Seventy-eight! That can be an ugly number!

It was my birthday, and I turned seventy-eight. Damn, that sounded so old. And I hate it when someone comes back with, “It’s only a number!” I’m sorry, but it’s a really big number. Back in the day when there were phonograph records, (I know, what are phonograph records?) There were 45 and 33 and the really old ones were 78. I was so bummed. Physically I felt pretty good. Sure, there were various aches and pains, but that’s to be expected as we age.

Looking through my wardrobe I took out a black shirt, a black pair of slacks, black socks and black shoes. I even lucked out and found a black tie. Today I was in mourning. Mourning for a misspent youth and mourning I’d reached such a miserable number. Being told that it was better than the alternative did little to pick up my spirits. Face it, seventy-eight is flat out old!

I decided to treat myself to a latte and drove over to the local Starbucks. Even though I was unhappy it was my birthday, weather wise, the day was perfect, and I wanted to sit outside. After I got my drink, I took a seat at the only table available in the courtyard. Shortly a woman came to my table and asked, “I don’t want to be inside on such a lovely morning, would you mind if I joined you?”

Looking up I saw standing next to my table a lovely woman dressed in an attractive knit dress. The dress fit her well and I may be old, but I still appreciate a good-looking woman with a nice body. She had a little tummy, but all in all she had a lovely figure, and I guessed she was somewhere in her 40’s.

I stood, reached over, and pulled out the extra chair, while motioning for her to take the empty chair. “Please, join me.” After we were seated, I extended my hand, “Hi, I’m Matt.”

“Good morning, Matt, I’m Sharon.” We shook. I asked her if she lived close by, and she told me she lived in a different city and state. She explained she was in town on business as well as visiting an old schoolmate. She also mentioned she was here for her 40th high school reunion. I did some quick math and figured if she was eighteen when she graduated, that would put her around fifty-eight years old.

“That’s impossible.” I blurted out.

“What?” she asked startled. “What do you mean? What’s impossible?”

“Simple math. You were probably like eighteen when you graduated.” She smiled, “Add forty years and it puts you around fifty-eight. No fricken way!” I quickly covered my mouth. “Excuse me. It’s just I can’t believe you are anywhere near that age. When you first stepped up to the table, I guessed you were early to mid-40’s.”

She smiled, “Why thank you. You’re very sweet.”

“It’s the truth. You don’t look anywhere near your age.”

“Remember, it’s just a number.”

“Yeah, I hear that all the time and I’m really tired of hearing it.” We both laughed.

We started talking. She told me she was vice president of a lingerie firm that manufactured high end items. I commented on how nice she looked and asked her if she wore what her firm manufactured. She laughed, winked at me, and in a soft voice, “You’ll have to find that out on your own.” We continued our chat. At one point she said, “May I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure.”

“Is there a reason you’re dressed so somber on such a nice day?”

I looked down at the table for a moment, and when I looked up at her I was a bit embarrassed with my childish actions wearing black. “I’m in mourning Sharon. Today is my birthday and I was feeling depressed after I got up.”

“Sorry you feel that way. And how old are you?”

“I’d rather not say. Our conversation is going so well, and I don’t want to frighten you off. I’d like for it to continue.”

“Okay, now you really have me curious. Please, how old are you? I promise I won’t leave. You can’t be more than six or seven years older than me.”

“I’m seventy-eight today.”

“Bull shit!” Her hand when to her mouth as she blushed. “I’m sorry. I tend to have a potty mouth at times. But there’s no way you’re seventy-eight. I’d have had a hard time if you said you were sixty-eight. You really look like you are in your late fifties or early sixties. Regardless. you’re a very attractive man.”

I’m thankful I have good genes. Most of my family never looked their age and I smiled at her as I leaned back in my chair, “Thank you. You know, you’re exactly what I needed today. Somewhere in my past I did a good deed and today I’m being rewarded. You’re really something. Thank you for making me feel good.”

Sharon looked at me for a moment, smiled and shrugged her shoulders, “Tell you what, since it’s your birthday, would you let me take you to dinner?”

“Are you serious?”

“Matt, at my age, I don’t say anything unless I mean it. Of course, I’m serious.”

“You know, I’d love to have dinner with you. Give me your address and I’ll pick you up.”

“No! I have a car and driver. I’ll pick you up. Give me your address.” I wrote my address on a piece of paper. “I’d love to stay longer, but I have two important meetings I need to deal with today. I’ll pick you up at 6:30. And if you can, wear a different tie.”

“Just a tie?”

Sharon chuckled, “Perhaps later you can try that outfit on for me, but I think a suit with a nice tie might look better for dinner.”

“It’s a deal.” She stood and I watched her walk away. Sharon’s swaying bottom looked sexy encased in her knit dress, and the way it moved as she left the table looked marvelous. What a great looking woman. And what did she mean by the comment I could later get away with just a tie?

