A NIGHT TO FORGET
by Lucy Eleazar
CHAPTER ONE
„You need a man for a one-night
stand!“
Eva skeptically looked at her
eighteen-year-old sister who was ardently commenting on her love problems. Her
little sister was obviously not that little any more.
„You know, fight fire with fire!
Eva, you can't just keep on suffering because of this stupid asshole! He left
you? Well, big deal! He had never deserved you anyway. Let alone the fact that
he was a total nuisance! Plus, his shirts always showed wet sweaty stains.
Eva nearly let a smile out while
Sissy was frowning in disgust and her pretty nose wrinkled. Sissy threw her
lush blond hair back and disapprovingly reviewed the shapes of her sister.
„Well, look at you! You've been
neglecting your appearance for months now, you look like a granny and you're
not even thirty-two yet. I haven't seen proper makeup on your face for ages!
Occasional dresses and only those baggy trousers and plain one-colour blouses.
Who's going to look at you? And you used to be such a hot chick! It seems that
the lack of...“
„Sissy, mind what you're saying!“
Eva finally reacted to her speech while inadvertently smoothing her simple
cotton blouse to her body. „There are still a lot of things you are too young
to understand...“
„Too young, bah! It is not a must
to be so old to see that you're letting yourself go over a snobbish trump.
Moreover, my experience with dating boys seems to be bigger than yours...“
„This isn't a thing to boast
about“, Eva tried to insert to a parental tone in her voice. „Is mum aware of
your rich experience?“
Even if she was embarrassed, Sissy
didn't show it. She turned towards the mirror door of the wardrobe in the tiny
bedroom, which their parents had long ago appointed to be the kids' bedroom.
Eva nostalgically looked at the walls where once her own posters used to hang;
at the desk where she used to do her homework dreaming about the most popular
boy in the class; at the cupboard where her own toys used to be stuffed.
„It doesn't make any difference if
she knows or not, because I have already turned eighteen and she cannot tell me
what to do.“
„Oh, yes, you did, some seven days
ago“, Eva briefly reported and went on to another topic. „Choose faster what
you'll wear and let's go meet the guests. Don't let dad wait for us.“
They had gathered at their parents'
home for their father's birthday. For the event of his sixtieth anniversary he
had invited so many friends and relatives that she was already getting dizzy
imagining the questions aunts, uncles and cousins would address her with. The
guests were about to come and fill in the limited space of the apartment any
moment. She could already hear their whispers in her head: Oh, is she
thirty-two already? She's not married and has no children? Oh, when I was
thirty-two my kids were already at school. Me, by that age, I had already had a
divorce and remarried again. She works as a marketing manager, she must be devoted
to her career? Is she really not in any serious relationship?
Eva had no wish to report her life
to anybody. She was tired of arguing that a woman can be happy and successful
without a husband and children and there were other important things in life.
She was fed up with being attacked with advice about her own future.
Sissy had laid all the contents of
her wardrobe onto the bed and kept on changing apparels.
„Goodness, Sissy, are you really
thinking of appearing in that cut-out thing? Grannies and grandpas will
collapse when they see you!“
„They'll collapse when they see you.
What is that workaday blouse? Instead of highlighting your wonderful bosom, it
makes your waistline too big. And these trousers put at least ten kilos on
you!“
„Okay, Sissy, I got your opinion
about my clothes, can you now just focus on yours? And please don't forget that
at our father's birthday party there will be no boys you could impress with
your provocative dresses.“
„So what? Does that mean I have to
dress up like a nun?“ Sissy finally chose a shiny golden dress following
closely her body curves. She reviewed it from all aspects, put it on and turned
to her sister. „How do I look?“
Awful, Eva wanted to say. But she
kept the words to herself. Sissy was short and slim and had beautiful shiny
hair framing a pretty, charming face. Eva could see her as an „improved
edition“ of her own self their parents had created – as if by chance – some
fourteen years after their first daughter. The two sisters definitely looked
alike. However, Eva had higher cheekbones, which gave her face the combative
looks of an Amazon girl. The eyes nested over those cheekbones were like two
emerald stones glittering behind long eyelashes. Unlike Sissy's thin girlish
body, Eva's was taller and femininely lush.
„I find it better than the previous
option“, Eva mumbled and added: „Sissy, I think you should be more humble. Your
beauty is apparent but you would be more interesting and enigmatic if you keep
something hidden to show only to special people and not demonstrate it all to
everyone.“
„You don't demonstrate yours, so
what have you achieved?“ Sissy turned once again to the mirror. „Now I have to
choose the proper jewellery“, she grabbed a box and started checking various
necklaces. „Will you tell me after all, what happened with Jeremy?“
„There is nothing to tell“, Eva
sulked. Her mouth suddenly went dry. „He just left for the United States.
Things between us... obviously didn't go well and he decided it inadequate to
plan our future together.“
„Blah-blah-blah. There's something
more about it. Why do you think there is something I am „too young to
understand“?“ Sissy turned her gaze away from the mirror and pivoted her big
brown eyes on her sister.
Eva shifted uneasily into her seat.
Could she really explain to Sissy what Jeremy had done and why he had offended
her so much? Could she really tell her what exactly had happened? And was it,
in fact, right to put the overwhelming load of this story on an
eighteen-year-old girl? Eva shook her head.
„You're right, I overreacted it.
There isn't anything you can't understand. It is just that sometimes people
don't get along. You're an expert at dating, you must know it.“
Sissy pouted and stared back at the
mirror to avoid answering.
„How many boyfriends have you had?“
„Well, in fact not so many... But
even one or two are enough to judge what men are worth. One thing is for sure,
I didn't like your American at all.“
„So you can only be happy you're
not going to see him around anymore“, Eva exaggeratedly laughed.
„I'm so happy you didn't get
married to him“, Sissy sighed theatrically oblivious to the sudden sharp of
pain, which cut Eva through. „Look, that necklace matches perfectly my dress,
doesn't it? Do you want to choose something for you, too?“
„Sissy, please, let's go, dad's
waiting. People will come to see him and not my or your necklace.“
Sissy grimaced again but this time agreed
without further ado. She finished her makeup to fit her dress and was ready.
Eva could not hide her admiration – her little sister looked really adorable.
The bad thing about it was that Eva suddenly felt old, unnecessary and dressed
in a sack compared to her. And even worse, she had to appear this way in front
of all relatives and guests...
The evening turned out to be as bad
as she had expected. Her little sister twirled around collecting all fascinated
looks on herself. People then reluctantly turned to see Eva and nodded
sympathetically. They commented on her professional success and then remarked
that career chasing often influenced private life. As if she didn't know it...
After the story with Jeremy her feminine self-esteem was brutally slashed. Ah,
Jeremy...
Eva tried to stop further thoughts
and to concentrate on the tables she was filling in. She shouldn't have let a
simple party and the stupid remarks of her sister and some distant relatives
get her out of control.
„Miss Hudson's just called“, Stella
stated from the next desk. „She said she would be here for the reports at
noon.“
„Have we got all the sales figures
inserted?“ asked Eva.
„No, of course not“, Stella
distorted her lips. „We haven't even collected all the reports from the shops.“
„Since Miss Hudson is coming at
noon, she will insist on seeing them.“ Eva sighed. Her report couldn't be
completed before the others had done their job to fill in the numbers.
Unfortunately, apart from having the title of a Marketing Manager, she had no
other tools to make them work faster.
„Phew, could she have probably
called even later?“ Stella groaned.
„You know what she is like. I think
I've never seen this woman smile.“
„Definitely. Me neither. She could
have warned us at least a day earlier that she wanted those reports ready,
couldn't she?“
„Maybe, or maybe not. Grab the
phone and start asking the shops for their reports. Immediately.“
„Phew“ puffed Stella again. „She is
not like Jeremy Wyatt. It was so easy to work with him.“
Eva's heart trembled. Stella surely
didn't mean to hurt her.
„Everybody has their own style of
working...“
„Style? It's not a matter of style,
but the person. She is just a genuine bitch whereas he was a cool guy“, Stella
carefully surged behind the screen to check if Eva was looking at her. „Well,
you probably have a different opinion of him but I know him only as a boss and
he was super cool. It's such a pity he had to leave and we were sent this
grumpy old spinster!“
Familiar uneasiness crept into
Eva's veins and she resettled uncomfortably on her chair. The only lucky thing
about it was that her colleagues did not know the real reason why he had
left... She took a deep breath and wondered how to escape from the topic.
