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.

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

to me, finishing the movement, tilting his head

vanilla. His hand

once more, but this time, his mouth opens over mine, and he pulls me in tightly to him, holding

breaks away, he looks at me again, then away out to sea. “I wanted to do

what to say to him. It’s a long time since anyone kissed me in that way. He doesn’t just

break away. “Emma! Will you put that down….” Emma drops the semi-rotted fish

car to smell of that on the way home. “Archie.

too, competing for the stinking thing, then Scruffy joins in the

leaps up.

can manage, and persuaded the dogs

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

that suggests that ice cream is just an excuse

face transforms. He becomes an attractive

I juggle change in my

sure. What have they

do a bitter chocolate and sour

a bit powerful for me.” He sniffs.

Of course you will….

good man, but I think you’ll always choose

I’m not being fair to you. You want something you’re never going to get from

But…. You’re nice….

‘nice’

again, eating

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

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

“Something different?”

a concierge in one of the office blocks in the new part of

certainly a change.

new Haswell Building. You know, the one that went

he comments. “My sister-in-law works there. What made you pick that

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

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

Well, maybe I’ll get to meet