49. Once Upon A December/3.

Towing her by the hand, Warshon led Mira to the clothing store across from Constantine. 

"This is Lizzy, the sales manager," he introduced. "And Lizzy, this is Mira. Much as I enjoy seeing my girlfriend in my shirt, she needs something more presentable. Do me a favor and dress her in a way that complements her lovely face. Anything else she likes, put it all on my tab." Then, he swiveled and stooped before her with a smile that warmed his gaze. "Come and find me at Constantine once you're done." Gripping the back of her neck, he closed his eyes for a kiss. 

Too stung and shy to utter a sound, she stood dumbfounded when he left, only the cedar scent trailing in his wake. She let Lizzy spin her around to take her measurements in a round fitting room walled with mirrors and answered halfheartedly when asked about her preference. Clothes maketh the man indeed, but nothing looked sexy on her with her small breasts, so she stopped wasting time on the lost cause. Cocktail dress, halter-neck, or whatever, made no difference to her. All she could think about was the conversation that was going on across the floor. 

Teddy, Telesphore Pharmaceutical. Chewing on her bottom lip, she knitted her brows. Warshon told her in the car that he was a friend since college. As for the Pharmaceutical, other than that it was new with overseas holding, which she gleaned from different news after the DEA raided the plant, she knew nothing else about it. To save herself the trouble, she left her watch along with everything else in the house she burned down. Now she wished she had something with her to access the internet.

While Lizzy turned away to discuss with the stylists what to do with her disastrous hair, Mira sidled up to the pad used for ordering dresses and opened a different tab. But just when she entered her search, Lizzy whirled back. "Do you like it?" she asked, looking in the mirror. 

Quickly deleting the browsing history, Mira plastered on a composed smile. "It's fine."

Slender and tall with hair the color of the sun put up in a ponytail, the gorgeous sales manager cocked her head, her ponytail sweeping her shoulder. "Just fine? What's wrong, dear? Anything you dislike?"

"No, it's just that, I'm not used to, erm," Mira fidgeted, sneaking a glance at her own reflection. "Isn't it too revealing? I mean, I have nothing to show for it." She tugged at the fitted bodice the color of cream with a deep neckline and a halter-style strap, exposing her shoulders and much of her back.

"But dear, you have the most beautiful back!" 

Mira blinked at a loss, uncertain whether it was a compliment or an insult. 

Lizzy put her hands on her shoulders and pulled them back. "No one can take their eyes off you tonight, trust me." She whisked Mira to a vanity and made her sit. 

Nestling in the chair, Mira thought about Telesphore Pharmaceutical. The first line of the introduction she peeked before Lizzy returned didn't seem to offer much. A foreign investment operating in the Republic, she thought. Quite a chance this Teddy hailed from the Commonwealth. But what else? She supposed she would have to wait to find out when the stylists were done playing her like a doll. An impatient yawn escaped her gaping mouth. Her eyelids gave in to gravity, her head began to bob. She dreamed of dark, red mist swirling like many yarns into the tenebrous depth of night. Round and round, she let the mist take her for a spin and watched the world unfold from beneath until she woke up to the familiar scent of cedar. 

Spreading his arms before her with his hands on the backrest, Warshon leaned down as he nuzzled her cheek. "Was it a good nap?" His lazy croon ran like a feather. 

She averted her eyes, her murmuring voice laced with the dream she just had that made no sense. 

He chuckled, "Lizzy texted me, saying that you fell asleep, and she didn't know if she should wake you."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Why apologize? If you hadn't fallen asleep, I wouldn't have had the pleasure of appreciating the art from this angle." He clasped her hand in his. "Should we go?"

Upon seeing her nod, he lifted her to her feet, a grin curling his lips while she stumbled a step. "Don't tell me it's your first time wearing heels."

"They're hideous," she countered, earning a laugh in reply. 

As he led her across the awe-inspiring lobby of the Reign Hotel, Mira glanced around. Nothing much had changed since her last visit. The marble floors gleamed under the soft glow of an ornate chandelier, its cascading crystals catching the light like drops of frozen rain. Twin sweeping staircases curved upward on either side of the hall, their dark, velvet-lined steps bordered by white balustrades both solemn and pristine. Centering the hall stood a sleek black piano, its polished surface catching the hue of the room in stoic elegance, waiting with all the patience in the world for a deft hand to breathe life into its keys. Remembering the December too long ago, Mira slowed her feet. Dad asked the hotel manager if he could play on the piano so he could tell her a bedtime story, about a princess who lost her family. She bit her bottom lip, her head dipping. 

"Eyes up, darling." Warshon looked over his shoulder, his gaze locked on her, his grip on her hand tightening. 

Thoughts tangled in words, heavy on the root of her tongue. Her voice hitched in her throat as she glanced up at him, the defined jawline, the high cheekbones, and the jet-black tousled hair that framed his chiseled face in such a casual way it exuded rebellion. Mira had never thought that she could think of a man as beautiful, but here he stood, one who refused to conform to expectations wholeheartedly, his intense gaze both knowing and aloof, probing into the unknown. Adding to his enigmatic charm was the subtle smirk that commanded attention without him seeking it. And yet despite all these, a whisper of vulnerability trembled on those burgundy red lips when they caressed her hand. "You are otherworldly," he said.

"So are you."

A smile diffused from his eyes like the dark, red mist she saw in her dream. With an arm around her waist, he leaned down toward her. Before the entrance to Constantine, in the awe-inspiring hotel lobby, Mira closed her eyes and held his face, defying the crowds whisking by while time held still for an instant that seemed to her a promise of eternity. For all the rest of her days and until her last breath, she knew the warmth from his lips now would always run deep in her veins and serve as a succor in her moments of weakness. 

"Well, then," he crooned. "Remember that you can't get enough of me when we walk in, and don't try to flee."

"I've never said that!" 

"You might as well have."

"And why would I flee?"

Warshon narrowed his gaze, his smirk teasing. "While you were dozing off, I had the most fascinating time."

"My gut tells me when you have a fascinating time, something bad is bound to happen." Her face puckered while he brayed with laughter. "What did you do?"

"I listened to a story." 

***