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

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

air, strawberries, and vanilla. His hand cupping my cheek, his touch is soft, his mouth pressed to mine in a gentle,

this time, his mouth opens

me again, then away out to sea. “I wanted to do that the other night, but I thought

anyone kissed me in that way.

put that down….” Emma drops the semi-rotted fish she is holding, letting it fall to the sand. Archie immediately seizes the

knows I don’t want the car to smell of that on the

start to roll too, competing for the stinking thing, then Scruffy joins in the melee, and

up.

retrieved the fish, tossing it as far out into the waves as Ben’s long-armed throw can manage, and persuaded the dogs to play

an ice cream?” I suggest, waving vaguely towards the bar further along the beach.

he replies, with the kind of smile that suggests that ice cream

smiles, his face transforms. He becomes an

bar, I juggle change in my pocket. “What are you

not sure. What have they

do a bitter chocolate and sour

me.” He sniffs. “I’ll

Of course you will….

a good man, but I

being fair to you. You want something you’re never going

But…. You’re nice….

Is ‘nice’ what I

wander along the beach again, eating cornets,

is it you do?” he asks. “For a living, I mean? If

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

“Something different?”

taken on as a concierge in one of the office blocks

certainly a

know, the one that went up so quickly after the old headquarters got

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

enjoy doing. I’ll be on their front desk, so I’ll be seeing people all the time. And the company

eyebrows. “Yeah, the sis said something about that too. She’s

Well, maybe I’ll get to meet