C & K

"I'm looking forward to it Cal." She pulled the door closed, the engine purred and away she drove.

Katie slid her sunglasses on as she reached the street and scolded herself. 'Or I may flirt with you terribly'. I just had been. When Katie checked her rear-view mirror to change lanes she caught herself grinning. Really Katie, calm down! You're as giddy as a school girl who's just been asked to the prom.

But it was exciting and terribly flattering. Despite that she couldn't help but panic about what she'd just done. A date with one of Ranger's staff! She didn't even want to consider how old he wasn't. At least Ranger's age, if not a little older, she hoped. She groaned as she stopped her Mercedes coupe at a red light, that still made her old enough to be his mom. She took a deep breath and shook her head in disbelief, but couldn't help grinning.

As she drove Katie thought of Miguel. He had been dead now a few years. Her heart ached and she said a short prayer. He wouldn't want her to grow old and be miserable. Cal would never replace the love of her life, she wasn't looking for that. Miguel and she had been childhood sweethearts, marrying young and raising their family. But Miguel was gone and she was desperately lonely and Cal seemed charming and certainly good looking. Miguel had been a fine looking man. As he aged the silver that flecked his hair had made him more distinguished, more handsome if it was possible. Katie sighed deeply. She was only a woman not a saint like her children might think, and a woman had needs. The need for companionship, the need for flattery, the need for humour and the need for physical intimacy.

As she pulled into the driveway of her house, she slid the electric windows down and entered the pin code for the gate. Waiting while it slid open, she wondered honestly what her family would make of her even thinking of going on a date. She rolled her car slowly along the gravelled drive that swung around the front of her house. A date, she thought, grinning again. I'll have to find something to wear, or I could go shopping!

Katie pushed through the door of her home and dropped her keys in a silver dish set on a sideboard in the entry. She kicked off her heels, and reached down scooping them up to carry them into the bedroom. As she put her shoes away she dug through the cupboard. You have plenty of clothing to choose from, she thought with a shake of her head, no need to go shopping. Maybe she could splurge on some new underwear then.

Katie pulled open a draw on her dresser and looked at the sets she had there. She wasn't planning on letting Cal rip her clothes off on their first date but it would help her confidence endlessly if she wore something pretty. Miguel had always enjoyed her dressing up, even beneath jeans and a t-shirt. When she undressed at night and revealed matching bra and panties it had always given him a thrill. That thrill had boosted her self-esteem practically every day of their marriage.

There were plenty of pretty things in the drawer, perhaps she would wait and buy something new if or when she thought there was a chance someone might see them. Katie closed her eyes and imagined what Cal might like to see her in. He had seemed to think she was attractive. She had felt his eyes tracing her body. No doubt he liked black and lacy like all men. Although not all men had a tattoo on their forehead! Perhaps he'd like something unconvential like electric blue. She wondered about the other tattoos he had implied he was able to keep hidden, and blushed again that she had mentioned her own. His shoulder perhaps, or maybe he has a tattoo on his chest. Her mind wandered with the image of Cal's bare chest inked with colour. His muscles rippling under the image of a a eagle or a lone wolf. Katie shook her head to clear her mind and stop herself from wandering any further in that fantasy. After all she wasn't intending to go home with him so she best not be getting herself overly enthralled in the possibilities.

A jog she knew would clear her mind properly. Katie had jogged every day since she could remember. When the children were babies she would slip from bed to jog before Miguel went to work. The steady pace and the slapping of her rubber soled runners on the paths were hypnotic for her. She had always used that time to appreciate the moments of peace in her life; to reflect on the joy from the previous day; and to strategically manage whatever the day ahead of her was bringing. She had jogged this morning but knew it would help to do it again, she could plan a strategy on how to find the courage to actually get to this date.

Katie didn't pace back up the driveway until nearly 5 o'clock so she stretched and did a cool down then took herself straight to the shower to prepare for the evening. Katie lathered herself with soap and enjoyed the hot water beating down on her shoulders. She shampoo'd her hair until it was squeaky clean and left the conditioner in which she stroked her razor up her legs until they were silky smooth, then she rinsed and stepped from the shower recess. While jogging Katie had decided to wear a simple silk dress that she'd worn once many moons ago to a fund raising benefit Ranger had taken her to. It was red with spagetti thin straps and was tailored to follow the curves of her body, without being to fitted. It was cut straight across at the top and was decorate by a band of geometric Inca motifs. She thought it said fun, while still tasteful, and it wouldn't be so bad to wear a bold red and try and catch Cal's eye.

Hair dried and styled to gain the effect of carefree waves, that actually took a great deal of care to perfect she choose a red satin bustier to wear under the dress and matching panties. Katie sat on the edge of her large bed, moisturising her legs and rolled one sheer stocking up them and clipped it into her garter belt. Before she could toe her foot into the next one, she heard the front door opening.

"Mom! You home?" Katie glanced to the bed side clock and down at herself. Plenty of time although she wondered how she might get rid of Celia quickly and then felt terrible about thinking such things.

"Won't be a moment," she called. "I'm on my way down." She removed the one stocking and reached for a robe to wrap around herself. Celia stood in the entry way as her mother came barefoot down the stairs, and raised one eyebrow in amusement. It was just after 6.00 pm and her mother was not dressed.

"What's going on? Have you got a man hidden upstairs?" Celia joked.

"If I did we would have pretended not to be home," Katie quipped in response, and it most likely wasn't a lie either. "It's lovely to see you Celia," Katie said giving her a kiss, "what brings you here?"

"We have that luncheon tomorrow for Javier's business associates. I was hoping I coud borrow some of your platters and glass bowls."

"Of course Celia. Are you all organised? Is it being catered, did you say? I can help in the morning if you'd like."

"Javier would like them to experience home-style Cuban cooking," Celia rolled her eyes. "I'm doing most of the preparation tonight, so I should be fine. I'll call you in the morning if need be."

"Good," Katie said with a smile. Celia and Katie bent low to sort through servery dishes and piled them carefully on the marble above their heads. Celia observed her mother, leaning one hip against the counter, as Katie searched for serving utensils. Something was definitely up. Her mother had not offered to help this evening which was completely unusual and her hair had that carefully manicured look of not being carefully manicured. Celia had also noticed a peek of red beneath the cross over of her mother's robe before it had been tightened again. Celia wondered about that as her mother delivered a handful of sterling silver spoons across the room and they carried the load out to her car.

"Have you got plans this evening?" There was nothing that Celia didn't like to know. Katie raised her eyes to Celia's and kept her face unchanged, although she could do nothing about the gentle blush that rose in her cheeks.

"Just meeting a friend for a bite to eat," she waved it off casually and kissed Celia goodbye.

Celia turned left out of the drive and flipped her phone open with a grin. There was definitely something to know.

Katie watched Celia leaving and let out a long whooshing breath. Just what she needed, Celia questioning her. She checked her wrist watch; she had to get dressed. Slipping back up the stairs she tried over with the stockings again, then eased her silk dress over her head and squeezed her toes into some very high red heels. At 5'6" she didn't consider herself short but Cal was a tall man so she thought some extra height would help.

Katie stepped in front of her full length mirror and eyed herself critically. She was no longer a young woman. She didn't try to fool herself into believing that. Certainly no one would mistake her for Celia's sister but yoga and jogging had kept her trim. And the dress and heels were flattering. The rich red drew out the golden tones of her skin and contrasted stunningly with her long dark hair. She supposed when it got to turning grey she'd either colour it or cut it short. Touching up her lipstick and adding an extra layer of mascara to her long lashes for courage, she headed to the garage and drove across town in her Mercedes Benz.