The Red Shoes - Alison's Story (Erotic Romance) (The Naughty Nights House Party Series)

by Sophie Shearer

  The Red Shoes – Alison’s Story

  The Naughty Nights House Party Series

  Sophie Shearer

  Copyright: Sophie Shearer

  Published by Briba Publishing 2013

  © All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be used, transmitted or reproduced in any manner without the express permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations for the purpose of a review.

  This book is fictional and any names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author's imagination.

  Warning: This book is an Erotic Romance and contains some sexual content (m-f)

  Recommended for over 18’s

  Chapter 1

  Although she was as anxious as a turkey at Christmas, Alison still felt a shiver of anticipation as Dominic knocked sharply on the door of the grand looking house. Would she be able to go through with it; would she be able to have sex with a stranger?

  She was still not convinced this was the right way to go about solving her most intimate problem. But, in a moment of wine induced bravado, she had agreed to be Dominic’s partner for tonight and it was far too late to back out now. So she took a deep breath to steady herself, grabbed his arm and waited; all the while trying to look calm and confident but, she suspected, failing miserably.

  The door was opened by a tall, smiling woman with blonde hair casually twisted and pinned to the back of her head. She looked stunning in a beautiful figure-hugging, champagne coloured dress with matching satin stilettos, a long string of pearls and pearl stud earrings. The slinky fabric of the dress made it very obvious the woman was not wearing any underwear, but if she’d had a figure like that Alison knew she would be happy to flaunt it too. Instead she was brunette, short, and maybe just a few pounds heavier than she would have liked.

  “Welcome to our party” the woman said throwing the door open wide. “Come in and help yourself to a drink. Is this your first time?”

  As they stepped into the impressive hall the woman took the printed invitation Dominic offered and closed the door behind them.

  Alison looked at Dominic who grinned at her and said, “No, my first time was Geoff and Marina’s party last month and I have my invitation for next month, but it is Alison’s first time though”.

  “Are you staying the weekend?” the woman asked.

  “No, we can only stay for the evening”, Dominic replied.

  “Great, you’ve been before so you know how everything works,” she said to Dominic without even acknowledging Alison. “I’m Jenny, grab yourselves a glass of wine, enjoy yourselves and just ask if you need anything. Oh, one more thing, the rooms on the second floor are reserved for weekend guests but evening guests are welcome to use the rooms on the first floor. The Play Room is down the hall if you’d like to join in.”

  A loud rap on the door made Alison jump; Jenny excused herself and went to open it.

  More guests; this place is going to be packed, thought Alison as she wondered just how many rooms this grand looking house had.

  “What is the Play Room?” whispered Alison to Dominic.

  “It’s the room where lots of people have fun together; we won’t be going in there,” he replied “unless you want to…”

  “No thanks,” she said hastily, “I don’t think I’m ready for group stuff just yet.”

  If anyone had told her that she would be going to a Swingers party - ever – Alison would have thought they had lost their mind. She had even had to look up the definition in the dictionary to be absolutely sure she knew what one was.

  (Swinger: somebody who lives an unconventional and hedonistic life, especially somebody who exchanges sexual partners with others.)

  As far as going to a Swingers party with a man she had only known a short time – well, that was just madness. But here she was.

  Chapter 2

  Andrew, Alison’s husband of nearly 25 years, had died in a head-on car crash nearly 18 months ago. Dominic, who had been a friend and colleague of Andrew’s, had been at the funeral. She vaguely remembered him as a pleasant and very attractive man who she had met briefly at some of the business and golf functions she had attended with Andrew. It appeared Dominic had shared Andrew’s passion for both work and golf. They’d barely exchanged pleasantries at the funeral and Alison had not given him another thought.

  It had taken her longer than she had imagined to come to terms with her widowed status; she missed him terribly for the first year. Alison missed the familiarity of her life with Andrew; missed being part of a couple. She 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 inter
esting. 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 yet another dinner for one.

