My wife Samantha and I had been looking at properties for a few weeks when we decided to view Number 22. The experience so far had left me unenthusiastic and even Sam was beginning to find the ongoing process a little tedious. We couldn't agree on which place to buy. One of us always had a negative point about the few places we had considered, and so it was with a growing feeling of frustration that we arrived at the next address to meet the agent.
Because it was Saturday afternoon, our usual agent wasn't available since it was her rota for the weekend off. She'd called to apologise, but emphasised that Richard would look after us and assured us that he was more than capable.
'Hmm,' I heard Samantha murmur when we arrived. I assumed the tone of approval as for the house, but she continued with, 'Look at him.'
As the car came to a halt I looked through the windscreen and saw the object of Samantha's enthusiastic appraisal. A tall, athletic black guy was standing in the open doorway and was obviously expecting us. I supposed that this was Richard. He appeared to be in his early twenties, was dressed in a light suit that even I could see complimented his dark skin. His hair was neatly groomed and he looked to be relaxed and confident.
'What do you mean, "Look at him"?' I asked exasperated. 'So he's young, good looking and black... so what?'
'Oh come on, Mark,' Samantha rolled her eyes. 'A girl can look can't she? He's positively gorgeous.'
'For fuck's sake,' I muttered and opened the car door. 'Come on, let's take a look around.' 'Mr and Mrs Webster?' Richard smiled and extended his hand.
'Samantha, please I'm Samantha, call me Sam, and this is my husband, Mark.' Samantha took over the introductions and smiled broadly at the young man.
Good God, she's making a big deal out of this bloke. Look at her, positively drooling over him!
I shook hands with the estate agent and he went straight into his prepared introductory speech. Samantha and I followed Richard throughout the spacious, three storey house and as we looked into the usual rooms I forgot about Samantha's bitch in heat attitude towards the handsome black man. The house really interested me and I could tell that Samantha appeared to like it as well.
'Well,' Richard asked finally, 'what do you think?'
I looked at my wife and she smiled and nodded with approval.
'I think,' I replied slowly. 'I think that we're interested.' I looked at Samantha for confirmation. 'Sam?'
'Mmm, definitely,' she responded. 'I'm definitely interested...' She gave me a sideways look and grinned slyly. 'Interested in the house too,' she added.
Richard laughed albeit a little uncertainly. He was unsure as to how to politely respond to Samantha's inappropriate remark and was flustered.
'Please,' I interjected,' forgive my wife, she's a little... ah... nervous. She makes jokes that probably aren't funny when she's nervous,' I added as an attempt at explanation.
'Ok,' Richard smiled uncertainly. 'Shall we sit in the living room and perhaps go over some possibilities?'
'Oh, the possibilities are endless,' Samantha offered and looked daggers at me.
'Erm, do you think my wife and I could have a moment in private to discuss things?' I asked Richard, who smiled politely and discreetly left the room.
I turned on Samantha abruptly, incensed by the show she was making of us both.
'What the fuck are you doing?' I whispered sharply. 'You're making us look like a pair of fucking idiots. Making suggestive comments like that. Richard's embarrassed... I'm fucking embarrassed... Jesus Sam, stop it.'
'What?' Samantha asked in a parody of wide eyed innocence. 'So I've made a couple of remarks, Jesus relax will you.' Samantha sniffed in disdain at her perception of my stuffy attitude. 'I find him yummy, that's all. He looks good, he smells good...'
'Well calm yourself down, he's got to be ten years younger than you anyway, you're thirty five... how about fucking acting your age.' 'What?' Samantha said sharply. 'I'm thirty five, so there's no way a stud like him is going to fancy me, is that it?'
'Jesus,' I muttered and looked upwards. 'Listen to yourself. We're here to look at a house, not get into a domestic. I'm not going to argue about how attractive you may, or may not be to a guy ten years your junior.' I looked at Samantha directly, 'I know you like the look of him, but come on... I'm standing right here, I feel a complete fool when you come on so strong like that.'
'Ok,' Samantha murmured quietly. 'Sorry.' She looked at me and smiled sheepishly.
I felt myself soften when I saw the look of contrition on my wife's pretty face. I've always been easy to manipulate, at least as far as Samantha was concerned. That pretty face had attracted me to begin with. Samantha's very kissable mouth with the adorable slight overbite and her big blue innocent looking eyes had captivated me years ago. I was always a sucker for blondes, and Sam's particular shade of 'dirty blonde' really did it for me in the trouser department. Samantha didn't have any single outstanding feature that defined her attractiveness, for me it was the whole package combined. Her bust was neither overlarge nor small, her neat breasts were rounded and well proportioned, and her cleavage was shown to its full potential that day in her button fronted blouse.
My wife is a tall lady and her slim, elegantly shaped legs were shown off to their superb finest in the skirt she'd chosen for our trip out house hunting. The skirt hung to just above my wife's knees, not too short and not too long, and the total effect was added to by the fact that her higher than average heeled shoes put just the right level of tension on her calf muscles and gave her legs that little 'extra' to cause men to take a second glance at her as she passed in the street. The narrow waist of the skirt emphasised Sam's delectable backside; another winning feature that had given me many, many hours of exquisite pleasure.
'Come on then, babe,' I said softly and leaned in to kiss her mouth lightly. 'Let's talk money with Richard.'
Richard sat on a two seater settee that was in the living room, and Samantha sat opposite him in a matching chair. I watched Richard eyeing my wife's legs as she settled back in the seat and crossed her shapely pins.
Oh fuck. I hope Samantha doesn't see him eyeing her legs. It'll only encourage her.
'Right,' said Richard briskly as he dragged his eyes up from Samantha's legs. 'You know the asking price?' he enquired. I nodded and he continued, 'Ok, so how do you feel about it if I may ask?'
'Well,' Samantha spoke,' we would expect the vendor to negotiate.'
I looked sharply at her. I could tell by her tone that she was back to playing games already. Oh shit. She had a look in her eyes. A look I'd seen a few times in the past, and one that she had only ever displayed while drunk. It was her 'horny and flirting' look. It was dangerous.
'Well I'm sure that we could come up with something if we all try to reach a common goal,' Richard replied apparently unaffected by my wife's tone of voice.
Samantha laughed with enjoyment. 'Now I'm certain that we could come up with something.' She stared at Richard as though challenging him and the young man shifted awkwardly in his seat. Samantha's very thinly veiled suggestive remarks had obviously penetrated his consciousness and he was more than a little discomfited.
'Sam,' I warned, but my warning fell upon deaf ears as Sam stood up.
'What?' she looked at me with hat blue eyed innocence. She smoothed her skirt over her hips and for some reason Richard swallowed heavily. Perhaps the innocuous gesture had struck a chord within him, I didn't know and could only guess, but he could only look at Sam helplessly as she moved across the carpet towards where he sat. 'We can talk... figures if you like,' Sam said in a slightly husky voice and settled cosily onto the seat next to Richard.
'Er... Yes, yes indeed,' Richard stumbled, lost for words in the strangeness of his situation. He was totally at a loss and looked to me for some sign.
'Sam,' I warned again I a low voice. 'Stop teasing the man, come on.'
'Teasing?' the blue eyed innocence again. Samantha turned her body towards Richard and leaned in closer. 'I'm not teasing am I, Richard,' she sighed.