Hey, suddenly, being seventy-eight wasn’t so bad.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I heard a car honk and I glanced at my entryway mirror as I was getting ready to walk out the door. I decided for seventy-eight, I really didn’t look that old, or that bad. The car was a S class stretch Mercedes and the driver had the back door opened for me. As I slid in, he smiled at me, “Happy Birthday sir.”

“Thank you.” I motioned towards the limo, “This sure makes it a lot better.” He laughed.

Sharon looked at me as I entered the car and grinned. “Damn boy, you really do clean up nice.” I’d put on my best bespoke suit with vest, a white shirt with cufflinks and my favorite tie. I was pleased she noticed my effort. I looked over at her and she looked fantastic. She was wearing a low-cut dress that showed off a lot of cleavage and was short enough to show plenty of leg. When I met her, I thought she had a nice body, but now she was showing it off and I was truly impressed.

“Where we headed?”

“It’s a surprise. One of my best customers has taken me there a couple of times and I was impressed. I think you’re going to love it.”

“What’s the place called?”

“Marcello’s Hidden Harbor.”

“Lived here all my life and I’ve never heard of it, but it sounds perfect.”

Sharon leaned forward and opened a small refrigerator between the seats and took out two drinks. Handing me one, she smiled, “Happy birthday.” She held out her glass and we clinked glasses. I have no idea what the drink was, but it was superb. As we rode along exchanging life stories, I kept sipping the drink and in no time the drink was gone. She opened the fridge again and took out a bottle that had more drink. She filled up my glass and topped hers off. When I took another sip, I realized it was a very strong drink. I was feeling no pain. I laughed and she asked me why, “I skipped lunch, and this drink seems to be strong. I’m not much of a drinker and after the last drink I find I’m in a very nice place.”

“That was the idea.”

“But I do have a question.”

“What?”

The drink has loosened my tongue, and I was feeling bold, “Why?”

“Huh?” A puzzled look on her face.

“Why are you doing this? At my age, women don’t hit on me or pick me up. With your looks, you must know you can do so much better.”

Sharon chortled. “On Matt, you really are something. I look at you and I see a gentleman. I see an attractive man and I really don’t care how old you are. I’m in town for a while and I’m lonely. I could tell from the start I could flirt with you, and you’d still be a gentleman. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to meet a decent guy?”

“Sorry, but with your looks, I find that hard to believe.”

“There are lots of guys who are interested in me. But they seem to want one of two things. Either separate me from my money or they want to get into my panties and don’t want to take the time to be interesting, to seduce me, or make themselves desirable. When I sat down at your table, there was something about you that struck a chord. When I saw how bummed you were about your birthday, I wanted to do something to perk you up. I still have a hard time with your age because I just don’t believe it.”

“Wanna see my driver’s license?”

Sharon snickered. “Wow! You mean they still let you drive at your advanced age?”

“Cute!”

Sharon reached out and put her hand on mine. Giving my hand a squeeze, and in a soft, sensual voice, “Thanks for coming to dinner with me. I didn’t want to dine alone tonight, and things went well today, so this is also a celebration for me.”

“Oh, what happened?”

“There’s a chain of stores I’ve been trying to get to carry my line for a long time, and today they signed a huge order and I’ll be in all their stores. It’s a national chain.” She told me the name and I was impressed. “So, we have both your birthday and me making a really nice deal to celebrate today.”

Like I said, I was feeling no pain due to the drinks, and I was turned sideways in the seat, leaning against the corner so my eyes could roam over Sharon. Her short blond hair looked great with the dark maroon color of her dress. She was also turned in her seat and I noticed her dress had ridden up and the tops of her stockings were exposed. No panty hose for this gal. She caught me looking at her legs. “Do I need to pull my dress down?” She giggled.

“Not on my account. I’m really enjoying the view. I’m happy to find at my advanced age I can still admire a fine set of legs. Your dress is perfect for you, and that’s a great color on you.”

“I see the advancing years hasn’t interfered with your silver tongue either.” She leaned forward and clasped my hand. Leaning forward caused the front of her dress to drop away, and I was treated to an excellent view of cleavage and a lot of bra, which was the same color as her dress.

Damn, this was a sexy, attractive woman. What the hell did she see in me?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Marcello’s Hidden Harbor was located inside of a marina. You walked down a wharf and stepped onto a floating dock. Tied up at the end of the dock was an old, restored ferry. It really was a restaurant hidden inside of the harbor. The old boat was fixed up inside to look like an upscale chop house straight from the 50’s. Looking around the room I expected to find Frank, Dino and Sammy sitting at one of the tables. White tablecloths, strategic hidden mood lighting, a candle in the middle of each table and a piano bar at the end of the room. The room reeked of romance and sex appeal. It had been a long time since I’d been in such a wonderful restaurant.