„Let's not be impolite. I also find
it more difficult to work with her but I doubt it has something to do with the
fact that she's not married. Come on, Stella, there's no time left, get down to
work so we can have something completed before she arrives.“
Stella shrugged her shoulders and
picked up the phone. Eva grimaced. She knew she would be scolded again for not
having organized her people effectively. The position of a general manager she
had so long dreamt of seemed to float even further to the distance...
Miss Hudson arrived within about an
hour. With the fling of the door open, the room was filled with coldness coming
from her grey eyes, pivoting on each worker one by one. All conversations came
to a sudden end; eyes guiltily stared at the screens. With the dignity of a
stylish lady in her mid fifties she greeted curtly, trotted solemnly through
the room and immediately asked Eva to join her in her study.
Miss Hudson showed her to a chair
and went straight to the point. Even if it had been months since they'd started
working together, Eva still had a problem with her Boston accent. The pure
thought of having to speak with Miss Hudson, made Eva's nerves tight.
„Miss Petrova, I haven't received
your report on the advertising campaign of Clover shampoos yet. I would like to
ask you to present the details on that report along with the reasons for your
delay.“
„Miss Hudson, I started working on
it as soon as I got the first data. I don't think there is any delay“, Eva
dared to object. She hated those moments when those magnified eyes made her
feel like a schoolgirl unable to answer the questions posed.
„If I am sitting at this desk and
waiting for this report, that means there is a delay.“Miss Hudson pursed her
lips and her face went ever more rigorous. “Have you got anything to show me at
all?“
Eva took out her laptop and opened
the file she was working on. She knew too well the grumpy bulldog in front of
her wouldn't be satisfied with it. The data was only partly inserted and no
conclusions could be drawn from it. Miss Hudson impartially nodded to her
explanations and kept on expecting more details until all Eva's words were
over.
„Miss Petrova“, Miss Hudson put
down her glasses and firmly looked at her, „I am sure you understand perfectly
well that what you have just presented me is not to be considered a report. You
have worked long years for our company and we highly appreciate your skills and
abilities. It seems though, you have till recently been subject to special
protection which had led to reducing the quality of your work and to not
abiding by the company's policies.“
Eva's face turned red. How long was
Jeremy's ghost going to chase her? This is not true, she wanted to shout. I
have never mixed my work obligations with my private life! And the same
definitely referred to him too. The fact they had shared a bed hadn't prevented
him from turning into a tyrant during the day and surveying her work
performance as much as, if not even more than the other colleagues'. But she
just pursed her lips and kept silent.
„Since you started working under my
control, you haven't been really concentrated and focused on your work. You
often omit details and find it hard to meet deadlines. I must warn you that I
won't be able to tolerate such attitude much longer. I assume you're having
your personal hard times but our company cannot allow corporate interests to
suffer because of this“, Miss Hudson demonstratively closed the laptop and
handed it back to Eva. “I'll be expecting your report by the end of the day
today, along with your analysis of the figures. Please, ask Mister Simeonov to
come into my office!“
Eva grabbed the computer, nodded
stiffly and rose. The moment she went out of the room, she released her long-held
breath with a low whistle. All of her colleagues were staring at her in awe.
Eva just shook her head and made an expressive gesture:
„Simeonov, appear in court!“
No, it couldn't go on like that!
Eva was sitting at the dressing table, gazing at the mirror while putting the
makeup away from her face. She was so exhausted after the long working day that
her sight was blurring. She got the feeling miss Hudson had a personal reason
to hate Jeremy and put it on her. Was there never going to be an end to this
torture? As if her own pain was not enough, she had to also stand other people's never-ending comments.
Jeremy Wyatt had been given a
temporary assignment as a managing director of Lea Advertising Bulgaria because
of the numerous faults of the former manager. He arrived in Sofia two years ago
and she – as the marketing manager of the company – appeared to be under his
direct control. At first they worked on pure business terms. Of course, she had
been attracted right from the start by the natural and friendly American who
treated her as if they'd been friends for years. She was amused by the
difference in their mentalities, by his way of perception of the Bulgarian
lifestyle and culture she was so used to. Then came that business trip where
they were both sent to a conference at the headquarters of the company in
Paris. She had already noticed those particular looks of his, the way he
prolonged their meetings just a little more than necessary. When they had to
organize their trip together, it was more than natural to have seats next to
each other on the plane and to book neighbouring rooms at the hotel. Butterflies had been fluttering in her
stomach during the whole journey. She wondered whether he’d make any advances.
Jeremy was not even an evening late. After the Welcome Party on the first
night, he put his arm around her shoulder as they said goodbye to the others
and somehow forgot to move it away all the way back to their hotel. Eva was not
surprised when they passed by his hotel room and didn't stop there but went
together to the door of her room. She was still a bit embarrassed by him and
didn't let him too close but answered his kisses. And she found out she liked
it. He was nice and tender with her and never too insistent or aggressive. Even
though she hadn't let any further intimacy develop during the business trip,
their relationship got serious soon after they were back in Bulgaria. Eva
appeared to be involved in what she thought an engagement. Stupid and naive
enough, she believed in Jeremy. She introduced him to her friends, to her
parents, to her family. She even let their relationship be official at their
workplace. Giving him all the love hidden inside her, she eventually gave in to
his insisting requests to share his bed, even if she had been brought up in a
conservative way while her sexual experience was really vague. She believed him
when they discussed having children and tried to not to be alarmed by this
suggestion to wait a little longer. Being already thirty, for her there was
nothing more to wait but she wanted him to be happy with that too. It had all
been going well – or at least she had thought so – until six months ago when
Jeremy had to suddenly leave for the US. It had happened before – he
occasionally had gone back to the US for a week, once every couple of months.
Eva had thought it normal for him to go back and meet his family and friends
and was looking forward to the moment he would invite her to join him and
introduce her to his family. This time, however, it was different. He had
recently come back from a visit home and then left without a notice except for
a short text on Messenger. Eva tried to reach him worried something bad might
have happened to a person from his family. He didn't answer any message.
Several days later, when she asked the headquarters when to expect mister Wyatt
back, she got an answer that he was actually never going to come back. His wife
was pregnant and he had required a permanent position in the US so he could
stay with her. The local office should expect – the woman from the headquarters
had added – Miss Hudson, an expert at Middle East markets, to come over as his
replacement. Eva didn't know how she had managed to keep her consciousness at
that information. Just the thought that they had been discussing their own
child.... and during all this time he had been married and had regularly flown
back to his wife!
Eva cleaned up the last track of makeup and stared at her own reflection
as if it could speak. Well, Jeremy hadn't really liked those eyes. He hadn't
fallen in love
with this face, no matter how many
lies he had told. He hadn't really loved that body although he had used it. And
he had never reached as deep as her soul, or he would not have found it normal
to never write or talk to her again after those ten months they'd spent
together. Not a word. As if it was the most common thing on Earth to talk to
her about the names of their future children and their house in the suburbs and
then to go back to his lawful wife whose existence he had somehow forgotten to
mention. Eva tried hard but still found it impossible to accept this behaviour.
Eva was still living in a trance,
incapable to come to terms with her past. The most annoying thing of all,
though, was that both her sister and Miss Hudson were actually right.
Devastated by her own drama, Eva had let herself live day by day. She made no
more efforts than the absolute minimum neither in her work, nor in her private
life. Even if she had never followed the latest fashion trends like her sister,
she had never paid so little attention to her looks either. She hadn't really
neglected her work performance but her attitude had nothing to do with that
that ambition that had driven her fast up the career ladder in the company. And
with the appearance of Miss Hudson, her former dream of becoming the managing
director of the company was swiped away into the air.
She heard the beep of her messenger, slowly
rose and approached the computer to check who had written to her. Sissy was
sending a link to her maths teacher's profile, a thirty-five-year-old bachelor.
