For some, age is a barrier, a huge one, a non-starter. Many cannot handle age differences and won't even try. James and Jayne wondered whether they could? This series of impressions and observations examines what happened when they tried.
Her.
I jumped when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I was walking down Oxford Street in Central London, right outside Selfridges when it happened and when that sort of thing happens it's usually bad news.
"I'm sorry miss, but I think you may have left these in Boots," a middle-aged man said to me.
'Oh fuck' I said under my breath, immediately knowing what had happened as you handed me a package of photos.
I had been there using one of those big machines to develop some photos and I must have left before the final few came out.
"Oh er, are you sure?" I stammered trying to think of a way to wriggle out of this clearly difficult situation.
You held the photo up, looked at it, then at me, smiled and said.
"There can be absolutely no mistake, it's you and they are lovely."
In normal circumstances such a situation wouldn't be that embarrassing, but as I knew only too well that the photos were of me in some very scantily clad poses, this was highly embarrassing.
"Hmmmm," I pondered trying to buy time as you ran your gaze up and down me. "I guess not, I suppose it must be me."
"Without any doubt," you said grinning quite broadly now "I would recognise............." You went on pausing before adding "Your golden locks anywhere." It was a slightly pervy remark, but was said with an innocence yet an authority, an unusual combination of traits in a guy so I didn't feel threatened. In fact, you looked nice and kind, cuddly was a term that came to mind, but also so did flirty old sod, in a nice way.
You were quite tall, a good five or six inches more than my five feet five. You had, being generous, thinning hair or, as some might term was balding with glasses and had a kind face and a sparkle in your eyes or, was a glint, I wasn't sure. But to me in my early twenties, it was one that almost said grandad and not daddy. But then so what, you were only returning some photos, albeit sodding sexy ones, you weren't trying to pull me, or were you? Surely not you must have been at least thirty years older than me. I have always had something of a penchant for older men, but granddads and a thirty plus age difference were probably pushing my boundaries in that area.
However, the way that you paused over what you said about me in the photos using my blonde hair as the key, made me smile. And that's always a good thing.
"Well not exactly golden," I said running my hand through my, almost natural, more straw-coloured, shoulder-length hair.
You smiled again. It was a nice, friendly smile, but one that had an underlying something to it, one that suggested that in your time you may well have been something of a player.
"Well close enough to make the phrase worth using and it is a nice phrase," you sort of rambled on, your gaze again running up and down me. That made me shiver and not, I realised in a rejection sort of way, although possibly it should have done, but more in a way where I enjoyed the flattery and the flirtation.
"Yes, I suppose it is," I rather unwisely if I wanted to end the conversation, said, realising I didn't particularly want it to end; was I losing my marbles?
"And your hair is beautifully blonde," you persisted looking from the photo to my face and back again.
"Thank you."
"Not at all."
"And thanks for rescuing my photos," I said putting my hand out. "May I have them please?"
"Yes of course," you replied handing them to me.
I went to take them, but you held onto them. I looked at you, our eyes met.
"Flatter an old man and have a drink with me for rescuing them," you said smiling.
'Fuck, why did I say that?' I asked myself when I heard "Yes, ok," slip past my lips. "But it will need to be a quickie," I managed to blurt out as a potential excuse to get away soon.
"Oh, that's fine, quickies are my speciality at my age," you replied smiling as the sparkle in your eyes changed to a definite glint making me think, 'quite sexy.'
I smiled back adding a little cheekily. "That's good then, I like them sometimes."
"Yes, so do I, but even with a quickie I do have some rules, some standards," you said rather sternly making wonder what the hell was coming next.
"Really?"
"Yes," you replied in a rather neutral tone. "I absolutely insist on being introduced before even the quickest of quickies."
I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "That's fine, I'm Jayne or Jayney or Jay for short, I said
"Hello Jayne, I am pleased to meet you, I'm James," you replied holding your hand out as I was thinking. 'Why the fuck am I entering into and prolonging the conversation with this old bloke whose clearly only after one thing and that's the obvious.'
Him
Whatever else I'd been expecting in London, it wasn't this. My days of picking up women, well young attractive ones were, alas, over some time ago, yet this gorgeous young blonde had quickly accepted my suggestion of a drink together.
Perhaps there was life in the old dog, yet? Geez, the way my 'pride and joy' had instantly reared at the sight of her confirmed that fact.
