Tempting Kisses (ENGLISH)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

YESENIA ESCOBAR

I’VE BEEN sitting in front of the counter for a minute now, staring at the drink in front of me. I still can't believe that obnoxious man is a regular at this bar. Worse, he never stops telling me about our last meeting. He's like a child who knows a secret and will force you to remember it until you get annoyed.

“Oh my, Yesia! Is he your suitor?” Eury asked as she sat beside me.

“Come on, Eury. I don’t know that guy. Maybe we’ve met once, but I don’t know him,” I told Eury just to make her stop asking me.

But she really is persistent about who the hell the guy is and where I should meet him. Even tho I already told her the truth, she still won't believe me and keeps on bothering me. It is a good thing that all the girls are busy because she’s the only one who’s following me around. That annoys me a bit.

“Tsk! On the way, he smiled when he saw you? You never met once,” she insisted again.

Here we go again with their never-ending trust issues. I can’t tell Eury that he is the man who kissed me, because they certainly won't stop bugging that man without knowing his name. I don’t know if they’re intentionally caring or if they just can’t really stand not getting to know the people who approach me. I know they have good intentions, but sometimes they are annoying and also embarrassing.

I sipped my drink from my glass before turning away and leaving. My naughty friend, on the other hand, continued to follow and call me. Eury says a lot about that man that I no longer understand because of the noise around us. As I was avoiding Eury, I never noticed a group of people I would collide with, and when I tried to avoid them, I just lost my balance.

“Gotcha!” An arm catches me and as he utters that word while grinning at me. “You always fall whenever I meet you. Are you intending on falling for me?” he added as he helped me stand on my feet.

“In your dreams! Tsk!” I hissed and fixed myself.

In the midst of the din, his voice echoed as he laughed aloud. "Feisty, eh?" he added, and it irritates me more.

A cough came from behind me. When I turned away from Eury, she quickly drew me away and approached Eli, who was staring at us in awe. My friend extended her hand in front of Eli. "Hi, welcome to Club Paladizzo. I’m Eury, and you?"

Eli tilted his head and reached for Eury's hand. "Eli Fletcher. Nice meeting you, Eury." I just rolled my eyes at them.

“Oh, Logan, it’s nice to meet you too. Do you know my friend?” she asks, as if wanting to further their meeting.

Eli turned to me before answering Eury's question. “I don’t know what word fits the relationship we have, but I think we are more than friends,” Eli replied with a smile as he looked at me.

Because of the way he smiled and stared at me, I felt every hair on my body stand on end. So I didn't feel like I was backing down because I felt burned by his presence. So I didn't realize I was going to collide with the person behind me. And the man I was walking away from took a few steps between us before wrapping his hand around my waist.

“Woah! Be careful; not everything you run into will catch you,” he said in my ear, making me gasp.

“T-thank you!”

Did you fvcking stutter, Yesia? Did you get nervous because of this freaking guy? He doesn’t even come near Orion's presence.

To be honest, I'm not sure why I react this way to him. To be honest, I'm not sure why I react this way to him. It was as if there was something about this man that made me feel as if I would burn if I approached or stayed close to him.

“Let’s go, Eury.” I said, before turning my back on them.

Eury's protest was still audible when I started walking, but it had no effect. As I was leaving, he politely said goodbye to Eli as she followed me. A few more guests I met greeted me, and I just smiled back because I could still feel a pair of eyes following me as we walked.

Eury showered me with her numerous questions as she trailed behind me. If Eury was interested in a variety of topics a while ago, she is now asking me even more questions. Even though I was no longer paying attention to her, she continued to bother me, and the rest of our friends joined her as well.

“Who is that man, Yesia? Is he really just someone? He looks like he knows you,” Feliz asks in curiosity too.

“That man is Argus' friend.”

“Then how did you know him?” Roux added to my response.

I just scratched my head in annoyance because I didn't know what to say to them. I looked at Vika, who was standing on the door frame. She knows some of the stories about that guy, but the next time we meet, she doesn't know that part.

I could do nothing but take a deep breath and shake my head as I looked at them. I told them, "We met when he smashed my car in his intoxication,” for them to stop asking questions.

“O–kay, but he remembered you, maybe—”

“No, don’t go there and don't even think about it. That man is so full of himself,” I cut off what else Eury had to say.

I don't want to give them any notions or leap to any conclusions they may have. My friends' imaginations are so broad that I wouldn't be shocked if they imagined Logan and me together. I don't want to get to the point where they'll almost sell me as they did with Rion.

Fortunately, after bothering me, they became overly occupied with the number of clients. They omitted to mention that I was continually avoiding Logan's whereabouts. I don't want another conflict between the two of us. I don't like the way he stares at me and grins, as if I'm orchestrating for us to meet.

