The woman at the far end of the bar caught Roxy's eye. Roxy had been tending bar in this hotel for a long time, and she knew what this woman's attire and actions meant. She first noticed the dress the woman was wearing: not just any dress, but the kind of sexy dress that a woman wears when she wants attention from a stranger. The kind that a single woman wears almost any time she goes out, or a married woman wears when she's feeling lonely, or neglected, or just needs to be reassured that someone still finds her to be very desirable.
The woman nervously fidgeting at Roxy's bar was in the latter category. She looked to be at about that awkward age when women realize they aren't young little things anymore, but they aren't ready to accept being considered old yet, either. The only hints to her true age were the tiny lines on her face when she smiled or laughed, and the color of her hair. She was beautiful, but hair wasn't naturally that deep of a black without a few telltale lighter strands, even on a younger woman. Obviously a dye job, or maybe even a wig. She was trying to hide something.
Roxy wished she could make the woman understand how beautiful she was on her own, and that she didn't have to try so hard, but she had spent too many nights behind this bar, and Roxy knew better. This woman was here for a very specific reason, and it wasn't any of Roxy's business. The woman would have no trouble getting what she was here after, and Roxy knew it.
Tall, fit, brunette, proportional breast size; firm butt; and sexy, toned thighs; the kind of body that should never want for companionship. Showing as much skin as she was: the cleavage; the open back of her dress; the knee length dress that was slit up the side, was obviously far outside of her normal comfort zone.
She seemed nervous, yet excited, about the prospect of men looking at her and the thoughts she hoped they must be having. Roxy knew what this woman was after, and she wasn't going to interfere-or help-beyond keeping an eye on her drinks for her to make sure nothing got tampered with, and steering her clear of any known creeps.
The mysterious dark haired beauty slowly stirred the drink in front of her with her slender right hand, absently staring at the cherry swirling around in it while presumably listening to the thoughts that were almost surely echoing inside her mind. The way the thumb on her left hand slowly twirled the ring on it hinted as to what those thoughts likely were.
"Does he still love me? Do I still love him? Is that enough? God, how long has it been since I really felt sexy, or even beautiful? Does he still think I'm beautiful? Does anyone? When was the last time I caught a man sneaking a glance in my direction? Do I not notice it, or am I no longer deserving of stolen glances? If I found myself single again, would anyone else want me? Would I have a chance at love again? Would I have a chance at a night of anonymous, passionate sex with a stranger tonight? If I do, what does that mean? What happens tomorrow?"
Keith had noticed her, too, and although she was too far away to make out much detail, he could tell she was a beauty of the type he had always been attracted to. His mind wandered to thoughts similar to hers, and it was those last questions that he was most interested in. He was bored and lonely himself, which is what brought him into this place to begin with. He was generally not a fan of bars, especially in cities he was not familiar with, and this place fit that bill. "Home" for the next four nights was a hotel room on the fifth floor, and the only view out was overlooking a poorly maintained grassy field that ended where the railroad tracks began. Not even anything outside the room to entertain himself with, so he wound up in this hotel bar, just looking to kill a little time before turning in for the night.
She changed his priorities with just a single glance. The instant he saw her, his heart skipped a beat! Keith hadn't felt that since the first time he saw the woman who would become his wife, and that was many years ago. They still loved each other, but the days of consciously showing each other that love had sadly long passed. Now, it was apparently just assumed that the feelings were still there; that neither of them was going to go anywhere; that they were, indeed, together "until death do us part". Ironic that the statement they made during their wedding vows, which seemed to be so far into the future and such a terrifying yet exciting thought at the time, years later began to seem perhaps too ambitious. Not as terrifying, and maybe even an end to the heartbreak that had replaced a once passionate love.
It was neither of their faults, they both had their own share of blame to carry. They got complacent taking care of the drudgery of daily life. A baby came, then another, then school, athletics, birthday parties, graduations, college...and in what seemed like an instant, they were alone again, together. Their lives had become so centralized around giving their children the happiest, safest, most secure and fulfilling childhood they could in order to spring them into adult life with every advantage they could give them, that it had replaced the romance of two people in love and lust for each other. Now, those children were adults, and they had begun building lives of their own. Keith and his wife were both very proud of that, and their children, and happy for their journeys. But, with the first looks around their newly empty nest, they made a startling and painful discovery: somewhere, they had misplaced the spark that lit the flame that began this shared life, and without it, only sadness and loneliness remained.
