Strawberry Kisses Phavy Prieto (bookstand for reading TXT) 📖

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 fact 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