He was nervous as he approached the front door; his heart was thumping in his chest. He'd never done anything like this, and it was confusing him. They'd met two years ago, at a mutual friend's party in France, and there had been a definite sexual tension. He'd been excited about it at the time, but later felt guilty about it. He had returned to England and his girlfriend, but when he received an email from this mysterious American beauty, he'd had to admit to himself that he was elated. They'd kept in touch, and now, two years later, with the blessing of his girlfriend, now fiancΓ©, they were going to meet again. He reached the door. A confident man, he was shocked to see his hands shaking. He forced himself to calm down as he knocked on the door.
She stood in the doorway, a few inches shorter than he was, and he gasped. The bright, disco lights of the party had done nothing to improve her looks, as he had imagined; she was even more stunning in the gentle, late-summer sun of New England. Reaching out to her, he pulled he into his grasp. Her heart was beating fast too, he noticed, and he smelt the perfume he remembered from that night. She pulled back, still in his arms, looked up at him and smiled.
"It's wonderful to see you again."
"I can't believe I'm really here. You look⦠you are perfect."
She smiled again, and started walking to the kitchen. The thing that had started them talking, he remembered, was their mutual love of food. Brushing past him, he felt a surge of electricity, and he watched her gently swaying waist below a modest, yet short, floral summer dress. Just being here was turning him on, and the perfection of the weather and her body seemed to make it worse.
"I didn't cook anything too special," she said, looking over her shoulder to where he stood trying to calm down, again "I thought we could just have something simple on the veranda. Picking up a tray, she walked out of the kitchen, again brushing past him, and out to the deck. He followed, and sat beside her on the swing bench. She handed him a glass of champagne and a plate of smoked salmon and salad.
He raised his glass.