"You're uneasy," the woman said. "You've been uneasy all evening."
They sat in a quiet corner of the restaurant finishing their dinner. The woman was neatly dressed in a tailored blue suit a shade lighter than the man's suit. She was impeccably groomed, nearly fifty but still attractive, with short dark hair streaked with gray, fine skin, full lips painted a dark red color, and large dark eyes made even larger by mascara and eyeglasses. Her face was roundish, with high cheekbones and perfect porcelain skin. She wore small white pearls in her ears and a two-strand pearl necklace; a carved ivory bracelet circled her left wrist. Her wrists and hands were slender, with remarkably long feminine fingers. She was considerably older than the young man, nearly twenty years older; they were both attorneys. The young man was twenty-eight, with a lean athletic body, his hair neatly cut, his face still tan from a recent holiday. In addition to his dark blue suit, he wore a white shirt and a solid pale blue tie. He seemed diffident, even uncomfortable in the aura of energy projected by the woman. His name was Michael; the woman was Andrea, and she was a senior partner in the law firm where he was employed.
Now Michael looked at Andrea, his eyes studying her face. He had to admit the attraction he felt for her, an attraction he had been aware of ever since his first sight of Andrea nearly four months ago. He found older sophisticated women like Andrea particularly attractive, and Andrea seemed to have sensed it. Whenever their eyes met, he had the feeling she understood him completely. Everything about her excited him. Get hold of yourself, he thought. Any liaison with her might be dangerous; she had a great deal of power over his career. He was uncertain how to treat her, and he felt thoroughly intimidated. This dinner engagement hadn't been his idea; it was Andrea who had suggested it.
"I guess I'm not used to you," Michael said, not knowing what else to say in response to her statement that he was uneasy.
"But we've worked together."
"Yes, but this is the first time... this is the first time we've been alone together."
Andrea chuckled. "You don't need to be afraid of me, Michael. I invited you to dinner because I wanted to get to know you better. Will you promise not to be uneasy about me?"
Michael met Andrea's eyes. "All right, I promise."
"Just relax. Forget about the office. Just think about this as a date. I know I'm much older than you, but my intuition tells me you don't mind that. Am I right?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now tell me more about yourself. You said you were not in a relationship at the moment. Have you known many women?"
"Not very many."
"You're good-looking and you ought to be successful with women. Are you shy?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe sometimes I am."
"Tell me about your last relationship. What was her name?"
"Gloria."
"How old was she?"
"Forty, I think."
Andrea smiled. "Interesting. Are they always older."
He blushed. "Recently, yes."
"How nice. You don't need to be embarrassed, you know. I prefer younger men, men your age, and I'm not embarrassed about it. Sometimes young men and older women fulfill certain needs for each other. Isn't that true?"
"Yes."
"And what was Gloria like? Did she have a profession?"
He told Andrea about Gloria. Whenever he hesitated, Andrea prompted him, coaxed him to talk. He and Gloria had lived together two years. She was a high school physical education teacher, an athlete, strong-willed, sexually dominant. Andrea probed and questioned, getting him to reveal nearly everything about his relationship with Gloria. There was never a hint of judgment. When he explained how he and Gloria had split because she did not like his long hours as an attorney, Andrea nodded as if she understood everything.
"And how was the sex?" Andrea said. "Was it good?"
Michael blushed. "Yes, I think so."
"Are you that doubtful?"
"Well..."
"All right, I won't press you. Not now, anyway. But you can be frank with me, Michael. You know you can. I don't like to date anyone at the office, but you're an exception. You're delicious."
"Thanks."
"I come on strong, don't I? But that's my nature, I guess."
"I don't mind."
Avoiding Andrea's eyes, Michael felt a deep uncertainty. Should he accept if she wanted to go to bed with him? He had been warned at the beginning that social involvements with female partners could be risky.
