When you least expect it

A short story

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I knew I didn't want to take that turn, but I was late getting home
and I needed to cut a few minutes off my time on the road. Life
always has surprises in store, especially when you least expect
it... 



Papers had piled up on my desk, and before I realized it, the 
digital clock on the wall read 7:32 PM. The day had started with 
a beautiful sunrise, and as I prepared for work, I noticed the 
note on my dresser. He hadn't "meant to hurt me," he said, but 
our relationship wasn't "going where he wanted it to go." I 
remembered the bitter tears staining my pillow when I had re-read
it the night before. I wondered at the time what was wrong with
me, that I couldn't keep a man in my life. I was a good woman. 
I loved with a passion and depth that most men couldn't handle.
Maybe that was it. 

I had gone out to my car, stepping lightly, excited at the 
prospect of spending my first night in his house, with him, 
and found the note on my windshield. "My dear." it began. "I
can't tell you how much these past few months have meant to me,
but..." At that moment, I knew this couldn't be good. I 
hurriedly opened my car door, fell heavily into the driver's 
seat, and continued to read. As the tears welled up in my eyes, 
I read the note that crushed my spirit, my soul, and my heart. 
"I love you," he wrote, "But while I love you, I find that I am 
not in love with you." My heart stopped. I knew at that moment 
that I was going to be alone again.

As I dressed for work the next morning, I felt the need to be
feminine. I wanted to feel feminine, and that meant that I had
to leave my normal suits in the closet. I needed to feel like 
a woman that day, because the night before had left me numb, 
bereft of anything except a crushing sense of loneliness. 
"Well," I decided, "I might as well go all the way, no man 
will ever get to see under this skirt, so I might as well get 
some enjoyment out of it myself." I replaced the normal 
utilitarian slip in the drawer, and took out the black garter 
belt and thigh-highs I had bought as a surprise for my date 
the previous evening. The one he hadn't shown up for. The one 
where I had intended to give myself to him completely. The one 
that would never be. I selected a shorter-than-normal skirt/suit
from the closet. It was bright red, and while I normally wore 
more conservative grey or navy blue to work, I had worn this 
one once before. I remember the looks I had gotten that day, 
and felt a tinge of pleasure at the knowledge that I could 
still draw male attention in my mid-forties. I hadn't lost it, 
and I felt like showing it off today. As long as I could draw
attention, I was still desirable. Thinking that way would make 
me feel better. I needed to feel better. If no man would draw
pleasure out of it, I surely would!

I arrived in the parking lot at the usual time, and the security
guard drove by in his little golf cart. He slowed down to look 
me over as I exited my car. That was the beginning of what I 
hoped would be an uplifting day. I made it to my department, 
with a bounce in my step that I really didn't feel. As I opened 
the door to my private office, I found that my secretary had 
already taken the previous evening's papers, and left another 
stack of work for me to attend to. He also had already started
coffee. I smiled inside at the thought that I had the only male
secretary in the entire company. "It's fitting," I thought, "Here
I am, the only female executive here, and I have the only male 
secretary." As I sipped my first cup, the feeling of amusement 
inside me abruptly died. I thought to myself, "Damn, he'll make 
a good wife for someone." Wife. Something I won't ever be. 
Something I want to be but can't, because of my work. "Damn this
job." I said aloud to an empty office. The day dragged on, and
while I received more than my normal share of sidelong glances 
from the men in the office, none of them seemed to notice my 
firm legs in the silk stockings, or the curve of my hips filling
the skirt, as they swayed from side to side when I walked in the
heels that were a bit too long for office wear. Still, I felt 
strangely sexy, as though I were still dressing for him. "Damn 
him" I raged inside. "How dare he dump me like that! He didn't 
even have the guts to tell me to my face. What a sorry bastard." 
I knew that if I stayed angry, the hurt wouldn't turn into pain,
and the tears would stay locked inside. I resolved to leave the
office at an early hour that night, for I wanted to go out and
enjoy myself. I was planning to go to the country club where most
of the other executives of my company were members. It was an
exclusive place, and the men there were good-looking, wealthy, 
and powerful. As I thought about the after-hours relaxation I 
had planned for this evening, my secretary buzzed me. 
"Ma'am," he said, "I wanted to remind you about the staff meeting at 3PM today. It's ten minutes till, and I don't want you to be late."
"Thanks," I replied, "I'd better get myself in gear, and get over
to the conference room." 
I pressed the button on the intercom thinking, "He is so great.
For a man who's only in his mid-twenties, he sure can keep me
organized." Which was true. He literally kept my life in order
for me. At least my work life. I picked up my briefcase, and 
walked to the door. I took my seat at the table in the meeting
room, and watched all the other executives arrive. They were all
laughing, and joking around as men do in corporate boardrooms. 
"Look at all these powerful men." I thought. "Why can't I find
one like one of these?" The meeting started, and as I listened 
to the drone of sales projections, and production figures for 
the next two hours, I realized that I simply wasn't able to
concentrate on anything but an empty house, and an empty bed. I
felt like crying, but I couldn't. Not in this room full of men 
who couldn't possibly understand. The meeting finally ended, and 
as I walked out to my car, I remembered that I hadn't finished 
the personnel figures for the next quarter. "Damn!" I raged. "I
wanted to get out of here at a reasonable hour today, and it 
isn't going to happen. Oh well," I thought. "I'm not going home 
to anyone, and I don't have to be anywhere to meet anybody." I
trudged wearily back to my office and found my secretary sitting 
at his desk, doing paperwork. 

