Time passed slowly. She'd skimmed through the first few pages from the pile, her mind idly wandering. Her life seemed to be lulling as of late: she'd reached a rut in her job, with no promotion expected in the near future; she had no boyfriend, with only a cat for company; and the most exciting part of her day included downing a glass of champagne as she soaked her aching body in the bath before bed. Life wasn't exactly unfulfilling for Kai - she just needed a bit more excitement. If variety was the spice of life, she was about as unseasoned as a freshly-plucked chicken.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the unmistakable beep of the 'new email' notification on her computer: "You have one new message." Grateful for the distraction, Kai eagerly opened the email.

It was a photo. No accompanying message, not even a return email address - heck, it didn't even appear to have been sent by anyone! With brow furrowed, Kai pored over the picture. There was a distinctive masculine figure in the foreground: she could tell by his stance, his stature. Broad shoulders, and the faint glint of teeth. Were his lips curled up in a smile? Kai couldn't tell. In fact, she couldn't really be sure if it was a man at all. The whole figure was shrouded in shadow, and the only other attributes to the photo was a shimmering lake in the background, surrounded by beautiful trees with drooping branches, and hundreds upon hundreds of tiny pink flowers.

What on earth did it all mean?

With a scoff, Kai promptly clicked Delete and continued with her work. No need for useless distractions and shadowed men when her life was already so exciting. She was an important woman with important things to do.

* * *

With her long fingers wrapped around the glass and one arm draped carelessly on the edge of the bath, Kai sunk with a sigh into the steaming water. There really was nothing like winding down with a hot bath after a long day at the office. Setting the empty glass down on the floor, she rested her head on the bath pillow and closed her eyes. Her mind drifted aimlessly towards the mysterious photo, and she began to conjure up a picture of the shadowed man. She imagined him, what he'd look like, how he'd act. How he'd kiss, how his hands would feel on her body…

Kai's eyes snapped open. What was she thinking?! This was just some photo.

But some wild and fantastic mystery, too…

She didn't know if it was the champagne or the light throbbing between her legs that was making her dizzy, but she liked the feeling. Slowly her hand slid across her breasts and down her flat stomach. She felt her nipples growing harder, though the water was quite hot. With her mouth slightly parted, she licked her lips as her hand travelled closer to her aching bud, longing to be caressed. She lifted one leg onto the side of the bathtub and stroked her inner thighs till she moaned with longing. With one hand she lightly stroked her breasts, and with the other, she softly touched her mound, and circled her clit, making her quiver with excitement. She imagined the shadowed man with his head between her legs, gently stroking her bud with his tongue, making her breath quicken and her heart beat faster with every circle. His strokes would become more firm, which she mimicked with her dancing fingers, and she felt closer and closer to exploding. She cried out as she imagined him suck hard on her clit, then plunging his tongue between her folds. Her fingers thrust inside her, and she squeezed her breasts, imagining his strong hands squeezing, and his tongue lapping between her legs. She felt another wave wash over her and slowly circled her clit once more. And the feeling subsided, leaving her breathless.

When Kai felt she could stand again, she stepped out of the bath, drained it, and walked naked and dripping to her bedroom. There she slept soundly, dreaming of the shadowed man holding her against his own naked body.

* * *

That damned paperwork. Who were they kidding? She'd never get through it all by the deadline. She'd been slaving over it for the good part of two hours, and she felt she earned a break. She clicked the Send/Receive button on her email, and got up to make herself a coffee.

She smiled coyly as she remembered her episode in the bath last night, and she couldn't hide her blush as she felt a moist patch growing between her legs once again. Coffee in hand, she scampered quickly back to her office, afraid anyone might notice her arousal.

Seated back at her desk, she gasped as her inbox was flooded with twenty, maybe thirty, new emails. All un-addressed, with no message, no return email… but the same mysterious photo was attached to all of them. Was someone toying with her? Or was it something more?

Kai stared for a long time at the photo, particularly the shadowed man. Something about him intrigued her, not to mention made her feel hot and jittery. She had to find him. She had to know.

She quickly threw together her bag, and stuck her head into the hallway, looking out for anyone who might stop her from her quest to find this man. She didn't know how she'd find him, or even where to look. She only knew that he'd be out there, somewhere. And that he was looking for her too.

She started her car, and quickly escaped from her work. Where the hell should she look first? She'd relocated the photo in her mind. Trees and flowers. She'd try the local parks first, and maybe some of the wildlife reserves that surrounded the town she lived in.

When, after an hour or so of driving and searching, her quest returned nothing, she pulled over on the side of the road, exasperated. She was feeling agitated, anxious, and annoyed. She did so want to find this man, to see him up close, so she could take the memory of him back to bed with her.

Because that's exactly what Kai needed. A bit of excitement. And excited is how she felt at the moment.

Checking around to see if anyone would notice, she wound up the windows of her car, and felt around in her bag for her favourite pocket-sized joy. She wriggled out of her underwear and positioned the vibe between her moist opening. She gasped as she quickly orgasmed, and she clutched the door handle as the feeling washed over her. She thrust the toy inside and out, faster and faster, imagining the shadowed man and how he'd feel, until she felt the muscles clench in her pussy, and she climaxed once more. With slow strokes she brought herself down from her euphoria, smiling until she saw something shimmer on the horizon.

Squinting, she could just make out the shape of a lake, surrounded by tall, shady trees. And a blanket of pink scattered about.