  Alison knew Dominic was single, he had said as much when they were chatting. She remembered he had gone through a messy divorce a few years ago. At the time and according to Andrew, his ex-wife had engaged the best lawyers in order to extract as much money as possible in the settlement. She had even sued for (and won) custody of the dog. Andrew had said with a laugh that Dominic was more upset about losing his dog than the money or the wife.

  So Alison quickly finished her shopping, put the groceries in her car and walked across the road to the small Bistro where she had arranged to meet Dominic.

  He was sitting by the window at a table covered with a red chequered cloth, with two lattés and two pastries already waiting. He waved to get her attention as she opened the door. As if she wouldn’t notice him – he was the best looking man she had seen in ages!

  “Sit down,” said Dominic standing up and pulling out her chair, “I didn’t know how long you could stay and they’re so busy here that I thought it best to order so we wouldn’t have to wait too long; I hope you like pastries.”

  She loved pastries but didn’t often indulge herself; she had her waistline to consider. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep in shape as she got older; the pounds crept on without her even noticing and took so much longer to shift these days. But she had always managed to stay reasonably trim with regular visits to the gym.

  “Thanks,” she said as she sat down, “I love these.” Alison shook out the linen napkin, put it on her lap, picked up her fork and began to eat her pastry with enthusiasm.

  Dominic chuckled, “I love to see a woman enjoying her food and doing more than pushing a lettuce leaf and a tiny tomato round a plate”

  “A rare treat,” she said happily, “But I’ll have to do extra miles on the treadmill to work it off.” Alison had never been one to push food round the plate without eating much, she enjoyed her food. But she only ate sweet stuff occasionally so she was going to enjoy this pastry.

  As she drove home over three hours later, Alison wondered where the time had gone. She had felt so relaxed and comfortable as they talked and was already excited at the prospect of lunch with Dominic the following Tuesday.

  Yes, he had asked her out on a date; only lunch, but it was still a date!

  She felt just a tiny bit guilty wondering what the girls would say if they knew. Their father had only been gone for a short time. But hey, she was still alive; in fact as she drove home she felt more alive than she had in years.

  Chapter 3

  Alison arrived early for their lunch date in the five star restaurant of the hotel where Dominic was staying. She sat primly with her handbag on her lap on a comfortable sofa in the bar area and, when the waiter came over, ordered a glass of wine. She was nervous; what if he’d changed his mind and regretted asking her.

  But right on time Dominic strolled into the hotel bar where they had arranged to meet, looking extraordinarily handsome in a pair of well-cut stonewashed jeans, highly polished black brogues and a deep blue sweater with the sleeves casually pushed up his forearms. His dark hair was still slightly damp.

  Wow, she thought, he looks so hot! Alison wondered what he saw in her; he could have taken his pick from any of the beautiful young things eyeing him appreciatively as he walked over to her; but she wasn’t complaining…

  “Hi,” he said smiling broadly, “You look lovely, I’m so glad you could come. Can I get you another drink?”

  “A glass of red wine would be good thanks.”

  Dominic called the waiter over and asked for the wine list. After a brief look he ordered a bottle of Côtes-du-Rhône. He seemed to know about wine so Alison was happy to let him choose.

  Alison didn’t remember an awful lot about the lunch they ate but she did remember drinking rather a lot of that very good wine. She also remembered laughing a lot and having a wonderful afternoon; the time had passed so quickly. It was the first time she had been out with a man since Andrew died and, as she had enjoyed herself so much, she really hoped it wasn’t going to be the last.

  But, she thought ruefully as she sat in the taxi on the way home, next time she would go easy on the wine.

  The next morning she was dragged reluctantly from a vivid dream of wild sex with Dominic by the insistent ringing of the phone by her bed.

  “Hello,” she croaked into the receiver as the dogs leapt onto the bed and showered her with enthusiastic wet kisses.

  “Hi Alison, how are you this morning?”

