Christina sat at her dressing table and tilted her head slightly as she watched herself in the mirror applying her dark green eye shadow. She always hated this bit, trying to keep one eye closed, but keeping her eye lid smooth whilst she watched what she was doing with her other eye. As she applied the make up, she couldn't stop her mouth opening as her jaw moved downwards involuntarily.
Once it was applied, she blinked a couple of times and leaned forward to examine her hazel eyes closely. She grunted to herself in satisfaction. No smudges and even on both eyes.
Next she opened her full lips to form an O as she applied deep red lipstick. Taking a small piece of tissue paper, she closed her lips together on it to remove any excess and then once again looked at her reflection.
"Hey Baby," she murmured to herself, "You look hawt!"
Her light brown hair was cut in a classic bob and framed her face perfectly. She put her hand to her hair and lightly smooth it with her fingers to make sure it was properly dry before she continued with her preparations.
Tonight was her night out with the girls. Her once a month indulgence. Bob, her husband had his monthly night out with the lads, drinking those hideous real ales he loved so much as he and his friends played pool.
Christina stood up and examined herself afresh in the full length mirror and liked what she saw. She was 5'3″ in her stockinged feet with a slim figure. Not so keen on the minor stretch marks that decorated either side of her stomach and the small feminine pouch just below her navel. A bulge that no amount of working out a the gym or her weekly aerobics sessions had been able to remove.
Still, the rest of the package more than made up for it. Especially in the sexy lingerie she was wearing. A lacy pale blue set. A low cut bra that held her small, but perfectly formed breasts and the matching panties and suspender belt. The underwear was finished off with a pair of dark, but sheer silk stockings.
Christina always wore stockings, she knew how much Bob loved them. She smiled slightly to herself, after fifteen years of marriage, he still found her as sexy and irresistible as the day they had first started seeing each other. And truth be told, she felt exactly the same way about him. Christina loved Bob to distraction.
Her smile slipped slightly as she admitted to herself that lately things seemed to be getting a little stale in the bedroom. She had just started a new job as the executive assistant for a professor at the university and Bob worked long hours as an advertising copy writer.
Not that there was anything really wrong with their sex life as such, she just couldn't help thinking that after their years together and two children, it wasn't the same as it was... Not quite.
She picked up the black knee length skirt from the bed and stepped into it. Christina shimmied it up her lithe legs, always in her opinion, her best feature and then slipped on a sheer white blouse that was just this side of see through.
Once again she looked at her reflection and could see that the pale blue of the bra was just visible under the blouse. Sexy but not tarty is what she was going for and Christina thought it fitted the bill.
Behind her, the bedroom door opened and Bob entered their bedroom. He eyed his wife as she slipped on her patent leather black high heeled shoes and whistled his appreciation.
She glanced at him smiling and said, "You like?"
Bob laughed, "Damned straight! Makes me think of keeping you in the bedroom and not letting you out until tomorrow morning."
Christina struck the classic pose, one knee slightly in front of the other with a hand on one hip, "And just how would you convince me not to escape?"
He wiggle his fingers and leered at her, "I'm sure I could think of something."
Bob watched her for a moment and then said, "I may follow you just to beat the men off. I'll even bring a shitty stick to do it!"
Christina giggled and then looked at the clock on the bedside. Her eyes widened as she realised the time, it was ten minutes short of 7PM, "Christ! Courtney'll be here in a minute. she rushed pat him, stopping to plant a quick kiss on his cheek, "Gotta go."
Bob stepped back slightly to let her past, "Okay Gorgeous, have fun."
As Christina hurried down the stairs and out of the front door pausing only to grab her coat and handbag, she shouted over her shoulder, "I'm off, Bye. Don't wait up. Love you!"
The front door slammed behind her.
Three hours and several cocktails later saw Christina sat in a booth with a few of her friends, laughing, chatting and giggling. Usually at the men who came over to hit on them. Normally with chat up lines that seemed to come out of a book... And not a terribly good one.
Each time someone had approached Christina, she gave the same answer, a breath taking smile, a wiggling of her left hand to display her gold wedding band and the words, "Sorry, you're fifteen years too late."
A few of her friends had taken to the dance floor a couple of times for a dance and some light flirting, but Christina didn't. She was content to sit in the booth, drink and gossip.
She didn't see the tall, dark haired man standing at the bar. He accepted his drink, paid and then let his eyes sweep the room, settling on Christina. A light grin briefly touched his face and a twinkle appeared in his blue eyes.
He walked across the crowed bar, skirting the dance floor as he bore down upon his quarry. When he reached her table, he leaned down slightly and said, "Excuse me."
Christina, deep in giggly conversation didn't notice him there until Courtney indicated with a flick of her head that he was there.
Christina looked round at him, she had to admit that he didn't look like the usual men that came to chat her up. Not a drunken youngster, old enough to drink, but too young to do so responsibly or the middle-aged men either married and looking for fun or single... And at that age, single for some very good reasons.
"Yes? Can I help you?"
He flashed her a smile and said, "Hi. I'm Allen. And I wondered if you'd like a dance."
She wiggled her wedding ring and answered, "Sorry."
In reply, he did the same to show his own gold ring, "Me too."
She gave him a somewhat old fashioned look, "Then you should know better than to go chasing women in bars," before turning back to Courtney to continue her interrupted chat.
Uninvited, Allen slipped into the booth next to her, his thigh touching hers lightly in the crowded space and said, "Sorry, I think you misunderstood. I'm married, yes and I'm not looking for anything more than a dance."
Christina grimaced slightly, not sure she liked the way he had invited himself to sit next to her, "Look! I'm not interested."
He smiled again and replied, "I'm not from round here. I'm far from home and just looking for a bit of fun," he held both hands up before continuing, "Not that sort of fun. Just dance or two and a laugh. I was with my mates, but they're all busy sharking after women and that's not my thing."
Courtney and Christina watched him in silence.
He shrugged, "I just wanted a dance. That's all."
Christina read his expression. She had to admit that he didn't seem to be giving of the signals that she had come to expect over the years. She couldn't detect any artifice, and after the many, many times she had been hit on, she knew what to look for. The body language, the pale stripe of skin on the third finger of the left hand that indicated a removed wedding band.
He had an open expression and she had to admit he was handsome and very much to her personal taste. He also seemed to have an air about him, an aura of loneliness. Not like that of the desperate losers that swarmed over all of the women who came in here, but simply that of someone looking for some human company.
Christina's expression softened. This stranger was having an effect on her, even after just a few words being shared.
She put her misgivings to the back of her head and said, "Just a dance? You're not gonna get all grabby are you?"
Allen laughed, "No. I'm happily married. All I want is a dance. And a good laugh with a new friend."
"Oh go on then."
Allen stood up and held out a hand to help Christina shuffle round the table and out of the booth before leading her to the dance floor.
Courtney sat in the booth with a nonplussed expression and watched her friend walk to the dance floor. This was new.
The music was a modern dance track and they started dancing. Christina wasn't terribly good at dancing, but she did enjoy it and she could see that Allen was just as bad as she was. For some reason, she found it to be quite endearing and also another clue that he was no player. The pick up artists generally had all the moves on the dance floor carefully designed to impress.
They danced together for a couple of tracks until the music changed and the a slow number started.
Christina was okay with the up tempo music, but less comfortable with the songs written with slow, close dancing and made to walk back to the booth.
Allen reached out and touched her upper arm with his fingers, "Fancy a slow dance?"