Finding Himself

¬~~~ 7 ~~~

Meanwhile, back in town,

Joe had contacted some of his buddies about the weekend and they had agreed to let him come along, but...

They told him he needed to get a haircut and be clean-shaven or at least have his beard trimmed close to his face. He needed some new clothes — something a little more upscale than the jeans and short-sleeve polo or tee shirts he usually wore.

"Man," he thought, "clothes sure have gotten a lot more expensive than I remember them. I guess it's been awhile since I had to buy clothes for myself." The guys had given him a list of the names of clothing lines that were up-to-date and they said would attract women. He could understand why the clothes looked so good: for the price he was paying for them, they had better!

And shoes? Joe had never owned a pair of shoes as expensive as the ones he'd just bought. He usually went to a discount place for his shoes — most of the time he was either wearing work boots or casual shoes he'd picked up at Walmart.

Just getting a haircut was a fortune too if you went to one of the fancy-dancy places. Joe had been thinking of getting his hair basically buzzed and having his beard trimmed back close to his face, like that Jason Statham guy in the action movies.

He was still a little peeved at the fellow at the men's clothing store. Joe had asked for some 34-inch waist pants, but the salesman had measured him and urged him to get pants with a 36-inch waist instead. The salesman explained that jeans usually ran 'big' for the size and stretched more than other fabrics.

"The 36 inch waist will actually look slimmer on you, because it won't look as if you are trying to squeeze into pants that are too small. And frankly, who is going to notice the difference in pant size?" Joe allowed himself to be convinced.

Back at his new apartment he got dressed to go out with his buddies on his first foray into the world of single adults since he'd gotten married to Susan all those years ago. He had to admit that his larger pants didn't create the 'muffin' effect that tighter pants would have and with one of his new shirts on and a new sports coat over that, he thought that the over all effect was pretty darn good.

He did have a flash of guilt, hoping that Susan wasn't sitting at home crying her eyes out while he was partying... Maybe he'd give her a call in the morning and they could have lunch together someplace. Assuming that he wasn't still tied up come the morning.

~~~ 8 ~~~

Susan, in the meantime, was looking around the restaurant where Ted and she were having dinner. It was a smallish place that both served gourmet food and sold local wines in the front. She and Ted were seated in a rounded booth at the back of the eating area that allowed them to see the entire room, but also to look at each other without having to turn their heads uncomfortably.

The décor was reminiscent of an old style French farmhouse — except for the modern paintings by local artists, landscapes and seascapes of the central California coast hanging on the walls.

'Cœur de la Côte' was on the pricey side so she and Joe had never eaten there when they visited Cambria. Of course they had always had their children with them, so pizza was more the family style than 'foie gras' or 'salmon en croute.' Ted had made a reservation for dinner several days before they arrived in Cambria, which explained how they were able to be immediately seated to dine there at the most desirable time of the evening.

They had both selected the five-course 'prix fixe' meal with a wine pairing.

Susan was so content to be sitting there with Ted that her bitterness at Joe's recent actions was set aside, at least for the moment. While Ted was ordering a pre-dinner cocktail for them, Susan was looking at him and wondering to herself, 'why didn't I just forget about the other guys and really chase Ted when I was young?' If she had hooked Ted back then her whole life would have been different. She didn't regret having her children with Joe, but she thought that being married to Ted would have been a completely different kind of life adventure.

'Still,' she reflected, 'there's no point now in regretting the past.' She smiled a wistful little smile, 'just make the most of what I have in the here and now!'

~~~

I saw her little moment of inward reflection and when she had returned to the present, I picked up her hand from the table and kissed it gently, the whole time looking Susan in the eyes.

Susan replied by lifting my hand to her lips in return and kissed it as well.

After that I simply had no choice but to lean towards Susan and kiss her lips, a kiss that she welcomed and returned. It was not some sort of passionate embrace but instead a gentle act that was an expression between us that said how fond we were of each other and happy to be sharing each other's company.

~~~

Across the room by the entry to the kitchen area the owner/chef was watching the middle-aged couple in the back booth — the booth that the staff usually reserved for couples celebrating an anniversary, a birthday or some other special occasion. The two people made a fine looking couple, very comfortable with each other and obviously (at least to his eyes) so in love. It was, he decided, time to make one of his nightly circuits of the dining area to greet his guests personally — starting at the booth in the back!