* * *
Andrea noted his hesitation. She wanted him. She'd had her eyes on him for months, watching him work, watching him move, watching his lovely little ass and his lean body. She had suspected from the first time she'd met him that he might fancy older women. It was something in his eyes, the way he moved, his diffidence. He seemed to be hungry for something. Was he aware of it? Probably not. She wished she could see him naked right now.
Andrea had never married. She'd had lovers, many lovers, but she soon tired of them. Her career was her life. She wanted to be a federal judge. That was her objective, her priority. During the past few years, all her lovers had been younger men under thirty, some of them boys, really, inexperienced, easily managed. She had unusual sexual predilections with these young men. She was a woman of strong desires. What she liked best was fucking them, working their asses with a dildo that she wore attached to a harness. Some of her lovers were shocked by her sexual needs and bolted; others stayed and shared her games, her whims. Some of her young lovers had been bisexual before she met them; others had discovered their needs during their relationship.
None of her relationships ever lasted; a few months, four or five months at most. So far she hadn't decided what she really wanted. She had no trouble finding lovers because she was as aggressive in seducing men as she was in her career. When she wanted a young man, she usually got him. Most of them were easy, pleased to have sex with a successful older woman, pleased to be wanted by her. Did she want a permanent relationship? Was it possible? She wasn't certain, and anyway at the moment none of that mattered.
She thought she would succeed with Michael. She would have him as a lover, have fun with him, perhaps show him a side of himself he didn't know existed. Of course she would help him at the firm. She hadn't yet had any affairs with men at the firm, and if Michael knew how to be discreet, she would certainly help him in his career. She thought he was a darling, so good-looking he made her quiver. She suspected his body was perfect, smooth and graceful and admirably proportioned. She wondered what his cock and balls were like, the texture of his scrotum, the shape of his glans. Oh dear, thinking about him was exciting her. Too bad they were in a restaurant. "Come on," she said, "let's pay the check and go to my place."
* * *
As they left the table, Michael pulled his jacket down to hide his erection. They hurried out of the restaurant and into a taxi, where Andrea immediately leaned over and kissed him with passion. Michael was caught by surprise, but he quickly recovered. He kissed her back and their mouths and tongues worked, one at the other. Then Andrea slid her hand into his lap to find his cock. Her fingers carefully explored the head of his penis and the contours of the shaft through the cloth of his trousers. She gripped it and felt its warmth.
"You're as hard as a rock," she whispered, her hand squeezing him. "And big too."
"Please... let's wait." He was fearful she would make him come in the taxi. He would groan and the driver would hear it and he would be embarrassed by his loss of control.
Andrea gave his penis a final squeeze and pulled away from him. "Yes, you're right."
* * *
When they arrived in her apartment, Andrea said: "Let's have white wine."
Michael nodded. He felt strange, as though it were wrong for him to be here. But I'm definitely here, he thought. Andrea hadn't touched him again since the taxi, not even a kiss. She had larger breasts than Gloria. Whenever he imagined his hands and mouth on Andrea's breasts, it made him hot. He glanced at her legs, at her slender ankles and full calves sheathed in dark nylon. She had wide hips. He wondered if her buttocks were flabby. He didn't care. He liked women with mature bodies, ripe curves. Gloria had really been too athletic for him. Not enough flesh on her bones. Maybe that was why he hadn't minded so much when they'd ended it.
Andrea's spacious apartment was pleasant, tidy, expensively furnished. Michael wondered why Andrea was without a partner, without a man. She made a great deal of money. Why was she alone? Had she recently split with a man? He tried to imagine Andrea naked with a partner, a younger man like himself. She'd said she preferred younger men. At work, Andrea could be as tough as she looked. She had a quick mind and a formidable memory. Sometimes she was like a legal machine. But she did have a soft side; she'd been pleasant to him ever since he'd started working at the firm.
Andrea led him to one of the sofas in the large living room, then went to a small bar and returned with two glasses of white wine.
"A toast," Andrea said.
Michael nodded as he took the glass. "All right."
"What should we toast to?"
"Whatever you like."