5 - Dinner and Drinks

At the dinner table, the tension between Clara and Sebastian was so intense it was as if Max could see the sparks flying in the air. After a round of pleasant conversation, Sebastian tried to fish for more information about Clara’s relationship status.

'So tell me, are you dating anybody right now?' Sebastian stared straight into Clara’s eyes.

'Being your business partner does not mean I need to tell you all my personal information, Mr. Colfer,' Clara replied with a raised brow.

'Will you give me the answer if I cancel your project?' he smiled sheepishly.

The brothers, Max and Jeremy, laughed without meaning to. 'Oh, for fuck’s sake, we are not canceling any business deals tonight. I will tell you what you need. She is single, hasn’t dated recently, so no boyfriends. She says she hates flowers but loves Calla lilies,' Max volunteered.

'Traitors!' she mumbled while coughing into her hand. Clara stared dangerously at her brothers as she kicked Max under the table. 

'Ouch! She also enjoys riding her bike around the lake near our office. She recently bought this dope-ass road bike. It’s her pride and joy, you’d have to see it.'

'By the way, Mr. Colfer, if you want more information, just let me know. You can buy information through me,' Max teases.

'Excuse me, I thought we were here to have dinner?' Clara glares at her brother, but he just smiles and winks back at her.

'Sorry to keep your hopes up, but I am not interested in dating right now,' she stared pointedly at Sebastian.

'She hates men, that’s why.' Max just won’t stop talking. 'I know she definitely hates us right now,' He laughs out loud while slapping Jeremy on the arm.

Jeremy shakes his head. He does not mind that Max overshadows him every time. He would rather stand in the shadows, and when Max gets this obnoxious, there is no stopping him.

While still looking at Clara, Sebastian gives them information about him. 'Well, I’m not dating anyone either, but I’d want to date this special woman I met recently. Very exceptional, intelligent, and courageous. I witnessed her take down this guy with no hesitation. If she is really that outspoken, I’d want to see her. I just hope she’d give me a chance.'

Max almost choked on his drink. ‘What the… Romeo is making me sick with all this flirting. Let me take charge.’

Clara gives Max another kick under the table when he says, 'I think she’d go out with you as long as you make time for her. She won’t come to you, that’s for sure,' and chuckles.

-=-

Since they were already out for the night, Max suggested having a few drinks at the bar downstairs after dinner. His plan to get laid needed to be in action. Otherwise, the night would get wasted.

‘It’s her, that woman from Navio.’ He paused after joking around with Jeremy. The woman from earlier was right in front of him, sitting between her friends, laughing. That’s why she caught his eye. From afar, she sounded like she was having fun.

His eyes wouldn’t leave her like he was willing her to look back at him. It took a while, but when she finally noticed him staring, she stared right back. Like she was issuing a challenge.

Max smiled. ‘Ahh… there you are… Such a pretty face. And look at you staring right back at me? I hope I get your number before I leave. C’mon, you can do it… smile for me.’

Clara’s brows furrowed together as she noticed Max staring at someone from the table. 'She looks like a pretty girl. Aren’t you gonna say hi?' she asks, encouraging her younger brother to introduce himself.

Max couldn’t take his eyes off the mystery girl. All the staring was getting him hot. 'Nah… I’ll wait for her to leave her friends. There are too many people around here. It’s like swimming with the sharks if I jump in there right now,' he replied.

Half an hour later, he sees her moving away from her table. ‘Here we go,’ Max downs what’s left of his drink, removes his tie, and tucks it safely in his pocket, bracing himself for potential failure. Stealing another glance as she walked toward him, he couldn’t believe she was staring right back and smiling. If this wasn’t an invitation, then he didn’t know what it was.

Before he could follow, Clara grabbed the lapel of his coat and whispered, 'Please don’t corrupt her in the bathroom. She looks like a nice woman. Bring her over so we can get to know her.'

Max turned away and hurried after his mystery girl, laughing at his sister’s choice of words. He never corrupts women. Every action has always been consensual, the kissing, groping, or sex. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even think of doing it. He knew the meaning of the word ‘No.’

-=-

Celine Jacobs noticed him the minute she walked in through the doors. How could she not? The man was standing by the bar, looking very handsome in his dark blue suit. ‘I wonder if he just came from a meeting or maybe to meet with someone, a date, perhaps? I hope not.’ She thought and then scolded herself. ‘I don’t know this guy. Why do I even care?’

At first she thought he was alone, but now she could see that he came together with that group standing around the bar. They were talking very seriously with each other. Probably a business meeting, she speculated. ‘I wonder who that woman is? Not a girlfriend, I hope. Well… she’s okay, but I know I’m prettier and younger. We are better suited to each other,’ she caught herself again, thinking thoughts that were a bit too possessive for someone she didn’t know.

She stared boldly at him for a while. ‘Well, he keeps whispering to that woman beside him, and maybe I’m wrong, and they are together.’ she shrugged. 

‘Oh well, I should just move on then,’ Celine felt disappointed. She roamed her eyes around the bar and looked for someone else to stare at, but her gaze kept returning to the man in blue. Well, that’s all she did here anyway, stared at handsome men, never talking to them.

Suddenly, she felt it. That niggling feeling that someone was staring at her. It was him. The man in the dark suit, so she stared back. ‘So you finally notice me, huh? What cute piercing eyes you have. The better to see you, my dear, said the wolf.’ she thought and almost giggled. People would think it was brave of her to stare back, but that was not what she felt. She just can’t tear her gaze away. It was as if she was mesmerized. Then he smiled and rubbed his bottom lip, and she lost it. Why did it feel like he was rubbing her lip right now?