Chapter 1
Amanda Cooper was down in the dumps. Her 18 year old son, Eddie, had left for college two weeks ago and she was missing him terribly. It was now just her and her husband of 19 years, John, in the house.
Amanda and John have been together since meeting in their own freshman year of college. They married during the summer break and she became pregnant with Eddie soon after. She continued in school until the late stages of pregnancy and then dropped out to be a 'stay at home mom'.
Being her only child, Amanda doted on Eddie. Careful not to spoil him, she still devoted as much time as possible to be with him. Summers were amazing. Every year she renewed their family membership in their town's public pool and she and Eddie would spend their days there. He was able to meet and play with friends and she was able to swim laps to both regain and maintain her figure. She would often pick a spot to lay out in the sun where she could both keep an eye on Eddie while also enjoying some free time to read or do crossword puzzles.
Once Eddie entered first grade, Amanda started taking classes again and ended up completing her teaching degree. Though it took far longer than she wanted, she has been teaching for just over 4 years now and her career has allowed her and Eddie to have the same breaks, making his departure that much more difficult.
The other difficulty is her husband John. As with many marriages, Amanda and John had hit the 'same old, same old' rut; with each focusing on their own things and not focusing on each other. John worked hard in the business world in an effort to move up the 'company ladder' and was often tired when he got home or brought work home with him. Amanda felt their youth slipping away and was concerned they'd be old before they knew it.
When Eddie left for school Amanda was hurt. She tried to hold back the tears as he drove off, but she couldn't help just realize just how much she had come to enjoy his companionship. They enjoyed the same movies, TV shows, or sometimes just playing games. She was very proud of her accomplishments as a mother and was now feeling the pains of letting go.
As she blinked back the tears as his car rounded the corner, Amanda vowed to make changes even if she had to go it alone. She was going to go out and enjoy a social life. Most of her fellow teachers were either older than her or just starting out so she really couldn't expect them to be part of any activity. Plus, she didn't want to talk about the kids in the class all night. What she wanted was something to take her mind off missing her son and her boring home life. She looked at schedules of shows and things like concerts or public events in the area. But in the two weeks Eddie has been gone she had yet to take the plunge.
"This Friday," she vowed to herself, "this Friday I am going out!"
That Friday, Amanda told John she was going out and headed to a place about 15 minutes away that served food, drinks, and played country and western music. She had been to the place before and figured it would be comfortable place to hang out for her first time out.
It turned out to be a mistake.
One problem was that Eddie liked C&W music so it made her miss him that much more. But the real problem was the crowd. There were couples just like her and John all over the place. Some were as detached from one another there, as she was at home. Others were the flip side, enjoying themselves as couples as she should have been. She was there less than an hour before heading home frustrated and disappointed.
On the drive home, Amanda debated with herself if she was making a mistake or should she continue. She wondered what it was she was even looking for. Then she scolded herself for being so quick to give up and realized that her choice of going somewhere familiar was the mistake. She needed to go somewhere outside of her comfort zone. Somewhere that didn't make her dwell on her home life, but would be fun and a change of pace.
So, if country and western was her first choice, maybe somewhere in the city with a more urban feel should be second.
The following Friday, Amanda dressed in what she felt would be appropriate for the venue in a nice form fitting but still modest blue dress. Her blonde hair gently draped her shoulders and she had just a hint of extra makeup. Her 36C breasts and the rest of her swim-fit body looked quite nice in the mirror as she appraised herself and she left the house with a bit of a spring in her step.
She parked in a nearby parking garage and immediately felt out of place. She sat in her car for probably 10 minutes before finally getting the nerve to step out and head for the club she had selected. It was a beautiful autumn evening and that combined with the activity on the sidewalk picked her spirit (and her nerve) up a bit. She could hear music spilling out the door as she approached the place.
And then she was immediately intimidated; so intimidated in fact, that she probably would have not entered had she not had to get out of the way of another club goer walking in.
Feeling foolish for being so hesitant, Amanda made a beeline for the bar and sat down. She ordered a margarita and was about to take her first sip when a deep voice to her right asked "This seat taken?"
Amanda could barely form the words to speak as her mind quickly jumped to the idea that whoever the man was might have thought she was out looking for a date. She finally squeaked out a "No" as she shook her head. Amanda felt her face flush at how foolish and naΓ―ve she must look and sound. She dared not look at who was speaking to her but that only made her feel that much sillier.
Finally drawing up the nerve to glance to her right, she saw a tall bald headed black man smiling at her. He didn't have to say anything. It was clear he knew she was new at this.
Amanda's mind was in overdrive now. All she could think of, was "I am married. I am not out looking for anything more than just some company." Yet, even as she thought that, she began to scold herself at what she was even doing there in the first place. She was a married woman! Why did she put herself in this situation and how could she get out of it without further embarrassing herself?
All sound seemed to stop in the club as she heard the scrape of the chair's wooden legs scrape across the floor. Reflexively, as if to try and salvage some form of self-esteem, Amanda smiled at the black stranger as he sat down next to her.
The man gave her the slightest of head nods then motioned for the bartender and ordered a beer. Those brief couple seconds were critical to her catching her breath as she giggled to herself about whether she had been breathing at all! She took another sip of her margarita and shifted in her seat to stand and excuse herself when the man calmly put his hand on her forearm.
He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. The command was clear. "Stay here."
With that, Amanda unknowingly committed her first act of obedience...she sat back down.