Old Friends

Old Friends

Joe E Hartley

October 2022

Readers,

I apologize for the delay in submitting this, but I've been involved in a battle over my good name with a troll. I got sucked in, correcting all the misquotes and outright lies regarding me and my work, only to have to repeat it all again the following week.

Narcosis are insecure egomaniacs who verbally abuse others to build themselves up and once you get into a battle with one, there is no way to win.

I no longer have my backlog of work I had before, due the amount of time this battle took. I should have three or four stories in various stages of writing and editing right now. After this story, I only have one more in the idea phase.

Joeehartley

Every so often clothes need to be replaced even after you retire and no longer have a need to impress anyone with your wardrobe. For Jim that only happened once every two or three months and today was the day.

He walked around the department store he normally went to, picking out a couple new pair of jeans and a shirt or two when a woman caught his eye. She looked familiar, but he couldn't be certain until certain memories flooded his mind and he had to know if this was the woman he knew so long ago.

Like everyone, age changes our appearance and after twenty years no one looks the same, but the more often he caught a glance at this woman the more he was convinced she was Claire. Claire was one half of the couple he and his ex-wife socialized with so long ago, and a frequent star in his late-night fantasies. He could never allow anyone to know of his attraction to her. She and his ex-wife did a lot together.

She looked over at him staring at her and recognized him immediately. She waved at him and started walking towards him,

"Jim, is that really you? It's been twenty years since we've seen each other. Are you living here now?" She gushed.

She wanted to wrap her arms around him, but something held her back. Maybe it was their history. Maybe she wasn't sure she could hold back her feeling about him and that could be awkward.

Claire and Jim's ex-wife had been social companions for years, although not that close they considered each other friends. After Jim's divorce they both moved away. Claire and her then husband also moved, for them it was out of the country. Over the next few years, they simply lost contact with each other. That was almost twenty years ago. Claire was now divorced and living well on her own, but she still had a thing for Jim.

They chatting for a while and Claire made sure Jim knew how much she enjoyed seeing him, unfortunately the timing was bad.

"I really want to catch up with you, but I'm late for a lunch date with some girlfriends. Can we get together later and have a nice long chat?" She asked.

"Sure, you want to grab a drink or something?' Jim responded, and handed her his phone number.

"I actually live close by if you'd like,you could come over for some wine, just like old times," she answered.

"That would be great," Jim said, "I'm free the rest of the day. Give me a call when you're ready."

Claire handed him a slip of paper with the address and phone number.

"Wow! We live close together, I'm only a few blocks from there. Did you just recently more here?" Jim commented.

"I've been in the same house for five years, but let's talk about all that later this afternoon. I really have to go now," she answered.

As she hurried away to meet her friends, Jim noticed the sway of her hips and pleasant memories returned. He had always kept his desires and fantasies about her under control. His ex-wife had always been extremely jealous and he never wanted to give her any reasons. He even refused to hug Claire when they got together and avoided looking at her ass. Now that he was divorced, he no longer had a reason to hold himself back, but he was certain she had no interest in him. She had not even offered to hug him when they just met.

Claire's pulse raced after seeing Jim. She had often imagined her in his arms and naked and that fantasy now returned. She no longer had to deal with his ex-wife's jealousy or, for that matter, her ex-husband's.

Claire's previous marriage hadn't been bad; it was just boring. She felt that her ex-husband wasn't really interested in her as a woman, but had a long list of restrictions on what she could, and could not, do and flirting with Jim, although never spoken about, was on the top of that list. She was now free of any restrictions; she just hoped that Jim felt the same.

Claire calmed herself and enjoyed lunch with her friends. A couple hours later as Claire drove home her mind once again focused on the man she had always enjoying seeing so long ago. She remembered him being funny and always attentive to his wife who seemed to care less. Back then she had often thought that she and he had married the wrong person. It didn't hurt that she found him extremely attractive--that part had not changed after all these years.