Ah, Sissy! Eva was annoyed and amused at the same time. Sissy often changed the
objects of her interest and the moment a boy irritated her, she turned her back
to him and looked at the next one. She thought it a universal solution to the
problem. Or, maybe, Eva suddenly thought, Sissy was right. Eva had really
little experience in love affairs – a long unmarried love and a short
relationship with a man who seemed to have fallen out of love soon after they
got together. It was obvious she found it really difficult to get out of the
sticky cobweb of the depression that had enveloped her after the breakup with
Jeremy. So she had to intentionally do something to get her life back in
control! Driven by sudden determination, Eva clicked on the profile sent to
her.
The man looked nice. Probably a bit
dry. Or soft. She couldn't imagine him going to the rescue of his damsel in
distress. Then she suddenly realised it had already been ten minutes of looking
curiously at his face and her thoughts – what a marvel! - had flown away from
Jeremy. The heavy sorrow which had captured her heart tight in a vice was now
released and her heart soared freely and happily. Yes – the idea shone on her
like a bright flashlight in the darkest night – she had to find someone,
something to shortly occupy her mind and take her out of this deep hole she had
fallen into. Something to oust the memory of Jeremy and bring back her faith in
her femininity. No expectations, no emotions, just a fleeting refreshing
adventure.
CHAPTER TWO
The woman at the corner side of the
bar was watching him in careful contemplation. The woman? The girl? He couldn't
have a proper guess about her age in the dim light of the night bar. She had
beautiful dense blond hair ambiently flowing around her face. The abundant
makeup shadowing her eyes gave her that thrilling image of a fatal woman. She
was wearing a provocative skimpy top and he soon caught himself leaning back or
forth trying to get a better glimpse of the milky skin of her bosom, reaching
as far as the dress allowed. What would he see if his hands removed those
straps and unleashed the lush flesh? Andrey felt sudden discomfort on his chair
and changed his position while having a sip of his drink.
„How's it going, Andrey? Having
fun?“a broad tough hand slapped him over the shoulder.
„Jordan, I'll never forgive you for
taking me to a place like this“, Andrey wryly smiled at his friend shouting
over the loud music. „Don't you think we look kind of funny here with those
nineteen to twenty-year-olds? You could be one of their father’s.“
„Oh, come on, boy, relax! There's
life outside the walls of your office too! Stop thinking about how old you are
and come dance with us. “
„Dance? “Andrey laughed. „Do you
want to put me in a compromising position? “
„And send it to the media? Can you
imagine what a sensation it would be to have footage of your VIP dancing in a
night club? “
„If it hadn't been for your
birthday, my dear friend, I would have never let you drag me inside this
awkward place. Now, go have fun with the girls. You seem to manage your
popularity levels high, there's an impressive fan club of girls waiting for
your return“, Andrey gestured towards the dancing floor where several heated up
girls were waving at his friend.
„So what about you? Sitting still
on that bar chair, you'll never get to know your popularity levels.“
„Popularity is none of my
concern . “
Andrey picked up his glass showing
he deemed this conversation exhausted. Jordan shook his head, slapped him on
the back again and went back to the dancing girls. Andrey had another sip. The
whisky spread pleasant warmth all over his body and he felt his tension relax.
He leaned forward over the bar. His eyes involuntarily strayed aside. The girl
was still there and was still watching him obliquely. A strange thrill drove
through his stomach. Along with a sudden inexplicable desire to lift up her
face, gaze through the shuttered eyelashes and plunge his fingers into this
abundant copper hair. He swiftly turned his look away. There was no use giving
her signs her interest might be shared. Andrey suddenly wished he had a
cigarette to keep his fingers busy. What was happening to him? It was ages
since he had last smoked. The rest of the whisky was poured down in one huge
gulp into his throat and he ordered another glass. His eyes swerved to the
dance floor where Jordan was still twirling and swirling in the rhythm of the
music. A faint smile flickered on his lips as his thoughts went back years, many
years ago to their youth pranks when the two of them formed an inseparable
couple at the nightclubs. Jordan seemed to have kept this youthful enthusiasm while Andrey found himself
millions of years away from those times. He had been only twenty-two when he
had entered the frames of family life – at an age when most of his friends
hadn't even left the homes of their parents. He had taken up the responsibility
of being a father at twenty-four. Now, at thirty-seven, his life was focused on
the cares for his daughter on the verge of adolescence whom he had had to look
after all by himself for the last three years. Thoughts about bars and discos
were so odd to his mind. Loud music made him tired and flashing lights made his
eyes blink. He was going to stay just a little longer to show respect for
Jordan but he was already looking forward to the comfort of his own home.
Yet his glance kept on skipping to
the other side of the L-shaped bar, ready to bounce back the moment it spot
her. This time, however, the chair appeared to be empty. He stared at it as if
he could bring the blond girl back there only by the power of his mind. Andrey
slightly raised his body from the bar so he can look around. He couldn't see
her anywhere. She had apparently gone away. God knows why, the feeling that
stirred him reminded him much of his disappointment. He gave a sigh and leaned
back on the bar. Anyway, nothing was going to come out of this – neither had he
any wish for affairs with strangers, nor could he take her to his apartment where
his daughter was sleeping. He took another sip and looked back at the dance
floor.
And then he saw her. Among a few
dancing girls, her eyes nearly closed, she was following the rhythm of the
music, slowly and sensually. Each movement made her breasts straighten the
light material of the tight blouse. Her hips lustfully swayed under the short
skirt. His eyes helplessly followed the line of her long legs down to the
exquisite ankles over the high heels. A thrill in the lower part of his body
shook him. His body momentarily reacted and this time he couldn't help it. His
mouth went dry and he felt the urge to have another sip. The alcohol seemed to
have made him so light-headed. He got the idea that all the other dancing
people faded away and the only person left on the dance floor was her. Andrey
felt almost irresistible desire to slide his hand along her stockings right to
their top and strip them away together with that skirt with one single
movement. His breath sharpened over the yearning to remove the straps and
unbutton the top buttons of her blouse, which obviously made quite an effort to
keep her impressive bosom inside the garment. Andrey, collect yourself, it's
time for you to go! But he just couldn't take his eyes off her. There was
something very special about this girl.
Eva was deep inside the music.
Tired of the long working week, low in spirits and pressed down by the martini,
her consciousness had retreated to make way for her emotions to come out. She
was all one big emotion – vivid and flashing. Her body was under the control of
a strange external power, something that wanted to let her free from all the
misery piled up in her soul.
Even though she had been clinging
to her sister's idea of a one-night stand as a solution to her problems, it appeared
not so easily achievable. Was it her inner dislike of it or the fact this was
against her very essence that made the mission unsuccessful? She had registered
into several dating sites and had tried to actively search for contacts.
Avoiding any chances of being recognised, she changed her name and described a
woman that was not very much like her. A lot of men wrote to her. Most of them
couldn't even start a decent conversation. Others were just not her type.
Third... hmm. She started a chat with a good-looking – at least on the photo –
man about her age. It was going smoothly and lightly, they found a lot of
common interests. When they started discussing meeting offline and he informed
her he was not free in the evenings or at weekends, an alarm flashed in her
mind. No! Even for a one-night stand, she would never touch again a man who had
a wife waiting for him somewhere. Another nice interlocutor, after a few sweet
talks invited her to his country house together with him and his girlfriend...
Eva was desperate.
It was Friday evening. Time for
clubs. At first she found the idea funny. Then she reconsidered it. Why not,
after all? It would be her last attempt. If she failed there too, she would
eventually abandon her sister's insane idea and just accept she was not that
kind of girl. A thought about calling a friend to join her came to her mind but
she quickly backed it off. She didn't want anyone to witness her fall. Eva
examined her wardrobe thoughtfully, chose the appropriate outfit, hid her face
under significant amount of make-up and the taxi drove her to the night club.
People were entering in small groups. Her lone appearance provoked the
scrutinizing looks of the bouncers. Eva just threw up her chin and proudly
walked between them. There were free tables but she decided to take up a high
chair at the bar. She ordered a martini and looked around the club. The
atmosphere reminded her of a students' party. Most of the visitors were some
ten years younger than her, grouped in three or four. Pigeon chested boys were
parading their shaped muscles and bodies around. Some of them stopped their
eyes on her and arrogantly perused her from head to toe but she remained seated
with her chin tightly upright. No, it was not going to work out here, either.
