Whispered Kiss

Urgh! Where the hell are you?

I huffed out a breath as my fifth attempt at finding my car keys failed.

A cat screeched and darted across the road, forcing me to glance over my car roof. The dodgy ghoulish-dirt-covered-neighborhood staring me straight in the face and with another sigh, I returned my attention to my purse. How lovely this night hasn't turned out. The sarcastic thought acted as my only measure of security, helping me fight off the danger breathing down my neck.

The effort to find my keys however wasn't providing results and I stilled all my searching and counted to ten in the slowest manner, urging myself to stay calm and search for my keys a sixth time. The overhead clouds parted and a stray moonbeam supplied me with enough light to peek over the faux leather rim of my purse. The contents were sufficient. A tube of lipstick, my wallet, ID, a few snack bars, a hair brush and underneath a crumpled piece of paper the glimmer of my bedazzling key-chain, revealed itself.

"Fate has smiled on me tonight." A low growl followed the ominous words and cut off my relief.

In a neighborhood such as this, where even the hookers feared being out after midnight, I knew trouble was bound to lurk in its wake but prayed none would arise before I left. Unfortunately, such a happy ending would have to wait. Maybe the drunk who slunk from the nearby nightclub could be repelled.

I twisted around on my heels and flung my hair across my shoulder, ready to meet the threat head on.

"Sorry, but I hate to inform you, fate has not smiled on you. So, piss of." I said with venom while trying to locate my stalker. My veins grew icy as I couldn't locate a single abnormal or human shadow.

Where is he?

Instinctively, my heart picked up speed and I realized the newcomer might be more than a mere drunk looking to be frisky. My vision darted over the few lightened areas surrounding me, searching for a weapon or a means of safety.

The stranger made a tsking sound, snapping my attention to the left, bringing my search to a stop. But the location was abandoned, flickering in the lull of a streetlamp and revealing little but a high-rise building and an abysmal alleyway.

"Shame on you. Such a beautiful face should never tell a lie."

Dammit! I'm more annoyed than threatened, weirdo.

To have grown up with two older brothers came in handy during dangerous situations. You learned to stand your own, to keep whatever emotions you were feeling, suppressed. Nonetheless, I found it hard to hide the pinch of anxiety creeping over my annoyance.

"If you're looking to rob me buddy, then I'm afraid my right hand and my left knee will have something to say about that!"

The world grew silent, leaving nothing to discern while sitting on the edge of its seat, waiting for the inevitable to occur.

"I admire your fighting spirit but I'm afraid this is one battle you'll lose."

The tone swam to my right, my eyes following its lingering echo and I allowed my instincts to take over. My fingers latched around my keys. If I couldn't find any other weapon, then I'd settle for what I have.

Stale alcohol, urine and rotten garbage drifted up from the alley where I had parked, smacking me full force in the face. The smell mimicking the menacing atmosphere.

Dianna, I swear, if I make it out alive of this crappy ass neighborhood and situation, I'll kick your darn ass to the heavens and back!

"If you're planning to rob me, you need to get on with it. I have other, more, pressing appointments." The beats of my heart overtook my words, drowning them out but I couldn't afford common courtesy. Being snippy might be playing with the lion's tale, but I didn't intend on becoming the next headline in tomorrow's newspaper either.

"I assure you, you'll be too dazed to focus on those appointments after I'm done with you."

The wheels in my head snapped at my limbs, demanding immediate action. Get in the car and lock the door!

Before my thought could be registered and without warning, my body slammed into the side of my car. My head ricocheting of the hood. My eyelids drew close as I bit down on my teeth to dull the pain at the base of my neck. The sleek handle of my mustang pressed into the back of my spine. My knees threatened to cave, but by some miracle, I held myself upright. If I died tonight, I'd die with dignity. I'd fight. I refuse to give my attacker the satisfaction of seeing me crippling in fear and pain.

Two powerful and resounding bangs slammed into the roof of my car. The sound smashing into my eardrums with a deafening crack. I could barely hear the noises surrounding me.

"I can smell your fear, your excitement."

The single line was faint, but I heard it. Holy shit. Keep it together, don't give in. Not to this psycho. Even as I denied my attacker in my thoughts, I didn't open my eyes. The choice didn't derive from the wisest part of myself, but it helped me scrape enough courage together. My fingers slipped over a miniature sword. A charm Dianna gifted me a few years back.

I lifted my arm, bending it and raising it higher. My hand tightened around the charm as I readied myself for the force needed to plunge the object into the man's side but-

Soft supple lips met my own, catching me off guard. A fleeting touch that blanked all my sense. Through my lips did not respond to the kiss, I couldn't deny the underlying want taking over. I fought against the want and rammed my arm forward, toward its target, but an agile hand caught mine. My attacker smirked against my lips. He used the opportunity to force my fist closer to his chest until our hands rested against his heart. The steady rhythm of his heart continued as he kept my mouth prisoner and with each beat a piece of me became entranced by an unexplained excitement. My mind fought against the fog settling over it, but the fight was useless. Everything fell away and a moment in time, engulfed us.

A raging, explosive heat gathered on the folds of my lips and my body ceded. The strangers aldehydic notes, sweat and the taste of bourbon mixed with metallic, all driving tension into my muscles. Tension that coiled around heated adrenaline. Adrenaline which screamed to break free and be released into orgasmic butterflies.

My eyes shot open as the weight of his lips vanished, leaving nothing but a soft breeze in its wake. A breeze that turned my slick lips, ice cold.

The man who threatened my life and stole a kiss, had disappeared into thin air. His whispered kiss the only vestige remaining.