My Addiction by Ida Gonzalez (summer reading list TXT) 📗

"Wow! You look beautiful, Paula" he approaches me. I assume he would leave me a kiss on the cheek but he goes further and leaves it at the corner of my lips. Oh my God, it makes me nervous. The aroma of his expensive perfume fills my nose and intoxicates me. However, that nervousness that I feel does not transform into the tickling in my stomach, it is said that when the right one arrives your stomach makes a party, your chest tightens and you go completely silly as you smile from ear to ear. With this man, I don't feel any of that.

"Thank you, you’re looking equally handsome," I say with sincerity and he smiles. That damn smile that can make anyone fall in love, except me. Well, I definitely do not know if I have a mental disorder or I am immune to men. A man as handsome as him and I do not feel anything.

"Let's go?" He asks me, offering me his hand and pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Let me collect my bag and then we can go," I run to the room.

I say goodbye to Isa and Katy, who had woken up a few minutes earlier but was still sleepy. "Isa, call me for anything, please," I say and she rolls her eyes.

"Paula, go have fun and enjoy the chocolate mmmm…. that is hot, very hot," she whispers. I feel my face burn with shame.
"Bye," she says, moving her fingers repeatedly. I head out to see Iam. He smiles when he sees me. Definitely, this man does nothing but smile.

"Come on," he says and nods out, offering me his hand. We left the building a moment later. A beautiful black car was waiting for us.

Iam opens the door for me and side-steps to let me get in the car. He walks around and gets next to me. He keeps looking at me the whole way and flattering me, and making me feel uncomfortable.

When we arrived, I observed the people in the place, including cameramen who did not stop taking photos. I get nervous, I shake and Iam notices it. "Do not be nervous, do not separate from me and everything will be fine."

"Don't let me go," I tell him and he smiles.

"I could never let you go, precious," he replies and I just allow myself to take a deep breath.

We enter the room and many glances fall on us.

"Everyone is looking at us," I whisper, squeezing his arm very tightly.

“I think it's you, not me,” He caresses my hand trying to calm me down. But how do I explain that it made me more nervous?

"Let's go say hello to some friends, beautiful." he tells me and I just nod, I can't object, he's paying for me, I'm like a doll I do everything he tells me, we approach a group of people, three men and a woman, one of them turns and my damn misfortune chases me, again that man, those eyes so penetrating capable of hypnotizing anyone, however, the arrogance in his face overrides anything. I think he was more surprised to see me here, my intuition was already telling me something, something like I would meet him again at any moment, as if life was determined to charge me for the coffee.

"Good evening, gentlemen, miss." Says Iam.

"Good evening," the man says hello and the woman just looks at me.

"She is Paula, my beautiful companion," I just smile, nodding my head in greeting.

The one with green eyes approaches to leave a kiss on the back of my hand. Iam growls in response. I don't understand the reason. The man who apparently is called Leonardo, smiles. He introduces me to the other man named Stephen.

"And this is Dante De Luca." I was avoiding this meeting by all means, however, there he was detailing me with his eyes, looking all over me, but he doesn't say anything to me, he is not even able to give me a greeting, and what happens to him? so much is his arrogance, as if money makes him better. He pierces his deep eyes in me, those gray eyes that consume me, it upsets me and makes me uncontrollable without knowing why. He frowns and there he was again, then he smiles ironically and denies. And now what's wrong with him?

"Finally, she is Carla" Iam introduces me to the woman who is on the arm of that man who burns me with his eyes.

"Delighted," she answers and gives me a fake smile. I ignore her. I'm used to running into these kinds of people. All kinds of people go to the restaurant.

"Come, beautiful," Iam takes my arm to lead me to another corner of the room.

"With permission, gentlemen. Enjoy the night," Iam speaks, dismissing them. Walking with Iam under the gaze of many presents. From time to time I turn in the direction where this arrogant man is and I see that he is already watching me. With that piercing gaze, the gaze that I try to decipher, but can't.

I tell Iam that I need to go to the bathroom. He nods and I walk towards the bathrooms. I really just need to breathe and process everything that is happening. When I am inside a cubicle, I hear two women enter and they start talking to each other. I keep quiet to continue with my needs but suddenly…..

"Have you seen the new acquisition of the lawyer Ricardi?" they laugh.

"Even though she is not a blonde, I think she changed his tastes," they laugh again and suddenly I no longer hear anyone speak. Apparently, they have already left the bathroom. I can't help the tears that roll down my cheeks. Is that what I am, an acquisition?
Shit! Nobody knows why I do it. Nobody should judge without knowing the reality of the people. I just want it to end tonight so I can leave. This is going to be more difficult than I imagined. I'm not used to this, to all these kinds of people, this is not me. I don't even know where I am. I just need the money. I need it a lot.