CHAPTER 14

Oded’s hand rested softly on Mara’s lower back as he guided her towards the main entrance of the restaurant. He had chosen one of his favorites places to celebrate Mara’s birthday and just hoped that she truly liked it. But just as they were going into the beautiful restaurant, Mara stopped dead in her tracks.

“Oh, no,” she muttered. “I left my shawl in the car.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll go to get it. You can wait for me at the bar, if you don’t mind,” he suggested, motioning for her to come in.

 “Oh, not at all… Alright,” she replied, smiling at him.

As she headed for the bar she could feel eyes upon her. Everybody was staring at her and she wondered for a brief moment, what their problem was. Had they never seen a woman coming to a restaurant alone or what? She felt the urge to chuckle out loud… She knew better, didn’t she?

Smiling, she approached the bar and managed to get up on a stool without too much trouble in spite of her new dress, Susan’s present. A waiter asked her right away if she wanted to have something, but she shook her head as a kind smile graced her lips.

 “No, thanks. I’m just waiting for someone,” she added finally before the boy left her alone.

She looked at the mirror that was hanging in front of her and amused herself by watching people through it. Suddenly, a girl’s voice called her attention.

 “Mara? Oh, God! I can’t believe it… What a coincidence!”

Her eyes searched the mirror for that voice’s owner and she was glad to see who she was. A wide smile appeared on her face as she spun slowly and got down from the stool.

“Paula! I’m so glad to see you, girl,” she said as they kissed affectionately. “Of course, it’s such a coincidence. I thought you must be already in Vancouver.”

“Well, that will be tomorrow. Tonight is my farewell. I’ve come with some friends and my brother to have dinner and have fun for awhile,” she explained as she looked back at the table where her friends were chatting cheerfully.

When Mara knew Alex was there, an awkward knot formed in her stomach and she felt suddenly sick. The last thing she wanted to see was that filthy rat. But she couldn’t avoid this; she had no choice. So she braced herself for facing him for the first time after their last encounter. 

 “So, Alex is here?” she asked as her eyes searched for him amongst Paula’s friends.

“Yes, well… no. Right now he’s trying to park the car,” Paula explained, not noticing the resentment in Mara’s words. She was glad to have found her again, when she thought she wouldn’t. “By the way, Mara, where’s Susan? I thought she’d be with you,” she asked, frowning.

“Well, she’s now… well, Susan is…” she hesitated at what she should say. She didn’t want to give her too many details, so she thought of something quickly. “Well, Paula, she’s with a boy. She’s on a date.”

“Oh! That’s cool! And… I guess you got another. Because I don’t think you’re here to have dinner alone, huh?” the girl insinuated, winking at her naughtily.

Mara wanted the earth to open under her feet right there. Of course, she was there to dinner with a man, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted Paula to know who her date was. However, it was going to be something the ex-receptionist would find out soon…

When Mara was about to reply, Paula’s eyes opened so wide that Mara thought for a moment they were going to jump from her skull. She knew right away that Paula had just seen Oded coming into the bar.

“Oh, my… Gawd! I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Please, look at there, Mara, and tell me who has just come in right now?” the girl asked her, motioning for her with her eyes to look at the entrance. “Definitely, tonight is my lucky night… Oh, yeah!”

Mara didn’t even need to look to know it. Yet, she turned around to see how Oded’s sexy presence washed over the bar and how his eyes landed on hers at the very moment he came in.

“Oh, Mara! He’s looking at us,” Paula pointed out, very excited. “Oh, Good Lord! How gorgeous he looks!”

Mara giggled softly, trying hard to keep her own desire at bay to run towards him and wrap her arms around his neck.

“Er… by the way, Paula … answering your earlier question… he’s my date,” Mara revealed as she saw him walking towards them with a fresh smile in his suggesting lips.

“What?” the girl exclaimed surprised. “Are you kidding me? Oh, no! He can’t be your date. No, no… you’re pulling my leg, huh?”

“No, I swear I’m not. But if you don’t believe me, hold on, please,” Mara asked without averting her eyes from Oded’s.

Paula was unable to speak a single word when she saw Oded stopping before them and surrounding Mara’s waist with his arm in a possessive way, leaving no doubt that Mara was telling her the truth.

