Chapter 29 Dance

Chapter 29 Dance
As the dance was about to begin, Zina started towards Gabriel. Seeing him smile and talk with two unfamiliar ladies made her smile falter, but she continued walking to them.

When she reached twenty feet from him, she had to stop because someone else had beaten her to him.

"Cici?" she muttered in bafflement.

Gabriel had just sent the two young women away when an air of fresh perfume greeted him. He recognized that amber-sweet perfume. It was subtle up close but lingered long after she left.

"Hey handsome," Cici greeted and hooked their hands together.

Gabriel looked down at her.
She was wearing a long green dress, which seemed to glow and glitter around the fringes. Thin straps over her shoulders held the dress on her, but even without them, the tight-fitted dress would stay on well.

He took a moment to appreciate her curves. He noticed she had pulled the front zipper down to reveal some cleavage, and he wondered if she had arrived like that or had just done it before approaching him.

"Do you like it?" Cici asked.

"You look stunning," Gabriel replied.

Cici's cheeks reddened, and she gave Gabriel a flirtatious look, at the same time feeling inwardly surprised. He seemed to appreciate her with grace this time, none of the awkwardness of their first meeting. Was it the kiss?

"I'll have the first dance, okay?" she said. Although posed like a question, she made it clear she wasn't asking.

"And the second" she added after a beat.

"Greedy," Gabriel muttered wearing a teasing smile.

"Well, I'd keep you all to myself, but I'm afraid you can't handle me," Cici shot back, glancing up at him.

Gabriel simply shrugged without saying anything, but he had an arrogant smile on his lips that said everything he wanted to.

"So, you never called me since," Cici changed the subject.

"I'm afraid," Gabriel replied honestly.

"Afraid? Of me?" Cici asked, taking a half-step away from him so she could see his face better.

"No. Going too wild on you. You smell like a sweet snack" Gabriel replied, his eyes smiling.

Cici gaped, her eyes widening. She drew closer to him and turned to face the crowd, her heart beating fast as her breathing hitched. Like a flock of wild horses trampling within her.

"When did you become so cheesy?" she whispered, feeling overwhelmed and embarrassed.

Gabriel did not respond, he paid attention as the low ambient music changed, gaining tempo slowly. People moved away from the center of the hall and by this time, the staff had somehow quietly cleared all the tables.

"Dance with me?" Cici smiled and loosened her arm hook to instead hold Gabriel's palm in hers. Getting in front of him, she curtsied, and with her bow, Gabriel could almost see the entire mound.

"My pleasure," he grinned. Putting an arm around her waist, he pulled her close to him, and following the tempo of the music, they danced to the center.

Zina watched the entire exchange between the two of them while pretending to converse with Aika.

"How do they even know each other?" she asked Aika, a scowl on her face and her eyes seemingly spitting fire at the couple.

The tension between the two of them was hard to miss.

"I don't know," Aika replied. Her mind drifted to the memory of Cici in the men's bathroom.

"She was supposed to be investigating him, did he find out?" Zina seemed to direct this question at herself.

Her heart thumped at the possibility of Gabriel finding out that she had been investigating him. What if Aika directly told him? She stared at the two nervously, her hands trembling slightly.

"What's wrong?" Aika asked at noticing her tremble.

"Nothing, I need a moment," Zina replied and left for the bathroom. Her steps collected and elegant.

Once in the bathroom, she checked to make sure all the stalls were empty then locked the door and stood in front of a mirror.

Staring at her reflection, she started to think.

When she first met Gabriel, she'd been cautious. But his familiarity made it feel like they had always known each other. Her kissing him was indeed a spur-of-the-moment, out-of-character move, but it wasn't like she hadn't thought about it. Actually doing it was the surprise.


Zina's POV

I placed my hand on my cheek as I tried to recall how his familiarity made me feel.

The warmth of the past few weeks felt like I was living a life I had fantasized about a lot after Adam passed.

"But he is not Adam," I whispered to remind myself and my eyes reddened.

Since walking into this auction house he had been very different. That familiarity was gone and I felt my heart folding under the fear that I was losing him.

When did this man begin to have such an intense effect on me? I could not recall any precise defining moment.
Seeing him smiling at everyone earlier, I realized he wasn't as reserved as Adam was. He was not my own person; he was a man with charisma, and the crowd loved him. Cici certainly does.

I want my own person.
My mind continued to revolve around that thought, Adam was my person. He was never nice to me but he only gave ME any attention.

...and Andrea.

I wondered if Andrea also felt his absence. Well, she had Gabriel.

I found myself smiling as I realized Gabriel was slipping away from Andrea too!

Taking a wet wipe from my purse, I carefully cleaned the corner of my eyes with the aid of the mirror reflection and redid my makeup.

"I'm okay," I reassured myself again before returning to the banquet hall.

The scene made me pause for a moment. Everyone was gathered in a circle clapping rhythmically as they watched something in excitement. Though silent, my skin tingled from the buzz of their enthusiasm.

I squeezed through the crowd to the front of the circle. There in front of me was Gabriel and Cici dancing.

My mouth parted at the scene in front of me. I have known Cici since we were kids; she was from a wealthy family of lawyers, but I know she was never so good at dancing.

Gabriel kept her close, he was playing her like a skillful guitarist, his hands over her, guiding her every movement. Their moves had a slight sensual feeling to them, but it was so full of life and excitement that I found myself lost in their tempo.

The dance seemed so short though I knew it had been going on a while. As the music stopped and the crowd erupted into cheers, the smile on my face froze as I watched them stare into each other's eyes.

Then my world exploded as Cici literally jumped on him and they kissed.