Chapter 306: To Do Or Not
Kiba looked at the scene in the restaurant for a minute. The happy families, the romantic couples and the listless singles.
He turned his head back towards the street and resumed the journey back to the inn.
Kiba and Ashlyn walked alongside and just like before, there was no conversation. He has already got used to her silent personality and didn't felt any strange. There was something alluring in her silence that made her more enticing.
The sun faded on the horizon and darkness shrouded the sky as the night arrived. The faint light from the glittering stars offered little visibility.
A few minutes later, Kiba and Ashlyn arrived in Garrick Angel Inn. They returned to their respective rooms to freshen up. He picked a towel and stepped into a shower.
"Tomorrow is the auction," Kiba thought under the warm shower. "My last day in the fair."
As per his schedule, after the fair, he would check the Guardian Spit Village he has heard about. By the time he was done, the core region would open up and he could complete his main mission.
"Felicity."
Kiba raised his head and the water sprinkled over his face...
Half an hour later.
Kiba joined Ashlyn and they started walking to the dining hall. As he arrived in the corridor, his eyes brightened as he saw a familiar face.
It was the slender, blonde receptionist from before. He has invited her for dinner when she helped him with some details.1
"Monica," Kiba stepped ahead to greet her. "I'm glad you are joining us."
"It would be rude if I miss such a chance," Monica smiled and acknowledged his greeting. She was well trained in etiquette and knew how to handle people.
Kiba opened the glass door like a perfect gentleman. Ashlyn and Monica stepped into the hall after which Kiba closed the door.
Kiba even pulled chairs for them much to Ashlyn's surprise. She hasn't seen him so well-mannered and cultured.
Ashlyn felt he was being deceptive again. She recalled the last time he did such a thing was when he volunteered to share body heat with Anya.
Kiba sat opposite Monica. At the same time, Isabelle arrived on their table. She handed them menus after which she took her leave.
Another waiter arrived and placed down glasses and filled them with mineral water.
"You are our guest so please choose the dishes," Kiba said with a smile. "To tell you the truth, that's just an excuse. We want to benefit from your experience in the inn and treat ourselves with the best food."
"Aha~ You are taking advantage of me?" Monica replied in a lighter tone. She opened the menu and said, "I will suggest my favorites but you should choose some dishes as well."
Kiba looked at her.
"It is often said you can say a lot about a man from the choice of his food so," Monica said with a curious expression. "So indulge me and let us know the type of man you are."
Kiba was amazed by her demeanor. He then thought of the courses taught in hotel management so he felt this was obvious.
It was her that was actually indulging him.
Kiba opened the menu to check out dishes to order. His eyes were on the menu but his mind was elsewhere.
The success of a dinner date depended on an individual's ability to arouse interest of the opposite party. The interest would usually result in another date or something even better.
To achieve this task, most times, men relied on the time tested method of flattery. They would pass subtle compliments on a woman's beauty, wisdom, achievements and so on.
There was nothing as arousing as a stroke of ego.
Of course, the application of a sound mind was equally necessary otherwise it would lead to disastrous consequences.
If a man was too bold, he might come as crass and lose all his chances. The opposite was equally true. Very few women appreciated timid or overly nervous men.
Most women would not give another chance to a man who could not maintain eye contact.
Men lose more conquests by their own awkwardness than by any virtue in the woman.
Being shy and nervous has its advantage but not on a date.
In the end, everything depended on the situation.
If it was a date with a good friend, he could have standard cheeky lines such as: "Now what's on the menu? Me-n-u"
"Can I have your picture so I can show Santa what I want for Christmas?
"You're so pretty I forgot what I was going say."
If it was a romantic date, he could even use lame lines such as: "You deserve the world, and I know I can't give that to you. So I'll give you the next best thing: my world."
"If I had to choose between breathing and loving you, I would use my last breath to say, I love you."
Obviously, such statements were out of the question unless he wanted her to pour the entire glass of water on him.
"Women say flattery will get you everywhere," Kiba thought while checking the menu. "But I can't rely on flattery now."
Officially, this was not a date. Monica has joined them for a dinner but she obviously knew there was more.
This in itself was a problem. With a gorgeous woman like Ashlyn as his companion, if he tried to flatter Monica, it would not serve the desired effect. Most importantly, he didn't know a thing about Monica so he didn't know her taste, likings, and boundaries. As such, cheeky flattery was out of the question.
