Sebastian
At exactly seven, I met Sweet at the hotel lobby. She looked so damn stunning and alluring in her little black dress.
"You look so beautiful," I greeted her, without taking my eyes off her. She became more and more beautiful every time I saw her. I could stare at her forever and I would never get tired.
Dammit. I could not deny it now that I'm very fascinated by her. She's a goddess in every sense of the word.
"Thank you. I could say the same about you," she replied, and that simple compliment made me flush.
For heaven's sake. This is new to me. I'm used to women complimenting me every day, and I ignore them. But with Sweet, it's a big deal.
"Let's go?"
"Sure," she agreed, and I took her duffel bag as we walked towards my Rolls Royce Phantom, waiting outside the main entrance of the hotel.
She wanted to leave right away after dinner and I could not stop her from doing so. She agreed on our date with no question, and every minute she proved to be a wonderful companion.
I exhaled heavily. Yeah, time flew too fast being with her. And it's insane that I kept on forgetting that I shouldn't feel fascinated or attracted to her. This whole dating deal is not about establishing a relationship with her, but to polish my reputation.
A driver took us to Craft Futuristic café and Restaurant - my latest venture. It was a quick ride, but we were able to talk about some vital things.
"I called Sam Andrews this afternoon. He informed me he signed a new contract with your father."
"Yeah, they did yesterday. Mr. Andrews increased the buying amount by 25 percent, he said it was your instruction," she glanced at me, then focused her attention back at the city lights outside the tinted glass window. I could feel the pain in her expression.
"It's just being fair, considering that all prices right now are increasing," I added, and all she did was nod. Just a nod.
Well, I deserved that after I hurt their business. I just thought that the increase could help compensate for their rotten potatoes.
I stopped talking about things that involved our dating deal - it just ruined the moment as we remembered we hated each other. She easily shifted from being bubbly and smiling to cold and feisty. So instead, we talked about some random stuff. That way, we vibe and have enjoyable moments together.
The manager showed us to our table, and we ordered our food. I've kept in mind what she likes during lunch. She loves mayonnaise in her vegetable salad, fruits, chicken and shrimp. She's not much of a red meat person, but likes anything fried and crunchy.
"Calamari is my favorite," she told me after we ordered, "I love anything crispy, like fried chicken and perfect thin fries. What about you?"
"I eat anything, except peanuts."
She chuckled, "of course I know that, silly. For sure, you have a favorite food. Or you're scared that I'm going to write about it?"
"Now look who's getting sillier," I laughed, "I love steak, salmon, chicken and squid. I prefer grilled food over anything with oil. Yogurt with dark chocolate is my favorite dessert. Now, you can write about all the food that I love, just don't mention my allergy to peanuts."
"Sure. You can count on me," she was being playful and winked at me. For some damn reason, I flushed like a schoolboy facing his crush for the first time.
"What's your idea of a perfect date?" I asked her, then took a sip of my wine.
What she likes suddenly matters to me. I wanted her to enjoy it while we're into this.
"For me, it's perfect wherever the setting is, as long as I'm with the man I love."
The mention of love made me want to ask if she's been in love. But on second thought, I would rather not. It would only bring us into a deeper level and that is undesirable given the situation we are in.
"What about you? What's your perfect date," she countered the question.
"I don't know," I shrugged, "what we have now is a kind of perfect for me. I had a great time with you at the shooting range and the gym. It's the first time I have that kind of date."
"Well, you can achieve that perfect date again with any woman."
I chuckled, hiding my disappointment that she did not get what I said. For a smart woman, she was kind of oblivious. I meant she made the date perfect. We have this kind of chemistry that really vibes.
I pressed my lips together, wondering if I was the only one feeling it.
Dammit. I enjoy her company too much today and this attraction I feel for her is getting stronger. This is so wrong. I shouldn't be feeling this. It would only defeat the purpose of our deal.
Our order arrived, and we started eating. Wagyu steak, Greek salad, tomato stuffed squid and Acai ice cream for me, while Sweet ordered, Calamari, Waldorf Chicken and walnuts salad, pasta and cream Brulé for dessert.
"What do you want to do on our second date?"
Her eyebrows rose, "hmm... I don't have any idea. I haven't thought of it."
