"Hey, how's it going?"
Natalie turned toward the voice. A man with brown eyes and dark hair stood beside her, a cup in each hand. "It's going all right," Natalie replied. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." The man held out one of the cups. "This is for you."
"I don't drink."
"I know. Your friend down the bar told me."
Looking down the bar, Natalie caught the eye of her friend Carol, who smiled and winked. Great. Carol's matchmaker tendencies were kicking in again. "Well, that was nice of her, I guess," she said.
"Take it," the man said. "I promise I didn't spike it or anything. My name's Bobby, by the way."
Taking the cup, Natalie said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Do I get your name?"
"You mean Carol didn't tell you? I'm Natalie."
"Nice to meet you, Natalie. So do you come to a lot of these get-togethers?"
"Quite a few, yeah." Natalie took a sip from the cup. It tasted like plain ginger ale; as long as Bobby hadn't slipped any strange drugs into it, she'd be fine. "They're fun. Have you been to any before?"
"I went to one a few months back, but haven't had a chance again till now. Look, would you like to go out to the deck to talk? It's a little quieter out there."
"Sure." The noise of the music, the crowd, and the TV were combining to give Natalie a headache. She slid off the bar stool, mindful of her, in her opinion, too-short skirt, and followed Bobby outside.
There was more room on the deck than inside the bar, and much less noise. Bobby led Natalie to a table in the far corner, away from most of the others. Natalie smiled and waved at some of her friends as she crossed the deck. In return she got a few smiles and a mouthed, "Be careful" from one of the more protective guys she knew.
She sat across from Bobby at the table. "So where are you from?" he asked.
"Portland, Maine."
"Really? Long drive for you to get here."
"Yeah, but it's worth it to see my friends." Natalie took another sip of her ginger ale. "Where are you from?"
"Next town over. I heard about the party this morning and figured I'd stop by." He smiled. "I'm glad I did. It isn't often I get to spend time chatting with such an attractive woman."
"Well, thank you."
"Thank you for accepting my drink and my invitation." Bobby moved to the seat beside her. "What else would you like to know about me, Miss Natalie?"
"I never know what to say when someone asks me that."
"Then let me ask you a question. Married, single, or divorced?"
"Divorced. One year."
"Same here. Well, the divorced part. It's been five years for me. Any kids?"
"One. He's with his dad this weekend. You?"
"No, the marriage didn't last long enough to spawn any offspring."
Natalie laughed. "Spawn?"
"That's how the children of some of my friends seem. Like spawn. What do you do for work?"
"I sell lingerie."
"Really? Must be a hot job!"
"You'd be surprised at how many people say that. It really isn't any different from working in any other clothing store. Actually, it's probably worse, as far as people insisting they fit into sizes they don't and blaming me when things in that size don't fit. What do you do?"
"I'm an independent contractor. And I'd love to hear more about your job."
"I'm sure you would." Natalie jumped. "Do you mind explaining why your hand's on my leg?"
"Oh, is it?" Bobby said innocently. He took his hand away. "Sorry if I'm being too forward. It's just that I find you extremely attractive."
"You do?"
"Well, yeah. I don't buy ginger ale for just anyone, you know. And a return compliment would be appreciated."
"Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you."
"Yep."
Natalie grinned. "I have to admit, I'm enjoying myself. You seem like a nice guy."
"And I'm hot," Bobby said.
"And that."
"So let me ask you something else." Bobby lowered his voice, even though there was no one near enough to hear them. "What's your most secret fantasy?"
Natalie usually refused to answer that sort of question, but something about Bobby made her comfortable enough to say, "Sex in a public place. Like a park or parking lot or something."
"Would there be people around? Or is it just the thought of being outside that turns you on?"
"People." Natalie fiddled with her cup. "Almost no one knows this about me, but I have a thing for watching and being watched."
"Have you done that? Watched and been watched?"
"Only in my imagination. My mind gets ahead of reality." Time to change the subject. "What about you? What's your fantasy?"
"To help a beautiful woman fulfill her favorite fantasy."
Skeptical, Natalie said, "Now that's a come-on line if I've ever heard one."
"It does sound like it, I admit, but it's the truth. I love to see a woman enjoy herself, and it turns me on to think of helping someone do something she's never done. I know we've just met, and stranger sex probably isn't part of your fantasy, but I'd be honored if you'd let me help you fulfill it."
"Honored?"
"It's always an honor when a gorgeous woman trusts me enough to let me be with her. To let me share her fantasy. Of course, I completely understand if you'd rather not. You don't know me at all, and you don't seem like the kind of woman who'd hook up with a man she just met."
Ordinarily, Natalie wasn't that kind of woman. But the idea excited her. She hadn't had sex in weeks. Between her son and her job, it wasn't easy to get time for herself. She'd come to the party tonight hoping to end up with someone; she would have preferred one of the men she'd met at other parties, someone she knew fairly well, but Bobby's offer intrigued her. "What if I said I could be that kind of woman under the right circumstances?"
"I would ask what those circumstances might be."
"First of all, we don't leave the bar. Just in case you turn out to be a psychopath, I want to be where someone can hear me if I scream."
"Oh, you'll definitely be screaming. But it won't be because I'm a psychopath."
"There's a thin line between confidence and arrogance. Confidence is sexy. Arrogance isn't."
"I'll keep that in mind, and try to stay on the right side of the line." Bobby put his hand back on her leg. "Am I to understand that you're considering my offer?"
"I might be," Natalie replied.