The Kiss

She had replied to an interesting personal ad on a whim. Something about the post was intriguing and erotic. It was sensual, yet inexplicably innocent. The idea of meeting someone she had only exchanged anonymous emails with, to share a licentious kiss on the first day of winter was oddly intoxicating. She had often thought of her younger days when a former boyfriend could melt her soul with his kiss. But now, in a world of schedules and routines, unattainable demands and few moments of indulgence, she asked herself, “How have I possibly grown accustomed to a life without passion?”

They had planned to meet, total strangers sharing the desire for a salacious kiss and nothing more. They had agreed that, if it was breathtaking and sensual, the kiss would linger. Anything less and one or both would politely walk away. There would be no groping or unwelcomed advances. Simple rules and a sincere promise.

He worked in the financial district and they had possibly passed each other on more than one occasion. She may have noticed him walking confidently, a fit, well-dressed, good looking man in his late 30′s. She was close to his age and an attractive, intelligent woman. He may have held the door for her at the local coffee shop. Maybe they had crossed paths before, or perhaps they had never connected… until now.

She arrived early and her nervousness was heightened by the morning chill. The vine covered trellis above her offered little shelter as the season’s first snowflakes fell. He approached her as they exchanged momentary glances. His stunning gray eyes revealed an inner smile. Her heart raced but neither spoke a word. She absorbed his presence; passionate, confident and intriguing. He looked into her eyes and sensed her uncertainty. When he held her hands to warm them, she relaxed and gave in to the desire that brought her here in the first place. With her attractive appearance and cautious demeanor, she filled his expectations perfectly.

They gazed at each other deeply, searching, seemingly to discover something more about the other as he stepped a bit closer. Her scent was intoxicating. In a moment of pure abandon, she spoke, “Shall we do this?” He answered in a deep, sexy tone, “Yes, I think we should.” The park was quiet as the snow fell lightly around them. He leaned in to her slowly and their lips met… softly, delicately at first and somewhat tentative. Their lips melted together perfectly with mouths open as the kiss intensified. He held her gently in his arms but she barely noticed his touch. The kiss was all consuming and any thoughts she had were irrelevant at that moment. Their tongues were teasing, flickering and dancing playfully as the world around them became superfluous. She breathed him in deeply and pulled him closer, surprised by her actions but too immersed in the tantalizing moment to rationalize her behavior. The kiss was exhilarating and delicious and perfect in every respect. He gently bit her lower lip and she felt a sudden warmth rush through her. He held her closely, hungrily tasting her lips and tongue. Her soft, almost black hair cascaded over his shoulder and added to his arousal. Breathless with tongues intertwined, the kiss softened and they resumed their gaze. “That was amazing” she said. “Really incredible” he replied, with a captivating smile. He held her for a few minutes and his charm and wit were instantly apparent. She made no effort to pull away. They laughed momentarily at how unusual and fortunate their meeting was, but also reminded each other of the promise.

“I’m going to be late.” she said as she collected herself. “Yes, I need to get to the office also.” he said. They chatted for a moment longer and agreed that this was an unforgettable morning. In their harried state, they wished each other well and he began walking away. She watched him follow the brick pathway that divided the park. Mixed feelings of passion, desire and disappointment rushed through her. Perhaps they would meet again. Perhaps not. She knew nothing about him other than the tangibles that transpired moments earlier. He was definitely unique, sexy and mysterious and she pondered that for a moment as she turned to walk away. At her feet was a small, black leather book, half covered in snow and slush. She reached down and picked it up. He must have dropped it, she thought to herself. As she flipped through the wet pages, she realized that it was a date book for the approaching new year. She quickly scanned page after empty page. Her heart sank with the sudden notion and disappointment that only moments before the book held the potential of meeting him again. She tucked the book inside her purse and slowly walked toward her office building. She stopped before crossing the busy street among a growing crowd of pedestrians and smiled to herself as she recounted what had happened. Things had unfolded as expected and she resolved to remember the experience as an exciting interlude and not dwell on what it might have become.

He thought about her often and wondered if they might ever meet again. Every time he noticed a well-dressed, dark-haired woman nearby, his heart skipped a beat. He considered posting another personal ad in hopes that she was also looking for him. Instead he decided to walk through the park each morning in case she had the same idea. Weeks passed and the vision he had of her was still fresh and exciting. Some mornings he would stand beneath the trellis in the park, sipping coffee while thinking about her.Her thoughts were never far from the recent memory of meeting that mysterious and alluring man. Each night as she drifted off to sleep, the fantasy of meeting him again played like a rakish love story in her head. In the morning, her first thoughts of the day were visions of him. One morning while sipping her coffee, she reached for the black leather book that she had found in the snow. She thumbed through the wrinkled blank pages. The ink that lined each page had run from the dampness, tinting the book an uneven shade of light blue. She was about to toss the book on the table when she suddenly realized that several of the pages were stuck together. She carefully lifted them apart and revealed what looked like a handwritten appointment. It said “Haircut at Fernando’s.” The appointment was written into the 2:30 PM slot for January 17, two days away. Her heart raced and her mind was spinning with the revelation!

