SEDUCTION

7

I hear behind me Patrick's warm and benevolent voice, I turn carefully, tasting the glass of champagne. As I look up, all the champagne comes out of my mouth, in a snort like from an artesian well, I almost drown, my cheeks catch fire and I can barely breathe, my gaze is fixed on the man in front of me. Those around us look at me curiously, even amused, I'm aware of the scene I just did ... but damn, I didn't expect that. What happens? I hope it's a joke, a very bad one.

- Are you okay? Patrick approaches me and has a worried look. He puts his hand on my bare back, directs me to a more secluded corner of the room. My hand instinctively rises to my mouth, I wipe the champagne from my lips and chin, I stare into David's eyes, I shoot arrows with my eyes, if a look could kill, now he would be dead. He knew who I was, all the time, and yet he tried to seduce me, to make me unable to think logically.

I shake my head. I'm not well at all, but I won't give him even more satisfaction.

"I'm fine," I say softly, "I'm just not used to alcohol." I apologize. I look at the two men in front of me, I can't believe he's the one holding the D.O.B. Company. I can't be so unlucky.

"Ava," Patrick continued, "I'd like to introduce you to David O'Brain, who owns the company that bought the agency." I can't breathe normally, my heart seems to want to jump out of my chest.

I'm not saying anything, I don't know what to do. I notice how Patrick looks from one to the other, he realizes that something is wrong, In the air there is a tension that increases with every second we spend close to each other. Then David reaches out to me.

"Nice to see you again," he says, smiling contentedly.

Patrick turns his head toward him automatically. His statement piqued his curiosity, I know.

- Do you know each other?

- Yes, I met yesterday. He has a curious look on his face, he is a hypocrite, he lied to me all the time.

"I just didn't know you owned a D.O.B." Company. I raise my hand to him and greet him, I don't want to make another scene to draw attention to myself, it's enough for one night. I didn't know who he was, keep on looking at Patrick.

- I wanted to buy my panthouse, which is close to here, and I found out that Ava has it in her apartment catalog, that she's in charge of finding a buyer for it.

David briefly explains how he called me to see a particular apartment. Then why did he make me come up with the whole list of apartments to choose from? If he was already determined what he wanted to buy, why did he want to see the whole list of apartments?

"Then I'm glad I officially met you." Patrick smiles sincerely at me, he has no idea how I feel at the moment, he doesn't know that I feel like exploding.

If before I wanted something to drink, now I want to drown in something, something with a lot of alcohol, something that makes me forget. I look for a waiter, I go to him, and I take a glass full of champagne, I signal him to wait, in two gulps I have finished the glass. I feel my throat burning down. I take a deep breath, gently bite my lower lip, exhale and put the glass on the tray to take another, then turn to the two men who are talking something, have serious faces, too serious for a party.

"Ava ..." Patrick looked at me for a long time, then looked down at the glass I was holding. Did something happen?

The question catches David's eye, he doesn't know what Patrick is talking about, he only sees Patrick's worried gaze. Then he looks at me, he has a penetrating, seductive, serious, mysterious look ... How can he look in such a way as to make all my anger dissipate as if it didn't even exist. I get lost in the lush green of his eyes.