It was the fading light that first alerted Johno Pritchard to his fatigue, his tired eyes wanting to close as his aged but powerful SUV ate up the miles to his home town. He'd been on the road for six hours straight and with another three to go it was only prudent to stop soon. Half an hour later, his headlights picked up a billboard advertising a hotel with a restaurant, the latter triggering a message to his brain reminding him that he was hungry. He picked up a bottle of mineral water from the empty passenger seat and took a sip hoping it would stave off his hunger pangs for just a while longer. Ten minutes later, he slowed and turned into a wide drive leading up to a well lit complex. He wondered what a hotel as substantial as this was doing in the middle of nowhere, but his headlights soon picked up the unmistakable contours of a golf course to one side and the answer was obvious. The front car park was full and Johno followed the signs to the rear of the hotel that provided overflow parking. His plan was to have a bite to eat and then grab forty winks in the car park before setting off again.
After stretching his weary legs beside his SUV, Johno entered the hotel foyer and made his way to the bathroom to relieve himself. Standing in front of the large mirror a short time later, he combed his hair and straightened his creased shirt as best he could. All in all, he didn't look too bad for a weary traveller. Back in the foyer, he asked for directions to the restaurant and then followed his nose down a long hall, sweet with the aroma of roasting meats. The restaurant was busy but he was too hungry to be scared off. Joining a short line moving towards a carvery, Johno stood patiently watching a chef demonstrating his flair for carving beef, pork, and a large turkey. His attention drifted until he caught a waft of a pleasant scent behind him and turned inquisitively to its origin. Johno caught the eyes of a striking blonde standing close to him; he was tempted to look away but instead smiled and held her stare. At first he got no response, but a split second later he was rewarded with a smile.
"Hi." he said.
"Hi to you."
"If I'd known I was gonna have to queue up, I would've kept driving." he commented not knowing what else to say.
"Nah, I reckon it'll be worth the wait." she replied. "You from around here or just driving through?"
"Just driving on through from down the coast. What about you?"
"I'm sort of a local, live an hour away. I came down with my husband, he's upstairs in a business meeting."
They chatted aimlessly as they inched their way towards food, Johno then chose an open sandwich piled full of roast beef and salad, and a large coke to keep him awake for the drive ahead. After paying at the till, he wandered around the crowded restaurant looking for somewhere to sit; eventually he found a small table near the rear. He watched as the blonde roamed the seating area also trying to find somewhere to sit. It was the first time he was actually able to take a good look at her figure. She was around average height, the tight black dress she was wearing curved around her figure accentuating large breasts, narrow waist and shapely buttocks and thighs. It was hard to put an age on her, probably on the wrong side of forty which was ten years older than himself; but she was still one heck of a desirable lady. As she got closer, Johno put his hand up to attract her attention and then pointed to the empty chair opposite him. She flashed him a lovely smile as she placed her plate on the table; he noticed a bottle of red wine beside her food.
"You don't mind?" she asked while sitting down.
"Hell no. I hate eating alone in a restaurant."
She laughed, "I know that feeling. Its worse for a woman, every male thinks you're on the make. I'm Gracie."
"Pleased to meet you Gracie, Johno's the name."
For a while they exchanged pleasantries as they picked over their food.
"Would you like a glass of wine?" she asked. "I feel a little guilty drinking when your not."
"No thanks. I've got a while to drive yet and I'm tired already."
Then Gracie took a small mouthful of salad and looked over the table, "So, what do you do on the coast?"
"Carpentry work, then in the weekends I help out as a life guard with the local surf club."
"So that's where the body and the tan come from."
"Yeah, I just love the beach, the sun and those big waves. What about you Gracie, what do you do?"
"Well, I suppose I'm a kept woman really. My husband's a successful businessman and I don't have to lift a finger. I just spend the money and try to look good."
"Well, you're pretty good at it; you sure look good from this side of the table."
Gracie leaned back in the chair and laughed, "You bloody flatterer. If I'd known you were going to treat me so well, I'd have paid for your meal. So I suppose you're one of those hunks that rescue all the damsels in distress from drowning."
"I wish. Mostly its teenagers, kids or their flabby parents."
