? At least he made me laugh? We just went for a drive.”

  Maggie could hear Gemma’s voice from inside her room. She didn’t even have to sneak out to the landing to listen.

  “A drive? You traipsed off to his flat like a lovesick schoolgirl!” Campbell’s voice was vitriolic.

  “Oh, pishaw!” Gemma sounded exasperated, “You drove home to be with your American waif, what was I supposed to do?”

  “You told me to leave!”

  Gemma crossed her arms over her chest. “Of course I told you to leave. You were acting like a pillock.”

  Maggie walked to her door and put her ear up to it, things had gone quiet. She couldn’t hear anything so she slipped the door open a crack, finally hearing them. They were down in the kitchen. She sneaked down the stairs and hovered above the steps to the kitchen trying to listen. Finally, Gemma spoke up.

  “What are we doing, Campbell?”

  “I don’t know Gemma. We seem to be back to fighting all the time.” He sounded sad, disappointed.

  “We were doing fine until your little American came along.”

  “No we weren’t…”

  The phone rang. Maggie heard someone pick it up. Campbell’s voice answered, “Hello?... Yes?” There was a long pause and then there was a certain urgency to his voice, “Yes, of course, I’ll be right there. Yes, of course…uh, an hour at the most.” He hung up.

  “Campbell, you look white as a ghost! What is it?” Gemma sounded genuinely concerned.

  Maggie couldn’t help it, she ran down the stairs, pretending that she hadn’t heard anything and was just getting something to drink. “Oh! You’re home! Sorry, I was just coming down to get something to drink.” Maggie immediately took in the situation. Gemma was staring at Campbell, her arms defensively across her chest, waiting for a response. Campbell’s hands were on the edge of the counter where he was leaning at a forty-five degree angle, head down. Maggie saw Campbell’s distress and her heart cramped. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Campbell, what is it?”

  He took a deep breath, but his voice was hoarse, “My father is at Saffron Walden General, he’s had a massive stroke, they don’t think he’ll live out the night.”

  Maggie’s hand slid to his back, she went to hold him, but Gemma immediately intervened, “Maggie!” Gemma barked, “Please, this is a private matter. Could you leave us?”

  Maggie looked at Campbell, but he was too dazed to say or do anything about it. Gemma delicately removed Maggie’s hand, replacing it with her arm.

  “Darling, let me drive you. Come on, there’s no way you should drive over there alone.”

  He stood up and walked in a fugue towards the stairs and up to the foyer where he grabbed his jacket. Gemma took the keys from the table and they were out the door. Maggie felt helpless. She went up and sat on the steps, staring at the front door as if she were waiting for Campbell to reappear.

  The phone rang. Worried that it had something to do with his father, Maggie picked it up, “Hello?”

  “Hello?” There was confusion on the other end and then a sound of recognition, “Oh! Maggie? Is it you?”

  “Yes, Fiona, it’s me.”

  “Is Campbell there or is he on his way to Saffron Walden?”

  “He’s on his way to see his father.”

  “Well, I’m about five miles from Cambridge, I’m coming to pick you up and we’ll go down together.”

  Maggie was surprised. “Me? You’re picking up me?”

  “Yes, we can talk on the way to Saffron Walden. Pack an overnight bag and be ready, I’ll be there soon.”

  There was a click and Maggie stood for a moment staring at the phone. But, knowing Fiona, there had to be a reason for her to want her there, so Maggie bounded up the stairs and stripped down, putting on a nice pair of black slacks and a white cable knit sweater. Turning back to her suitcase, she threw some more clothes into her backpack and, as she was running to the bathroom to get her toothbrush and toiletries, heard the front door close and Fiona call out.

  “Maggie, are you ready?”

  “Just a sec, I’ll be right down,” she yelled.

  “Fancy a cuppa before we go?”

  Maggie started down the stairs. “Sure if you think we have time?”

  “I don’t imagine she can do too much damage in the time to make tea.”

  Maggie watched Fiona fill the electric kettle and prepare the tea pot. “She? Damage?”

  Fiona sighed with frustration. “Yes, Gemma. The damage that Gemma can do. Especially now that Campbell is so vulnerable. You two slept together last night, didn’t you?”

  Maggie’s mouth dropped open and she blushed seven shades of red. “Excuse me?”

  Fiona snickered. “Your scarlet flesh speaks volumes. For God’s sakes, don’t worry, it’s fine with me. I’m jolly glad you did. I’m sorry to be so blunt, but I had to know before we leave. You know, they all had a huge quarrel because of you.”

  “I knew they had an argument—“

  “Oh, no! It was a huge row! Friday Campbell gave Henry an earful for not inviting you after everything you’d been through. He was also appalled that Henry had slept with Sophia Thursday night. Campbell actually turned red with anger. Of course, Henry was suffering because Sophia once again told Henry that she cared for him, but didn’t want to marry him as long as he was in love with someone else. Gemma gave Campbell’s ears a boxing for sticking up for you. She’s suspicious because Campbell
isn’t one to come to the defense of someone unless he cares about them. I could see during the argument with Henry that Campbell had it bad for you, but that’s because I know him so well. Cream?” Fiona held out the creamer.

  “Yes, please. But, Fiona, how did you know about last night? I mean, Campbell and me...” Maggie trailed off, realizing that she had admitted that she had cheated on Henry.

  “Maggie, I’m not here to judge you. I just know that Campbell was almost giddy this summer when he was with you. He’s miserable with Gemma, but he just can’t see past the blue blood in his veins.”

  “You’ve lost me.”

  Fiona took a sip of her tea and then began, “After the rows this weekend, I was convinced that Campbell would see the light and kick Gemma to the streets and then embrace his favorite Colonist. And I assumed that Gemma would have probably turned her eyes to one of our other friends, probably Peter who is a Viscount. She wants a title so badly, she can taste it. Her father is rich and an OBE, but he has no title to hand down to her. She’s been like a buzzard circling around our friends for years. I was sad when she finally got her talons into Campbell. I find it all to be distasteful.”

  “How do you know that I don’t want him for his title?”

  “Because when you walked out on him you stayed away, got on with your life. I liked that. You never made a demand that he marry you like she did.”

  “So, why am I going with you to Saffron Walden?”

  “My mother was with Campbell’s parents when his father collapsed, she called me immediately. Now that Campbell’s father is actually dying, Gemma is probably salivating. She sees the prize in her reach. She’s going to pull out all stops to get him. Which means that you have to hover—let him know he has options.”

  Maggie started shaking her head, “I’m not going to hover, Fiona. Either he wants me or he wants Gemma. I’m not going to go and do some dog and pony show so that he’ll pick me.”