“Here,” he said giving Mara her shawl as he kept her by his side with his arm, noticing the stunned girl that remained in silence in front of them.

“Thanks, Oded,” replied the Spanish girl, staring at him for a few seconds before returning to look at Paula, who seemed to be submerged into a catatonic state. “By the way, I want to introduce you to a friend. This is Paula Deacon. Paula, I think I don’t need to tell you who he is, am I right?” She chuckled with amusement.

As if a thunder bolt had crossed her mind, the girl turned back to reality and outstretched her hand to impetuously shake with Oded’s. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Fehr. It’s a great pleasure for me, certainly. I’ve been a big fan of yours since a long time ago and honestly, I love everything you’ve been doing. If you continue like this, I’m sure you could become a great actor in a short time.”

“Nice to meet you too, Paula. And… thank you very much for your nice words. It’s always pleasant knowing people who admire your job. Thanks again, Paula,” he said humbly with a lovely smile that made her blush fiercely. “By the way, your last name sounds very familiar to me…” he added, frowning as he wondered where he had heard it before.

“Well, I don’t know what to say, I guess it’s not a usual name,” she replied a bit confused.

But curiously, he wouldn’t have to wait too long before solving the puzzle. The prson with the answer was already standing behind him. Alex cleared his throat, making them turn around. Mara wanted to die at that very moment, but she kept her composure in spite of her growing need to spit his face.

“Oohh… What a surprise, Mara!” he said ironically with a wicked smile plastered on his face as he stared at her with lustful eyes. “How’re you doing?”

“Hi, Alex. I’m fine, thanks,” she managed to say, even though she wanted to slap him.

Then, he looked at the man who was by her side and recognized him immediately. “Good evening, Mr. Fehr. Do you remember me?” He spread his hand to shake with him but his voice held a clear hint of resentment. Suddenly, he understood a lot of things.

“Er… Deacon? Alex Deacon?” Oded replied with just a bit of hesitation. It only took him a few seconds to realize that Alex was the guy who had given him the information about Mara. He could read a deep resentment in his words and could tell that the guy was clearly annoyed. But these things happen and he couldn’t do anything…

“Yes. I see you don’t forget a face, huh?” Alex said, notably upset as he got closer to his sister.

“No, I don’t,” Oded answered kindly, trying to not play his game.

“Hey, Alex! You never told me you knew him personally,” protested Paula suddenly.

“Yeah. But it’s a long story. I’ll tell you later, sis,” her brother added without averting his eyes from Mara’s, who was starting to feel terribly uncomfortable with his stare.

“So, she’s your sister, isn’t she? Now I understand why her last name sounded familiar to me,” said Oded, unconsciously caressing Mara’s waist.

“Well, Oded… Why don’t we go to see if our table is ready?” suggested Mara suddenly, wishing desperately he would agree with her. That awkward situation was starting to be unbearable.

“Yes, you’re right. Er… Paula, it has been a pleasure to meet you. Alex… take care of your sister. She’s a nice girl,” Oded told before saying them goodbye as Mara did too, also promising Paula to phone her as soon as possible once she and Susan arrived in Spain.

Then, they two headed for the dining-room, where the maître’d greeted them politely and indicated them their table was waiting for them at a private, more intimate, room. Oded kept his hand on Mara’s waist, feeling tremendously happy in spite of the odd situation they’d just lived. He knew Alex liked her, that was quite obvious and because of that he seemed so upset with him. But Mara was behaving a bit weird since their… interesting encounter, and he wondered why. Maybe she would tell him later.

After the maître’d gave them the menu and left them alone to quietly think over their order, Mara was the first one who spoke.

“Oded, can I ask you something?”

“Yes. Tell me,” he said, nodding.

“Perhaps it’s not my business, but where do you know Alex from?”

“Oh, that…” He sighed deeply before replying her. “I knew him at the station the day I had the interview in the Jay Leno Show. He was who told me where I could find you.”

“Really? I had no idea, certainly,” she answered with surprise.

“What about you? I guess it’s because you know his sister, huh?”

“Yeah. Susan and I knew Paula at the hotel where we were staying. She was the receptionist and was kind enough to get us two invitations to the Jay Leno Show through Alex.” She seemed to hesitate a bit before continuing. “I… well, I suppose I should be grateful to him for that, I mean, for helping to be together, you and I, because if I hadn’t been there, we two wouldn’t have even met at all.”