Eva sighed and had a sip of her martini. It was meant to prove to her once
again she was not capable of acting the seducer. She sunk in her chair and
stared in an indistinctive point ahead of her.
A little while later, Eva realised
the point she was staring at moved from time to time. And not only moved but
regularly cast secret fleeting glimpses of her. Eva blinked and realised she
had actually been staring at a man. Yes, that's right, a man and not a boy.
And... what a man! Well, she couldn't claim he was the epitome of „tall, dark
and handsome“. The figure emerging over the bar top was clearly large but she
couldn't bet he was tall until he stood up. Dark? His hair - short and dense –
was definitely dark but matched a fairer skin. Handsome? His face looked severe
rather than handsome. Features - roughly carved, cheekbones – high, eyes –
inscrutable, framed by long eyelashes. He looked more like a bouncer there,
rather than a man enjoying an evening out. No, he couldn't be a bouncer, she
decided quickly. Even if open at the neck, his crisp white shirt still looked
too formal for a bouncer or for a disco club at all. Unlike the other boys
around, who were in a rush to show off their built muscles under the tight
T-shirts, he didn't seem to care at all about the impression that he would
leave in women. Still there was something in his body that suggested unleashed power, which gave him quite a
strong and firm look. Something that could be seen even through the uneasiness
he was obviously experiencing sitting in this place. He was fidgeting on his
chair, having frequent sips from his
drink, leaning on one elbow often changing it to the other. Either something
bothered him, or he didn't like staying there at all. Or he was bored with the
atmosphere in the club, just the way Eva was. Now that she'd found an
opportunity to keep her mind occupied, Eva grasped it and went on to observe
him. She found out he had come to the club with another man and she also found
out he was not having any fun. Eva ordered another drink and delved deeper into
her investigation. His lips were tight in a rough line and he hardly released
their edges to let a faint occasional smile on. She suddenly wondered if they
were still that tough whenever he kissed a woman. Redness came on her cheeks when
her mind pictured his lips pressing onto hers. Hard and vigorous? It was almost
impossible to imagine them in a loving caress. Then she deliberated on what he
did for a living. Her eyes stopped on the long, well shaped fingers holding the
glass or rhythmically tapping on the bar. They weren't rough or callused from
work. No, he was definitely not a man of physical activity. The fine shirt
suggested an office ambiance. He had to be some kind of a manager, she couldn't
imagine him obeying orders. His posture,
his look, a shade of pale on his fair skin indicated some tiredness – he was
certainly a man who worked indoors and worked a lot. His business style looked
so odd in a place like this.
Time was going by, Eva was still
observing him, frequently reaching out for her drink. Her head was getting
dizzier and dizzier and her sight blurring, focusing only directly in front of
her eyes. She was not the worn out, depressed and lacking motivation
thirty-two-year-old spinster anymore. She had taken on a new existence and in
her new life there was nothing but an interested girl and an intriguing man
sitting in a nightclub. The reasons that had led her into this night club, the
dramatic feelings and bleakness that had been swallowing her power in the last
months were fading somewhere in the darkness, away from that new existence.
Somewhere in between she heard a familiar song and the rhythm revived her
blood. Eva felt an irresistible inner desire to express her emotions in a
dance. She left her glass on the bar plot and headed towards the dance floor.
Half closing her eyes, she let her movements follow her instincts. Her hands
slowly outlined the smooth curves of her body in a wordless expression of its
longing to be caressed. She lowered her head back and turned her hair, twirling
and sinking into the music. Her eyes were not looking at him but he was there,
she knew it. She could feel his piercing gaze. Her breasts went somewhat higher
while her hand gently followed the white skin from the neck to the cleavage.
Her thighs swayed in the rhythm somehow making a gracious movement towards him.
She knew it. She wanted to dance for him.
When the song finished, Eva
reluctantly proceeded back to her seat, annoyed by the fast rhythm of the next
song. To reach her chair she had to pass by him. Eva tried to imagine how she
would „accidentally“ stand on his foot. Or, no, she'd better accidentally
stagger and fall over him. Or...? Eva, think quickly! She was already right in
front of him and she couldn't even force her eyes go up to meet his. She gazed
at his shoes and trousers. My god, this man had gone to a nightclub in
exquisite shoes and formal trousers edged with a crease! Her heart hastened its
rhythm but it was like she was paralysed, she managed to neither stumble, nor
stagger, nor even look at him. She had nearly passed him when suddenly a strong
hand grasped her wrist.
Eva raised her head and met two
deep black eyes that she merely abyssed into. She gasped with amazement. Her
mind suddenly evaporating.
„I think you've lost one of your
earrings on the dance floor,“ he said close to her ear loudly enough to
overcome the booming music. She felt his breath into her hair.
„Oh, have I?“ Eva touched the lobes
of her ears. One of her earrings was missing indeed.
„Let me fetch it for you.“
He stood up and Eva silently
monitored his body rise high above hers.
Was he tall? He was, definitely. She watched him go to the dance floor,
bend and pick up a glittering object from the floor.
„Thank you so much!“Eva shouted in
his ear. The closeness of her mouth towards his skin embarrassed her.
He opened his palm and she needed
to touch him again in order to take it. Her fingers faltered. She tried to hang
the earring but didn’t have the necessary coordination. He quietly watched her
effort.
„Let me help you,“his hands
carefully approached hers.
Eva gave a disconcerted smile. The
loud music made all speaking useless. His hand tenderly removed a strand from
her hair and kept it behind her earlobe. The touch of his fingers nearly took
her breath away. Her body froze. She hoped she hadn't flushed.
„Done,“ he said and got his hands
back.
„It was so kind of you. Perhaps I
wouldn't have noticed it myself,“she smiled sweetly through half shuttered
eyelashes.
„The seat next to me is free,“he
pointed at the chair. Well, it wasn't exactly right, it was Jordan's seat but
he was not going to look for it very soon anyway. „Could I possibly offer you a
drink?“
The world was spinning around her
anyway. One more drink and she might not be able to stand up anymore. But that
was her chance. Her last chance.
Eva sat down and lurched her head
closer to his so she was able to hear him.
„I was actually sitting at the
other side of the bar.“
„I saw you. A woman like you cannot
be left unnoticed.“
Eva flushed. Andrey was confused.
Her daring looks were openly shouting she had been on a manhunt. The signals
she had sent to him all evening, could not be misinterpreted. It was quite
unnatural for such a woman to be embarrassed by a simple compliment.
„Thank you. By the way, I am Nina.
Nice to meet you.“
„Andrey. My pleasure. Are you alone
here, Nina?“
„I came with a friend but she left
earlier and left me alone“ Eva pretended to laugh, launching her previously
made up fake story. „How about you?“
„My friend is...“Andrey raised his
hand to have a better look of the dance floor „...over there.“
„The one dancing with no less than
five girls?“
„He is definitely not bored,“Andrey
laughed as well. The lines of his face softened and Eva thought that he could
even be called handsome when he smiled. Especially when the flickers in his
eyes were glowing at her.
„Are you bored?“She crossed her
legs letting the rim of her skirt go up and reveal a higher part of her hip. He
followed her movement but nothing on his face showed if it impressed him.
„Not anymore,“he commented
courteously. „I have to admit, though, I am not particularly fond of these
types of places.“
„Oh, aren't you?“Eva mannerly
lifted her eyebrows. „What kind of places are you fond of then?“
„The type where you can hear what a
beautiful woman is saying to you and your voice doesn't get harsh after telling
her a few compliments,“he smirked again.
Eva wondered if that meant she had
a chance or he was flirting just out of courtesy. She tried to let out her most
seductive smile:
„But people get intimate sooner here than in other
circumstances.“
„They do. What do you do for a
living?“Andrey asked her.
„Right now, nothing, “Eva answered
nonchalantly introducing the next part of her fake scenario. „I used to be a
shop assistant but I didn't really like it and decided to quit it. I'm looking
for a job but right now I'm just having fun. How about you?“
„Well, I do go to work, although I
often don't like it either...“
„Do you want to dance?“Eva
interrupted him fluttering with her eyelashes. Eagerness was burning inside
her. In fact, she didn't want to know anything about him. She'd rather stay
with the image she had already built about him in her mind. She only wanted to
have an unambiguous sign if he wanted it or was she just wasting her time.
Andrey uneasily fidgeted on his
seat.
