She had been wearing a baggy beige sweater, but when they moved into the warmth of the sitting room, she had casually pulled it over her head, before brushing her hair straight with her fingers. The sweater was a lose fitting knitted affair, but underneath she was wearing a white spandex top, so tight that it accentuated the shape of her petite breasts, and prominent nipples. Stone gave an involuntary gasp of delight, before he swiftly placed a pillow onto his lap, to cover his growing excitement. He noticed Linda was trying to conceal a sly smile behind her wine glass. She fixed Stone with a steady gaze. Her emerald green eyes twinkling devilishly as she provocatively twirled her blonde hair with her fingers. Ever the gentleman, Stone tried his best to remain aloof to her playful flirting, but privately he feared he was close to losing all control. With a huge effort, he managed to regain enough brain function to formulate a question.
“Well, it seems that you know just about everything about me, now it’s your turn. You said you were looking for a new place for your business, what is it that you do?”
“I teach yoga and a bit of keep-fit. Mostly, it’s for women. I have a studio in Sawbridgeworth, but I was looking to open another in Colchester or nearby.” She sat forward, enthusiastically talking about her business. “I think that a different location will give me access to a wider demographic. I do OK over in Sawbridgeworth, but with any luck, I can run classes over here three or four times a week. At least that’s my plan.”
“I think it could work,” Stone nodded, happy to defuse the sexual tension a little. “I don’t see many yoga classes advertised around Colchester, and there are certainly plenty of women around who would be interested. I know there are loads of mums, young girls, Army wives and the like. It’s a good area. I think you could do well.”
“Well, first I have to find a suitable venue. That seems to be harder than I expected. Over in Sawbridgeworth, I use a church hall on one day and a school gym on the other. They’re basic rooms, but cheap — so it works out,” she said with smile.
“Here’s a thought… You could use my dojo.”
“Really? You would do that for me? We just met.”
“Well, don’t worry about that for a moment. Imagine that you had walked into my dojo today and we were talking for the first time. As a businessman, I would seriously consider having you.”
“I bet you would!” Linda said, flashing a seductive smile.
“You know what I mean,” Stone chided, rolling his eyes dramatically but still enjoying her obvious flirting.
“And you know what I mean!” she countered jokingly, adding to the electricity. “Wouldn’t you like to ‘have me’ three times a week, Mr. Hero?”
“Definitely,” Stone replied with an open smile. “How would that work for you?”
“I think that I could fit you in,” Linda countered. Her voice husky, she stared directly into his eyes.
Stone looked away, his control suddenly almost broken. He coughed to cover his embarrassment and Linda smiled at the small victory. After a moment, he was able to continue in a more business-like tone of voice.
“Of course the timings would have to be right, but there are a lot of times at the dojo when we don’t currently run classes. Most mornings are free, some early afternoons and Sundays, so there’s plenty of scope. To tell the truth, I’ve been thinking about getting someone in to do ladies fitness classes for a while. It would be a good thing to attract more women to the dojo. I get a few ladies to the self-defense classes, but nowhere nearly enough. The karate classes are almost 80 % male. Just now, I only have one female instructor; I think having another one around would definitely help to improve the gender balance. You should come over to the dojo, have a look, and see. What do you think?”
“Deal, but no favoritism, just because you’ve fallen in love with me!” She batted her eyelids and giggled sweetly.
“Ok, we have a deal!” Stone said with mock seriousness. They shook hands formally.
“Now — tell me some more about Linda Smart. Married?”
“No.”
“Dating?”
“Not yet,” she challenged.
Stone smiled again. His face was starting to hurt from smiling so much, but he didn’t care. It felt good to smile again.
“Tell me about your family.”
“Not much to tell, really,” Linda shook her head and pulled a sour face. “My parents died when I was young. An Uncle looked after my sister and me until we finished school. He passed away a few years ago, left us a little money. I used mine to open my studio.”
“What about your sister? Is she as pretty as you — can I meet her?” Stone joked.
“No,” Linda said sharply. There was a sudden change to her posture. Stone thought he felt the air chill slightly.
“Actually we’re identical twins — which is odd, because most twins are almost inseparable. Usually, the similarities pull twins together. For us, it’s the differences that seem to keep us apart.”
“How so?”
“Well, for example, she always wears make up, but I hate to — it always makes me feel so dishonest. I love to run, but she never does. I’m a vegetarian, but she eats meat and even supports vivisection. My politics are middle of the road and hers are… well, I’m sure you can guess.”
Stone nodded but remained silent, allowing Linda the space to share her discomfort.
“We just… don’t get along. We never really did. She’s… ” Linda shrugged and twirled a finger at the side of her head, indicating a mental malaise, “she’s not right. It’s hard to describe, but we just don’t get along. Actually, that’s a massive understatement. We started to grow apart a few years ago, not long after our Uncle died, and now we can barely stand to be in the same room together.”
“That’s very sad.”
“Not really… ” Linda shrugged, “you don’t have to get along with your siblings, you know. It’s not a law or anything. From my point of view, we’re just two people who don’t get along. We manage to keep our distance. She works away a lot, so it works out fine.”
“What does she do?”
“She’s a freelance photographer, mostly news and hassling celebrities. I understand that she’s very good at it. She’s particularly adept at getting the sort of pictures that ruin careers, and sell for silly money to the tabloids and French magazines. Do you remember those awful pictures of the Princess’ deformed baby?”
“She took those?”
“Yep! Got almost £200,000! That poor woman was stricken with grief watching her baby hopelessly struggling for life. My sister dressed as a nurse and callously invaded her privacy at the worst possible moment. Sometimes it makes me feel sick to think that we’re related.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Stone reached over and took her hand. Although he was an only child, and could never fully appreciate her pain, he felt genuine sadness for Linda. He realized that she hadn’t once referred to her twin by name, and he wondered if the rift was even deeper than she was prepared to admit. Stone filed the thought away as a subject best avoided, unless Linda brought it up again.
They sat in welcome silence until Linda finished her wine and motioned for Stone to refill her glass.
“Let’s talk about something else,” Stone said. “What’s your favourite movie?”
“Oh ‘Jaws’ of course. I cry every time the shark dies!”
“Come o-o-o-n! Give a little… ” Stone chided.