Claire arrived home and changed into her more comfortable clothes. She called the number had give her to set up a time for them to get together.

"Hello," Jim answered his phone,

"Hi Jim. This is Claire. I'm home now and was wondering if you'd like to come on over for a chat," she announced.

"Sure, I'd love to catch up with you. Is it a problem, if I am dressed casually?" He asked.

"So much the better. I just got home and changed into my grubbies, so if you don't mind, neither do I. We can share a glass of wine and fill each other in on what's been happening for the last twenty years," she replied.

On one hand, Claire wanted to entice Jim to look at her; she'd thought, in the past, she spied him sneaking a peak at her, but could never be certain, on the other hand she was not wearing a bra and most men enjoyed that look.

Jim looked forward to seeing Claire again; he just wished that she would like more than just reliving the past.

He rang her doorbell twenty minutes later and was welcomed inside by a woman with little pretense. She looked so different from what he remembered in years past. She had always appeared perfectly made up and somewhat plastic. He liked what he now saw so much better.

"Come on in Jim. I'm glad you could make it. You look good; the years have been very kind to you," she welcomed and again she hesitated to hug him, as much as she wanted to feel his body close to hers. She was afraid he didn't feel the same.

"Thank you. You say you've lived here for five years? We only live about three blocks from each other; I'm surprised we haven't run into each other before," Jim commented.

"That is strange. It seems that I'm out and about all the time anymore, I have so many more activities now than I ever had when we knew each other before," she shared.

"Pardon me for saying, but I always thought that there was a lot more to you than what we saw; it was almost as if your marriage was holding you back," Jim ventured to guess.

"I didn't ask for the divorce, but in hindsight, it was the best thig that could have happened for me. How about you?" Claire asked.

"I guess I would say the same. I tried to make it work, but in the end it wasn't enough. I actually went through a bout of depression after my divorce. I'm fine now and I learned a lot about people. So how was Europe?" he shared.

They spent the next several hours and a bottle of wine informing each other of their many adventures, both were impressed with how much the other had accomplished since becoming single. Their afternoon had been filled with laughter and when it was time to leave, Claire hugged the man she admired even more now.

Jim reflected on all he'd heard from Claire and especially the hug she gave him as he left; he wasn't certain if it meant her attraction to him, matched his attraction to her, or if was just hug of friendship. In either case it was a step in the right direction as far as he was concerned. He walked with a bounce in his step all the way home.

Jim called Claire shortly after he arrived back at his house to tell her how much he enjoyed their afternoon together and he hoped to spend more time together. He was disappointed when she told him that she had planned a trip and would be gone for a week.

He knew she was giving him the hint that she really wasn't interested, even though she said she'd call when she got back in town. He'd been around long enough and learned through painful experiences that he'd never see her again.

Claire was overjoyed that Jim had called to tell her that he enjoyed their afternoon together as much as she had. She regretted that she'd made plans to vacation with a girlfriend months ago. She looked forward to when she got back in town and could set up another get together, hopefully this time wearing fewer clothes.

Jim had learned, with the help of therapy, to just accept that he cannot make anyone like him and to just accept the signs presented to him. He would go on with his life and maybe meet someone, maybe not.

Jim had accepted the fact that Claire had a new life and he was only a distant memory when his phone rang the following week. He was surprised to see that the ID indicated Claire.

"Hello," he answered somewhat guarded.

"Hi Jim," came the cheerful voice on the other end of the line. "I'm back in town and I was wondering if your invitation to get together was still open."

'Sure," he answered not wanting to appear too eager all the while his heart rate was increasing with excitement.

"Great, I was so happy when you said you enjoyed our time together last week and, I probably shouldn't mention this but I was excited too. I've wasted a lot of my life denying my feelings, that now I'm willing to be honest about them and see if that makes a difference," she blurted out hardly taking a breath.

"Really?" was all that Jim could say. His mind was busy running one erotic scene though his mind after another and all of them involved Claire. "I thought you were brushing me off as just a past life memory," he shared before he thought about what he was saying. Was this too much honesty?

