Blinked

I got a Gmail notification, went to look at the reply, and it said, 'Come out for a motorcycle ride, who knows - we may see a helicopter somewhere on the horizon...'

I switched back to the chat room we were in, "That Robert, is quite the demand for not failing your class... Has that tact ever burned you, giving out your personal information like that?"

"Robert if you like, but I usually go by Rob outside of work, with friends. You are the first I've done that with. Look, if I can't stretch to follow my desires, then I'm not living and I'm tired of not living."

Were we friends now? What did he mean by not living? Maybe the more important ask, "Desires? You're not exactly inactive on this site, surely, I can't be the first to get an invite for a motorcycle ride?"

"I told you, the app runs on my phone all day long, and I'm hit on by a fair number of guys - but it's not what I'm interested in... That's kind of been confusing to me, so many guys hitting on me."

Oh, you just backed yourself into this question buddy, "And what are you interested in, Robert?"

"You certainly are someone I am attracted to physically, but equally attractive to me is someone who's got something more going on between their ears. I sense you are kind of spirited, so don't argue that first point of attraction. On my second attraction - that might be more important to me. The 'who you are' as presented on this site. I know, you're one in the same person, body / mind / spirit. But I would imagine you being the real you wherever - that takes a lot of processing power between those ears. I'm curious to explore that with you if you would let me... I won't lie, the physical attraction to Kristen is quite strong, but my attraction to you is multi-dimensional. Does that make any sense? I feel like I've just rambled... I'm sorry."

Oh buddy, you are a smooth operator! Well? You reading this account of my 'Blinked' app chat room - what do you think I did? Damn right! I was at the Auburn Super Mall at 9 AM Saturday...

Rob and I of course did a few chats over the couple days leading up to that motorcycle ride, which I know breaks my rule about public dates. I reasoned being on a road is public, so don't lawyer up on me for breaking one of my rules.

I spent the couple days before our meeting anxious for my phone to chime I had a 'Blinked' message from Rob, yeah, Rob - not Robert - I gave up the formal after a bit. Though I'd decide whether I would call him Rob in person or push the formal Robert just to prove to him I was 'spirited'. There wasn't any twenty-plus hour delay in replies after agreeing to the ride. That told me he was putting in the effort, maybe cared. I think the longest reply took forty-three minutes, but who's keeping track of something as silly as that?

Anyway, I learned a few things about him as we continued to connect online. One interesting fact was that his wife had passed a year and a half ago due to ovarian cancer. She had been diagnosed late and spent eight months battling it. Note to readers - get checked or push your friends to get checked - that disease is a killer. I also learned, by accident, that he was fifty-two and she would have been thirty-three this past June.

Ding, ding, ding! He, liked his women younger and he had nearly twenty-seven years on me. I didn't mind the age difference and my experiences while being Kristen found older men more to my liking. No! I wasn't after some 'Daddy' thing! He's younger than my own father. Alright, alright I can tell you want to know - two years younger than my father. Happy now?

May I continue? Alrighty, then... Rob didn't have kids, which he shared was partly due to reproductive issues on his part - no strong swimming sailors essentially. He felt a lot of guilt on that point, his wife came from a large family and she wanted a herd of kids. He said he probably wouldn't have minded a couple kids.

IVF set them back nearly sixty-thousand and on top of the money there was stress and one miscarriage. Adoption was certainly an option - but they never pursued it and life, two busy lives by the sound of it, just didn't take time to make that happen. I could sense heavy guilt in those conversations about his not giving his wife the opportunity to be a mom, a real sadness...

I didn't ask if, well you know, did stuff down there still function. That came out organically when I'd mentioned something about masturbation absently during one of those chats we had. It wasn't creepy, which actually was kind of refreshing to talk maturely about something like that. He didn't over do his reply, but I could easily read between the lines - everything below his waist worked just fine. I wasn't pressing, but it's good to know, right? I needed to pay attention to pushing carnal ideas and be cautious!

Okay, enough of that - Saturday morning, 9 AM sharp we finally met in person. Oh, he did give me his cellphone number - so there was that bit of protection I could add to covering my rules. To say any or all of this wasn't nerve wracking would be an understatement. I was hoping for the best, wanted him to like me, and prayed I could be that woman he was attracted too in person.

