Chapter 7

It happened just a few days before Pete got back from his initial survey trip to Texas. Lydia Santori was standing in the checkout line at Wholesome Foods when the man behind her said, “Pardon me little lady but I have a question.” When she turned to answer she was taken aback by the handsome man’s compelling, hazel eyes. Like a movie star in a scene where the light sparkled off his teeth and the sound of a tiny, clear bell tinkled in her ear the man said, “I’ve just come to town and I’m staying with my sister. She’s been telling me how frustrated she is with her hair ... hasn’t been able to find a hairdresser who can do anything with it.”

Captivated by his presence Lydia couldn’t comprehend the enchantment he was having on her. It was as if he were some famous person who she wouldn’t have expected to be talking with her. With an unexplainable flash of warmth coursing through her body she responded, “Oh?”

“I couldn’t help but notice how attractive your hair is,” he said, “and was wonder’n if you could give me the name of your hairdresser so Sherry could call her for an appointment.” He shrugged and with a shy smile he went on, “I’m just a man who doesn’t understand these things, but I would just bet she would be thrilled if your hairdresser could do something to her hair like yours is.”

At thirty-nine Lydia was an extremely attractive woman. At 5’4,” she had shoulder-length brunette hair and a perfect figure—36-24-36. Standing taller in her three-inch black patent heels she was wearing a tight-fitting, dove-colored gray business skirt and jacket over a white ruffled blouse that made her appear thinner than her 125 pounds. On her way home from her job as vice-president and branch manager of the Security West Bank, Lydia had made a routine stop at Wholesome Foods. Waiting for her turn to check out she was thinking of the romantic evening she hoped might come about when her husband returned from his recent trip to Texas. Their marriage had cooled lately, and she hoped to rekindle the sexual excitement they’d had until recently. The man had asked a simple question. For some reason, he appealed to her in such a way that he was making her feel more sexy than usual and she thought I guess Pete’s coming home is having more of an effect on me than I realize.

Being such a “dish” Lydia had always been hit on by men. None were ever as attractive to her as the man she married. But now the man behind her in the grocery line was stirring the same kind of feelings as those she sensed when she had first met Pete. The feeling was enhanced by the fact that in Pete’s absence she had been fantasizing about one of her regular clients who had asked her to have lunch with him earlier in the day. Her surprise reaction to the man in the grocery line made her unexplainably weak in the knees, caused butterflies in her stomach, and sent a strange feeling of guilt through her mind.

Until recently Pete and Lydia’s marriage had been idyllic. Pete and she were each committed to their careers, there were no children nor were any planned. Lately, though a conflict in their careers had been getting in the way of what she originally considered perfection. Pete’s increased travel schedule was complicating it even more. His latest trip took him away for two weeks. It wasn’t that she thought her husband might be fooling around with her; it was the feeling that what began as an equal partnership was slanting too heavily in his favor. She felt his career was pushing her into a secondary position in the relationship. Thoughts of an affair with another man were beginning to aggravate her. But such an affair would clean out some naughty moths that had been lately fluttering in her brain that if mollified might allow Pete and her to get back to normal. Until this very moment though, she’d never met a man who attracted her in such a compelling way. Who is this guy anyway?

He stood about six feet two inches tall and was fit with well-defined pecs showing prominently in his maroon Tee shirt. Looking into his clear hazel eyes Lydia felt a bit unsteady. Disarmed by his warm smile she was further attracted by his southern accent. Reaching into her purse she pulled out a golf pencil with an eraser. Taking out a small spiral notebook she scribbled the phone number of Classic Hair Design. Impetuously she wrote “Lydia” and her phone number but feeling like a silly teenager quickly erased it. Tearing out the page she handed it to the man. “Veronica is the operator I prefer but they’re all good. Tell her that Lydia Santori is recommending her.”

The man surprised her with another question. “I know this might sound silly, but I need to make another note to myself when I get back to my car. Could you give me another sheet of paper, I have none? I’ve got a pen in my pocket” he chuckled, “but no paper.” Thinking his request was cute but a little strange she tore out the next page and handed it to him while thinking isn’t that just like a man? In a way, though it was endearing.

As she walked to her car with her bag of groceries, her mind was full of him. She was impressed by a man who would notice a woman’s hairstyle and ask about it for his sister. It made her wonder if Pete might do such a thoughtful thing. As she drove home, she couldn’t stop thinking about the man, remembering how the grocery clerk and two other women in line were eyeing him as well. She was impressed by his fit-looking physique, his clear hazel eyes, his short (Navy Seal) haircut, and his charming smile. When she pushed on the brake pedal to stop at the traffic light, she felt the wetness between her legs that made her labia slide against each other. “Don’t be stupid Lydia,” she murmured to herself and thought growing up, you’re such a dreamer. She laughed as she considered it stupid, you don’t even know his name.

After dinner, she was watching Jeopardy when the phone rang. “Lydia?” a vaguely familiar voice asked.

“Yes,” she replied, not recognizing the voice. But she was curious about the southern accent.

“This is Clint Murdock Miz...” there was a slight pause.

“Santori,” she filled in.

“Miz Santori. I certainly don’t want to be disrespectful by using your first name when we don’t even know one another but I do need to make sure that I show my appreciation.” Finally recognizing the voice of the man in the grocery line goosebumps raised on her forearms. “Everything happened so quickly Miz Santori, and I just wanted to make sure that I thanked you for giving me Veronica’s name and phone number. Sherry, my sister, has already called her—she was still in—and she’s going over tomorrow afternoon. We’re from Texas Miz. Santori...”

“Lydia...”