"Are you kidding? I've had the hots for you since we had those backyard bar-b-ques, but could never give you any indication of that," she shared matching his level of honesty.

"Same here, but I could not afford to make any waves in my marriage," Jim admitted.

"Sounds like we have a lot to talk about. Would you like to come over? I have another bottle of wine and I'll be wearing my comfy clothes, but not the grubbies," she offered.

A half hour later Jim rang Claire's doorbell. She answered the door promptly wearing a silk nightshirt with slits up her thighs high enough to hint she wore no underwear.

Many years of past history came into play as he schooled his expression to hide his inner thoughts. Based on what she'd said over the phone he took a chance and said, "That looks very comfortable."

Claire smiled at him, "We definitely have a lot to talk about. We both seem to still be carrying around a lot of baggage from our past marriages. Come on in and have a seat. I'll get us some wine."

She turned and walked into the kitchen while Jim's eyes never left her ass.

"I'd like to try something that might be scary, but hopefully will help to unload some of that baggage. I want us to risk being as honest as we can be with each other and see where that takes us. I'll start, I like you and I've been attracted to you for a long time, but had to hold back. I put this on for you," she said turning back around to face him.

"I'm willing to give it a try. I had written you off as not being interested, so this gives me a second chance. I think you are attractive too and back then I found it hard to keep my eyes off of you. I really like what you are wearing and I've always thought that you have a very nice butt," Jim said, his face reddened as he blurted out the thoughts in his head without any filters.

"You think so? Thank you. Back in my school days the boys all liked looking at my butt and it made me feel sexy. Back when you and I ever saw each other, I had so many rules I had to follow, one being I couldn't wear anything that might show off my butt. I had to wear things that an old married lady would wear," she commented turning around and wiggling her butt at him.

She returned to her seat and handed him his wine. They continued to tell each other about their mutual attraction and the frustration they each felt. They agreed that it would take a while to undo all the restrictions still front and centered I their minds. The first step, they both agreed, was to counter the extreme guilt they each felt just being in the same room together.

Claire admitted that her time in Europe had helped her to get over the repressive nation of her marriage. They were much more open and honest about sex over there than we are, but she agreed that they should not just hop into bed right aways, as much as she'd like too. She suggested they date a bit and work up to sex. With that in mind she suggested Jim accompany her to an erotic art show that was scheduled for tomorrow evening.

"That sounds so different what I would normally do, so yes, I'd love to go," Jim answered.

"Good, come on by tomorrow about 5 and I'll drive us over. I'm so glad we had a chance to really talk to each other and I'm looking forward to getting to know each other a lot better. Wanna try for a hug that's not as restrictive as our last one was?" Claire asked.

Claire opened her arms allowing Jim free access to press his body against hers. He wrapped his arms around her. Maybe it was because of the honest sexual talk that just had and his admission that he liked her butt, but without conscious thought his hand drifter lower until it rested on her ass.

"I can't remember the last time a man had caressed my ass," she commented.

Jim immediately removed his hand, "Sorry," he said.

"I didn't ask you to move it. I like that you want to caress me; It makes me feel sexy," Claire commented.

Jim tentatively replaced her his hand and then she started to caress his hand with her barely covered derriere, he reposition his hand lower and more centered.

"Ahh, that's more like it," Claire crooned.

They parted and Jim walked home obviously aroused.

Jim enjoyed some very pleasant dreams and awoke refreshed and eager to meet the day. He called Claire to verify the dress code for this art show. She informed him to not worry too much about it; the group orchestrating the show was considered bohemian, not part of normal cultural norms and whatever he wore would be out of place, but the more casual the better.

He arrived at Claire's house a just a few minutes before 5, dressed casually as she suggested. She answered the door dressed as he would have never imagined. She was planning to go out in public and the rules he'd accepted all of his life were now in question. She wore a long skirt and a see-through blouse with no bra. Her lovely breasts were on display and she seemed to enjoy her display and his reaction to that display.