“You’re right, Mara. But tell me if I’m wrong… A while ago, you seemed very uncomfortable in his presence. You didn’t seem to be glad to see him here. Why?”

Her expression changed radically and Oded noticed it. He thought perhaps he had gone too far asking her that. Perhaps and after all, she didn’t want to talk about it, or perhaps, she thought this wasn’t his business… So, he tried to fix his mistake.

“Er… Mara, if you don’t want to answer, you’re in your right. I’ll understand,” he said, smiling at her as sweetly as he could.

She shook her head and drew a nice smile on her lips. She thought it would be better if she told him her experience with that rat named Alex Deacon. After all, she was starting to trust him again… right?

“No, Oded, I want to,” she stated as she reached for his hand and clasped it softly. “The reason why I can’t stand him if because he tried, well… let’s say, he tried to get from me what I wasn’t willing to give him. And…”

“What?” he cut her off, visibly shocked by her confession. “What are you trying to tell me? He…oh, God! He…” Oded stopped to swallow before lowering his voice, not wanting to believe what he was thinking of. “Tell me, Mara, please. Did he sexually abuse you, is that it?”

“Er… well, not… he…well, he tried it…” she babbled uncontrollably, not knowing what to say as she withdrew her hand unconsciously and averted her eyes from his.

Oded realized she was frightened and tried to settle her down. So, leaning a bit over the table, he took her hand between his, caressing it tenderly. “Mara…”

She lifted her confused eyes up and landed them on his dark ones, sighing deeply. “Yes?”

“I know it’s a silly question, but, are you alright?”

She nodded slowly as she drew a weak smile on her lips. “Yeah… But I can’t help but feel so… so… Damn it! I still can feel his hands on me when I think of him. God!! Does this make any sense?” Her eyes searched his for a reassuring answer.

“Yes, it does. But fortunately, everything is over and…” He suddenly stopped talking; he really didn’t know what else he could tell her. Her words had shocked him and he couldn’t help but feel angry and pissed off at that bastard. But he also knew he needed to reassure her. “Mara, if you want, I can accompany you to the police. I think you should report him for what he did. He deserves punishment.”

“No, Oded. Thank you very much, but I won’t do it,” she stated.

“What? Why? I don’t understand you,” he asked very stunned now.

“Because it’s his word against mine. I went to dinner with him willingly. Understand me? Willingly. So, I have nothing but my word. I’m just a tourist and the police would believe him when he told them that I tried to seduce him all the time. This is not true, but alas, they’d swallow this lie,” she indicated, feeling at this very moment so frustrated.

“But, Mara…” he protested; he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“No, Oded. I tell you again, I won’t,” she insisted firmly, staring at him intensely. “I just want to forget that damn evening and of course, Alex. Just that.”

Despite he wanted to put some good sense into her mind and make her think things over, he looked into her eyes and could see a plea in them. So, he finally relented. “Alright, Mara. I’ll respect your decision, although I think you’re wrong.”

“Thanks, Oded,” she said with a wide smile.

“Anyway, tell me, Mara, can I do something so that you can erase this bad memory?”

She landed her hazel eyes on Oded’s and felt an incredible tenderness growing up inside of her. She had to be honest to herself and admit that in spite of all her ordeal with Alex, she had been able to meet the nicest and warmest man she had ever known in her boring life.

“Yes, Oded. Don’t stop being so tender and kind with me,” she finally said, a sweet smile dancing on her lips.

“I won’t. I promise,” he replied, returning the smile.

Then, they both concentrated on the menu and remained for some minutes in silence. But Oded couldn’t stop to think about Alex and what he could have done to Mara. He felt upset and full of rage towards him; he couldn’t help it. But then his eyes went to Mara for the umpteenth time and everything regarding that guy left his mind for good. Oded just could do one thing: looking at her, watching her. Oh, God! How beautiful she looked that evening!

He sighed softly, trying to get his rampant emotions in check. Maybe it was the light, maybe that lovely dress she was wearing or maybe the incredible day they had spent together… Or maybe it was his hope to spend a more incredible night with her… He didn’t know the answer. Though, the fact was that he felt the urge to take her right there and kiss her senseless. And even knowing she would stare at him aghast, he couldn’t stop thinking about her… all of her.

