Chapter 2: Chapter 2

I could feel my cheeks heat and flush from his gaze and had to whisk my face away from him flopping back on the couch in awe and consternation.

ME?

"It seems someone has got herself an admirer" sang Mandy before she sat down with her beau following suit. He hailed a waiter and ordered for something, all of which my mind was no longer registering. I sneaked a peek at the couch again and to my chagrin, the place the strange man had been sitting, was as vacant as if no one was ever sitting there in the first place. Has it been my imagination? I swung my face to the bucket bearing the champagne to confirm if everything had been real.

"Vally, are you okay? Girl, you look white" Mandy quipped. I flinched, surprised by her sharp voice. "Yes, yes, I'm just..." I shook my head and fought to recover from the inner unrest I was feeling from the entire wonder.

The waiter came in instantly and dropped off Jerry's order which appeared to be another two bottles of Champagnes. I looked up at Jerry while Mandy was occupied with dancing. He winked at me in such a disgusting manner that made my inside coil in revolt. Men! Why would he order an extra bottle of Champagne? Two for that matter. Just to prove his masculinity and to add more insult, he is making moves on me in front of my friend!

I was feeling overwhelmed with the whole charade. A strange man buys me a bottle of a very expensive drink and disappears without making any move, just a lusty stripping ogle from the far corner of the room, and then while still recovering, here I am being visually harassed by my bestie's supposed sugar boy.

Humph!

"I have to use the restroom, excuse me" I was already making move even while I said it. I didn't want any questions from Mandy so I hastened, but not before I saw her worried look.

"Excuse me, Miss" I snapped my face to the voice. It was the waiter from before. He approached me hastily with a hesitant smile. " Sorry, I was on my way to your table before I saw you hastening off. Mr. Cameron said I should give this to you" my eyes slowly followed the movement of his hand. He uprooted a plated-looking green complimentary card from his suit pocket and gave it to me. I hesitated for some time in quiet reflection. So he wasn't a ghost after all?

"Okay," I said more to myself than him. I looked at the template. Cameron Sylvester. Nice. I looked up and nodded my thanks to the waiter to hasten off afterward to the restroom to check out the card properly.

"Hmm, this is not bad" I mumbled and checked out the fancy card, front, and back. I was curious about his personage but that was squashed coz the only thing I saw was his name and contact number. I knew how this works. He bought me a drink with a signal, now he expected me to call him. Well, this is cool and from the quality of the template and knowledge that only the wealthy made it into here, I would squash my pride and call him.

Valerie Briggs, maybe we have our prince charming or not! Hehehhehehe...My heart did a full flip-flop.

I checked my face and splashed a little water to recover my flushed skin, after which I went back to the booth to meet with Mandy with her licentious oaf of a boyfriend.

They were making out when I came in causing me to flush afresh and about to turn away but, Mandy giggled "Come back girl, sometimes you behave like a virgin from the confined Winchester nunnery"

I rolled my eyes at her statement and gradually sat down making sure to close my legs from the lecherous gaze of her treacherous beau. He took a long sip from his glass while looking away from us.

"Hope you okay, Valeria?" Mandy asked looking all worried. I nodded and put on a positive facade. "Just went to the lavatory, you know how lose my bowels can be" I fibbed.

She nodded and faced her boyfriend getting his attention back to us. He feigned a happy countenance but I could see through him that he was feeling maybe bored or something else but this place was no longer enticing to him.

"So Valeria, are you also a student?" he asked me with his eyes squinted in silent scrutiny. I looked at Mandy before looking at him. Is he a dunce or what? If my bestie had told him about me as he said, he is supposed to know that. Why ask me? or is he just trying to keep a conversation even though it's impractical?.

"Yea" I shrugged and picked up a glass to pour myself a good quantity of the drink. "This is good" I tipped the glass at them and gulped down in one sweep.

"I'm glad you like it. Mandy said she doesn't" he chipped.

"Oh," I said in a monotone.

"Not my thing. I like mine stronger and burny" Mandy blabbed, hooking her arm around his neck. From the way she was behaving, I could tell she was already on her way to inebriation. She giggled ridiculously and held on tightly to him "What do you say we get out of here huh?" I heard the oaf shout at the top of his voice. I shared a reluctant look with Mandy.

That would definitely not be a wise idea. " Yea! I'm bored of this place by the way" she flipped her hands about and made to stand, but he pushed her down to the couch. "Stay still Catty" he purred. Yikes! Catty? What's that?

"Uhmm, Mandy, I think we need to go home. You are drunk" I surmised. She looked at me like I just spewed trash and suddenly busted out laughing "Me? Drunk? I am fuckenly no way close to drunk!"