"Why have you been looking at the menu for such a long time?" Monic asked.
"Well, it is a difficult task," Kiba replied while lowering the menu.
"Difficult?"
"Yeap," Kiba nodded his head and said. "The choice of my food would decide the type of man I am. So obviously I'm under pressure, and I'm doing my best to pick dishes that would make me a gentleman."
Monica was amused. With a faint smile, she said, "Why do you want to be a gentleman?"
"Well, I'm sure you know the reason," Kiba answered.
"Do I?" Monica said with a soft chuckle.
She lowered the menu and invited a waiter to list out her choices. Kiba did the same and the waiter quickly noted down the order.
While waiting for the dishes to arrive, Kiba checked her out.
His eyes admired her creamy skin, silky hair and the slender curves. She has donned a black cocktail dress that looked absolutely fabulous on her.
"Woman dress for women and undress for man," Kiba mused while resting his arms on the table.
He wanted to engage her into an interesting conversation and flattery was just one method. There were other topics and he just has to find her taste.
The first step was to be her friend instead of expecting her to be a boyfriend.
"Monica," Kiba raised his head and made eye contact with her.
"Hmm?" Monica brought her eyes on him.
A sly glint flashed in his eyes as he decided to do what he did best...
***
An hour later, the three completed a lavish dinner. Isabelle was all smiles as she received another big tip.
Kiba walked out of the hall along with two beautiful women. The onlookers were stunned and this was especially true for men.
"We should go to the club," Kiba made a suggestion as they stepped out. "Have a few rounds of dance."
Ashlyn looked at him for a moment. She shook her head and said, "You can go."
She then around and stepped into the staircase leading to her room.
Monica was surprised by her action.
"Your companion is always like this?" Monica asked as she saw the distant figure of Ashlyn.
"Yeap," Kiba nodded and said. "She doesn't engage much in social activities so don't assume she is cold."
Monica turned silent.
After a brief moment, he said, "So, are you interested in a dance?"
Monica smiled and nodded, "Yes."
***
Garrick Angel Inn was equivalent to a five-star hotel, and as such, it has every facility desired by its patrons.
Pools, spa, diner, bar, club, and so on.
The members-only club was grand and lavish. It was no inferior to Sweet Love Club that Zed owned in Delta City.
The disco floor was vast with multiple lights flashing above. There were around thirty people on the dance floor while dozens on stools around the bar while a few in corners.
Kiba and Monica stepped onto the dance floor. There was a fast music track playing on, and as such, Kiba and Monica danced accordingly.
As time passed on, Kiba moved his hands onto her waist. It was a standard dance move so there was nothing sleazy in it.
She didn't expect him to be much of a dancer but he proved her wrong. He didn't make a single wrong movement, not even stepping on her feet by mistake. It was like he has a plenty of experience by which he polished his skills.
♪♪♩♩~
Kiba pulled her close as she grinded her hips to the changing tempo. He kept in sync with her; his movements as fluid and natural as water.
The music changed and so did the tempo, but he remained consistent in performance. She expected him to make a seductive move but he didn't. Not for a single moment did he tried to feel her, caress her.
When a piece of slow music started, she noticed him looking at her. His eyes were glued on her face and even after noticing that she noticed, his eyes didn't move.
"What are you thinking? Why are you looking at me like that?" Monica blurted out questions in succession.
"To do or not do," Kiba answered.
Monica was confused. In a bewildered tone, she asked, "Do what?"
Kiba's hands went to the small of her back so that he could pull her tighter against him. He then pulled her lips to his and kissed her.
Her tight body was closed into his and her small, soft breasts pressed against his chest. His arms were wrapped around her as he kissed her.
He held the kiss and savored it like sweet honey. Her red lips were soft and tender, and he nipped her lower lip.
As soon as he nibbed, she went into a trance as if a bolt of lightning has struck her.
"Ah!" Monica broke free from the kiss and left his embrace.
"This is what I wanted to do," Kiba answered the last question she asked.
Monica was taken aback by his answer. For a long time, she didn't know how to react.
Earlier, she wondered why he didn't try to feel her or carry out other sleazy actions. Now, she realized, he was waiting for her to ask him.
"So can I do it?" Kiba asked her.