“Um…I think I’ll have…” Mara broke suddenly the silence but she stopped talking when she realized he was staring at her in a weird way, as if hypnotized. “What’s up, boy? Do I have something wrong on my face or what?” she asked with amusement.

“Oh, sorry…” He blinked once, twice, feeling himself a bit embarrassed. “I hadn’t realized… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t mind,” she dismissed his confused look lightly. “I like when you look at me, as long as you aren’t thinking of how you’re going to cook me, of course,” she added, giggling.

“Alright,” he replied, joining her in the laughter. “I won’t.”

A short time later, they started to dinner while they chatted cheerfully about plenty of things, among them Mara’s plans for the coming months and his own ones. The evening was passing pleasantly and the desserts’ time arrived. When he finished his delicious cheese cake, Oded stood up, apologizing; he needed to go to the restroom. So, Mara was left alone, enjoying the rest of her wonderful strawberry ice-cream with hot chocolate on it.

She was so concentrated on her dessert that she didn’t realize that Alex had just come in was headed for her. Even after he sat down in front of her, she still thought it was Oded as she was looking down. She lifted her eyes up with a naughty smile on her face.

“Wow! How fast you are, Od…” The last word died in her lips when she saw Alex, smiling at her wickedly and seated across the table. “What… what the hell are you doing here? Go immediately, now!” she nearly barked.

“Please, hon, relax… You don’t look beautiful when you’re pissed,” said Alex, ignoring the hint of sharpness in her voice.

“Look, Alex, I don’t know what the hell you want now…” She pointed at him with her finger as she spoke.

“Just talk with you, Mara, just that,” he cut her off, using that honeyed tone of his.

“Talk about what? Between you and I there’s nothing to talk about,” she stated, visibly annoyed and irritated by his insolence. “So, go now. And… you can thank me I haven’t reported you to the police for what you did to me a few days ago.”

“Are you talking seriously? Report me? Ha! I did nothing to you, hon,” he said ironically as he leaned over the table to intimidate her. “I just wanted to get what I deserved. But I see you’re much more ambitious than what I first thought. I see you prefer this stupid actor. Maybe you think you can aspire to something, perhaps, to become his girlfriend. Ha! You can try whatever you want, but you won’t stop being a bitch…”

“You… you despicable rat. Go to hell!” she cursed between clenched teeth. She couldn’t stand him anymore. “Stand up right now and get out of my sight.”

“I see you’re also a…” He went on, ignoring her words.

“NOW!” she exclaimed hysterically, pointing with a finger towards the door.

Everybody around stared at her, astonished by her behavior. Right away, the maître’d got closer to them, cleared his throat and asked them if everything was right.

“No, sir. This man is…”

Her sentence wasn’t finished; Oded’s presence stopped her… fortunately. She closed her eyes as she breathed in deeply. Thank God! She was now safe.

“Any problem?” Oded asked seriously as he glared at Alex, who stood up suddenly from his chair.

“No. I was about to go,” replied Alex.

The maître’d looked at Oded and asked him with his look if he needed his presence there. Oded shook slowly his head, smiling at him politely. Then, the maître’d muttered “very well” and he left them alone.

“Well, Mara, I’m glad to see you again,” said Alex as he stared at her fiercely, without minding at all if Oded was there or not.

“You know…I’m sick of you,” muttered Mara with contempt as she glared at him. “If you continue talking I’ll vomit on you…”

“Oh, girl… Think it over. You could spoil this nice dress of yours,” Alex affirmed ironically as he arched an eyebrow. “And I won’t…”

“Mr. Deacon, your presence here is unwelcome,” Oded cut him off sharply. “In case you hadn’t realized yet…Mara doesn’t want to see you anymore and of course, I don’t either. So, I ask you to go now, but without making a scene...”

“Very well, Mr. Fehr…I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I’ll go,” Alex replied harshly, pretending to be offended by Oded’s attitude. Then, he returned his eyes to her. “Bye, Mara.”

She didn’t even reply to him. The disdain and resentment in her eyes were answer enough. Then, Alex walked towards the door and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you alright?” asked Oded suddenly, leaning over her.

