Sienna Lyons sat at her kitchen table and reflected on whether or not to have a second cup of coffee. It was a rather chilly morning and the first cup had warmed her bones. She decided that she could afford to indulge her early-morning whim. Why not, what was the harm? She no longer had a job to run to.
Downsizing or outsourcing -- call it whatever you wanted to, the end result was still the same. For the first time since she was sixteen years old, Sienna was out of work. The coffee soothed her as she drank it and tried to make some sense out of the past few weeks.
Sienna had been a loyal employee for the past ten years and was the type of employee a company valued. She did whatever it took to get the job done, within reason, with no complaints. She put in the hours and worked her way up the ladder to a supervisory position. She took no flak from any of the men who worked under her and earned their respect. To have her employers pull the rug out from under her the way that they had done was an insult to the 32-year old blonde. She felt cut adrift and for the first time in her life, she felt as if she had no purpose. She had her home and family, but Sienna defined part of her personality by her career. With that taken away, she felt as if she were adrift.
Sienna knew that she would rebound and rebuild. After all, she was a strong individual and a blithe spirit. She was too much the optimist to allow this to ruin her existence. Her friends, family and husband would be there for her and shore her up. Perhaps she might take a holiday, she thought to herself. A bit of frivolity and some erotic fun might be the ticket. Perhaps some exotic destination, somewhere she might get an all-over tan? Her settlement had been significant, as she had earned every penny. She knew that her former employers would give her what she deserved. She knew a bit too much and had they not paid out, she wouldn't have been afraid to engage some shark of a lawyer to bleed them dry. She didn't feel as if she owed them any further loyalty.
Sienna put her coffee mug in the dishwasher and went upstairs to get dressed. Her husband had already gone to work and she was alone in the house. She looked around the home she treasured and was glad she and Roger had earned lucrative salaries. She would have hated to lose the house, but there was absolutely no danger of that. Just the loss of her walk-in closet alone would have sent her spiraling into depression, Sienna chuckled to herself. For the first time in a while, Sienna wasn't quite sure how she should dress. It wasn't necessary to dress business-professional, as she didn't have anywhere particular to go that day.
Someone must have been psychic, because as that thought crossed her mind, her phone rang. She picked it up and a warm and friendly voice spoke. "I just heard the news," Brendan said to her in a soothing tone. "I always did think you were too good for that job. I'm taking you to lunch today and I won't take no for an answer."
"That's good, because you won't be hearing no," Sienna said with a light chuckle and made her lunch arrangements. Already, her spirits were lifting. She and Brendan had been friends for years and they often buoyed each other's emotions when the other was down. Sienna had seen him through several lousy relationships. She never could figure out why her friend was such an idiot magnet. He was kind, romantic, sensual and earned good money. He was generous to a fault and that might be a failing on his part. A good number of the women in his past had taken advantage of the wallet that opened a bit too easily. As an example, she knew that he would insist on taking her someplace pricy for lunch. He liked to enjoy a good meal and he knew that Sienna would be more than happy to accompany him on such an outing, as she had done several times over the years. Roger got a bit jealous of Brendan, but he knew better than to question his wife's fidelity. Brendan was a dear friend and he always would be.
That was not to say that there wasn't a bit of flirting going on, there most certainly was. Brendan was an attractive man who liked attractive women and Sienna was a
very
attractive woman with great legs. She flirted with him and he flirted right back. Had she been single, she would have done a lot more than flirt. A few of her friends had dated him and she knew his intimate secrets. If her friends didn't tell her, Sienna managed to ferret them out from Brendan himself.
Now that she had made her date with Brendan, she knew how she had to dress. A skirt, preferably black and preferably, short -- if she could get away with it, scandalously so. Stockings, definitely and heels, her favorite black stilettos. Some make up and her hair shining. She would not normally have fussed this much for a lunch date, but for Brandon, she knew he would notice. He would also likely be wearing a nice suit and tie as her friend seized any excuse he could to dress up.
Sienna jumped into the shower and enjoyed herself for a bit. As she didn't have to run off to work, she took the time to enjoy the spray's warm caress. Once the water started to chill, she got out and rummaged in the closet until she found
the
dress. It would have elicited some comments from Roger and she knew that Brendan would love it! Sienna took the time to doll herself up as much as she dared before setting out to meet her friend for a much-needed meal.
As expected, Brendan lived up to his friend's expectations. He was wearing a charcoal-grey suit and a pristine shirt, the crease in his pants was so sharp that you could have cut bread with it. Considerate as ever, he had brought her flowers. He pulled out the chair for her and smiled at her arrival. "You look sensation, come on, let's rent a room," he teased her.
"You couldn't handle me," she flirted back, her mood already brightening.
"That doesn't mean I wouldn't try," he shot back and the game was on. The laughter started and Sienna relaxed for the first time in a few days. She was in the company of a trusted friend and felt a sense of relief coming over her. As long as she had someone like this in her corner, things would eventually work themselves out. "Have you given any thought as to what your next career move will be?" He asked jovially as he summoned the waiter to order them some much-needed wine.
