Blossom in Winter (Blossom in Winter #1)(58)
Paulo hears and looks too. “Oh. It’s Rafaela, one of the bridesmaids. I invited her over. She is spending a week here in New York.” Paulo stands up and waves to her. She smiles at him and walks in our direction. “Oi, Rafaela. Você está sempre maravilhosa,” he greets her in Portuguese while kissing her cheek. Rafaela is a tall, elegant blonde wearing a skin-tight black dress. “May I introduce you to my friends? Roy Van Gatt.” Roy stands up to shake her hand, but Rafaela gives him a cheek kiss instead. “Roy, this is Rafaela, one of the bridesmaids.”
Roy is radiant. “Pleasure to meet you, Rafaela. Welcome to New York.”
Rafaela’s eyes land on me—I’m sitting in a comfortable armchair, glass in hand, feigning a distant air.
“And this guy over here living in another planet is Alexander Van Dieren.”
I have no choice but to look at her and politely smile. “Hi, Rafaela. Nice to meet you.”
Her face beams with a big grin, but I don’t feel like standing up. Paulo invites her to sit in his armchair right next to mine.
“So, Rafaela, what brought you to New York?” asks Roy, already delighted with her.
“A seminar about lipogenesis and lipoplasty.”
We raise our eyebrows.
“Rafaela is a plastic surgeon in Rio,” explains Paulo. “Do you know how old she is?” Rafaela starts to chuckle. “Tell them.”
“How old do you guys think I am?” she asks, her face quite amused.
“Well, it’s hard to tell.” Obviously, Roy’s the first to play. “Women in Brazil take great care of themselves. Hmm… If I may try, I’ll say thirty-four?”
Paulo and Rafaela burst into laughter.
“Nope. Far, far away,” replies Paulo, still laughing. “Tell them, Rafaela.”
“I’m forty.”
“Wow. Unbelievable. Just like Alexander,” adds Roy, looking intently at me. He’s expecting some sort of reaction on my part, a laugh, a grin, some funny joke. But I’m not in the mood for any of it.
“Oh, really?” Rafaela takes over. “You don’t look forty at all. What do you do to keep your skin so young and free of wrinkles?”
I don’t do anything in particular, but since a doctor is asking, I feel like I have to give an interesting answer. “Well, I just try to eat a clean diet. I avoid sweets, I don’t smoke, I exercise, I drink a lot of water…”
“And a lot whiskey,” interrupts Paulo.
This time, we all break out in laughter.
“And a lot of whiskey,” I confirm. Rafaela smiles at me, wetting her lips. “And you? What do you do to keep yourself so young?”
“Well…” she lets the word trail off, while crossing her legs. “Exactly what you do, plus a couple of other things...”
I can’t help but chuckle at her tone. “Such as?”
She throws me a cheeky smile, studying me. “I can’t tell you all my secrets at once, Mr. Van Dieren. After all, we just met…” But her face says otherwise.
“Well, then, I expect to learn the rest in Rio.” I also give her that stare, before emptying my glass.
Rafaela glances at her iPhone and stands up. “I’m going to get some sleep,” she announces, looking intently at me. “My Uber has just arrived. The seminar starts early in the morning.”
“Sure.” Paulo also stands up to give her a cheek kiss, but Rafaela whispers something discreetly in his ear instead. “Alex? Would you mind escorting Rafaela to her car?”
“Not at all,” I reply for the sake of chivalry, leaving my comfortable armchair. Rafaela smiles radiantly and wishes Roy a good night, then we head outside.
“Is this your car?” I ask.
“Looks like it,” she replies, confirming the license plate. I open the passenger door and invite her to get in. Before sitting, she stands beside the door and looks at me with a charming gaze. “Would you like to have a nightcap at the hotel? I’m staying at the Plaza…”
I smile. Not because of her invitation, but because I saw it coming. After all, Paulo wouldn’t have asked me to escort her if she didn’t have something in mind. “I’m sure you want to get some rest for tomorrow. To look so young, you must sleep a lot.”
“Well…” She moves a bit closer to my ear. “I also do other things that keep me young,” she whispers in a low, sensual voice. I remain unreadable, looking intently at her. “In case you would like to know about them, here is my business card, and my private number is on there. It was a pleasure to meet you, Alexander. Have a great night.” She gives me a long, wet kiss on my left cheek before getting into the car.
“It was great to meet you too, Rafaela.” I close her door and wait until the car disappears completely from my sight. Afterward, I go back to the lounge where Roy and Paulo are chatting and thoroughly engaged, glasses in hand.
“What are you still doing here?” asks Roy in surprise.
I sit back in my armchair. “What do you mean?”
“Why didn’t you leave with her? She was asking for it,” continues Paulo.
“She wanted to rest for her seminar. I just escorted her to the car.”
“No, of course not. Rafaela wanted you to escort her so she could invite you over. That’s why she asked me to do it.”