Hadrian's Wall (38 page)

Half-distracted, I looked
around and I realized that this was a much more refined place than
I’d expected—only elegant people here. The background music was
sophisticated, but at the same time the ambiance seemed cozy and
intimate.

“Do you want to get drink
something before we’re seated? Perhaps a fruit juice?”

I looked at the bar, where several heads
turned in our direction.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Your favorite table is
ready,
Monsieur
Cahill,” the headwaiter announced with satisfaction.
Mademoiselle...Monsieur
... follow me,
si’l vous
plait
.

Resting his hand lightly on my back, Adrian
guided me to the VIP section. The feeling was indescribable! I
thought I would faint with excitement.

“Adrian...” I glanced at
the back of the headwaiter who walked ahead of us and whispered,
“I’m not properly dressed to be in a place like this.”

“So,” Adrian whispered back, in a
conspiratorial tone, “...neither am I!

Ah, but it was different...completely
different. He was the kind of person who could walk around wearing
a potato sack and still continue looking like a movie star. But I
was no Marilyn Monroe. Suddenly, I remembered that movie in which
she danced and sang wearing just a thick wool sweater which made
her seem a little fat. Undoubtedly, it was not her best appearance
and even then she looked gorgeous! I wish I had a little of her
charisma.

My musings were interrupted
by the slight pressure of Adrian’s hand on my back. We were at our
table. He made a gesture to the headwaiter who was pulling the
chair out for me. The man nodded his head and with a knowing smile
left to Adrian complete the task.

Once we were alone, Adrian
approached the chair, waited for me to get into position and then
helped me get seated. He briefly rested his hands on my shoulders,
as light as the wings of a butterfly before sliding his long
fingers down my arms, stopping at my elbows. Wow! Our physical
contact was interrupted when he moved around to the opposite side
of the table and sat in the chair opposite to mine. I was still
feeling a strange tingling sensation where he’d touched
me.

Unexpectedly, he took off
his sunglasses. We sat facing each other in silence. He seemed in
no hurry. There was an expression of joy on his face. His
jade-colored eyes, sparkling and attentive, constantly roamed my
face, like a tourist studying a stunning landscape for the first
time. In fact, that’s exactly how I felt when I was looking at
him—he was my favorite secret landscape, but I couldn’t understand
what he saw in me to look at me the same way. His insistent gaze
was driving me crazy, even though it wasn’t an unpleasant
sensation. It felt as if we were surrounded by several lighted
lamps.

Very perceptive about my mood, Adrian
lowered his gaze, providing a lull in the intensity of energy that
flowed between us so that I could breathe normally again.

“We need to talk,” I said after some
time.

He looked up and smiled again. Then, without
further ado, he became very serious.

“Are you ready to ask me?” he whispered.

I shook my head.

“There are things for which I am prepared.
However...”

He straightened and squinted, puzzled.

“Such as?”

“I am prepared to accept the job that your
father offered me. Even for me, it all seems surreal.

He shook his head, waiting for me to
continue.

“I am also prepared to try college.”

Adrian smiled.

“Will you let me support you then?”

“I will let you encourage
me, which is a very different kind of support. You may be ‘mighty
in battle,’ but I want to win my own battles,
understand?”

His expression was suddenly shrewd. He
raised his eyebrows in an innocent way.

“Sure! Encouragement is my middle name.” He
rubbed his hands enthusiastically. “The infantry can always rely on
his rear contingent.”

I couldn’t help myself. He always left me
totally disconcerted with his comments. Even though I knew I was
being manipulated, I was already laughing. He knew he could be
irresistible when he wanted to be. His smile widened.

“However...” I began tentatively.

“However...?” he repeated, lifting one
eyebrow.

“Why do I have the impression that you’re
not surprised by my decision?” I lost my train of thought.

“Oh, yes! I am surprised,” he said, sporting
a sly expression which blatantly contradicted his words. “But I
hoped that you were a sensible girl...and your decision is proving
that now.”