  Alison felt the embarrassment flushing her cheeks as she realised it was Dominic. A look at the clock told her it was 8.30am; she had slept for 12 hours.

  “Fine thanks,” she lied pushing the excited dogs away. “And you?”

  “Great. I was just calling to check you got home OK and do you need a lift to come and pick up your car?” he said, sounding full of the joys of spring. “I’m off to a meeting this morning but I could pick you up at lunchtime.”

  Sensibly she had left her car in the hotel car park, took a taxi home and had gone straight to bed – at 8pm.

  “No it’s fine thanks; the walk will do me good, it’ll help clear my head. Red wine always makes me feel a bit woolly headed the morning after”

  “OK then, if you’re sure, I’ll pick you up at 6 on Friday, it will take about an hour to get there,” he said, “I had a great lunch by the way. See you Friday” With that he hung up, obviously not expecting a reply.

  She sat bolt upright in her bed as she remembered that she had enthusiastically agreed to go with him to a party. Then, with horror it slowly dawned on her that it was ‘a party with a difference’ – a Swingers party.

  Oh God what have I done; how on earth can I get out of this now without making a complete idiot of myself.

  Alison got out of bed, cleaned her teeth vigorously, trying to remove the stale taste in her mouth, ran a brush through her shoulder length hair and went downstairs to make herself a cup of strong coffee.

  After opening the kitchen door so her two dogs could go out into the garden, she sat on one of the high stools at the breakfast bar waiting for the coffee machine to do its stuff. While she waited she threw a couple of analgesic tablets down her throat to ward off the headache she could feel coming on. She was not sure if it was a hangover headache or a stress headache as she struggled to think of a way out of her rash promise.

  As she sat there with her head in her hands, she remembered that Dominic had told her that after his divorce, he had tried online dating but after several very boring dates had come across a website called Naughty Nights House Parties advertising ‘House Parties for the Liberal Minded’. He had called the number to find out more and, after a conversation with Jenny who was the organiser, decided to go along. She also remembered trying hard to appear blasé about the idea of swapping partners for the night but in reality, she was really shocked that someone as gorgeous as Dominic would need to get his thrills this way.

  When she asked him why he went he said he had heard that online dating was a great way to avoid having to sit round in bars chatting to boring people just in case a prospective date happ
ened to come along. He had no time for that. So he had joined an online dating site and after going on a couple of unsuccessful dates, decided it wasn’t for him. He had only come across the house parties by accident.

  The parties, he told her, were something he had only tried once before and he would love to give it another go. It seemed that the parties were held in large houses around the country once a month. Some of the houses were rented for the weekend by the organisers, others were private houses where the owners enjoyed being part of the party scene.

  He had told Alison that she would be welcome to come with him to see what it was like. She vaguely recalled agreeing enthusiastically to be his partner for the evening at the next party which was this coming Friday.

  He was so classically beautiful and interesting she thought she would have agreed to anything at that moment just to gaze into his brown eyes again; mountain climbing, deep sea diving, freefall parachuting, hang gliding; anything!

  What a fool I am, she thought, a swingers party is something I would never have considered without the best part of a bottle of that good red wine inside me. Now I know why alcohol is sometimes referred to as ‘the demon drink’!

  After two mugs of strong coffee and a lot of soul searching, Alison had decided that her life had become staid and unexciting, she needed some fun. What had she got to lose by going to the party? Maybe it was just what she needed to spice up her life a bit. No-one need ever know except the two of them.

  “Right, that’s it, decision made,” she said to Patty and Penny, her pretty fawn whippets, “I’m off to a party.” The girls wagged their tails enthusiastically hoping for a treat.

  Now the decision had been made, she realised that she needed something to wear. She had not bought any new clothes since Andrew had died so took another day off work and, after the dog walker had picked up Patty and Penny, headed into Manchester to look for a suitable outfit. But what was suitable for these parties, was it casual, formal - what?