She sat, stunned, at the dining room table, her eyes transfixed on her husband. She was shocked as anyone would be if they were told that after 21 year of marriage your spouse no longer loved you and was moving out. Though she had thoughts of speaking out, thoughts of trying to change his mind, thoughts of telling him she still loved him, she knew that he had to move out. His staying in a loveless marriage would not only make him miserable, it would make her as well. And the effect on their children would be greater, since their daughters were close to their mother.
"I'm shocked," was all she could say as he wished her well, picked up his last suitcase and walked to the door. No more were said as he walked out the door. She sighed heavily before folding her arms together, placing her head down, and began to weep loudly.
Elaine Della Court was a successful executive vice president for a health management organization, supervisor the daily operations for the marketing department. During her seven year tenure, the HMO's book of business had gone up 700%, and her department tripled in size.
She was the mother of two college student daughters. They were intelligent, beautiful, and respectful ladies that she never had to worry about when they were out. She raised them, basically, on her own since her husband was a workaholic, never home much. It was not until they were 10 and 12 respectively that she returned to the work force.
Elaine always thought of herself as sexy, even as she gained weight. When she first met Andre Della Court, she was no thin, but she was not heavy either. She stood 5' 5" and weighed 155 pounds. With her long dark brown hair, her sultry brown eyes, her warm and some would say seductive smile, she was a head turner her freshman year in college. It was at a mixer where she met Andre.
For the next four years, the two were almost inseparable, and that is why, when the two disappeared from their graduation parties and eloped, no one was shocked. Their first daughter, Andrea, was born a year later, Michelle was born two years after that. And for the next 19 years, their family was happy.
Now here she was, a successful business woman and balling her eyes out like a teenage girl that had lost her first love. She knew she shouldn't be acting like this, crying uncontrollably. She did love him, that was a fact, and more than likely, would love him forever, but she needed to calm down, get her thoughts together, and come up with a plan to better her life, to better herself without Andre.
She sat with her back to the wall, watching as everyone walked in, conversed, danced. She loved to people watch, and this was the perfect place for her to do it: It was a big beautiful woman bash. She usually never attended such things, but this one was local, and she was asked to attend by her neighbor. Although he was married, she still felt as if he was someone she could have fun with, to enjoy herself at this party. Lord knew she needed to have fun.
It has been six months since Andre left, and in that time, she's dated a few men, mostly from work. Although she's enjoyed the company, there never was a connection made with them. The only man she felt close and comfortable with was her neighbor, her married neighbor, Justin Rochateau.
Justin and his wife Jennifer were very helpful to her after Andre left. Often, they would have her over for dinner, they would open their doors to her when she needed someone to talk with, they were very good friends to her. And now, with his wife's permission, she was attending the bash with him.
"Go ahead, you'll have so much fun," Jennifer told her as they sat around the night before sipping their after-dinner coffees.
"I'll feel uncomfortable," she said as she began to get a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was a feeling of excitement, and she had no idea why she was feeling it. He was a good friend, that's all. And she told herself that for the rest of the night.
"Enjoying the scenery?" Justin asked as he came back to the table with more drinks.
"Yes, you know I love to watch people," she answered as she smiled and took her drink. She took a quick sip of the fruit and alcohol drink before she looked at him. The sinking feeling, the butterflies of last night, had returned, and this time, they were accompanied by a nervousness she has not felt since she first met Andre when she was 18 years old.
"You okay?" he asked as he noticed her hand shaking. She moved her hand to her body and slipped it under her leg.
"Yes, just a little overcome by the people and the music." She lied to him, something she never had intended. He smiled at her and took a sip of his drink. He turned away and looked at the gathered crowd.
"You'll just love these people. They are so much fun."
"They do look like fun."
"Good, now would you like to dance?" he asked as he put his drink on their table and reached out his hand. Her heart was pounding, she didn't know what to do. On one hand, she knew Justin meant to dance as friends, and she knew nothing more would come of it. But on the other, she was beginning to feel for him, have feelings that she knew were beyond friendship.
"Sure, I would love to," she answered as she quickly jumped off her chair and walked toward the dance floor. As the arrived, the music changed: from an old disco tune to a slow romantic one. Caught off-guard by the change, Elaine turned as if she wanted to return to her seat. But as he arrived to her side, Justin took her hand and pulled her to the dance floor. She inhaled deeply as he placed his hand on her back, took her left hand in his right, and twirled her softly and gently.
