Carmen's vacations were always interesting. Sure, a lot had to do with the fact that she chose nice places to vacation, but selecting a new lover, which was always part of her vacations, usually made them all the more memorable.
Whenever she arrived at her holiday destination, she had no idea who that lover would be, and she made a point of never deciding until the last minute. It was always someone she'd just met, always someone she knew would be discrete, and, most importantly, someone who would appreciate her. Carmen had no grand plan for this and none of it was etched in stone as something she needed to do, but it seemed to always work out, and that made her happy.
It was now late in her vacation week and Carmen had not met anyone she thought would be her next lover yet. Truth be told, she'd not really met many people on this trip, but she wasn't worried. If she left the resort without having taken a new lover, she would still have had a nice, relaxing vacation.
Returning from a light dinner at a tapas bar a few blocks away, Carmen walked through her hotel lobby and into the bar. She felt like having a couple of drinks and was interested to see who else was around.
She took a seat at the bar and ordered a margarita. She surveyed the quiet room discretely by looking in the mirror behind the bar. There were a few hotel guests, most looked like they were enjoying few pre or post-dinner drinks. A couple of tables were crowded by younger clientele, obviously biding their time before they headed for the hotel's night club for a few more raucous hours. There were two guys sitting alone, one reading on an e-reader at a table, the other watching a basketball game on a TV at the other end of the bar.
It would be easy to label the night a bust and go to her room, but she had been in this situation before and was comfortable. You just never knew when things would change. Carmen continued to sip her drink and people watch.
Anyone looking in her direction would see an attractive, fit woman in her late thirties. Carmen's hair was jet black and shoulder length. Her hair was naturally thick, wavy and fell around her face in an easy, homely style. Her face, while not classically beautiful, was pretty and sexy. Her eyes were deep blue and lively, her nose shapely but perhaps a tiny bit on the large size. Her mouth was full an inviting, today with subtle, dark red lipstick. She smiled readily, revealing carefully looked after teeth and a soft personality that was always welcoming, for friends and strangers alike.
Carmen always felt her breasts could be bigger, if she wanted to be picky, but she was proud of what she had. She ran regularly at home, so was always a trim shape. She liked being fit and enjoyed being attractive to the opposite sex -- not in a self-centered way of a lot of pretty younger women she'd known, just in a comforting way -- that she was still desirable at her age.
At home Carmen was an elementary school teacher and single. She lived in the same small town as the school she taught in, so was never able to live the free and easy life of many relationships that she'd like. The PTA would never approve, even if they only had rumors to talk about. So, Carmen restrained her wilder sexual instincts to her vacations. It wasn't that she needed new lovers, or a constant flow of them, just that she genuinely enjoyed new lovers, especially lovers who enjoyed her the same way... freely and discretely.
A few minutes after Carmen ordered a second drink she was joined at the bar by a tired-looking man. He sat two seats away from her, ordered a beer from the bartender and rubbed his eyes underneath his spectacles as he waited for its delivery. Carmen estimated that he was in his mid-forties. His short hair was thin, to be kind with the description, his face a little stressed, his eyes slightly red and covered by small, oval eyeglasses. She figured he carried a few extra pounds, but not too much. It was hard to tell how tall he was, but as she replayed his arrival in her mind she estimated around five-six, the same as her.
"Rough day?" She empathized across the five feet that separated them.
"Another rough day." He laughed. "They're all running together faster than I care to think about. Thank goodness for beer." He lifted his newly-arrived drink in salute to her.
Carmen raised her glass. "Here's to that."
He took a long draft of his drink and then looked around the room. Obviously he wasn't ready to pursue the conversational opening she'd offered him -- he was not here looking for female company. Mentally, she chalked this up as a point in his favor.
Carmen wasn't shy, and felt no nerves about starting up a conversation with male strangers. "I hope you're not on vacation?" She asked the man. "Rough days aren't what you want on vacation."
The man turned back towards her, slightly perplexed at her approach, but it only showed in a momentary delay in his answering, "No, not vacation. I'm a consultant, helping the city with some traffic planning."
"That sounds interesting." Carmen turned more towards him and leaned forward, part-way across the empty stool between them.
"Not to the city." The man laughed and took a drink of his beer. "They're interested in cutting costs and raising fees through parking fines, not improving traffic flow."
"I can see that would be frustrating." Carmen easily slipped off her stool and offered him her hand. "I'm Carmen."
He shook her hand and there was another momentary pause when she casually sat on the stool next to him. "James. James Breton. Nice to meet you."
Carmen gently interrogated him on the topic of traffic planning, partly because it was an easy way to empathize with him and get to know him better, but also because it was an interesting topic to her. James didn't mind talking her through some of his expertise and talked easily about some of the interesting jobs he'd done all over the country. He wasn't a natural talker, Carmen observed, and noted that she'd have to keep them on topics that he was comfortable with.
She asked him about his wife and family. James talked to her about his two kids with a father's natural enthusiasm, then he talked about his wife with a beaten-down husband's beaten-down view of marriage -- something that she'd come across so many times. It was one of the reasons Carmen wasn't married.
She found herself liking James and enjoying their conversation. She told him about her work and answered his questions, but always steered the conversation back to him. They had passed an easy hour talking like that when James excused himself and went off to the restroom.
It only took a moment and Carmen was almost blindsided when someone slid onto the stool next to her and said, "Hey there. Are you going into the club later?"
Carmen turned to see a younger man sitting next to her. He was probably no more than nineteen years old, holding an opened bottle of beer between his hands and flashing her a self-assured smile. His powder blue silk shirt was open half-way down his chest and his jeans were white.
