Blind Date 37

My best friend Jerry had been trying to set me up with someone ever since my divorce nearly a year ago. At first, I'd agreed to meet at least for coffee with one or two of the women he'd introduced me to. But so recently after my separation from Cheryl my wife of nearly eleven years, the idea of getting into any kind of committed relationship again seemed far removed. And so far, each woman he'd set me up with had talked specifically of marriage, having children, and settling down. Something I no longer wanted nor was looking to find anytime soon either.

And lets face it. The last thing most of the women wanted that I'd met recently anyway, was a wolf in sheep's clothing. I really am a nice guy all things considered. But after eleven months of dating my hand periodically, short of painting lipstick on it, I was hoping for a little excitement as well as a little softer flesh than I was becoming used to.

I'd all but given up hope of meeting anyone who might just want to enjoy a reasonable friendship "with benefits" as we sometimes called it, when Jerry's wife Suzanne approached me. Even then I was hesitant, but at least it wasn't Jerry's idea. And Jerry seemed genuinely surprised when Suzanne mentioned to me over dinner that she might know someone who was looking for much of the same things I was. Provided that "Keri" would feel comfortable around me. I wondered what she meant by that, and Suzanne explained.

"Keri's been coming to my beauty shop for several years now. Twice a month, once to get her hair cut, and once for a facial and pedicure. Needless to say, I've gotten to know her fairly well."

Suzanne went on to explain that Keri had gotten divorced quite some time ago, and had had several really bad experiences with men since then. Because of it, she'd grown very cautious about meeting anyone, and like me, wasn't looking for any real long term relationships unless the absolute right guy came along. So far, none had. And so far, all the men she'd met were either phony, which Suzanne explained she hated more than anything. Or...that all they wanted to do was jump into bed with her. And not that she wasn't interested in sex herself, she was according to Suzanne. But, she wasn't looking for a couple of one-night "quick-fuck, wham-bam thank you mams" either.

Still, I was hesitant to meet her. After what Suzanne had told me, I envisioned this Keri as giving me the once-over, perhaps merely judging me in a single glance as just another guy looking to get laid. Which I was of course, but I was also willing as well as hoping for a little more than that. Not much perhaps, for now, but at least someone that I could go out and have some fun with, and then perhaps sleep with for no other reason than to have a good time. Like that was ever going to happen.

"Well? Think you might be interested?" Suzanne asked me.

She'd already given me a general description of her earlier. Average height, long dark auburn hair that she wore much of the time in a ponytail, slim, though Suzanne had added after the fact, having nice "tits" as even she'd called them. Though I know that was specifically designed to peak my interest. Which it did of course.

"Well, maybe. Yeah...I guess," I finally said making up my mind. "Why not?"

"Oh...there is just one more thing," Suzanne threw out at me as though having forgotten something.

I was already hearing the "but" in her comment. Obviously it wasn't the fact she wasn't at least reasonably attractive. Suzanne wouldn't do that to me. And I trusted her judgment enough, at least to know she wouldn't set me up with some homely lonely woman.

"Yes?" I questioned worriedly, wondering now if Keri had spent any prison time for anything. She laughed, seeing the expression on my face, which made the worried look even more pronounced as I began to wonder what the "but" was.

"Keri's blind," she said simply.

"You mean blind as in can't see at all? Or blind in that she wears coke bottles for glasses?" I asked, not at all sure if either one was much of an improvement over the other.

"Blind as in blind," Suzanne said, amusement no longer etching her face. "That's something that you really shouldn't let bother you, she really is a very beautiful and intelligent woman," she finished.

Though all I heard was, "And she really does have a nice personality!" Which is what half the women Jerry had set me up with didn't have.

"Shit Suzanne, I don't know," I said rethinking my earlier stance. "It's not that I really have a problem with that, but shit...that really sort of puts a cramp on the kinds of things we can go out and do together you know? I mean...it's not like we can go out to a movie together, or even bowling, or something like that."

"Why not?" she asked me point blank.

I stood, staring at her stupidly. "You can't be serious!" I exclaimed. This time at least she was smiling again.

