Let me say that I have a passion for Second Life dancing, an activity that can keep me up late into the night. For a while I gave it up for less strenuous activities like sleeping, but, once I got another little taste, I got hooked again, and I found that I absolutely cannot go without. I'll shake my ass to almost anything: Hi-NRG, house, techno, Chicago, progressive, salsa, or whatever.
Please take note of my club dancing behaviors: (1) I tend to dance alone; (2) I usually dance right in front of the DJ and pay little attention to the rest of the venue; (3) if you come up to me and tell me I'm cute or that I'm a good dancer, I will simply take it as a bad pickup line or as sarcasm (it's SL, you know, and everyone is a cute star dancer); and (4) if you say hi to me, I probably won't remember you unless we're both regulars and I see you all the time.
I'm telling you this to put my remarkable first encounter with Michele in perspective.
I met her at Cirque Mystique, a Second Life hotspot of days gone by. It was Lingerie Night. As I danced alone, I could not help but notice this quietly lovely creature off to my left, studious-looking in her glasses, but exuding a soft sensuality that leapt out at me in a way I can't quite describe even to this day. She seemed to be friends with the hostess.
I watched her for a while. She appeared to be in her 30s, and she moved with a careless grace that betrayed her athleticism. Closer inspection revealed a tautness uncommon in girls of any age, and I suppressed an image that leapt into my mind, one of her sinewy legs wrapped around me in a deadly (for me) embrace. Thinking such thoughts, a casual hello would have been difficult to muster.
But Lingerie Night does serve to reduce inhibition. I asked her to dance and she agreed with a smile and an expression of vague interest. As I drew closer, I saw that her muscle tone was no illusion, and that she exuded a quiet physical confidence that was not completely consistent with her somewhat scholarly appearance. She was exquisite, with a taut, lean body and lovely green eyes. All she wore was a teddy. I could see the well defined muscles of her arms, and I imagined them encircling me, along with her lovely legs, holding me close. I looked at her mouth. I began to imagine the taste of her lips and their hotness as they explored bits of my body. At the same time, I became anxious that she might reject the friendship of a woman of my obvious age, no matter how well preserved I might be.
We danced, jostling amidst a fair-sized crowd, a sploder sploding, particle effects and rave lights all around. I was mesmerized by her svelte figure, dancing gracefully, merging with mine, and then again becoming discrete. It turned out that my anxiety and fears were unfounded. We talked, exploring each other a bit, discussing our real lives mostly in generalities, but with some specifics. We found that we had a bit in common, including a love of Second Life dance.