"Thank you for your kind compliment. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" she replied, waiting to know the man's name, in order to investigate about him, knowing that only the wealthiest people could attend an event like that.
"My name? Mh... let's just say I'm one of your greatest admirers. If I revealed my identity to you now, your curiosity could only diminish in the next few hours and you would surely meet someone more interesting" he replied, raising his glass and still sipping his white Martini. "Let's play a game."
"What kind of game?"
"The rules are elementary: tonight, after the awards ceremony and the disco night, I will wait for the moment when you enter the elevator that leads to the eighth floor, the one reserved for the guest rooms."
"Mmmh... well, does your game seem a little too simple, don't you think, mysterious admirer?" Kora replied, raising her full glass in half and stopping to look at the man with a winking but scrupulous gaze.
"Too simple?" he replied, astonished at that bold answer.
"Let's add a few rules, just to make this 'game' you're talking about a little bit more interesting. Throughout the evening, I'll look for your gaze in the crowd, but I must not find it. If my eyes cross with yours... game over, you will have lost, and this will be our last speech", Kora explained, curious to find out how much he wanted to meet her again.
"Uh... what the journalist used to say is true. You're full of surprises, Kora Night. I accept your rules. You won't even see my shadow tonight, but know that whatever you do, any man who speaks to you and anyone who comes near you, I will know, because I will be there looking at you, without you noticing my presence" the blond-haired man enthusiastically replied, excited at the idea that that beautiful intelligent and charming woman had raised the bar , implicitly agreeing to meet him privately in her room.
Kora stepped towards him, stopping a few inches from his face and looking him from the bottom up, straight into his eyes. "Don't believe that I am an easy woman to please. You've never met someone like me, I can assure you."
"I don't care about the other women. I stopped thinking about them as soon as I heard you talk."
"Well!" Kora continued, resting a hand on his admirer's chest, touching his white silk shirt and gently pushing him backwards, turning and moving away from him. "Remember the rules. You will have no other chance," she whispered again, knowing that she had totally won his interest and that that elusive way of doing would ignite the passion of that charming man, certainly very rich.
A smile lit up his face, and after taking a sip of his cocktail, the man licked his lips and walked away, disappearing into the crowd and looking at Kora's body, whose curves were perfectly visible under her red evening gown.
"Kora, did I hear right? The rules of the game? What kind of game? Are you getting crazy? You don't even know that guy's name!" Naseefa said, looking around and making sure the mysterious admirer was no longer nearby.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll have already forgotten about him, probably. I don't need to know his name. The important thing is that he knows mine. And then... I need inspiration for our next product. I want something delicate but spicy, something that makes you think of the white colour", she replied, letting herself be inspired by that meeting and turning the newly felt desires into brand new smells to create.
Naseefa smiled, walking away under her best friend's arm. "You're really amazing, Kora Night! I don't know how you choose men so coldly! So... what are the rules of this game?" the beautiful assistant replied, who actually died from the curiosity to follow Kora's love affairs.
Kora returned the laugh and, together with Naseefa, walked to the third room of that magnificent building, following all the journalists and artists who participated in the contest.
The hours of the morning and early afternoon had flown away, between interviews and the thousand things to do: dozens of models had paraded in front of the audience, wearing clothes and perfumes of the most famous artists in the world.
Among the essences that smelled their skin, there were also 'Blossom' and 'Eucalypso', Kora's workhorse.
In particular, the young artist's latest creation found the roots of its name in the fusion of 'Eucalyptus', the name of the famous evergreen plant, whose essential oil was very renowned for its pharmacological properties and smell, and 'Calypso', the Goddess of Greek mythology, exiled to the island of Ogygia.
The story of that Goddess had always attracted the curiosity of Kora, who somehow saw herself in her: the island on which Calypso had been forced to live for seven years, frequently welcomed hundreds of beautiful men, whom she fell in love with, but who were then forced to leave and abandon her.
That ancient legend sum up the love experiences of the young Kora, who, unlike Calypso, let men fall in love with her without ever getting into the 'trap' of love relationships.
During the exhibition day and the fashion shows on the long catwalks, the two scents of the Animosity brand attracted critics' attention, whose majority had decided by common accord to give visibility to that newborn brand and support it next to the 'bigs' of the sector.
It was about 6:30 pm when Naseefa and her boss entered the third and final room, ready to have fun and enjoy that glorious day, hoping that it was only the first of many other such important.
A small stage had been mounted in the centre of the room, just below the giant disco ball, which would be lit soon after proclaiming the contest winners.
"Look at how many people, Naseefa! In here, there are the most interesting men and women in Paris, and not only Paris! All those who have made fashion and innovation their way of life are gathered here, under the same roof! This is an opportunity that must be exploited, my friend!" Kora smiled, clutching Naseefa's arm under hers and dragging her to the stage.