Karen closed the door of her apartment, kicked off her shoes and slumped into the nearest comfortable chair and stretched out her legs.
"I stink of sex," she thought to herself.
She exhaled deeply. Bath, bed and rest. It was 9:30 in the morning, she wasn't wearing any underwear or any stockings. She thought hard but still couldn't figure out what had happened to them other than in the heat of frenzied groping they had ended up in some corner of the hotel room she hadn't searched.
Maybe under the bed, she mused, shaking her head in disbelief.
*
And what a night it had been. It had started with a very civilised dinner at a top Italian restaurant in town. Sensational food -- ricotta gnocchi, osso bucco, Italian cheese (not that culture's strongest culinary point, parmesan excepted)-- all washed down with a super Tuscan Sassacaia, a 1998 if she'd read the label properly. Her companion, Allegra, was the sort of client (she now accepted that 'client' was the correct word) she really liked. She read books, liked good music and had a fair amateur knowledge of art. They had hit it off immediately when Karen told her that she had just come back from Paris where she had seen the new Rothko retrospective at Vuitton's temple to art in the Bois de Boulogne.
"I can lose myself just staring into those canvases," Karen had said. "At one level they are meaningless, just horizontal blocks of color or blackness, but at another level, the correct level, I think, they are an invitation to explore how you to project how you feel upon them and the answer the give is specific to you."
As she was talking Allegra lent forward and took her hand gently. She didn't quite caress it, but she held Karen's hand purposefully, and looked her straight in the eye and said,
"That is exactly how I feel," she smiled. "I think we are going to have a lovely evening, my dear."
Karen returned her look and felt satisfied with how the evening had begun.
"For all the hype, I don't think much of the exhibition space, though. From the outside the Gehry building looks impressive...'
"Really," interjected Allegra, "I think looks a bit like a giant testicle."
Karen laughed.
"Well, I have more than a passing acquaintance with them, but I do see what you mean. I rather liked the shape of the building and the waterfall, but eh, each to her own. What I don't like is the interior. I don't know of an art gallery less suited to displaying pictures than the Foundation Louis Vuitton. The room shapes are weird. And there's no natural circulation through the building. All that queueing and crocodile lines, makes me feel like I'm back at grade school."
"Agreed," said Allegra laughing. "A toast," she said, holding a glass of Salon. Karen raised her glass.
"To the beginning of a new friendship, with lots of benefits."
The two women laughed out loud and took a generous measure of the champagne.
Allegra was younger than Karen who, while nearly 57, could pass for a woman not much more than 50. Karen eyed Allegra. Her face was immaculate, supple and not a line to be seen, and framed by short spiky jet black hair. High cheek bones and a gently sloping aquiline nose, totally in keeping with the high born Roman that she was, completed a woman who, if she had been slight would have been called gamine, but given her slightly fuller figure, one that was by no means overweight, she was if anything athletic. Hands were what usually betrayed us, Karen thought, but Allegra's showed none of the tell tale signs of age, spots and wrinkling. When Allegra held he hand earlier they seemed as smooth as her face. Yes she was a sophisticated and confident woman in her early 40s.
*
Karen bestirred herself. She padded into the kitchen not sure if she wanted a coffee of a glass of water. She settled for the latter.
"I need a bath," she muttered.
She made for her bedroom and took off her dress and bra, at least she had recovered that. She looked at herself in the mirror.
"What a fright," she thought."
Any objective observer would have reached a different conclusion. Her hair may have been a mess but three hour-long sessions of reformer Pilates a week was paying off. Dex had been good initially but she was far too attractive and Karen was determined to improve her shape not satisfy her libido. Regretfully went to a professional physio who specialised in Pilates at a centre. And she could see the results. Her breasts had always been one of her best features and now they sat more firmly than they had in years. Her nipples sat proud and tilted up while the undersides of her breasts swelled and rested on her torso. They were pleasant to hold, she was told. She smiled. Her tummy had some flab, that's to be expected she had carried a child to term, but not a lot. Her immaculately shaved mound confidently sat between her almost bony hips. Pilates had toned her thighs and legs and there was a pleasing (to her at least) gap developing between her legs. She like the way the lips of her vulva were prominent and visible. She found that really horny in a woman. Her legs, another strength, were toned and shapely. Her toes had benefited from a pedicure and multiple coats of vermilion nail lacquer. Allegra had sucked them for what felt like a delirious age last night. Karen had nearly come because of the attention she had lavished on her feet.
"I must make a mental note to incorporate that in my routine." she thought as she walked into her en suite bathroom and began to fill the bath.
The running water made her want to pee. She sat the toilet and flooded the bowl with her golden shower. While peeing she linked her cell to a smart speaker and summoned Keith Jarrett to play some Bach for her. The first piece from the Wall Tempered Clavier began to play its ascending and descending lines bringing relief and calming her. Karen exhaled, again. She wiped herself and flushed the toilet. The bath was getting full but the level hadn't reach what she wanted. She had time, so she decided to rub some almond oil into her skin. On her visit to Paris she was able to stock up on Le Blanc's almond oil. So it was arms first and the gorgeous fluid left a sheen on her skin and a sweet aroma as well. She then applied some to her legs, propping first her right, then her left, foot on the closed toilet seat as she went. It felt glorious to massage her calves and thighs, thoughts of Allegra unbidden elbowing aside Bach. Those thought became more prominent when she applied the oil to her breasts. So sensitive. He nipples hard and erect, trying to burst out of their skin, their sensitivity heightened to a point that was almost painful. She pushed her oily hands down, rubbing the almond oil onto her stomach. She hesitated, or perhaps liked the idea of it, as she poured a silver dollar's worth of oil into the palm of her hand and the applied it to her mound which she began to rub gently. There was a sharp intake of breath. She pushed the palm of her hand over her mound and oily fingers over her vulva and moved them backwards and forwards. She was getting wet and horny.
"God, that feels good," she thought.
The bath was ready. She raised herself to her full height and ran her oily hands over her breasts, stomach, arms and thighs, hoping the oil had been absorbed into her skin. She held onto the side of the bath--it came up to her mid thigh--and lifted a leg over and into the bath. She steadied herself and lifted her leg into the bath. She then lowered herself into the warm water and lay back. She relaxed into the warm water and her thoughts returned again to Allegra.
*
When they had left the restaurant Allegra surprised Karen by holding her hand as they walked to Allegra's hotel. Frankly, Karen was a little embarrassed. She didn't even hold her late husband's hand when they went on walks. But she was the professional here, wasn't she? So she steeled herself and just hoped she didn't run into anyone who knew her in 'real life', as it were. She squeezed Allegra's hand, caught her eye and smiled at her.
"That's different," she said.
"How so? We are two beautiful women walking on a lovely evening. Why shouldn't we hold hands?" protested Allegra.
"So you are an out lesbian in Rome?" Karen laughed.
