I'm a man in his early forties with one son attending college. I always considered myself an average guy; I'm a shade under six feet tall with brown eyes and hair some call "salt and pepper" as a result of premature graying in my mid-thirties. While I may be a few pounds overweight, I've made the effort to get into decent shape, and many say I still look great for my age.
Chris' mother and I have been divorced for almost five years, so it was just two men living on our own. Neither of us minded; while my divorce from Samantha has been amicable and we still hooked up on occasion for "sex with the ex" when her current boyfriend, Keith, was out of town, her absence from our household was rarely noticed.
Women of various ages found my son attractive, and - unlike I - Chris never lacked for female companionship from the time he'd entered junior high to the present day. He was excited about his latest girlfriend and eager to introduce me to her.
Chris had always dated tall blonde model types, each girl more striking than her predecessor, but I was never impressed with any of them. Most were self-absorbed and shallow, and God forbid if they had to put more than one sentence together.
It was easy to see why Chris eventually dumped them. Even the hottest bed partner and arm candy gets tiring after awhile when she don't have anything else to offer. To say I wasn't enthused about meeting his new girlfriend at first was an understatement; I just assumed he was dragging home yet another living Barbie doll.
I was stunned the first time I saw Katie. She didn't come close to any of Chris' past girlfriends far as appearance was concerned.
Not that she was unattractive. No way.
She may not have been Vogue material, but it was difficult for me to keep my eyes off of her. Katie was a pretty brunette around five feet, two inches, with full breasts, creamy pale skin, intense violet eyes, and an amazing round, smooth ass that would've rivaled my ex-wife's.
Katie and I hit it off almost immediately. She was warm, funny, and smart, though a little insecure at times. She knew about Chris' previous girlfriends, and always wondered why such a hot guy like him would choose to date her.
"Have you considered the possibility you may have something more to offer him?" I asked. "Like what?"
"You know how to carry on a conversation, have a great personality, and make him laugh. Sure, the other girls Chris went out with were 'hot,' so to speak, but to be honest, most were out for sex or whatever else they could get out of him. You clearly care about my son instead of wondering what's in it for you."
I gave her a reassuring smile. "You're not exactly hard on the eyes either, but I doubt you'd believe that since it's coming from an old grunt like me."
Katie giggled. "David! You're not that old!"
"I'm not getting any younger either, honey."
"Actually, I think you're kind of cute. I can see where Chris got some of his looks."
I couldn't help but laugh. "I can only take very little credit. His mother's the beauty of us two."
"Chris says you're divorced."
"Yeah, but Sam and I are still friends. We go out occasionally."
"Let me get this straight. You date your ex-wife?"
"Sure, when her boyfriend's out of town on business. Hate the thought of her home alone all the time."
"Not to sound nosy, but why are you guys divorced?"
"There weren't really any recriminations. Our marriage just wound down. Some people just grow apart after a number of years."
"You're friends and go on dates. Would you ever get back together?"
"Not a chance, honey. Things are much better since we split. You remind me of Sam in many ways. Maybe that's another reason Chris was attracted to you."
The comment stunned her. "How am I like her?"
"I didn't mean it as an insult," I quickly replied. "Actually, consider it a compliment. She's a natural beauty with a good head on her shoulders too."
My response made Katie blush. "You really are sweet. I assumed you were going to be some stuffy, grouchy old man when Chris told me he was going to bring me to meet his dad. I'm glad my assumption was wrong!"
"So was mine," I told her. "I was expecting Chris to introduce me to yet another high-maintenance idiot. He was right; you're a breath of fresh air."
Her face lit up. "He said that about me?"
"Among other nice things. It's about time he thought with the right head for a change."
I patted her shoulder in a fatherly manner. "I think it's safe to say you have no reason to compare yourself to his old girlfriends."
***
Chris and Katie had been dating for about six months when it appeared the bottom was about to fall out of their relationship - at least at first.
It was early summer and I planned a pool party for Chris' twenty-first birthday. Several of his friends from school attended, including, of course, an array of sexy coeds. While the group of kids enjoyed Chris' party, I made myself scarce by staying in the house - partially not to embarrass my son with the old man hanging around, and partially to guard our valuables from growing two legs and walking out of the house.
The presence of the attractive young women - several of them sorority girls - made Katie uncomfortable, though she tried not to show it. I heard her and Chris briefly argue a couple of times before obviously patching up their differences shortly afterward.
Aside from occasional glances out the patio doors to make sure no one was starting trouble, I didn't pay much mind to the party. I had enough to do with providing food and other items to guests and cleaning up subsequent messes without playing babysitter.
Besides, they were all adults (at least I assumed such), and Chris was usually a trustworthy person who seldom made problems for me.
Several bags of trash had gathered during the party's duration. Around dusk, I gathered the bags and made my way to dump them in garbage cans located behind our garage. When I returned inside the house, it wasn't very long before I realized I wasn't alone.
"Katie, what are you doing in here?" I asked. "I thought you'd still be outside with Chris and his friends."
"I wanted to come in and talk to you."
"Sure, honey. What is it?"