„I must admit I am no good at
dancing.“
„Even for a blues?“
She released all charm she was
capable of showing. She couldn't afford getting a „no“ as an answer. It was her
last chance! Eva sprung from her chair and pulled him somewhat ungraciously by
the arm. Obviously puzzled, he hesitated
for a moment but eventually obeyed and slowly followed her.
It was so strange to touch a perfect stranger.
Eva rested her hands on his shoulders. The might radiating from his firm, well
built body immediately penetrated into her. He didn't need to wear a tight
T-shirt like most of the young boys around so she could see it – this man was
capable of defending her from any danger! Her fingers falteringly closed around
his neck. She could feel his warmth and something – something that made her
skin bristle. Something she could discern with all her senses and yet could not
define. His hands slowly slid down to her waist barely touching it and ensuring
certain distance between their bodies. Even so, the tension throughout his body
was easily discernible. His movements were somehow stiff and Eva could feel it
was not only due to the lack of dancing skills. The disco ball’s shiny
reflection on the ceiling cast various lights over his stern face. His lips
were frozen, his eyelashes firmly shadowed, the eyes avoiding looking at her.
Eva tried to keep the imposed distance but the song was slow and tender and
getting more and more infatuating. She leaned her head almost to touch his
chest. Despite the loud music she could also here the mighty beat of his heart.
His hands, as if against his will, tightened their grip on her waist and each
further step diminished the distance between their bodies. At a certain moment
she realized her breasts were touching his chest and in the slow swaying her
hips stood centimetres against his. Oh, yes! His body definitely reacted to her
presence even if he was trying to hide it under a mask of ostensible reserves!
The discovery filled her with particular satisfaction. Eva attached herself
closer to him and tried to let her be led by the music. Anticipation bit her
from the inside though and the song hadn't yet finished when she raised her
eyes to meet his:
„Can I ask you a favour?“
He was dancing with his eyes half
closed and somehow tense face.
„Ask me?“ he startled, as if woken
up in the middle of a dream.
„Well... I'm not from Sofia and I'm
staying at a hotel nearby. I was thinking that...“her lips went dry and she
moistened them „... I was actually wondering if you could accompany me to the
hotel?“
Andrey slowed down his movements
and stared hard at her. His eyes were dark and deep. Eva thought her heart was
going to leap out of her chest. She tried to hide embarrassment by jabbering:
„I am a little worried to walk the
streets on my own at night. Perhaps I should have gone home together with my
friend...“
He took a sharp breath and looked
to the side. For a long moment he only kept on dancing without an answer. Eva
carefully watched how his face changed several expressions to hear him dryly
pronounce, in a little while.
„Of course, I will accompany you.
Do you want to go right away?“
„Whenever you say, “she smiled
sweetly.
The last chords of the song struck
and he slowly led her back to the bar. He asked her to wait for him to say
goodbye to Jordan and then they went together to the cloakroom to pick up their
coats.
It was a cold winter night. Was it
the frost that made Eva shudder as she went out covered in her thick read coat?
She looked at him. Exquisite formal winter jacket? And not cold in it? It
seemed he had come to the nightclub directly from work. Her ears were so
deafened by the loud music inside, she could hardly hear the sound of the cars
passing by. But she was happy it was not necessary to shout anymore so she can
talk to him. She heard her voice low and croaky as they walked side by side on
the empty pavement.
„Thank you for walking me out!“
„Don't mention it. Which hotel are
you staying it?“
„Zora Hotel, it is a few crossings
down this street,“she gave a prompt and confident reply. Of course, she hadn't
booked a room but had checked the availability in advance and she hoped not all
of the ten free rooms had been taken in the meantime.
He strolled beside her with calm,
rhythmic steps. Somehow too calm. He walked close to her but made sure their
bodies didn't touch. Even though alcohol had bated her adequate thinking, Eva
could read his hesitation. She bit her lips. She knew she shouldn't let this
chance slip away.
„Have you got a girlfriend?“
Andrey laughed. Could he consider
„a girlfriend“ the divorced Sonia who called him from time to time whenever she
was feeling lonely?
„If I had, I bet she wouldn't be
happy with me dancing with a beautiful girl and seeing her to her hotel room.“
„I guess this also means you
haven't got a wife waiting for you at home?“
His smile straightened and he
wondered how to answer. He doubted he could explain the peculiar situation he
was in. In fact, there was no need to. He stuck to her words and answered:
„I haven't got a wife, waiting for
me at home .“
Eva chuckled. She didn't want her
own adventure to be at the expense of another woman who was waiting for this
man somewhere. She dared to put her hand under his elbow. Andrey cast a
fleeting look at his arm but he didn't retreat. He just drew his arm closer to
his body and warmed up her frozen fingers. Eva's smile broadened and she strode
more confidently. They soon reached the hotel. She asked him to wait for her
for a minute at the door and quickly got a room at the reception with the
request to register later. When she was back, his eyes went hungrily all over
her but he just said:
„Well, Nina, it was a real pleasure
to meet you. Thank you for your wonderful company and I hope to see you again
one day.“
„I doubt we'll ever meet again,“she
raised her head, threw her hair back and boldly looked at him. „We are nothing
but two comets accidentally crossing their ways. Fellows for the night. Here
and now. With the dawn everyone will be back to his own separate way.“
Andrey squinted his eyes. Eva was
standing in front of him. Her beautiful face illuminated by the dim light of
the streetlights. Freezing drops of winter moisture in her hair spread all over
the top of her red coat, he was irresistibly tempted to get his fingers inside it.
His body had been pulsating in sweet torment all evening. Why was he, in fact,
forcing himself suffer? The only person he felt responsible for his actions
for, was his daughter. But right now, she was sleeping in her bed, in their
cosy home, accompanied by her
grandmother. The next morning their life was going to be the same as it
had always been.
„Then let's enjoy the time we have
till dawn?“
His smile was promising, his eyes –
an abyss. She offered her hand, he caught it and followed her through the rolling
doors.
They walked wordlessly along the
quiet hotel corridor, side by side. Footsteps muffled by the soft carpets.
Tension dispersed goosebumps all over her skin. Each single cell of Eva's body
vibrated with awareness of Andrey's closeness. Strangely, her anxiety was
gradually being replaced by a surging sweet expectation.
Andrey waited for her to unlock the
door, silently went in after her and closed the door. His gaze was heavy with
lust. His hands slowly reached for her. Eva lowered her eyes. She let his
fingers slide from her shoulders to her waist and further continue the
exploration of her body. Faint light coming from the street added a touch of
mystery to the handsome lines of his face. No one reached to switch on the
light, infatuated by the flutters of lust in the air. She had thought she would
feel uncomfortable touching a stranger but to her surprise the contact with him
gave her a feeling of cosiness, as if she had finally come home after a long
journey. He bowed his head and his lips caressed the uncovered part of her
neck. Eva closed her eyes and threw back her hair. For once in her life she
could behave the way she had always wanted to. She glided her hands over his
chest and relished a peculiar feeling of satisfaction. She couldn't remember
Jeremy ever making her experience such a stormy exposure of sensuality. Her
veins seemed to be burning with fire making her almost liquid with desire.
Still dizzy by the martini, her consciousness had retreated to make her bold
and aspiring in her touches. His sharp sighs and admiration lit the fire in her
even brighter. His caresses got more intensive and she found herself letting
him do things she had never let a man do before, reacting to heights of
pleasure she had never thought she could experience.
Later, as they were lying side by
side on the wide bed, she felt sudden discomfort and nervously reached for her
clothes. She could expect he would just get up and go away. But he didn't do
it. His hand snatched hers and stopped their way to her wrinkled underwear. He
leaned on his elbow, his saturated eyes enjoying the sight of her naked body,
illuminated by the moonlight entering through the window.
„You seem to have been made
specially for me, Nina!“
He released her wrist to cup her
shapes with his hands and follow the lines of her body with his fingers. The
fake name struck her. She was so enraptured by the intensity of the experienced
pleasure she had totally forgotten about her false story.
„You are wonderful“, she whispered.
„You are wonderful. Tender,
refined. Look how perfectly you fit into my hands,“his hands went on exploring
her body again and his lips followed them.
„Andrey...“Eva was surprised how
easily he aroused burning flames inside her again.