As we walked, I tried to position exactly what it was that was so attractive about this confident young blonde. She looked sexy enough in that white button up the front blouse and short, mid-thigh length, blue denim skirt, no question about that. It wasn't just the outfit, of course, but the way she wore it. Always more important than the clothes themselves. But a skirt that hardly covered her bottom, a pelmet really. And long, long, long, tanned legs that went right up to her bum, which I knew would be like a perfect, ripe and juicy, but pert and firm peach and a shirt or blouse which I would have bet a lot of my pension on did not have a bra under it, seemed pretty important to me. Fucking hell was I dreaming? Maybe I was dead and this was God's reward to me for leading a pretty good life. Clothes should suit the woman, not the other way around, some said, whatever that meant. In your case both seemed equally relevant.
I gave you a cheeky smile or, what I hoped you would see as cheeky and not sleezy, as I took your arm and ushered us along the crowded pavement. What was it that appealed so much? Was it the way one or two undone buttons displayed just enough of her cleavage? Or perhaps the fact she wasn't wearing a bra? I'd always been a sucker for that!
God, the way those nipples pushed against the white material! Two perfect bullets.
Two more buttons were undone at the bottom of her blouse, allowing the ends to float in the light breeze, like butterflies dancing on the smooth skin of her tanned stomach. Christ, how, that brought another reaction.
My second hard-on since we'd met!
The sight of your long legs and the small expanse of flesh above the waistband of your skirt and the image of your body in those photos loomed large in my eyes and memory. God, my erection was aching. Think of something else.
I did. It was your eyes. That was it! Yes, you had a wonderful body, and more importantly, knew how to display it to perfection. But it was your eyes that added the extra dimension. The most beautiful blue, it was the twinkle that suggested that anything was possible that captivated me so much.
Nothing too obvious, of course - this girl wasn't obvious. But there was a quality in those eyes that made me want to find out more.
"I have an idea," I told you, the sudden thought hitting the front of my mind. "Come on, this way."
You hesitated only for a second, and then flashed those eyes as you allowed me to guide you into Soho, along the shops, and down the open stairs to the Crusting Pipe pub set back at one end of a small courtyard.
"Ages since I've been here, Jayne " I told you, pulling out one of the chairs by a small table so that she could sit beside it. "Years in fact. One of my favourite spots in the city."
"Really?" you responded as I sat beside you. Her smile was definitely mischievous as she glanced around the surroundings. On the face of it, the small courtyard area was undistinguished, with people wandering in and out of the few shops in front of us, and others staring down from the floor above. "And what is it about this part of London that makes it so special?" you asked.
I laughed. "Yes, I know what you mean. But look... and listen," I said, nodding across to the far corner where a violinist was halfway through a piece of classical music that was familiar, but I couldn't quite place.
We paused while a waiter from the pub arrived from nowhere. "What would you like?" I asked.
"You choose."
Interesting! Was it a test? You can tell a lot about a person from what they drink. Or so I'd heard. Personally, I couldn't tell a bloody thing.
"Any Cloudy Bay?" I asked, smiling as the waiter nodded. "We'll have a bottle of that, then. Thanks."
I turned back to you. "When I was working, and visited London regularly, I tried to make time for an hour here, with or without paperwork. There's a constant flow of performing musicians, each attempting to earn a crust."
"Must be why they call the pub the Crusting Pipe," you joked, sitting back as the waiter returned and poured us two glasses before setting the bottle in the middle of the table. Again, those fucking nipples of yours seemed to be leering at me, they were certainly tempting me.
I laughed again. "Maybe. I assume they're from some music college, practicing their trade. But it can be so peaceful sitting here, watching the world go by, and enjoying the wonderful music. I love it."
I watched closely as you nodded. It seems those eyes didn't miss anything. "Yes, I can see the attraction. You like peace and quiet then?"
I swung round to face you and we clinked glasses. It was impossible to prevent my eyes dropping to those wonderful tits, small but perfectly formed came to mind, as, actually, did the image of them in my mouth. The, possibly hard or, just prominent, nipples were pushing hard against the thin material. You knew that too, sitting back and arching your back for a moment, as if posing for me as you had for the photographer, you had a knowing smile on your face. 'Was it you being a flirty young bit of stuff or me a dirty old sod?' I wondered. Smiling I thought 'probably a bit of both.'