Chapter 2 #3
“Look, shorty,” said Lolo, as he always called Sol, “stop putting those ideas in my little sister's head or you'll become a 'persona non grata' in the family.”
“Shut up and let us have fun, we're very young!” Sol exclaimed, laughing.
“They're right, go have fun, but no boyfriends,” said Bastián, laughing as he returned to his guests.
“Laugh, Bastián, but you'll end up agreeing with me, this girl is a bad influence on Dali,” Lolo said.
I greeted many of their friends because I knew them, and then my friend and I approached the bar to order some drinks. Sitting comfortably on high stools, we were drinking our “Margaritas” while my friend seemed to have turned on her radar to detect any guy she might like.
“I'm going to the bathroom,” she announced, then got up and walked away.
As I took a sip of my cocktail, I watched her walk away, then looked for my brothers who seemed to be having quite a good time, and I smiled.
Bastián was chatting and laughing with a group of friends, and Lolo was dancing with a girl.
When I turned to face the bar, I noticed that a few meters away there was a rather affectionate couple.
He had his back to me, leaning against the bar, and the girl was hanging from his neck trying to get his attention in every possible way.
I tried not to observe them, but that back and that hair color reminded me of a certain person, and I reproached myself for always having that man in my mind.
Damn Henry Woollardy who lately did nothing but.
.. wait a minute! I narrowed my eyes to focus. That man was...
The man turned to pick up his glass from the bar, and at that moment our eyes met.
It was him, it was that man who lately seemed placed in my path to torment me.
His surprise was evident because he froze, but as he looked at me, he gave a sexy smile and winked at me.
I pretended not to notice and lowered my gaze as quickly as I could to compose myself, but I was aware that he kept his eyes fixed on me.
I brought the glass to my lips to try to do something with my hands that had begun to tremble.
At that moment I heard Bastián's voice and was grateful to have a distraction to focus on something other than that man.
“Dali, come with me, I want to introduce you to some friends,” he said, taking my hand and pulling me through the place to bring me to the group of people he wanted to introduce me to.
As I left the stool where I was sitting, I looked in his direction again and noticed that he was staring at my brother with an intense, serious gaze, but I decided to stop paying attention to him. I wasn’t going to let that man ruin Bastián’s birthday.
I chatted with my brother’s group of acquaintances, and after a while, I decided to go look for Sol because I hadn’t seen her since she’d left me at the bar.
I won’t deny that my eyes were dying to drift toward where he was, but summoning all my willpower, I didn’t look in that direction again.
I also had to admit that I hadn’t liked seeing him cuddling with a woman. That man was driving me crazy!
I started walking toward the bathrooms, but when I was about to reach them, a hand gripped my arm. I turned and found myself face to face with the last person I wanted to see again that night.
“Do you remember me?” he asked, with that voice that made my entire body vibrate, looking at me intensely.
“I remember you,” I confirmed. I wasn’t going to deny something that was obvious every time our eyes met.
“It seems we’ve been frequenting the same places lately,” he said, without letting go of me.
“It seems so,” I replied, but I looked at his hand and added: “Can you let go of me?”
“Why are you so evasive with me? From what I’ve been able to observe these last few days, you give your attention to countless men because every time I find you, you’re accompanied by a different one. Why can’t you give me your attention?”
Excuse me? What was he insinuating? I questioned myself.
I forcefully pulled my arm away and looked at him indignantly.
“What does what you just said mean?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked, bringing his face close to mine and leaving his mouth very, very near to mine.
“Not to me, enlighten me.”
“What am I supposed to think if the three times we’ve met, you were with different guys? And let’s agree that the first time you were in a hotel bar.”
Was this man suggesting that men paid me? Fury began to grow inside me at an alarming rate.
“Take that back!” I ordered.
“Why? For saying what I think? I don’t usually retract my words, darling. You just need to tell me what I have to do to also enjoy the pleasure of your company or how much…”
And fury took over my entire body, and without being able to help it, I raised my hand and gave him a resounding slap.
