Chapter 3

Uh. What did he just say to me?

Please, Lord, I don’t want to get into any form of trouble with this handsome guy, I prayed internally.

“Uhm. . .” I stuttered. “I didn’t mean it like that.” His hands reached out to touch my tensed shoulders as he stared into my eyes like he could see my soul. His touch sent shivers through my body. “Come on, I was just teasing.” His voice was deep and firm but he spoke calmly. “Relax, baby girl.”

From novels I had read, CEOs — especially the young ones were usually portrayed to be harsh and rude. But this one wasn’t anything like that and it caught me off guard. I drank the remaining contents of the glass in front of me, all this while feeling his eyes bore holes into my soul.

When I was done, I started wiggling my wristband. I should have gone to the dance floor or looked for Amy but I was scared of walking through the crowd. I didn’t want to feel the eyes of more people boring holes into my back.

“You seem uncomfortable here.” He said, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Not really. ” By now, he had gulped the contents of his drink and I wondered if he would ask for more. I said shifting uncomfortably and lifting my face to see him. His short curly brown hair swept over his face as his honey-brown eyes stared at me.

“From my observation, you are not comfortable here. Who brought you here?”

He’s observant, I see. “Why do you think I didn’t come here alone?” I blurted out.

“I just feel that way.”

“I had a bad day today. ” I took a deep breath at the recollection of what had happened earlier on. I continued. “So, my friend wanted to cheer me  up and she insisted we party tonight.”

“What a good friend right there. ” He said and I nodded while he reached out to squeeze my palm. I liked how his palm covered mine providing a cocoon of comfort.

“Would you like to share what happened?” He asked, his lucid eyes pleading. I heaved a sigh of exasperation as I fought the tears that threatened to spill out. He squeezed my palm more and a lone tear showed on my face. He offered to wipe my face with a sparkling white handkerchief that had splashes of expensive perfume on it.

I accepted, and he wiped my tears softly. In just a few minutes I spent with him, I felt cared for and accepted — a feeling I never knew while I was with Jake. I leaned into the counter, propping my elbows against it and he did the same while we stared into each other’s eyes. “Do you still wanna talk about it?” Silence. I cleared my throat which was slightly hurting me and then, I realized I had been raising my voice over the loud music. But it wasn’t the same for him. He had a natural firm voice.

“Yes—” Just then, I was Interrupted by the blondie that was all over him earlier on. She walked to stand by his side and whispered something into his ears and he scrunched his face. I wondered about the type of relationship they had.

“As you can see: I’m busy.” He stoically told her and that earned me a once-over from her. She hissed, walking out.

“Who’s she?” I asked without thinking and for some reason, I prayed she wasn’t his girlfriend.

“She’s the girl my parents want me to marry.” He shrugged. “I don’t love her but I don’t treat her badly either.”

“Just because you don’t love someone doesn’t mean you have the right to treat them badly,” I said and he nodded. He simply licked his lips but it felt so sensual and I stared at him longer than I should have. That was why when he asked me a question, I jerked slightly but smiled quickly so as not to get noticed.

“Do you love anyone?”

“Yes, I do,” I said smiling, thinking of my mom, my younger sister, and Amy. I know he meant that question in terms of relationships but when I think of love in general, these are the people that find their way into my thoughts.

He let out a hearty laugh in such a way that he threw his head backward, his throat rumbling with laughter. I liked the sound of it. I wished I could bottle the laughter into a jar.

“What’s funny?” I asked and he stopped laughing, flashing me an apologetic smile.

“I just thought about my parents: they claimed to be so in love yet they divorced.” He was smiling but behind all that smile I could see a heavy blanket of sadness wrapped around it.

“I’m sorry about—” He cut in, dismissing the topic. “So, who is the guy you’re in love with?” He enquired, raising a curious brow at me.

I cleaned off the counter, sitting upright but still facing him. “I know you’re expecting to talk about a romantic relationship with a guy.”

His eyes widened, stretching his left hand forward as if telling me to wait. “Are you gay?”

“Not at all. You know when we talk about love it must not necessarily be a romantic relationship.”

He nodded. “For example, I love my mom so much.”

I gestured a high-five sign and our palms clasped together. “You see…”

“Are you in a relationship though?”

I laughed. “You’re determined to know if I’m dating.”

“Well, it’s quite obvious. You are too pretty to be single but I’m just confirming.” He shrugged.

“I don’t think I’m still dating him.”

Concern flashed through his eyes. “Why?”

“I found out that he has another girlfriend.” I sighed. “Well, the relationship was quite—”

“I haven’t given him the right to cheat on you.”

I objected. “No, I wasn’t having sex with him and I was financially dependent on him, not giving him anything in return.” A painful knot twisted in my stomach as I drew in a deep breath.

“He would have told you he couldn't cope with it anymore.”  I wanted to say something but he continued. “If he wanted his sexual desires to be catered for and you weren’t able to do that, he should speak to you about it.”

Silence.

We settled into a comfortable silence as I marinated in his words. For a moment, I wondered the kind of trick he used for me to maintain a conversation with a stranger like him. It rarely happened (me having a conversation with a stranger).

Amy walked over to the bar, swaying her hips and beaming as if trying to curtail her excitement. She flashed an apologetic smile and pulled me to the side. “Babe! I see you’re bonding with him so well. Better get laid!” She chirped and disappeared. I smiled at her excitement.

sitting back on the bar stool, I saw the bartender mixing and swirling into two glasses. He handed them and my eyes rolled in confusion.

“I ordered it for both of us. ” He clarified.

“Uhmm… hope it’s not alcoholic. ”

“You’re one disciplined girl I’ve met in a while. So you don’t drink alcohol?”

“Nope,” I answered quickly.

“It’s not too strong, you can have this one.” With this, he handed me the glass by my side. I received it and gulped the contents down my throat which burned me, causing me to scrunch my face. It intoxicated me and made me want more and more.

“You look good with that expression on your face.” He said, laughing. I playfully hit his muscular arm.

When he recovered from the laughter, he urged me to drink more and I did. We ordered more drinks and we decided to go over to the dance floor and I carried my glass of wine along.

I held my glass with one hand and smiled at the handsome stranger whose strong arms locked around my waist. On a very close look, his face was chiseled and very carved and I felt like holding it delicately. His movement was in sync with mine and the music blaring from the speakers. He turned me around, and his lip brushed over my ears I almost moaned at the contact.

“What’s your name?” It then occurred to me that he had not even asked for my name all these while we’ve been together.

“Leila,” I answered, sipping more from the contents of my drink. I began to feel tipsy, maybe drunk. I staggered, turning to face him and then the remaining contents of the drink spilled on his white.

“I’m so sorry.”  I slurred.  “Let’s look for a bathroom to wash it off.”

He seemed familiar with the house as he led me to a luxurious room and then the bathroom. The moment our eyes met, I knew his was mirroring mine. Our eyes were full of lustful desires and we were determined to satisfy them, grasp the pleasurable moment, and make it a night of sin.