Strawberry Kisses

by Phavy Prieto

  "We already have a trip planned for the next year. I guess you will get married in Spain, right? " asked one of the people who had a partner.

  "We haven't decided the date yet, but it will certainly be in Spain," Damian replied with such a confidence that even I believe it.

  This man is a born salesman who’s able to sell smoke from an unlit fireplace.

  We were told that dinner would be served shortly so we got ready to go to the hall where it was held. The setting and decorations of that venue were incredible: pink and orange flowers everywhere – I would have personally used only white roses – and everything arranged with extreme attention to the smallest detail. The porcelain dishes were white with gold trim and the wine glasses had the names of the newlyweds etched on them.

  "Most holy mother! Undoubtedly everyone here is full of money except me," I thought, pitying myself.

  Apparently not all the wedding guests were taking part in that dinner but only those who were staying at the hotel. After we sat down at the table, there were some jokes about the years at the university. It was interesting to learn something about Damian's life from his friends. His private life was a complete mystery to me, apart from the detail of his ex who had left him for his best friend. Beyond that, everything was to be discovered.

  "Where did you meet?" the voice of one of the women caught my attention and I looked away from Damian.

  "Oh, in the most absurd way possible," I replied, smiling. "He hit me as he got out of the elevator."

  I told the truth, only omitting that he was my boss and that he had blackmailed me so that I accompanied him to the wedding.

  "How romantic!" she exclaimed putting a hand on her chest. "Without a doubt it was fate," she added with an affectionate smile.

  "Fate? Sure, thanks to fate I felt ashamed for days," I thought, remembering how Damian learned about my self-gratification. "Better if you focus on something else, Maria. Tonight you are going to sleep with Adonis. What if you lose yourself and jump on him?"

  "Yeah, it was definitely fate," I said dreamily.

  "You can't imagine how happy I am for him! Everyone said that after Rebecca he would never recover. Look at him now! He seems so in love! And look at that ring!" she exclaimed. For some reason I felt the need to slap her in the face, but I managed to restrain myself. She certainly didn’t say it with bad intentions.

  "Honestly, the ring is the least important thing. You should have heard his declaration of love when he asked me to marry him," I said, placing a hand on my chest too. "Damian has shown me with every gesture how much he loves me and that I am the only one with whom he wishes to spend the rest of his life."

  Yes! An extra point for Maria! Maybe I should become an actress.

  "Oh, that’s amazing! What did he say?" she insisted. At that moment the bride and the groom made their entrance and I was saved like a schoolgirl by the sound of the bell.

  When I examined Damian's ex, that long-legged sore, for once in my life I would have preferred not to be right. There she was, the perfect 90-60-90 Barbie, with thick blonde hair, eyes that, despite the distance, seemed blue to me, way over five feet tall and probably with a natural firm ass without killing herself by doing squats at the gym.

  "Life is not unfair, it’s total shit," I told myself, feeling that somehow I was competing with that hateful woman. "God, have mercy on me! May she be at least born stupid," I pleaded.

  Then I focused on the groom. I had to admit he was handsome, a burly sort, chestnut hair, light blue eyes, a little too pale and freckled for my taste, but totally acceptable on the whole. Could he be better than Damian? Not even after twenty shots of vodka.

  "I can understand why you and your friend were dazzled by that stunning blonde," I whispered in Damian's ear. He was so tense that if I had pushed him he would have certainly fallen backwards as stiff as a statue.

  "You'd better not to remind me," he said in a low voice. "Sometimes I wonder how I could be so blind."

  "Perhaps the saying is true, there is no worse blind man than the one who doesn't want to see," I replied so close to his ear that I accidentally touched it with my nose. He turned towards me to look me straight in the eye.

  "Now I see perfectly," he said. "And I really like what I see."

  Is it me or is it very hot in here all of a sudden?

  "I like what I see too," I replied, losing myself in his eyes.

  "Damian! My friend!" The voice that interrupted the exchange of loving glances and soft murmurs belonged to the groom, the famous marquis named Michael accompanied by his giraffe. She had to have swallowed a broom stick, otherwise that haughty attitude would have been inexplicable.

  "Michael! Good to see you!" Damian said hugging him tightly. "Rebecca," he greeted her with a hint of a bow.

  "I'm glad you finally found the time to come, dear. Michael and I would have been very upset if you weren't present, considering that we met thanks to you," spat the giraffe.

  "Well done! Twist the knife in his wound again," I thought as I told myself that her arrogant voice perfectly fitted with the profile of a social climber.

  "I could have never missed my best friend's wedding," Damian replied while his hand run over my waist to draw me closer to him. "This is Maria, my future bride."

  "Finally, we meet!" Michael exclaimed. I couldn't help but smile as I saw the smirk on the face of that arrogant woman. What poisonous insect had stung her? Had she accidentally swallowed a dead black cat or what? It was evident that she was not pleased at all: she realized that she had not broken his heart for good. She thought Damian would never find someone worthy of her again.

  Well, you will regret it for the rest of your days, beautiful bitch.

