Lisa was strolling arm in arm with her husband, her two young children in tow, when she first ran into her future sex-toy. He was standing there in the mall, before a display of vacuum cleaners, earnestly seeking out customers as people passed by. Lisa took one look at the young man and was ready to stop without any prompting. She did so. She stopped right in front of him, ignoring her husband, extricating herself from his grip and turning her back on her children, so she could address her future sex-toy
She was acutely aware of the young man's presence and his beauty -- he was tall and freckled, long limbed and brawny with a boyish face. He was blond haired, all grin and his eyes were a startling blue. And he was aware of Lisa -- not just as a potential customer, but as something more. They stared at each other, speechless for a moment while Lisa's husband stared blankly and the children began furtively looking around and wandering off.
"Can you watch the kids Simon," Lisa asked her husband, hoping he would just disappear for a while.
"Right sure," Simon replied, aware that his wife was trying to get rid of him.
Lisa turned back to the young man, as Simon chased after their runaway children. She hoped she looked okay and was then pleased to see that the young man was ogling her -- she looked fine. Lisa batted her long eye lashes at the young man, played with her soft blonde hair and then smiled invitingly at him. The young man was barely concentrating on selling vacuum cleaners and Lisa was glad. They did, however, manage to begin a conversation about vacuum cleaners.
The young man named Mark delivered his pre-packaged speech about the vacuum cleaners, but then the conversation meandered off course when Lisa leant innocently forward while inspecting a cleaner and Mark's eyes drifted down her top as if by magic and rested on her breasts. She held that position, shamelessly showing the young man what he wanted to see, while listening happily to the young man stutter and stumble, red faced, through his sales pitch.
Soon enough the sales pitch ended and Lisa began to question Mark more closely, prying into his personal life. How old was he? Answer: 22. Had he been selling vacuum cleaners for long? Answer: no, only 4 weeks part-time. Was he studying? Answer: yes, he was in college studying engineering. Did he live with his parents still? Answer: no, he had recently moved out and was sharing a place with a friend, and most importantly did he have a girlfriend? Answer: no, he had broken up with a girl a few weeks ago.
Finally, Simon returned with his children in tow and Lisa felt her husband pressuring her to move on. Lisa suddenly grew annoyed with Simon -- why was he there bothering her? She felt compelled to return to talking about the vacuum cleaners, which she really had no interest in. Finally, Lisa left Mark standing there, looking lost and confused and stalked off resentfully, her family trailing behind her. Lisa hadn't even had a chance to get the kid's phone number.
The beautiful married mother marvelled at herself, as she pointedly ignored Simon. She picked at her lunch, complaining constantly about the quality of the mall food and the noise and the people, and wondered if she were crazy. Lisa hadn't given some random kid her phone number in a few years, nor had she jumped into bed with one in a while, but Mark really put the hook in her. She had only chatted with him for five minutes, but that's all it had taken to arouse her feelings for him and make her moist in her underwear.
Lisa was 41 and she was married with two young children. It was like she stepped out of reality for those five minutes she spoke to Mark and indulged in a fantasy game. She laughed at herself -- the young man was nearly half her age and surely off limits now. She was married and supposed to be loyal and faithful now, but still she was angry with Simon and it came out in studied disinterest, snide insinuating comments about him under her breath and well aimed putdowns.
Lisa saw Mark again on the way out and a sudden urge to proposition the 22 year old kid passed through her. She suddenly felt an urge to just approach him and ask him bluntly if he wanted to fuck. Lisa didn't follow through, not having done that sort of thing in a few years, and yet despite her decision, she was even more annoyed with her husband -- why did he have to be there? Why did he have to get in the way? Lisa felt like a fight and she picked one with her husband behind closed doors later that night when the kids were safely asleep. It was a fight she fought viciously and a fight she one.
It was four weeks later when Lisa next ran into Mark at the mall. He was standing there awkwardly in his corner of the mall, with his display of shitty vacuum cleaners behind him, chatting with some silly young women, who just couldn't stop giggling and flirting with him. Lisa grew annoyed and more than a touch jealous. Again Simon and children were in tow, but Lisa took a deep breath and decided she wasn't going to let her husband get in her way this time.
She waited as patiently as she could behind the silly young women, while Mark occasionally glanced at her. Finally, the girls were gone and Lisa stepped forward, her husband and children by her side.
"Hi, is it Lisa?"
"Yes, and you're Mark," she said smiling up at him, her eyes inviting.
"Have you sorted out your vacuum cleaner situation yet because I have a new brand to show you, that I think..."
"Look Mark, thanks for your help, but to be honest I'm not really interested in vacuum cleaners."
The young man looked at Lisa confused, then his face flushed. He sneaked a peak in Simon's direction and Lisa's husband looked back stony faced.
"Look Mark, can I give you my phone number or can I get yours?"
Mark gasped. This beautiful mother wanted his phone number and she was asking for it while her husband and her children looked on. For a moment he was lost -- were they actually going to go on a date? But how was that possible given she was married and her husband was standing right there, listening to every word they were saying.
"Here, give me your number Mark," Lisa said impatiently, laughing, her own face growing flushed.
The young man awkwardly spoke, his eyes glued on Lisa, trying to avoid looking at Simon opposite him or at the two faces peering up at him from below. Lisa punched his phone number into her mobile.
"I'd like to give you a call sometime Mark - maybe we can go out?"
"Um, yeah sure Lisa, that would be great."
"Great Mark, well how about I give you a call later today?"
"Yeah, wow for sure Lisa."
Mark looked at Simon to get some feedback -- Lisa's husband was silent, his face impassive. Simon's reaction confused Mark. The young man suddenly thrust out his hand for Simon to shake it. There was an awkward moment when nothing happened and nobody said anything.
"Are you going to shake Mark's hand Simon," Lisa finally asked.
There was another awkward silent moment. Mark was just about to withdraw his hand when Simon grabbed it and shook it hard.
"Good Simon," Lisa said softly, but firmly. "And Mark, I'll call you later. Now come on kids, let's go and get some ice cream."
Mark felt his heart thumping in his chest, felt light-headed, as he watched the family withdraw from his sight. Lisa had ploughed on ahead with her children and her husband following behind.
The family sat there at a small table in the mall food court eating ice cream. On this occasion Lisa didn't complain or make snide comments -- she was floating on cloud nine, blissfully happy, feeling unreal. She had done it - she had defied her husband and felt great about it. She had seen Mark again and had taken a chance, to hell with the consequences, she only lived once and she had gone for it without any guilt or reluctance and gotten the young man's phone number.
"Go ahead, say something Simon?"
"I don't know what to say Lisa. I thought you were past this sort of thing -- that you didn't do this sort of thing anymore. Are you really going to call that kid?"