"I wanted to stay, and see if there was anything else you needed
before I went home," he said. "Is there anything I can do for 
you?" 
"No," I replied. "You can go on home for the day." 
"Thanks," he said with a smile on his face, as he picked up his 
briefcase. "I've got big plans for tonight. I'm going to 
ask my girlfriend to marry me."
"That's wonderful," I said. "She's a lucky girl."
"Well," he said, "I was going to wait until I finished night 
school, but we've been dating for four years already, and I don't 
want her to think I'm not in love with her." He smiled again, and 
left for the night.
"Four years," I breathed, as I watched the door close behind him. 
"That's an awfully long time." More than I had ever been able to 
stay in a relationship. The bitterness welled up inside me, and I 
sank into my chair in despair. I started in on the pile of 
documents on my desk, oblivious to everything but the seemingly 
endless pile of paper. The minutes slid away, merging into hours, 
and I looked up at the clock as I signed the last hiring slip.
Good grief! It was almost 7:30! I quickly gathered up my suit 
coat, my purse, and my briefcase. I felt rushed as I realized 
that I had wanted to go out tonight. For a moment I wavered, 
trying to decide between going out and having a few drinks, and 
going home to cry into a lonely pillow. The drinks won out, as I 
realized I could stay as long as I wanted. It was Friday, and 
the pillow could wait. It would always be there. Briskly, I 
walked down to the parking lot, unlocked my car, and started 
out for the club. 

I arrived at the bar shortly thereafter, and walked inside. It 
was still early for a weekend, and the place was only about 
two-thirds full. I looked around, and almost everyone seemed to 
be paired off already. Most of the men were with younger women, 
women who were in their early twenties. The disgust washed over 
me as I thought, "Look at all these young girls. They have 
perfect bodies, perfect smiles, and youth on their side. Look 
at those firm, high breasts! Those tanned, athletic legs. What 
do they know about running a department in a corporation? I'm 
a strong woman, with experience and money of my own. I have 
power too." I felt low, as I realized that I was no longer 
young. "45 isn't so old." I tried to console myself. "I still 
have a great figure, and I know how to please a man." The 
bartender came over to take my order. "Maybe that's my problem." 
I thought, as I settled into my seat at the bar. "Maybe these 
men can't handle a powerful woman. A woman who is their equal."
Yes, that had to be it! "Men are such simple creatures. They 
can't handle the thought of a strong woman." I thought. The 
bartender placed my drink on the bar, and winked at me. "He's 
not such a bad-looking fellow," I thought, as I took a sip. "He 
makes a really good Kahlua & Cream too." Nevertheless, I knew 
that just a good drink couldn't make an empty life be any better. 
I sat there, thinking nothing in particular. I let my gaze wander 
around the room and thought again of all the couples and groups 
of people having a good time. I finished my drink, and the 
bartender placed another one before me. As I sipped at it, I 
looked around the place once more, and realized that no one 
was outside on the patio. "What better place to be alone, in 
a bar full of people?" I said to myself, as I lifted my drink 
from the rich brown wood of the bar, and walked outside. I sat 
down at one of the empty tables, and looked out at the beginning 
twilight. As I looked out over the golf course, I thought about 
what sort of man could handle a woman like me. "He'd have to be 
young," I thought. "At least 10 years younger than I am, maybe 
more." A giggle escaped my lips as I daydreamed about a younger 
man, one who wasn't a stuffy executive. "Perhaps a working man." 
I mused to the empty space. "Yes, some young guy who works with 
his hands. A construction worker. A bricklayer, or a carpenter. 
Yes, that would be great. A guy who toiled with his hands, who 
sweated for his living, working outside at some dusty 
construction site." I thought to myself, "I surely didn't 
need money, what with my career, so I could make him be whatever 
I wanted him to be." 

