THIRTY EIGHT

DAMON

For a second, I blinked hard because I found Selena’s statement ridiculous. After I sharply sent my gaze in her direction and with no intention of rousing the other patient out of his sleep, I quietly asked, “Excuse me?”

“We have somewhere important to be,” she replied, her deceptive smile wider than usual.

Quickly, I bounced on the bed and made sure to sit properly. My head tilted slightly as my hands rested on my thighs. “I am not going. I still need to rest.”

“Bullshit.” Selena scoffed. “I spoke to the Director, you are better now. You were going to be discharged tomorrow.”

I crossed my arms, my eyes darting elsewhere. I wasn’t emotionally prepared to be around Selena. “Then, I’ll wait till then. I am not-”

“I wasn’t asking for your permission, Damon. You are coming with me.” Her voice was demanding and it got a reaction from me. As I scoffed, a deep frown on my face, Selena’s brows quirked. “Are you going to question me again?” Her feet began to move past Lucius and toward me. “Are you yet to be aware of the things that could happen to you if you keep doing that?”

“I am not going. You…” I narrowed my eyes, my body unexpectedly excited as she walked closer, “… always do this.”

“Do what?” The long gown she wore caught my attention again and I noticed how its V-neckline wrapped around her chest quite well. The skin that was exposed fell into the line of my sight. As though I was staring at the very thing that would place me under a curse, I quickly darted my eyes toward the flared skirt of her long gown which she accompanied with a pair of black pencil heels.

“Where are you going anyway? You are dressed quite well.”

Her feet halted and I watched as a smile reached her eyes. “Are you complimenting me?”

“No. Anyway…” I made to lie on the bed even though I was barely feeling sleepy. “I am not going with you, so… Wait, what are you doing?” I glared at Selena who ordered Lucius to walk toward me. “I said I am not going!” I exclaimed loudly. “I don’t want to be around you.”

“Oof!” Selena pouted as she rubbed her chest, a look of jest on her small face which looked prettier than usual. “Your words hurt me, Damon. But I don’t care.” She began to walk toward the door and, as my ears picked up the sound of her heels and as my eyes followed her swaying behind, I felt a strong hold around my waist.

One second, I was on the bed, the next, I hanging on Lucius's board shoulder.

“Take your filthy hands off my head,” the man ordered with his ever-unfriendly voice.

“Oh, sorry.” Once the hands I had wrapped around his baldness were withdrawn, I found myself giving in to the moment. There was no way I could fight against Lucius’s hold.

I give this win to Selena. She got me this time.

She might have ruined my plans to stay away from her for some time before I find myself giving in to temptation, but I won’t let it happen again.

Okay… Why does that feel like a lie?

I could feel my whole body bounce as Lucius began to walk. Selena stood at the entrance, a wheelchair in front of her.

“Why is that here?” I queried her as I accepted my elevated position and relaxed a little.

“We can’t have you stressing yourself too much. You need to rest.”

“Wow! How caring of you.” My voice dripped with sarcasm.

“I know right.” Her smile was snarky as well. “Put him down, Lucius.”

“Yes, boss.”

A few seconds after, I was being wheeled away from my ward. Quickly, with no intention to make my mother worry, I took out my phone and messaged her, telling her that I had somewhere I needed to be.

Selena who walked beside me at a slow pace looked down at me as I sighed deeply before hitting send.

“Your clothes are in the car. You can change when we get downstairs.”

I gave no reply to her statement. My eyes rolled as I heaved another sigh. As Lucius dutifully pushed the wheelchair toward the nearest elevator, I noticed that we had eyes on us. I particularly noticed a doctor who couldn’t take his eyes off Selena. Well, with that slight smoky eyes she created, who wouldn’t stare at her?

If I wasn’t angry at her, I would have certainly gotten my heart into another mess.

Ignoring the delightful stares directed at me, I exhaled hard and decided to relax into the chair and enjoy the wonderful ride. But, as air escaped my nostrils, I caught a whiff of Selena’s perfume.

That scent was the very one I perceived each time my hands landed on her bare skin.

Quickly, as I noticed that my anger was about to melt and turn into adoration, I shook my head and looked ahead.

I should try to fight my desire for her. I should not let her get to me no matter what.

The Dangerous Dame is a highly selfish person who only cares about things that will favour her.

~

As I got off the car, all dressed up in a way I would call seductive, my eyes landed on the huge dome building which was holistically lighted in a way that could blind a person.

The car we came with was taken over by a valet and the three of us stood in front of the building, our eyes roaming the artistically built structure.

“Are our men positioned inside?” I heard Selena ask Lucius. As the man nodded, I dragged my palms over the thick brown blazer I had on. My hair which was formed into bangs because I barely had time to comb and shape it the way I wished, was enjoying the night’s breeze and my ears soon picked up the loud sound of music, and different people walking past us.

