Chapter Eighteen
“Eve?” He tapped my cheeks.
“Can you see me?” He joked, waving his hands across my face.
Of course i could see him. I could see the handsome look on his face as he smiled. It was infectious and I felt my cheeks stretching as well.
“You look like you’re in a trance, are you okay?” He went on.NôvelDrama.Org copyrighted © content.
I wanted to tell him the truth, that I was not okay. That it was hard concentrating when he was close. I wanted to tell him that his smile, as rarely as they came had a great effect on me. That his touch did things to my inside that no one else had ever made me felt.
“Yeah. I’m fine,” I nodded.
He held my hands more firmly, and led me through the corridor, into the sitting room and to the castle yard. Jacob, was standing beside a black Lamborghini that. Jasper was positioned at the door to the passenger seat, ready to open it. There were other guards lined around two more vehicles that stood before and behind the Lamborghini.
“Drek, I won’t be needing the convoy. Jacob and Jasper can come along, the rest of you should keep an eye on the castle.” Antonio ordered the guards.
Jasper had made to open the car, but was stopped by Antonio. He held the door himself, ushering me into the seat behind. It was weird that he was trying to be a gentle man, but I didn’t argue.
“Drive,” he called out to Jacob, when he was finally settled beside me in his seat. The car moved into motion, rolling out of the castle into the street that shone in the starey night.
Antonio reached for the bucket of ice that was placed on a table, producing a bottle of champagne and two glasses, he poured the drink, offering me one of the glasses. I took a sip, not taking my eyes off him.
Aside being really cute, Antonio was a good dresser, maybe a sexy one even. Tonight, he wore a black, glittering tuxedo, buttoned once around his belly, leaving part of his chest in view. And a black pant. His hair was brushed, so that it fell smoothly behind his ears in curls.
“Why are you being so nice all of sudden, Mr boss?” I asked, looking at him over my glass.
“We’ve not really gotten to know each other, Eve. I figured we could do that now?” He placed his glass on the booth-like table before us.
“What do you want to know? I thought you already did your findings and you know all you want?”
“I’d still love to hear from you,” he answered.
“What do you want to know?” A soft music was playing from the car radio. A westlife.
“Why you choose to study business,” he asked.
“Cause I’d love to be self employed some day, running my own company or firm. I have always wanted to be a boss of my own.” I shrugged, relaxing into the conversation.
“So what kind of business do you have in mind?” He went on.
“Buying and selling talents,”
“What does that mean?” His arched his brows.
“Well, I’ve been in the street for a long time, actually since I lost my parents. I’ve seen teenagers with talents wasting on the streets. If most if them could earn from what they had, they would be better people,” I dropped my glass, feeling the need to use my hands in expressing myself.
“So, I decided within myself, that if I had the opportunity, I would reach out to this teenagers, bring them into the limelight, hook them up with the persons and when they start earning, I get my percent.” I explained.
“And you don’t think that’s exploitation?” He argued.
“No. It isn’t going to be exploitation, as a matter of fact, the teenager in question would choose what percent they deem right to pay.”
“And if at the end of the day they refuse o pay?” He went on.
“That’s where the law comes in. It’s a business and so, the terms and conditions would be agreed upon and documents signed.”
“You know that’s brilliant,” he poured more wine into the glasses.
“Thank you.” I blushed, feeling genuinely glad that he had asked. I had never had the opportunity to talk about my dreams so intensely with anyone.
“You have so much money already, why are you still into illegal stuffs?” I asked, after a brief silence.
He hesitated for a while, studying my face. “It’s hard stopping all of it at once. There would always be a connection that drags you back once in a while,” he explained.
“That means you still get into drugs pushing and the rest, once in a while?”
“Maybe,” he dropped curtly.
“Maybe?” I played with the word, daring him to say more.
“We are here,” he announced, changing the topic.
The car was crawling through a large gate into a beautiful building. I watched from the window, catching glimpse of the colourful lightning and the group of people that stood around in groups. The pool shimmered with clean water that could produce one’s reflection.
“I would leave you for a moment to take in the view. Jacob would bring you up to my lounge when I need you.” Antonio whispered, when we stepped out of the vehicle.
With that, he strolled away into the crowd that were waiting to swallow him. He was the center of attraction, and for a moment, I reasoned that he wanted all that attention on himself, that was why he left me for the guard to handle.
A feeling of sadness washed over me. To think that he was being just a few minutes back and now it was all gone. I scanned through my environment, there was a bar not too far from the pool, I decided to head there. Jacob was following closely behind my heels. I doubled by step, trying to get away from him.
“You’re walking too fast, people might start wondering why you’re running or better still, you might trip on that dress and miss a foot. Trust me you wouldn’t like that,” Jacob adviced, trying to catch up with me.
“Can you just sit out for a while? I’m not a kid, Jacob. I can pretty much take care of myself, I don’t need you babysitting me, okay?” I turned to him.
“Okay. But I’m sorry I can’t leave you on your own…”
“Because you’re following orders?” I cut in, completing his statement.
“Yeah. I see you’re learning quickly.”
“Oh please,” I scoffed, climbing the staircase into the bar. I settled into one of the high stools, speaking in a low conversation about what I needed.
The bar tender, a dark guy, probably in his early twenties, smiled as he delivered his job diligently. I collected the glass of shot he had just mixed and threw the content down into my throat. I was aware of Jacob standing around.
I told myself now was the wrong time to get drunk. I still had a job to do, If there’s a person that should stay more alert around here, then it had to be me. Moreover, I had a dance to administer as well.
***
Unlike the rest of the room that was lighted in bright colors, with different sex of people going about with glasses in hand. The boss lounge was dark and dimly lighted. There was a small stage in the middle of the room, surrounded by dark blue sofas. There were other men seating around on the sofas. Antonio was one them.
“Dance,” he mouthed silently, as I was eased onto the stage by Jacob.
The music came alive with a booming sound, loud enough that it vibrated in my heart. The voices of the men tangled In the air, between the soft puff of smoke that traveled around the room from the butts of lighted cigarette and the sound of the music.
I held onto the pole at the center if the stage. I had taken three more shots at the bar before being led out by Jacob and right now my mind was slippery. I could feel a kind of weakness around my knees.
I couldn’t make out any of the other faces clearly, as the air was filled with the mixture of smoke that danced at every corner. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for my next move. Then like lightening, I turned around the pole swiftly, hanging onto it at intervals, commanding the attention of all the men in the room as the music floated in the air.
There was just one person, who seemed less interested in what I was doing and that was Antonio Bernoti. His face was buried on his phone most of the time and when his face came up, they went straight to the door that had been flung open and to the lady that cat-walked into the room and headed straight to Antonio.
She was all over him before I could say Antonio Bernoti. Dancing and rolling her butts on his laps. Who the hell was she?? I wondered.