~~~

Susan and I saw the man walking towards us from across the room. He was smiling and seemed to belong there, so he must be a manager or owner, I surmised.

~~~

As the man approached the booth he could see the woman more clearly in the low light. She was older, granted, but, he thought, like a fine wine... Henri was first taken by her arresting eyes, dark and perfect; almond shaped like the actress Loretta Young's had been. Her mouth was sensuous and inviting, neither too small nor too wide, but perfect for kissing and other more intimate activities, he was sure. Her smile was irresistible. Her face was framed with light brown hair that descended to her shoulders.

Perhaps she had some help keeping it that color, but, alors! Her nose was perfect, straight and just the right length. Then there was her light skin tone that stood out against her hair. As he came close he couldn't help but notice her impressive décolletage; Henri had always been something of a breast man and he could just imagine the pleasures to be had with her magnificent bosom. His mouth practically watered at the thought.

"Good evening, Madam et Monsieur, and welcome to my establishment."

When he was within a step of the table, Henri extended his hand towards Susan, who reached out to take it. But when instead of shaking hands he raised it to HIS lips and brushed his lips to her fingers, damned if Susan didn't blush! She hadn't had anyone kiss her hand for more years than she wanted to count and then suddenly two times in one evening by two DIFFERENT men!

Shaking Ted's hand he said, "I am Henri, and I am the owner and chef of 'Cœur de la Côte'. I want to welcome you both here tonight and see that you have a wonderful dining experience with us."

Henri noticed that both guests had wedding bands on their fingers so then turned his attention to Ted.

"Are you here for a special occasion? An anniversary perhaps?" he asked.

"No, nothing special. Just a chance to escape the city and have a quiet getaway weekend for just the two of us," I replied.

"Ah! Perfect — any reason for visiting us here is a good one. But, if I may? You said it isn't your anniversary, but you and madam; how long?"

At that, I got a big grin on my face at the question and promptly misled Henri.

"Well, I don't want to put a specific number on it, but we first met in the Seventh grade."

"Oh my," exclaimed Henri, "That is wonderful. And too rare!

"Well, please let me know if there is anything that we can do for you and your very lovely wife tonight!"

"Thank you so much," I said as he left to visit another table.

What we didn't see or hear was when Henri pulled aside their waiter and gave him some instructions.

"The couple in the back? Comp their cocktails and when they leave, comp them a bottle of the new sparkling Sauvignon Blanc." Their server nodded in the affirmative and wondered what had inspired Henri to be so generous, although the lady in the back had an impressive set of knockers and his boss LOVED big tits.

"MY GOD!" Susan whispered, "He called me your wife!"

"Oh no. He called you my 'very lovely' wife. I think he was taken with you. I mean that continental hand-kissing thing. You don't see him doing that for any of the other women in the room do you? He was shamelessly flirting with you."

Susan blushed for the second time in the evening.

"Stop that, he must be at least 15 years younger than I am!"

I laughed, "So he has good taste for a young man. You should have seen his eyes up there trying to look down your blouse. I told you the 'girls' are still pretty astounding to us guys."

Susan scooted a little closer on the seat and I slipped my arm around her shoulder.

"I better make my claim on you clear, just to make sure that young Henri doesn't try to make off with you."

Susan gave a small giggle.

"I feel like such a wicked women. Having an intimate dinner with a man who is not my husband and having younger men hitting on me! Maybe I should flash my tits at him. Hmmm?"

"Oh no! I don't want to find myself in a fight with the chef later while we make our escape. He probably has a big knife!"

Right then I felt a hand as it gently fondled the crouch of my pants until it found my cock. Then it started, a light massage of my organ, there in the back of the restaurant hidden by nothing more than a long tablecloth.

Susan looked up at me, and her features had softened but taken on a licentious look.

"And this is no where near as wicked as I intend to be later."

