Love at the Nth Time

The Spices of a War

Chapter 15

"I wanna see Gina, bet she's still like a Barbie with her three-inch heels," chirped Michael.

Gina, the 17-year-old youngest model of FHM, ever since my seasonal modelling at H&M, the guys never dropped off the girl's name. Since then, I began to check her out, and I successfully obtained her contact number, although I did not expect she was an immature, simple-minded person who could talk s**t to other girls merely to get what she liked. So then, sorry not sorry, my interest ended here.

"I wanna hide, though," I muttered. The three men laughed as they perceived what I meant. I saw a familiar French braid and the woman who owned it, talking to a random guy.

"Hey, Frinch!" I called out to her.

"Seth?!"

"I was also looking for you since it's been like five months since the last time we saw each other!" We hugged each other. She shook me whilst her arm was around me. Frinch, short for Frincheska, was part of the LGBT+ community. She's also an androgynous woman. Half-French and Spanish, she's a professional disc jockey, and their agency was booming in the Philippines. So, Miss Anna chose the people behind the program with whom I had connections.

"Yeah, but you're still handsome as ever. I wanna be your woman for the night." We laughed at our silly jokes. Frinch left as the event coordinators asked her.

The ladies came out an hour later. Usually, we'd watch them akin to a judgment of overall looks. The events came to all ages, from 16 to the older adults who were part of Dad's network related to the fashion industry. No one failed my expectation of how they showcase their appearance for the night.

"I didn't know you'd be coming here too."

"Hey, don't change my good mood. I didn't come here to even talk with you."

"Hey, hey, ladies, you just got here, right?" My male friends tried calming the two women when they stood before me.

"I wanna enjoy the party. Don't ruin it, please," I firmly stated to these two as I stared at the stage and drank the wine.

They knew I had lots of women, not only them. They'd ask my company, but if I refused, they wouldn't mind, actually, and I likewise. The stage lights began surrounding the area, and Frinch, who's on the right corner with a guy, supervised the music. A blonde woman in her late twenties was wearing a bodycon leopard dress with full lace on the back to the left leg exposing her white skin, and a black-American gay, who wore a silver sequined dress with a colourful feather bolero.

"Whoa, the MC's quite the big ones," applauded Ryan.

"Yeah, the lady with a black dress is hot," seconded Michael. The blonde woman displayed her dazzling stiletto lace mesh heels with her long slender legs. It's obvious she's showing it off.

"I like her heels..." I mumbled.

"Yes, Seth?" Niko jested. The men and I laughed.

"You know how to get close to ladies, huh, you lady killer!" Michael shook me up as he hung his arm around me. I casually removed his hand.

"It comes out naturally, don't sweat it," I boasted. The three men teased and had opinions with regards to women passing by in front of our table.

My phone rang. I took it out beneath my navy tuxedo suit, walking a bit away from the crowd as the noise got pretty loud.

"Seth, where are you?" asked Dad. I put my right hand in my trouser pocket.

"I'm here at the party already! What is it?" I had to high up my voice.

"Could you give Rose and her sister a ride? Their car got wrecked. Fetch them." I blocked my right ear with my forefinger.

"What??"

"Can't you hear me? Get outta there!" I walked outside the room of the party.

"I'm outside. What did you say-"

"Fetch Rose and her sister! Come on. I need to get going now!"

"W-what. Wait, they're coming here to the party?" My heart pounded like crazy.

"Yes, of course! It's our way of making networks! I need to go now! Fetch them, I said!" Dad hung up the call. Oh lord, for my peace.

I dialled Win's number.

"You, where are you anyway whenever I need you?"

"Wow, ha! You just have to fetch them, ah, I need to go!" said Win, and hung up on me.

Crap, this was too sudden. I tried to get drunk last night to forget these feelings about her, and now, it's starting over again.

*On call… Rose

I inaudibly sighed as I unbuttoned my suit. I drove my car straight down the road. I spotted the restaurant that Rose told me about.

"Ah yeah, I see you." Rose waved as they stood up at the roadside and opened the back of the door when I stopped my car in front of them.

"I'll sit at the back," uttered Celine as she went inside.

Rose was about to sit beside her. My eyebrows furrowed as I faced the two over my shoulder. "Hey, do I look like your driver?" I questioned. Rose sat beside me. She's wearing a long black sheath dress with a black vest on her arm. It's pretty elegant, although I could solely see Rose as a friend the same age as mine even though I was older.

I had been with women my type, older or younger, but the instinct towards whom to approach intimately caught the girl who was wearing a typical black denim dress in the backseat. It's denim, for Pete's sake. How could she wear whatever she liked without minding the vibe of an event? It's annoying.

"You look handsome there, Sethlyn." She's trying to tease me with the nickname she invented alongside how I got even with her.

"Aha, thanks, Sis Rosalinda. I'm expecting you're with your boyfriend." I took a glance at Celine in the rearview mirror as she watched blankly outside the window. I felt a bit bothered now that I could see her.

"Nah, he's working the night shift. Is your Dad already there?"

"He'll be coming late. He had a sudden meeting. I thought you wouldn't do presentations at parties?" She laughed.

"Of course not. You're listening to our pieces of training, ha. We'll expand our network."

"Said that by Dad too, what a pain..." Rose laughed. I chuckled.

I couldn't stop glancing at Celine and seeing how quiet she was the entire time. She didn't even look at me. I was hated by her anyway. What did I expect?

"Your business partners with them, right?" inquired one of my male buddies, Niko.

Rose and Celine kept getting attention because of some staff as part of their business. Our table and their reserved table were near to each other, so I couldn't stop looking at Celine, who was quiet and avoiding others from conversing with her.

I wanted to talk to her.

Her eyes widened when she saw my reflection in the restroom mirror. I stared at her. She moved to the faucet and washed her hands.

"How's it going?" I asked, keeping my cool. I moved beside her and leaned on the sink a little, eyes on the floor, I mumbled, "Don't ignore me."

"Hello, Seth." I smiled at the woman who entered the restroom to look at herself in the mirror.

"You're beautiful. No need to check it," I praised the woman, smiling, she giggled.

"You knew me so well, thank you. I wanna have your tie after the party, can I?" I chuckled a bit and looked down on the floor.

"This is my favourite. I'll give you one of my ties, though." I watched Celine pass by. I followed her.

"See ya, handsome!" I smiled at the woman as she waved at me. I heaved a sigh and tailed Celine walked into the hallway. She gazed at me from behind her.

"Don't follow me."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I don't need to answer that." She continued walking.

"You wear flats at this kind of party? Too old-fashioned."

"Who cares?"

"Really, where are you going? Buying in a market?" She stopped walking.

"Seth, please..." Her voice trembled. My heart skipped a beat. "I, I only came here because my sister asked me to. I can't leave her alone this far and late at night."

"Why are you telling me?" I couldn't look at her. Her voice was so down. She sauntered away, I grabbed her hand as she was about to enter the room. My heart hammered as the tears in her eyes threatened to drop.

"Hey." She looked down.

"Hey, babe!" A woman suddenly hugged me from the side. It's Jessica, the person I mostly avoided having in contact with my other women. Her eyes scanned Celine from head to toe. "Oh, who's she?" I gazed away, trying to calm myself and grasp the situation.