I never thought I'd be back in the dreaded dating world at 45.

I'd left my 19-year marriage after years of unhappiness. It just fizzled rather than going out with any kind of bang.

We were amicable enough for the kids' sakes, but I feel we were both relieved it was finally over.

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A friend who's a single mum came over for drinks one night and asked me, "When are you getting on the dating apps?" I'd honestly not even thought about it yet, I was too wrapped up in the world of peace I was in once my ex had finally moved out.

But my friend convinced me to try Tinder, though she gave me a warning; she said when she first tried it she matched with a man who'd used his son's photos.

One night, I made a snap decision; I downloaded the app, created a simple profile with a couple of recent photos and started swiping.

Pete*'s profile was about the 10th one I'd looked at and he intrigued me right away. He was 48 according to his profile, lived nearby and loved sailing.

In his photos he looked slim and muscular; not exactly handsome but still good-looking, with a gorgeous smile. So that was enough for me, I swiped right, and he contacted me very quickly.

We started chatting, and he asked if I'd like to catch up for coffee at a nearby café. I was a bit nervous, so I arrived early at the café and sat down with a coffee and waited. When I spotted him walking up the path, I knew immediately that he was lying about his age.

There was no way Pete was 48 – more like mid-60s. His hair was silver, while in his profile photo his hair was almost jet black.

His face was very wrinkled; no doubt weathered by years of sun and wind. He greeted me with a hug and a kiss. His smile was the same as in his photos but I really needed to address his little deception.

The photos had been real, just old. "You don't exactly look like your profile pics," I said, smiling.

He said something about how being a sailor and living through a lot of stress has added about two decades to his face. I just laughed because he seemed like such a sweetheart.

It didn't take me long to go from being annoyed about him lying about his age, to feeling genuinely attracted to him.

Our coffee led to dinner, then drinks and when he asked me if I'd like to come to his apartment for a "night cap," I thought, 'Why not, this could be fun'.

Little did I know I was about to have the best sex of my life.

Now, I should preface this by saying that my ex was dreadful in bed and refused to go down on me.

Once, I asked him to and he gave it a go, but only lasted about 20 seconds before moving away.

First, he put on some jazz music, then he told me I was beautiful and asked if it was okay if he felt my breasts. I was a few wines in by then and of course I said yes.

His fingers lingered around my nipples, which I found such a turn on.

We kissed, and he had a way of just teasing my lips with his tongue that I found incredibly sexy.

As we kissed, his hand stroked my upper thigh, and then he put his hand in my panties and slipped a finger inside of me, then started gently touching my clit.

I literally groaned and, no exaggeration, couldn't get my clothes off fast enough.

This was happening on his living room couch, and he told me again how beautiful I was.

He asked me what I'd like him to do and I said I hadn't had proper oral sex for a long time.

The next moment his head was between my legs and his tongue was just lapping me up. He treated my pussy like he was devouring the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted, moaning like he was in heaven.

And any time he came up for air, telling me how divine I tasted.

It was nothing I'd ever experienced.

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When we switched positions and I gave him a BJ, I did my best to replicate what he'd done for me, tasting, licking slowly putting him inside my mouth.

It was the first time I'd really enjoyed oral sex.

We fell asleep then, around 3am he woke me for another round — the second time was even better.

I just couldn't believe this man's stamina, far greater than my ex-husband who was a good 17 years younger.

We saw each other three more times but then he broke the news that he was moving overseas.

I was sad, in a way, but he gave me a fantastic gift; he showed me how to really pleasure a man in ways I've been able to show my current partner who tells me I'm the best sex he's ever had (though I've never given him details about the man who showed me how.)

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

Feature Image: Getty (Stock image for illustrative purposes).