Perdy tugged her coat tighter around herself, trying to get closer to the fire and ignore the drunk babes racing around in barely enough clothes for summer. She wasn't cut out for these outdoor parties, they seemed to be all the rage, but they just felt like an advert, the surface glitter of fun but without any real depth.
She stared into the flames, and felt the warmth from the mulled wine seep through her. It wouldn't be too bad, if only she wasn't having to put up with Lee whingeing on about work next to her. Eventually she noticed he'd said something about going to get another drink and nodded vaguely.
She let the flickering lull her again and barely noticed when a man slid in place next to her.
"You look like a statue standing there," he said in a soft voice.
She glanced at him, he looked a bit scruffy, but had compelling, twinkling eyes. She smiled without really knowing why. "Must have frozen..."
He moved closer to her. "I'll warm you up..."
Perdy laughed, it was such a seedy come on. She didn't really mind, but out of some kind of duty replied that she was taken.
He shrugged, "no you're not, he's not interested in you, leaves you here, alone by the fire, staring into the depths, growing still, and cold, like marble, just waiting for someone to come along, someone who can just lay their hands on you..." his touch was there without her noticing the transition, "and you'd start to come back to life, start to feel warm, happy, relaxed..."
She was breathing hard and leaning into him as if they'd been lovers for years.
His mouth tickled against her ear, "and aroused..."
How was this so exciting? This stranger had just walked into her deepest self without any effort. Her locks had fallen open for him. They looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes, something crackling between them.
He held out his hand to her. "The woods?"
She nodded, took his hand, and followed him into the unknown.
