"Selena! Look what I got from Mr. Aldric!" Dea put on a happy face in front of Selena.
"You got a lot of tips from him?" guessed Selena.
"No! This is even more fun than money."
"And then?"
"This." Dea showed a piece of paper.
"Just a piece of paper?"
Dea chuckled. "It's not just any paper. She left you this note."
Selena snatched the white paper from Dea's hand. She wondered what kind of magic paper would make her friend jump like she had just won the lottery. It was too much, wasn't it? Wait! Selena frowned, was this for her? She read three lines of notes with the name and address of a five-star restaurant. The girl was getting more and more clueless. "What does that mean?"
Dea patted her forehead anxiously. "Geez, silly girl! He wants to ask you out on a date!"
"Date?" Selena was shocked at Dea's words. For what, Selena had always hoped to go on a date with that guy. But this was like a dream.
"I don't know, maybe he wants to go on a date. Or maybe he's looking for a designer to design his wedding dress."
Selena fainted even more at Dea's words. Designing a wedding dress? Seriously, Selena wasn't ready to have her heart broken this quickly.
"Don't get discouraged!" Dea patted Selena on the shoulder.
"Forget your love or obsession! This is a golden opportunity. First, even if Mr. Aldric only wants a wedding dress design, it means that your name will become more widely known. You will become a famous designer in no time. Then secondly, who knows, Mr. Aldric will be charmed by your beauty and finally break up with his future wife."
Selena sat sluggishly on the chair. Her eyes stared at the three lines of writing written by Aldric. Ah, it seemed she was indeed heartbroken. It was her own fault for having fallen in love with someone like Aldric. "I'm not coming," Selena said, propping up her chin.
"Oh my, Selena! A golden opportunity never comes twice!"
"But I'm not ready to have my heart broken, understand."
"Silly me! After work, I'll go to the apartment and dress you up as beautifully as possible. You have to come! Okay?"
And Selena could only gawk as Dea's back disappeared behind the door. Why was Dea so excited? It seemed like Selena couldn't avoid tonight's meeting.
***
Selena squeezed her fingers as the hazel-eyed man stared at her intensely. She repeatedly lowered her face. Being in the presence of a man with a million charms like Aldric Dasha Anderson, made Selena's body feel weak.
For God's sake, Selena never imagined before that she could be this close to Aldric. Usually, she could only admire that stern-eyed face in magazines, newspapers, or television.
"There's no need to be so tense. Just relax," Aldric said flatly.
Selena looked up and smiled stiffly. How could she not be tense, she had been desperately trying to neutralize the pounding of her heart. Oh come on, how would you feel if you were sitting in front of a man you were secretly in love with?
Falling in love with a man like Aldric? Let's just say Selena is crazy. She's just a fashion designer who hasn't been working at one of the biggest boutiques in Jakarta for long. And Aldric? A handsome, established man who is loved by almost every woman in this hemisphere. Wake up girl! They are as different as earth and sky.
"So, what's your name?" Aldric asked after taking a sip of his favorite cappuccino. The waitress had just delivered two cups of hot drinks and two servings of barbeque.
"Selena." The girl ventured to look at Aldric.
"Occupation?"
"Fashion designer." Selena sighed.
Unimportant pleasantries. Wasn't the reason Aldric met Selena because he was a designer? As Selena had heard in recent days, Aldric was planning to get married in the near future. It would be an honor for Selena if he chose her as his wedding dress designer. Although she would also feel heartbroken.
"I brought some samples of wedding dress designs. Please take a look, if it doesn't suit your taste, maybe I can make another one." Selena handed over several sheets of paper from her design.
"Are you still a virgin?" Aldric asked as he touched her.
What was that question? Selena flinched, reflexively withdrawing her hand which was like a high-voltage electric shock. "Do I have to answer it?"
"No need, the blush on both your cheeks already represents it." Aldric chuckled amusedly.
"Sorry, sir.
It feels like an unethical question to ask. Even if you wanted to conduct an interview session with your fashion designer, it would not be on the list of questions."
"There seems to be a misunderstanding here.
I'm not looking for a designer. I have enough money to pay even the best world-class designers, so why look for an amateur like you?" Selena widened her eyes. Was this an insult? "So what was your purpose in asking me to meet you here?"
"To find a wife. And you, one of the candidates." "I don't understand."
"I'm looking for a wife and one of the requirements is that she has never been touched by any man. And I see that you meet the criteria." Aldric leaned in, looking at the girl in the off-shoulder red dress.
The dress revealed Selena's smooth white shoulders and part of her chest.
She was beautiful, and her neckline was so seductive. Aldric bit his index finger, his gaze reluctant to move from the girl. How would it feel if he created a kissmark on that neck?
"Sorry, sir. There seems to be something wrong. I... I have to go." Selena stammered, hurriedly grabbed her papers and moved away. The girl couldn't bear to be around the handsome man for too long.
***
Selena opened the apartment door, letting out a sigh of relief. Finally, she was free of that strange man. She was indeed in love with Aldric, but that didn't mean she could just trust him when he intended to make her one of his future wife candidates.
And the virgin question? Selena shuddered in horror.
Perhaps Aldric secretly had a hobby of having sex with virgins. Oh my, Selena! How stupid of you to fall in love with a man like that!
Selena turned on the light, shrieking when she found a man sitting casually on the sofa. His eyes were glaring, and the smirk on his lips looked terrifying. "How did you get in here?"
"You ran off before we could finish our conversation, hmm?"
"Sorry, I have no interest in being your future wife candidate."
"Really?"
Aldric got up from the sofa, walked over to Selena and whispered in her ear.
"Do you know how many women are clamoring to be my wife?"
Selena held her breath. The scent of the man's body... ah, the woody scent mixed with intoxicating pheromones. No wonder so many women were crazy about this man. "I'm not... interested!" exclaimed Selena stammering.
"Think carefully, Selena," he whispered again. With a single jerk, Aldric scooped Selena's body into his arms. Their eyes met. He touched her delicate chin, while his thumb brushed her seductive lips.
Selena's breath caught, her body rigid in Aldric's embrace.
I don't know, the man's charm was so deadly that Selena couldn't resist. Especially when Aldric's face lowered and kissed Selena. Selena wanted to scream. Aldric dared to steal her first kiss!
Selena should have pushed away Aldric's burly body. Yes, but instead she gripped the man's shirt collar, and savored his intoxicating kiss. Gentle movements that made Selena feel like she was floating, while her body trembled from the unfamiliar sensation. She could only surrender without returning Aldric's embrace.
Is this how good Aldric's lip play feels?
"I can even make you feel something more delicious than this," Aldric sighed as he ended his kiss, as if he could read Selena's mind.
The girl looked down and released the grip of her fingers on Aldric's shirt. Her face was flushed between embarrassment and restrained arousal.
Aldric chuckled softly.
"Sorry, I just wanted to know how your body responds when you get a kiss from a man. And now that I know, apparently this is your first kiss. That's the kind of girl I'm looking for in a wife."
Selena didn't dare look up. What the hell was that? A rich man who likes to do whatever he wants. She wanted to be angry, but she couldn't deny that she enjoyed the kiss.
"Good night, Selena!" Aldric whispered again in Selena's ear, then hurried to leave the girl.
Selena was stunned, still unable to distinguish whether this was a dream or real. Aldric, the man she secretly loved, had just kissed her! Then what did he mean by future wife? Geez, Selena really didn't understand!