The waitress came out to my table, with a smile on her face, 
bringing me yet another drink unbidden. I realized that I hadn't 
ordered it, when she said to me, 
"I saw you through the window, and it looked like you needed 
another one, are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine." I replied. "Just lost in thought. I had a long 
day at the office." 
"Okay," she responded, "I just wanted to check on you." 

I watched her walk away, and noticed the sway of her slender
hips. I remembered a line from a Bob Seger song I had liked in 
my youth. 
"A little too tall, could have used a few pounds. Tight pants, points hollerin' out. She was a black-haired beauty with big, dark eyes, and points on her own, sittin' way up high." 
"She is pretty," I thought wistfully. Any guy would be lucky to 
have her. "Maybe what I need is a woman!" I chuckled to no one. 
"No," I thought, "I need a MAN in my life." I smiled. "A dusty 
working-man. One who knew how to make hot, sweaty, 
I-want-to-scream passions erupt within me. Someone who knew 
his *Night Moves*." I laughed aloud for the first time in days 
at the thought. "He's out there," I said to myself. "I know he's 
out there, and I'm going to have him when I find him." I blushed 
at the thought, feeling a tingle inside. I envisioned a strong 
young guy, in tight jeans and a denim shirt, with a hard hat, 
and tool belt cinched about his waist. I squeezed my thighs 
together, and felt wetness between them, and realized that I 
was really turned on at the thought. I had actually made myself 
aroused over this fantasy working man. "I can have my fantasies 
if I want to. No one would ever know what I was thinking, and 
I'll be damned if I have to be a prim, proper executive woman 
all the time." I thought, angrily. "Woman," I said out loud. 
"That's what I am, by God, and how I'm going to act from now 
on. No more dry professional decorum. If I want to dress sexy, 
and act sexy, then I'll be damned if I'm going to do anything 
else just to please some corporate boardroom full of stodgy 
old men." 

