Kate Chopin (1851-1904)寫的小說及故事中，女主角常經歷不幸的婚姻；「吻」卻是例外。

在陰暗的客廳角落，Nathalie和Brantain正低聲地閒話聊天。Brantain雖然長相平庸卻多金，美麗的Nathalie渴望攀附豪門坐享奢華的生活，她慵懶地撫摸懷中的貓，一邊等待他開口求婚。就在此時，門開了，Harvy一腳走進來就大步朝Nathalie走去，他彎下身深情款款地親吻著Nathalie。Nathalie萬萬沒料到他會這麼做，他竟然沒看到Brantain就坐在對面。Brantain緩緩地站起來說：「我想我待太久了，我該走了，再見！」
The door opened and a young man entered. The girl turned her face toward him. A stride or two brought him to her side, and bending over her chair -before she could suspect his intention, for she did not realize that he had not seen her visitor-he pressed an ardent, lingering kiss upon her lips. Brantain slowly arose. "I believe," stammered Brantain, "I see that I have stayed too long. I –I had no idea-that is, I must wish you good-bye."

Nathalie說：「你怎麼不敲門就進來？」「我和妳哥哥一起回來，他上樓，我直接來找妳。我真的沒看到他，求求妳原諒我！」「原諒你？絕不可能！」隔了幾天，Nathalie和Brantain在一場宴會又見面了。她笑臉迷人略顯不安，挽著Brantain的手走向安靜無人的角落，她開門見山地說：「或許我不應該和你談，但是從上次見面後，我真的很悲傷，我猜想你有所誤會，當然事不關你，但你一定要知道Harvy和我很熟就像我的哥哥一樣。我真傻，這些話你根本不想聽，」她快哭出來，「但我一定要讓你知道，這對我來說，非常重要！」

"Perhaps I should not have sought this interview, Mr. Brantain; but-but, oh, I have been very uncomfortable, almost miserable since that little encounter the other afternoon. When I thought how you might have misinterpreted it. I do want you to understand that Mr. Harvy is an intimate friend of long standing. Why, we have always been like cousins-like brother and sister, I may say. Oh, I know it is absurd, uncalled for, to tell you this," she was almost weeping, "but it makes so much difference to me what you think of-of me."

Nathalie如願地步上紅毯，在眾多來賓中Harvy找機會和新娘獨處，他說：「你丈夫不希望因為妳結了婚，妳我之間親密的感情就中斷。我不清楚妳告訴他什麼？不過他要我過來吻妳。」Nathalie覺得自己像個下棋高手，巧妙地移動棋子，讓棋賽對自己有利。她明亮的雙眸，溫柔的笑容，雙唇迎向前，渴望Harvy的親吻。然而Harvy卻冷冷地說：「我不再親吻女人了，這太危險了。當然，我沒讓你丈夫知道我倆的戀情，否則我豈不是太不知趣了。」她嫁給Brantain成了富婆，還想保有情人，也真異想天開了。
Her eyes were bright and tender with a smile as they glanced up into his; and her lips looked hungry for the kiss which they invited. "But, you know," he went on quietly, "I didn't tell him so, it would have seemed ungrateful, but I can tell you. I've stopped kissing women; it's dangerous." Well, she had Brantain and his million left. A person can't have everything in this world; and it was a little unreasonable of her to expect it.