“Yeah…” she answered, nodding slowly.

“Alright.” He lifted his head up and saw how Alex had just come out of the room. A thought crossed his mind abruptly. “Hold on, Mara. I won’t be long, I promise.”

“But… whe… where are you going now?” she asked, very confused as her eyes followed him across the room. She shivered with apprehension, afraid of whatever thing may happen now. ¡Oh, Dios! Esto es increible. No puede estar pasando. (Oh, God! That’s incredible. It can’t be happening).

Oded was after Alex and stopped him out of the private dining-room. “Hey, you!”

Alex turned around and looked at him with arrogance. “What’s going on with you now? I’m in a hurry.”

“Well, don’t be much in a hurry.” Oded got closer and glared at him with piercing eyes. “I want to know what the hell you were doing there? Bothering her?”

“What? Bothering? No, no... You’re wrong. I was just talking with her,” he replied defiantly.

“Talking? I’m not sure of that.” Oded’s look intensified, almost as if he wanted to stab him with his eyes.

“Why not? This is a free country, isn’t it?” Alex pointed out apparently surprised, shrugging his shoulders.

“Not when you tried to abuse her,” Oded accused him firmly, feeling his rage starting to grow within him.

“What? Is that what she has told you?” Alex asked sarcastically, chuckling with amusement. “We just went to dinner, then, we took a walk and later, I left her at her hotel. Just that,” he stated calmly, trying to sound innocent.

Alex’s arrogant words ended up lighting Oded’s anger. Without thinking if there were people around them or not, Oded held him by his collar and put him against the wall abruptly, taking Alex by surprise.

“I know you’re lying through your teeth. So, listen to me now, damned son-of-a-bitch,” he hissed between clenched teeth. “If I see you getting closer to Mara one more time, I swear to you I’ll break your legs, will make your life a hell and won’t stop until no one in this city will give you any kind of job. And… in case I haven’t made me clear enough, I’ll get them to arrest you. Mara hasn’t wanted to report you to the police, but you can bet I will. Do you understand me?”

Alex met his eyes and swallowed hard. Oded’s sharp look was telling him that he was not kidding at all. He felt the urge of hitting strongly Oded’s jaw but Alex wasn’t stupid; he knew very well he couldn’t, mustn’t do anything, not even touching a hair of his head, although he was more muscular than Oded. It wouldn’t be a good idea because Oded was an actor, someone popular with contacts and Alex knew very well he could do everything he had just told him. So, sighing deeply, he was resigned to relent and nodding, he muttered a weak, “Alright”.

Then, Oded released his collar. “Now, disappear from my sight, worm. And remember what I’ve just told you. Be sure I will.”

Alex stretched his shirt and after glaring at Oded for a few seconds, he spun in a quick move and walked towards the main dining-room, where his sister and friends would be wondering why he was so late.

Oded followed him with his eyes until Alex disappeared into the other room. He sighed deeply, closed his eyes and tried to regain his composure. Thank God, there was no sign of people around there; just him. He didn’t need any bad publicity right now.

When he returned to his table, Mara was a bunch of nerves. “Oh, Oded… Where in the hell have you been? Oh, my God! I think I’m gonna get crazy…”

“Don’t worry, Mara. Everything is fine, now,” he reassured her as he took her hand, clasping it softly.

“But, what have you done?” she inquired him, afraid of his answer. “And… don’t lie to me, please.”

“I just made sure that this guy doesn’t bother you again,” he replied her seriously. Then, he withdrew his hand and took a sip from his glass of water.

“Shit, Oded! You shouldn’t have done anything. You can get into trouble, haven’t you thought of that?” she said to him, clicking her tongue in defeat.

Oded started to think that she was mad at him, but that was far from truth. Mara was worried for his safety and the possible problems he could have gotten himself into. If Alex went to the press and explained whatever about them… Surely there would be problems.

“Are you upset with me?” He needed to be sure now.

Mara shook her head slowly, taking a long breath in. “No, Oded, I’m not. Just worried. I don’t want you to have problems because of me. You need nothing like that.”

“Hey! Thank you for caring about me, but I have the situation under control. I promise,” he stated softly.

“Alright,” she finally relented, smiling warmly.

