Another essay, another glimpse at an officer back from overseas duty and the places he visits with his girl.
*
The sweet tart red tropical juice trickled down my throat and soothed away the heat. How considerate of the room steward to leave the pitcher and ice, I thought. His soft comment earlier in the morning however, deeply concerned me. Spoken as I left the breakfast veranda in a quiet aside and meant to be complimentary, the effect was like a depth charge to my psyche.
"Missy not so young anymore, but still very pretty!"
The white rattan-framed oval cheval mirror slanted back just a little so I could see my entire body at once. Standing before it, I cupped my palms on the peaches n' cream skin of my full breasts, raising them so they pressed together. I saw a deep, inviting valley scented with lavender and sprinkled with a few auburn freckles. Two soft rose areolas on either side and the deeper rose of pinched-out fat eraser-sized nipples cresting sweetly on each soft rose pool.
I tilted my head, my wavy bright auburn hair pouring over my shoulder. My green eyes were critical, examining my no-longer-ingΓ©nue body as a man might do. Yes, breasts were still firm and with only a slight dip... yes, waistline was appealing, though there was a worrisome softness below my navel and my ribs and hipbones were no longer prominent as they were 10 years ago.
Hmmm... my eyes traveled up from my feet... long legs... still very attractive ankles, calves shapely from stair climbing and "power" walking... thighs? (oh dear!) A little extra padding, a few puckery bits.... I touched them and tried to smooth my skin. Turning to the view from behind, hoping at least my gently sloping bottom with sensual dimples just above my tailbone had remained the same... it had. I smiled.
I glanced at my face in the glass, and slid my hands luxuriously up into the back of my hair, piling it high on my head and purring with how good it felt to stretch like a lazy cat in this glorious sunshine. I looked out under long deep brown lashes at my freckled nose and the smooth skin of my face and laughed at the critical evaluation. Laughter lines rayed from my eyes and I just shook my head. So what? Did I really expect to have lived this long and still look like a teenager?
Reaching to the matching white rattan divan, I pulled my sapphire blue silk wrapper around my sun-warmed skin and turned, planning to take a towel to the beach below. My heart paused as I heard a low wolf's whistle. The tall man took two steps closer and raised an eyebrow at my narcissistic display.
"So... do you like what you see in the mirror?" He questioned me, the mellow baritone of his voice containing not just the query but a command to answer honestly.
I tugged the silk sash around my waist and twisted the ends in a bow. My palms felt damp with nervousness. This man... oh, this man who once filled my dreams and now my days and nights with his time spent in R & R from his unit... it was his opinion I craved, and now he wanted mine.