A look of scorn appeared on her face, "I don't believe that for a second. You can't tell me that all those young available female bodies aren't just a little bit of an attraction. I can just imagine some pretty little thing swooning at your feet after you've just saved her from a terrible death."
"You'd be surprised." Johno replied sheepishly.
"No I wouldn't. Put your hand on your heart and tell me that you haven't been propositioned as a reward?"
He shook his head, "You don't wanna know."
She leaned closer over the table, "Oh yes I do. Ten minutes ago I was bored stiff. Now I'm looking forward to a few sordid little exploits of a life guard."
Johno related an incident that happened six months previously. He dragged in an attractive brunette from a rip that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, a common occurrence at that beach. The majority of people are too embarrassed to hang around after they've been rescued, and quickly disappear as soon as they can. But Suzy hung around a good half an hour to thank him, after him and other life guards pulled in swimmers from the same rip. A few days later, she offered to buy him a meal to say thanks which he accepted after a bit of coaxing. When he arrived to pick her up, he found her in a swimming pool at the back of the house. Suzy gave him a wicked grin and dropped beneath the surface leaving one arm high in the air, the international signal for a swimmer in distress. Johno read the scene well, and after quickly stripping down to his briefs, he jumped in and guided her to the safety of the side of the pool. Suzy told him that she was having a little trouble breathing and maybe required a little mouth to mouth resuscitation; this led to a new form of cardiac heart resuscitation that involved the removal of a bathing suit and the massage of some firm breasts.
Gracie was amused at the story and pressed Johno for more details which he declined with more than a little embarrassment. Gracie was having a little fun with Johno and enjoyed his obvious embarrassment. She always had a thing for younger men with nice bodies. She liked his rugged good looks, his thick dark hair was curly an unruly, his unshaven jaw was strong and square. Her wandering eyes fell to his wide shoulders and strong arms. She also liked his cavalier attitude towards her and his beaming smile. Gracie's husband was a good twenty five years older than her. And while she was at her sexual peak; he was now relying on Viagra to try and keep up with her. While the little magic pill worked, it took all of the spontaneity and some of the fun out of sex. On the other side of the coin, Gracie had everything a woman could ask for, a magnificent house, a sports car, overseas trips, nice friends and a doting husband who gave her free rein with the credit card.
After a while talking to Johno, Gracie became aware of an inner warmth which slowly progressed into sexual desire, she felt her nipples harden and the uncomfortable warm dampness in her panties. Red wine always seemed to relax her and lower her inhibitions. She began to fantasise about having Johno between her thighs and what he would be like. It wasn't unusual for Gracie to fantasise as it was something she had done every time she had sex or most often when bored. She'd only been unfaithful twice since she was married. The first was with an old boyfriend she'd run into and after a casual lunch; it just seemed right that they continue on to bed for some casual sex. The second time, she employed the services of a male escort when she was out of town; it was a pleasant experience but for some reason the guilt followed her for weeks. It wasn't that she'd been unfaithful; it was more that she'd actually paid for a stranger to take her to bed.
Her fantasy was disturbed by the ring of her cell phone. She smiled in apology at Johno while taking the phone from her bag. Johno watched her facial expression turn to annoyance before muttering a few words and disconnecting the call.
"Sorry about that. My husband's just informed me he's gonna be some time, so you're stuck with me a while yet."
Johno grinned, "That's okay, and I'm enjoying your company. As I said before, its not often I get to share a meal with such a pretty lady."
Gracie laughed, "Jeez, you're full of shit. Anyway, most people would think you're with your mother."
"Don't think so."
"So you're not embarrassed to be seen out with an older woman?" she teased.
"I like pretty women, their age is irrelevant. I reckon women have more of a hang up about younger men than the other way round."
"You think so do you?" she challenged.
Yep. I reckon that most men would jump at the chance to be with an older woman so long as she was attractive. Most women might consider seducing a younger man, but wouldn't be able to bring themselves to actually do it."
Gracie contemplated this over her near empty glass of wine, "Maybe, but this woman likes younger men. I'd have no qualms about taking you on."
Johno laughed, "Like I said, you might contemplate it, but you wouldn't go through with it.