Fernando’s was a well-known salon in the city and catered to both men and women. She looked up the number and called immediately to make an appointment. Luckily there was availability at two o’clock and she felt giddy with anticipation. The thought of seeing him again made her smile. Although she wondered whether he would even remember the haircut appointment, since he obviously did not have his book any longer. But there was no way she would miss the opportunity to see him again.It had been raining heavily on the morning of January 17 as he looked out the window of his high-rise condo. Coffee in hand, he thought about his plans for the day. Running to the dry cleaners, the grocery store and a few other errands would mean he would surely get soaked. It made sense to get all that done before his haircut appointment. He sat back in his buttery soft leather chair to read the morning newspaper. His eyes followed the words but his attention was elsewhere. His thoughts drifted to the woman in the park and he replayed that incredibly sensual moment he shared with her. He wondered if she ever thought about him, whether she might have gone back to the park under the trellis in hopes of finding him.

She arrived at Fernando’s 20 minutes early. She didn’t want to take the chance of missing him. She laughed for a moment as she calculated her next steps. She felt somewhat like a stalker but quickly dismissed the thought, reassuring herself that he certainly must have dreamed about her as well. She would request a simple trim that would be performed quickly, allowing her more flexibility to move about the salon. It was a large room with more than a dozen stylists busily working. The salon was buzzing with background banter and she felt unusually anxious as she waited for her haircut. Moments later, the stylist called her name and quickly washed her long, jet black hair. It had grown beyond the middle of her back and the stylist inquired about the cut she would like. “Just a trim, maybe an inch off the bottom.” she said. The typical pleasant conversation ensued but she was struggling to pay attention to her stylist’s small talk.

She noticed him first. He was more handsome than she remembered and her pulse quickened as she watched him hang up his coat. She was getting her hair dried as another stylist led him to an open station about 20 feet away. Her mind raced with thoughts of what might happen next. If he saw her, would he approach her and say something? Perhaps he hadn’t thought about her at all, she considered. She looked very sexy with her dark, silky hair tumbling over her shoulders as she tipped the stylist and paused to chat with her a few minutes longer. She noticed that he wasn’t quite done with his haircut so she stalled a bit. A few minutes later she worked up the courage to approach him. As she walked closer, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “He’d look great with a buzz cut!” She blurted out, followed by laughter. He looked up and couldn’t believe his eyes. “What an amazing coincidence seeing you here!” he said, while laughing at her comment. “I knew I’d bump into you again someday” she said “and I’m so glad I did.” His eyes were as wide as a child in wonder as he tried to control his enthusiasm. His stylist brushed off the hair trimmings and he stood up to hug the woman of his dreams. “Do you have time to grab a coffee?” he asked. “I can’t think of a better way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon.” she replied. He paid his for his haircut and then helped her with her overcoat. She appreciated his gesture and rewarded him with a smile. She was wearing the same perfume from their initial meeting and he was instantly aroused. They left the salon together and ran down the sidewalk laughing at the sudden assault of cold wind and rain. He hailed a cab and opened the door for her. “I know the perfect place where we can go.” he said, and gave the address to the driver. They sat close to each other and shared an animated conversation during the 10-minute ride.

“There’s a coffee shop here with a spectacular view.” he mentioned as they rode the elevator to the 20th floor. She smiled and squeezed closer to him when more people boarded the elevator. They sat at a small table by the window overlooking the park below. “Is that where we…?” He interrupted her and said “Yes, that’s the park where we met last month, and there’s the trellis too.” She loved that he thought to take her to this place. It showed his romantic inclinations and she was supremely delighted. They ordered coffee and chatted for more than an hour. He reached for her hand from across the table and their fingers interlocked. They were both enjoying their time together and the mutual attraction was apparent. “I have an idea!” he exclaimed, and took her by the hand leading her to the elevator. They walked across the street to the park and she laughed “Are you crazy? We’ll get drenched!” He led her under the trellis where they had shared a moment of incredible intimacy a few weeks earlier. “You won’t melt.” he joked and took her in his arms. He held her and looked deeply into her eyes. She gazed back and felt a rush of desire. They kissed. Their lips were made for each other as they kissed hungrily. The moment they had both dreamed of reliving came to life in an inexplicable twist of fate. The kiss released all the desire and passion they held inside. While catching their breaths, each admitted their obsession with the other, which now seemed fulfilled. She handed him the black book. “You dropped this.” she said as she showed him the only page with his handwriting on it. He smiled and replied “I’m so glad I did.” Just then, the rain had turned to snow as they held each other beneath the trellis and kissed again.