My name is Alice and my husband is Rob. We're both 48 years old, have been married 28 years and have a son and a daughter. I work for a large company that supplies goods and services to the oil and gas industry. I work in the main office in Houston, but we have offices throughout the Southwest.
About 3 years ago, the company decided to upgrade the inventory and billing systems and we all had to attend a one-week training session. I had vacation scheduled for that week, so I was rescheduled to attend the training at the Dallas office, when I returned.
A week after I got back, I was off to Dallas and I wasn't looking forward to it. I didn't know any of the people there and I didn't have any family or friends there. This was going to be a dull and boring week, attending training, eating alone and watching TV in the hotel.
When the class started, there were the obligatory introductions. We all had to tell every one who we were and what we did. There were only two of us that weren't from the Dallas office, Eric, who was from the Oklahoma City office and myself. When it was time for lunch, everyone got together with coworkers and left. No one asked Eric or I to join them, so we went together to find some place to eat. Neither of us knew the area, so we just walked to the sandwich shop across the street.
We got our food, sat down and started talking. I said, "I hate these out of town training sessions. I don't know anybody and I feel out of place and left out. Can you believe that no one asked us to join them for lunch?"
He said, "That was pretty rude. I wish I could've done this back home, but that was the week I had scheduled to visit my daughter. I'm divorced and my ex-wife wouldn't let me reschedule it. So, what's your story?"
I said, "We had already scheduled our vacation and couldn't change it. We were going to Durango and my kids and husband would have killed me. I have a daughter, who's a freshman at A&M and a son, who's a junior in high school."
He said, "Really? My daughter is a sophomore in high school and has her heart set on going to collage there. Maybe they'll see each other there in a few years." We laughed and went back to class.
At the end of the day, everyone left to go home and again Eric and I were left alone. The company had us both booked at the Hilton, so we got a cab and went to check in. Eric asked if I wanted to eat dinner with him and I said that would be fine. We agreed to meet in the lobby in an hour. I went to my room, unpacked and called Rob. He asked how it was and I told him it was just like I thought. I didn't know anyone and I felt out of place. I told him I was going to get dinner and I would call him later tonight. For some reason, I didn't think to tell him I was going with Eric.
When I got to the lobby, Eric asked if I liked Italian and I told him I did. He said he talked to the concierge and got the directions to a nice Italian restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. We had a nice dinner and a few drinks. As we talked, I became more comfortable with him and told him more about my kids and Rob. He told me a little about his divorce. His wife decided she didn't love him anymore and took virtually everything, including his daughter. Then, she moved them to Ohio and he didn't get to see her very often. That was why he had to miss his training. I told him how sorry I was. We finished eating and walked back to the hotel. We agreed to meet for breakfast and share a cab to the office.
I went to my room, showered and got ready for bed. I called Rob and he filled me in on things at home. He asked how my dinner was and I told him about the Italian place. Again, I neglected to tell him I went with Eric. There was nothing going on, nothing the least bit inappropriate, but I didn't mention him. I told him I loved him and would call tomorrow.
This scenario played out the same on Tuesday and Wednesday. I was really enjoying Eric's company. He was funny, nice and good-looking, even sexy. I couldn't understand why his wife left him and more over, why he wasn't remarried.
Thursday at lunch, Eric said, "Tonight is our last night here. Let's go to dinner at the Savoy Room. It's supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Dallas. It's a little pricey, but it's my treat." We both laughed because we knew it was going on our expense accounts. He said, "Seriously, it's supposed to be excellent. After having to endure a week of training, we deserve it." I agreed. He made reservations for 7:30pm.
When I got to my room, I had to decide what to wear. This was a very nice place and I didn't bring any real evening clothes, but I came up with something nice. I took a quick shower and fixed my makeup. I put my hair up on my head and selected some of my nicest jewelry. When I was done, I looked in the mirror and decided I looked pretty good. Eric should be pleased. Then I thought, why did I think that? I wasn't going on a date with him, so why was I trying to impress him? I called Rob and told him that since it was the last night, several of us were going downtown to a nice restaurant. I told him it would probably be late before we got back and I would call him tomorrow, when I was at the airport ready to leave. I told him I loved him and couldn't wait to see him. Again, I asked myself why I told him several when it was just Eric and I? Because I knew he might think it was inappropriate? Maybe it was, but nothing was going to happen. We were just going to have a nice dinner.
I met Eric in the lobby. He looked at me and said, "Wow, you look great! I love your hair like that. I wish my ex would've tried to look that nice for me. Rob is a very lucky man to have such a lovely wife. I wish I had found you first." I blushed. He said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything inappropriate, just that you look beautiful."
I said, "I know you didn't. Thank you." We caught a cab and went to the restaurant. It was very nice and the food and service was excellent. After we finished eating, we went to the bar for a drink. We found a booth and sat down. There was a band playing, mostly jazz and there was a small dance floor. We drank and listened to the music and I was having a very good time.
After a while, Eric asked me if I would dance with him. In my mind I knew better, but I agreed. We held each other and as we danced, we tightened our hold on each other and I put my head on his shoulder. It felt so good, too good. When the song ended, I didn't want to let go of him. As I did, he bent down and kissed me. I knew it was wrong, I knew I shouldn't, but I kissed him back, letting my tongue touch his lips. That was it. We kissed passionately, then continued to dance as the next song played. This couldn't be happening, but it was. And, at that point, I had no intention of stopping it.