„I wish we could have this night
forever.“
„So do I“, he admitted frankly.
He raised his eyes to meet hers and
his lips took the path along her neckline to finally meet hers. For the first
time that night. Their kiss was something new, exhilarating, thrilling. If she
had thought there could be no stronger feeling than what they'd already
experienced, she had been mistaken. His kiss was devouring and demanding but at
the same time granting and donating. It was as if he finally let her get as
deep as his soul. Eva was suddenly filled up with extreme feelings – they
sprung from unsuspected depths, out of her control, out of her ability to
describe it in words. It all looked so natural, as if designed in another
world, long before they actually met. There was nothing more natural than
letting her body express her joy and even in ways she had never known she was
able to.
„Nina“, he groaned. „You are
incredible! I want you to be mine again.“
„I am yours, Andrey, here and now.
All night.“
„All night“, he agreed and they
dived again to the depths of lust.
After it was over, Eva closed her
eyes and spread her body unable to move any muscle, filled in with
blissfulness. She shortly fell asleep only to startle back up and find him
still there by her side. And still watching her with adoration.
„You told me almost nothing about
yourself“, Andrey murmured, his finger playing with her curls. „Where are you
from?“
„From Bourgas“, Eva spit out the
name of first town that came to her mind.
„Strange, you don't have the
specific Bourgas accent“, he noticed.
„Well...“- so late at night, after
so much alcohol, her mind was completely not responding - „I have worked on my
pronunciation, so it can't be easily recognised.“
„How interesting... You are an
interesting woman, Nina.“
His eyes were observing her
thoughtfully. A faint hope rose in her heart. If only all this could be a dream
come true... If they could share this blissfulness forever... The small amount
of common-sense left in her head hurried to smash that irrational hope. This
night was her ephemeral escape from reality. She was going to savour every
moment till its very end. To live through that night and then forget about it
in the morning. It would be her little lie, her little secret. With her amazing
prince.
„You are also an intriguing man“,
she smothered. „But I doubt we'll ever meet again. I come to Sofia once in a
blue moon.“
„So be it“, he agreed. „We'll be
just two comets making a fiery clash and going their separate ways. Fellows for
a night. And this night we will be in flames.“
Their bodies seemed to be attracted
to each other by a mystic inexplicable power dragging them together like the
opposite sides of a magnet. Andrey didn't leave before dawn. Eva tried hard to
keep herself awake for fifteen more minutes and left the hotel room soon after
him. She headed for her home – exhausted, exhilarated, feeling she had reached
the skies and grasped the moon.
CHAPTER THREE
In the morning things didn't look
that exciting anymore. To be more precise, it was in the early afternoon when
she finally woke up to find she was alone and in her own bed. The moonlight
magic was gone. Her tongue was tingling, her head heavy and sore, her stomach
experiencing a tough inner storm. She was incredibly thirsty and at the same
time the pure thought of putting something in her mouth made her nauseous.
Goodness, what had she done? She
got up with an effort and shuffled her feet towards the kitchen sofa. She
couldn't remember abusing alcohol so much since her teenage years. The
afternoon sun was shining through the window and she was so vexed by the rays
she made a new effort to reach for the blind and close it down.
One by one pictures from the past
night invaded her mind. And each further picture made her cheeks a more
saturated colour of red. Her thoughts euphorically jumped and hit the edges as
if they were small balls closed in a box. If someone had told her a week
earlier that she was able to hook on a stranger in a disco club and to forget
what embarrassment was like with him, she would have never believed it. She,
the conservative and plain Eva? Was last night real? Was it as amazing as she
remembered it? What kind of magic had that man done to her? No, she corrected
herself, it was not the man but the alcohol. After so many drinks, she'd been
so enchanted that she could probably take on anyone. Like, for example... the neighbour next door. Eva tried to picture
him. Going slowly bold, impressive beer belly and unpleasant breath that could
be scented during the travel in the lift. The thought about him nearly made her
rush to the bathroom. Hmm, no. Either she had been too drunk and agreeable last
night or the magic experience had indeed been all due to Andrey.
The memory of the flare in his deep
black eyes sent shivers down her spine. She had never imagined a stranger could
excite her so much. Even to make her wish the fairy-tale could come true... Eva
sighed and suppressed the new unpleasant wriggle of her stomach. It was even
better the fairy-tale wasn't true. How could she have possibly looked him in
the eye today? So there was something really nice – she didn't have to meet
him. Not today, or any other day.
The telephone rung and sharply took
her out of her tangled deliberations.
„Eva! At last!“
„Hi, Mum, why „at last“?“ Eva's
brows went closer. It was such a huge effort just to speak.
„Your phone has been off since
yesterday! Do you know how worried I was?“
„Mum“, Eva tried to protest but her
mother's reproach blared her. She had indeed switched her phone off last night
so she can eliminate any connection to her real self. And in the morning she
had totally forgotten to turn it on. How could it be that her mum had decided
to search for her just then? „My battery was low and I forgot to plug it in.
Don't panic for no reason!“
„I see“, distrust in her voice.
„How are you, sweetie?“
„I am fine, mum“, Eva's voice came
out harsh and creaky again.
„You don't sound too well? Have you
caught a cold?“
„No, no, I am absolutely fine, I
had just fallen asleep in front of the TV.“
„I thought you'd be somewhere out
on a Saturday afternoon“, her mum continued. „Are you staying all by yourself
in your place again? Why don't you come round, you know you can always have
good company here?“
„I know, I know, mum“, Eva sighed
and tried to calm down her annoyance. She knew her mum really cared for her and
her unwanted advice was only well meant. „I might be alone but I'm not lonely.
Whenever I feel the need, I go out. But sometimes I need to just give into
laziness on my sofa.
„OK, OK, you know best. I just
wanted to tell you that both me and your father, Sissy as well, would be happy
to see your more often.“Her mother made a pause as if she was carefully
selecting her next words. „How are things at work going?“
„Usual. There is a lot of work but
this is no news,“Eva tried to avoid the personal questions. She was no way in
the mood to talk to her mum about her latest experiences. „How about you, mum?
Is everything all right?“
„Well,“her mum sighed. „I'm deeply
worried about Sissy.“
„Why?“
„There's a new boyfriend there,
he's blown off her mind with his posh cars and telephones. She closed in,
doesn't want to share a thing.“Her mum sounded really worried.
„Well, normally she is a sensible
girl, I don't believe she will get involved in some affairs. What kind of a boy
is that?“
„When I ask her about him, she
always gives a crack, succinct and indefinite answer. He has a... BMW or
something... I see the car passing by and she then goes out – with that bare
waist. I haven't seen her getting into the car but I'm almost sure this is the
man.“
„Mum, the fact someone's driving a
BMW does not mean anything bad.“
„It does, it does,“ her mum puffed.
„If he's eighteen or so, like her, he can't have saved up the money for such a
car. If he has earned such money by legal work, he must be over forty and it's
again none of his business to date eighteen-year-old girls.“
„He might have won the National
Lottery, you watch the ads on TV every day, how many poor people got the lucky
ticket,“ Eva tried to joke. Her mum was prone to making a big fuss out of
nothing. Like all mothers. „He might have a rich father...“
„Eva, could you try talking to her?
She might share with you more easily about who this man is and if there is
anything alarming, she might probably listen to your advice?“
„Of course, Mum, I'll try to find a
way.“
„I'd be very grateful. And you, are
you sure you are OK? Do you want me to come and bring something for you?“
„Mum, I've already told you I am
fine.“ Just at that moment, however, her stomach played a bad trick on her and
she had to rush for the bathroom. „Sorry, mum, I have to hang up. See you!“
***
The letters were dancing in front
of his eyes.
„Dad, can I go and meet Danny and
Chocho in the mall tonight?“
Andrey left the article he was
reading and looked up to meet his thirteen-year-old daughter's eyes – uneasy
and daring at the same time. His little girl was already turning into a woman
mastering that typically feminine ways
of insistence, which could knock any man over.
„What are you going to do there?“He
raised his brows. The night adventure, lack of sleep and too much alcohol had
made him tetchier than usual.
„Oh, come on... we'll just have a
walk. Though I really want to go to the cinema. We haven't yet watched the
latest „Pirates of the Caribbean“and everybody in the class is talking about
it!“Her black eyes shot a kind of
accusation at him.