It was mildly awkward when we first met. I had parked next to him, we were a fair distance from the Kohl's store entrance and any cars parked there. What was so awkward? Face to face I offered my hand, pulled it back when it didn't look like he was going to offer his, but he was just slow to engage that greeting. We shook hands politely, he had a wonderful smile, and yes - Rob in person was exactly the man in the pictures. A quiet confidence and HOT, oh my he was extremely handsome! Get over yourself people or I'll stop telling you my story! Look, he's not that OLD! Does not look old at all actually. Let all that go!

He's had said jeans would be best for the ride, which required a shopping trip to Target to go buy a pair that had little chance of doing anything for a figure in desperate need of more feminine curves. In the end I pretty much managed to look the part of Kristen as he'd seen online, maybe even slightly better than he'd expected. I think he was drinking me in as much as I was gulping down how HOT he was. I kept sneaking peeks at him while he got the leathers chaps and helmet out I was to wear.

I was feeling confident; he'd made me feel that way online and he was doing the same thing here in the mall parking lot. Chat to real life meeting was working out! Like actually the same. I was a little shocked, happily so, and it gave me a little more confidence.

I was wearing a pair of cute boots, his suggestion for protecting my feet while riding. I also had brought a light jacket - which he contemplated thoughtfully after seeing it. He suggest a leather jacket would provide extra protection and warmth, then went and pulled one from a compartment in his monstrous motorcycle.

It was cute, soft, and biker bitch black. Its cut didn't fight my small frame and the breast forms I had in a flirty bra, in fact the jacket fit well. Had he noticed? Had he noticed my top was flirty? I wanted him to notice. I was trying to look good, maybe a little sexy, that wasn't a lie - was it expected?

"You don't mind that this stuff is my wife's old riding gear? I figured it would fit you, appears the jacket does."

I assured him I didn't, though if some spirit still inhabited them, I said I'd be pissed. It was the first laugh between us that wasn't captured in a 'lol' statement in our online chat dances. He had a laugh I wanted to hear often though, so I would be on the lookout for any chance to get him laughing.

He was right about the leather jacket - it fit - a tiny bit snug at the arms though. I'm sure my shoulders were wider than the intended wearer, but it was going to work. I was beginning to feel more like a biker bitch with each passing moment.

The second laugh of the morning came when I was trying to figure out putting the leather chaps on. I'd started to put them on backwards, he quickly got me situated and then laughed at my comment that I felt like a, 'Biker bitch'.

I enjoyed that exchange and the care he was putting into making me feel comfortable. I'm telling you, he was smooth, very, very smooth - not fake or reserved in the least. And my anxiety - not present and I'm not sure why, but I'll take it!

I know what you're thinking... But don't go there - he told me in our chats he wasn't looking to replace his wife and I, other than my estimated body size / type, were the only similarities between her and I. He admitted I had a quick wit - she apparently did also and he liked that she never held back playfully harassing him for whatever reason. That exchange did set me at ease - it should you too. I sure as hell wasn't going to NOT harass him if it got him laughing. I mentioned the laugh, right? It made me feel good inside.

Don't read too much into that last bit people about his wife and I - the straightest path is often the one to pay attention to in these kinds of things. I digress though...

So, on with the story! Next came the helmet and the realization that going forward my real hair - yes, my real nearly shoulder length hair is cut in a gender-neutral fashion and when styled properly it leans full on feminine - was about to be ruined for the rest of the day wearing this helmet. Oh well...

I got it on, not backwards like the chaps, and was helped with the chin strap. That act got his face close to me, a quick whiff of the gum he was chewing, and a look into eyes I didn't want to turn away from. Whew! I was getting a little hot and bothered while the chin strap was fastened. I wouldn't have minded a pre-ride kiss truthfully.

Helmet - there was a boom microphone on the helmet that hung where it should, my eyes were protected by a half-visor, and I had sunglasses on (he'd suggested them). All I needed to do was plug my helmet into the bike and we could communicate with each other. I was beginning to get giddy, excited to be rolling!