Nice. "I know Mandy, but I think you are right. But still, we need to get out of here" I tried again. She waved her hand at me and turned her face to Cherry Jerry who seemed occupied on his phone not to notice our interlude. "Jerry, can we go now?"

He looked up as if becoming aware of our presence for the first time " Yea"

He pocketed his phone and stood up from the couch. He picked her up around the waist and started leading her out. I used the opportunity to carry our bags and the bottle of Champagne the stranger got for me and followed behind.

"Okay, Vally, I will be going home with Jerry. So you take care of yourself" she took her bag from me. I was skeptical for some time. I know Mandy and know at this minute, she isn't herself. Why would she want to go home with a guy in this state? By the way, what kind of man would want to fuck a girl in her state?.

A cad, of course.

I dragged her to a corner to try to talk some sense into her "Mandy you can't go with him today. You don't look good"

"Come off it Vally. I know what I'm doing. I'm just being this way so he thinks I'm drunk. He doesn't last especially when I'm this way. Urgh! I hate him so much" she informs me in a normal tone. Mandy! I nearly choked in my own mirth but I managed to school my facial expression.

"Catty hurry, we don't have the entire time in the world" he growled from his car.

Mandy rolled her eyes at him. "I'm only with him for the money. He can't even fuck!" she whisper yelled. I pitied her that moment. Such a popper. With all the muscles and fineness. He's an oaf.

"Must you fuck him for the cash? I feel your pain right now" I drawled and shook my head. I had come to this place with her and I wish she would just ditch the bastard. I could see the pain in her eyes. Mandy is the kind of girl that can do anything just to have what she wanted. Why I admired that about her, I sometimes can't help but fear for her.

"It's the inky way Barbie. Get your head out of the water and get used to this if you eventually want to make it on this side of the world. It's your coochie for the bucks" with that she whirled around and resumed her role play. She nearly fell face flat when she reached him but luckily he reached forth on time to catch her.

He opened the door of this fiat and guided her into it before turning to me. I quivered in my spot from his appraisal. "Are you sure you would do fine Ms. Briggs?" How did he know my name without my telling him? Oh, Mandy.

I forged a cherry front "Yes Jerry. Thanks" he didn't give up immediately, he pinned me with a slutty regard for some time with me returning the gesture kindly. After he understood that I wasn't easy prey, he swung around and joined Mandy before the car took off down the pavement.

Suddenly aware of my environment and the fact that I was the only one standing there, I jumped into the car and zoomed off home.

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When I entered my apartment, I flung every of my bodily accomplice in different directions and ran to the bathroom to have a hot shower.

I've had an eventful day.

Entering my not-so-fashionable living room afterward, I tuned into my favorite channel and started watching 'The Johnsons'. I whizzed as I noticed that the show was already halfway gone.

I contemplated calling Mandy to ask if she was fine but drew against it. She is a big girl and I trust if anything comes up she couldn't handle, I believe she would call me.

After the show ended, I was left with nothing else but to either go to bed or binge on my chocolate until I feel sleepy. I picked up my phone to go through some school blogs when my mind flitted to the man from the club. I rushed out of the living room and searched through my bag for the card. I couldn't find it. Fuck! Did I misplace it or what? How? I search through my bag and everything I had on me but still, I couldn't find it.

I huffed and went back to the living room in anger. How could I have been so reckless?. I tried to remember all my movements to know if I had by any chance misplaced it at some point but after some time, I gave up. Maybe he isn't my prince charming after all.

Everything suddenly looked bland and uninteresting. I was seething from being careless, toppled with the fact that on a night like this, my bestie chose to tag along with a scumbag. I pinned my eyes to the television, that I didn't even notice darkness override my consciousness. I woke up sometime later in the middle of the night and trudged sleepily into my room.

The shrilling of my alarm woke me up the next morning. I cussed and growled at the sun as it slit through the curtains to slate my eyes. I often forget to bring down the curtain every night before going to night causing the repetition of the same ogre situation every day.

I lazily climbed off the bed and made my way to the bathroom. I promptly did my freshening up and quickly wore my dress. I was already running late for my group meeting this morning before my next class.

By the time I finished, my phone was almost destroyed with the calls of my meeting members. Being the secretary of the meeting, I was expected to be among the first to arrive.

I locked my door and partially ran to the car. I entered it and powered the ignition. I reversed recklessly and tipped to the side causing my phone to fall into my pitch hole in the car. I would have neglected it, if not that it started ringing. I joined the main road and bent to check the caller.

Just as I looked, there in between my phone and my diary, was a familiar card lying roughly. I was overcome with a feeling of exhilaration.

So I didn't lose you after all?. Great!