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The bartender finally makes up for it by serving her a raspberry virgin mojito with two colorful paper umbrellas. “One for you, one for the baby!”
She blushes a little and thanks him, but her smile lasts barely a second, disappearing as soon as her husband joins us. Yann says a quick hello to me, asks me to congratulate Vadim for the incredible evening, then turns his back on me to address his wife. Within seconds, they start snapping at each other. I consider getting involved to try to calm things down, but decide I would be intruding, and end up walking away.
At last, I find Vadim, smiling and looking gorgeous… despite the stain on his white shirt.
“Just some champagne,” he says. “Fe’s such a klutz.”
He leads me away, then ushers us into a small room whose door blends seamlessly into the white wall. In a corner, there’s a large clothing rack filled with black trousers and white shirts. The servers’ uniforms. After taking off his tie and jacket, Vadim removes his shirt and grabs a new one. I let my eyes roam over his bare chest and wonder how many more years I’ll be fascinated by the definition of his muscles, the texture of his skin, the masculine grace of his movements.
“Have you got something you want to share with me, Lancaster?”
“I have to admit, I have a bit of a weakness for men in suits. But I prefer you without clothes on, Mr. King.”
He slowly approaches me, a smirk playing on his lips, his steely eyes locked on mine.
“Has anyone told you that you’re the most beautiful woman here tonight?” he whispers in my ear.
He grabs my ass and pulls me toward him.
I often wonder if we’ll have this attraction, this chemistry, for the rest of our lives.
“Vadim…”
I wrap my arms around his neck and feel an almost unbearable desire sweep over me. His lips capture mine. I moan and run my hand through that tousled hair of his that I love so much. The scent of Ciao Amore makes me dizzy… Or maybe it’s the passion of this kiss, the intensity of this man that I’ll never grow tired of.
Suddenly, a young server bursts into the cloakroom in tears, startling us. Her white dress is dripping with red wine, and Vadim immediately rushes over to her.
“Are you okay? Is everything alright?”
His deep voice and solicitous attention seem to alarm the server, so I go over to reassure her.
“Don’t worry, he just wanted to help you, but he’s going to step out.”
Vadim whispers a thank-you in my ear and slips away. His smile makes me melt. As does the way he’s so keen to help a girl he doesn’t even know, simply because he cares about the well-being of others. Because he’s a good man. A man I’m proud of. An ally to women in a world where we need them so much.
***
I stay with the young server for a long time, telling her all about the number of times I’ve messed up, bumped into things, stained my clothes, or tripped at the worst possible moment. I give her my little bottle of perfume to help mask the smell of red wine, and she goes back to work, while I return to the party.
Searching the crowd for familiar faces, I bump into Lily, who seems annoyed.
“Okay, number one: you missed the fashion show, which was spectacular. I was this close to getting noticed by Dolce & Gabbana, who, in case you didn’t know, make plus-size clothes. I could totally become a stylist for them!”
“Totally! And number two?”
“Two: you’re going to say I told you so, but Felix is irritating me. He’s been prancing around in front of the journalists and ignoring me the entire evening!”
“What is he telling them?” I ask, worried.
“No idea. All I know is that he’s going to get dumped live on camera if he keeps playing this game.”
“You’re made for better things, Lily. Don’t forget, you’re Dolce & Gabbana’s next rising star.”
I flash her a smile and rush toward the exit, looking right and left as I go. Eventually, I spot Felix, deep in conversation on the gold carpet with… Manon Demystifies. The social media sensation known for wringing juicy secrets out of people against their will.
“Oh, Vadim and I have known each other since we were kids. He’s like a brother to me, but above all, he’s my mentor, my role model. I try to follow in his footsteps, you know? But, really, my thing is fashion, not movies. And I plan to succeed, just like he did,” Felix says, gesticulating enthusiastically.
“Well, there’s no doubt a friend like him is an asset! By the way, we know almost nothing about Vadim King’s past. You must have a few stories you can share with us?” the journalist coaxes in a cheerful tone.