“Hmmm
...a very diplomatic answer!” I was kidding.

He leaned forward, staring at me intensely.
I felt a shiver run down my spine.

“I can only give you more precise answers
when you’re really prepared,” he said.

I looked away. At that moment the waiter
appeared with the menus.

“Saved by the bell,” said Adrian, giving me
a devilish grin as he opened his menu.

“Would you care for a drink?” asked the
waiter in a professional tone.

Adrian looked at me, awaiting my reply.

“Coke, please, with ice and lemon.” As soon
as I uttered my request, I took refuge behind the menu.

I heard a virile laugh.

I put down my menu and asked, “Do I look
funny or something?”

He slowly lowered his menu.

“I think you are, yes! In fact, I think
you’re funny, quarrelsome, indecisive...and very pretty!”

We were looking at each other. His smile
grew in proportion to the heat creeping onto my face because I was
embarrassed. Had he really said that I was a very pretty woman? No,
he’s joking. I frowned and look down at the menu again. Only then
did I realize that was not familiar with any of the dishes.

The waiter came back and respectfully waited
for my order, but I didn’t know what to choose. Of course, the
dishes and their garnishes were described in English, but I was
still at a loss.

“May I?” Adrian volunteered.

I heard, but I hadn’t “mentally processed”
his offer. I was still trying to understand what would taste
best...the rosé sauce combined with.... while the waiter patiently
waited for my answer. When Adrian’s question finally entered in my
panicked subconscious, I opened my mouth to answer. However, I
suddenly realized that he had misunderstood my long silence.

“What do you really want to ask?” Adrian
wondered, using a gentle tone.

You!
I would faint if those green eyes continued staring at me like
that.

“For real?” I asked, uncertain.

He nodded without a trace of mockery on his
face, so I decided to be honest. “A cheeseburger.”

I smiled shyly at the astonished waiter, who
quickly regained control.

“Hmmm...” Adrian closed the menu and gently
took my hand.

“I’m sure a six-star restaurant like this
has the best cheeseburger in the country...and the best fries,
too,” he said, winking at the waiter.

The waiter replied, “Certainly, sir.”

Of course it would be an insult to prepare a
cheeseburger in the kitchen of an expensive restaurant like that. I
didn’t want to insult anyone, so I decided to change my order, but
the waiter had walked away before I could say anything.

Desolate, I stared at Adrian.

“Don’t worry,” he said.
“They’ve received far more extravagant requests...like when my
friend Jörg Katzen came to visit me. We were classmates in medical
school. You know what he ordered? A
Schwäbische Maultaschen
and he wanted
the dish decorated with a mini-flag of Germany. He almost drove the
chef crazy.”

It was hard to control my laughter because
I’d been so nervous.

“You’re making this up!” I finally managed
to say, half breathless.

He laughed too. “Yeah, I am.”

We both laughed.

“But Katzen might have done
such a thing. He really is a fanatic about
Schwäbische Maultaschen
,” he assured
me with mock seriousness.

“Adrian?”

“Hmmm?”

“What is a sch...schwab...”

“A
Schwäbische Maultaschen
?”

“That’s it.”

“It’s just ravioli from Swabia.”

“Oh...I bet this restaurant could prepare
such a dish.”

Another smile crept on his lips.

“Let’s ask,” he said, “...so we’ll know the
next time we come here.”

He intended to ask me out
again. My heart swelled with joy. Well, one thing was certain:
Adrian had the gift to put me at ease. He was a true gentleman,
something not seen very often anymore...not even in movies or
television. There weren’t many guys who put the welfare of the girl
above the
faux pas
committed. He seemed more interested in making me happy than
worrying about how much I embarrassed him in front of his
acquaintances...positively, a gentleman.
One of the last
... We might have to
stuff him and place him in the museum as an example of an extinct
species.

