Round N Around We Go (Has Cupid Gone Mad?) (12 page)

“I think we should talk about
this over dinner. If you can
find a way to occupy yourself
for fifteen minutes, we can
leave together.” Ivan smiles and
feels ecstatic. “I’m sure you
must have hundreds of unanswered
emails waiting for you in your
inbox.” He jokes, “Just wait for
me for fifteen minutes okay.”

As if touched by an angel, she
can feel his unspoken love for
her through his gaze. She smiles
charmingly and affirmatively,
“Sure, I’ll come back in fifteen
minutes.”

Taylor heads into the ladies’
room to freshen up her makeup
and prepares to convey to him
from the depths of her heart.

Applying a fresh new coat of
strawberry colored lip gloss,
she sees Samantha walking into
the ladies’ room
and feels
instantaneously uncomfortable.
Perkily, Samantha walks over to
Taylor and stands next to her in
front of the mirror. “What a
surprise to see you here today!
I thought we’d never see you
again.” Samantha pretends to fix
her curly blonde hair.

Patiently, Taylor controls her
temper, the day is going well
and she is determined not to
allow anything or anyone spoil
her joyous moments.

Spitefully blinded by jealousy,
Samantha does not want to see
Taylor happy. “Oh, by the way,”
she instigates, “He hasn’t told
you a thing about us, has he?”

As if a sharp blade pierces
through her, Taylor feels a
fierce pinch in her heart and
stops sudden by the door. She
pauses for a brief second and
decides
to
refrain
from
answering. Paying no attention
and completely ignoring the
prettily disguised wickedness of
a creature, she heads back to
the safety of Ivan’s office.

Packing up for the day, Ivan
slips on his jacket as Taylor
walks into his office. “Ready.”
He smiles excitedly. Seeing a
rather pale look on her face, he
asks in concern, “Is everything
ok?”

“Ivan,” Taylor begins and speaks
as softly and as slowly as she
could. “Did anything happen
between you and Samantha?”

Taylor bites her lip and gazes
at him intently, “That’s not
what she said in the bathroom.”

Shyly she tries to inquire. It
has been three months and they
were literally separated, even
if Ivan really did have a fling
with Samantha, there’s little
that Taylor could object to, but
she needs to know.

Ivan walks over to Taylor and
stands closely in front of her.
Loving the fact that she appears
jealous, he looks into her eyes
and assures her,

“Absolutely nothing has happened
between Samantha and I. I see
that she can be quite a trouble
maker.” Lightheartedly he laughs
and kisses her gently on both
cheeks.

Despite his subtle reassurance,
Samantha, the beautiful master
of instigation in disguise, has
effortlessly
and malevolently
manipulated Taylor without her
realizing it.

Once again, Taylor finds herself
in a position somewhere between
trust and distrust. Contrarily,
Ivan has absolutely no reason to
lie to her or has he?

Indulging herself in a leisure
afternoon of retail therapy,
Karina walks down Lincoln Road
Mall with bags of delightful
findings in her hands. Enjoying
a delectable breeze in the crisp
winter air, her attention is
caught by a giant poster,
hanging from inside the display
window of a perfume store.

She paces down and turns her
head sideward to read the
captioning,

What beautiful words, she thinks
to herself and without paying
attention
to
the
other
pedestrians she bumps into the
man in front of her, gasps and
drops her shopping bags. “Oh I
am so sorry..” she begins to
apologize and looks carefully at
the oddly familiar face, a
quirky smile that she is all
together too familiar with. She
recognizes him and freezes into
a
motionless
statue.
Lips
slightly parted in surprise, she
is stunned and cannot believe
the coincidence.

He looks at her and a smile
grows on his face. Helping her
pick up the shopping bags
scattered on the floor, he tries
to think of something clever to
say but is stuck wordless.
“Wow.” He manages to mutter one
single word and repeats himself,
“Wow.”

Karina grabs the shopping bags
from Keith and thanks him
coldly. She takes a step
sideward and is about to walk
away but he moves quickly in
front of her and blocks her way.
She tilts her head and stares at
him without saying a word.

Keith points to the poster in
the display window and reads the
words out loud. “Nice poster. I
like the captioning, ‘Let Love
Lead The Way.’ Brilliant.” He
smiles and tries to ignite a
conversation. Seeing her lack of
response, he adds, “Oh I get it.
You’re still mad at me, aren’t
you?”
Impatiently, Karina taps her
feet on the floor and remains
unspoken. She waits for him to
give up so she can continue
shopping and gazes up at the
cotton candy clouds floating in
the effervescent blue sky.

Sensing her indifference, he
assures her of his
innocent
intent. “Well, I’m no longer
undercover. The case on Risso is
closed and I am not on duty. I
have nothing to hide anymore.
Can I have one chance to show
you who I really am? Please?” He
begs, “You might like the real
Keith Pelzer. Just give me one
chance.” He tries to engage her
enthusiasm.

It
will
probably
take
a
spectacle for him to regain her
trust. Reluctantly he tries to
convince her for a second chance
and is ready to do whatever it
takes to demonstrate and to
proof his sincerity.

Keith’s presence reminds Karina
of Theodore and the unsolved
mysteries of the trail and the
origin of the secret treasures
safeguarded in her possession.

Considering
the
value
of
unrevealed information that he
holds, Karina decides to play
along. Besides, her love life
has
been
vacant
and
uninteresting
for months and
frankly she could use some
distraction. Swiftly she changes
her mind and acts mischievously
to give him a taste of his own
medicine.

Flirtatiously she smiles and in
the most sensual way, she inches
closely and reciprocates
his
gaze. “That’s unfortunate.” She
speaks alluringly
with her
lusciously
glossed
lips
dangerously close to his and
continues teasing him,

“Now that you have nothing to
hide, I still cannot see you
because I might be the one with
something to hide.”

Karina flaunts her hair then
walks away in the opposite
direction, convinced that
he
will follow her.
From the corner of her eye, she
catches
glimpse
of
his
reflection on the store display
windows as he follows her from
behind.

The corner of her lips turn
upward and grows into a cupid
smile. Contently, she continues
walking ahead confidently and
irresistibly in a slow modeling
strut.

Dimitri Sculptor, President of
A.N.E.W Museum and Galleries
Worldwide, for his invaluable
time and consultation
on the subject of