Being able to chat while riding was going to be fun. I couldn't imagine not having a way to communicate and trying to yell at him while he was supposed to be paying attention to the road. Very modern, a very handy little feature. He even said he could hook our phones to them if I wanted.

Next came a quick walk around the bike, "Emergency exits are here, here, and wherever you can get clear from the bike, " he began, "I doubt we'll have to worry about it, but help me keep an eye out for idiots out there - there are plenty who don't see bikes."

I agreed, and watched him mount the mighty 'Goldwing' and start it up. It had that subdued muffled engine tone that said, 'You're in for a treat...'

He looked over at me and offered his hand, which I took, and I was able to climb - maybe a little awkwardly - into the seat behind him. The seat was nearly a Lazy Boy recliner like passenger seat.

He'd told me it was heated even and showed me where I could turn it on. And there were heat vents he could open to get some warmth on my legs if I wanted. I was now beside myself with excitement and of course nervou...

"You comfortable?"

Do I just talk and he hears me? "Yes... You can hear me?"

"I can," he said with a little laugh, "Let's go have some fun..."

And what about all my rules? They pretty much got left in the mall parking lot. But I don't want to get ahead of myself, you'll see I mostly stuck to them, mostly.

We headed south on Highway 167, up through Puyallup until it turned in to Highway 512, and we took the Highway 7 / Pacific Highway exit. It would be a straight shot to Mt. Rainier after that.

We did polite conversational stuff, nothing heavy, and I was quite enjoying myself in the role as his 'Biker Bitch'. Of course, I was told we needed to wave at every motorcycle that went by, sometimes we did that in unison, sometimes I was late, but I was trying to live up to my role. This was turning out to be a lot of fun. So much so I leaned forward, wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hug.

"What was that for?"

"Just a thank you hug..."

He reached back with his left hand and squeezed my left leg about where my knee was, "I appreciate you agreeing to this first date. I know you've got some rules you like to follow..."

"I do, but you're making them hard for me to want to enforce...," I said maybe a little shyly. He had a mirror on the handlebar area that he could see me and I him. He was smiling,

"Alright Mr. Benn, get over yourself..." That got me a laugh and a wiggle of the big bike as we stayed to the left on Highway 7 at the Roy "Y".

At the Elbe junction to Highway 706 he asked how I was doing and whether I wanted to get off and stretch.

"No, I'm enjoying this, do you need to stop?"

"No, I'm enjoying the ride and the company. Its been a few months since I was last out on her, she is anxious to run..."

"Really now? She's telling you that?"

He gunned the throttle and we began to really move, "Yeah, I would say she likes to run..."

I could see a boyish grin in the mirror and couldn't help thinking, 'God you're cute'.

"I'm cute?"

"What," I asked.

"You just said, 'God you're cute'..."

I most certainly did not! You may have read my mind, but I did NOT say that out loud! And before I could protest, he said, "Just kidding... You had a look, I just put words in your mouth. Maybe not the right ones, I'm just playing..."

"You are..."

"I are what?"

I slapped the back of his leather jacket, "Annoying..." In that exchange he got to hear me giggle, so I know he wasn't taking me seriously. Plus he laughed and I felt oddly warm inside, mushy...

"I've been told that..."

We talked some more and the road began to get a bit more curvaceous. I hadn't ridden on a motorcycle since my youth and back then it was a dirt bike. This, this was like flying, gliding effortlessly around bends in the road, speeding up through the apex of the curve, and of course passing slower vehicles when it was safe. That last part happened a few times with gaps to oncoming traffic I had worried about, but as he'd said, 'she likes to run...' and she, this motorcycle certainly did.

Curve, curve, curve, slow car, pass, curve, and repeat too many times to count. We laughed and talked about nothing in particular and we finally pulled into the Paradise Lodge parking lot.

The ride seemed almost a blur, but the mountain was a glow on this late July afternoon. The sun, the crowds, plenty of other motorcycles - we parked to take in some of the scenery. Rob held my hand as I climbed off, I almost forgot to unplug my helmet, and once on my feet I was ear to ear smiles. He got his helmet off, set the bike on its stand, and came over to help me get my helmet off.

His fingers got the strap off and then his hands held the sides of the helmet to allow me to tilt my head out of it comfortably.

