A chance encounter on the dog walk

Sophie smiled as she walked along the wooded path, the bright morning sunlight shining through the trees, as she led her dog out for it's weekly excursion. She loved these walks, not only for the sake of the dog, but for the chance to get out of the house, away from her husband and two small girls for even a short half an hour stroll. It wasn't that she was unhappy, she loved her girls... and her husband, of course, she thought with a smile, but she needed a break, a short escape from the demands they all put on her.

The park wasn't crowded today, only a few other people on the path, each of them smiling at her as she walked past them. She smiled a little wider when she caught a few of the men watching her, their attention putting a little spring into her step. She hadn't dressed to impress, wearing a short skirt and woolen tights and a loose top, choosing the outfit for comfort and ease of movement. Her brown hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, glinting red in the bright sunlight, giving her a more youthful appearance. With her small slender frame, she knew she could easily be mistaken for a teenager, a thought that brought a smile to her face as she caught another man glancing at her.

Perhaps it was the freedom of being away from her family, or that her love life had been remarkably unfulfilling lately, but Sophie found herself smiling back at the men, giving them shy flirty smiles, putting a little extra sway into her hips as she walked past them. It felt naughty, but delightful, to see the men react, their glances making her heart pound with excitement.

Walking around a secluded bend in the path, Sophie paused, her teeth biting her lower lip as she looked along the path ahead of her, seeing the path branching. One path led down along the Thames, the other back through some dark shadowed trees. She looked back over her shoulder to where the men were, then smiled as she made up her mind and stepped forward...