The Difference- Chapter 5

Chapter 5



Dinner exceeded his expectations.  All the raging anxiety about going out with a woman had been for nothing.  How typical of him to let himself get all worried.  Actually, if he was honest, the problem had not been that he would be out with a woman.  He had always enjoyed the company of ladies.  Many of his closest friends were women; so, no, gender was not the real issue.  The real issue was that the woman was someone other than Lisa.  She was the last woman after all who had inspired any sexual interest whatsoever.  Sure, he had been on casual dates and dinners with other ladies, but he had always known that things were not going to progress beyond food and a lovely conversation.  Tonight was different.  Tonight he had every intention to once and for all exorcise Lisa not only from his mind but from his body.  And for the life of him, he could not figure out why that thought seemed to totally freak him out.

So, it was great to sense that he obviously had calmed down and was over his hangup. Well, the wine had helped.  As had the drink or two he consumed after dinner.  And Julia...

Julia was as lovely as he remembered her.  They had met through Tom when she had worked as a paralegal for his firm. During that time, he had flirted with her innocently, just for fun before the craziness of the trial had taken over his life, taking with it any desire even for casual flirting.   It had been as if the nightingale singing in his soul had been imprisoned in a cage and covered by a dark shroud, impenetrable to light or joy. Now, some rays of light started to filter in, fraying the fabric of the cover, inspiring memories of previously enjoyed freedom and hope of future songs. For some reason, when he deliberated which women he could dare to take out who would not take his ass to the cleaners or sell the story to the next tabloid, she had popped into his head.  Julia was the right mixture of sexy, flirty, and serious.  But not serious enough to want a commitment.  Which was a huge bonus point.  Also, she was smart, witty, and not hard on the eyes at all. Yes, she had been the perfect candidate.

When he called Tom for her contact information, his friend had been initially seemed a bit surprised at the request. Nonetheless, he consented to check with Julia and get back to him.   Michael had half expected that Tom would ignore his request or would neglect to make good on calling her as he sat by the phone for a while before finally deciding to leave it in the hands of fate.  But no: hours later, Tom, called and passed on her phone number, assuring Michael she had seemed thrilled to hear he had asked about her and even more excited to find out that Michael wanted to call her. 

Before they had hung up, Tom had reminded Michael that Julia was a very smart, very nice lady.  Well, yeah, which was why he wanted to take this journey with her.  Then, Tom, asked Michael to not mess with her.  Well, actually, messing with her was exactly what Michael had in mind, but not in the same sense as Tom insinuated.

“What are you worried about?  I just want to ask her to dinner.”  He had tried his best to sound casual and to not be offended by Tom's concern for the woman. Who did he think he was? Jack the Ripper?

“I’m worried about the fact that I think you are hung up on someone else, and Julia doesn’t deserve to be used.”

“You think I would use her?  Tom, I thought you knew me better than that.”

“Mike, I do- and I don’t think you would use her on purpose.  Just…well…watch out, ok?”

Remembering the exchange, Michael shook his head.  Why did everyone think he was ‘hung up’ on Lisa?  He was over her.  And by calling Julia, he meant to prove it to himself.

Sitting on his bed, he kept staring at the phone number.  This seemed like such a strange, such a monumental step.  He kept telling himself, it was just a call.  It meant nothing.   Still, he felt like he was sawing away on some titanium thread that kept him anchored.  Finally, he took a deep breath and dialed.  If she had been surprised by the fact it was him on the line, she hid it well.  She also had not flipped out or started screaming, which he appreciated.  He hated when his dates acted like fans.  Not that there was anything wrong with his fans- he loved them, and their undying devotion had sustained him through some of the darkest hours in the past years.  But he would never date a fan.  That would be like taking advantage- and he could never do that.  So, no, fans were out, as were the callgirls or high class escorts he had initially considered.  He was scared to death to end up on the list of some Hollywood or New York Madam.  No, Julia was perfect, and their easy, effortless phone conversation confirmed he had chosen well.  Almost surprised at himself, he found he was really looking forward to seeing her again. 