But, no matter how much I try to avoid us if fate pulls us together, I don't know how else to flee.

“Avoiding me?” he said, with a smug smile on his lips.

“Why would I?” I scoffed and tried to pass through him. “Stop bothering me. I am working, sir,” I said, emphasizing the last word.

I'd like to remind him that he's a client and I'm a waitress/entertainer at this establishment. But maybe he's just too stubborn to understand what I was saying, or maybe he's just that dense.

“Can you join me for tonight?”

I clenched my jaw, trying to calm myself. Does he really think I’m a w***e? I may be working on this kind of job, but I still treasure what my daughter would think if she heard about it.

“You may have thought differently, but I merely want to assist you in getting some rest. I've been noticing you around for a long time now. And there isn't a table in the house that isn't staring at you,” Logan explained, trying to make himself come clean.

“I am okay and this is my job, so I should be working instead of talking with you. Have a goodnight, Sir!”

I swiftly moved away from there, since I could feel the eyes following me even though I was a bit further away. He watches over every move I make, as though I can't get lost in his sights. I tried to hide a bit in the crowd, but I felt dizzy, so I had no choice but to go back to my room.

I collapsed on the couch and laid down before closing my eyes. Just a few minutes after I closed my eyes, I heard a knock, and Vika peeked out of the door. “Are you okay? I brought you some food,” she said after closing the door behind her.

“I am a bit dizzy, but I am fine.”

“Good to hear that, because the girls are panicking outside and want to check on you.”

I smiled at her. “Tell them I feel bad because they teased me,” I told Vika, making her laugh.

Vika just let me rest first because it was still a long time. Our working hours are still lengthy. Apart from the fact that she knew I wouldn't be able to go home straight away if my job wasn't finished, she also sent me tea so that I could relax because my body was full of coffee.

When I got a little better, Vika came in again to help me get ready, because I would be the one to take the stage. She even gave me medicine because she said I might suddenly faint or collapse on stage. Vika worries a little too much about me at times, but I understand, since she is the one who gets worried when anything horrible occurs to me.

Before leaving, I re-adjusted my mask. As Vika led me to the stage, the lights were turned off. And as I walked in the middle, the lights turned on as music played. “Break a leg, girl!” Eury whispered, glancing at the side.

They were seated towards the front of the stage, so they could see me well, and I could hear them yelling as I started dancing. The way they lavished me with compliments, you'd think it was the first time they'd ever seen me dance. But it's amazing how God has blessed me with friends who will stand by me no matter what occurs in my life.

As I danced, I saw one pair of eyes following me around. A familiar pair of eyes, and I'm uneasy because of the way they look at me. Despite the mask I was wearing, he watched my every move and turn as if he knew who I was. I can't help but get distracted by him while dancing. He was just one of those people I met by chance, yet his presence has had such an impact on me. I just hope I finish this dance smoothly, since it would be embarrassing if I made a mistake because of him. If it happened, I'd be bullied by the women sitting and staring at me from the front of the stage.

I know that I've been doing this for years and that, because of him, I'll forget all the practice I put in to master it.

“Nia! Marry me!”

A man with a bouquet yelled, making my friends in the front laugh their asses off. I turned around and faced the man who had yelled earlier before blowing him a flying kiss, generating even more ruckus in the area. And the man who was yelling that he would marry me right now would practically dash onto the stage. Fortunately, the bouncers swiftly blocked him, so he couldn't get past them. I recall once when they didn't see a man approaching the stage and embracing us, scaring the crap out of me and Eury. Fortunately, nothing horrible occurred to us since the man, who was supposed to be quite intoxicated, was apprehended right away.

Our work is perilous, but it is one that we are familiar with. And in this line of work, we are no longer sure we can find any other job beside this.

I danced for a few more minutes on stage until the lights went out again. Kenny embraced me and brought me back to my fitting room with a robe. But before I could get there, a guy approached us, raising the ire of the bouncer nearby.

"Sia, right?" he said, only to be interrupted by bouncers. "I have no ill will; I only want to meet you," he continued.

When he extended his hand to me, I just held it out without saying anything, thinking he may have recognized my voice. I only gave him a little bow and didn't glance back as I walked away. My witch girlfriends were there waiting in my changing room and roared at me as soon as I walked in.

Vika opened a bottle of wine and it popped into the air. “Congrats, Yesia!” they shouted in unison.

Yeah, another night on the stage has passed me by. Another night at a place where I meet friends who are important to me, but I'm also afraid to stay. Even if I want to leave, I have nowhere else to go because they are my only family. So every time I go by this spot, I remind myself of why I'm here. I always convince myself that it will all be over soon and that I will get through it.