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.

Then he turns to me. “Can

to me, finishing the movement, tilting his

affectionate. He tastes of sunshine and fresh air, strawberries, and vanilla. His hand

holding my eyes, then he leans into me once more, but this time, his mouth opens over mine,

to do that the other night,

since anyone kissed me in that way.

my excuse to break away. “Emma! Will you put that down….” Emma drops the semi-rotted fish she is holding, letting it fall to

want the car to smell

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

leaps up. “Scruffy.

persuaded the dogs to play in the water long enough

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

that ice cream is just an excuse for hanging

smiles, his face transforms. He becomes an attractive

juggle change in

not sure. What have

bitter chocolate and sour

that’s a bit powerful for me.” He sniffs. “I’ll have

Of course you will….

but I think you’ll always choose

you. You want something you’re

But…. You’re nice….

Is ‘nice’

again, eating

is it you do?” he asks. “For a living, I mean? If you don’t

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

“Something different?”

being taken on as a concierge in one of the office

certainly a

new Haswell Building. You know, the one that went up so quickly after the old headquarters got burned

place,” he comments. “My sister-in-law works

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

the sis said something about that too. She’s going through their

Well, maybe I’ll