i submitted this originally in Loving Wives category and it scored well. i just really like this story and thought it may be read more in this category.
Happy Halloween!
SHADOW FALLS
"Of all ghosts the ghosts of our old loves are the worst."
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
I nearly ran the stop sign at the four way stop near my house. I've got to snap out of it! I'm going home to my wife, I need to focus. The undeniable memories of the last three sensual hours were distracting me. I needed to get my head in the game.
My wife of seven years, Carol, was already home by the time I arrived. Of course she was, it was nearly seven PM. Dinner should have been served by now. I told her I was working late. I actually took off an hour early. There were moments I summoned up enough emotion to feel guilty. But much more often I thought about how satisfying and fun sexually Ashley is.
I saw her Wedgewood tea cup and saucer on the dining room table. A sure sign that she had been patiently waiting for me. Carol loves to linger over a cup of tea and never quite finish it.
"Working late again?" Carol asked as she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "I hope your boss and my brother appreciate your sacrifices." She added.
I nearly pulled away, not exactly sure why. Perhaps I was concerned that some lingering aroma of Ashley was still present. Or more likely the thought of any type of physical interaction with Carol did little for me by comparison.
Don't get me wrong, Carol is attractive in her own wholesome way. She has a broad smile with a pronounced gap between her two front teeth. I used to think that was cute. A pleasant face, shoulder length brown hair and bangs across her forehead. A decent figure, smallish breasts, fairly thin, she probably has put on five or maybe ten pounds since we've been married. Not fat. But perhaps the bikini would not fit quite as it once did.
Ashley is a different story. Curvy, fleshy, not fat, just soft, firm, and round in the right spots. She was also eleven years younger than my 33 years old. Carol is a year older than me. Ashley is a sexual athlete. I have never been with a woman like this before. I did not know sex could be so open and fun. And even beyond the sex I was beginning to really care for Ashley.
I thought of Ashley as I was part way up the stairs to change clothes for dinner. For a moment I became dizzy thinking of her intoxicating sexuality. I had to pause and re-grab the bannister. Come on Mark, I told myself, snap out of it. You're married, the personal conversation continued in my head. You've got a great wife, a nice home and a solid career. Don't screw this up. If only Carol were just somehow... gone, I'd be free to pursue Ashley in broad daylight without the judgement of others.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
I recalled the first time I met Ashley.....
I'd scheduled a meeting with Julian Bannister, the CEO of Palavian Industries. My company offered machine shop services for specialty applications. Palavian was starting to use us. I wanted to reinforce the personal relationship and had invited Julian to lunch for today's meeting.
That was the first time I met Ashley. She was Palavian's receptionist. There she sat, long blond hair, a bit of cleavage visible, extending down to rounded breasts enclosed in a tight pink sweater. She saw my eyes drift and when I looked at her she smiled. She knew where the distraction lay.
"Um, it looks like Mr Bannister is out?" Ashley told me as she hung up the phone.
"Huh" I said to myself, but out loud, "we were scheduled to have lunch today." I went on.
"Let me double check." She said and got up to go into the inner offices.
I openly ogled her beautiful ass as she left. Wow, I could see why she was hired. A nice young attractive female receptionist certainly makes a good first impression to anyone entering the Palavian offices.
A moment later she returned. "Mr. Bannister had an emergency and had to leave. Roberta said to apologize and he will reschedule with you." Ashley told me.
The whole time she was looking me straight in the eye, a hint of a smile on her lips.. Some type of unspoken challenge. It was as if she was saying, 'can you keep your eyes on mine or will they drift to my body?'
"Well that's too bad" I exclaimed. "I had reservations at Chambray." I once again said out loud.
"I'm available," Ashley said. "I'm Ashley" and she held out her hand to shake.
As she reached across her body to shake my hand her bicep pushed against the side of her right breast, pushing both breasts together. I couldn't help but look this time. When my gaze finally elevated to eye level, I was met with another sly smile.
"Hi, I'm Mark Merritt," I managed to get out.
"I know." She said, maintaining that same smile.
Moments later we were going to lunch.
During lunch Ashley was fun and animated. She laughed at my stupid jokes and continued constant eye contact. Occasionally she would lean forward during the conversation, allowing larger glimpses of the magnificent cleavage. She was flirting and I was loving it.