I drained my drink, and flushed with embarrassment. "This has 
got to be the liquor talking!" I thought. "I don't normally 
think things like this. What's wrong with me?" I wondered 
aloud. "Here I've sat, through three strong drinks, and 
convinced myself that some fantasy-guy is out there, waiting 
for me to come along so he can sweep me off my feet, and into 
my bed." I got up, reached for my purse, and the cute brunette 
waitress came out. 
"Are you leaving?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid so." I replied. "I've got some things to do 
tomorrow, and I want to get an early start on them, so I'm 
going home. To bed." I hoped I hadn't placed too much emphasis 
on "bed" for I thought she was really cute, and I actually 
wondered for the briefest moment what it might be like, but 
she just shrugged, took my money, and left. I realized that 
I was still slightly aroused from my thoughts of a few minutes 
before, and went to the ladies room. As I lifted my skirt, I 
realized that my panties were soaked through! I couldn't walk 
back through the club like this, so I unclipped my stockings 
and removed them. The heady scent of my arousal wafted to my 
nostrils, and I thought, "Imagine the looks I'd get if I went 
through the crowd trailing this aroma. I bet I could get a man 
like this!" I giggled. I wrapped them in some tissue, and 
dropped them into my purse. I cleaned myself up, straightened 
the seams on my stockings, and left the ladies room. I walked 
out to my car, and realized that it was still on the upside of 
10:00. I hadn't been at the club for two hours yet, and while 
the cool night air helped to clear my head, I still felt 
frustrated at the thought of going home to an empty house, 
and empty bed. "Oh well," I said. "That's what you get for 
not letting all those sweaty construction workers have their 
way with you!" The dissonance of the humor did make me feel 
sheepish, and I was no longer angry at the world. I started 
my car, and realized that my pager was going off. I reached 
over in the other seat, and unclipped it from the top of my 
briefcase. I punched the button, and didn't recognize the 
number. I pulled my cell phone from the case, and dialed. 
It was my next-door neighbor! 
"Hello," she said. "I'm sorry to bother you so late, but I 
wanted to let you know that I have to leave for a short trip." 
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing really," came the reply, "I just have to drive up 
to my parents' house in the mountains for a week. They're having 
company coming in from out-of-state, and wanted me to come up to 
help them get the house cleaned." 
"Oh, well. Do you want me to watch your house, and take care of 
your pets?" I asked. We had an arrangement to do that for each 
other.
"Could you? I hate to do this on such short notice, but I'm 
leaving right away. In fact, I was just waiting for you to 
call back before I left."
"No problem," I replied. "I'll be happy to." I punched the kill 
button on the phone, and thought, "Well, I need to get on 
home." I drove away, out of the gates of the club. As I got 
back on the highway, I realized that I needed to get home a 
little faster, to check on my neighbor's animals. I knew there 
was a side road that would take me directly to the entrance to 
my neighborhood, but there was no one that lived on it, and no 
businesses. It was literally a straight stretch of totally 
empty road. I never took that road at night, because if I 
broke down, there was no one nearby. I'd have to call for help, 
and wait alone for it to get there. "What the hell," I thought. 
"I just had the car tuned up, and nothing can happen." I took 
the turn, and started to drive a little faster. I was almost 
halfway there, when suddenly there was a loud pop, and the car 
began to shudder and swerve! I'd had a blowout! "Oh no!" I 
thought, fighting to keep the car under control. I slowed down, 
and pulled over to the shoulder of the road. It was totally 
dark and not a single light, house, or building could be seen. 
"This is just what I needed!" I got out of the car, and saw 
that my right-rear tire was completely shredded. I didn't 
know how to change a tire! I had the Auto Club for that! 
I realized that I was going to have to wait for someone to 
come out to change my tire. I looked into my purse for the 
card that contained the number to the repairman, and couldn't 
see it through all the junk. I began tossing out things from 
my purse on the seat. My still-damp panties went first, and 
then my compact, my change purse, and checkbook followed. I 
couldn't find that card! I dumped my purse onto the passenger 
seat to make things easier. 

Just about then, I saw lights coming down the road in my 
rear-view mirror. I quickly locked my car doors, and hunched 
down in the seat. Maybe they would pass by without noticing me 
here all alone. As the vehicle approached, I suddenly wondered 
why I was so fearful. What if this were someone that could help 
me get my car fixed? I reached up onto the steering column, 
and flicked on the emergency flashers. As I sat and waited, 
I realized I was trembling. "What if, what if?" kept running 
through my mind. The lights got closer, and I could see that 
they were slowing. The car stopped, and a figure got out. I 
felt silly for a moment, and thought, "Hey, I live in the 
south, people still stop to help stranded motorists here." 
He came to the window, and a gasp escaped my lips. He was 
about 29 or 30, tall, with dark hair, piercing eyes, and a 
great smile. The denim shirt was slightly dirty, and a tool 
belt hung from his slender hips! I couldn't believe what I 
was seeing! He motioned for me to roll down the window, and 
as I did, he smiled again. He was beautiful!

