Sebastian
I was in my suite, smiling lightly as I changed into jersey black shirt and pants.
I was surprised that I enjoyed my gun range with Sweet this morning. I never expected her to be so keen in learning about guns and target shooting. It was fascinating to watch her face glow and her eyes lit up every time she finished firing a gun. The thrill, excitement and rewarding feelings were there. And giving her this kind of experience was overwhelming. I couldn't wait to show her more.
My opinion of her changed. She wasn't the stubborn, cold and opinionated woman I thought she was. In fact, the opposite. It's easy to get along with her because she communicated with us well. She listened and asked questions, she shared her ideas and laughed at our jokes.
Now, I can't wait to my next activity with her. I'm curious to know what will be the outcome on the rest of our date.
At quarter to two, I was already in the Indoor Wall Climbing Gym. It was Saturday, no work for many, so there were plenty of people in the gym - about eighty percent comprised of men.
Sweet arrived looking young, fresh and absolutely stunning in her gym outfit - body-fit gray top with matching cycling shorts, that emphasized every curve of her body. Her dark wavy length was up in a ponytail - showing the creamy expanse of her lovely slim neck.
All heads turned to her when she walked in. Shameless men showed appreciative glances, and some could not even stop staring at her, like dogs who saw walking meat. Somehow it irritated me. I wished I had the entire facility closed only for us.
"I'm not late, right?" she asked when I just stood there like a fool, watching her and undecided what to say.
"Nope. You're just in time," finally, I found my tongue. Dammit, I was acting like a jerk. I shouldn't be bothered and distracted by her sexy outfit and showing a little cleavage. In fact, she was wearing the same clothes as the other women in the gym, and others even revealed too much skin.
This is not good. Normally, I don't give a damn on what my date wore, or even pay attention to it.
"Wow," her face turned at the massive stone-wall, then at the man I knew who almost reached the top of the wall, Kevin Lee — a bodybuilding champion, model and influencer. Her eyes lit up, "look at him, he's really fast."
"Hmm... he's taking the easiest route using boulders. You can do better in about five attempts."
"Really?" She looked surprised.
"I'll help you with the speed. There's also a technique. You may want to change your career after three months and become a pro rock climber," I teased her.
"You always say that," She said and beamed excitedly, "but thanks for boosting my confidence. I'll remember that when I'm on the edge of giving up later."
The instructor explained the indoor rock climbing/bouldering difficulty scale and safety rules to Sweet. She listened attentively, while I was there half listening, and most of the time, just watching her.
It got so weird. I enjoyed watching her. I could stay there standing in front of her the whole day and happy to just stare at her beautiful face and watch her every move, talk, laugh and giggle.
Again. This is not good. It's insane.
"You're not afraid of heights, right? You said you enjoyed the helicopter ride earlier," I asked, when we were sitting on the bench. She was putting on the climbing shoes we purchased in the facility.
"Heights don't scare me."
My eyebrows rose, "what does?"
"Hmm... I won't tell you now. You'll only laugh at me."
Curious, I asked again, "promise I won't. What is it?"
"Being in a boat distant from land, and sea waves," she smiled, "it's called thalassophobia."
My forehead furrowed. She probably had an unpleasant experience before.
"That's not funny at all. I know many people who are scared of cruising because they get seasick."
"Well, the waves gives me anxiety," she admitted, then asked, "what about you, do you have any fear? Seems like you don't have one."
"Of course, I have. All human beings have fear, even the strongest man," I chuckled, and shook my head, "but I won't tell you my fear. You're going to write about it and tell the world."
"I won't if you don't want me to," she assured me.
"You're going to laugh," I teased her.
"Try me," but she was laughing already.
"Peanuts," I chuckled.
"Peanuts? How can you be scared of them? They're tiny little beads and taste delicious."
"They're deadly to me. I get a bad allergy whenever I eat peanuts and I always end up in the ER."
She pouted, looking sad, "seriously?"
I nodded, "that's why I have to be careful eating in restaurants. Usually, I only eat at ours, because we don't serve anything with peanuts."
"I see. I'll keep that in mind while we're into this... dating deal," she gave me a determined look, then said, "no peanut oil, no peanut cookies and ice cream, no peanut butter with banana... oh darn. I feel suddenly sad for you. I can't imagine myself not eating peanut butter for the rest of my life, they're my favorite thing!"
The way she said it was so cute. Instead of feeling bad, my lips curved into an unconscious smile.
"They're not my favorite though. I'd feel the same if I'm deprived of steak and potatoes."
"That would be terrible. Thank God it's only peanuts," we stared at each other and laughed. She diverted the topic by asking, "how often do you do this activity?"
"Twice a week. I'd like to do it often but I can't because of work."
Her eyes darted at the high stoned-wall again, "that looks like a strenuous exercise."
"It is. All muscles in the body will work, starting from the fingertips down to the toes. But what I like in this — it's like puzzle solving, planning ahead what my next step is and at the same time, improves my stability and physical coordination."
"I agree. Let's see if I can reach the top."
"You don't have to follow the difficulty level, use the boulders and just have fun," we walked towards the climbing wall, as we were set to start, "have you done wall climbing before?"
"Nope. I only climbed on our orange tree when I was a kid," she said, "how about you?"
I slowed down walking, as I noticed she was catching up with my long strides.
"I did worse. I climbed walls to cut classes during grade school," I chuckled when her eyes grew big.
"Oh, you did that too!" her lips twisted, "I guess most men experienced that."