They met at the top of one of the major hotels in New York City.  Michael had sent a limo to pick her up, and she beamed when she walked up to him in a rocking, short black dress.  He had almost forgotten how stunning she was.  It was one thing to have admired her in her smart business suits, but the cocktail dress really accentuated her long legs and nice shape.  He tried his best to not stare at her legs and chest too hard.  Her face certainly also made her stand out.  Her long black hair asked to be touched, her sparkling, exotic dark eyes inspired deep gazes into her soul, and those succulent, ruby red lips begged to be kissed.  Pulling her into a hug, he was relieved that her curves felt as good as he remembered them looking.  She smelled nicely and he kissed her cheek, making her face blush slightly. When Julia broke away from the hug, she glanced around, gifting him with her brilliant smile.He had reserved the whole place, feeling like making a grand gesture. 

“So, I take it, it will be just the two of us, hm?”

“I thought it was cozier.” He pulled the chair out for her and admired her toned back and spectacular derriere.

“If you wanted cozy, you should have come to my apartment.” She glanced behind, and he was sure she had caught the journey his eyes had taken.  With a knowing smile, she winked at him.

Oh, wow! This certainly was a promising opening statement which started things off just right.  She obviously was as straight forward as he remembered.  Not that he really wanted a relationship with another straight forward woman.  As a matter of fact, he didn’t want a relationship at all.  He wanted some stress relief and a couple of hours without feeling like some freakish outcast of society.  He wanted to spend time with someone who was not indifferent toward him. 

“Well, I am a gentleman, Julia.  And coming to your apartment on the first date would just not do.”

Whereas checking out your ass is fine, I’m sure.  And it’s not like you seem to mind.

“Ok, suit yourself.  I certainly don’t have a problem with sitting here high above the city with the most gorgeous man alive.”

He could not help but blush.  Yes, this was indeed a good start.

Enjoying their wonderful five course meal, Julia entertained him with stories from her new law firm.  She asked about the children, and he shared some funny anecdotes, causing her to laugh openly.  Her laugher was melodic and honest and reminded him of the seductive tone of a chime.  At times, caught up in the conversation, she reached for his arm and then his hand, giving it a squeeze.   It felt nice being touched by her and he wondered how she would feel under his caresses.

When she excused herself to freshen up, he enjoyed watching the sway of her hips and her long legs.  It had been so long that he had openly looked at another woman other than Lisa, he almost felt guilty.  Angrily, he gulped down his drink.  No, she was not about to spoil this for him.  They had been divorced for almost ten years and he had absolutely no reason to feel guilty.  Not like she had kept her goodies to herself.  He was fairly certain she had slept with Danny soon after the divorce, before bedding his best friend.  Nice touch.  Then of course, she had suddenly remembered what she had missed and had come running back with lies of love and eternal fidelity.  Well, before heading off to John ‘Of the Unpronounceable Name’ and then, the cherry on the cake, Nic Cage.  Funny enough, she had spent more time under Michael in his bed than with her third husband.  Well, to be fair, some time was spent against walls, in the shower, in cars...He guessed she had not been indifferent then.  Unless multiple orgasms and whispered oaths of love were signs of indifference.  And one certainly could not be sure where her treacherous ways were concerned.

This had to stop.  He really had to stop thinking about her.  He also had to stop overusing that damn word.  What did it matter how she felt?  He didn’t need her anymore, and he was glad to be rid of her emotionally unstable, fickle, unfaithful ass. 

That cute, round…  Michael, focus!  For heaven's sake!

Thankfully Julia came back at that very moment and her curvaceous hips again captured his gaze.  He let his eyes slide lower and admired her firm thighs and long, shapely calves.  She stopped right infront of him, and when he finally let his eyes ascend to higher regions of her anatomy, like, her eyes, he noticed the amused expression. 

“Like what you see?”

Well, he had not exactly been subtle in his perusal of her.  Then again, there obviously was no need to feel too guilty since she definitely looked more flattered than offended.

“What’s not to like?” His tone was not the least bit apologetic and possibly could be interpreted as cocky.

She laughed and sat back down, her leg extending under the table, making contact with his. 

“You are such a flirt, Michael.  I am glad to see you did not lose that in….the past months.”

Not wanting any thought of what she was alluding to spoil his current highflying mood, he blinked all reminders away.

“Nope.  It might have been a bit dormant, but I am just getting it all back.  And you agreeing to have dinner with me is really giving me a refresher of how much I enjoy spending time with a beautiful lady.”

