His Wicked Temptation

Chapter Two

✈︎

enchanté
(m.) nice to meet you

ROSABELLE

Privet.

I've learned more than a few Russian words before, really. But, God, I swear I couldn't remember the meaning of 'privet.'

Dumbfounded, I kept staring at the man until I realized my hand was still placed on his arm, and I quickly retreated myself. I blinked up at him, blush coating my face in sheer embarrassment as I searched for words to utter. "I... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to b-bump into you."

His searing gaze kept being fixated on mine, until a chuckle left his mouth. "Ah, an Italian, I see." Thick Russian accent waved beneath his voice as he said, ignoring my previous apology as if he barely cared. "I'm Emiliano, miss. You could say, your savior." A sly grin slashed across his face, and the redness of my cheeks deepened.

At that moment, I managed to appreciate his appearance as well, from his Brioni suit to the magnificent tattoos on his hands. God, his demeanor screamed of delinquency.

Yet, I somehow ended up returning him a slight smile in response. "Pleased to meet you, Emiliano. I'm Rosabelle. Thank you, and sorry once again."

"It's alright, Rosabelle. The pleasure is mine," he mused, intrigue dancing beneath his gaze. I blinked, not knowing what else to say. A momentary pause fell between us. His enticing eyes remained on mine, the green irises luring me in like a siren drawing its prey.

Captivating. Yet, lethal.

Then Ana decided to break the silence.

"Okay then, we'll leave now, Emiliano," she said, pulling me close by her side, a tight smile plastered over her face.

Emiliano, as if finally noticing her presence, turned to look at her. It was clear that he didn't like the disintegration, however, he still managed to grin at her. "Have a great night, ladies."

Then he disappeared from our view, leaving me as stunned as before.

I turned to glare at Ana afterward, my jaw practically on the ground. "Nobody told me Russian men were that hot."

She scoffed at the remark before shaking her head, as if in denial. "Don't be charmed by him. This man is a womanizer at heart, and the sweet smiles he gave you have already been shown to half of the female population of Moscow."

I rolled my eyes in response to her prickly words. "Calm down, woman. I'm not planning to marry him or something. I just know how to appreciate true beauty."

She laughed along with me. "Ah, I'll agree with you on this one."

Before long, we left for the dance floor. And this time, I made sure Ana never ran.

✈︎

"Goddammit, Ana. I need to make a bucket list!" I huffed out in frustration, my head spinning from the amount of drink I had by now.

At least, I had a high alcohol tolerance compared to the woman beside me, who was now on the verge of fainting. I've been trying to convince her to leave the club for hours, and failing as well because she's too stubborn to listen to me, especially when she's drunk as hell.

The time was near midnight, and as much as one could call me a boomer for leaving the club before midnight, I can't give zero fucks about it. My dad has been calling me for hours and telling me to go home.

He's been worried since I arrived here, and I can't blame him for that either. It was my first time in such a place, after all.

And also, I haven't yet made a bucket list of where to visit and other stuff. I'll have to think about it as well after going home.

"Come on, girl. A few more rounds and we leave," Ana groans as I strictly shook my head. "We're leaving, now."

She didn't move. At all.

Realizing that this girl wouldn't budge at my words, I retreated my hand from the glass of my drink and decided to pull her arms instead, taking action myself.

"Come on, Rosa," she whines when I yanked her away. She tried to break away from my grip, but failed to do so. I never cared to respond to her blabbering as I dragged her out of the club and got ourselves inside my car.

Then I signaled my driver to start the car.

"You're so cruel," Ana whispered, resting her head on my shoulder. I smirked. "I know."

Retrieving my phone from my purse, I decided to search through Google, hoping the app could provide me some help on making my bucket list.

It's only a four-week trip. And I have to make sure I leave satisfied from this country.

I'll definitely take a tour of Red Square; it was my first mission. Then probably comes Gorky Park and Tretyakov Gallery. These places were the most visited and recommended ones.

Then comes the foods I need to taste. Kholodets is a must, definitely, and-

"Ma'am?" My driver's voice pulled me out of my reverie as I looked up from my phone. "Yes," I replied, slightly annoyed by his interruption.

I preferred it to be quiet when I'm thinking about anything because any disruption in my thoughts causes me to forget them. It's my problem, and dealing with it is not as easy as one could think.

"Boss had told me to buy some food for you on the way back home," he says, "Can I stop the car?" A frown appeared on my face at the question. "Nino," I sighed, "You don't need to ask me for that, you know?"

The man probably became embarrassed at my words as he nodded quickly before stopping the car.

Then he got out, and I shook my head in disbelief before bringing my attention to my phone screen once again.

After a while of scrolling through, I turned off the phone, deciding to do the rest later. I looked out of the window afterward, and the cold breeze of Moscow flowed by, brushing against my hair slightly.

My car was parked nearby a bakery, and I saw Nino's figure standing at the counter through the glass doors.

Suddenly, I saw the glass door opening, and a familiar figure walked out. My eyes widened at the sight.

The man named Emiliano I met a few hours ago at the local club was coming out of the bakery, his one hand carrying a packet, while the other one typed something on his phone. His movement was calculated, seemingly he was heading toward the other side, where a Mercedes was parked.

My car was in a dark corner, and I thought he wouldn't notice me. But what I hadn't realized was that my head was out of the window.

What happen then was sudden. So, so sudden.

The man turned his head to the side, more accurately, to where I watched him from. And a barely noticeable sly grin appeared on his lips, making no sign of denying that he already anticipated my presence.

Oh, God. He wanted me to know that he knew.

A gasp left my mouth, and before he could draw his gaze into mine, I retreated inside the car hurriedly before pulling the black window up.

A wave of shivers coursed through me.

Though, I didn't understand how he noticed me, the way his mouth tipped up or the way his canines became visible had me suddenly feeling... weird.

A sense of thrill.

A carnal thrill.

I sighed and picked up my phone again, trying to distract my thoughts as Ana's words buzzed in my mind.

He's a playboy, and my dad warned me as well.

But maybe I've just got a crush?

_____