“Lydia. To a Texan kindness to strangers goes a long way. So, I just had to call you, little lady, and make sure I truly gave you my thanks for your kindness.”

The conversation lasted all of two minutes. She expected that he might want to flirt with her, ask her out. She was sure she wouldn’t have done anything about it, but it would have been nice to have been hit on by such a sexy man and have a decision to make about it. Suddenly it occurred to her where did he get my number? She remembered how foolishly she printed her name Lydia and her phone number on the paper but had just as quickly erased it, but where’d he get it?

She went to bed that night with questions on her mind. Was he married? Why should I care? Would he be interested in me? Being 39 she questioned her appeal to an attractive man who she thought might be younger. How the hell did he get my phone number? Did Veronica give it to him? I’ll call her in the morning.

Unable to get the man out of her mind she thought, what was his name? Clint ... Clint Murdock. She only saw him from the waist up, but he was tall, handsome, and fit. His eyes, she thought, GOD. She’d never seen his entire body but the wetness between her legs told her that her nether parts were hungry for the mystery between her legs. Reaching into the drawer of her bedside table she gripped her vibrator and gave herself a ‘touch up.’

“Jesus,” she said before going to sleep, “I’ll be glad when Pete gets back.” Before dozing off she thought I wonder if Clint Murdock is a better lover than Pete. Reaching between her legs she tweaked her clitoris and thought probably not, remembering some of the fabulous ways her husband had made love to her.

While waiting for room service at the McClintock Suites Hotel in Santa Monica Clint Murdock reached into his pocket and took out the folded paper that Lydia had written the number of the hair salon. He unfolded it and flattened it on the table, separated the two sheets of paper she had given him—the one she had written her number on before erasing it and the other one he had asked for that was under the one she had written on. Opening his briefcase, he took out a #2 wooden pencil and carefully brushed the lead over the spot on the paper that had been directly under the sheet that the Santori woman had written on and erased. The word “Lydia” formed as well as “213-555-5712.” He had already had his girl at his Texas office call Classic Hair Designs to make an appointment with Veronica who was working late. She had a cancellation the following afternoon. He would have his girl call again in the morning and cancel, just in case Lydia Santori asked Veronica about it.

Taking his cell phone out of his pocket he dialed Lydia’s number. Just as he intended for her to be she was surprised and flattered. Clint was aware of his attraction to women; it was part of his job. Even before Texas Affiliates, he had numerous seductions to his credit—some real beauties. But he had to admit that there had never been another woman who had been as beguiling to him as Lydia Santori. This is going to make my job even more enjoyable. He was already anticipating coming back to Santa Monica when the time was right—that would be the day after Pete would leave to go back to Rio Branca to supervise the computer installation

Landing at Los Angeles Airport just before noon on Monday he knew his assignment and was looking forward to it. Pete Santori had left for his extended stay in Texas the morning before. From what he saw of Lydia in the line at Wholesome Food Store six months earlier and from the short conversation he had with her on the phone that evening he was looking forward to getting to know her better and exploring. She had a fantastic body and an incredible, sexy phone voice. I love my job he thought.

Lydia was amazed that the stranger who had such an effect upon her by just complimenting her hairstyle was still traipsing through her brain. She had been vulnerable at the time; Pete had been away for almost two weeks, and she was needy for sex. But she had gotten a better feeling about her relationship with her husband. Now, after he had gone back and had been there two more weeks than he was supposed to have she felt even more vulnerable. Their sex wasn’t as involved or exciting as she expected, and he was paying less and less attention to her. That was her fault but when he returned and his preoccupation with the project changed the whole dynamic. I’m the one who is being more distant she thought. But there was no question that the flame of their sexual relationship wasn’t burning as brightly as it had; their “championship” team was in a slump. But Pete’s such a fantastic lover she rationalized as thoughts of the mystery man made her reflect yet that Clint guys are so God-damned sexy. Another thing was affecting her. The client who had been pressuring her to go to lunch with him was still at it. She considered herself an “honorable” married woman but was disillusioned, horny, and in need of therapy whether it be psychological or physical.

The client at the bank didn’t excite her so she knew she wasn’t going to go that route. Now Clint was a non-threatening phantom that she could fantasize about yet still not cheat. When she had written down Classic Hair Design’s number in the grocery store, she didn’t fully understand why she wrote her number on the paper. But she had erased it and no harm was done. When he called though it turned her on so much that she masturbated that night with images of him in her mind. While her masturbatory thoughts had previously been mostly of her husband they were now mostly of Clint Murdock.

When Pete first came back from his two-week survey trip to Texas, he attacked her. She was amply receptive, but his attention didn’t last... Is there another woman down there she wondered? With suspicion filling her mind she fantasized more about the non-existent Clint Murdock. Then another surprising thing happened. Just after Pete left to return to Texas to work on the project, she was in the grocery line and thought she saw Murdock in another line. He was smiling at her and nodding his head. It isn’t Clint she thought. But when she saw that it was him goosebumps pimpled her forearms as she thought what a strange coincidence this is. Almost blown away by the presence of the handsome Texan she was completely bowled over when he called across the line in his Texas drawl, “So we meet again Miz Lydia.”

Blinking back in surprise she stammered, “H-How is your s-sister S-Sherry d-doing?” Sherry was the name that Murdock had referred to when he asked who Lydia’s hairdresser was.”

“Well, I’m overwhelmed Miz Lydia that you would remember Sherry’s name. She loves the hairdo. But she’s moved back to Austin, Texas. Thankfully, she and her husband have gotten it back together,” he seemed happy to report. As if the conversation were really about his sister. He gave her a disarming smile and added, “And she’s found a hairdresser she loves down there to boot,” winking his eye and clucking.