I chuckled, "I know what you're feeling. You don't give a damn, because all you think about is to get over this dating deal so we can continue living with our lives, right?"
"Wow, you're a psychic," she laughed bitterly, "but let's be honest, you feel the same way."
"Mm... hmmm. We're already into this, so we have to create something beautiful out of this unpleasant situation," I took a sip of my wine, then said, "and may I remind you, you haven't written something nice about me yet."
"Well, maybe one or two after today's date," she chuckled, then continued eating her calamari with mayo.
"I'm keeping my fingers crossed," we laughed and talked about random stuff.
I like that we have plenty of things in common. We both like nachos, avocado and mango, Jenga blocks, crossword puzzles, car racing, crime and mystery movies - Knives Out series was our favorite.
At nine in the evening, I took her home to Dansville. We rode the chopper and landed in her front yard.
I was kind of sad that the day ran too fast and the night was ending. I never had this kind of date ever before. I enjoyed her company a lot, talking about random stuff, having meaningful conversations, laughing, and eating. I was surprised that we have many things in common.
"Thanks for the ride," she smiled brightly.
"You're welcome," I smiled back.
I saw her parents at their patio, waiting for her. I wondered if I should go down with her and introduced myself to them. I created a bad impression on them for pulling out their potato deal with the Andrews, I should face them and make amends.
But on second thought, I've never met any of my dates parents before. The thought itself was scary.
What if they'll grill me with lots of questions? What if they'll expect too much from me in this dating deal? I can't handle all that.
I heaved a sigh. I had this conflicting feeling, when in just a snap, I found the courage to see them.
"Maybe I should say good evening to your family," I suggested to Sweet.
"Do you want to be grilled alive?" she joked, and I knew what she meant.
"You're absolutely right," I nodded, "some other time then."
***
Sweet
I was in the kitchen drinking water while surrounded by my family.
"Tell us what happened?" Mom's eyes grew enormous as she waited for me to start.
"You already know everything. We went to this futuristic restaurant, and they have this out of this world interior design like you're transported to 2050. The dishes are so aesthetic, but tasted the same. I ordered my favorite Calamari."
"How's the date, overall? Was it good?" Erin was curious, her eyes twinkled.
"Well... it was not really a date," I wanted to tell them it's not good, but GREAT. I had a wonderful time, and I did not expect that with Sebastian. I enjoyed every minute with him. I liked I learned a lot of things from him. Things that I haven't ever thought about.
"I pity you, Sweet. You have to bear being with that bastard," Dad said, "I'm sure you were bored to death. Don't worry, because tomorrow, we'll all go out and have dinner at your favorite restaurant, the Farmer's Delight Resto."
"Thanks, Dad," I hugged him.
"Yay!!" Erin jumped in delight, while Colton groaned, saying, not again.
"Avoid looking at your social media accounts tonight, Sweet. Just relax and sleep early. Okay?" Mom said, I nodded, and she nodded, "whatever you read or see on the internet, don't mind them. Because we know the truth. And the truth always wins."
But later, I was so overwhelmed with my date with Sebastian that I could not sleep. So, I checked my social media accounts.
My eyes grew enormous when I saw posts on Facebook and Twitter. Photos of me and Sebastian at the shooting range, the gym and at the lobby–on our way to our dinner date.
The photos and videos were understandable, there would be no control at the people for taking them, but the captions were my concern, they were hideous, and obviously coming from the haters.
The hypocrite Sweet Treble has a weekend getaway with the worst man on the planet, Sebastian Stavrakos.
Sweet Treble is a liar!
She warned all fathers to watch their daughters against Sebastian Stavrakos OnLive TV, even calling him the worst man on the planet! But the truth is, she just wanted him for herself. She's an ambitious woman who wants to catch a billionaire. Poor Sebastian!
Sweet Treble is the worst woman on the planet! She should be canceled!
She ate her words!
Make up your mind, girl. Do you hate him or love him?
Sebastian Stavrakos and Sweet Treble honeymooning at the Stavrakos Sports Resort Hotel now!
Oh God. The tables had turned. The world was now on Sebastian's side.
Was this part of his plan? He was so nice to me all throughout our date. I wondered if he was only acting on his best behavior to get a good article. How could I tell if this was the real Sebastian, or an elaborate act?