The setting sun lazily flashed and flickered off the final water jump. Caroline dug her boot heels in to goad her horse, Odyne, to complete the final jump. Before the ripples caused by the mud falling from the horses hoofs had reached the bank, she had crossed the line to what can only be described as polite, almost sympathetic applause.
'Bugger' she thought, disheartened in knowing that for the third year running she had failed to finish inside the top six. She slowly cantered back to the paddock to tend to her horse and prepare to pack. She needed to be back at the stables by 6, then home to get ready to catch the flight at 9. Time was getting short.
'Caroline'. She heard a male voice call and spun around. She quickly remembered that she had brought someone along for moral support. She wasn't an insecure person, but she still felt a pang of disappointment at not finishing higher just to impress this person. Especially as this particular person was her boyfriend and she had dragged to this event.
'Hi Joe' she purred, and gave him a quick peck on the check
'You were... were magnificent' he stammered, 'and good gravy, you look good enough to eat!'. She smiled to herself, pleased with the reaction she had generated. She could see in his eyes that he was completely captivated by her outfit. She wondered what it was that generated such uncontrolled lust in males, was it the tight jacket, the jodhpurs, the boots?
'Steady on boy" she chided, "we are dignified company and we'll have none of that smut here!. But, seriously, thanks for coming with me today, it means a lot to me. It's just a shame I didn't finish higher." she pouted, fishing for more compliments. She was pleased he had come today. What impressed her the most was Joe had gone to the trouble of buying what he considered to be 'Country Clothes'. However, they looked so new and didn't quite hang on his body correctly that he looked disjointed and as far from a dignified country gent as possible. 'Bless' she thought.
'Oh, no bother at all, I never realise you possessed such a talent. The way you controlled that horse, bent it's will, made it do what you wanted...." he almost drooled.
"OK, that's enough" she warned. "If you can keep your libido under control for a moment, perhaps can you be a sweetie and help me off with my muddy boots" She emphasised the last word and moved slightly closer towards him as she said it. Her eyes mischievous.
"Um... yeah sure". He looked nervous. Rightly so.
Caroline sat on the tailgate of Joe's Range Rover and lifted her left leg so Joe could help her. Joe dropped onto one knee, grabbed the boot heel and started tugging.
'These things are on tight" he commented. "And they are quite muddy"
"Umm...hmm" Caroline replied. Most people stay on both feet when helping others so naturally she was surprised that Joe had voluntarily knelt in the mud before her, especially in his new breeches. She was going to tell him, but something about the sight of this man, kneeling in the mud, with all these people around, helping her remove her muddy boots, stopped her. She actually liked the feeling it gave, the feeling, no the sense of power. With a final yank, the boot popped free taking half of her sock off as well.
'Oops' Joe apologised, "let me get that for you". He put the boot down gently and pulled her sock back up her calf. Caroline just watched this, surprised, but strangely aware of how much she was enjoying the show.
"Now, my other boot" she ordered. Her left foot rested on the tailgate. She leaned back on her elbows and raised her right boot. Again, he grabbed the boot by the heel with both hands and began to pull.
"Make sure you leave the sock on this time" she chided. This surprised her as she this was not like her to be terse, and she wouldn't be surprised if he stood up and told her to take her own sodding boots off.
"Um... I'll try" was all he could manage. She just smiled and tossed her hair back off her face. She was really beginning to enjoy this and she wanted an full, unobstructed view.
Mary, the girl who came third in Caroline's event walked passed. She looked at Caroline and then at Joe in the mud tugging away at her boot. Mary made eye contact with Caroline, raised her eyebrows in mock surprise, gave a wry smile and rolled her eyes over towards Joe. Caroline understood what this meant. She was saying "You have him well trained". The acceptance of your peers. Caroline looked down at a struggling Joe who finally wrestled the reluctant boot from her foot, managing to leave the sock in place.
"Good boy!" she said in mock praise. He didn't see the sarcasm and smiled back at her, happy in a job well done.
They hitched up the trailer and drove Odyne back to the stables, then started the tortuous journey back towards Caroline's flat. She lived in an old mansion block past St Johns Wood and the Edgware Road is always a nightmare on a Sunday night. Caroline was beginning to get agitated feeling that time was running out and she would miss her flight. Work rarely took her away from London, but she had somehow been invited to a conference in Nice. She wasn't about to turn down a 3 day holiday in the South of France. She thought it was a shame that Joe couldn't take the time off as well. That would have been perfect, she thought. Lying on the beach having him rub suntan lotion into my......
"Almost there". Joes comment brought her out of her daydream. They had rounded Lords and she could see her apartment building.
"OK, the traffic is almost at a standstill." she said. "I will jump out here, I'm already packed I just need to grab my things. I will be back before you move too far and then you can drive me to the airport". Before Joe could argue, Caroline had jumped out. The traffic was quite heavy, but she knew the roads this time of night. It was almost like clockwork that when she burst through the front door, with bags flying and pigeons scattering in her wake, that Joes car was abeam the door. She threw her bags in the back seat, sat down in the passenger seat and with a smug, self satisfied smile pulled her sunglasses down from the top of her head.
"Heathrow, and make it snappy". Joe obeyed, what else could he do?
Caroline looked at her watch. Impatiently she thought "Five to six, he should be here". They had arranged for her to come his flat straight after work. From there, the plan was to grab some food, have a drink, and then, well she certainly knew what she wanted later. She had dressed as best she could for work, but with definitely keeping one eye on this evenings fun!. Underneath her fingertip length wool coat, she had a silk neck scarf, tight white blouse, a flowing pleated tartan skirt that reached just above her knees. Finally, she had worn her knee high black leather boots. These had a pointed toe and not too much of a heel. Sex siren meets girl next door. She was proud of these boots, they cost her a weeks pay. "Of course I could justify them" she said to Jenny at work, "They are gorgeous!". Jenny was forced to agreed and the subject of money was dropped.