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I was perusing some paperback books in the mystery section of a Charity bookstore when I first noticed her. She was standing several shelves to my right. I didn’t see her come in, I must have been looking at a book.
She looked to be in her mid-thirties. I’d like to tell you it was her pretty face that caught my attention but that would be a lie. Certainly, she was very pretty but her body was much more than pretty, it was memorable. What she was wearing suggested that she was both aware and proud of her lovely figure which was shown off by a blouse which allowed a peek at an ample cleavage and a short skirt which just about covered the cheeks of her full round bum.
A little wave of excitement rippled through my loins when I noticed her open toed, high heeled sandals and bright red nail polish. It took every bit of self restraint that I could muster to keep from throwing myself at her feet so that I could kiss and lick those delectable toes.
Her long brown hair was pulled back into a pony tail. The casual hairstyle suggested a woman on a relaxed Saturday morning shopping trip; but her dark eye makeup and heavily rouged lips created an impression that she was looking for more than just books; I mean, who goes book browsing looking like that? This was the kind of woman that has always turned my stomach into knots and thrown me into a total state of panic.
My name is Douglas Baedder. My mother named me after some war hero, but that didn’t make any difference to the bullies at School. They loved making fun of my strange name. It didn’t help that I was a short, scrawny little guy with slightly effeminate features. Growing up, I was the butt of an endless barrage of playground jokes.
My two older sisters and their friends used to take great delight in dressing me up as a girl. Once they were done I was always mortified as they laughed and giggled about how convincing they’d made me look.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to tell you that I’m gay or a transvestite. I’m not. I’m a healthy red-bloodied heterosexual. I will admit that I frequently fantasize about dominant women, and I do have a little foot fetish but, what the hell, all of us have one or two secret kinks.
What I am trying to say is that I have never been the big macho stud who attracts beautiful women, women like the brunette standing just a few feet away from me (usually I have always shied away from these women, they scare the hell out of me) nonetheless, I still appreciate a pretty face, a large round breast and a well formed buttock. What red-bloodied male doesn’t?
Once I noticed this sultry goddess, I couldn’t stop myself from stealing sly glances at her. I furtively watched her out of the corner of my eye while I pretended to browse a book. I knew I was being some kind of a voyeur but I couldn’t help myself.
I stole several glances. I was just beginning to create a wonderful erotic fantasy about this earthy woman when I looked up and found her staring directly into my eyes. I immediately started blushing and looked away. I took a moment to gather my courage and then I discreetly glanced at her again. She was still watching me, only now she was smiling.
I interpreted her smile as a smirk. I was mortified. I quickly closed the book I was examining, added it to the others I had chosen and walked straight to the counter.
There were three people already waiting in line ahead of me. I stared at the floor. I desperately hoped that I could quickly complete my purchases and escape from the store before the beautiful woman had a chance to confront me about my brash behaviour.
Suddenly a voice behind me said, “You’re a shy little guy aren’t you?”
I turned. To my complete mortification it was her.
My face turned a blush. I started to try to stammer out an apology. “I’m sor….”
She smiled at me. It was a warm smile. “Relax Sweetie, I think you’re cute. Besides you’re not exactly the only man in the world who likes to stare at my tits.” She paused for a moment and then she added, “Although I do like a man who knows how to apologize to a woman.”
I started my apology again, but she held up her hand. “It’s okay.”
There was something very soothing about her voice. I started to relax. I smiled at her.
She smiled back and whispered, “That’s much better.” And then she got a mischievous look in her eyes and said, “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
My mouth dropped open in dismay.
She laughed. “Sweetie, don’t get your hopes up; I’m talking about our books.”
I was suddenly embarrassed again.
My gorgeous shopping partner recognized my discomfort and gently said, “Relax sweetie, I was just teasing you.”
She extended her hand. “My name is Veronica Waterman.”
I took her hand and gave it a vigorous shake.
Veronica waited for a moment and then she laughed and said, “.. and this is the point where you say your name.”
I closed my eyes and stared at the floor. I realized that I was acting like a total buffoon. I seemed to be moving from one humiliating moment to the next.
She smiled at me and said, “well?”
“I umm, I’m Dougie Baedder.”
