John picked up the phone and was surprised to hear Karen's voice. They had been friends for five years and he always suspected she had a crush on him. They e-mailed nearly every day but had not spoken in nearly a year. "Hi,you!" he heard her say "What are you doing?"
"Just talking to you," he replied. Then he waited, she was always straight to the point and he was curious about what could have caused her to call.
"So," she said, "the big 4-0 is coming up this month, any plans? Feeling like 'middle-age crazy' is just around the corner?"
"A little," John said "I always thought things would be different for me than they are now. I expected my job to be more stable, my sex life to be better and money to be piled at my feet. Still and all I am happy enough, just not giddy."
"You deserve giddy once in a while" she said. "On, that note, I have a surprise present for you. Any chance you could make it down to my place in the next couple of weeks?" she casually inquired.
"I'll check with Brynn and what she has going on." He replied "I think it seems likely, just need to move some things around. What you got?"
"He heard her laugh in his ear as she said, some things are better left for surprises. You'll need about an hour or so to enjoy it. So, plan for at least two hours at my place. You just let me know the date."
"OK," he said as she hung up. He realized he had not said thank you. He also felt a stirring in his pants. He had occasionally fantasized about her but nothing had ever come close to happening. She was a former employee of his and they had always been closed and could talk about anything. She was the only person who knew those types of intimate details about his sex life, what Brynn would and would not do among other things. He had even used her suggestions to convince Brynn to try but really nothing had worked.
He looked at his calendar and found a free day on the Friday before his birthday. He called Brynn and checked with her. She was not pleased with the idea of him seeing HER. She had always been jealous but this time it seemed best if he told the truth rather than arranged it with something else. This way he would be assured of being good. No way could he cheat when she knew exactly where he was going. He hung up the phone and starting typing out an e-mail as he felt just a twinge of disappointment. He knew now nothing would happen, Brynn knew that and soon Karen would. He typed out the letter and made it clear that Brynn knew where he was going, why and when. It was sealed as he hit send.
He went about his work and forgot about it until the Friday came. "What could it be?" he wondered. His mind wandered through possibilities on the long drive down. Every idea he came up with did not require time to enjoy, so he settled on the thought that it was pot or alcohol. She had occasionally indulged with him in the past and knew what type of Scotch he liked. "That must be it," he decided. He let his mind move on to other things until he pulled into her driveway.
A car he did not recognize was in the driveway and he pulled beside it. He got out and braced himself as she ran out the door and gave him a big hug. She was giddy with delight at seing him and he smiled in spite of himself at such a warm greeting. She was talking a mile a minute and he only half heard what she said. She was wearing a kimono or sarong wrap aroung thing. He had see something like it before but could not remember where. She took his arm and had him take off his shoes inside the door then ushered him into the kitchen.