"When you said Bohemian, what exactly did you mean?'' Jim asked once he could close his mouth.

"I meant that what I'm wearing is acceptable for where we are going. Is it too much for you?" she asked.

"No, not exactly. It's just that you are opening up a whole new world for me. Europe must have offered you an entirely new education," he answered.

"It did, and after my divorce I wanted to experience all that life has to offer. Are you sure you're okay with the way I'm dressed. There will be a lot of nudity there. It is an erotic art exhibit," she shared.

"I'm fine and now that the initial shock is over, I like it. By the looks of things," he said indicating her nipples, "so do you."

Claire laughed. "Actually, I do. I've become a bit of an exhibitionist since you last knew me."

Claire drove them to a non-descript store front, the type of place you might find a rave for the younger crowd. They parked and Claire led the way into the building. She gave her name, apparently this exhibit was by invitation only and Jim was her plus 1. Jim saw only a couple dozen people there and the first thing he noticed was that Claire was not dressed inappropriately.

A young woman approached them and said, "Claire I was hoping, you'd make it. We haven't seen you around in a while. Who's your friend?"

Claire introduced Jim to the young woman who turned out to be one of the artists, and a performer.

There was a curtain separating a portion of the room and someone announced that the exhibit was now open; people started to move towards the first display.

A naked young woman leaned over a small pedestal facing the crowd, with her legs spread; behind her knelt a young man with his face between her butt cheeks. She welcomed the guest to the exhibit and spoke about the performance art we were all going see. The patrons walked around her to get a good view on the man performing oral sex on her.

The next exhibit was of a different naked woman on her knees with a naked man on either side of her. She held a naked erection, one in each hand and alternated licking the head of one after the other.

The remaining exhibits depicted live performers in different sex acts. Jim found himself getting highly aroused and as they approached the end of the exhibits noticed that many of the patrons were staring to interact with the performers.

Claire turned to him and indicated it was time to go. "It's just going to turn into an orgy now. That's all the art we are going to see," she said.

"You may have noticed that we were the oldest people there. I'm friends with several of the artist and they invite me to their showing every so often. I could never keep up with their sexual antics, so I don't stay for the orgies. Did you want to stay?" She asked.

"I know I could not keep up either and if I tried, it might kill me," Jim answered. "It was very interesting and I must admit highly arousing as well."

"It is that," she replied.

Jim went back home; he had a lot to think about. He suspected events like this happened, but he never thought he's ever be at one of them or that anyone he knew would know any of the performers and be invited to these events.

Jim's mind barraged him with all the rules he'd lived with all of his life, that what he saw was unnatural and deviant. He had a fitful night's sleep punctuated with dreams of him being one of the participants of the art show. He was the man behind the naked woman describing the exhibits. His goal was to distract her from her prepared speech. He was intimately involved with every exhibit, either his cock or his mouth were the star attraction, sometimes both. At the end he had sex with numerous patrons, most of which he's never met before.

He woke up still confused, but aroused. He knew that the therapy had not worked to allow him to forgive himself for his failed marriage, but maybe Claire, with her open attitude could. He called her shortly after breakfast.

"Morning Claire. I want to thank you for taking me to that erotic art show. To say that was not what I expected it is putting it mildly," Jim started.

"Was it over the top for you?" Claire asked.

"Definitely, but it was a shock I needed. Sorry I left so abruptly last night, but my mind was overwhelmed and I didn't know how I felt," Jim added.

"And how do you feel now?" she questioned.

"Honestly, I think you are very good for me and if you can handle my occasional melt-downs, I'd like to see what else you have in mind," he offered.

'Wanna come over and talk about your impressions of the art show?" she asked.

"I'd like that, and would I be out of line if I asked you to wear that night shirt you wore the other day?" Jim asked as politely as he could, trying not to sound too sex crazed.

"The one that shows off my butt? I'd love to and thanks for asking," she purred in such a way to make Jim's cock stand up.