"Can I help you?" he asked softly.
"I seem to have a flat tire." came my reply.
"Well, let me help you change it." he offered.
"Sure thing, let me open the trunk." I knew there was a trunk 
release inside the car, but I wanted to get a better look at 
him, so I opened my door, put my leg out, and began to exit the 
car. His eyes traced the length of my thigh, and down my calf 
to my black pump. He stepped back, with a small look of 
embarrassment, averted his eyes. I got out, and as I leaned 
back into the car to set the parking brake, I could feel his 
gaze wander over me. It sent a shiver through me as I realized 
he was admiring what he saw. I turned, fingered my keys, and 
looked him over. He was about six feet tall, slender, and well 
built. I let my eyes trace the curve of his buttocks that were 
encased in his tight, dusty jeans. I felt a sudden urge to run
my hand over his behind, and felt the same tingle in my stomach 
that I had felt at the bar earlier. Much to my surprise, he 
glanced over his shoulder, as if to catch my eyes tracing the 
curve of his bottom. He took off his tool belt, and threw it 
in his car.
"Do you have a flashlight?" he asked. 
"Umm, I, uh, I don't think so." I stammered. I was feeling 
somewhat light-headed now, as if his voice were having a 
hypnotic effect on me. What was I thinking? What was I 
feeling? Was he having an effect on me simply because I 
had dreamed him up? 
"That's okay," he reassured me. "I think I have one in my 
car." I handed him my keys, and as he opened my trunk, I 
saw the muscles in his arms ripple as he removed my spare 
tire. "Could you look in the back seat for my flashlight?" 
he asked. "I think it's on the floor on the passenger side." 
"Uhh, sure." I mumbled. "Damn, but he was sexy!" I was thinking. 
"I could really let a guy like this have whatever he wanted."

He closed the trunk of the car, and as I let the beam of the 
flashlight play over the wheel, he began a slow, steady rhythm 
of movement as he jacked up my car. He loosened the nuts 
holding the tattered tire to the car, and deftly placed them 
in the hubcap. 
"There." He said. "All I have to do is put on the spare."
"I don't know what I would have done." I said. I watched him 
lift the spare to the car, and effortlessly seat it on the wheel.
"Almost done now." he said.
"I really can't thank you enough for stopping to help me." I 
blurted. "God only knows what would have happened if you hadn't 
come along."
"Oh, I don't know," he replied, as he worked. "I see you have an 
Auto Club sticker in your window, I'd guess you were about to 
call them when I showed up." He smiled up at me.
"Yes, that's true," I said. "But anyone could have come along. 
You could have been some sort of perverted rapist!" What the 
hell was I saying? I didn't want to give this guy any ideas! 
Or did I? He seemed like a nice young guy, but I really didn't 
know anything about him. Was I drawing him a road map? 
"Well, I'm not," he laughed. "I just thought about my sister 
being stranded out here, and, well, I'd want someone nice to 
stop and help her." He seemed not to notice that I was 
breathing a little heavy, and there was no way he could know 
that I still had a tingle of passion in my loins from my 
thoughts of earlier in the evening.