They tried to rekindle it, but being unable to financially afford outside assistance, and unable to uncover the core issues ourselves, they unknowingly succumbed to the tedium and heartbreak of just ticking down the days as roommates and business partners; passively waiting until their lives were once again consumed by something other than themselves: grandkids. That was likely years off into the future, however, which left her and Keith both trying to fill the holes in their souls with whatever they could find.
She occupied herself by finally sorting two childhood's worth of photos, newspaper clippings, and various awards into albums and displays for the girls. She seemed content enough doing this, but it was difficult for Keith to tell what was going on in her mind. She never really complained, though, so if she was feeling as lost and hopeless as he was, she was much better at hiding it.
Keith was having a much more difficult time of it. He loved his daughters, there was never any doubt about that. Any parent out there knows, the second you become a parent, your view of the world changes, and every priority you ever had gets rearranged to accommodate this new life that you are now responsible for. But, he never stopped wanting to be a husband, a lover, or an individual. It's something that he struggled with since the birth of his firstborn, but now that there was no longer the distraction of full-time parenting, he found it impossible to relegate this want to anywhere but the front of his mind. He was depressed, angry, and lonely, and didn't see that changing anytime soon without his wife joining him on that quest.
Marriage can oftentimes be a double-edged sword. No one really tells you that going in. Finding yourself drawn so strongly to just one person; joining every aspect of your lives together; building on that foundation to create an entirely new life; having everything in your life being somehow anchored to and centered around one particular human being, can be very reassuring. Until one day that anchor starts to come loose, usually after years of stagnant lovemaking, uneventful anniversaries and birthdays, and passion free Valentine's Days. Then, you find yourself still accompanied by that same person whom you once were drawn so strongly to, but instead of being each other's anchors, you find you are simply two lonely souls, adrift in the same life boat. You may even find that you have run out of things to talk about as you rock amongst the waves, searching the empty horizon for some sign, any sign, of rescue.
Then one day, unexpectedly, you find yourself in a hotel bar, and someone catches your eye, and suddenly you feel that spark again; those butterflies; that feeling of...of...of your soul coming back to life! It's exciting! It's confusing! It's dangerous.
It was dangerous, this position Keith found himself in. He had never wanted to do anything like this before, not even back in his single days. He just never had the confidence to approach a stranger in a bar, buy her a drink, and strike up a conversation; all with the goal in mind of a casual sexual encounter instead of a long-term relationship. Never mind the fact that he would harbor guilt forever about how he made her feel about the encounter after all was said and done. He would worry that he may have made her feel used, cheap, slutty, or maybe just uncomfortable and ashamed. No, this just wasn't his style.
And yet, at this moment, he wanted nothing more!
He wanted to confidently walk up to this gorgeous woman, this goddess, this...this...MILF! Yes, that's what she was! Simply a sexy, older (which by now, "older" meant someone his age) woman whom he wanted nothing more than a night of sexual passion with! He wanted to chat her up a little, buy her a drink, look into her eyes, and then take her up to his room where they would spend the rest of the night discovering each other's bodies and bringing each other to forgotten heights of physical pleasure, over and over again, until they parted ways in the morning exhausted, satisfied, and replenished. Yes, he wanted this. He could do this.
He ordered a drink from his stool at the far end of the bar, a little something to calm his nerves down. As he sipped it, he tried to watch her without her realizing. A glance in her direction while turning on his stool; watching her reflection in the mirror behind the bar; pretending that he was looking past her toward the outside door for someone. Much as he wanted to, he dared not look directly at her face, thinking that doing so meant risking her catching him, and then it would all be over before it had a chance to begin. It must have worked, because if she ever caught him or was bothered by his scouting activities, she never let on.
Finally, his liquid courage kicked in and he began to slowly make his way to the only empty stool next to her, which was on her right. Conveniently for him, that's the side he was approaching, so he had the element of surprise in his favor and could gauge her interest in him by her initial reaction.
Five more steps to go; four more steps; it's getting close now. Was his breath okay? How about his hair? Was his shirt tucked in funny? Oh, god, this is why he never did this before! Okay, three more...