"Be creative," she suggested. "Think of it as a challenge, something to get your mind off the normal women you've been seeing and dating recently. You just might be surprised at how interesting she really is, and how fun she can really be if you let yourself."

I thought about it. "Well, I guess she still eats," I thought aloud, sounding silly even as I said it.

"Yes, I'd imagine she does. Though I think she'd know the difference between a Big Mac and a New York steak," she stated sarcastically.

"Very funny Suzanne," I retorted, though to be perfectly honest, I truly was at a loss as to what to do, or suggest in doing with her when and if I called her.

"Oh Dan? I told her you'd call her later on this evening by the way. Might I suggest taking her out to Antonio's? I happen to know she really, really loves Italian."

#

Actually making the phone call had been easy enough, though it had taken me nearly twenty minutes to screw up the courage to do so, and only because of Suzanne's continued prompting until I finally did. And she did sound really nice over the phone. But so had my ex-mother in law, a viper with a nice smile just before she stuck her fangs into you and turned your skin black.

"Well?" Suzanne asked having left me alone once I'd actually said hello.

"I'm picking her up at her place at seven tomorrow evening," I said proudly. "We're going to Antonio's for dinner!"

#

I found myself nervous as hell as I began getting ready for the evening. I picked something out that I knew I'd be comfortable wearing, the last thing I wanted to do was sit there and sweat. But I also wanted to look nice for her too. I shaved, making sure I'd not missed any spots and left any rough patches of skin, combed my hair again, which made me laugh at myself. Suzanne had once nicknamed me "Every hair in place". Every time I went over there, she'd greet me by first running her hands through my thick head of dark hair mussing it up slightly.

"You look more attractive and sexy if you let it be just a little wild," she'd once told me. "Otherwise, you appear as though you'd just stepped out of some fashion magazine, which believe it or not, most women really don't find all that appealing," she'd added.

I'd lost a little weight because of the divorce, and though I'd never been on the heavy side anyway, flattening out my gut as well as removing the love handles that had begun to show was perhaps the best thing that could have ever happened to me. At least I had a better self-image as I stood staring at my face in the mirror. Which is when I realized how silly I really was being.

"Good hell, she's blind for Christ's sake! She could care less what I look like, or even how I'm dressed!" I realized, wondering once again if this really was such a good idea after all. "I could show up in my favorite tattered white tee-shirt, patched Levi's and she'd never know the difference!" Though I did have to admit shaving my face a little closer might not have been such a bad idea after all. Already I was imagining her later on during the evening running her hands all over my face, trying to get some sort of an idea as to what I looked like perhaps. The thought of which sent shivers running up and down my spine. I couldn't help but wonder how good she really was with her hands, amongst other things.

Still, I gave myself a final once over glancing at my image in the mirror, realizing it would for the most part be lost on her. I quickly ran my hands through my hair leaving the strands to fall wherever they felt like it, before grabbing my keys and heading outside towards my car.

"Shit Suzanne," I said to myself as I pulled out onto the street. "What HAVE I gotten myself into anyway? I mean, after all...what the fuck do we talk about? Oh hi Keri, beautiful day today wasn't it?" I would ask, and she of course would say something like, "How the fuck would I know? I'm blind you idiot!"

Half an hour later I was nervously pulling up in front of the secure apartment building where she lived. She'd already notified the doorman who stood waiting outside for my arrival, greeting me and accepting my keys though I assured him we wouldn't be long.

"I'll keep it waiting for you here then," he told me as he opened the door after first pressing the intercom announcing my arrival to her.

"Come on up!" Keri said enthusiastically. "I'll leave the door open, just come on in when you get here," she added.

It was a unique set-up where she lived. Each floor, of which there were twelve units had its own key to the elevator, and once inserted, would only allow you access to that particular floor of the apartment building provided a certain code was input along with the key. Keri had done so as the doorman had inserted his own card into the slot of the elevator, informing me I'd be getting off on the tenth floor. "Beautiful view!" I imagined, then realized once again, that I'd best be careful from making any such comments around her. No doubt, saying something like that might make her all the more aware that she'd never seen such a thing for herself. That, and asking stupid questions such as "So...what's your favorite color?" or something as idiotic as that.

