Chapter 7 – Third attempt

Though Gia has a point in what she said about how it’s best not to know what transpired between Christan and his first wife, Alena still feels that it would give her a better understanding of the man.

What is he like towards a woman he loved? How caring is he? What ticks him off? What she currently knows about him are still superficial. Nothing personal. How is she supposed to get into a relationship with him like this?

She needs to get one step closer to him.

The opportunity came two weeks later during a social event she was attending. As soon as she saw him, she drank all the wine in her glass. She almost choked on it. She was suddenly nervous. She’s not expecting him to be here but this is an opportunity she must take advantage of.

The party will end at midnight, but how long is he planning to stay? As she expected, he mainly talked to the men. She noticed this woman in red hovering near him. Her gaze obviously transfixed on Christan. Alena clucked her tongue. Competition.

Of course. She’s not the only who’s interested in Taylor. This girl is too obvious, too. Instead of keeping her eyes on Christan, she kept her gaze on the woman.

A few times, she’d been approached by some guys and talked to them briefly. Alena as well. She’s familiar with a few faces in the crowd. This made it a little difficult to do her task.

For a nearly half an hour, she thought she lost him. She was about to assume he’d gone home when he showed up in her line of sight again. He saw her and gave him a tiny nod. This made her smile at him. She’s still shy at approaching him, though. Especially when he seems to be looking for someone in the crowd. She doesn’t want to bother him.

The woman in red doesn’t seem to share her opinion. She blocked him and grabbed his arm. He was quick to remove her hands and said a few words to her. Alena couldn’t hear them but he must have warned her not to get too close. The woman stamped her feet in frustration. Turning around, their eyes met each other and she glared at Alena. She seemed to harrumph before moving towards the opposite direction.

Good riddance, Alena thought.

Two women approached her and she engaged in light conversation with them, though still keeping an eye on her man.

One of them noticed and started asking her which person she’s staring at. She’s not about to tell them the truth. Christan Taylor is quite well-known.

She merely smiled and deflected the question. At half past eleven, her feet are already tired. Why did she wear very high heels tonight? She should’ve worn an inch or two, not five.

She can’t drive like this and she’s dead tired, too. She decidedly booked a room in the hotel. After doing that, she made her way to the function hall, wanting to see Christan one last time before heading to her room. It’s only a floor below anyway.

She was surprised when as she opened the door to enter the hall, Christan came out and grabbed her arm.

“What…? What’s wrong?” She recognized him and his expression doesn’t look good.

He squinted at her after gaining his balance. “Alena?”

“Yes. What’s going on?” She can tell this isn’t normal. His breath does smell like alcohol, but since he owns a liquor business, she figured he has high alcohol tolerance.

“Are you drunk?” She can’t help but ask. He slightly shook his head.

“Help me out, would you?”

“Alright. Where to?” She guided him through the hallway and into the elevator. He was somewhat leaning on her and she realized how heavy he could be.

He hasn’t spoken a word. She sighed before pressing the button for the floor of her room. Christan’s gaze was on her key card.

“You have a room?” He leaned on the wall instead but it was useless. The elevator has already opened and she helped him out.

“Do you need to call someone?” She was gritting her teeth. With him leaning on her, her feet are suffering. They slowly walked and she softly cursed.

“The room’s the other way.” She’s almost embarrassed, if the pain wasn’t taking her focus. He only grunted.

Christan knew someone must’ve drugged him. It was that glass of vodka. If he would suspect anyone, it would be that woman in the red dress. He doesn’t even know her name, but he’ll surely remember her face. His expression darkened.

Alena opened the door and slowly brought him inside. She sat him on a chair before taking an audibly deep breath. She must be exhausted.

She grunted before sitting in another chair and propping her legs on a small table. She unclasped the straps of her footwear and freed her feet. Oh, her precious feet.

Christan sharply looked at her when she moaned. She was wiggling her feet on the table.

“Ugh.” She leaned back on the chair before glancing at him. She tensed at little when she found him watching her. She should be careful not to embarrass herself.

“It’s not easy to wear high heels for hours.”

He can only stare at how high those heels were. He’s sure she doesn’t wear such things when she comes to his club.

“What happened to you?” She asked as he leaned on the chair as well.

Staring at the ceiling, he was trying to assess himself. He’s feeling hot and restricted. Not good.

Alena, seeing his reddening face, got up and went to the bathroom. Towels, she needs towels. She soaked them in cold water and then squeezed the water out.

She handed one to Christan but he didn’t take it. She gingerly touched his forehead and she was surprised to feel it so warm.

“Do you need to go to the hospital? Should I call emergency services?”

“Don’t.” Her concerning questions elicited a response from him.

“Should I wipe you down?” She doesn’t want to overstep their boundaries, so she asked for permission.

The man grunted before reaching for his tie. Alena took it to mean yes.

She started with his face and then his neck. He slowly unbuttoned his dress shirt. He’s still wearing a coat, though.

“Should we remove your coat?” Alena asked again. She can tell he’s still very much conscious of his surroundings.

He moved to do it and she helped him. It seems he can’t coordinate his movements properly.

“Are you sure you’re not drunk?”

“I’m not.”

“Then, are you sick?”

He took a deep breath before telling her his suspicion.

“Then, isn’t that illegal? Should we call the police?”

“Don’t.” Whenever he has issues like this, he prefers to deal with it personally. He reached for his phone and dialed his assistant’s number with difficulty.

After giving him short instructions, he stared at the ceiling again. Alena wiped his arms and his exposed chest.

Something seems to be bubbling inside him. His eyes darkened. Of course, it’s that kind of drug. He wanted to warn her but he can’t even bring himself to speak anymore. Lust and desire filled his mind. All his thoughts revolved around one theme. His body reacted and his breathing deepened. This is bad.

His hands seemed to have a mind of their own. Alena was startled when she felt his hands on her waist.

“What…?” Her breathing hitched when she saw his expression. She did hear him say he’s been drugged. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to ignore his hands, she gently dabbed at his face. This is the closest she’d gotten to him. She could stare at him for hours. Maybe days or years.

“How are you feeling?”

He heard her question but it seemed he lost the ability to speak. He heard her gasp when his hands moved up her body. This is wrong, he knew.

Compared to him, her reaction was out of sobriety, though. She might have drunk some but she reckons everything she consumed doesn’t equate to a full glass.

Her breathing deepened, matching his, and her eyes were fixated on his face. On his eyes and his lips.  

“Christan?” She softly called.

In that moment, all he can think of is how beautiful the woman in front of him is. She’s gorgeous. Sexy. Smells like roses. Her face shows her gentle nature.

As much as she wants this, Alena knew he wouldn’t do this if he’s thinking straight.

“You’re drugged. We shouldn’t do this.”

She has a voice of reason. He agrees, but he can’t voice it out. His hands held her tightly and close to him. He wants a taste of her. He wants to devour her. It was the lust talking. It’s been so long since he’d touched someone. Since he desired someone.

“We’ll both regret this in the morning.” She muttered as she moaned, his hand slowly disappearing under her dress. Her legs went weak and she sat on his lap. That made things easier for him.