Her name was Rita. She was a co-worker from another office, and a good friend. She was no beauty queen by any stretch of the imagination, but that did not matter to me. There had always been a degree of chemistry between us ...a kind of static electricity.
I loved how she smiled shyly at me, but she also had a certain little sinister laugh that led me to wonder if there was another side of her. I fantasized about her occasionally, but -- until that night -- our flirting was restricted to one slow dance at a company party and some interesting double entendres.
That night we were together at a conference. A group of us had gone together to a T.G.I Fridays for dinner. When we got to the restaurant, the others went to the restroom. Rita and I sat at the table and resumed our good natured flirting. It seemed quite innocent but I couldn't help wonder, "Was it my imagination or was her voice huskier than it normally was?" The thought haunted me throughout the meal and every now and then I would glace up to find her eyes staring into mine. Then she would look down, and I would realize that now I was the one staring. I wondered if our colleagues noticed and I couldn't help but wondering if she was stimulated as I was.
Once we got back to our hotel, our colleagues headed for the bar to watch a basketball game. Ordinarily I would have been at the front of the line but that night I was torn. I wanted to be with her, and yet I had no idea of how to communicate that to her. I had always been reserved sexually. I wasn't a virgin but at this point I had only been with one woman sexually. I stood midway between the bar and the elevator and looked at her. I wasn't going to push things -- I really liked her as a friend and didn't want her uncomfortable around me -- but I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking.
Seeming to read my mind, she waited until the crowd wandered off, looked at me and said in a voice that was definitely huskier than the one to which I was accustomed, "We can watch the game in my room if you want."
My initial thought was, "If I want? Of course I want!"