Chapter 3 Lingering Gaze

Elena's POV.

I was captivated by the man I see standing outside the elevators. Damn, he was tall. He had jet-black shiny hair that was combed in a way I was sure only Italians did. He was very muscular too, I could see his biceps through the striped shirt he wore. His face was smooth and perfect and he had thin lips.

I forced myself to take my gaze away from his as I continued walking. Mine left him, but his eyes were still on me.

A few meters from him, I accidentally hit one of my legs on the other, causing me to trip. His muscular hands stretched out immediately to catch me. I didn't even want to think of what would have happened if he hadn't broken my fall. Our eyes met again and this time I noticed they were blue. He pulled me to my feet and smiled at me. I forced a smile, trying to hide my sadness. I still hadn't gotten over my father's death. Memories of his funeral came flashing.

It was raining that day and I didn't even care as I stood there without an umbrella, grieving silently. After a while, my best friend walked up to me with an umbrella and wrapped a coat around me. I had insisted on a private ceremony so only a few people were around. Some family members were present too, most of them people I didn't know. My father rarely kept in touch with his family and I had to do the same too. As for my mother's side, they were strangers to me.

None of them even bothered to check on me after the funeral and I didn't care, I had my best friend and that was all that mattered. She drove us back home while everyone else returned to their respective destinations. No one dared come to the house. At home, I cried and cried while Ava held me in her arms, consoling me with sweet and kind words. I didn't know when I fell asleep. That was two weeks ago.

"Hi, I'm Alfredo," the words of the man before me brought me back to the present. He was still smiling at me.

"Elena," I replied, shaking his outstretched hands. They were so firm and soft at the same time. "Thank you for saving me."

I noticed he was checking me out and he didn't even bother to be discreet about it. I bent forward to straighten my gown and my breasts spilled forward. He quickly averted his eyes as I returned to my full height.

I heard a door open and turned around to see a woman walking out of one of the rooms. I watched as they stared at each other and I could feel the tension between them. It was obvious that they knew each other, but I sensed there was more. They kept their eyes on each other till she got to the elevator and the doors closed behind her. Who was she, and what was her business with him? I asked inwardly.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked suddenly.

I thought about it for a while as I was very tired and needed to get back home.

"Sure, but I have to get back home in an hour," I replied. A drink wouldn't hurt. Damn! He looked and smelled so good.

He pressed the button to open the elevator and paved the way for me.

When we got downstairs, he directed me to a chair in the lounge while he stopped by the bar to order drinks for us. He'd asked what I wanted and I told him I was fine with anything. There was something about the way the bartender reacted around him that told me he had power here. I just didn't know how much.

He arrived with the drinks shortly. He set them down on the table and claimed his seat beside me. The chair was long and very comfy. I lifted the drink and brought it to my mouth watching him closely over the rim of the glass. He smiled and crossed one of his legs over the other. I took a sip at first, his eyes urged me to go on and I gradually increased my pace.

"Wow, this is good," I commented after almost emptying the contents of the cup. "What is it?"

"I call it - The AR special." He answered with the same enthusiasm as a little boy showing off his new toy to his friends.

The drink tasted of apple, a little touch of cinnamon, and some other flavors I couldn't identify.

"AR?" I raise an eye at him.

"Alfredo Romano."

"You named the mixture after yourself?" I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

"Don't blame me, I couldn't think of anything better," He beamed.

I downed what was left in the cup in no time. "Can I get another?"

"Sure," he signaled to the bartender and I noticed that the bartender abandoned what he was doing to answer him. Just how much power did he have here?

"Excuse me?" Alfredo said. I hadn't realized I had asked the question out loud.

"Yeah?" I was confused.

"You asked a question. I believe you were asking just how much power I had here.I could feel the tips of my cheeks become red.

"Well, my family partly owns the hotel, so I'm sort of royalty here." The bartender returned with my drink. I take it slowly this time. He hadn't even touched his at all. "How nice, guess I'll have to take advantage of that." I peek at the time on my watch. The one hour I stipulated was almost complete.

"You don't have to go, you know? What exactly do you have to do anyways?"

I started thinking of a lie to tell but I couldn't come up with one on time.

"Stay with me, Elena. I find you intriguing and I would like to get to know you better." I could see the desire in his eyes.

"I would love to, but I can't. I'm sorry." The truth was that I was in a hurry to get home and cry myself to sleep like I did every night.

"Okay, how about we do this again another time?" He sounded morose.

"We'll see about that," I replied.

After a few moments of hesitation, he requested my number and handed his phone to me. I put my number in and returned it. He stood up, came around the table, and offered his elbow to me. I forced a smile and rose from the seat, sliding my arm into the space he had created in his. Hand in hand, we both walked out of the lounge.

Outside, the crowd seemed to have multiplied. As we walked across the premises, I had the sudden feeling of being watched. I glance around the property and eyes searching for something unknown to me.

I notice the woman from upstairs dancing with another man and I soon realize she was the one watching me or rather, us. Alfredo didn't see her so we were alone in the staring competition. Neither of us broke eye contact as she continued dancing while I let Alfredo lead me outside.

I swore loudly and was forced to avert my eyes when I hit my foot on the leg of the chair that was lying in our path. I was able to notice her smirk before turning my attention to my throbbing foot.

"Ow," I cried out and Alfredo stopped immediately, a worried expression on his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just hit my foot, nothing serious."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I assured him, "let's keep moving."

It was already late in the evening and the sun had almost disappeared completely. A light wind blew, throwing my hair among many other things.

"How did you get here? Are you going to board a cab, or --"

"I drove myself, my car is parked in the lot" I cut him off.

"Ohh, my bad. I didn't mean it like that"

I felt bad immediately.

"There it is," I pointed one perfectly manicured finger at a red Audi, ignoring his apology.

"Wow," was all he could say. He was surprised by the type of car I was driving.