Blood Diamonds

Chapter 21

Henry

The day of Estelle's Red Winter Ball had finally come. A shock of excitement coursed through me that morning as I lay in bed thinking of my meeting with Leila a few days prior. I would be seeing her again, under the watchful eyes of her in-laws. This extravagant social gathering would at least give me the opportunity to casually chat to her. I would have a solid excuse without having to resort to coming up with a formal business reason or sneaking around like a child who was out after curfew. Leila liked me, of that I was absolutely certain. The electricity between us was disastrously palpable and I could taste the full extent of her wanting on her cherry lips without having to physically touch them.

Taking all this into consideration, it was physically and emotionally torturous continuing with this ridiculous charade. Putting up these deceiving appearances for fear of what we might have done if we gave into our obvious urges was a cruel and exhausting task neither of us wanted to do, yet we somehow managed it as the weeks during which she was briefed on my political campaign dragged on. Afterall, both our lives were at risk. If word got out that I was romantically involved with Rodney Smith's wife, it could have meant the end of her success as we knew it, and possibly the end of both of our lives. She would be tossed aside and discarded in a destitute backlash of revenge, back to where she came from, and probably much worse off than when she first met Rodney. I, on the other hand, would be powerless to help her. My life as I knew it, and my physical existence, would be over in the blink of an eye. Still, the chemistry was there. To deny it would be to deny the fabric of our reality.

The winter sun that streamed weakly through my drawn curtains cast an ethereal glow on my bedroom interior. Everything was awash in a beauteous, rosy, golden light. Life was definitely exquisite.

I was slightly apprehensive about my invitation to the upcoming ball to be held that night. Although it was customary to invite anyone who carried a hefty title to these things, a very nagging worry told me that my standard invitation had more sinister connotations attached to it. We had to proceed with extreme caution. Our every encounter with each other could be spied upon, whether innocent or not. The invite could also have been an easy excuse to discern whether the whispers of suspicion were true or not.

The question on my mind was 'is one woman worth risking everything for?'. Every instinct indicated that Leila was more than just a woman, she was a goddess, Artemis in the flesh—beautifully fierce and worth every ounce of my comfortable life, no doubt about it. She proved this by being astoundingly intuitive about the political arena and offering useful advice and wisdom to improve the campaign that actually made sense, as if she were doing it professionally for years. The enigma of the woman I clearly knew little of became more complex while I observed her exercising her intellectual talents. She had the attractive, pleasant, attention-stealing charisma, with the brains to go with it.

Another question that played on my mind was whether Leila herself thought I was worth the trouble. Would she risk everything for me as I would for her? It was impossible to tell what lurked in that radiant head. She was as intrinsic and enigmatic as they come.

Theharsh mid-morning sunlight which baked my room, giving the atmosphere a warm,fuzzy aura and dispelled the biting chill, made me caress my naked torso untilI eventually gave in and grasped my aching privates. Leila... the thought of her made me as hot as a scorching summer'sday.