"I'm glad," I replied. "A woman all alone is an easy target 
out here on a lonely road." God! I was going to give myself 
away talking like this. I didn't want this guy to know that 
I was aroused by his presence. What in hell was I doing?
"There," he said, as he tightened the last nut. "That's it. 
I'm glad I was able to come along at the right time to be of
help to you." 
"Thanks." I said, thinking furiously. I suddenly wasn't in 
any hurry to let this one get away. I remembered that I wasn't
wearing any panties, so I leaned back on the hood of his car, 
and put my foot on the bumper. I watched his eyes trace the 
curve of my thigh. He saw the tanned skin of my leg, over the 
top of the lacy stocking, and he realized that I was showing 
myself to him. 
"How can I possibly repay you for saving a damsel in distress?" 
I breathed.
"Uhh, well..." he started to say.
"Oh, I'm sure I can think of something I can do to pay you back 
for being so gallant." I was actually enjoying his discomfort 
at my brazen attempt to get him to examine me. I felt a trickle 
of dampness on my thigh, as I leaned back even further onto the 
hood of his car.
"Well, I, uh..." he stammered.
"Come here," I commanded. I raised up onto my elbows, spread my 
thighs slightly, and began to unbutton my blouse. "Isn't there 
anything you want me to do for you?" 
"God," he breathed. 
Time for me to throw caution to the wind. I pulled my skirt up,
and exposed my womanhood to his suddenly hungry gaze. He stepped
toward me, and I reached for him, pulling him tightly to me. 
"Take me. Here. Now" I moaned.
"Are you sure?" he questioned.
"Oh yes, Take me." I breathed. "Do it now."
His fingertips began to trace the outline of my erect nipples 
through my lacy bra, and I began to unbutton his jeans. I felt 
the tip of his firmness through his shorts, and he jerked as 
though he was touched by an electric current. I slid from the 
hood of his car, and knelt on the ground in front of him. As I 
looked up at him, his eyes met mine, and held them locked in a 
passionate gaze that told me that he was prepared to accept 
whatever I had in mind. I slowly slid his jeans down, and 
hungrily leaned into his hips. As my lips met his hardness, 
I felt a pulsing through the fabric imprisoning his hardness. 
I gently released it from the confines of the elastic band, 
seeing a pearl of fluid form at the very tip. I grasped the 
hard shaft, and traced the tip of my tongue over, and into 
the tiny slit. As I slid my hand over the base of his manliness, 
I took him between my lips. I felt him shudder as my tongue 
flicked across the underside of his length. I took him again 
between my lips, and slowly slid my hungry mouth down the 
entire length of him, until my lips and nose were pressed into 
the soft hairs at the base. I heard him moan, and I worked him 
around the moist interior of my mouth and throat, as I grasped 
the muscles of his bottom to steady myself. I looked up at him 
again, and saw his eyes roll back as he raised his face to the 
starlit night sky. I withdrew him slowly from my mouth, as he 
grasped my shoulders. He pulled me up to him, and pressed his 
lips to mine. I moaned with pleasure, as he leaned me back 
against the trunk of my car, and pulled my skirt up around my 
waist.

"My God!" he breathed, as he lowered his face to me. His tongue 
traced gently around the edge of my garter, and then he slowly 
pressed his thumb to my pulsing femininity. I entwined my 
fingers in his hair, and he gently parted me with his tongue. 
I was trembling with passion as moans escaped from my lips. His 
tongue traced the petals of my silky passage, and I felt the tip 
of it enter me. I pulled sharply on his hair, and he stood before 
me. His manliness throbbed, standing away from him like the 
fleshy branch of a manly tree, and he stepped closer. I reached 
for him, and guided his hardness to the soft, wet opening between
my thighs. I threw my head back as he plunged deeply into me, and 
waves of pleasure coursed through the both of us. Deeper and 
deeper he explored the depths of my womanhood, and each thrust 
drew me closer to the brink of climax. I could feel the hardness 
inside me, and as he drove into my depths, I wanted nothing more 
than his explosion inside me. As if he sensed my desire, he 
slowed his movements, and began to caress the softness of my 
ear with the tip of his tongue. I felt him stiffen, and as waves 
of pleasure began to radiate throughout me, I felt the warmth and 
wetness of his explosion deep inside of me. It felt as though he 
were filling me up with the liquid of his desire, and I could 
feel the power of the pulses as they slammed against the inside 
of me. 

We clung together for a moment, and I slowly straightened up. He 
stepped back, breathing heavily, and I again slid to my knees 
again before him. I took him gently into my mouth, and swirled 
my tongue over the length of his fading manliness. He cupped my 
face, with his hands and drew me up to him. 
"This is unbelievable," he breathed.
"Yes," I replied. "And I hope that I've thanked you enough for 
helping me."
"More than I could have imagined." he said.
For a moment, we looked deeply into each other's eyes, and I 
gently drew his jeans up and fastened them, he asked if there 
was anything else I needed.
"I appreciate the offer, but I have to be getting home now." I 
said. I turned away abruptly, leaving him standing there. I 
looked back at him once more, and got into my car. He was 
standing there gazing at me, as if to say, "How can I find 
you again?" I started my car, trembling from the intensity of 
the passion we had shared, and drove away into the night 
leaving him standing there.

I've often thought of him since then, and even though we never
told each other anything about us, not even our names, I've 
always known that if I ever had car trouble again, he would 
be there to take care of it, and me. Love comes to us in 
strange ways, and when we least expect it.

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