His hand had been playing with a napkin on the table, and her smooth, small hand came to rest over his.  His eyes flew up to hers.

“Well, I am glad to be of service.”

It felt nice to have her smooth skin touch him. 

Nice. 

Absent were any electric currents shooting up his arm and into his crotch.  Nothing much was going on down there, and he questioned that lack of a physical reaction.  Previously, one touch, one look had sufficed to make the space in his pants decrease.  Hm... Well, he was considerably older now, so maybe that was the difference.  And the stress.  Maybe some anxiety about his date.  Surely it had nothing to do with who was touching him.  Or who wasn't.

A twist of his wrist and he let her fingers interlace with his. Her leg intensified the pressure on his.  By now, he was pretty sure she was at least as interested in things to progress beyond dinner as he was.

“Michael, I agreed to go out with you tonight.  Tom told me you are getting ready to leave the country.  I know this is not the beginning of some grand romance, don’t worry, I am not that delusional.  I want you to know that if there is anything I can do for you, all you have to do is ask.”

Ok, so much for being circumspect.  The expression in her eyes left no doubt she was not offering her legal services. 

Suddenly feeling nervous and uncertain, he broke eye contact and watched the candlelight dance on the tablecloth.

“How about you dance with me for now?”

Well, that was lame, but he really did not know what else to answer.  Let’s go and fuck, might have been a bit too direct even for her.  Plus, suddenly, he was not sure that was what he wanted.  She was beautiful, her skin so warm and smooth, her dark hair cascading down her back, her lips red and full.  And she sent signals that that all gave him the green light.  Plus, she was sexy as hell.  What in the world was his problem?

He concentrated on her attributes: Her eyes were lovely.  They were almost black and held that open and honest expression he had liked from the start.  He could trust those eyes.  They were not hooded and cat like, not an odd ever-changing mercurial blue-green he could never quite pinpoint.  But still, what did he really know about her?  Could he trust her to not betray him?  To not rip his heart out and make a joke of all their hopes, dreams, and memories?

Here we go again.  Stay the hell out of my date, Lisa!

The waiter approached to refill their wine glasses and Michael whispered something to him.  The man nodded, and moments after he had disappeared, the volume of the soft music surrounding them had increased.

Julia raised her eyebrow and laughed.  “Magic!”

“Magic, indeed.  Like your beautiful smile.”  Rising from his chair, he extended his hand and she took it.  Well, so what if he was laying it on thick?  She did not seem to mind and quite willingly went into his arms. 

Michael pulled her closer and she followed his steps effortlessly.  She fit perfectly into his arms and her movements were fluid and self-confident.  Her chest against him felt so nice, and he realized how he had missed the smaller frame of a woman moving with him in soft and trusting harmony.  He found he liked her height. Julia was only slightly shorter than him; her face was almost even with his. 

After several moments, she rested her head on his shoulder and he pulled her closer, bringing both her chest and her hips in closer contact with him.  Finally, he detected some stirring in his lower region and he was grateful that he was not totally immune to the charms of his gorgeous dance partner.  Why in the world would she not turn him on?  The beautiful, sensual, and funny package came with a killer body.  She had only one flaw.  She was not five foot two, petite, cantankerous, and her name was not Lisa.  No, wait, those were not flaws, those were assets. 

To be honest, he had been worried how all the stress and all the anti-anxiety medication would affect him.  He had been scared to death of sexual side effects, so to feel some life coming to Mike Junior was very good news.  Well, it was not like he had not awoken to significant hard-ons in the past months, often after honey brown hair and blue eyes haunted him in his dreams.  But to be honest, to jack off in the privacy of your bedroom or bathroom was totally different from being able to enjoy a woman.  Arnie had been generous and had given him some blue, pharmaceutical helpers last time he saw him, but he had decided against them tonight. This wasn’t just a test-run.  This was a trapeze performance without a net.  He had to know.  It was so important to discover if all his systems were coming back online.  So, he had be “au natural.”  And thankfully, he found out he was just fine. Thank God!