She was embarrassed, she never liked for people to look at her. And because Justin twirled her, they were garnering looks. She felt like she wanted to hide, to die. As he moved her face into his chest, she heard someone speak.
"He is so lucky to have her," a female voice said. Elaine smiled to herself and buried her face deeper into Justin's chest. She could feel his heart beat, beat faster. She could fell him begin to sweat as they swayed and turned on the dance floor. She sighed heavily as he took his hand from hers and placed it on her hip.
Elaine looked around as she danced, witnessing the other women as they danced. She saw them all enjoying themselves, some tightly held by their dates, their movements suggesting there might be more to come later when they leave the dance floor. She smiled as she looked at the women, women with the same body type and shape her own. She had a sudden feeling that she was not alone in her feeling that women of size could not be only sexy, but loved. She was very happy with Justin for taking her to this dance.
"Thank you," she whispered to him, moving her head up slightly so he could hear her over the music. He leaned down and began to speak to her.
"Thank you, for what hon?" he asked, confused why she should thank him for being himself. And then it happened, suddenly, with no warning.
Her lips brushed his.
For a moment, neither moved, not wanting to make it known they had touched. She felt like a school girl again, the rush of adrenaline making her breathing labored, her palms were sweating, and she could feel the butterflies return. She backed away for a moment and looked at him, into his eyes.
She could feel something she's not felt in years: Passion. She saw in his eyes what she wanted, needed, to feel, to be thought of as a sexy woman. Justin placed a hand in hers and pulled her close once more. He reached down and placed his lips, hot and soft, on hers and let go of a desire that was obviously building up for some time. She was taken aback, but kept up with his show of emotion.
She parted her mouth and accepted, lovingly, his tongue. She placed a hand on his soft bottom and squeezed. For so long, she wanted to touch it, touch him, but knew it was not right. Now, as they stood on the dance floor, she did not care what anyone would think or say. He broke their embrace and tried to regain his composure. She looked around and was surprised as no one was staring.
"Come with me," he firmly said as he took her by the hand off the dance floor. She looked at him, stunned and excited, as she followed him to their table. He held her chair for her and, after she was comfortable, he quickly moved to his. He smiled at her before chugging the rest of his drink. He wiped his mouth with the napkin and turned to her.
"I find you very sexy," were the first words out of his mouth. She could see he was breathing heavily, as if he were nervous. "I don't know what came over me, but I am not sorry for what I did." He smiled at her again as he reached for her hand. Elaine gave it to him freely. Again, she was feeling like a teenager on her first date: excited and scared.
"What should we do about this?" she asked, wanting him to take the first step. For a long, silent, awkward moment, they stared at each other, her excitement becoming more and more aware to him as they held hands. She could feel his desire become more and more evident as his hand became hotter to the touch.
"Come with me," he said once more as he moved quickly to her chair. He held out his hand and helped her to her feet. Elaine was unsure of what she should do, whether to follow him or to stay. But when she looked into his eyes again, she knew what she needed, she must, do.
"Yes, darling," she whispered as she took his hand and held it tight. They left the banquet hall, she looked back and saw several women smile. Elaine knew the choice she just made was correct, and she would never regret what would and might happen.
The walk to the elevators was too long, she thought, as they arrived and both reached to push their floor button. She laughed as she stuck her nail into his finger.
"Ouch," he yelled as he pulled away from the buttons. He managed a smile as she looked apologetically up at him. And as the doors opened, he took her hand and pulled her inside.
"Kiss me," she said, almost demanding as she reached up to his lips. Though he was but a few inches taller, to him he was ten feet tall. And as their lips touched, their mouths opened, the elevator stopped and opened on the second floor. As a couple of women walked in, they quickly regained their composure and tried to look as if nothing happened.
It was a torturous for Elaine, she wanted to kiss his lips, feel his passion, feel his touch. But with these women in here, she thought better of it. She could feel something come from Justin, she could feel his desire grow, and she could feel the small room fill with an unspoken tension. She could even see that the two women, two also in the hotel for the dance, were feeling it. They were nervous.