I returned to my seat for the second half of the play, my mind working over time as I thought about what I had just discovered. On stage my Mr X was putting in a fine performance and I wondered what he had in mind for later on that evening. I managed to clear my mind enough to concentrate on the play and was soon applauding with the rest of the audience as the actors took their final bow. I made my way back to the foyer with my friends and was greeted by the theatre manager holding a tray with a glass of champagne on it. ‘Good Evening, Madam. If you would like to take a seat here for a few minutes.’ I took the champagne and sat down on a small sofa and said good night to my friends.

Sipping the ice cold drink I discretely opened my evening bag and checked my reflection in my compact mirror, smiling as my ruby earrings sparkled in the light. Just as I finished my drink the theatre manager returned and asked me to follow him. He led me through several doors and along corridors crowded with actors and staff celebrating a successful first night. We finally came to a stop outside a door, on which the manager knocked, paused for a moment, then opened it and stepped back, motioning for me to enter. I walked through the door and heard a soft click as it closed behind me.

Standing in the middle of his dressing room, buttoning up his shirt, was Mr X. He walked towards me and before I could speak he put his arms around me, pulled me towards him and kissed me passionately. I put my hands up around his neck, feeling his hair still damp from his recent shower and as we kissed I could feel his strong hands caressing my body and smell the fresh, lemon and spicy scent of his aftershave. Things were starting to get rather intense and I had lots of questions to ask before we went any further, so I pulled away from him. He looked deep into my eyes and, as if reading my mind said, ‘We can’t talk here. I’m taking you to dinner so you can ask all your questions then.’ There was a car waiting for us by the stage door and we got in and were driven to the restaurant.

As we dined, Mr X explained that we had first met a while ago, but only briefly, at an event arranged by my friend Julia. He was friends with her husband Matthew and knew that I’d be at his birthday party. He’d asked Julia for her advice on how to get to know me. She had remembered that I had once told her that I would like to have a mystery admirer and he had come up with a plan to arouse my interest. He had decided to use the silken red ribbons to lure me down to the boathouse where he would be waiting for me. As it had worked so well, he had decided to carry on the red ribbons theme, just to add to the mystery of the situation.

As we drank our coffee, he reached across the table and took my hand. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘now I’ve revealed my true identity to you, would you like to continue getting to know each other?’ I entwined my fingers with his and said, ‘I’d like that very much. What did you have in mind?’ He looked deep into my eyes and replied, ‘How about picking up where we left off last week in my apartment?’ A thrill of excitement travelled through my body as I remembered our recent exquisite encounter. I nodded and within minutes we had left the restaurant and were back in his car, being driven through the city back to his apartment………….