Chapter 8 #3
“I don’t see anything strange about it. Shall we dance or go back to the table?” I asked, hoping he would drop the subject.
“They should be about to serve the main course, so let’s dance until we see them serving it,” he said, looking at me with a mocking smile.
On the dance floor, I tried to distract myself because I must confess that knowing Cavaller was there made it impossible for me to think about anything else. I had to admit that the man both annoyed and attracted me equally, and that mixture of sensations was complex to understand.
Orson, oblivious to everything going through my mind, took my hands and made me spin to the rhythm of “Dynamite” by the band BTS.
My friend’s dance moves ended my thoughts dedicated to the insufferable Cavaller, and I began to laugh out loud as he spun me in his arms. In one of the turns, I again crossed paths with that man’s stern gaze.
He was standing at the edge of the dance floor, watching me without any attempt to hide it, but with brutal seriousness.
Obviously, he wasn’t dancing, just standing there observing us.
When the song ended, I decided to return to the table because I didn’t feel comfortable dancing while being watched by him.
“Shall we sit down for a while?” I suggested.
“Yes, of course. You go ahead, I need to use the bathroom,” he said, and we left the dance floor in different directions.
To avoid passing by him, I went around the dance floor.
I didn’t know what was happening to me with him, but I preferred to avoid him.
When I reached the table, I felt calmer because having him out of my field of vision gave me a certain peace of mind.
A few minutes later, Orson sat down next to me.
“I just ran into your friend,” he commented, with a mocking emphasis on the word friend.
“The only friend I have at this party is you,” I said, although I knew who he was referring to.
“Why are you playing dumb?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “It’s clear that man affects you a little. But anyway, let me tell you that I saw him talking with a woman and they seemed to be having a great time.”
I don’t know why I felt my stomach jump and churn. That information didn’t sit well with me. I had to make a great effort not to turn my head and verify with my own eyes what Orson was saying.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“Of course I heard you, but I have nothing to say because, as I already explained, he’s not my friend and I don’t have the slightest idea about his life.”
“Do you know if he’s married?” he asked seriously, because it was certain that if I told him yes, my friend would chase him away from me without any consideration.
“I think he’s a widower because his daughter’s mother passed away,” I said, without providing more details.
“Aaah, so you do know something.”
“Orson, don’t see things where there aren’t any.
I had to find out about her parents because, when she arrived, the little girl was only accompanied by the nanny,” I said, because I wasn’t going to tell him that there was much more, from the relationship he had with his daughter to all the encounters I’d had with him and, above all, that the night before he had followed me until I entered my building.
He looked at me but didn’t make any comment because at that moment they began serving the main course.
The dinner was exquisite and the atmosphere became relaxed and cheerful again.
After dinner, a band began playing soft music, ballads that enhanced the ambiance while we enjoyed dessert.
I must admit that, every now and then and discreetly, I looked for Cavaller’s location, but I could never find him.
Several couples took to the dance floor to dance to the rhythm of those romantic ballads wonderfully performed by the musical group. At that moment, they were performing the song ?Leave Before You Love Me? by Marshmello, Jonas Brothers.
“Come on, beautiful. I know you’re dying to dance pressed against this body,” Orson said, with his always characteristic humor, as he stood up and stretched out his hand for me to take it.
“You’re the one dying for people to see you dancing with me,” I said, as I took his hand and we headed to the dance floor.
“No doubt about that, I’m the envy of this party,” he affirmed, giving me a wink.
We embraced and began to turn to the rhythm of that song.
“So tell me, did you manage to get many phone numbers for future dates?” I asked, smiling.
“A few, but I couldn’t get anyone to look at me the way Cavaller is looking at you. He’s standing a few feet away from us and can’t take his eyes off you. Seriously, Devon, this guy wants something with you.”
“He’s watching us?”
“I didn’t say he was watching us, I said he’s looking only at you, and get ready because he’s heading our way.”
When I heard what Orson said, my heart accelerated uncontrollably. If I weren’t a doctor, I would have thought those palpitations meant I was about to have a heart attack, but I knew clearly that in this case they were because of his presence.
At that moment, the song was ending and they began to perform ?If You’re Not The One? by Daniel Bedingfield. A very romantic song.
I felt when he arrived at our side because his particular fragrance was already unmistakable to me, besides noticing Orson’s gaze fixed on someone who I assumed was behind me.
“May I dance this song with Dr. Dulcet? If she agrees, of course.”
I immediately turned and met his gaze. What surprised me was that his typical look of arrogance had given way to one I couldn’t decipher, but which seemed uncertain. Uncertain? I must be mistaken because that man didn’t have an ounce of uncertainty in his body.
Orson looked at me seriously, I suppose seeking my approval, so I nodded and separated from him.
“I’ll wait for you at the table,” he said, and left me alone with the cause of all my torments.
Cavaller stood in front of me and without saying a word, took me by the waist and pulled me close to his body, then took one of my hands and brought it with his to his chest, forcing me to raise my other hand and rest it on his shoulder.
“Thank you for accepting the dance,” he said, getting too close to my ear, to the point that his lips brushed against it, and I couldn’t help but shiver.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
“Who is your companion? Is he your partner?” he asked, without beating around the bush and returning to the informal way of addressing me like the night before.