„All right but you must be home by
half past seven.“
„But dad, we're meeting at
six! By the time everybody's come I will
have to leave for home!“she puckered up her lips.
„Then you can rearrange your
meeting earlier so you can have enough time.“
„The earliest showing of the film
is at seven!“
„So you'll not watch it
tonight,“Andrey pronounced firmly meeting her angry stamp without any emotion.
„So all the others watch the film
and I go home?!“
„If they go on to watch it, you'll
have to come back. If you want to go out at all.“
„You don't understand!“she burst
out, the edges of her eyes watering. „All the others are allowed to go,
just not me. They have mothers who
understand them!“
Andrey felt a big wave of irritation
surging up inside of him. It needed extra efforts to get back in control.
Eleonora was old enough now to know how to speculate about her mother. But she
didn't have the slightest knowledge over the situation they had fallen into and
he had to constrain his own anger in order not to prevail over his parental
attitude towards her.
„You also have a mother, Nora.
Don't be deluded that she would have let you do more things if she had lived
with us.“
„She would!“Nora stamped her foot
again. „Whenever she is here, she does let me.“
Andrey threw the magazine away and
stood up. She did let her! Of course she did! Considering she met her once a
year, Mariana tried to have no arguments with her daughter at all. She was
ready to let her do anything, she bribed her and teased her with promises,
trying to redeem the guilt of having neglected her care for her.
„Whenever she is here, but now she
is not. And the person to tell you what time you have to be home, is me. If you
keep on arguing, you'll just stay at home and not go out tonight,“his tone
sounded stricter than he intended it to be.
Eleonora didn't answer, insulted
and hurt. He saw her eyes fill up and he felt like hugging and calming her
down. But he had to refrain from it in the name of respect and education. She
turned round for the door but the moment she was about to exit, she looked at
him again.
„You give me a time to be back at
seven and you only come home early in the morning!“
It was as if he was hit under the
waist. His brows raised in a question.
„How did you come up with such an
allegation?“
„I haven't come up with it.
Yesterday you told me you were going to celebrate Mister Jordan's birthday and
you're gonna be a little late but you came home only after dawn!“
Andrey wasn't prepared to give an
answer. Still, Nora was standing there, resolute, waiting for it.
„Furthermore, I don't believe
Mister Jordan wears perfume for women!“she went on noticing her words had
produced the necessary effect on him and gloatingly added: „I got up to go to
the bathroom shorty after you'd come home. And all the hall had the fragrance
of your clothes!“
Andrey sighed. His incognito night
too soon turned out to be not so incognito. Unfortunately, the only person whom
he didn't ever want to give an explanation about it, was standing right in
front of him awaiting it. He knew it was time to explain to her some things
about the life of grown ups. He opened his mouth to start but surprisingly
heard himself saying:
„We were in a night club together
with several women, friends of Mister Jordan. Apparently a lady was wearing too
heavy a perfume and it has soaked into my clothes.“
„Apparently you have sat all night
at her side.“
He squirmed on his chair as if all
of a sudden it had nails popping out of it.
„Look, Nora, I'm an adult and I
sometimes might need to spend the night out. In such cases we are always
grateful to your grandma who is available to stay the night with you,“he tried
beating about the bush.
„So, let me put it like this. I
stay with grandma whenever you are late. Then, whenever I am late, you should
stay with grandma,“she said, deliberately audaciously.
„Eleonora, one more word and you
can forget about going out tonight!“The obnoxious headache was coming back. He
hadn't drunk that much but it appeared he was too old for such tempestuous
nights.
„It's OK, I was just kidding,“her
lips suddenly wried in a disarming smile. „Is she pretty?“
„Who?“
„The lady with the gentle fragrant
perfume, of course,“she winked.
Andrey sighed.
„Yes,“he answered, winking at his
turn. „Very.“
„Can I come home at eight?“Nora
asked with an angelic voice.
He rubbed his temples.
„Eight and not a minute later.“
Nora flew out of the room and he
grabbed the magazine hiding himself behind it. But he couldn't read. His mind
refused to focus on the mediocre article purporting an overall macroeconomic
analysis of the situation in the country.
He knew he had to explain to his
daughter that every man needed to sometimes meet women. She was old enough to
understand this was something natural for every grown up person. However, the
tangled situation with her mother stopped him. He was worried she was entering
womanhood with an inadequate presence of a woman at home. He was only able to
handle his daily life of a single parent thanks to his mother. She helped them
a lot with the housework and almost every afternoon either she came to their
house or Eleonora visited.. They stayed the night together whenever he had to
be away. She also took care of her when Nora was sick and he had to work. His
mother was a nice and kind woman but she didn't have a particularly friendly
attitude towards his daughter. The two generations difference between them was
quite discernible. Nora needed a woman to copy, a woman to teach her all those
typical womanly things...
His thoughts swerved to Nina. He
usually avoided women like her. He had been so pissed off with Mariana's
jumping into strangers' beds that he kept inner resentment towards such women.
However, something had made him neglect his principles last night. His body
still kept a fresh memory of the pleasure experienced with Nina. He could give
a rational explanation how this woman had inflamed him to behave like an
unrestrained teenager. It'd been so many years since he could last remember
feeling such an insatiable desire for a woman. But it was not just the physical
satisfaction that left a carved track in his mind. There was something puzzling
about her, something challenging. He hadn't found out her age, he hadn't found
out where she was from but he definitely knew she was not from Bourgas. When he
had exited the hotel, he had been captured by the obsessive idea of watching
the hotel doors for a little longer. He sat on a nearby bench and hung on. His intuition hadn't lied to him. In no more
than fifteen minutes he saw her come out of the hotel – no luggage in hands, no
hurry. At half past five in the morning after she had slept for no more than
ten minutes in the night... She looked along the street and got into the first
taxi passing by. No, she was definitely not going back to Bourgas. It was,
however, a puzzle that was never going to be solved as their paths were never
going to cross again... And if it accidentally did happen, one thing was for
sure – this woman was not the model he'd like his daughter to have.
It was more than a month later. Eva
was nearly successful in her task to live her life as a new woman, released
from the smashing weight of Jeremy's lie and confident in her own capacities.
Spring was coming in and the reviving nature was making it easier for her to
overcome her own depression. The sunny mornings made her spirits higher. She
was making an effort to change a few things in her life – to give the best of
herself at work, to react to miss Hudson's pedagogy with a smile and to go out
with friends more often even when she didn't feel like it.
She had to admit Sissy's strange
idea had actually turned out successful. She couldn't claim she was totally
free from the phantom of Jeremy's memory but still she could feel the change.
Either people had stopped insinuating about him or she had stopped paying
attention to what they said. She didn't burst into panic and sudden agony and
she didn't spend hours in tears anymore. It was true, she preferred thinking
about work and never let personal thoughts occupy her mind during the day. Her
nights were still often unrestful. But when she woke up in the darkness, her
mind hectically roaming between dream and reality, the man whose features it
figured out, was not Jeremy. At night it was her own personal secret time – she
divulged into this sweet sensation, savouring that night again and again and
wanted to never get down from her dream clouds. With the break of Dawn Eva
shoved her dreams and thoughts back into her subconscious and locked them
carefully in. Overcoming the past had obviously reflected on her appearance as
well. She could recently feel the growing interest of men. A few colleagues had
asked her out, she had also found several interesting people on the dating
sites. Her self-esteem was slowly coming back. However, no man had yet sparked
her interest to an extent she wanted to meet him live. She realised she was
comparing them all to Andrey. And the bad thing about it was that no one could
win over that idealistic image her intoxicated mind kept about him. Andrey –
with his dark gleaming eyes, with his strong caressing hands and his fiery lips
which made her skin burst with passion with every touch. Her heart twitched
disappointedly at the thought he had already completed his role in her life and
he was going to stay there only as a nice memory, a memory she would never ever
confess about to anybody.
„Miss Petrova,“she heard Simeonov's
perky voice from the desk next to hers, „could I tempt you with a proposal for
a pizza for lunch?“
His smile was warming and promising.
Eva could not help smiling back at him but she didn't want to encourage a flirt
she was not able to respond to.
