First Kiss Friday – Explorations by David Russell

Today’s First Kiss Friday featured guest is David Russell, author of Explorations.  Welcome David!  Here’s the first kiss between Janice and Cedric.

Sure enough, it was Cedric! Quite impressively dressed in the black of his hair colour—cords, suede shoes, velvet jacket and fine polo. In spite of blushes on both sides, recognition did not falter.

“Well, well. Worlds are ridiculously small. How come you’re here?”

Cedric fumbled a few moments for words . . . at length to come out with the routine truth… “I left a book here a few days ago. I just came to collect it. But fancy us both knowing Marcus!”

“We follow life’s currents, its winds and waves…come on, sit down.”

* * * *

How ideal! Everything laid on! It would havereally spoiled things if either of them had overstepped their customary manners and tried toarrange a meeting, as the telephone advisers always said, in a neutral public place.

Janice put on an album of Beethoven String Quartets and kept the volume low, but with quite a lot of bass. The music blended, unobtrusively, with their sensations. Its sombre explorations penetrated their minds, their hearts, their groins, punctured their inhibitions, free their breath. Ripples registered on both sides. Their dark outfits made a spectral blend, poised to melt into each other. The non-verbal was sustained, as they mentally undressed—first each other, then themselves, down to their bathing suits, at the water’s edge, ready for the plunge.

* * * *

“Well,” she giggled, “first leading question, what do you do? You give the impression of having quite an exciting occupation.”

“I’m a journalist, articles about fashion and health products. And how about you?”

“The dreaded legal profession, highly stimulating at times, but it does stress me.”

“You’re not alone; one does need things to counteract the stresses.”

She gave him a sustained gaze. “Hmm, hope I’m not being intrusive. I’ve been keeping an eye on you in the swimming pool for some time. You’re looking really good now—got into swimming well…must admit I was a bit worried about you before. You seemed a bit head-heavy, imbalanced. But now you’ve accepted your body, toned it up and relaxed the tensions. It’s the best exercise, you know involving all of you.”

“I guess I’ve conquered some fears. I’m so glad to do it properly…” he grew a bit shy and hesitant. “It started… when you bumped into me and gave me those tips on how to improve that really clinched things for me, and…”

“Don’t be shy,” Janice patted his knee to assuage his hesitation.

“I had seen you before! At that party here . . . you did that beautiful dance; your skirt billowed.”

“And?”

“Then to see you in your bathing costume.”

“And when you did, you took the plunge, bless you.”

“I just had to come in the water with you. And then, when I saw you at the art class, I was just dying to pose for you. I was secretly longing for the model not to turn up so that I would have my chance.”

Janice unbuttoned Cedric’s jacket, felt his shoulders and his chest. “You’ve got your body in trim and you can really carry yourself in trunks. Clothes look good on you, but your height of fashion is around your loins.”

* * * *

The jacket dropped to the floor. Elation welled up in them both. Chemistry and magnetism made their chain-reaction. Slowly edging their heads towards one another, lips meeting eyebrows, eyelids, cheeks, chins, each other. Two deepdrawn breaths were held for an ecstatic clinch with tongues. Her hand rose to his crown, massaged him through that full, drawn-out embrace.

His left hand unbuttoned her jacket, feeling her shoulder pressing from waist to hip. Breeze-like, his right raised her skirt, to rest on her thigh as high as was aesthetic at that moment. Her centre took the signal, hips pressing forward. The two of them had dived and surfaced in love’s stream. What a catch for her—this controllable gentleness combined with fathoms of passion—and for him, this beauty of experience that he could now match. Aquiver, they drew back.

“You’re so lovely,” he panted, “I want to see you undressed.”