“He’s a friend,” was my brief response.
“With benefits?”
“I don’t understand,” I said, puzzled by his question and pulling back slightly to look him in the eyes.
Serious, serious mistake! What was I thinking when I decided to look at him from the few inches that separated us?
“I mean if you have a romantic relationship,” he clarified, though I had understood his question, but I refused to answer.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Let’s just say I’m interested,” he stated, bringing his lips close to my ear again and deliberately brushing against it, which made my neck tense and created a knot in my stomach.
Was he flirting with me? Was Cavaller really trying to seduce me, or was I just too confused? With each minute I was getting more nervous. Being in his arms with his body pressed against mine was already making me too flustered.
“Why are you interested?” I asked, not knowing what to say, but not sure if I wanted to know the answer.
“Why? Why? Don’t you know how to say anything else? Do you have to question everything I say?”
“Excuse me, but I don’t see why I have to explain things about my life to you. Would you answer these questions? I don’t think you would…”
“I’m a widower and I’m not in that kind of relationship right now,” he said, interrupting me.
For a few minutes we just looked into each other’s eyes, blue versus gray trying to figure out what the other was thinking.
“I’m sorry,” I finally said.
“What are you sorry about?” he asked, looking at me in that way that made my heart skip several beats.
“About your wife.”
“It’s been a few years now, she passed away a few months after Aurora was born.”
“I truly am sorry for you and Aurora. It couldn’t have been easy raising a baby alone.”
“It’s still complicated and I suppose it will be for the rest of my life, but I have employees who help me.”
I looked at him but didn’t say anything, because the love and attention of a mother and/or father couldn’t be replaced by anything or anyone, but I wasn’t going to tell him that.
The song came to an end and I tried to pull away from him to return to my table, but he held me tighter to prevent me from doing so. I looked at him surprised and confused.
“You didn’t answer me,” he stated, challenging me with his gaze.
“What?”
“Are you in a romantic relationship?” he asked, surprising me again with his direct and determined way of asking.
For a few seconds I just stared at him, but when I was about to respond, Orson stood beside me.
“You’ve had your dance, Cavaller. Shall we go back to the table, Devon?”
I looked at Orson, amazed by his attitude, but I assumed my friend had thought I wasn’t comfortable and wanted to rescue me. After all, I had told him that I thought this man was a brute.
“Thank you for the dance, Mr. Cavaller,” I said gratefully.
He just looked at me, nodded his head, and walked away from us. As we were heading to the table, I felt my legs trembling and about to give way at any moment, so I held onto my friend’s arm.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course,” I lied again. “Why did you do that?”
“Interrupt you?”
“Exactly.”
“Because I’m a man and I know there’s nothing worse than being interested in someone and having someone else ruin your plans.
I ruined his to make him a little jealous.
I assure you that if the guy really has any kind of interest in you, he won’t hesitate to make a good move to get me out of the game.
You can tell me later and thank me, beautiful,” Orson said with great confidence.
“What makes you think he has any interest in me?” I asked, wanting to know my friend’s opinion.
“The fact that I have eyes in my face, a lot of knowledge on the subject, and a hunch. All I ask is that you don’t forget what we talked about at lunch today. Enjoy life, Devon. Don’t overthink it.”
I looked at him but didn’t say anything.
Enjoy myself with Cavaller? Was I willing to sleep with him?
The truth was that I was very attracted to him and found him very sensual, to the point that he had given me those butterflies in my stomach that I didn’t remember could be felt.
When I had been in his arms, the sensation of his body pressed against mine had been indescribable.
I couldn’t remember feeling like this before.
Although I had loved Lino, or so I thought, we had met very young—I was barely 18 and Lino was 20—and I had married at 22.
Lino had been the only man I’d had sex with.
So, at the slightest possibility of being able to sleep with Cavaller, I felt such anxiety that I wanted to run away.
To tell the truth, it was like feeling elated and terrified in equal measure.
“Shall we go?” Orson asked, a while later.
“Yes, let’s go.”
After our dance, I hadn’t seen Cavaller again, so I assumed he had left the party.
“Thanks for the invitation,” I said, as I was saying goodbye to my friend who had driven me to my building in his car.
“Did you have a good time?”
“Yes, of course. The gathering was very fun, the food delicious, and the company unmatched.”
“Are you referring to me or to your patient’s dad?” he asked, giving me a wink.
“Stop with that. I’m leaving,” I said, opening the car door to get out.
“Promise me that if anything happens, you’ll tell me.”
“I promise, but don’t wait sitting down for something to happen because you’ll get tired.”
“We’ll see, beautiful, we’ll see.”
We said goodbye with a kiss on the cheek, and I headed up to my apartment.
When I arrived, I took off my shoes, poured myself a glass of cold water, and sat down on the living room couch to think about what I had experienced with that man.
I was in the darkness, the living room only illuminated by the moonlight coming through the large window, and that made me feel a great sense of peace.
The doorbell startled me. I stood up, convinced it was Orson, but I had no idea what would have made him come back.