~~~ 9 ~~~

Far to the south, Joe was meeting with his two friends, Phil and Donny at a well-known local watering hole. They met there because on the Friday and Saturday nights they had a live country western band playing which in turn attracted a fair number of women, single or otherwise, who wanted to kick up their heels on the dance floor.

"Hey guys!" Joe said in greetings as he joined them at a table they had commandeered.

"Yo, Joe!" Phil returned, while Donny just grinned and gave Joe a thumbs up.

Soon a waitress joined them to take his order.

Joe looked at his two friends. Phil was drinking a diet Coke and Jack, while Donny was sticking with a Bud. Phil had his own construction business — mostly doing pool remodels, and Donny worked for him, heading up one of his crews. Joe met them when he started servicing Phil's trucks that he used in his construction business.

"I'll have a Coors light," he told her. She nodded and went off to fetch his drink.

"Still drinking that horse piss?" teased Phil, who unlike Joe was on the tall side — over 6' 3", and was one of those people whose metabolism and physical work kept him slim. His hair was originally a light brown, but working in the sun all day had lightened it a couple of shades so it was almost blond.

Joe smiled in return, "I have to; to keep my girlish figure!" They laughed at that, but both Phil and Donny agreed that Joe was looking sharp that night.

"Yeah, the buzz cut with the 'three-day' beard look works for you. You look pretty rugged."

"And the new threads make you look like a new man. Have you lost some weight?"

That made Joe feel pretty good. 'I guess the guy at the store wasn't lying to me,' he thought.

"So guys, how does it work here? Do we just go up and ask women to dance, or are we supposed to buy them drinks, or what?"

"Well, Joe," said Phil, who was always the more talkative and outgoing of the pair, "You could try that, but let me clue you in.

"First, see the younger women at that table over there?" he said as he pointed across the room.

Joe looked and thought there were some pretty good looking babes at the table.

"You could ask them to dance," Phil continued, "but it would be a complete waste of time. They will just blow you off. They're waiting for some of the younger, professional guys to show up. That's who they are targeting — you know, lawyers, doctors, that sort of professionals. They aren't interested in us blue collar types. In other words: they are arrogant bitches. So don't waste your time. I guess if you were rich they might be interested but otherwise..."

They all laughed at that, none of them being 'rich', although Joe was actually worth a fair amount. The house, his business, and he even had an IRA that Susan had insisted he get for tax reasons. So Joe was a lot better off than either Phil or Donny. Well, he was as long as he remained married. In a divorce he would probably lose more than half of it.

"Now," Phil spoke again, "See the gals up at the bar with the older guys sitting there? They're a different breed of bitch entirely. The scam is, they lead on the guys, but then they'll all 'go to the restroom' and disappear out the back door, leaving those idiots holding their own cocks and paying for the drinks with nothing in return." He laughed a short bitter laugh, "I know about them because that's happened to me a time or two." At that he and Donny both laughed.

"Finally, see that tall good looking woman who just sat down at the table with the guy about our age? Well she is 'Sam' — for Samantha. She is a pro." Joe looked at the woman and was impressed. She was what people called a 'dirty blond' with hair down past her shoulders and a face that reminded him of that actress Daryl Hannah when she was young. A nice figure, she was thin not skinny, and had a set of boobs that were a little on the large side for her body, but not disproportionately so, and her ass was rounded, not flat — but it looked like muscle not fat.

Joe gave Phil a mystified look, "What?"

"She's a hooker, Joe. Well, she works as an escort — not quite the same, I guess. And you know something funny — she's a pretty classy lady, which might surprise you, knowing what she's doing. I guess her husband was a druggy and she finally divorced him, but she has a couple of kids to support. She finished high school, but didn't really have any skills that were worth much, so she's taking care of her kids the only way she can.

"She once told me, after she'd had a couple of drinks, that if she met the right guy and he could get past her history, she'd quit the 'escort' gig in a minute. But she hasn't found him yet." Phil seemed a bit wistful as he said that. "For one thing, I don't think she trusts men all that much anymore..."

Joe suspected that there was some history that Phil wasn't telling him, but let it pass.

"So what DO we do then? Sit here all night drinking alone?"