Veronica raised her eyebrows. “Dougie?…Baedder.”
I slowly nodded. “Yes, I’m named after a some war hero.”
She knowingly nodded. “Ah, Douglas Bader, the Legless RAF pilot.”
I stared at her for a moment and then I said, “You know who Douglas Bader was?”
She smiled at me. “Yes, Dougie I do. Does it surprise you that a woman might know something about the second world war?”
I nervously said, “I umm no, I didn’t mean to offend…”
Veronica laughed. “Dougie, you didn’t offend me, but if you feel the need to make amends, you could always buy me a cup of coffee.”
I stared at her. I was speechless.
She shook her head and then she gently said, “Let me help you. Dougie repeat after me. Veronica Waterman, you seem like a very interesting person. I would love to get to know you better. Could I buy you a cup of coffee?”
She grinned at me as I obediently repeated her prompt word for word and then she said, “I love a man who knows how to say the right thing. Let’s pay for our books and go to the coffee shop next door.”
Our coffee date lasted for over two hours. We started by telling each other a little about ourselves. Veronica worked as a secretary for a large company that sold insurance. She’d been married three times but was currently divorced. I told her that I’d been married one time and was also divorced. She was very impressed when I told her that I taught English at the local college and she confided to me that she’d always dreamed of going to University.
We discovered that we both loved classical music, art galleries, museums, red wine and of course reading. We spent at least a half hour talking about books. Veronica told me that enjoyed mysteries and historical novels, but she also surprised me when she sheepishly admitted that romance stories about strong powerful men taming and seducing genteel women were a secret pleasure.
I wasn’t surprised by Veronica’s admission that she enjoyed reading trashy novels, I liked some pretty trashy books myself. What surprised me was her confession that she enjoyed stories about powerful men conquering beautiful women. This seemed inconsistent with her constant innuendos about appreciating a man who knows how to take directions from a woman. Of course I was too shy to question her about this and instead responded by telling her about some of the trashy books that I enjoyed.
As our coffee date progressed it became increasingly evident that both of us were enjoying each other’s company and neither of us wanted it to end.
Veronica finally looked at her watch and said, “Dougie I’m sorry, but I have some errands that I have to run this afternoon.” She shook her head. “You’re an interesting man; I could easily spend the entire day with you.” She stared at me for a moment and then my heart gave a flip when she said, “Would you take me to dinner tonight?”
I was already falling in love with Veronica. To keep from getting hurt I had spent the last two hours constantly reminding myself that once our coffee date ended I would probably never get to see her again. Now I was nearly overcome by a wave of pure joy. There was a huge grin on my face as I answered, “Yes please Veronica, I would love to take you dinner tonight.”
She smiled at me and said, “Wonderful”. And then she opened her handbag and took out a business card and a ball point pen. She wrote her address on the back of the card and handed it to me. “Dougie, this is my address. The Highwayman in town is my favourite restaurant. Make a reservation for eight o’clock. If you pick me up at 7:40 we’ll have plenty of time to get there.
She stood up and picked up her handbag. “I’m sorry, but I have to run. I’ll see you at 7:40.”
I stood up. While I was saying goodbye Veronica turned and walked out of the coffee shop. As I watched her leave a little wave of excitement rippled through my loins. The woman I was taking to dinner tonight was not only beautiful, she was very strong willed. Deep down inside, I realized that this was the woman of my dreams.
As soon as I got home I called the Highwayman and was relieved to hear that they still had a dinner reservation available for the designated time. For some reason the idea of calling Veronica and telling her I couldn’t get a table at her favourite restaurant terrified me.
Once that was done, I spent several hours trying to mark student’s papers. It was a hopeless task, I had trouble focusing my attention as my mind kept wandering to my beautiful goddess. I kept hearing her say, “I just love a man who knows how to take direction from a woman.” The more I thought about her, the more I began to believe that Veronica Waterman was the woman of my dreams.
Late afternoon and I gave up the pretence of working, put the pile of papers to one side and started getting dressed for my date. I moved slowly. I had too much time to spare. I spent some of the time deliberating about what I should wear. I pulled things from the wardrobe and changed my mind many times before finally making a decision. I put my suits away and laid out a sports jacket and Chinos on my bed.