Lori wandered into the great room by herself. She had abandoned the basement where Daniel was telling yet another story to his buddies, a story she had heard umpteen times. "And then the barmaid said..." God, she knew the punch line by heart. She had grabbed a long neck beer and left in search of more intelligent conversation. Football, basketball, jokes, and belches were not her idea of communication.
The family room was crowded, small clumps of people around the Christmas tree and fireplace and couch. People mingled and wandered. The tinkle of polite laughter drifted across the room. Large parties seemed so intimate to Lori. Small parties demanded participation; large parties allowed her to witness the ebb and flow of people and talk. She could almost bet the three women by the fireplace were discussing decorating, and the four men by the tree were talking sports or topless bars. The men kept glancing over their shoulders in case their wives or lovers should happen past. The mixed group by the couch ventured into politics. Would the Republicans really change things this time? No one thought so, but the question begged an answer. The single man by the window was...looking directly at her.
Lori was used to men looking at her, the price paid by attractive women. This man in his starched shirt and creased pants smiled widely, and he was handsome. Dark hair, dark eyes, a hint of playfulness in his face, he saluted her with his beer bottle, a tribute to her allure. Lori smiled back, aware of the stranger's sexuality, an animal quality, a predator quality. She liked that in men, the boldness of self-assurance. While she smiled, he brought the beer bottle to his lips and ran his tongue around the rim.
The brass of his action surprised and sparked Lori. Men hit on her all the time but rarely with a single definitive act. Most tried to seduce her with talk, and most failed miserably. This one made a simple bold offer that no one in the room would even know had taken place. Lori wanted to laugh, but more, she wanted to play. Locking her eyes on his, she wrapped her hand around her beer bottle and slowly stroked its neck. The man's eyes danced. She could see a bulge begin to grow in his pants.