Sight Unseen

I sat at the bar, picking at my rum and coke and looking at my watch. It was nearly eight-thirty, and there was no sign of my blind date. I felt sorry for myself and wondered how I had wound up there. After being divorced from my husband nearly a year earlier, I finally decided to dip my toe in the dating pool. Talking myself into meeting another man would have been hard enough, but agreeing to meet a woman sight unseen, I was reaching beyond my comfort zone, and now, there I was being stood up on my first attempt.

Just when I was about to give up hope, a gorgeous brunette entered the bar and did a quick scan of the room before heading my way. She wore a tight pair of Levi's jeans, boots, and a black Shania Twain T-shirt circa 1999. Her hair was pulled back snuggly into a ponytail. I was sure it had to be her. She had requested that we meet at Woody's, a country dive bar off Interstate 5, and she warned me that she was a bit of a tomboy.

I tried not to stare as she made her way across the bar. We had only traded texts and never actually spoken on the phone. There were only a handful of other patrons in the bar, and I was sitting by myself. I tucked my hair behind my ear, a nervous habit of mine, as she approached.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked with a smile as she pulled out the chair next to me and took a seat.

"I don't think so." I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.

At first, she said nothing and waited for the bartender to acknowledge her.

"What are we drinking tonight?" he asked as he made his way to our end of the bar.

"Coors Light and cold glass."

"Comin' right up." He quickly retrieved her beer from the well and a glass from the cooler. "Here ya go."

She tilted her glass and carefully poured her beer before taking a drink. "Nothing better than an ice-cold Coors Light." The subtle country twang in her voice was noticeable, endearing, and incredibly sexy.

"I'm not much of a beer drinker," I admitted.

"Well, that's damn near the saddest thing I've heard all week," she said with a laugh.

"I guess I'm just more of a mixed drink kinda gal," I said, motioning to my drink.

"I see that. So have you been here long tonight?" She turned her chair toward me as if letting me know she was ready to have a conversation in earnest.

"Not long. This is my first drink." It was hard to be mad about her showing up late. She was cute as hell and smelled amazing. I wasn't sure how I'd feel when I finally met her. She could have just as easily been a square-jawed truck driver with a butch haircut and a flannel shirt.

"Well, why donchya hurry up and finish it and come meet me over there for a dance?" Here I was trying to make sense of these new feelings, and she just seemed so comfortable in her own skin. She gave a wink as she took her beer and headed over toward the jukebox.

I quickly finished the last bit of my drink, but I knew I'd need a little more liquid courage than that. "Give me a shot of Patron."

As Lee Ann Womack started playing, the bartender set it up and knocked it down without hesitation. "I Hope You Dance"? Really? I had to laugh as I made my way over to the small makeshift dance floor. Normally, I would have been much too bashful for something like this, but between the tequila and the lack of prying eyes, I was game.

She held out her hand as I approached and pulled me close. I could feel her humble breasts press against mine as she wrapped her arms around my waist. "Let me guess; you're not much of a dance either."

"Not really. I'm sorry. I think my wedding was the last time I danced." Unfortunately, that wasn't too far from the truth.

"No need to apologize, sweetie." Her hands slowly moved from my waist down to my ass as she nuzzled my cheek with hers. "I think you're really pretty," she whispered in my ear.

"Thanks," I whispered awkwardly in return. If I hadn't been before, I was definitely blushing now. "You're not so bad yourself."

We shuffled our feet across the old wooden floor while the song played. Having her wrapped in my arms was like nothing else I'd ever experienced before. She was simultaneously sensual and rugged, but in a way that didn't require that she forfeit her femininity. The touch of her hand, the smell of her skin, I was melting in her arms.

She pulled back slightly to make eye contact and brushed my cheek with her hand. "Would it be alright if I kissed you?"

It took a moment for me to process those words. I had never kissed another woman, let alone had the opportunity, nor had I really contemplated it, and yet there I was. "Yes, please," I said, finally managing to get out those two little words.

I closed my eyes as she leaned in and gently pressed her lips to mine. They were soft and supple as she took the lead, her sensual touch like nothing I'd ever felt before. Her tongue lightly grazed my lips, and I opened to welcome her inside. Her tender touch had activated something inside of me. My curiosity had suddenly become something so much more.

Time froze as our kiss lasted for what seemed like minutes but was, in reality, less than a minute. I couldn't bring myself to be the one to pull away. Finally, the song ended, and she hugged me tightly. I remember very specifically wanting that feeling never to end.

"That was amazing, Kim. I can't believe we took this long to meet up," I whispered as I held her close. I didn't know exactly where this was going, but I knew I wanted more.

She pulled back slightly and stared at me with a puzzled look. "Who is Kim?"

I laughed at first as I assumed she was kidding, but it became clear that she had no idea what I was talking about. "You're not Kim?"

"I think you have me confused with someone else," she said, still confused by this development. "I'm Roxanne... Roxanne Owens."

"Roxanne?" I repeated in disbelief. "I was supposed to meet someone named Kim here for a blind date tonight. I just assumed..." I broke into a fit of laughter at the insanely coincidental nature of the events that had just unfolded.