As the elevator doors opened on her floor, I stepped out tentatively, noticing when I did that as she'd stated, the large doublewide doors to her suite were open. Crossing the short distance across the hallway, I stepped just inside the doors prepared to knock when I noticed her. Across the expanse of an elegantly furnished living room, which surprised me that she would surround herself in such a way, I saw her standing just outside on her balcony.

A slight breeze was stirring. The white floor-length lacy curtains billowed back into the room, parting just enough that I could see her as she stood out on the small porch as though catching the setting sun. Her hair long, free, played about her head as though a lovers hands were caressing it. I merely stood staring towards her, taking my time to check her out a moment more before announcing my arrival. At that very moment, she turned however, one arm coming up to feel for and find a portion of the curtains as they teasingly eluded her. Certain of her positioning, she entered the room.

"Ah, you're here," she stated taking me by surprise. I'd remained motionless, quiet up until then. "You're cologne," she informed me. "I caught a whiff of it outside."

"Damn," I thought silently belittling myself. I had wondered earlier if perhaps I had put too much of it on anyway.

"Too much," I said simply in defense. "I have a tendency to do that." Keri laughed, walking further into the room, reaching for and immediately finding the corner of the couch, which she obviously used as a reference point.

"Not at all, it's just right," she told me. "I just have sharper than normal senses," she explained. "So even a little I can usually pick up on."

One thing was certain. Suzanne's description of Keri hadn't done her justice. Even though she was wearing dark sunglasses, she was truly a beautiful looking woman. Far from being "Miss Every Hair in Place," especially as she had just stepped into the room from having gone outside, it was her easy demeanor, her simplicity that I noticed almost immediately. That, and yeah...she obviously did have nice looking tits too. But I glanced at them almost fractionally, even knowing I could probably stare at them if I wanted to without her ever being aware that I had.

All this had happened within a moment. Making her way from the corner of the couch, she seemed to sense what few steps it would take to reach me, stopping short, offering her hand. I took it, and saw her smile when I did.

"You have soft hands for a man," she said gently, covering the hand she held with her other hand.

I smiled without speaking. Laughing inwardly at my own private joke as soft hands or not, I'd been yearning for much softer hands, let alone a hell of a lot more than that.

"Well, shall we go then?" she asked, finally releasing my hand. Making her way towards the door, she again reached, easily locating her purse sitting atop a small nearby table. "Oh, I guess the lights are still on too," she said as an after thought. "Would you mind?"

I quickly located the nearby light switch, turning it off, throwing the room into darkness.

#

Dinner had been surprisingly good. I thought to send Suzanne a bouquet of flowers thanking her for the recommendation. We'd enjoyed our dinner, the wine, and had spent the entire evening simply getting acquainted. As much as I tried to steer the conversation back around to her, she had a knack of turning it back onto me so that before long, she knew everything there was to know about me, and I...very little more about her than I already knew.

But if I knew anything, it was that I wanted to see her again.

Arriving back at her apartments, I'd hoped to at least escort her towards the door where the security doorman stood waiting for us.

"Would you care to join me for a nightcap?" she asked.

I was grinning. So was the doorman. I slipped him a twenty, still smiling. He accepted it, smiling back.

"Ms, Peterson will let me know when its time to retrieve your car," he said taking my keys from me.

I quickly followed Keri to the elevators where she fumbled only briefly with her card, locating the slot where she inserted it, running her hands over the keypad briefly to acquaint herself before inputting the security code activating the card.

On the ride up to her floor, she moved closer towards me, just touching, barely. But enough that she knew where I was in relationship to where she stood.

Frankly, I liked that brief contact, even though there was nothing suggestive or even remotely sexual about it. Just touching, side by side as we rode towards her floor. When the doors opened, she actually reached down taking my hand.

"Lead the way," she said comfortably. So I did, remembering to turn on the lights once we'd entered her apartment.

"Don't forget the lights," she stated sitting her purse back down on the small table the moment we entered the room. "I'm used to wandering about my apartment in the dark, but I don't think you'd be," she laughed.

Keri seemed to pivot, her hand still lightly resting on top of the counter before heading directly towards a small bar off to one side of the living room. "What would you like to drink?" she asked.

