Tabula Rasa. White’s move. Territory of Seduction - Chapter #2 - Free To Read

Max

Out! Head's square. The time zone change is taking its toll. I can't bring myself to sleep at when I'm in the middle of the day at home. I don't know the city, and nighttime for intimate is no friend. Got on the internet, read something, sketched the temple outside my hotel . In general, distracted myself as much as I could. Result: me and the sloth are twin .

What's that sound that's blowing my mind? Fucking alarm clock! I give myself another ten to wake up.

Second call.

I jump out of bed. The first thing I do is order breakfast for the room, then I get in the . The cold water burns my skin, and I finally regain consciousness. I'll have to sleep during day, or I'll be like an omelet for breakfast tomorrow, cooling under the lid in my room.

Drinking coffee standing by the window. It's a good hotel. In the center of the historical and part of the city, I can admire the view from morning to evening.

Cities with history are my weakness. This one is over 1,500 years old. Older than Paris.

That's impressive.

The clock tells me a cab will be here in a quarter of an hour to pick me up.

It's been a long time since I've been involved in an adventure like this. When I received an to exhibit here six months ago, I didn't even plan to accept. But two months before the event, in London, at a party of a publication with which I cooperate, I met the owner of a gallery. A quarter of an hour with him and I agreed. The result is that I am here.

I definitely like Kyiv, I'll take a walk in the evening and get to know it better.

The office center is a mirrored high-rise in the shape of a sail. Hmm, nice.

I wish I'd gotten some sleep! What was I thinking when I agreed to schedule my stay this ? I'll meet a translator and go to the hotel and go to bed!

The Art Center office is under the very roof. How beautiful it is outside the windows! A 's-eye view of the city spreads out below me. There, down there - the domes of churches, a sea greenery, the interweaving of the old city and high-rises, the ribbon of the river appears and , with ridges of bridges over its blue body. Ugh! I enjoy the view for a few moments.

In the lobby I find an old acquaintance from international exhibitions, the sculptor Martinez.

No sooner do I have a few words with him than Sandrine, the gallery's PR director, familiar to me the London party, appears in one of the doors. The traditional ritual of exchanging . I want to get the ceremonies over with and go back to the hotel and hibernate for a of hours. I need to regain my vigor for the walk, and it promises to be entertaining - so many women flashed outside the car window while I was driving to the office that the plan for evening took real shape.

What is this miraculous miracle? There's a girl standing in Alexandra's office, stretched out a straight line. She looks like she's missing her socks, and she could be the embodiment of

Japanese schoolgirl idols. Oh my God! What eyes! Huge, alien eyes. She's the stuff of comic books, sure!

Is that my translator? But she's a child! Is child labor acceptable in this country? Alexandra me a translator guide. How will this girl accompany me to my Playboy editorial ? Is she old enough for that?

Oh, my God! She's looking at me like I'm a ghost. Maybe there's dirt on my cheek. She's at me like she's gonna drill a hole in me.

Her name is Polina. She's thin, fragile, and her eyes are driving me crazy-I want to check if 're realistic, but I can't put my finger in them. Now I want to laugh at the inappropriate thought.

Such delicate fingers. Well, she's definitely an underage child! Is she even in high school? Some to bring her to her senses. Her gaze told me unequivocally that she was not here, but in her own world.

О! As I hold her fingers in my palm, she has turned on the secret button in her, after all.

Turns out she can even make jokes. Wow! What am I supposed to do with all this? For ten days I'm to hang out with an eyeballed kid who has a sense of humor?

Thank God her English is impeccable. We'll have no problem understanding each other, she some very appropriate jokes. I wonder how old she is, though.

She smells like "Angel and the Demon." Hmm... Promising. She really is both "Angel and

Demon" in one person. Killer mix. Whoa! What's with the drooping eyelashes? Does that mean my embarrasses her?

Stressful?

Nervous?

Exciting?

Wow!

Is she sure I don't notice her furtive gaze scanning me from head to toe?

Damn! She's beautiful. Profile, shoulder length dark hair, thin wrists and ankles. She'd make wonderful model.

Finally, the formalities are over, and voila - the drowsiness has miraculously evaporated!

What was the point of going back to the hotel?

