Chapter 8 "Mr. Gregson," Jiranan uttered breathlessly. Realizing that he was just an ordinary man, she quickly reprimanded herself and cleared her throat and her mind. "Andrew. Why shouldn't I be here? My father is a businessman. The question is why you are here because you don't seem like a businessman at all. I thought of you as one who would sell his body to a rich girl like Pakjira." "A man has his pride," he sternly said, his anger showing through his eyes. "I wouldn't sell myself for a few measly coins or for anyone. Besides, the woman came to me. And I did my best to please her. Would you like to see how?" Jiranan scoffed silently in disgust and turned away. "Wait, I forgot," he whispered, leaning against her ear, "you did have a taste of my talents." The hair on her back prickled and she shivered. "Come dance, Jiranan." He was already taking her arm, leading her into the center of the room. "This is a business party, not a ball," she told him. "Let go of me. This music isn't for dancing. You're going to embarrass me." "What is life without a little adventure, little doll." With the slight pull, she was already in the embrace of his arms, his steps leading into a waltz. As confident as she was, she was never one to waltz. She never learnt it. And Andrew sensed it in her hesitancy. "Look into my eyes and don't look down or else they'll know you can't dance. Keep close and I will lead." She did as he said. Relaxing a bit, he began to tell the moves to be taken. "This dance allows us to be like two bodies formed into one. In a matter of a few strokes, I will step and you will follow like the harmonious relationship between man and instinct. We are one. Breathe with me. Let your heart beat in tune to mine. Relax and I will show you that there's nothing to be afraid of." His words were like seduction. Pillow whispers that told her of dreams that she would never dare dream of. Neither Yui nor Jiranan ever thought of those things. And this man who came out of nowhere seemed to whirlwind from a dream, fashioning words that would have only been in Yui's romance novels. It was as if Yui had stepped back into her body in that one moment and was staring into her prince charming, or her handsome rogue's eyes. "Yui..." The soft words he spoke brought a gentle smile over her fiercely, over-confident face. "I always wanted to know what it was like to dance with you." "My name is Jiranan." She didn't even know that the dance was over and that dancers had joined them. It was only until her father stood by her side did she realized this and by then, Andrew had already released her. "Daddy." Jiranan pulled herself together and moved between the two men. "Might I introduce you to Andrew Gregson, Daddy?" The two men shook hands and firmly nodded as if out of necessity. Andrew walked off the dance floor and unconsciously led the father and daughter towards the refreshment. In the meantime, Jiranan saw that Andrew was shamelessly engaging her father with business words and tactics that baffled her. Her father was already taken by him. With a sigh, she went to get a drink and nearly bumped into another man. Carefully, she raised her glass and just missed tipping the red wine onto the nicely suited man. He raised his hands to defend himself but could not miss his surprise when the head of hair turned up and revealed a bright pretty young face. But Jiranan only offered a smile and slipped back into the crowd before the man could even whisper a greeting. ~ ( * ) ~ "You made quite a splash at the party tonight, Yui." Her father had been in the habit of calling her by her baby name that it sometimes he forgot that his new daughter expected to be called by her first name. "And you caught yourself a beau." "A beau?" "That Andrew Gregson. But you ought to be careful with him, dear. He likes the intrigue and the chase but if you're looking for settling down, he's not the man." "Daddy, I'm young. I don't want to settle." Her father glowered silently. "Don't play with fire if you don't know how to extinguish it. And as my daughter, I forbid you to go near him again. Just because you have this new confidence and style in you, it doesn't mean I'm going to allow my daughter to use her body in the bargain. Don't shame the family." ~ ( * ) ~ Yui, I have this feeling that Daddy has always loved you. Maybe... No, don't, Jiranan. "Yui, are you here?" Andy called. Yui dropped the glass shard and turned to face him. At the sight of him in a dark suit, a man of the world and no longer a carpenter, Yui found the seconds ticking slower. "Yui?" "Andy." Remind herself that she was only a spirit, unable to feel love, she came up to him, erasing the unease that he brought to her. "Why are you dressed up?" "I came to see you, Yui." When he came to reach for her wrist, Yui pulled away. Even after all the times she allowed him to touch her, for her to touch him, Yui began to realize tonight that even as a spirit, she had her pride. And she won't let anyone step over it. No one will make her feel ashamed of who she is. He did not know what he was doing to her. All he could do was stare at her in confusion. "Did you know, Yui, that tonight I danced with a beautiful woman?" "Oh?" "She is an intrigue. Confident, sexual, and daring. I can't keep my mind away from her." "Why are you telling me?" "Because she's everything you're not!" He exclaimed, falling down onto a chair in exhaust. "I molded you and carved you to be the woman I've always wanted. You are the envision of love. But I am attracted to a completely different woman. What is wrong with me?" Yui did not understand what he was talking about. She could never understand because she had never fallen in love. Until him. She only knew that she loved him. She didn't care about perfection or attraction. Just commitment. He was the only one who didn't seem to understand that. Shadow Main       Home        << Back 7       Next 9 >>

Copyright 2003 Lina Em.
This story is fictional and any similarity to real life is coincidental.
Please don't take this story and pass it off as your own, all work belongs to Lina Em.
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