  "I couldn't wait to meet you too," I replied with my perfect English, the result of my studies at various academies that had cost me three and a half kidneys. "Damian talked a lot about you," I added placing my hand with the ring on Damian's chest so that that huge stone didn’t go unnoticed.

  "You've been together for a short time. Isn't it too soon to get married?" Her voice revealed the fact that, after seeing the ring, she had realized that we were going to get married for real.

  "Time doesn’t matter when you find true love," Damian rhetorically said while looking at me. I could not stop admiring for the way he feigned devotion, even though after those words I was about to faint.

  "That’s fantastic, Damian!" Michael exclaimed. "I don't think that I've ever seen you so sure."

  "I've never been so sure indeed," Damian confirmed staring at me.

  I realized that, all of a sudden, we found ourselves in the spotlight more than the bride and the groom. Fortunately, a member of the staff came to invite the bride and the groom to take their seats at their table and start the dinner. And I infinitely thanked the rigidity of that demanding protocol that allowed me to no longer be at the center of attention of all those intrusive looks.

  My intuition suggested that there was something else underneath that I could not understand yet. Probably it was just my assumption, considering that all the guests were aware of the relationship that united Damian to the bride and the groom and it was therefore logical to attract so much attention.

  "Is everything alright?" I whispered in Damian's ear as they began to serve dinner so that no one could hear me, although I did not know how many people among those who were present spoke our language.

  "Why shouldn't it?" he answered with a half-smile and turning around.

  "Oh, sorry," I said a little confused "I thought..."

  "Shush," he silenced me placing his hand on my cheek. He then brushed my lips with his thumb in such a delicate way that it was inevitable to part them. He slowly approached and for a second I thought he was going to kiss me there, in front of everyone, but he slightly deviated his face and I felt him brushing my cheek with his nose. "I have better things to think about, Miss Acosta," he said in a deep voice. "And one of them is how incredibly seductive you are tonight. Apart from the fa
ct that I will have to share a bed with you. I'm not sure I can overcome the temptation that this might entail."

  "I need some air, I need to breathe!" I screamed in my mind that was not sending orders to perform my vital functions. "Maria, don't be stupid and try to understand the hint. Find an answer!"

  "What if I wanted you to fall into temptation?" I said just as Damian moved slightly away.

  "Do you want to play with fire, Miss Acosta?" he asked staring at me. I swear his eyes were darker than usual.

  "I was never afraid of burning in hell, Mr. Devoir," I replied, biting my lower lip and maintaining eye contact.

  He was about to answer me when the waiter appeared to serve a dish and put an end to our conversation.

  What was he about to say? What would he reply? I got a fluttering feeling in my stomach, a belly full of glittering monarchs and swallowtails, alight waiting for the unpredictable.

  "Maria," said someone who demanded my attention. "You haven't told us yet what you're doing," one of Damian's friends asked me.

  I noticed how Damian remained silent while sipping a glass of wine. Despite his apparent disinterest, I was sure that he was paying attention to what I was going to answer.

  "I'm a Financial Manager in a company ..."

  "Come on, honey!" he exclaimed, interrupting me with that seductive smile capable of changing the relative humidity of my panties. "Don't be modest!" He turned towards his friend. "She is the Key Account Manager of the most important financial company in Madrid."

  He described it in a way that made me feel important, although, to be honest, that position was not mine until the following Monday. But after all, who cared?

  "Are you sure he's not getting married to you just to be hired by your company?" Damian's friend asked me with a conspiratorial smile.

  At those words I began to laugh and brought the glass to my mouth to taste the wine: it was truly excellent. Damian seemed amused by his friend's question, towards whom I turned to answer.

  "Considering that I already work in his company I have serious doubts about that," I added, instinctively biting my lip.

  "Rascal! This explains several things. You marry her to prevent her from going to the competition!" he said aloud in a friendly tone that made everyone laugh.

  "You got me!" Damian answered raising his hands in surrender while I opened my mouth in the shape of a perfect "O" in amazement. Almost involuntarily I slapped him on the arm and theatrically placed my other hand on my chest as if the observation seemed offensive to me.

  At what point did I get so involved in the role of his fiancée "slash" bride-to-be to act like this? The laughter of our tablemates infected us. The rest of the dinner was calmer, especially since some anecdotes and adventures of the years at the university began to be told.

  When the desserts were served, one of the groom's friends dedicated a few words to the bride and the groom, albeit most were meant for the future husband: he mentioned something that had been organized by everyone, a video presentation. Almost all the guests turned their gaze and chairs towards the point where the projection began. The beginning of the music made everyone quiet. I put my hand on Damian's arm. He slightly startled as if he were tense for what could appear in that video. I didn't say anything. I did not want him to feel embarrassed as he did earlier. After all, I knew that he felt very uncomfortable in that situation despite having overcome that drama. Who wouldn't have felt this way in his place? He was only there because he was a good person and a good friend. But now, after having already endured some inquiring glances from some of the guests, he also had to watch images of his past where he too would probably appear.

  After a few images where a boy and a girl appeared separately – certainly the newlyweds as children – the first image with adults was one of Michael, the giraffe with fake nails, and between them Damian!

  I felt as his arm muscles contracted and his hands clenched in fists. Who was the idiot who had the brilliant idea of making a video in which Damian appeared in almost half of the photos? They could have replaced them with others.

