A novella in 30 chapters
Stingaree Bay: Chapter 13
Riverside
TASHA
He looks much like his photos.
Late fifties, about five ten, solid build, carrying a few extra pounds, but carrying them well. His light olive skin reveals Mediterranean ancestry (Italian father, Croatian mother, he mentions).
Short, black hair, heavily greying at the temples. Grey eyes, long lashes. Clean-shaven with a strong chin, a cute dimple in the middle. A strong nose, slightly aquiline. A wide, sensual mouth, quick to twist in a wry grin. Good, regular teeth except for a chipped incisor.
Laughter lines around the eyes.
He rises to greet me with an eager smile, the faintest hint of a blush. His handshake is firm. A powerful but delicate hand.
He has made a little effort, not too much: open-necked white shirt, grey chinos, black leather boots.
We both smirk slightly at the formality of the introduction, but neither of us leans forward for a kiss.
We sit at the table on the secluded riverside terrace (good choice) and order coffee from the brisk waitress.
What the photos missed is the boyish vulnerability. From his eloquent, explicit online banter, I expected him to be cocky…
