In this story a married woman has sex with a man who's not her husband. If that's not your thing, don't read.
Saturday came after a stressful week at work and my wife and I were shopping for groceries, intending to buy ingredients for a leisurely evening meal. Somehow, in among the groceries, we managed to end up in the car dealership inspecting a sensational new hybrid SUV. I took away the brochure and the promise of an exceptional deal on the price. The idea was to sit down with a drink and give the purchase some cool thought before going back and sealing the deal. We needed a new car, I loved what we'd seen and as far as I was concerned, we would buy.
"It's very exciting," said Cynthia thoughtfully as we arrived at the pub. "But a frightening sum of money. Surely we can get our thrills more cheaply."
"You know we need a new car and we can manage the cost."
"I suppose you want to talk about miles per gallon and options packages all lunch."
"It's important to think things through from every angle."
"The car we have runs fine. Boys and their toys!" she snorted and vanished to the Ladies.
I was still at the bar paying for the drinks when she came back. I'd bought her a Cinzano, the drink she liked when we had something to celebrate. I picked up the glass and turned to her, meaning to hand it over and say something like, "To our new car."
Her back was to me as if we didn't know one another. Beside her was a young man I'd not even noticed. His hair was greasy and he had a ring in one ear. Before I could work out what was going on, Cynthia spoke to him.
"Hello George, it's a long time. Are you meeting someone?"
The young man looked startled but quickly hid it behind a winning smile. He took his time in examining her carefully. "Could be. But it's Jules. Not George. Were you looking for me?"
"Don't you know? Maybe I mistook you for someone else. I'm waiting for my husband."
"Why tell me that? You got me excited. It's not a pick-up then?"
"I don't know about that. How lucky do you feel?"
"Very lucky."
She laughed delightedly. "So do I. It's one of those lucky days when anything might happen."
He glanced up at me and I turned away hurriedly, not wanting to embarrass myself -- or Cynthia.
"Then who did you think I was?"
"Oh ... somebody I knew at school. Or maybe not. Maybe I just thought it'd be fun to get to know you."
"Your husband's not here then?"
"He'll be here soon."
"And you wanted to chat? Are you sure that's all?" He leaned forward, lips reaching out suggestively. She ignored them.
"You think I'm an easy pick-up?"
"Well aren't you? It feels like a pick-up."
"Or is it me picking you up? I walked through the door and thought, I'm going to talk to that cute-looking man. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"You just want to say hello? And your husband's going to be here soon?"
She nodded. "You have to find out what I want. I'm not kissing you in front of all these old men and we don't have much time to get to know one another. You need to try a bit harder."
"How much time have we got?" He laughed. "I can see how much fun you could be."
"I'll make the time."
"Then we need to find the place." Jules looked round the bar. "And I'll show you why the girls like me. We could go somewhere else."
"But I'm meeting my husband here."
"We could go to my shop. It's only across the road."
"What shop is that?"
"The clothes boutique. I'm the manager. It's very quiet at lunchtime."
"What sort of clothes?"
"You've not been inside? Come and look. We'll find something for you."
Cynthia played the suspense and looked at the barman as if about to order a drink. Not once had she looked at me and the drink I'd bought her stood untouched on the bar in front of her.
"Well Jules, you have such big soulful brown eyes. Of course I'll come with you. But we'll have to be quick. My husband doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Talk about speed-dating. My head was still full of cars and options packages. The shop manager -- Jules -- gave me and the rest of the bar a triumphant glance as much as to say, "Look at me you mortals and despair. Two minutes with a girl and she's mine."
I was left staring at the Cinzano as the two walked out of the door side by side. What was I supposed to do? I swallowed a mouthful of beer, then another. Wait here till she comes back. What else was there to do? I looked at the car brochure. It seemed that Cynthia didn't find the car as exciting as I did.
A minute later I snorted into my beer. I'd just listened to my wife pick up a stranger at the bar. How could she fancy such a poor creature? I replayed their conversation in my head. What could she be thinking? I tried to picture him but could think only of his greasy hair. What magic had made her fix on him? He was young. Young and carefree and with muscles from working out in the gym. She demanded premium performance. I turned over the leaves of the brochure looking at the sleek, glossy lines of the car. And a big cock. Jules! I snorted again and finished my beer.
Hang on. But he looked to me like a hopeless, ignorant, shallow, feeble youth who'd never make anything of himself. Okay, she probably thought those were positives. After all, she wasn't marrying him and often accused me of being too correct and judgemental. Take life as it is, she would tell me. I looked at the glass of vermouth. The ice had melted. I picked it up and swallowed the drink in one gulp. It tasted like perfume and I almost choked it up.
My thoughts were reeling from drinking too fast and not eating. If I stayed in the pub, I'd drink too much. But if I left, how would Cynthia find me when she wanted to go home? I wandered outside, not sure what to do. Then I spotted the shop on the other side of the road. "Sensuous and Superior" it was called. The big windows were bright with exotic clothing -- lurid red and yellow tee shirts and dresses with bold geometric slabs of colour, some flimsy lingerie and a few naked, grotesque mannequins with leering expressions. I wandered over and peered inside. The place seemed deserted.
I pushed open the door and an old-fashioned bell sounded, causing the woman behind the counter to glance up at me. Thinking it would look foolish to retreat, I walked in. There was no sign of Cynthia or the greasy-haired manager. The woman gave me a thin smile. Her name was on a badge pinned to her breast: "Euphoria." We were both uneasy and I thought she might tell me to leave. Instead, she said, "Can I help you?"
"I'm after a present for my wife. Do you mind if I look round?"
"Well call if you need any help. Do you know her sizes?"
"Something like you."