Our waiter wore a white apron over a tux, and he told us his name was Tomas and from his accent he sounded like he was from somewhere on the upper Atlantic coast. He pulled out the table so we could scoot into the booth and then pushed the table back into place. Sharon dropped her hand onto the top of my leg and asked, “Do you like steak?”

“Yes, but it has to be medium rare.”

“I like you better already.” She squeezed my leg and turned to Thomas. “We’d like two doubles of the Black Adder single malt over ice. Make it that special house bottle you keep hidden.” Thomas nodded in understanding. “Two Caesar salads, two of the special house Tenderloins with baked potatoes, everything on them please.” She turned to me, “Is that all acceptable?” I was speechless. I just nodded.

The Scotch was mellow and smooth as was the piano music. Sharon kept touching my arm giving it a squeeze. I’m not so old I didn’t know what it means when a woman keeps touching a man, Thomas brought out the makings for the salad and made it at the table. It was perfect. From rubbing the wooden bowl with a couple of toes of garlic and then rubbing a couple of Anchovies in it, to the dressing and then the final dusting of Parmesan cheese, each ingredient was added at the perfect time. The salad was impeccable. Once Thomas took away the bowls, I dropped my hand onto the top of Sharon thigh. She reached down and pulled it up and pushed it down on top of her pubic bone.

Leaning towards me, she said, “I understand this is rather sudden, and I hope you don’t mine, but I’d like for you to spend the night with me.” I’m sure I looked surprised. “I know after this meal we’ll be full and neither of us will be in the mood to do much fooling around; so, I’m asking you to just sleep with me. Tomorrow we can discuss if we want to do more. Now, don’t be offended by this question, but are you able to have sex?”

I was a little surprised at how forward she was, but I also understood her question due to my age. “I can get firm, but I need the help of a little blue pill to get really hard. But yes, I can still get with the program. I’d love to spend the night with you, and if you are asking what I hope you are, I’d enjoy making love with you.” Sharon pushed tighter on my hand, and I wiggled it a little over the top of her pubic bone. Thomas showed up with our dinners and I removed my hand.

Sandra leaned over and whispered in my ear, “You will put your hand back there after dinner.” Not a question but a statement.

Over dinner we shared some of our life stories. She had been married for several years and a few years ago her husband had died from cancer. They never had any children. Her partner in the lingerie business was her brother and the business was very successful. I told her about my various business ventures over the years and that I’d been married twice, also had no children and had the misfortune of having to bury both. I told her at this point in my life I didn’t have anyone special. The dishes were cleared, and Sharon took my hand and put it back in her lap. I gently pushed down the triangle between her thighs. She took my hand and held it. “Another question if I may?”

“You just asked one.” She laughed. “I know what you mean. Go ahead.”

“Don’t take this wrong, but we seem to be moving rather quickly. I mean I like it that you touch me and want me to touch you, but we’ve only known each other for half a day. I’m pleased you want me to touch you and all, but I’m also old school where things like this take a while. I don’t want to overstep my bounds. I need some direction here.”

“What’s the question?”

“Where do you want this to lead?”

Sharon looked down at the table for a long time. Finally, she looked up and I thought her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Matt, be honest with me, do you really want me to slow down?”

“No, but...”

Sharon put a finger on my lips, “Remember, I told you before, at my age I don’t say anything unless I mean it?” I nodded. “I find life is getting too short to have regrets. And it’s getting shorter every day. When I sat down this morning at your table, I was impressed. You were a gentleman and pulled out my chair. That’s class! You’re intelligent and articulate. I decided then I wanted to spend time with you. Maybe even intimate time if possible. Since we’re not getting any younger, and I’m not in town for very long, I decided things needed to happen a little faster. Then when you told me your age, and I saw how bummed you were, I was touched. Regardless of age, I find you desirable. While I’m in town, I want to spend time with you. I’m sorry if I’m going too fast for you. Do you want me to back off?”

“No, I’m fine with everything so far. You’re amazing! I just don’t want to offend you. You’re like this super cool birthday present. Because of you, all day long I’ve been having feelings and thoughts I thought were pretty much gone. You lopped off at least twenty years today. I’m grateful.” Sharon pushed my hand against her body again.

“Did you want desert?” She asked.

“The idea of spending the night with you is all the desert I need.” Sharon leaned over and kissed my cheek.

“Sir, that was the perfect answer.”

The ride to her hotel was very comfortable. Sharon curled up against me with my arm over her shoulder. She kept her hand on top of my pants over my cock and I was stunned to feel it starting to grow. I still get a morning hard on but getting hard like this was something that hadn’t happened in a long time.

She was staying at one of the top hotels in town and on the way up in the elevator, I pulled Sharon into my arms and gently lowered my lips to hers. For a moment it was like I was 16 again. I was getting turned on just from a kiss. So far this was one of the best birthdays I’d ever had.