It was one of those blast furnace Saturdays in Nevada. Everywhere, people sought out air conditioners, pools, basements, shade trees, dark rooms; any place that might offer a few degrees of cooling. The heat lay on the land like a blanket.
For her part, Shelby had escaped the heat by strolling to her neighbour's place for a morning swim, doing some shopping in the air conditioned comfort of area retail stores and relaxing at home. After closing down all the blinds and turning up several fans and ceiling fans, she had blissfully spent the day lounging naked around the house. She'd even popped in and watched a DVD of one of her favourite movies, 9 ½ Weeks, with Kim Basinger.
Watching the steamy erotica, Shelby pondered her upcoming date with Steven. They had been out several times and Shelby found herself incredibly attracted to the older man. He was just a few years older than her 32, but seemed more confident and self-assured than most of the younger men she had dated. He also had many more interests than the younger guys who usually hit on her, and had seen a little more of the world. Unfortunately, his interests had seemed a little short on the physical side; which Shelby attributed to a relatively recent crash of his last long-term relationship. The thing was, when he gave her a good night kiss, the feel, taste and sensation of his lips had lasted long afterward.
Tonight, Steven was to pick her up and hit the road. He had planned a picnic in the desert and Shelby had decided to take matters more into her own hands. Possibly it was the effect of the full moon slated for that night, but Shelby felt it was time to move their relationship along.
On the other side of town, Steven was anticipating his picnic with Shelby somewhat apprehensively. He had been with Suzanne for quite a few years and had put up with her career-first mentality for too long. Everything to do with her career in real estate, it seemed, was more important than their life together, and that had taken it's toll. At some point, Steven had decided, it was simply more important to live life to the fullest, and the hell with work, career, money. They had enough money, but there was often something missing between them.
When he'd hit 40, things exploded for good. He decided to cut back on his hours at his construction company; take on smaller projects, spend more time on leisure activities. Suzanne, of course, had refused to follow suit; fearful that any reduction in work hours would drop her from the A sales list at the office where she worked.
Three months previously, after Steven had traded in his sedan for a Jeep YJ and his golf clubs for fishing equipment (Suzanne claimed he was experiencing a mid-life crisis) and had driven off to Colorado for an angling excursion, Suzanne had packed up his things and left them in their garage. She'd had the door locks changed and that was it. A swift, decisive break; no questions, no confrontation, no arguing, no more couple.
After a couple of weeks of living in a funk, Steven realized what had been missing between he and Suzanne was the passion they had once shared. What had once been passion had turned to habit. And, rather than existing in a blue mood, Steven had found himself embracing his new-found freedom.
That freedom included meeting Shelby, a designer he had hired to decorate a home he had been building. After working together for a couple of weeks on the project, he had found himself daydreaming about the green-eyed, curly-maned divorced mother. He'd been out of the dating game for a long while, but he had screwed up his courage and asked her to meet him for coffee. To his surprise, she had said yes and coffee had been followed by dinners, movies, theatre. In the dark of the movie theatre, Steven had allowed his eyes to play over Shelby's five-foot-seven body. The large breasts that pressed against her blouses, her firm calves, her curves. At one point, and it was lucky it was early during a movie, a quick hard-on had erupted in his jeans.
Steven had packed what he hoped was an ideal hot-weather picnic feast; a couple of bottles of a very nice Johannesburg Riesling, cold chicken and pasta, and a selection of fresh veggies and dip. Into the cooler, he also slipped a couple of slices of a very decadent cheesecake. Late afternoon now, he had slipped into a pair of khaki shorts, sandals and a white golf shirt. After loading the cooler into the rear of the Jeep, he adjusted the Jeep's bikini top and drove into the heat to pick up Shelby.
Shelby had enjoyed a long, cool shower and had brushed her long brown locks into a ponytail to keep her neck cool. Spraying a burst of 212 Sexy into the air, she twirled naked through the mist, allowing the scent of citrus, bergamot and rose pepper to settle on her skin. Slipping on pink panties and bra, she then pulled on a creamy cotton sundress which showed off her tan. When she heard Steven's Jeep outside, she slipped on a pair of sandals and went out to greet him.
"Wow," was all Steven could muster as he watched her approach. "You look fantastic, Shelby. Time in the sun obviously suits you."
"Why thank you, kind sir. I'd say it agrees with you as well." As Steven moved to the passenger side of the Jeep to hold the door open for her, she noted his tanned legs, bare feet in sandals and an overall warm tone to his skin. As Shelby got into the Jeep, Steven again noted her bare brown shoulders, full, firm breasts and shapely legs.
Firing up the Jeep, they headed for the outskirts of town, heading north to a mountainous area where they would be above at least some of the heat. As they drove, they exchanged pleasantries, compared notes on the housing project they were involved in together, discussed the weather, Shelby's children and life in general.
Steven marvelled at the way Shelby laughed and dismissed many of life's more serious aspects; costs of living, rising costs of design materials, the price of steak at the grocer's. He also marvelled at how she proudly spoke of how her children were doing in school and in Little League.
Shelby noticed that Steven really seemed to be enjoying the ride and the conversation. He nimbly handled the steering wheel and shifted flawlessly through traffic. Hot air blasting into the Jeep ruffled his salt and pepper hair and made his shirt billow; at the same time blowing up her sundress, which she had to press down with her hands.
Once out of town, they gained altitude as they moved into the mountains. The air was slightly cooler, which Steven was thankful for, as he could feel dampness at his armpits and down his back. He worried that maybe this heat wasn't the right time for a picnic date. But, looking over at Shelby, and noticing a light sheen over her chest and cleavage, he thought maybe it was the perfect time. Suzanne would never have permitted herself to be seen perspiring, anywhere, any time. Shelby, obviously, was more uninhibited and far less concerned with what the rest of the world thought and he found that very attractive.
