CHAPTER 3 TAKE IT TOO FAR
“You!” He shrugged his shoulders and unbuckled his seatbelt, then moved closer in my direction. Every second that passes, the space between us is being cut short and by the time I realized what was happening, he was an inch away from me.
I can smell his warm and minty breath, and I swear that it awakened the heat hidden deep inside me. I hurriedly closed my eyes and I unconsciously waited. I didn’t know what had gotten into me, but somehow, a part of me was looking forward to something. Something I vowed not to feel.
A few seconds in and nothing happened, all I felt was the slight pull from his strong hands holding my nape and his warm breath fanning at my ears.
“What? Were you waiting for something? You keep on running away from me for the past few years after you ended it, but we know for sure that of all people in this world, only I can satisfy you and I am the only person who knows about your desires.” I opened my eyes in shock and a pair of emerald orbs were looking down at me. I could feel his body heat and the next thing I knew, his lips met mine. It was the familiar taste and familiar feeling, it felt like he was sucking my strength away and I was unconsciously letting him.
His warmth, his scent, how he tastes, those were the only things running in my mind and I could swear that time seemed to stop with him beside me. I was about to respond to his kisses when we heard loud horns from the cars behind us.
“Hey, you! Stop blocking the road!” a man shouted from the side of the road, he had his windows down and was screaming angrily while bashing his hand on the steering wheel. If it wasn’t for the tinted windows, people would have seen us making out in the car.
I returned to my senses and realized what I was doing. I bit his lower lip, making him hiss in pain and annoyance from my sudden movements.
“Tsk, we will continue this later.” He whispered, if I hadn’t pushed him away, he would have kissed me again.
“Shut up and drive.”
“Aye aye captain, in return you should sit still and let me drive you crazy later.”
“Keep dreaming Guilerme”
Even after what I said, the man simply shook his head as if he was enjoying my anger.
The drive took an additional 15 minutes so when we arrived, everyone was already seated in their respective seats in the private room that they reserved.
“Arsin, Cleo, you must have been caught by that long traffic.” Chief Ramires gleefully greeted us once we entered the room.
“Gentlemen, pardon our tardiness.” I politely asked for forgiveness, since I am the youngest amongst this group of people, it would be rude and unbecoming to simply arrive without saying anything, especially when they waited for us.
“Take a seat, we also just arrived 5 minutes ago so no worries.” Cassius Colette, the current patriarch of the Colette Family, and also my father. He is already 57 years old yet he still lived vigorously. A well-respected figure amongst nobles and rich men. There are 7 people in total in the private room, including me and Guilerme. My father, My uncle, Chief Ramires, and Guilerme’s father, Hansen Guilerme, who was with his brother, Lithen Guilerme, in the other room when my father invited them over for dinner.
“Thank you father, everyone.” I was about to pull the chair when Guilerme beat me to it and did it for me. For others, it was simply a gentlemanly act, but for me, it felt like a trap. The chair he pulled for me happened to be at the side where the only person I would sit next to, was him. This sly man!
“T-thank you,” I mumbled through gritted teeth. I can’t ignore his ‘kindness’ since before the public, The Guilerme and Colette families have been great friends for centuries.
“Always welcome, my lady.” he nestled himself in the only space beside me, and with that, the meals they ordered arrived one after the other. It was like a feast and seeing all these foods, I managed to temporarily forget about the vermin eyeing me for a long time.
“Help yourself,”
Our dinner was more peaceful than what I expected, everyone enjoyed the meal and had conversations from time to time about work. I only butt in when necessary, and when I was the one being asked.
“Speaking of proposals, you are the talk of the noblemen and socialites Cleo,” my uncle opened up while wiping the corners of his mouth with the napkin. Everyone had their eyes on me and I know for sure that this will be a pretty sticky situation that has a small chance of me getting out of it.
“Indeed, people had been dying to know who the Colette’s little Queen would wed.” Chief Ramires chimed in.
“I picked 10 amongst almost 200 proposals from the best families all over the world. And it was as expected, my Colette family’s only daughter should have the best there is.” it sounded as if he was boasting but for those who knew my father well that he dotes on me just like all the other elders.
“Certainly, beauty, brains, fame, power Cleo sure deserves the world.” it would have been fine if those words came from my father or any of my family members, but Arsin Guilerme, uttered those words as if nothing.
“You two had known each other for a long time, didn’t you guys ever develop some kind of attraction between you guys?” If Chief Ramires was not around, I would have already thought of this simple dinner as some kind of family meeting between Colette and Guilerme.
“I wonder, did you?” Guilerme whispered and luckily everyone was a little far away from us so they did not really hear his voice when he talked to me. I elbowed him on his sides but the sly man only grinned and continued feasting on his meal.
“As odd as it is, our wives had long wanted the two of them to be together, even before they heard that Cassandra was pregnant with Cleo.” really? I never heard about that. Mom and Guilerme’s mother wanted us together? What if I was a boy? What the heck?
“I remember, Cassandra prayed for a long time that she would be blessed with a little girl, even when the Colette’s had a slim chance of having a girl as an offspring, she threw a fit and begged my brother to make sure they make a girl.” Uncle Rumuel smiled at the thought of my mom.
I never really met her, she died after giving birth and it had always been on my mind that my father lost his wife because of me. As ruthless as the other generations of Colette on women, but everyone respected and loved my mother. However, never once did I hear them blame me for her death.
“Now that you are of age, did it ever cross your mind that maybe you two should wed?”
“Arsin, you don’t like my niece?” The people around the table grew silent and Guilerme was put on a hotspot.
“You didn’t send a marriage proposal so I figured you might have someone else in mind.” he didn’t? I looked over to the man beside me who happened to have his eyes on me as if he was waiting to see how I would react. Before he could say anything I decided to cut him off. I don't know myself, but I am not prepared to hear whatever he is about to say.
“Father, there are more capable men in the world, President Guilerme should not be pressured to marry me, besides, with all the high-class women at his disposal, a mere Cleo Colette may not satisfy him. The man has his freedom and his choices.” I didn’t give anyone a chance to make an argument and I quickly stood from my seat. “Now, if you excuse me, let me go to the powder room and do some touch-ups. I also have to make a call.”
…….
Cleo did not notice that after she left, the man she hated made up an excuse and would dare to follow her.
“Gentlemen, pardon me as I try to do something about a fiery cat.” Arsin turned his back but before he disappeared, Cassius warned him.
“Arsin, don’t push your luck and take it too far, that’s my only daughter we are talking about."
"Of course, Sir Cassius, you know I never go back on my word." He was confident and everyone immediately understood that Arsin had long had his eyes on the stubborn woman.
TBC
Maple Writes
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