Cathy took a moment at the mirror. Her skin still looked smooth, her eyes alive and sparkling. How much longer, she wondered. How much longer could she consider herself attractive? Desirable? Really desirable? She smiled to herself.
She had taken her jet black hair and brought it straight back tonight. She'd been told in the past that it was a sexy look for her. Now, here she was resorting to it, like it was an old standby she could rely on. While she thought it looked okay, she had no idea herself whether it was that attractive or not, much less 'sexy.'
She slightly shook her head. What difference did it make anyway, she asked herself. She was at a business conference and she was having her son come over to visit, as he was attending college not far from where the conference was being held. Even if her look prompted interest, with her son there what difference would it make.
Cathy jolted herself with the question. Why was she even asking that? Had it come to the point of speculating about a man showing her interest like that? She was married after all. Happily and for twenty years. She scolded herself for even thinking like that. She just wanted the attention, she told herself. Still, there was no denying what was missing for her. Though she loved her husband and their life, it'd been a long time since they'd been physical with each other, much less passionate. They'd eased into a level of acceptable comfort long ago.
She adjusted the tight black dress that hugged her and told herself the fact it was strapless was not too much for this dinner and dance. Besides, there was only the hint of her ample cleavage, not a showiness to it, she rationalized. She watched herself in the mirror as she turned to leave. She liked how the dress was somewhat thin and moved easily with her.
The dinner and dance was alot of fun. It was the last night of the conference and everyone was letting their hair down, having drinks and having fun. Todd was having a good time, she could see. The women sure took notice of him, Cathy saw. He was solidly built and handsome in a man's man kind of way. She was enjoying their spending the night hanging out together, and she liked the ease with which they talked, laughed and danced. They were being together in a relaxed way that they never had before, where it was much more like they were friends than were mother and son.
He often put his hand to her back, almost assuringly, and she liked that. She would look up at him at times and smile, and it seemed their gazes would hold. There was an easiness she liked.
A woman Cathy's age had asked Todd to dance and Todd did. It was not until several moments later that Cathy realized that she had not ventured off, but had stayed nearby as Todd and the woman had danced. Now, she felt she had been clingy and she felt embarrassed. Todd only danced the one song, and he was back to Cathy. She started to speak, to say something self-deprecating about how she had stood waiting around for him, but before she could, he took her hand and pulled her out for the dance to the slow song playing.
He held her close and they seemed to mold together. She let her mind drift, soaking in the evening's drinking and dancing. Cathy's face was next to Todd's cheek and she felt his voice close to her ear.
"Did you miss me?" He teased.
"It was obvious, wasn't it?" She played along.
"I think she may be jealous of us," he said.
"Yeah?" she answered.
"Well, she said we seemed like a close couple."
They danced, and she was quiet for a moment as she weighed this.
"I actually liked that," he told her, trying to goad a response.
They swayed gently as he held her close.
"Well, we can let her wonder," Cathy said softly.
"That's something that's fine by me. We can just be here like a couple."
"Oh really?" Cathy was disbelieving.
"I think that is something you would like as well." He said it almost teasingly.
"In a different time and place." She said coyly.
"This is a different time and place," he replied assertively. Even though her head was facing away as they danced, she could tell he was smiling. She grinned to herself.
His hand was at her side. He rested it at her hip. His other hand was at her mid-back and held her to him, with half his hand pressed to her bare skin there.
The music came to a stop. She hugged him to her, and whispered to him.
"I better call it a night." She said it and pulled apart, grinning to him and feeling like they had shared a secret.
"Yeah, let's call it a night." He smiled back.
They left the dance floor and the room and headed to the elevators of the hotel. They didn't say much, and she thought about him walking her to her room as he was. There was something that made her a little giddy about it, whether it was the drinks, the dancing, their flirting, or all of it. They quietly made their way to her room, and she tried to make sense of what she felt.
When they got upstairs to her room, she fished in her handbag for her room key. Nervously, she took it from her purse and he reached to it, taking it to open the door for her. She let her hand go to his arm and she felt him take her hand and hold it, as he led them inside the hotel room.
He led them into the room and then turned to her as the door closed behind them. The room was dark as they stood with him facing her. He stepped to her, and she froze wondering what to make of what was happening. She was acutely aware that neither of them had turned on the light, and there they stood in the quiet darkness. The drinking from the evening and the dancing did give her the kind of feeling like she was at the end of a date. She reminded herself that this was Todd.
"Todd," she said in a half-whisper, starting to speak but felt his fingers go to her lips. His fingers lingered there.