Kai's eyes widened, and she dropped the vibe on the floor, not worrying about her panties, and started the car with such haste, that it stalled as soon as it started moving. She couldn't believe what she saw! Just by luck (and in the middle of pure enjoyment!), she had stumbled upon what she had been searching for. What she needed.

It seemed to take forever to get there. Like a rainbow, as she was approaching, the destination seemed to moving further and further into the distance. But soon enough, and in record time, she pulled up to a gravely carpark, with the lake and shady trees not too far away.

As she grabbed her bag, she wondered if she was walking into a trap. The emails, after all, could have come from some sick rapist who wanted to lure her into this paradise, feel her up, and plant his seed inside her to leave her battling with her shattered emotions for the rest of her life.

However, the more romantic, or perhaps lustier, side of her didn't want to believe that. So she put aside her inhibitions, shouldered her bag, and strode towards the scene she so vividly remembered from the photo.

There didn't appear to be anyone in sight. She was quite alone. The water with its mesmerising shimmer danced in front of her, and a light breeze played on her bare arms. She closed her eyes, taking in her surroundings with her senses, and smiled to herself. This was beautiful, nonetheless. She couldn't help but feel a calmness overcome her, something quite different to the rabid heat she'd been feeling over the past couple of days. She felt the breeze steal kisses on her neck, and caress her skin, and unzip her dress…

Kai's eyes opened wide. She opened her mouth to protest, but instead her breath was taken away by the sexiest voice she'd ever heard whispering into her ear.

"Don't speak. Just feel."

Her dressed slipped down her body, leaving her standing naked but for her bra. A blush crept up her neck, which the stranger chuckled low at. "Don't be ashamed. Don't be afraid. Just feel."

Just feel… She closed her eyes again, and experienced sensations she never thought were possible. His feather-soft touch and warm breath on her most tender places sent her knees weak and her heart aflutter. He started at her toes, then met her knees, and caressed her thighs. Her body ached for him, yet she stood still, lavishing the feel of a man's loving touch on her milky skin. It was something she hadn't felt in a long time, and this man was exactly what she needed.

His hands passed over her stomach, and across her breasts, still enclosed in the tight bra. She longed for him to remove it, to set her breasts free, and to take them into his mouth. But he didn't. Instead, he passed his lips over the soft mounds and she heard him inhale, taking in her scent.

She'd never felt so wholly aroused. Her mind was alert, yet she couldn't think, and her body was so in tuned to her senses she thought she'd explode. Just when she thought she couldn't hold herself up any longer, she felt his mouth close over hers. She could smell his arousal, his masculinity. His scent filled her nostrils, and filled her with such sweet pleasure, she felt fulfilled just by his kiss.

But he hadn't finished with her yet. His tongue explored her mouth while his hands stole around her back. She felt him unclasp her bra and her breasts were released. She let out a low moan, and secure in his strong arms, he lowered her onto the blanket of pink flowers.

He cupped her left breast in his warm hand, while the other hand slowly traveled down her body. She writhed and wriggled, not knowing whether to arch her chest or her hips to meet his lips. Her eyes were still closed, but they were heavy with lust and she could not open them to look into the eyes of her shadowed man. She cried out, weakened, when his tongue rolled over her nipple, which grew hard almost immediately. He gave her breast a gentle squeeze before moving to suck on the other.

She could feel his arousal between her legs, pressing against her moist patch, threatening to burst out of his pants and burrow inside her. She rocked her hips in motion with his, longing to feel him touch her or kiss her in her most intimate place. His fingers trailed enticingly up her thigh, so close to her throbbing bud, yet not quite touching. She moaned and whimpered, needing to feel him, needing to reach her climax.

He stood. One moment he was there, the next he was gone. Kai had a moment of panic: had she done something wrong? Her eyes fluttered, and then she heard the voice in her head, the voice of the photo, whisper: "Just feel."

She heard the shadowed man unzip his pants and step out of them. Once again, he was by her side, and she reached out to bring him into her hands. He was well aroused, and this pleased her: she hadn't aroused anyone in so long. She brought her head close to the tip of his penis and took him into her mouth. For the first time, she heard him utter a low moan. Slowly, her head bobbed up and down, her tongue tasting the length of his manhood, exciting her as she imagined it thrusting inside her. She felt him quiver beneath her, and he stopped her in time. He rolled her onto her back, leaving her breathless and anxious as to what he would do next.

He spread her legs, and feeling a sense of déjà vu, she felt him circle her clit with his tongue. Firmer and quicker came the strokes of his tongue and before long she was crying out in pleasure, needing to feel him inside her. Sensing this need, he was soon on his knees, driving himself past her moist lips. She gasped as his length filled her, and he began to thrust inside her. She had never felt such incredible pleasure, and she couldn't do anything but feel: feel him, his body, his sheer masculinity, and the amazing aura surrounding him. It was the single most surreal and exciting experience of her life.

His thrusts became faster and wave over wave of pleasure washed over her, and before long he came with her too, moaning with mixed sensations of bliss and exhaustion. He rolled off her and brought her down with gentle strokes on her pulsating clit. Then he held her against him, and together they slept under the shady trees by the shimmering lake.

* * *

She awoke many hours later to the sound of the morning birds singing of sweet nothings, of simple pleasures and joy and love. Surrounded by the pink flowers, she sat up and smiled to the sunrise.

He was long gone, but it didn't matter. She would always have the shadowed man and their night in the pink flowers.