“You know, Mara… we should forget about all this and go on with our date. Why don’t we try to have fun again?” he suggested, winking at her seductively.

She blushed fiercely, almost unconsciously before his delicious wink. “I think it’s a good idea. What do you have in mind?”

He smiled at her as he put his hand into his jacket pocket and took out something that remained hidden within his hand. Then, he reached for her hand and left it on it. “What about if you start opening this?”

Mara’s eyes opened widely as she looked at the little red box she had on her hand. “But… but, Oded… what does this mean?”

“It’s my present,” he replied, a nice smile dancing on his lips. “Why don’t you open it?”

“But, Oded…” she protested again, shaking her head utterly flabbergasted. “You already gave me your present this morning. So, what does this box mean now?”

“Just my real present. The roses were just to fool you a bit,” he explained, enjoying a lot her shocked expression. “Well, are you gonna open it or what?”

She lifted her eyes up from the box just a moment to land them on his sparkling ones. Then, she lowered them again. What the hell could there have in? She would find out quite soon, of course. She just needed to open it. But she was kind of scared of whatever she would find inside… What could it be?

“Why are you looking at the box as if it were Frodo’s Ring?” he teased her, breaking her inner thoughts.

“Oh… Sorry. I was just thinking,” she said.

“Then?” He was getting now impatient.

“Alright,” she finally relented. She took a long breath in as she opened the little red box, slowly with her eyes closed.

Mara finally opened them and what she saw in made her sigh with relief. “Oh, Oded! It’s so… so beautiful.”

“Do you really like it? If not, I can change it,” he offered.

“Oh, no! It’s simply precious. I do love it, seriously,” she stated happily.

“I’m glad. I wasn’t sure if you would like it or not,” he confessed humbly.

She stood up a bit, leaning over the table and kissed his mouth softly. “Thank you very much, Oded. It’s very nice,” she purred a mere inches from his lips before she sat down again. “And also, very original. How did it occur to you buying me a piercing?” She was curious now.

“That’s quite easy. I realized that you got one the day we were at the beach. I thought it was something that made you look sexy and I liked how it suited you, so… I wanted you to have a souvenir from me and as today is your birthday… I didn’t think it twice,” he explained, staring at her intensely as his mind started to fly non stop. Oh, Mara! You’re so… beautiful, my little Spanish. How much I wish you could stay here! Why do you have to go? Why, Mara? Just now, when I start to feel that I need you more than never by my side… Does this make any sense? I don’t know… Maybe… maybe I am falling in love with you... Could it be that?

Mara didn’t realize him was staring at her for some moment. She was daydreaming contemplating Oded's gift, a beautiful ornament for her new piercing, a flower set with an amethyst. She made a mental note to herself that she would put it in as soon as she arrived at the apartment. Then, she lifted her eyes from the box and saw how absent-minded and thoughtful Oded had become. She wondered what he was thinking of and wished to be able to know it. But she just cleared her throat, making him return to reality.

“You seemed to be miles away from here, Oded,” she said, smiling at him.

“Sorry… Lately, I lose track of time. And… you’re the only one to blame,” he pointed out, seductively as a half smile danced on his sensual lips.

“¡Dios! Si continuas haciendo eso, Oded, no creo que pueda resistirlo más. Sabes… no estoy hecha de piedra. ” (God! If you keep doing that, Oded, I don’t think I can resist it anymore. You know… I’m not made of stone.). She muttered using unconsciously her native language. Maybe a part of her didn’t want him to know what she was telling him.

“What?” he asked frowning.

She blushed slightly, but then, giggled with amusement as she shook her head. “Ah, no! If you think I’m going to repeat it, I’m afraid you’re wrong.”

“Geez, Mara! Don’t be so bad,” he mumbled, frowning. But his frown disappeared right away, when he burst out loud. “In the end, I’ll finish up buying a Spanish dictionary or perhaps… yes, why not? I’ll take some private teaching to finally manage to figure you out once and for all.”

She laughed openly at the thought that crossed her mind. She knew she held certain advantage over him and couldn’t help but feel tremendously mischievous, enjoying the moment. “Oded, if it’s about having private teacher…” she started explaining as she stared at him intensely, “…I can give you some lessons…” Her voice purred in a way that made him feel a sudden tingle between his legs.

