Walking into that party was a big surprise for Peter. Hey, he was just there to sign his lease.
So it was a kick to walk in and find a bunch of people, with free food and drink. There was his new landlord and some of the people who lived in the building, plus a few who were looking for apartments.
Not a wild party exactly, but high-energy socializing, you might call it. In his high mood, he took in all the people, and a woman with a black blouse and tight black jeans took his breath away. She had poise, a quick smile and teasing voice, and there was something about the way she moved that was both nonchalant and sensuous. Peter followed her with his eyes for a moment and then recovered himself and moved on to the food table.
He caught up with the landlord, and found him ready to take Peter over to a corner table to do a little business. This was the most fun Peter had ever had signing a lease.
Then that woman in black started flirting with the landlord. Somehow it turned Peter on to watch. She had loose dark hair, a ready laugh, hips that swivelled right into the landlord's lap, and then she kissed him. All in good fun, Peter figured, because at 70, the landlord seemed harmless. Or maybe, with his wiry strength and twinkle in the eye, he really attracted her?
Whatever it was, Peter couldn't take his eyes off her for very long. She was about 30, and Peter 22. She was to him the experienced, older woman. And when she came his way, he found her very easy to talk to. She was physical, too. He liked the way she knocked into him teasingly, grabbed hold of his shoulder and slid her hand down his arm as she laughed at a joke he made about the landlord.
They were chatting together as they moved down the hall toward another apartment in the building, where there was more partying, and he found it easy to wrap his arm around her. She leaned right into him as they talked about how great it was to be near the ocean. She was hoping to find an apartment here, but there wasn't one that worked for her.
Suddenly Peter leaned into her and kissed her, and she gave back as good as she got, with a passion of tongues and a warm embrace right in the hallway. They broke apart and headed into the apartment of a young soldier and his wife, for more chat and a beer.
After a while, Peter, who was busy talking to the soldier's wife, noticed that the woman he'd had his eye on got up to leave.
"Good luck with your new place," she said to Peter, "I better get home. Bye everyone!"
Peter had a gnawing, sinking feeling that if he let her go, he'd never see her again. He felt a little embarrassed about getting up to leave just because she was. Peter was pretty wary of what people thought of him, and these people were going to be his new neighbors for some time to come, while the woman in black was, well, a new and unknown friend.
But when she left, the gnawing feeling grew in him. He made himself get up, say his goodbyes, and once he was out in the hallway, he looked desperately to see if she was still there. He spotted her at the end of the hall, about to go down the stairs. When she saw him, she stopped and waited.
"I was hoping you'd come," she said in a low voice.
"I almost didn't get out of there, but I just couldn't let you go," he said, and as he reached for her, she reached for him, and they picked up where they'd left off, with a hot kiss. They both felt his crotch, tight against her leg, expand with longing.
They walked outside hand in hand, and he pointed out to her where his new apartment was. As they walked through the parking area, they could see his new back door and deck.
"Maybe you could get the place next door," said Peter. "See? They share the deck."
"Mmm. Not available. I checked," she said.
Peter was elated that the apartment was going to be his, starting next week, and even more elated that this unexpected woman was now arm in arm with him, their sides in warm contact from arm to thigh.
"Let's check out the view from the balcony," he said.