Chapter 1

I was engaged in some last-minute nervous primping when the doorbell rang. I opened it to see him standing there, looking even more handsome than the pic he’d sent me, with an exquisite bouquet of chocolate roses that he was holding out to me. I smiled nervously and took them from him.

‘It’s lovely to finally meet you. Please come in.’

‘Indeed it is.’ He leaned over and kissed me fleetingly on the cheek.

I led him into the living room, where I had set out some pate, cheese, crackers, olives, and champagne. ‘Please, make yourself at home,’ I said, as I went into the kitchen to get a vase for the roses. He quite deliberately sat on the couch, and when I came back into the room and put the vase on the table, he took my hand and brought me next to him to sit.

He kissed my fingertips lightly, quickly, then took a rose from the bunch and gently drew it across my lips. I opened my mouth and found the chocolate in it before I even saw it move. I took a bite, and it was exquisite—dark, rich, seductive.

We sat on the couch, feeding each other bits of cracker with pate or cheese, an olive, a sip of champagne, a bite of chocolate, for what seemed like hours, but actually only lasted about 45 minutes.

‘Much as I’m enjoying this, we’d better get moving, or we’ll miss our dinner reservations,’ he said. I was already so entranced, I’d have done almost anything he told me to. We left everything as it was. He helped me into my shawl, put his jacket on, and took my hand.

He had a car waiting for us, with a bottle of fume blanc and a plate of fried squash blossoms. They were so delicate and beautiful, and he offered them to me like a dangling bunch of grapes, descending slowly into my waiting mouth. The crisp texture and mild sweet flavour were paired perfectly with the light acidity of the wine, and I leaned against his shoulder in pure pleasure. He stroked my neck gently as he fed me, watching my face, clearly pleased with his choice and my response.

We arrived at the restaurant and were shown to a private room with a chaise longue and a table and chair beside it. ‘Oh, my,’ I said, ‘just like Melanie’s first date with Andy!’ He was once again happy I noticed and approved.

He led me over to the chaise, and I stretched out on it languorously, imagining the evening ahead with great anticipation.

The first course arrived, a bowl of mushrooms in garlic cream sauce. The sauce was thick, perfectly seasoned with a hint of chilli pepper and quite a bit of garlic. We fed each other alternately for a while, but then he took the fork from my hand and fed me the remainder slowly, sensuously. By the time I had finished the mushrooms, I was getting full and wondering how I would manage the next few courses.