I met Bobbie at Lisa and Jake's housewarming party. By the time the party started, I was already tired -- I'm not exactly a social butterfly, and I'd spent the afternoon helping Lisa get her house ready and setting out food. I'm friendly enough, but I'm not outgoing. Even though I said hello to everyone and even mingled a little, I spent more time sitting out on the patio with the dog, eating chips, and occasionally slipping the chips to the dog, which is why I suspect the dog was finding me such good company.
"Pardon, do you have a light?" I handed the woman my lighter and tossed the dog another chip.
She lit up, illuminating full lips painted dark red, and handed it back. "Thanks. You out here getting away from it all, or do you mind if I sit with you?"
"Sure," I said. "Please sit down." I smiled at her automatically, then looked again. Most fabulous looking girl! She had blonde hair -- bombshell blonde, unapologetically out of a bottle, worn in a 40's style updo with the clichΓ© Bettie Page bangs, but instead of framing the Gawth-pale face with drawn-on eyebrows, her skin looked soft and natural, and her brows were perfect arches over big dark eyes -- again lined retro-style, with heavy dark lashes, but on her it was done right. Add in those lush red lips, and oh, yes, be still my beating heart. Not too perfect-looking, mind you; gorgeous, but not intimidating and unattainable-looking. She was just this side of plump, with voluptuous curves barely contained in a poison-green satin wiggle dress. There was a rose tattooed on the upper curve of one of her breasts. I'm not huge on tattoos, but she was so damn easy on the eyes it added rather than detracted. This woman looked so soft and pleasing, and lovely, and when she took a drag off her cigarette, those perfectly-uptilted tits raised in a way that made me catch my breath.
"Sorry, didn't mean to stare. You look...great," I said.
She grinned; one of her front teeth was slightly chipped. "Thanks. You're not too bad, yourself."
"Thanks," I didn't look too bad tonight -- I'm small, curvy myself (though not to the full effect this pretty critter was), and a bit exotic-looking; I'd decided to wear a sundress with a pattern of blue roses -- also vintage in cut, and showing off what I have. But next to this angel? Chopped liver.
"It's nice to see someone else who likes retro looks. Would you mind standing up so I can see your dress better?"
I complied, twirling campily, ending with a little curtsey. I had a fleeting moment of thinking I was an idiot, but she smiled and looked me up and down, the tip of her tongue caught between her front teeth, and I realized that yes, I was flirting. And she was responding.
"Nice," she nodded. "That's perfect on you. You're lovely." The dog, realizing that he wasn't getting enough attention and the chip distribution had paused, had wandered down into the yard. The girl took one last drag on her cigarette and leaned over to put it out in the ashtray on the table between us, causing a minor commotion in the top of her dress again.
"I'm Bobbie, by the way. I used to work with Lisa's boyfriend Jake. We started hanging out together back then, and we're still buddies. Don't know Lisa as well as I'd like to yet, but she seems to be good people."
I took her proffered hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Lula. I've known Lisa for about...seven years? Jeez, it's been that long...I don't know Jake that well yet, myself."
She shook my hand. But she didn't quite let it go as quickly as one usually does, and she squeezed my fingers gently when she finally did relinquish it.
We chatted for a while, in a way that might have been completely innocent, but had an undercurrent of flirtation. I'm really pretty shy and not demonstrative, and as a bisexual woman, I move really cautiously especially when it comes to girls I find attractive. I swore, though, she seemed more than casually interested about my relationship status: I'm engaged, my fiance is geographically distant, and while neither of us would want to do anything to jeopardize our relationship, he knows my tendency to like girls...and it turns him on. Me playing with girls is all right in his book. I tiptoed around that, but she did get that I sometimes play with girls. So it was out there.
"I prefer girls, myself. I don't date a lot, and I do date guys sometimes, but...I like women better." She said, finishing off with another adorable, seismic shrug. I could have sworn she was suddenly even warmer toward me, and sitting a little closer. She reached out and touched the back of my hand. "Do you want to go in and get another drink?"
We both chose Diet Cokes from the ice-filled cooler in the kitchen. While we were standing there talking, someone jostled my elbow. Diet Coke fizzed out, scoring a direct hit on the front of my dress.
"Dammit," I said, swiping my fingers at it uselessly.
"Hang on -- let me see if they have any seltzer or something." She went into the kitchen, returning with a bottle of club soda and a cloth napkin.