Free The Red Shoes - Alison's Story (Erotic Romance) (The Naughty Nights House Party Series) by Sophie Shearer Page A

had
been with him nearly all her life; they had been school friends from 11 years
old, later on boyfriend and girlfriend, engaged then married. Neither of them
had ever had any other sexual partners – well, she hadn’t anyway and just
assumed Andrew had been as faithful as she had.
    Although
Andrew was a good husband and father and Alison thought they’d had a good
marriage, she had conveniently forgotten that, in the last decade, it had
become rather uninteresting.
    For
a few years before he died it had been rather like living with a brother. Oh, they’d
still had sex, regular as clockwork. Once every two weeks on Saturday after he
had been playing golf and even sometimes on birthdays and holidays. Yes, they
were best friends but their sex life had been boring and predictable. She
supposed it always had been but hadn’t really known any different because she’d
had nothing to compare it with.
    She
had listened to the stories her girlfriends had told but disregarded a lot of
these as exaggeration. But who knew what happened behind the closed doors of
other people’s lives? Maybe Caroline and Mike actually did do those very
imaginative things over the kitchen table that Caroline had bragged about over
coffee.
    With
her two daughters away at college Alison spent a lot of time alone and she was
bored. Her sex life had been non-existent since Andrew died; even the once a
fortnight fumble would have been something. Her job at the garden centre was mundane,
her social life was uninspiring and she was feeling old at just 44. She really
needed a bit of excitement in her life.
    But
just when she had almost resigned herself to dying the same way she had been
born; naked (possibly), knowing nothing and screaming with frustration, Dominic
had turned up again.
    One
Friday, after taking a half day off from the garden centre where she had worked
for the past sixteen years, Alison was in the supermarket deciding what
exciting delicacy to buy for her solitary dinner when she heard a voice from
behind her.
    “Hi
Alison, how are you doing,” the voice said warmly. “It’s good to see you
again.”
    Alison
looked round to see Dominic who she immediately recognised as Andrew’s friend.  
    “Oh,
hello Dominic, how are you, I haven’t seen you since the funeral” Alison said
smiling up at his ruggedly handsome face. He was taller and much more
attractive than she remembered but, at Andrew’s funeral, appreciation of the
male species had not been the first thing on her mind.
    “I’m
fine thanks,” he said, “I’ve been working at the London office for the past
year. I’m back in Manchester for a few days to tie up some loose ends on a deal
I’ve just closed. I would have called but didn’t know what to say.”
    Alison
understood because a lot of their friends had stopped calling and most of those
who did managed not to mention Andrew at all; it was as if he had never existed.
    They
chatted for a while about nothing in particular; his job, the weather, her
daughters and the dogs, but Alison was enjoying just talking to someone
different and interesting. She felt very comfortable in his company, which
surprised her because usually she was very shy and tried her best to go through
life un-noticed and anonymous. She had always hated to be the centre of
attention.
    “Do
you have time for a quick coffee?” asked Dominic.
    “I’d
love to, I have the rest of the day off” said Alison without hesitation,
thinking it would be a pleasant way to while away an hour.
    Dominic
was easy to talk to, interesting and, as an added bonus, he was very easy on
the eye.
    Another
thing in his favour was that he seemed genuinely interested in what she had to
say too; he actually listened to her. In her experience that was a talent not
many men possessed, most were only interested in telling you, in lots of
different ways, how great and successful they were.
    Yes,
she thought, it would be nice to delay going home to an empty house to cook