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

him. He leans to me, finishing the movement, tilting his

sweet and warm and affectionate. He tastes of sunshine and fresh air, strawberries, and vanilla. His hand cupping my cheek, his touch is soft, his mouth pressed to mine in a gentle, almost chaste

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

he breaks away, he looks at me again, then away out to sea. “I wanted to do that the other night, but I thought maybe

long time since anyone kissed me in

fish she is holding, letting it fall to the

don’t want the car to smell of

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

leaps up.

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

the bar further along the beach. “My

the kind of smile that suggests that

he smiles, his face transforms. He becomes

change in my pocket. “What

sure. What have they

do a bitter chocolate and sour cherry that’s to die

that’s a bit powerful for me.”

Of course you will….

a good man, but I

you. You want

But…. You’re nice….

Is ‘nice’ what

beach again, eating cornets, licking away

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

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

certainly a change. Which

the one that went up so quickly after the old

works there.

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

about

maybe I’ll