„Is food the only thing you ever
think of, Simeonov! Haven't you got work to do?“She purportedly reproached him
and turned towards her screen typing on her keyboard in an expressive answer.
At that moment the door opened and
the sudden appearance of the royalty of Miss Hudson made again everybody
freeze.
„Good afternoon, everyone“, she
greeted coolly in English, casting a glimpse over the line of desks. „Miss
Petrova, please come with me!“
Eva left the presentation she was
working on and stood up right away. She wished she had accepted Simeonov's
invitation to lunch. Conversations with Miss Hudson were never short although
she always went straight to the point:
„Miss Petrova, as you are aware,
the pitch for advertising agency for „Totem“ meat processing company, was
successful for us and we were chosen to serve their interests. I want to
congratulate you and your team for your good work.
As much as she detested that lady,
Eva was flattered by the compliment. They had indeed invested a lot of effort
to prepare a marketing and advertising plan for the big meat processing company
and it was obviously appreciated.
„Tomorrow we have to start negotiations
on the contract. I would like to inform you that the management has made a
decision to change the lawyer's office that we work with.“
„Have they? Are we not going to
work with Marina anymore?“
„Marina is soon out on maternity
leave and her replacement was not convincing in presenting their
qualities,“Miss Hudson’s face distorted in a kind of a smile, malicious and
unfriendly. What sarcasm, Eva wondered, as if Miss Hudson wanted to underline
that having a baby prevented a woman from a successful career. „So we had to
take some precautions and sign a contract with another lawyers' office.“
„Could you tell me the email I have
to address now?“Eva got ready to write down.
„I'll give you the contacts in a
little while. The contract with „Totem“ is important for us and they are known
as a company fiercely chasing their interests. That's why I want us to go to
the meeting with their director together with Attorney Germanov.“
„Attorney Germanov, I see.“
„Germanov and partners“ is the name
of the office we are going to work with from now on. And Attorney Germanov is
the person to address on all issues regarding legal consultancy.“
„I understand,“Eva agreed
reluctantly. She didn't like changes very much. It had been so easy to work
with Marina but she had nothing to say now.
„Now, Eva,“Miss Hudson suddenly
changed the register in her voice, “I want you to contact „Totem“'s managing
director and to arrange a meeting for the four of us – me, you, our lawyer and
him. I would prefer a time between two and six in the afternoon tomorrow. In
case any of them cannot make it for then, you'll ask me for an alternative.“
„Got it,“Eva nodded. „I'll call
everyone after my lunch break.“
„No, do it now, I am sending you
now the contacts of the lawyers' office“, Miss Hudson took her telephone and
swiped her finger on the screen. „Done. You know how to contact „Totem“.
Please, inform me as soon as you get
confirmation.“
„I will.“
Eva walked out of the office. She
looked around – most of her colleagues, including Simeonov, who had had such a
generous offer for a pizza, had gone out for lunch. Her empty stomach twitched
reminding she hadn't eaten anything all morning. But she couldn't satisfy it
before she had made a number of phone calls to arrange that meeting...
First she had to phone „Totem“.
Luckily, the director was in the office so the secretary was able to confirm
the meeting right away. So, only the new lawyer was left. She opened her email
with a sigh and dialled the number sent. She waited for several signals but no
one bothered to answer. Her fingers nervously tapped on the desk. She was
getting hungrier and hungrier. After a few minutes, she tried to call again but
got the same result.
„I'll go out to pick up something
for lunch,“ she said decisively to Stella. She was not going to stay in the
office and wait for this man to pick up his phone all afternoon long! „If Miss
Hudson asks for me, tell her I'll be back in ten minutes.“
Stella nodded. Eva wrapped her
scarf around her neck and hung her bag on her shoulder. The world outside was
so different. It was a nice spring day. The park neighbouring her office was
full of people enjoying some of the first warming sunshine after the long
winter. She could hear birds singing and could see the first tiny green buds on
the branches of the trees. Eva tried once again calling the lawyers and again
failed. She bought a sandwich and a fresh juice and was just heading towards a
bench when a drilling vibration shook her bag. She tried to move all the food
in one hand so she could hold the telephone with the other one but then she
tripped over, the juice spilling over her wrist. Angry, Eva left her lunch on
the bench and grabbed the phone. Whoever it was, he would have to wait until
she cleaned that mess. How she hated telephones!
She stared at the screen. Oh, well,
it was that lawyer! She dialled back the number, still angry and still hungry.
„Yes, please,“she heard an
irritated voice. A strange thrill went all over her body. Goodness, she must be
totally crazy if she reacted to the pure male timber in a – what is more –
grumpy male voice!
„I'd like to talk to Attorney
Germanov.“
„On the phone. I'm listening to
you,“the voice sounded even sharper and more impatient.
Eva frowned but tried to keep her
good manners.
„My name is Eva Petrova and I am
the marketing manager of „Lea Advertising“. I've been trying to reach you for
half an hour. Miss Gabriela Hudson informed me there was a new contract signed
with your company and we have to address...“
„Could you please be more succinct
in telling me your problem?“he anxiously interrupted her.
My problem? My problem is that I am
hungry and I need my lunch break but instead I have to deal with boorish people
like you, she wanted to say.
„There is no problem, Mister
Germanov. Up to now we have worked with another lawyers office and they
supported us whenever we needed help in signing our contracts. Miss Hudson now
gave me your number and told me to contact you, because...“
„Look, miss, I have gone out in the
middle of a court hearing to talk to you. If you want to say something, say it
quickly. If not, call me later when you are ready to say what you want.“
Eva clenched her teeth. What a
bore!
„You must be at „Totem“
Headquarters, at 15 „Bulgarian Army“ Street, four o'clock tomorrow“, she spit
out furiously.
„Is that an order or what?“
„Yes, it is! Attorney Germanov,
while you want us to conform to your time schedule, let me remind you your new
contract with „Lea Advertising“requires you to conform to ours. Please,
consider my phone call a notice!
Eva ended the call exasperated.
What an arrogant bloke! She missed their kind Marina so much – she was always
accurate and correct, responding immediately to her pleads. He was in court, he
said. So what? Eva fiercely bit her sandwich. She was going to write him an email
too, so she had a proof she had informed him about the meeting. Impudent
cockerel!
The next day at five to four
exactly Eva was at „Totem“ headquarters. Her high-heeled footsteps echoed on
the marble floor of the spacious lobby. She attached her purse closer to her
body and smoothed the jacket of her formal suit with her hands. Miss Hudson had
already arrived, meeting her with one of the iciest faces she was capable of.
„Eva, I'd expected you to come
earlier!“
„But I'm just on time, our meeting
is at four.“
„Attorney Germanov mentioned you
were quite impolite on the telephone to him.“
„I was impolite?“
„You set an ultimatum.“
„I haven't set any ultimatums! He
said he didn't have time to speak and I just told him when and where to be.
That's it.“
Not only was he aloof but he had
also reported their short conversation to miss Hudson right away. How nasty!
„I don't have an explanation about
your hostility towards him but I would ask you to abide by good business
ethics. You will have to work with him.“
„I am not hostile. Has he called to
tell you he was not coming?“
„Oh, no, he is here.“
Eva looked around the empty foyer
in perplexity. Unless he was hiding behind the curtains or the flower pots, she
couldn't understand where he could be.
„He's out for a phone call. We're
waiting for him to come back and then we are going to meet Stoilov who's been
awaiting us.“
Eva folded her arms on her chest.
Following the ethics for business meetings of that kind, she had put on strict
business attire, almost invisible makeup and her hair was tightly tied in a
bunch. She was ready for a fight. Totem's director was known for being a real
business shark. The only thing that kept her nervous was that lawyer – did he
really consider himself so important that everybody had to wait for him?
The front door opened and a tall
dark man rushed in with a fast pace.
„Miss Hudson? I hope I haven't
delayed you, I am ready now. And you must be the uncompromising Eva Petrova?“
He turned towards her and she
suddenly felt the ground under her feet fall.
***
If you would like to read further, please contact me at
books@optimall-soft.com
or
Facebook - Lucy Eleazar - https://www.facebook.com/EleazarRomance/
***
If you would like to read further, please contact me at
books@optimall-soft.com
or
Facebook - Lucy Eleazar - https://www.facebook.com/EleazarRomance/
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