He stepped up close behind her in the aisle to look over her shoulder at a book she had picked off the shelf. With a mere inch between her back and his chest, their clothes lightly brushed. He felt the magnetic tug between them, and he sensed, hoped, that she felt it as well. When she leaned back, hardly moving an inch, and her shoulder blades pressed so slightly but firmly against his chest, she confirmed his suspicion. Her movement nevertheless startled him. It felt sensual and electric. It was direct, and yet clandestine, even a little naughty considering the context. Here was this confident, intelligent, accomplished, well-put-together, and very sexy, adult woman, subtly but clearly, indicating she felt attracted to him.
He had suggested Barnes & Noble as somewhere to go after dinner. Not to buy a book, he said, but just to talk more. Maybe that was a nerdy move, but she was all for it. He had seen her large bookshelf when he picked her up at her home, and he knew she liked books. After the dinner at the little Italian place, it was clear that neither of them wanted the night to end yet. Their first date was going well, and the verbal chemistry was very positive: a mix of reciprocal self-revelations, asking questions, and sharing opinions on a range of random things. It felt light and easy, but also stimulating.
He had been flirting physically as well. He had touched her a few times during their restaurant tΓͺte-Γ -tΓͺte, reaching across at points during their conversation to touch her hand or arm. He tested her a little when he grabbed her hand in the parking lot as they walked toward his car. She told him later, it had seemed bold to her, but welcome. He had felt at ease, careless in his confidence even. Not confident of her acceptance, but sure of his attraction to her. The motion of taking her hand had been easy and natural, their fingers immediately intertwined, and she squeezed back to signal her agreement.
They had moved through the store aimlessly, talking about books they had read or heard about, being a tiny bit cerebral, and sharing opinions and thoughts on random subjects. Underneath the intellectual and emotional connection, the sexual tension built. In the bookstore's crowded aisle, their occasional closer than normal proximity became another form of flirting. A transcript of the conversation would have given no hints about what was happening between them. The magnetism felt palpable.
As her shoulder blades pressed against his chest in the aisle of that Barnes & Noble, his throat tightened as a profound surge of lust welled up inside him. There was something about her movement that felt so natural, mature, and direct. He could tell that her body would just nestle perfectly into his embrace. He did not pull away, yet he restrained himself from embracing her. He knew it was better to not push too aggressively just yet.
This is good, he thought, just let it build.
They had "met" on the dating website, Plenty of Fish, a week earlier when she sent him a short email responding to his dating profile posting. That set off a short series of written correspondence followed by a phone call to set up a date. Her profile had described herself as fit, 5'2" and her somewhat blurry full-length photo validated that.
His divorce from his wife of eleven years was not yet final, but there was no doubt about the outcome. It had been six months since she had filed, and he had passed through a dark period that fall and winter struggling to come to grips with the reality that his marriage was over. As the snowy New York winter gave way to a fresh cool spring, he felt a slight but surprising glimmer of hope.
He was not ready to move on to a serious relationship and find another wife. No, no, his needs were more immediate. He wanted to get laid and have fun with someone. Did it really matter who that person was? Yes... and no. Yes, she couldn't just be any random woman, they had to mesh well, but no, he was not trying to line up the planets of two adults for the happy ever after.
He had not had any sex for almost 3 years. He took care of his sexual needs by himself in the usual way, but now that was not enough. His Christian religious beliefs along with his desire to not end their marriage had restrained him from looking around during the separation, but now, 5 months after she had filed, he found that he suddenly just wanted to cast that all away.
"Fuck it!" He said to himself.
His wife had not moved with him when he was transferred to his new assignment in New York 18 months earlier. Despite her convincing-sounding assurances that they were going to keep trying somehow to make it work and that their trial separation was just temporary, her decision to move to Alabama near her parents instead of going with him should have made it clear that their marriage was over. He had been, he realized later, in denial about it all.