The sleep had faded away, all it took was a large cup of strong coffee to surely provide a of energy. Hopefully the elf-like creature I'd been assigned to could handle so little as to escort to where that very cup of coffee was?

How about Polina walking around town with me?

She agrees.

"Given the way you scanned me, babe, I actually didn't expect any other answer." Haha, I too often. "What's gotten into you, Sir Camreon?"

Polina stomps to the window, inviting me to follow her. The view is awesome! I wouldn't taking another look.

Wow! I'm grinning through all thirty-two teeth again, noticing her looking at me! This is new! "Hide the smile, you idiot!" - my mind whispers, but I want to laugh, damn it!

She's blushing and embarrassed, which makes me laugh. Sweet Polina, we're in for an exciting ten ! It's going to be fun. I hope you're old enough to make your own decisions. Otherwise, you'll to try on the role of child molester, which is the last thing I want to do. Ridiculous situation! I

WANT TO!

I lower my face to keep from laughing out loud. Stupid thoughts! But they're already in my . That only makes it funnier. "Jesus, you've only seen her for ten minutes and you already have bunch of lewd pictures in your head, you slutty Kameron."

- We could go to the Lavra to the observation deck or take a walk by the Golden Gate. You 't see them from here, they're behind the houses, - Polina looked at my collarbone, obviously not to discover my seemingly unreasonable amusement. Her cheeks are burning and her lips are , and she nibbles on them, betraying her nervous tension. It's a good sign. I enjoy her embarrassment. I wonder if she's a virgin. If I do decide to fuck her, I wish she wasn't.

- I'd like to just walk around the downtown area for now, maybe take a walk to the park, get air. I'm not used to the time zone yet. I could use a cup of coffee. A big cup of coffee, - Polina me quickly in the eye, and this time I can't hold back the laughter I'm trying to muffle with a . What a lame game, Sir Cameron. I'm amused and amused by my own reaction. What the is going on? I hope I'll figure it out as we speak.

It's already hot outside.

- Polina, why don't we have coffee here? - pointing to the Amore bar across the street from .

- I suggest we take a little drive. I'll take the car. I promise good coffee, - she finally smiles a completely relaxed way, and I can look at her with my usual direct gaze.

We get into her little Mercedes.

- Polina, can I ask you a personal question?

- Yeah, ask, - she makes herself comfortable in the driver's seat and buckles up.

- How old are you?

She laughs and looks at me - a young seductress. A nymphet. The embodiment of Nabokov's

Lolita.

- Even under American law, I can buy alcohol. I'm twenty-three. In turn, I can ask the question, how old are you?

- I'm thirty-five.

She's still very beautiful. I studied her face, every feature of her angelic profile.

She drives nimbly, maneuvering between cars. Soon enough, we find ourselves in some streets.

- Is this the downtown area?

- It's all downtown. We're near Independence Square. I brought you to my favorite cafe,

Kav-kau. Here you can drink not even a cup, but a whole pot of coffee, - she smiles without turning head to me.

African-style cafe. Cozy. I'm sure I'll be satisfied with the quality of their coffee. I order looking at the coffee list.

- You have a great car.

- Yes, thank you, my dad gave it to me, - she replies simply. - Tell me about yourself. We a busy schedule, so it would be good for me to know more about you. We have ten days .

Oh, yeah, baby, a whole ten days, something tells me it's a very exciting ten days. I guess.

I'll tell you something.

- I am an artist, as you already know. I mostly write in the manner of impressionism, which my favorite style, but there are works in the style of abstraction, and sometimes I switch to .

We're finally getting coffee! Mm-hmm. Just what I need.

- Good coffee, - I take another sip of the invigorating drink. Polina takes small sips, drinking water, which the waiter brought in cups along with the coffee pots.

- Where do you live in America?

- New York.

- I'll be living in New York soon, too, - she informs me. - I will work there. She won a from the head office of the company she had interned for several years at while she was at university.

- Yeah? I'm surprised. - What are you gonna do?

- I will work in the financial sector of an audit company, supervising a project on auditing in Eastern Europe, and more precisely, for the time being, Ukraine.

We switch to topics from different areas. Polina tells me how she started working with the

Art Center, where she studied, it turns out, including in London. I guess that she is from a wealthy , but this is not interesting to me at all. I am more interested in learning about her so that our "dance" turned out to be harmonious. To do that, I need to know a little more about her.

