Chapter 3

"So," she began as we sat down with our coffee, "where would you like to go tonight?"

I smiled,

"Shouldn't you decide, after all it is your treat?"

She thought for a moment then laughed,

"Do you know it must be nearly twenty years since I had a 'first date' I'm not sure I remember what is supposed to happen."

"I've had a few first dates since my divorce, in my experience you are supposed to leap on me and I'm supposed to spend the evening fighting you off."

Her laughter rang around the café,

"Let's make a deal, I won't jump on you in the car or the restaurant but in return you don't fight too hard when I kiss you goodnight."

"I can live with that," I replied with a smile.

She gave me a wicked grin and a wink,

"Mind you it's Friday night so if you want it to a goodnight kiss could last us until breakfast."

"Let's get dinner out of the way first, we can discuss breakfast later."

"Ok, so what do you like to eat?"

"For breakfast?" I asked innocently.

I caught her with a mouthful of coffee and she almost choked as she laughed.

"I meant for dinner, you bad girl," she said once she got her breath back, "Indian? Chinese?, Steak?"

"I'm easy."

"Oh I do hope so."

Now it was my turn to choke on my coffee.

I was feeling quite giddy, it had been more years than I cared to remember since I had had this sort of flirtatious conversation. It didn't even feel strange to be having it with another woman, in fact in many ways that lent it an added veneer of naughtiness that just made it even more fun.

"I meant you can choose, surprise me."

"I might just do that."

The boys finally came out of the arcade and we finished our coffees and headed for the door.

"I'll call for you around seven," Carole called as her sons dragged her out of the door.

An hour or so later I was standing in front of my wardrobe with the doors flung wide open desperately looking for something to wear. It had been a long time since I had been out on a proper date and having seen how Carole dressed for work I wanted to look good. I rather suspected her evening wear would be even more stylish and wanted to look my best for her. I had one special dress, I'd never worn it out though, I had bought it the week my husband walked out. It had been a sort of desperate attempt to try and make myself feel attractive and sexy again rather than a failure who couldn't hang onto her husband. Despite the negative associations it was my only real 'going out' dress, I just hoped it still fitted. I hung it up on the wardrobe door to let the creases drop out, it would need a quick going over with the iron but that wouldn't take a moment. Now for the next decision, underwear. Like most women I had four types of underwear, the scruffy stuff I wore during my period or for slopping around the house. My normal day to day stuff, practical and comfortable. The nicer stuff for going out in or wearing with low cut tops and short skirts where someone might catch an inadvertent glimpse. The fourth type of course was the really nice stuff for wearing on those special occasions when I knew the evening would end in the bedroom, sheer silky negligees and so on. Carole had made it pretty clear that tonight's date could go on until breakfast if I wanted it to. I wasn't sure how I felt about that yet but decided it wouldn't hurt to dress as if I expected to be undressing for her later. If things worked out that way I would be prepared and if not, well, wearing my sexiest underwear would make me feel good anyway.

After a quick shower I paused in front of the mirror and for the first time in years really looked at myself, imagining how I had appeared to Carole earlier, how I might appear to her later on tonight. I realised just how long it had been since I was in this position, getting ready to go out with that heady excitement of knowing that the night might end in sex, 'far too long, ' I thought. I sat at the dressing table doing my make up, not too much, just a hint of colour on my cheeks and a little bit of lipstick. Standing up I stepped into my lacy black basque pulling the shoulder straps up and settling my breasts into the lacy cups. I took a new pack of stockings from the drawer and sat down to roll them onto my legs, I stood again and pulled them up to attach the suspender straps smoothing the sheer nylon and adjusting the straps to keep them taut against my thighs. Again I looked in the mirror trying to imagine how I would look to Carole if she saw me like this later, the black lace of the basque and the suspenders framed the dark triangle of hair covering my pussy drawing the eye towards it. I smiled and stepped into a thong pulling it up onto my hips feeling the thin band of materiel pull between my cheeks. Taking the dress off its hanger I set up the ironing board and gave it a quick going over to remove the last few creases left from its long stay at the back of the wardrobe. I stepped into it and pulled it up giving silent thanks as I found it still fitted almost perfectly, a little tight on the hips maybe but not too bad. I went through the contortions needed to do the zip up 'about the only thing you do need a man for' I thought with a smile. I slipped on a pair of black court shoes, not too much heel, Carole was almost exactly the same height as me and I didn't want to tower over her.