  "You know what?" I said in his ear. I could not shut up, I had to say something to distract him from watching that shitty video. If it was already unbearable for me, it had to definitely be a torment for him. I saw how his face slowly turned, but without looking at me. "There is no doubt that you are much more attractive now," I whispered, placing my hand on the back of his neck caressing him gently.

  I had the feeling that he was staring at something and, when I looked in the same direction, I saw not far from him a white mousse with red topping and a strawberry. Everyone seemed to be paying attention to the damn video, except us. His fingers took the strawberry and, as if in slow motion, instead of bringing it to his mouth, he placed it lightly on my lips. I opened them without taking my eyes off his and gently bit the slightly caramelized fruit. My breathing was slow. As soon as I opened my mouth to sip the juice that had come out, I felt the pressure of his lips on mine along with that sweet, forbidden and exciting taste that made me feel in heaven.

  The applause that came from afar did not matter, nor did someone's yells of congratulations: at that moment I was only interested in continuing to taste that nectar that Adonis was offering me.

  The desire accumulated throughout that period seemed to rise again in an instant and, even before I realized it, my impulse was to surrender to his lips, taking delight in his every movement in crescendo that made us estranged from the real world. His tongue had crept into my mouth to meet mine. I replied eagerly, with such impetus that I almost involuntarily let out a slight moan. I noticed how that intensity began to decrease as well as the rapture that had accompanied us, then realized where we were. And when his mouth parted from mine he did so in an elegant way, slowly and with immense sweetness.

  "From now on, strawberry is my favorite flavour," he whispered just before touching gently my lips and leaving for good. He straightened up in his chair and continued to eat the rest of the dessert quietly.

  I had kissed other guys in my life, most of them more toads than princes, to be honest. But Adonis with the body made for sin and the smile of an angel, who did not seem of flesh and blood, had put me in a bubble which I would no longer want to leave for the rest of my existence.

  Chapter XI

  After dinner we went to a private lounge bar that had been reserved for the groom's family and friends. The ceremony was supposed to take place the following day, but hardly anyone seemed to care judging from the drinks, cocktails, and liquors they were consuming.

  At a certain moment some people grabbed Michael and threw him in the air, under the gaze of superiority and annoyance of the blonde giraffe. Among the laughs and comments of cheerfulness, I understood that someone was planning a bachelor party for the groom.

  "Don't worry, Rebecca! We promise that tomorrow he will be waiting for you at the altar!" one of them shouted.

  "Aren't you going to join them?" I asked in a low voice, looking at Damian who had remained by my side until that moment.

  "I'd better go too, just to make sure nothing serious happens, given their state," he replied. "Here is the key card," he added, giving me a gentle kiss in the corner of my mouth. "Wait up for me," he whispered, staring at me for a moment before he walked away. Those words made my head spin.

  "Have I understood well?" I thought as he walked away. "Of course you have, you moron!" my brain affectionately confirmed.

  "They won't be going to the cliff, will they?" asked one of the girls I stayed with after all the men had left.

  "Of course not!" said one of them. "They will certainly stay in the hotel garden to play their games. It would be enough already if he came back with all his bones in place."

  Seeing the concern of some and the tranquility of others among those present, I was convinced that it was something normal and decided not to worry. Besides, Damian asked me to stay awake and wait for him, a clear sign that he would not be too late.

  "By
the way, Maria, is it true that you work for Damian's company?" asked the snobbish giraffe as she sipped her cocktail.

  "Yes," I said without wanting to give any further detail.

  "And what exactly do you do? Something like a personal secretary, giving certain... services?" she added in a tone that left no doubt what she meant.

  Some of the girls looked away. I was disgusted by her arrogant smile. That cocky blonde was nothing more than a first-class jerk.

  "Actually I give him a lot of services, but I prefer to reserve them for the privacy of our home," I replied with a smile so fake that it almost dislocated my jaws. "My duties in the company are not directly under his control since I manage the most important accounts."

  "So you live together?" was her next question accompanied by an expression of incredulity.

  "Of course," I said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We decided to live together shortly after we started dating. In fact, our feelings were so deep from the beginning that I always thought it was real love at first sight."

  "It certainly was, considering the way you met," replied Angelica, the girl who had previously asked me how I met Damian and who followed the conversation very carefully. "You should be happy, Rebecca. Apparently Damian forgot about you a long time ago," she said sharply. "I don't mean to be offensive, but many of us thought he wouldn't get over the separation. Instead, today we have been able to ascertain the opposite: it is enough to see the way he looks at you to understand it."

  "It would be better not to bother Damian's future bride with his past, Angelica," the Barbie giraffe sarcastically replied. "Perhaps she might get offended, although that is not our intention. Perhaps she doesn’t know what happened."

  I knew when a statement was deliberately stinging. What did that plague think? That Damian had not told me about their relationship? Or the fact that she left him to marry his best friend? Did she seriously consider me so stupid? That woman had something rotten inside. Poor Michael, he was getting himself into a real mess! But in the end I had to rejoice, otherwise the misfortune would have befallen my Adonis.