"I haven't had time to let it sink in yet," Sienna responded as she sat back and crossed her legs. She smiled as she caught him looking and knew full well that he had noticed the stockings she had worn for his benefit. "See anything you like?" She flirted.
"Yeah, but she's taken, damn it," Brendan groused good-naturedly. Both knew that had they met earlier in life, they might have ended up together. They were often more simpatico than their mates. Sienna could read him like a book and often felt the frustration that her dear friend had such atrocious luck with the opposite sex. She wished that she could have shared some of her earlier adventures with him so that he would at least have had some fond memories.
The two friends shared a meal and some fun, flirty conversation. Sienna often wondered why her friend couldn't make a relationship work and realized that he was the kind of man who needed a distinct type of woman. He couldn't date some shy little naïf, but he didn't want someone running roughshod over him either. He liked a woman who was both aggressive and still feminine, someone who was also a fair bit younger than he was. He wanted someone as a companion and, should it work out, someone with who he might consider having a family. Brendan had often told her that he didn't think it was too late for him. He was only in his early forties. Sienna herself had a lot of the qualities Brendan required in a woman. She wasn't free to share them, so perhaps she would try to find someone of like mind to be with her friend.
The inspiration hit her like a thunderclap. She knew where she wanted to focus her energies. Without his even knowing it, her handsome friend had provided her with an out. A way to a new path in her life and a chance to make a lucrative living without anyone decisions for her. This day had certainly taken a bright turn for the better, she thought to herself. She enjoyed the wine, the wonderful pasta and the ambience of the restaurant. Sienna even allowed herself to indulge in dessert -- why not? She could afford a few extra pounds and she didn't have to rush back to work.
Work was on her mind when she returned home. She was so distracted that she almost forgot about dinner. Roger noticed her absent-mindedness, yet he chose not to comment. He could see that something was on his wife's mind and after all their years together, he knew better than to try to steer her clear of whatever path she was on. Roger knew that once she was ready to tell him about her goal, she would let him in. Their years together had imparted a sense of mutual trust that few couples could hope to share.
Sienna worked long and into the night, finally realizing that she had better get some sleep and also, remind her husband that he was still very much a part of her world. When Sienna was feeling randy, Roger didn't mind being woken from a sound slumber. She made it more than worth his while and he usually slept even better when she was finished. This night was no different. She wore her poor husband to a frazzle and was the aggressor for most of the night and into the morning. She was sure that poor Roger was walking bow-legged to work the next morning, likely with a huge grin on his face. There weren't a lot of women in this world who could throw a man a fuck the way Sienna could. She knew that all too well because she had been with a few of those women herself. She had always held the philosophy that she might as well enjoy herself when she was young. She might have enough time when she got a bit older. Luckily, that hadn't quite turned out to be the case. Not yet, anyway.
Sienna decided that she would like some time out of the house. It was a bright and cheery day, so she packed up her laptop and went to the café she liked. All of the servers there were attractive, men and women alike. There was nothing wrong with a little eye candy, so long as she did her consumption at home. Again, the lovely blonde had dressed to attract a bit of attention. Her wardrobe and ebullient personality did not fail her. She attracted the attention of her favorite server, a lovely young sprite named Luana. The girl rushed over to seat her favorite customer and gave her a quick buss on the cheek to say hello. Sienna wished that it could be more, but gentle advances made in the past had been rebuffed. The girl did not seem willing to take a little walk down that path.
It was a very quiet day at the café, so Luana took a break and sat with Sienna. The two women had lunched on occasion and despite the difference in their ages, they got along well. The twenty-something Asian beauty was smart beyond her years, as well as being petite and lovely. However, on this day, there seemed to be something troubling the little doll. Normally, Sienna would not have pressed the girl to speak, this time she did. She sensed that Luana needed to open up to someone.
"My social life has fallen into a terrible rut," Luana said as she sipped a Chai Latte. "The men I date are either after one thing or they have no concept of how to be a gentleman. I like going out and having a good time, but every once in a while, I want to put on a pretty dress and a nice pair of heels and go
dining
instead of just to a club."
Sienna wondered if a bit of serendipity had just occurred. She looked at her young friend with a crooked smile and laughed gently. "I might just have the solution to your problem," she told the young woman. "Would you ever consider dating an older man?"
"In a heartbeat," Luana replied with a winning smile. "I have in the past and I enjoyed it. Older men tend to treat you with respect and courtesy. Oh sure, they're still interested in sex ..." the girl laughed "... but they aren't necessarily rushing to get there."
Sienna smiled and started another conversation with the young woman. She outlined her plan with Luana, who was thrilled to go along with it. If it worked, it would serve as a test run and she would be improving the lives of two people. Some people might have chided Sienna for playing matchmaker. If her scheme worked, she intended to play Cupid a lot more often.