The music ended and Michael asked Julia if she would like to go out onto the terrace to enjoy the warm night.  A smile around her lips, she grabbed her wrap and took his hand, heading out to admire the wonderful, sparkling, display of Time Square below them.  Julia was standing against the railing and Michael was behind her, his arms closing around her, when he felt her shivering.

“Cold?”

“Just the breeze after being warm from dancing.  And- being with you.  This really is magical, Michael, thank you.”

She turned her head and gazed up at him.  He took the opportunity to let his lips finally make the acquaintance of her luscious mouth.  It was just a chaste peck at first.  When he felt her melting into him, he let the second kiss linger longer and felt her open beneath him.  She turned and on the third touch his tongue decided to taste her more thoroughly.  Initially, he only traced her lips to explor the terrain of the fine lines on the pouting surface.  Next, the tip became braver and she was more than welcoming, letting him venture further.  Her taste was sweet and refreshing; he enjoyed the delectable flavor of wild berries.  Very nice.

Nice again? Had he lost his mind?  Here he was, standing with a drop-dead gorgeous, willing woman over New York City.  He was a free, unattached man, kissing this sexy creature, and all he could think about was that she felt nice?  Maybe he should have worried less about his lower head and more about the one with the obviously blown brain circuits.

The kiss ended and she snuggled up close to him.  He held her in a tight embrace, enjoying the peace of the moment. 

“Michael?”

“Hm?”

“I feel you are a bit hesitant about this, so I’m just gonna take the bull by the horns.  I don’t want to be pushy, but I got the vibe that maybe you would like to be in a more private environment.”

Wow.  Decision time.

“I…ah…I don’t want to…you know…be presumptuous. I mean, I really…would like to…but…”

He could not believe he stuttered like a little kid again.  Would he ever get over this awkwardness? The girl basically said she wanted to go home with him.   What did he need?  She was probably not going to get any more direct than this.

“No, you are not being presumptuous at all.  You’re being a perfect gentleman.  I just thought we are too old to play games, and I don’t feel like wasting time we could spend in other ways. Unless, of course, you don’t feel like it, and then I totally understand, and thank you for a wonderful evening.  And no hard feelings.”

He took her hand and brought it to his crotch while lowering his head toward her again, whispering into her ear.

“Well, no hard feelings is possibly not one hundred percent correct.”

Relieved, she smiled at him and raised an eyebrow.

“I say! Okay, I guess I got my answer.  Glad, I misread you.”

He kissed her again and she moaned against him, her hand staying in place, massaging him though his pants.  Ok, this felt even better than nice.  Still no electric thunderstorms or urges to cum in his pants, but that was not a bad thing.  Nice and steady would do just fine.  He did not miss the feeling of jumping into a bubbling volcano he remembered so well any time Lisa touched him.  No, not at all. 

He broke the kiss and Julia turned again to lean against him, which gave his hands the chance to come around her waist before slowly running up toward her chest, then down toward her hips again, exploring the curves he had previously admired visually with his tactile senses. Bending again, he kissed her hair, then proceeded to lower his lips to playfully nuzzle her neck.  She shuddered against him and he could not suppress a smile at her reaction. 

“Ready to go?” He breathed against her hot skin and felt another tremor taking her.  Possibly in a revenge move, her bottom started to gyrate against him.

“Where are we going?”

“Well, I just so happen to have a suite reserved here tonight.  So, how about we go there?”

His hands travelled upwards again and he ever so gently let them glide over her breasts.  She reached up and behind to bring his head within reach of her mouth again.  Another deep, sensual kiss, causing him to feel warm and wanted.

“Oh, I like a man who’s well prepared.  So, let’s go and see what we can find in that suite of yours.”

He grabbed her hand and they headed off toward the elevator.  As soon as the doors closed behind them, she pulled him close once more.  When she kissed him with wild abandon, he could not help but celebrate that finally, his self-imposed celibacy would be over and he could once and for all erase any memory of Lisa from his body just like he had banned her from his heart.  Let’s see who was indifferent now!

(to be continued)

©2010 Erika B Michaels. All Rights Reserved. This story is a work of fiction. Any names, places, and other identifying features are used in a fictional manner, for entertainment purposes only, and are in no way representative of actual events. This work may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted, or stored without expressed written permission by Erika B Michaels. All photos and images, mentioned songs or song titles are copyright their creators. 

The Difference is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.