“I’m not your darling, you arrogant jerk! And don’t you dare say something like that again!”
I had never hit anyone before, and it didn’t make me feel good to do it, but this man awakened all kinds of emotions in me, including the most visceral fury I had ever felt in my life.
There weren’t many people around us because we were in a dimly lit corridor that led to the bathrooms, but the few who saw the scene stared at us and then disappeared from the area, probably thinking it was just a simple lovers’ quarrel.
Henry looked at me, surprised by my outburst, and I think I was shooting fire from my eyes.
“If you disrespect me again, I swear that…”
I couldn’t finish the sentence. He cornered me between his body and the wall and took possession of my mouth without any kind of consideration.
Although the contact with his lips produced a feeling of euphoria like never before, I still remembered his hurtful words, and the fury was still present, so I began to struggle to break free from his body, but the more I did, the more he pressed and cornered me.
His entire body was on top of mine, and his lips were traveling over mine, trying to reach the inside of my mouth.
His hands took mine and raised them above my head, and I surrendered, surrendered to that glorious sensation his kiss was causing.
I opened my mouth, and he invaded it, leaving no place unexplored, his soft tongue traveled through it entirely, sweeping away everything and leaving no space unexplored.
A hoarse gasp escaped from his throat, and at that moment, I felt it was the most erotic sound I had ever heard, making me shiver from head to toe.
And I couldn’t take it anymore; I lowered my barriers, responding with the same eagerness.
His mouth plundered mine with desperation.
We both let out soft moans that indicated the pleasure we were feeling at that moment.
I had been kissed before, but the experience of that kiss was unique and indescribable; he wasn’t just claiming my mouth, that man was kissing me claiming everything, even my soul.
I was out of breath, I couldn’t breathe, I felt like I was about to collapse and that my legs would give way at any moment; I had never been kissed like that.
His mouth and mine seemed to have been made to kiss each other because they fit together perfectly.
Suddenly, his words made their way through the haze that enveloped my mind at that moment, and although I had to make a great effort, I pulled my lips away from his.
We looked into each other’s eyes with surprise and the distinctive gleam of excitement.
His eyes, that light blue, had darkened and were looking at me with astonishment.
I couldn’t speak; I made an effort to say something, but nothing came out of my mouth.
He was also completely stunned and stared at me without blinking.
I struggled a bit, and this time he released me immediately.
I pushed him away and left his side as fast as my legs would allow because my whole body was trembling.
As I headed toward my brothers, who were the only familiar faces I could immediately spot among the crowd, Sol grabbed my arm and I jumped, thinking it was him again.
“It’s just me. Why are you so jumpy?”
“You just caught me off guard. I was looking for you,” I replied.
“I was dancing with a guy I met. He’s super handsome and really nice.”
“I need something cold to drink because I can’t stand the heat.”
“Your cheeks are bright red. Are you feeling okay?” she asked, looking at me with concern.
“I’m just overheated, but I’m going to sit down for a while and order a soft drink.”
And I wasn’t lying about that—after my encounter with Henry, my body was burning.
“I’ll come with you.”
We sat down on the couches where my brother’s group of friends was gathered, and I stayed there for quite a while.
If it had been up to me, I wouldn’t have left that spot until it was time to go, but my brothers insisted I dance with them, and I had no choice but to comply.
I didn’t see him again, and gradually I calmed down, though I couldn’t forget that kiss and didn’t know if I ever would.
It had been an experience like nothing I’d ever felt before, an experience too pleasurable that had awakened me from a slumber.
The rest of the week passed peacefully. On Friday, I received a call from Niky inviting Sol and me to her house for the entire weekend.
Niky was the girl we’d met in Mykonos and with whom we’d formed a nice friendship.
She lived with her mother in a large house with a swimming pool, but she was going to be alone because her mother had gone on a trip for several months to visit her sister.
We both accepted the invitation and agreed to meet at her house that evening.