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.

sea, not speaking. Then he

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

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

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

again, then away out to sea. “I wanted to do that the other night, but I thought maybe I’d be moving too

long time since anyone kissed me

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

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

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

up.

throw can manage, and persuaded the dogs to play in the water long enough to get rid of the worst of the smell, we are both hot, sweaty

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

that suggests that ice cream is just an

his face transforms. He becomes an

in

sure. What have

a bitter chocolate and sour cherry that’s to

me.” He sniffs. “I’ll have the

Of course you will….

I think you’ll always

fair to you. You want something you’re never going to get from

But…. You’re nice….

Is ‘nice’

again, eating

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

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

“Something different?”

as a concierge in one

a change.

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

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

of thing I enjoy doing. I’ll be on their front desk, so I’ll be seeing people all the time. And the company has a good reputation for training,

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

I’ll get