"Wine would be fine," I told her, standing uneasily, unsure of where to go or what to do. I decided to head towards the bar where she now stood. The thought of her making an attempt to find me in order to hand me my glass of wine seemed certainly unreasonable. I watched as she quickly located a previously opened bottle of wine as well as two glasses.

"Merlot ok?" she questioned, already pouring.

"That's fine," I said accepting the glass that she'd perfectly poured, extending it out towards me where I took it.

"I know this will sound a little strange, but I really would like to make myself a little more comfortable. Would you mind taking our wine over to the couch? I'll be with you in a few minutes. Oh, and please make yourself comfortable too. If you're wearing a tie, feel free to remove it," she told me. I wasn't, but I did remove the sports jacket I had thrown on placing it over the back of a nearby lounge chair.

Sitting down on the couch, I watched as Keri disappeared down a short hallway towards her bedroom. Surprised, she entered her room without closing the door though I noticed she soon disappeared from sight around the corner. Still glancing in that direction however, I soon saw her image as it appeared inside a nearby mirror on her dresser. I made to avert my eyes as I saw her casually remove the dress she'd been wearing, fumbling momentarily with a hanger that she'd obviously placed in such a way as to easily locate it again. Having done so, she stepped, reaching behind, unclasping her bra. Again, I thought of looking away, but found that I couldn't. The lure of knowing I could see her, though she couldn't see me doing so was simply too much of a temptation to ignore.

"How's the wine?" she called out from the bedroom. "Why don't you grab the bottle and put it on the table?" she added a split second later.

I was still watching her, watching as she briefly massaged her breasts bringing circulation back into them after having removed her bra. Next, she sat down on the edge of the bed and began to remove her pantyhose, though at the angle I was sitting at, showed little or nothing more other than the fact that she was. I stood, making my way quickly back towards the bar retrieving the rest of our wine. I turned, heading back towards the couch when she reemerged back into the room. She wore an elegant, yet simple floor-length evening gown. It looked like silk, clinging to her precious curves, as she seemed to slide towards the couch where I quickly joined her. I picked up her wine glass, holding it for her, eventually directing her hand towards it as I boldly reached for her once she had settled.

"Thank you... Salute!" she offered tipping her glass. She hadn't waited, and I quickly tipped my own sipping from it.

"Very nice," I commented enjoying the taste.

"The wine? Or the way I look?" she asked flirtatiously.

I nearly choked on the second sip of wine, spewing it across the room. She seemed to sense my discomfort and giggled.

"Gotcha!" she exclaimed.

"Both," I answered back finding my voice. Which I believe took her by surprise, at least a little.

"Thank you," she said again, much more softly this time, setting her wine glass back down onto the table, leaning back more comfortably into the couch. "I really hope you don't mind. But most often, I wear very little, if anything around my apartment. Too constraining perhaps, but I prefer the freedom of movement and flexibility. Besides, it feels nicer."

"Looks nicer too," I thought. "No problem," I answered however. "It's your place. You should feel comfortable enough to do whatever you want to do," I informed her, taking another sip of my wine, careful to swallow it this time before speaking further.

Keri shifted on the couch, as she did, the front of her gown pulled a part slightly exposing a tantalizing portion of her right breast as she sat off to one side next to me. It was all I could do not to lean over and attempt to see more of it than what she was unknowingly showing.

Again, I was tempted to do exactly that, but I even averted my gaze from that too soft flesh, once again staring into her still sunglass covered eyes.

"Please, feel free. Kick off your shoes if you'd like, or even unbutton your shirt. I tend to keep my apartment a bit warmer than most because as I said, I hardly wear anything anyway. And I know you must be feeling a bit stuffy because of it."

I was...but not in the way she was thinking. Having seen a brief glimpse of her earlier, and now, with a goodly portion of one breast exposed, I had felt my erection growing finally reaching the point where it was now cramped, almost painfully so as I sat there on the couch. Risking it, I quietly slipped my hand down inside my waistband, rearranging myself, all the while forcing off my penny-loafers with my foot until I'd simultaneously managed to discard both shoes. It did feel better as I ran my feet briefly against the top of the thick plush carpeting.