Choosing Her Lover

*****

‘An Illusion of Happiness’

A Tale of BDSM Erotic Romance

And the Meeting of Strangers

Part Two

An Illusion of Happiness

As I stroll across the sands, a familiar figure jogs towards me, a small dog trotting alongside; a terrier that looks as though it has been assembled from a junkyard of other dogs.

As the runner approaches, he angles my way. Drawing close, he pulls to a stop, huffing.

“Hi, Kirstie,” he says, “I was hoping I’d run into you. How are you?”

His face is severe. Ben is not an unhandsome man, but his natural expression is unsmiling, which detracts from his looks, making him appear austere, perhaps even puritanical.

And is that just an appearance….? Or is that really the man?

“Hi, Ben. I’m good. You?”

“Yeah, I’m great. Mind if we join you for a bit?”

“We?”

He nods down toward his dog. “Scruffy wants to make friends….”

True enough, Scruffy is making moves on my Meg, who rumbling low, curls up a lip, unimpressed by this rag-tag terrier.

“…. and he’s not the only one.”

“I’d love you and Scruffy to join us. I was about to have some coffee actually.” I hold up my flask. “Want a cup?”

“Great idea.”

Sitting on the dune, close to each other, we sip coffee. The wind blowing into our faces sends my hair streaming over my shoulders. It feels very comfortable, very natural.

sits, staring out to sea, not speaking. Then he turns to me. “Can I kiss

don’t reply, simply swaying in towards him. He leans to me, finishing the movement, tilting his head to the

His hand cupping my cheek, his touch is soft, his mouth pressed to mine in

mouth opens over mine, and he pulls

wanted to do that the other night, but I thought maybe I’d be

him. It’s a long time since anyone kissed me in that way. He

you put that down….” Emma drops the semi-rotted fish she is holding, letting it fall

leap up. God knows I don’t want the car to smell of that on the way

the stinking thing, then Scruffy joins in the melee, and

leaps up.

as Ben’s long-armed throw can manage, and persuaded the dogs to play in

suggest, waving vaguely towards the bar further along the beach. “My treat. I owe you a

kind of smile that suggests that ice cream is just an excuse for hanging around

smiles, his face transforms.

the bar, I juggle change in my pocket. “What

sure. What have they

a bitter chocolate and sour cherry that’s to

me.”

Of course you will….

but I think you’ll always choose

I’m not being fair to you. You want

But…. You’re nice….

‘nice’ what I

along the beach again, eating cornets,

he asks. “For a living, I mean? If you

pastry chef. I know it’s one of those dream jobs for a lot of people, but I

“Something different?”

a concierge in one of the office blocks in the

certainly a change.

Building. You know, the one that went up so quickly

“My sister-in-law works there. What made you

front desk, so I’ll be seeing people all the time. And the company has a good reputation

the sis said something about that

Well, maybe I’ll get