“Would you like it?” he said her seductively, joining her on her game. “I warn you I’m a hard student…”

A sudden wave of heat washed over her up and down, making her blush fiercely. But she didn’t give the seduction game up; she was enjoying it much more than she thought she would.

“I’m completely certain you’re as hard as you say. But… I’ll take the risk,” she added boldly, staring at him intensely with her deep hazel eyes as a playful smile danced flirtatiously on her lips. 

Oh, my…! There it was again, the tingle between his legs. Oded was starting to get aroused before Mara’s coquettish game and suddenly knew they would need to finish the dinner right away. He wanted to take her to another place much more proper to seduce her quietly, without indiscrete eyes around them.

“Tell me, Mara, what do you think if we go now?” he suggested her, arching an eyebrow as he kept his eyes nailed to hers, looking at her with impatience.

“Oh, Oded… I thought you would never ask,” she answered almost moaning as she narrowed her eyes slightly. She was getting aroused too…

“Then, I’ll ask for the bill,” he added as he looked for the waiter with restlessness.

“I’ll go to the restrooms in the meantime, Oded,” she stated as she stood up, taking her purse.

“Very well, but please, don’t be long, ok?” He begged her, a half smile playing on the corners of his lips.

“Don’t worry. I won’t…” Mara said, winking at him naughtily.

Then, she spun and headed for the restrooms while Oded followed her with his eyes, thinking how that sexy dress fit tightly to her figure, giving her that awesome look. He sighed deeply and felt terribly satisfied of how dinner had passed between them, even though Alex’s awkward interruption. They have been laughing and talking quietly, as they were old friends, feeling himself rather comfortable by Mara’s side. Without any doubt, he sensed she was an extraordinary woman, who he could be with for hours enjoying her company, simply chatting and sharing good moments. He admitted Mara provided him certain sensation of peace, a very warm feeling that comforted him. Because of that, despite realistically recognizing in himself the desire that the evening would end with sex, Oded decided he wouldn’t rush things. Of course he saw there were some possibilities on the horizon, but he thought maybe it was better if he took things slow and easy. After all, they just knew each other for a scarce time and perhaps, she preferred to wait until she knew just where things were headed, just like him.

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Mara walked towards the restrooms almost feeling as if she was walking over the clouds. Oded was an incredible person; attentive, sweet, kind, with a good sense of humour and he was showing her all the time that he cared for her much more than she would have imagined. Even, he had thought of giving her the best of her birthdays and it was turning out totally incredible, thanks to him.

She knew the evening wasn’t over yet and had to admit she was a bit nervous of how it could end up, although she could imagine it. The little games of seduction between them over dinner were a clear clue that there could be much more than sweet kisses and soft caresses over the clothes. It was obvious that between them there was a powerful sexual attraction. And Mara couldn’t help but tremble in anticipation… Will it be tonight? Yes or not? Good heavens! If I don’t stop trembling like this, my tanga brief will finish down my ankles… Oh, my…!

Until that right instant, Mara hadn’t thought of the possibility of making love with him. Sincerely it was something she hadn’t even considered. However, it seemed that that evening had big expectations and she chuckled mentally when she thought she could think of it as a good and lovely end to her birthday.

But although she wished it to happen as any other woman would, Mara dismissed that thought from her mind right away. You don’t need to think about it. Just let things happen and don’t be in a hurry… Maybe it can happen or maybe not… But don’t be impatient, girl. Take things easier and don’t try to bed him so quickly. Perhaps, it would be preferably much more appropriate if you two know each other much better before ending up in his bed.

So, Mara shook her head slowly, sighing deeply as she got into the restrooms, totally unaware of what would occur in a few minutes.

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Alex was talking over his cell phone to Raul, a friend of his who had a line on a possible job. He was outside of the dining-room because he couldn’t get the signal to lock when something called his attention a few yards off him. Mara’s shape passed by his eyes, making him feel an inexplicable and raw impulse to follow her, despite Fehr’s plain warning. His obsession with Mara was bigger than his fears over what might happen. So, he made up a simple excuse to get rid of his friend.

“Raul, I gotta go man. This reception sucks. I’ll call you later.” Then, he pressed the off button and walked towards the restrooms, towards where he knew Mara had headed for.

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A Sweet Obsession – Chapter 15