Once off my hands immediately were in my hair trying to get some of the body back as I watched him set the helmet down next to his on the bike. I was still fiddling with my hair when he walked straight up to me, put his hands on my hips, and leaned in to kiss me. Lightly at first, his lips over mine, mine parting to accept his tongue, my hands found his shoulders, and knees - the proverbial weak knees - I had them in spades!

That kiss broke, his eyes locked on mine as if looking for some horror or repulsed reaction, but he got a heartfelt, "That was unexpectedly..." I added after an appropriate couple second pause, "Nice..."

His reply? A smile, the taking of my hand, and leading me on a walk around Paradise to enjoy the mountain. No comments; no deep explanation as to what had just happened; no questioning; just a validation of his feelings for me put out there for me to consider. Oh, and we were surrounded by plenty of people! And he couldn't have cared less and truthfully I didn't either. In fact I was reeling a little bit in that he wanted to kiss me. The gravity of that was not lost on me. We just kissed!

No, no, no! Hell, I wanted him to do that as far back as... Getting ready for the ride back at the mall? Right? And, now it felt as if it were the natural, expected act of two people realizing they were in sync with each other's feelings. This felt so very dream like. Was there a deeper connection going on here?

Yeah, I was feeling something! Oh, and hand holding while we walked! Come on people! You know your girls got Rob hooked! Maybe Robert had me hooked? Hmmm...

I'm going to wrap this little excursion up by not boring you with too many of the fine details. In short we hung out at Paradise Lodge for at least an hour, holding hands for nearly the entire time I might add.

We both did restroom stops prior to climbing back on the bike - which got me a second kiss, pretty sure there was more 'umph' expressed with that one! We rode back towards the mall, stopping in Parkland for pizza at a place called Farrelli's Pizza - which was fun and casual and included a beer for each of us, along with delicious pizza I might add. The conversation flowed well, nothing heavy or overly personal, just - normal talk.

And then as if I'd blinked, we were at my car. I had stripped all the riding gear off, tried in vain to get my hair to do anything but look like it was flat, and decided to just lean back against the door of my car while Rob stowed the gear.

I got complimented on how the riding chaps looked especially nice on me, to which I replied, "Yeah, yeah... You say that to all the girls..."

There was a pause, a step by Rob to bring our bodies next to one another, a hand tenderly at my cheek as he leaned in to kiss me, this time slowly, lovingly, tongues searching, exploring with the intention of proclaiming that this was something deeper, there was a want for the other... I felt it, I... I knew there hadn't been any other women, I'd known that days ago, and I believed him. I felt bad for saying that, did I just ruin everything...

He pulled away slowly, smiled, "I'd like to see you again Kristen..."

I was having troubles with a heart wanting to beat out of its chest and grasping fully that he wanted to see me - wanted to SEE me again! "I would like that very much Robert..."

"Text me... Let's figure out something to do soon, tomorrow even."

People, this might have been a 'big' mistake, but after such a wonderful time today I just wasn't... What rule was I about to break? Augh! What one's hadn't I broken would be a better question!

"Do we need to wait," I asked quietly.

He studied my face for a long moment, "I'm game, but there's no pressure and I certainly don't have any expectations. I want you to know that up front..."

Expectations... What the hell was I doing?! Think!! "Could we go to your place, maybe hang out a little longer?"

He took my hand, "We can, but again, I know you're a rules kind of girl. That's probably on your list of things to avoid on a first date. I'm happy to wait for a second, third, or whatever..."

"I... I had such a good time today I just don't want it to be over."

There was another kiss and a short conversation about how to get to his house. Guess there was an interest in extending the date on his part. Be a lie to say I wasn't excited, maybe even a little nervous. I was throwing caution to the wind. This could be a huge, HUGE mistake. But I had a good feeling about Rob...

The plan we worked out entailed me follow him in my car to his place. To be sure I didn't get lost he texted me the address. Yes, I know, I know! He now had my phone number! Rules all over the place were falling like rain in Seattle today. But there was something going on between us and I wasn't ready for this date to be over yet.

Hit me up later, after reading the rest of this account, if you think I made the wrong choice and should have stuck to my rules! I'll debate that with you...