I was out with my friends Sharon & Jacqui. We have been friends since we met at school at the age of 11. More than thiry years on, we are still very close and go out for a meal or visit each others houses once every three or four weeks.
On this particular evening, we were in a very, very busy Italian restaurant, one of our favourite places, but rarely as busy as this.
All three of us, by the way, are genuinely happily married, although we often joke that being married doesn't stop us looking! Sharon had recently admitted to Jacqui and me that she had recently gone beyond just looking and was having something of a fling with a young guy who had moved in two doors away from her house.
Seeing new neighbours arrive, and being more than a little nosey, she had popped round "to see it there was anything I could do and to welcome them to the street". She was taken
by surprise and more than a little pleased to find that the new neighbours were in fact two brothers - Carlton, aged 25, and his elder brother Don who was in his early 30's.
Two strapping, very fit young black guys who, when Sharon arrived on their doorstep, were stripped to the waist moving furniture and organising their new home.
From what she told us, Sharon's offer of help was accepted and she found herself in a bedroom loading suits and shirts into a wardrobe. Accepting an invitation to return "when we've got things straight" , she turned up this time to find Carlton in the house by himself, brother Don having been delayed a work.
A glass of wine or too led to a kiss and a cuddle and now, a few weeks later, to regular, full-on sex sessions whenever opportunity and Sharon's husband Dan's bowls sessions allowed.
Despite all that it was certainly not what Sharon, Jacqui or I expected when these two very handsome young black guys forced their way through the crowded restaurant to our table to say "hi". One was Carlton, the other his big brother Don.
Our meal had been ordered so we agreed to meet them in the much quieter bar next door after we'd eaten. Before we could make that move, Jacqui received a text from her husband to say her Mum was poorly so she excused herself and went off
home. Sharon and I joined Carlton and Don in the bar.
Tucked away in a pretty dimly lit booth at the back of the bar, chosen quite deliberately it seems by Carlton, he and Sharon set almost in each other's laps, kissing occasionally, as we enjoyed the company of two very confident, charming young men.
When I say charming, I mean both could talk the leaves off the trees. They had all the chat, were most attentive and it wasn't long before Don, taking a cue from his brother, asked how I'd got to the restaurant and could he make sure I got home OK.
As it happens, knowing that we'd be having a drink, I had left my car at home and taken a taxi. Don insisted he drive me home and so we left Sharon and Carlton locked together in the booth and walked, Don gently chatting throughout, to his car in the car park.
Some car. A fairly new, sleek, black 4x4 with leather seats and that "new car" smell still just about noticeable.
As we pulled away from the car park came the line I should have resisted.
"Before I drive you home, do you have time to see our place? To have a quick look a what we've done to it? I'd really value a woman's opinion."
"Er, well, um - yes, OK," I found myself saying. "yes, I'd like to see it."
So it was, about fifteen minutes later a routine night out with the girls had turned into this handsome, hunky man showing me into his bedroom.
Black was obviously a theme in his life. His car was black, he was black, his bed linen was black silk. The room was otherwise white, very minimalist, with wardrobes you didn't realise were wardrobes a first so well built-in were they.
After looking round in impressed silence I turned to leave the room only to find Don not exactly barring my path but standing firmly between me and the door.
"Do you like it?" he asked. "Do you like what you see?"
I half swallowed as I took on board the double entendre, but stood in front of him, looked into his eyes and answered.
"I think you may have guessed that I do."