It was so hot that day. It's rare for British summers to be like that. I was glad the train carriage wasn't too crowded, because the train manager had advised us over the tannoy that the air conditioning was on the blink and it would have been unbearable. As it was, the fug of the heat was sort of pleasurably hypnotic. And the seat beside me was free, as the train started pulling out of the station, so at least I could remain relatively cool for the three quarters of an hour it took me to get home. When I did, I'd promised myself an ice cool white wine.
I looked out at the city as we slowly passed through it. The buildings were hazy, blurred by the rising heat.
'Is this seat taken?' said a friendly voice
Damn, I thought to myself. Then I turned to look and there she was. Tall, very tall. Short wavy blonde hair. Very blue eyes. An enchanting smile. She was about forty, thin, not quite skinny. She was wearing a halter top that exposed her shoulders and not a little cleavage. He breasts were small, but full and perfectly formed.
She wasn't wearing a bra. I didn't mind of course and who could blame her in this heat? But it did mean I would have to make an effort not to stare. I realised that...well, maybe with her next to me, I'd be a bit hotter, but I didn't mind so much.
'No,' I said, 'all yours.'
She sat down, putting her handbag on the seat between us.
'Sorry if I'm a bit whiffy,' she said smiling, 'it's really hot.'
I smiled back as she made herself comfortable. 'Whiffy' she wasn't, but I could make out her natural scent and already it was intoxicating to me.
'Don't worry - I'm probably a bit whiffy too.'
She giggled a little. Then she sat back in the seat, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as if releasing a lot of tension.
'Long day?' I asked.
'Sooo long,' she said, 'and stressful. And it's not helped with this heat. I really need to unwind.'
'Have a long cool drink when you get in,' I advised, 'that's what I intend to do.'
'Yeah', she said, 'white wine. Cold white wine. You could piss into a glass and I'd drink it - long as it was chilled,'
I laughed - a bit louder than I intended to, but still, she put her hand to her mouth in alarm.
'I'm so sorry!' she said, 'sometime I let my mouth run away with itself.'
'It's fine,' I reassured her, 'so why was your day so stressful?'
'Work stuff,'
She went on to explain that the office she worked in wasn't air conditioned and this morning, when she'd seen the forecast she'd decided to try and be as cool as possible.
'So I end up being called into the manager's office and being told off for dressing inappropriately! I ask you,' she said, gesturing towards the top she was wearing, 'Is this inappropriate?'
'Not for this weather,' I said, 'and certainly not from my point of view.'
I felt a bit of an idiot for saying that last bit, but she smiled and squeezed my arm.
'That's lovely of you. Thank you,'
I have to say that little squeeze, caused a slight feeling of arousal in me.
'I'm Caroline,' she said.
'Pete,' I said shaking her hand, hoping she wouldn't mind my sweaty hands.
The train was moving faster now, getting into that rhythm that trains have - reassuring, steady.
'And what do you do, Pete?' she asked.
I told her about my less-than-glamorous job at the university as a researcher for the history department.
'Really?' she said, 'you don't look like an academic? Where's the corduroy jacket with leather patches on the sleeves?'
'Too hot, left it at home,' I said, 'besides the way our department needs funding, I'd be better off putting the patches on my knees.'
She laughed out loud at that.
I really was getting quite smitten with this one and we'd only been travelling for ten minutes or so. Plus I realised, as I looked at her, or I thought anyway, that she seemed to like me too. There was something about the way she directly looked me in the eyes.
'Ooh patches on the knees,' she mused, 'could be useful for all sorts.'
Okay, so we were onto double entendres now. Just barely having met. She was looking at me, slyly.
'I have no idea what you're talking about,' I replied, mock innocently and she smiled again. We chatted a little more. I learned she was single - recently separated - that she disliked her office job...mainly because the money was lousy. I told her a little about myself - also recently separated and that conversely, I liked my job, but the money was also lousy. And as we talked I noticed she was leaning closer to me in the seat. Our conversation was becoming more intimate, with our faces getting nearer to each ther. Looking down, briefly I noticed her long elegant fingers entwined in her lap. One hand stroking the other, almost tenderly. In my mind I was wondering what it would be like to have those hands caressing my naked back. By and large though, I found myself concentrating on those blue eyes. Mainly because if my gaze strayed downwards I know I'd find myself fixating on that perfect cleavage. I was building up the courage to ask for her mobile number, maybe see if she might fancy going for a drink one evening...when something unexpected happened.
I could feel her fingers on my thigh.
I looked downwards. One of her hands was no longer in her lap. It'd slipped down underneath her bag and she was surreptitiously having a little feel of my upper leg. Flushing, I looked up back up at her...I guess for an explanation, though what it could have been, I can't tell you. She was no longer smiling. Her face was deadly serious. She looked me directly in the eyes and nodded ever so slightly.
I nodded back.
The train was pulling into a station.
'This is where I get off', she said, looking at me intensely.
It was another twenty minutes from my stop.
'Me too, as it happens,' I said.
'Quite the co-incidence,' she said as stood, retrieving her bag as she did so.
'Yes,' I said and I stood and followed her off the train.
What followed almost seemed like something from a spy movie. It was almost as if we were being watched by enemy powers.
'I live nearby,' she said quietly. I followed her out of the station. The pavement was single track, so again I was directly behind her. I loved watching the sway of her hips as she walked. I loved looking at her bare shoulders (apart from the straps of the halter) and her slender neck. Her waist was tiny, her bum was pretty awesome too - two small but full cheeks.
We arrived at a door by an antiques shop with some steps leading upwards to a flat above it. She opened the door with a key and I followed her up the steps and into her flat, closing it behind me as we entered.
'Home sweet home,' she said and I could hear the nervousness in her voice.
It was a single bed flat. A kitchenette in one corner, a door that led off to the bathroom. The windows had been left open, but no breeze was forthcoming. The bed, a king size one, dominated the room, which was decorated with new age pictures and little artefacts like dream catchers.
'It's not the Ritz', she said, almost apologetically.