“What are we going to do in there, Selena?” As my eyes left the spectacle of well-dressed individuals walking and talking like busy bees, I looked at Selena who now had a short, netted veil covering her hair and half of her face.

I could still see her smile as she looked at me.

“You will find out soon. Lucius…” She looked at the man’s hand. “Oh good, you took the bag. We can-”

“What are we doing here, Selena?” I insisted. It would be a waste of energy and time if I find out that I had no reason to be at this busy place that was seemingly holding a party.

“Today is Alejandro’s birthday.”

My thick brows cocked. “Who the fuck is that?”

“Governor Ramsey’s son,” Selena replied as her hands adjusted the hat on her head. “We are here to give him an unforgettable gift.”

My forehead wore a deep frown. I remember her asking Basiton about that man. Regardless of what she hopes to do to Alejandro, I still don’t get why I was standing beside them at that moment. “So, why am I here?” I asked. “I don’t see how I can help you…”

“Come on Damon, don’t be a buzzkill. I brought you out so that you could get some fresh air. Hospitals are very boring, you know.”

“Even though…”

“Let’s go in before we miss our chance,” Selena interrupted me and as I watched her walk away, I sighed. She was right about the ‘fresh air thing’, but her way of doing things is so strange. Do I have to go to Alejandro’s party to get a decent inhalation of air?

God… Selena is impossible.

Despite the whisper in my head, I rushed after her, and soon, we were all walking past an exquisitely carved and polished wooden double door.

A scoff left my lips as I saw the grand decoration that welcomed us.

Gold rested against the surface of the materials that were weaved in an alluring way. Actually, gold was everywhere. The large hall that was filled with loud, lively music wore gold quite well.

That must be what our leaders are using the country’s money to do. They decorate their party halls with millions of dollars so as to make sure they have a great time. The average family in the country hardly gets one-quarter of what they easily spend within hours. But do they care?

They’d rather design their son’s birthday party hall with expensive things.

Sighing hard as I followed Selena’s footsteps, I noticed the huge banners put up around the filled hall. They displayed images of the celebrant who wore a huge smile in the pictures. He seemed to show off the wealth written all over the different clothes he wore in the distinctive banners.

As we walked past the spacious arrangement of chairs and round tables which were not left out in the ‘show off your wealth’ scheme, I noticed that Selena and Lucius’s steps were leading to the stage.

For a second, I wished to stand back and watch from a distance, but Selena soon turned and signaled me to follow her.

Lucius, with a stern look, ordered the live band to put an end to the music. When that happened, the entire hall fell into complete silence and their eyes fell on us.

Selena who had grabbed a microphone when I wasn’t looking brought the device to her lips and said, “This is an announcement.” Murmurs followed and my sight finally fell on the celebrant who looked more chubby in person. Alejandro was visibly approaching anger as he ordered the men around him to take care of the trio that interrupted his party. “Two bombs have been planted in here and they'll explode in five minutes.”

Everyone stared at her with disbelief.

“Run.” After her subtle, sort of deadly advice, a loud bang followed, and before I knew it, everyone was rushing out of the hall, their cries and hasty feet a little bit comical.

But, what I found funnier was Alejandro struggling to get up because he blocked his large tummy with a huge tray of untouched, roasted chicken. That delay made the man around him easily nab him. So, the man barely had time to react as two men began to circle ropes around his body.

“Wh-what are you doing?” he commanded as his eyes bulged.

“Thank you, boys,” Selena said to the men after they securely held Alejandro in place.

“Who are you? How dare you interrupt my party?” Alejandro demanded furiously. “Do you know who you are trying to mess with?”

Selena looked ahead and I followed her sight. The men at the exit closed the door and we were left in that huge space that seemed naked and weird.

“Do you know who I am?” Selena asked as she brought the microphone to her lips.  "Lucius, hit it!” As the bald man began to play with the drum set in a rather melodious way, I frowned. I didn’t notice the band members leaving.

“You thought you were smart,” Selena began to sing in accordance with the beats Lucius was creating. My brows cocked instantly at that unexpected sight. “Your games made you feel high.” Her hips danced seductively as her legs did some light tapping. Then, her whole body began to move and she continued singing, “But now… you are trapped in your fucking game.”

I wouldn’t term Selena’s voice as entirely melodious, but the sight of her singing and dancing was a rare form of entertainment. Unlike the confused Alejandro who was not aware of the rarity he was witnessing, I grabbed a chair and settled to watch Selena Danniman put on a show.

As I watched Selena’s face light up with a smile, as her hat danced, I thought to myself, ‘Certainly, this is better than getting fresh air.’