The Woman in Red: Chapter 3

3. The first real kiss

          After a half hour’s drive without much talking, Katarina pointed at a high mansion at the right side of the street. ‘That’s where I get out, Jean-Pierre.’ She pronounced his name with a French accent, with the rolling letter ‘rrr’, with an emphasize that gave a sensual sound to his name.

            Jean-Pierre inserted his car between two parked ones on the right side of the road. He turned the key and the silence of the night enveloped and entered the car. ‘It was delighted to make your acquaintance, Katarina.’ With a smile, he gave her his hand.

            ‘Kat, call me Kat!’ A naughty smile appeared on her lips. She avoided his hand and gave him a kiss on his right cheek. Her lips felt soft, and the kiss lasted a bit longer than you could expect from such an event. Jean-Pierre automatically touched his cheek with his hand, and Katarina laughed a broad smile.

            ‘How did I earn that… Kat,’ he asked, almost whispering. Nobody could hear him, besides his beautiful companion, but it was as if he wouldn’t break through the magic of the moment by making too much sound. He saw two little lights of pleasure in her eyes. She obviously enjoyed his amazement.

            She looked deep into his eyes. ‘Because you were a gentleman, Jean-Pierre, against all my own expectations.’ Katarina was clearly playing with him. What could she mean by this?

            Before he could replicate, she left the gray SUV and waited till he would follow her example. When he did, she strolled to the entrance of the mansion. It was an old, but stately townhouse, with little stairs in front of the entrance, flanked by wrought iron fences on the side. He just followed her, but without hurrying.         

            There were a full moon and the street-lighting bathed the neighborhood in a yellow glow. She stood on the first step on the stairs and winked at him. Would she ask him inside maybe? The gentlemen, she supposed him to be, began to crumble away the more he approached.           

            Katarina was searching in her purse and pulled a little key out. He saw she hesitated a moment, but then she came down from the stairs, took him by his necktie and pulled him closer. Her head bowed a little, and she took his head in her hands while she kissed him with open lips. He sensed a taste of vanilla in her mouth. Her lips were moist, and she pushed her tongue gently inside.

            He felt warm, and his heart began to pound heavily. Now he also held her close. She didn’t protest and allowed him to compete with the French kiss she had started. Then she pushed him softly but firmly away from her. They both panted lightly.

            ‘Jean-Pierre, my gentlemen and dauntless knight, for tonight this is enough.’ Before he could realize, she pushed him a card in his hand with a phone number. He hadn’t even seen that she had taken out of her purse. A moment later she had disappeared through the door and didn’t look back.

            He stood there just for a moment, looking at the place where she had been just before. It seemed as if he had been a witness of a mirage. He touched his mouth, where he still felt the kiss. His tongue tingled, and his heart was still beating too fast. After a while, he got in his car and drove away.

© Rudi J.P. Lejaeghere 22/11/2014