"Most probably. But when I was a kid, I imagined myself as Spider-Man. Like you, I climbed trees. We had many gigantic trees at home... Then I advanced to climbing walls and gates. I was good at sneaking around and got my bodyguards in trouble. I'm sure you've read more stuff about me when I was a kid. They're all over the internet."
"Yeah, I did. You were quite a handful," a smile remained in her extremely beautiful face as we continued to walk.
I'm honestly impressed by her. She's not afraid to voice out her thoughts and opinions. She's also pretty clearly an intelligent woman, and when she smiles, her joy lights up the entire room.
I inhale deeply and feel drugged by her scent. Damn. She also smells fantastic.
Sweet
Sebastian's superb at rock climbing — like a pro. He can reach the top of the rocky wall in ten minutes - using the hardest difficulty scale. While I'm still struggling to reach the top using the easiest route.
It had been thirty minutes and my sweat already soaked my clothes, but I wouldn't give up. My fighting spirit was so strong, I was confident to reach the top no matter how long it would take me.
"Need help?" Sebastian appeared beside me on the wall, hanging on a small stone effortlessly.
"Nope. I can do this," I groaned, trying to control my trembling legs. One wrong footing, and I'd fall.
"Are you sure?"
"Very sure," I assured him.
"Okay," he nodded, and his fingers reached out to push a loose lock of hair behind my ear, "I'll be down here belaying you."
"Thanks."
I hold my breath for barely ten seconds. It was the first time he touched me, of his own accord (aside when we shook hands to seal the deal). Our eyes locked, and I saw the heart-rending tenderness of his gaze.
Oh, no... what's going on here. I could feel a tingling in the pit of my stomach again. My heart jolted and my pulse pounded so hard.
Darn it. I shouldn't be feeling this.
I continued to climb, but my mind was still full of the man belaying me below. I sighed, refused to be weakened by the effect he had on me, I advanced, climbing faster, when suddenly, my foot slipped.
"Aaahhh!!" Fear overwhelmed me as I fell halfway up the wall.
"I got you. You're safe," Sebastian caught me before I fell completely to the ground. I felt crushed by his strength, as he grabbed my waist and pinned me against the wall..
My heart continued to pound so hard. I didn't know if it was from the fall, or the fell of his body pressed against mine that sent fire through every nerve in my body.
"Are you okay?"
I nodded, "I am. Thanks."
"Do you still want to go on?" he asked.
"Yeah, of course," I answered confidently.
"Great. That's the spirit," he smiled, and I could tell that he was glad that I wouldn't give up easily. He helped me get a good grip on the boulders and guided me back up the wall before he let me go.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you," he said, and I trusted his word.
At four o'clock, I was so tired, after reaching the top of the wall. I did it after two hours and I felt so proud of myself.
Sebastian never failed to compliment me for my effort. He was like a proud father who bragged that his daughter already learned to climb a wall.
"Sweet did better than you, Max. She flashed that climb on her first attempt," he told Max, who stayed outside the gym with the other guards.
"Really?" Max's eyes lit up, then faced me, "congrats, Sweet. That's an enormous accomplishment for a newbie."
"Thanks, Max."
Then Sebastian told Marvin the same thing, when he came to check on us.
***
Later, Sebastian stayed in the gym with Max and Marvin, working out, while I had spa treatments - massage, body scrub, moisturization and others. I felt so relaxed and de-stressed afterwards.
Afterwards, I was in my room and had a video call with my family. I told them they should not worry, because I'm okay. They still thought that I was being forced and dragged into this date unwillingly.
They wouldn't trust Sebastian. They doubted his intention.
Erin texted me every hour, telling me to use the pepper spray. Colton sent me videos to review the self-defense technique he taught me. Mom asked me to send her pictures of what we were up to. Dad made me share my location with him on Facebook to make sure that I did not leave the area and follow the itinerary.
"Is that your room?" Mom looked suspiciously when she noticed I was inside a room, "are you alone? He has a separate room, right? And far away from you?"
"I'm alone in this room, Mom. Hmm... I don't know where his room is, but I'm sure, one of the Presidential suites. They own the hotel, you know..." I gave them a room tour, showing the jacuzzi and balcony.
"Can I come with you next time, Sweet? I like to try gun shooting and wall climbing. They're so cool," Colton asked, feeling envious of my experience.
"I don't know, Colton. It's a date, and it's awkward to bring you as my chaperone."
"What time will you come home?" Mom interrupted.
"After dinner, maybe around ten."
"You said nine," Dad butted in, "eat your dinner fast so you can leave right away. He had you the whole day, the least he could do for us is send you home early."
I sighed, "okay dad, I'll tell him."
"Text us every hour, okay? I don't trust that bastard. Don't get drunk and keep your eyes on your drink," Dad added, "we don't know what he's capable of doing. He could put some date rape drugs to get you to his bed. I swear, I'd kill him if he attempted to do that to you."
"Dad please, calm down. I'm fine, and I don't think he'll do that. But for your peace of mind, I'll text you every hour, promise," I assured him, and my phone's alarm beep, "I have to go. I need to prepare for dinner."
"We'll see you at nine, Sweet," Mom said, reminding me to get home at nine.
"Yeah, see you. Bye!"
***
At seven in the evening, I was wearing a chic conservative little black dress - long sleeves, V-neck, and knee-length, with matching black four inch stilettos. I put my hair down, and with smokey eyes, blush on and nude lipstick, I was set to go.
I was expecting to see Max in the lobby, but then, it was Sebastian who greeted me -- looking so sinfully handsome in a royal blue button-up shirt, with sleeves rolled on his arms, and dark pants.
I felt an unwelcome surge of excitement within me. I stared at him tongue-tied and said a silent prayer.
Oh God, please save me.