Kyler Nielson was a portrait of perfection. And he was mine. The photo he had attached to his Mail Misters profile had been a poor imitation, a mockery of the man who had stepped out of that jet. His features were delicate, almost like an artist had sculpted them with hands inspired by love. Narrow, proud cheekbones. Lush, moist lips. Hair blowing gently in the evening wind. Bright green eyes. And he was mine.

It was funny. I had spent so much time imagining this moment, visualizing how it would go. And now that it was here, I was at a complete loss on what to do. I decided the safest course of action was to attempt a hug, if for no other reason but to get closer to him.

I stepped towards him, smiling when I caught his clean, fruity and flowery scent with hints of citrus, and noticing at the same time that I was getting visibly aroused.

I saw his lips move, and I could have sworn I heard him curse.

I spread my arms and enclosed him in a tentative hug. He was about a foot shorter than me, so his head nestled somewhere around my neck. I took a deep breath and my nostrils filled with his fragrance. It felt like home. I held him for as long as I thought was appropriate, then smiled and stepped back. Now I was definitely aroused.

“Hey, hubby,” I said, remembering how he had initiated contact with me.

He grinned. It was beautiful to watch.

“You look nothing like your photo, Revenant Leo DiCaprio.”

That one made me laugh.

“I was going for Django Unchained DiCaprio,” I said.

“Hey, I’m not complaining. Any Leo can get all of it.”

“Careful, now. You’re a married man.”

“Uh uh. Not just yet. There’s the small matter of a wedding night deflowering…”

He held out his fingers and pretended to be examining them.

I laughed again, relieved and impressed by how quickly we had fallen into easy banter, and how natural it seemed.

“Speaking of which,” Kyler went on. “Where’s the welcome party? Where are the thick melanin queens with hula hoops and sisal skirts? Where’s the local band?”

He looked this way and that, like he was expecting an old man to jump out from behind the jet with a conga drum.

“Well, I was hoping a small, intimate welcome party would do the trick,” I told him. “I was hoping I would be enough for you.”

I held his gaze as I said it, infusing the words with as much innuendo as I could. I saw his lips twitch slightly, but he looked away almost immediately.

“Oh, I don’t doubt that you are,” he said, and the lust in his voice was unmistakable.

We continued to stand there, the air between us charged and sizzling, the import of unspoken longing hanging thick in the air like a raincloud. Eventually, when I was sure the pressure would snap my zipper, I politely asked if Kyler would like to see my home.

I rested a hand on his thigh the whole drive home. He said nothing, but I could feel the heat coming off him in waves. Once or twice I caught him looking at me through the sides of his eyes, and when my eyes met his, it was like a current had passed between us.

“Welcome to my little paradise,” I told him when my mansion came into view. We walked up to the house together, side by side, matching each other step by step. I asked him how his trip was, and he told me he could barely remember it, as his mind was elsewhere. I took that to mean he had been just as excited to meet me as I was him.

I really liked him. He was even better than the site suggested, and that was quite something. He had already made me laugh more in the time since I picked him up than the entirety of my stay here. I was sure we would get along quite well.

My gaze followed him as he inspected the house. He had an easy grace, no doubt aided by his strong athletic body. He was also unafraid to be himself. His reactions were anything but muted as he walked through the house. He gasped, he waved his arms about, he squealed. He threw himself on the couch and made a snow angel. He waltzed into the kitchen and did such a perfect impression of Gordon Ramsey’s cold disappointment at trying a meal I could not stop laughing for a few minutes. He falsetto-ed the opening lines of ‘Memories’ from ‘Cats’ to test out the acoustics in the main bathroom. When he was done, he danced back to me and shrugged.

“It’ll do,” he said, feigning nonchalance. “Are you not going to show me the bedroom?”

I led him into the bedroom, then stepped back and continued to watch him. I felt like it was my chance to drink him all in. I was so absorbed by him I did not want to tear my eyes away from him. He fascinated me to no end. He was a bundle of restless energy. He would keep me on my feet, this one. In more ways than one, too, it seemed. I doubted my erection had subsided since the airport. I wondered what he would do if I just grabbed him and kissed him. I had been thinking about it all evening, so why not just do it? But, no. There was plenty of time for that. There was no hurry, after all. He was my husband.

Mine.

He opened up his suitcase and lay it gently on a table.

“I would like to freshen up, please,” he said, giving me a significant look. “Big night ahead, you know.”

“Of course,” I said, turning to walk out of the room. “Take all the time you need. The bathroom is over there.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, and Kyler…”

On second thought, I walked back into the room and closed the distance between us. My nostrils were filled once more with that heady scent of him. I reached down and took his hand.

“I don’t know if I’ve said this at any point. I apologize if I haven’t. But I’m thrilled to have you here. I couldn’t be happier that it was you I matched up with.”

“Thanks. I’m glad I matched up with you too.”

He was so close to me I could almost taste him. You could if you wanted to. I had started drawing small patterns on the back of his hand with my fingers. Slow, unconscious circles, light, feathery touches. I could tell it was having an effect on him. His eyelids were suddenly heavy, and he licked his lips once.

With my free hand, I reached out and touched his face. Flawless skin, as expected. I slowly tilted his chin upwards. I took another step towards him so that our bodies were now touching. Not yet, I thought. It took everything in me to drop my hand back to my side. I wanted him, badly… All I could think of was pushing him onto the bed and ploughing into him. I swallowed hard, remembering that I had promised to wait until later.

Kyler was smiling.

“Great,” I said, a bit too loudly. “Please make yourself at home. This is literally your home now. I’m going to go get dinner started.”

“Good. Okay.”

“Any allergies I should know about?”

“Latex?”

I was grinning like an idiot when I walked out of the room and made my way back to the kitchen. I was happy, I realized. It was a long time before I even remembered the business of the contract, and by then, I literally could not care less.