I sat with a smug grin in the restaurant. Why? Because I had noted the little sideways glances my way, people tried hard to not make it obvious.
Oh yeah, why?
Sitting opposite me were two beautiful women, one blonde one brunette, dressed in a way that you'd think was for a hot sexy first date.
Sammi was dark and smouldering. Genes rooted back in some part of Mediterranean history diluted through time with English dna. Although short she carried killer curves - where women's bits jutted out, they most certainly jutted out back and front.
Cassie was the opposite. Blonde, taller than Sammi, pale skin would make you think of a nordic heritage. She may not have had Sammi's curves but had a graceful body, with long legs that wouldn't be out of place on a ballet dancer.
With them sitting opposite me in a sexy dress apiece, immaculate hair and make-up you could see why we drew attention.
I'm Liam just a guy hitting sixty, receiving those jealous glances because people are putting one and one and one together to equal....fun...the kinda fun that guys fantasise about when you have two sexy women with you.
Heck, I'd be sure there's even a few women in the restaurant who'd be thinking the same. The reality, of couse, was nothing like the visual vista if watching us.
Sammi was my wife of over thirty years and Cassie was our friend going back over several years. For a long time we were four and not just the three at our table now.
When Covid 19 started to spread quickly through the UK Cassie's husband was a doctor in the local hospital. Even thinking about those first few months I don't want to re-live the agony that Cassie or we felt when the inevitable occurred. Our gang of four was now three in number.
We became Cassie's mental crutch, and rightly so too. It was bad enough losing a friend but she lost her lifelong partner and with the restrictions in force it was harder. No proper funeral, no goodbye or loving last words. He was simply gone.
Because of the lockdown Cassie moved in with us. We helped build her back up until she was outwardly her old self but it was only skin deep. She made no attempt to start dating and chose to just enjoy life with her various circles of friends.
But we had something special, something reborn from the ashes of our party of four. Yep I know what you're thinking we evolved into a ménage à trois but no, it hasn't ever happened, despite what it may look like right now as we laugh, joke and pseudo-flirt in this restaurant right now.
The nearest that has ever shown to being a possible reality surfaced during the first New Years Eve in the Covid lockdown. We spent the night drinking then the girls insist we danced. Just after midnight they started playing some slow stuff and Cassie danced with me. I could feel the atmosphere changing, as she kissed my cheek then on my lips.
The music stopped and I used the opportunity to go make some drinks to slow things down. When I came back Sammi and Cassie were seriously lip locked, hands pulling each other in as close as was physically possible. I said nothing, with no partner I guess the emotional attachment had shifted to us. This was just a manifestation of those emotions so I let it play out.
We were all professional people. Not rich, but certainly not poor, so we frequently had weekend City breaks together. This time we were in Hamburg. We'd walked from our hotel along part of the city's waterfront finding this avant-garde Mediterranean restaurant we were currently sitting in a road or two back from the waterfront. After a sumptuous meal, wine and champagne we left feeling vibrant and happy from the mix of food and drink.
The decision was to walk back along the waterfront hoping to sample one of the bars we'd past on the way but alas, they appeared closed. Half way along we came across a shortcut in the form of an alleyway nestled between the large former merchants buildings which stood having survived the ravages of allied bombing during the second World War. It was dark, almost to the point of blackness.
We stood at the opening but I was hesitant to go down this route.
It was Cassie that broke my mental calculation trying to establish if taking this shortcut was the right thing to do.
"C'mon this is a shortcut my heels are killing me!"
That wasn't a new statement to me. The girls both loved their elegant heels and it was often used as a reason to find a taxi on nights like this.
"I don't think so girls, I can barely see the end it's so dark and it's got to be at least a hundred metres long."
Sammi came and kissed me on the cheek.
"What's up? Are you scared you'll be ravaged by a couple of hot, horny women in the darkness?"
Before I could open my mouth to answer Cassie was kissing the other cheek.
"Scared the ghost of a couple of harlots that would have walked this area years ago possess our bodies in the dark down that alleyway. Just think you're luck would be in!"
I shook my head, here we go again. The usual way an evening like this played out was that they would tease my mercilessly with hollow hopes of illicit sexual fulfilment. If I complained, the threat was that there was always some other guy out there that would willing swap places with me. Point to the girls then.
"Sorry girls it's this way tonight pointing to the long way round."
There response was to simultaneously kiss me on each cheek with the promise it'll be to my benefit if we took the shortcut through the alleyway.
Cassie whispered in my ear, but it was for show, Sammi could clearly hear.
