Ludwig was not a happy man. He’d had that damn dream again. Every night for a week he’d dreamed about the beauty with platinum blonde hair and glowing red eyes. Last night she’d been dressed in black leather from head to delicately shod toe, her long hair flowing down her back and around his hips. He’d almost had her last night, but the minx had disappeared before he could finally have her.

She fascinated him. She always appeared and tried to seduce him, but if she didn’t succeed, she didn’t just leave. She would ask him questions about random things. She would also be trying to seduce him the entire time, but he still liked talking with her. They’d been talking politics – of all things – and she’d made him laugh with her opinions of the various world leaders. She was strong, she was witty, she was stubborn, and she was an ass. She was his perfect woman. She was a figment of his imagination.

He was trudging back to his car after work when he realized that he was being watched. Across the street, the woman was watching him. Ludwig froze, staring into the red eyes that haunted his dreams. He had been completely unable to think of anything else for days. His work was suffering, the woman he was seeing was suspicious, and here was the bane of his existence in the flesh.

Ludwig was so consumed with her that he didn’t realize that he was walking towards her.

Across a busy street.