One body is not enough. It's boring. Boring sex is the most uninteresting thing you can do.

She also asks a lot of questions: where I studied painting, when I discovered my talent as an , how much my paintings cost and where you can see them. It's a pity, but all her questions are work-related. For her, I am still a purely service object.

And now we are already playing with words with ease. The next stage of our communication been passed. Polina has finally let go of the tension. At last! Now she is looking directly into my and smiling with the corners of her lips.

I want to taste them, those lips. Fuk! But she's so young. I'm a pervert! My pants are tight at thought of hearing those lips moan when she's beneath me.

She apologizes, answering the incoming call. Meanwhile, I'm trying to adjust my balls drawing attention to myself. I don't understand a word she's saying, but the way she's is an act. It's easy to read the emotion on her face.

First she's serious. Then she's flirty. Then she smiles. Now she's a little sad. I definitely want paint her portrait.

- Who's that? From the gallery? - I'm footing the bill for both of us, over her objections.

- No. That's my man, - she replies mundanely.

Damn! I totally didn't think she might have someone! It's a good thing. It's a lot easier to get girl who has a boyfriend to have a fling without any stupid love talk. He's probably as young as is, and is unlikely to recognize the signs of a side fuck in her.

- Max, are you married? - Polina suddenly asks.

- No, I'm not. What makes you say that?

Her cheeks turn slightly pink.

- Just curious, - she answers honestly. I like her directness and sincerity.

- Shall we walk? We can walk to the park. It's not far. Then we'll go back to the car and go to gallery. What do you say?

- Yeah, that's a great plan, - I agree.

All I can think about, though, is her enchanted, enraptured look from half an hour ago. Why that look turn me on? What was it about it? Normally, I ignore that sort of thing. But not today.

Not with her.

We're supposed to be working together. Office romance? I doubt she'd get a bonus for that.

"Then what are you thinking, you vulgar Cameroons?"

It's nice to be able to distract myself with the city. It is certainly a beauty! Greenery like ocean waves flowing down the slopes. The hills. The plain of the opposite shore, with developments. There is harmony in everything.

It's good to be a landscaper in this town. And here they are, here and there, farther away.

Writing, pouring out what makes them happy. I'll write something too. It's a thirst. The thirst of the . I wasn't ready to see so much beauty at once. That's why I'm thirsty. There's no doubt it's here in any season. I like the cities on the hills, they're much more landscaped than the on the plain. Tomorrow I'm going to take my camera and film it all.

Polina loves her city. She tells stories, answers my questions. Noticing my interest in artists , she promises to show me the most artistic street in Kyiv - Andriyivsky Descent. It turns out be somewhere nearby. All of this is insanely interesting to me, like any traveler. I suggest not to this part of the program, but to carry it out tonight. Polina smiles, shaking her head:

- Another day, Max. Okay? I think you need to get some sleep tonight. I know what jet lag is . But here's something, - she pulls a business card out of her purse. - Here you go. Here's my number. Call me if you need anything. I doubt you'll need me tonight, but you never know, - giggled, and I smiled back at her.

All her contacts are listed on the card: Skype, email address, and cell phone number.

- Deal, here are my coordinates, - I make an equal exchange.

I like talking to her. We talk about different topics, she is a versatile person. Polina can easily between topics and has a good grasp of design, painting styles and the names of the

Impressionists, unmistakably naming the works and the masters who created them.

I get lost in time, as I do with any fascinating conversation, and am therefore surprised that hour has flown by so quickly. We walk back to the car.

- By the way, we could walk to the gallery on foot, - Polina informs me. - It's close here, just short walk along Khreshchatyk, the main street, but we have to hurry, - she points to the screen of smartphone. - We got a text message from Alexandra saying that they were waiting for us at the .

Ten minutes later, we're there. It's really close by.

The gallery is located in the very center of the city, impressive in size and scope. I like the that everything is well thought out, and there are plenty of interesting places nearby.

Here's the exhibit. The installers are just preparing the mounts for my works.

- This place isn't suitable, - I look around. - These canvases need more space. They are at a distance, at least three meters.

A normal, routine process. Polina gets involved right away, helping and coordinating all the with the managers.