I learned that Ashley was twenty two. She has worked at Palavian for four months. She went to a year of junior college but stopped going because she didn't like school and needed to work. She told me she didn't have a boyfriend at this time.
I told her early into the lunch that I was married. She just nodded as if it had no bearing on our lunch or any future friendship we may have. We just continued talking, no hesitation whatsoever.
All too soon the lunch was over. Kind of cutely she went through the motions of offering to pay her half. We both knew that wasn't going to happen, but I appreciated the gesture.
As we walked to my car in the parking lot Ashley hugged my left arm, companionable at first but fairly quickly during the walk I felt her firm round breast making serious contact with my upper arm. It was exciting.
We continued to chat during the drive back to her office. I was really enjoying the conversation and I also enjoyed looking at Ashley, occasionally letting my eyes roam over her body. She didn't seem put off by these stares, welcoming the attention. Signaling with her wider smiles that this was all okay.
We pulled up to the building and it almost felt like I should kiss her goodbye, but I didn't. But there was that moment when we were eye to eye and our faces began to move closer, like a kiss. I stopped in the nick of time.
"Can I have your business card?" She asked.
I hesitated for just a moment. The magical lunch time bubble of intimacy had popped and we were ever so suddenly back in the real world. For a second I thought, what was I doing? Giving my contact information to this woman, girl really, who I'd just met?
"So I can pass it on to Roberta, just in case Mr. Bannister needs it." She said.
This had just enough logic that I could justify giving this young sexy girl my contact information. I handed her my card.
"See you later." I said as Ashley exited, only meaning goodbye.
"I think you will." She replied half laughing with the constant sensually firm eye contact.
Wow! I thought after she was securely in her building. What was all that? I hadn't felt like that since college. I had been openly flirting with this young, attractive, sexy female. There was a familiar buoyancy after the interaction. Familiar but this buoyancy hadn't surfaced in me in quite some time.
Throughout the week my mind wandered to Ashley, I kept thinking about her. At night, as unfair as it was, I would compare her physically to Carol. Again, it wasn't fair. I was seeing Carol, relaxed at home, no makeup, first thing in the morning waking up, sweaty from chores. Whereas the Ashley in my mind was dressed for work, makeup on, in a tight sweater, showing cleavage. It was not a fair comparison. But I continued to do it.
I was fully prepared to file away these mental images of Ashley forever, sort of like you would do with a sexy scene in a movie. Remembering it with pleasure with no action to be taken.
But a couple of things happened.
Thursday night I got home from work and Carol was on the phone. The length and solemnity of her end of the conversation got my attention. I sat, watched her, and overheard.
Turns out her mother was not feeling well and had some tests done for potential cancer screening. Her mom was a nice person, very private and somewhat fragile. Her father had passed away from heart disease right after we had married.
"Mom's just had some tests done and she's concerned. I think she's a little depressed." Carol told me.
"I need to drive up and see her this weekend." She added. "Dan offered to go, but I think my Mom wants me." She said.
Carol's brother Dan, was the CFO of Eastside Ironworks, where I work. In fact it was through Dan I got the job at Eastside. It is a good job and pays well. I needed to keep it.
I nodded. "Would you like me to go?" I asked. I knew the answer would be no, but I felt obligated to ask anyway. I really would prefer not going in complete honesty.
"Oh Mark, thank you for offering," she said. "You know how private Mom is. I better go on my own. I'll miss hiking with you on Saturday." She added. "I want to leave by noon on Friday, that way I can beat the rush hour traffic."
I nodded and asked her more about what her mother had said as together we prepared our dinner.
For some reason, and I'm not exactly sure why, I thoroughly enjoy being in my own home alone. There is nothing that I do, that I wouldn't do, if Carol were here normally. I just like being on my own.
So her being gone was no burden for me. In fact the opposite of that. I looked forward to her being gone.
Friday morning before work I helped Carol prepare for her visit with her mother, carrying her bags to the car. Later that day the second thing happened.
I was at my office and I received a text message.
'Hey it's Ashley, you know from lunch 😀! A couple of my friends and I are stopping at BlueWater after work for a drink. You should come!! It will be fun.'