Finally Donny, who was younger and frankly better looking then either Joe or Phil, spoke up.

"Naw. Just hold your horses. There will be ladies coming in pretty soon who are divorced, some married, but whose husbands aren't around for one reason or another. You know — truckers, military guys, whatever. Most of them are just looking to dance and have a good time, but some of them are as horny as we are. So the odds of getting laid are pretty good!" Donny grinned, but since he was single, tall and had that dark 'bad boy' look, he scored a lot more often than not.

Sure enough, not long after Donny had reassured Joe, a group of women came in a sat down at a table not far from where the guys were sitting.

After giving them a minute or two to settle in and get their first round of drinks, Donny rose from his seat and turned to Phil and Joe.

As he walked from the table he briefly looked back and gave his buddies an exaggerated wink. "Time for me to work my magic!" he said with a snicker.

Donny went over to the table and almost immediately had one of the women going out to the dance floor with him. Joe was astonished that Donny worked so fast.

After the woman and Donny returned from the dance floor, Donny sat down at the table and spoke to the ladies for a moment. Then he motioned to Phil and Joe to come over and join them at the ladies table. Shortly afterward, extra chairs were pulled up, people moved closer together and they made room at the table for two more.

There were five women at the table when Joe, Phil and Donny joined them. There were introductions all around but Joe only caught a couple of the names, including Betty, the woman seated to his left.

Joe tried not to show it, but he wasn't all that excited by the women. Two were divorced, two were married and just out to have a good time, and the fifth one — her status seemed a bit unclear. He thought that was pretty strange; you were either married or you weren't. Then he thought about his own situation, married but separated. That was kind of a murky status too, wasn't it?

For a while everyone chatted and drank their first round just to get to know each other. Then they started dancing. The three guys alternated with the women who were happy to have men for dance partners. There were some women out on the floor doing their thing with other women for a lack of men to dance with.

Joe was somewhat disappointed with the women though. They were all right, he thought, but honestly none of them were as pretty as Susan. As the night went on Donny started spending more time with one gal, who Joe was pretty sure was one of the married ones. He asked Donny about that as they walked back to the restroom.

"Yeah, she's married, but her husband is out of town tonight. He's out of state for that matter. His big rig has one of those GPS tracking units on it, so Jean knows that he is still in Tennessee tonight."

"Donny, I'm kind of surprised that you would pick Jean. A couple of the others look a lot hotter. I mean, she must be close to my age, she's got no tits and a big ass!"

Donny laughed at Joe.

"Man, you are still SO married. Listen all pussy is good pussy. I think it was Ben Franklin who said 'All cats are gray in the dark'. That's the only thing I can remember about old Ben — I guess he was a real horndog. Anyway, I've been with her before. Jean LOVES to suck dick and if you get enough drinks into her, she'll take it up the back. Anyway, its not like she's going to be my girlfriend or that I'm going to marry her.

"You need to work on Betty. She puts out. She's divorced so there no husband to come after you for fucking her. She has some nice tits and she likes a good titty fuck. She gets pretty noisy when she's cumming, so try and go to her place unless you want all your neighbors knowing you're getting some."

Joe thanked Donny as they returned to the table.

Betty, Joe thought, was OK. There was nothing special about her looks — nothing bad, but nothing outstanding either. Brown hair (that he was almost certain came from a bottle) brown eyes, average height for a woman, her boobs weren't small but not large. She was just average. Joe kind of snickered to himself — she was as average as he was. But she was open and outgoing, friendly but not slutty. She seemed like a nice woman.

Joe started dancing exclusively with Betty, which worked out well because a couple of the other women had left and it looked like Phil and Donny were getting ready to head out too. Then the hammer came down on Joe.

"Joe," Betty said, "I've really enjoyed spending the evening with you and dancing, but that's all you're going to get tonight. I don't do married men and I won't do to some other woman what a woman did to me that caused my divorce."

Joe had one of those startled deer looks on his face as she spoke. He started to ask a question, but Betty answered it before it was asked.

She pointed to his left hand.

"You're not much of a player if you don't even know to take your wedding ring off before you go out!" she laughed.