With a sigh of contentment, I relaxed for
the first time. I sat back in my chair and allowed myself to enjoy
the surroundings, the decor softly lit by large orange globes,
providing a pleasant, constant shadow play. The lighting matched
perfectly with the medieval “monastery” theme adopted by the club,
but without neglecting the modern sophistication.

“Do you often come here?” I asked him.

He looked up from the wine goblet he held. I
was startled to realize that another waiter had mysteriously
appeared. Adrian must have called him without my realizing it. The
waiter wore a black uniform and filled Adrian’s goblet with what
seemed to be a full-bodied and very expensive wine, judging from
the aged-looking label of the bottle. He took a sip and nodded. The
waiter turned and walked away.

“No.” Adrian lingered before responding.
“Only on special occasions, like that...”

I wasn’t paying attention to what he said
because I had become mesmerized by the changing color of his eyes.
They’d become yellow, like the last time we were conversing in the
hospital cafeteria.

“Excuse me. What did you say?”

He smiled.

“Any problem, Melissa?” He gave me a curious
look. His yellow eyes sparkled.

I leaned forward, checking the effects that
the ambient lighting was having on his extraordinary irises—a
ghostly beauty.

“None.”

Adrian laughed and shook his head in
disbelief.

“There’s nothing you want to know about
me?”

My breath became hard. My lungs were
refusing to work normally. My heart was galloping, independent of
my will. My brain wouldn’t stop emitting messages such as “Run
away!” or “Danger!” I went back to gazing at those eyes which had
the power to leave me paralyzed...and make me enjoy this
condition!

“Are you...dangerous?” I risked asking a
more pointed question.

His expression changed from indolent
expectation to one of a mixture of sadness and determination.
Adrian shook his head as if saying, ‘yes,’ however, his face seemed
to say, ‘Yes, I understand the implication of your question.’ He
reached for my hand across the table and held it tightly.

“For you, never!”

The distinction and the emphasis did not go
unnoticed. It gave me chills just thinking about what he could do
to anyone who stood in his way. I stared at him shyly, while I felt
his thumb making smooth circles on the back of my hand.

“So, I guess I have nothing more to
ask...for now...and if you ask me again, I’m liable to spank
you!”

Adrian laughed in
amazement. On the far side of the VIP area, feminine heads turned
in our direction. I couldn’t see them very well, but I noticed that
some of them gave me a quick evaluation after releasing languid
glances at the back of Adrian’s head. Their faces revealed the
contempt they felt. It was obvious they didn’t understand what a
wonderful man like him was doing in the company of an insignificant
girl like me.
Sorry, ladies, but he’s with
me now!
I became infused with confidence.
After all, some of those women were gorgeous and he hadn’t even
noticed them! At least for an hour or two, I’ll pretend that I am
the center of his universe.

“I’d prefer being spanked by you than being
abandoned.”

I blinked a few times, taking precious
seconds to understand that he was giving me a real response to my
inconsequential comment.

“Hello! Earth to Melissa...” he joked when
he noticed my distraction.

“I heard you! So we have a deal?” I asked
with feigned indifference. I could no longer turn my eyes away from
his yellow eyes.

“We have,” he laughed, raising the goblet to
his lips and drinking his wine with visible pleasure.

Looking at him, I was
fascinated...shocked...mesmerized as I watched his sexy lips
touching the edge of the goblet. It was the most erotic experience
of my life. Actually, it was the first and only erotic experience
I’d had so far, but I doubted that any I might have could ever
overcome this one...unless my future experiences included him.

As always, when something
bothers me, I end up taking an “attack” posture. I generally speak
nonsense, but in this case, I needed to break the ice. I was
willing to play the fool, but so what?
What’s a girl to do when she reaches the point
of envying a wine goblet?

“Hey!” I said. “Where are your
bodyguards?”

Of course my sarcasm did not slip past him
unnoticed. He pursed his lips.