The Quarter - Chapter Two

Chapter II: The Queen Of Hearts

In his deepest thoughts, all he could imagine was how he is going to approach her. At this point he was still ignorant to all aspects pertinent to her existence, except for that one single fact: she made his heart pound hard. Pedro was never one to lay around waiting for the chances to drop on his lap, so he immediately took charge and started looking around for all possible information that could lead to their meeting and connection.

His first instinct was to talk to Rush, a friend he made back in his high-school days. Rush is a nice-guy type. He does not smoke, does not consume alcohol and doesn’t believe in promiscuity. He is the friend that all girls want to have because they feel safe around him, simply because he would never cheat on his girlfriend.

Pedro asked Rush about this girl, and to his dismay, found out that Rush was also interested in her, although not very successful in his attempts. Rush promptly advised Pedro about Syriah:

- Listen man, I would like to tell you something different, but the fact is she is the heartbreak type. Just in the last few months after you left in June – Rush added – she has left a trail of guys that she played around with, a lil slap and tickle… and that is it bro. I wish it were something different, but damn…

Pedro refused to cease and desist on this pursuit. All he needed was a name.

- Syriah, - said Rush – you say it like the country, but I don’t know if it’s spelt the same way.

- Thanks bro. That’s all I need – answered Pedro as he stepped of in her direction.

At this point Pedro did not care about anything else, and he headed to the bar, where she was neatly swinging her hips to the sound of “SummerLove” by Justin Timberlake. Pedro is as good a smooth talker as will be found in his entire group of friends, and jabbed right into his pursuit:

- I believe you must be Syriah. I’m sorry to be so blunt as to ask you… but… Are you feeling lost right now? – Pedro asked this with great confidence and it showed – Because I’ve been trying too hard, and with no success until now, to find someone that looks just like you.

- No… I’m not lost. – Replied the girl – but I am glad that you found me.

Success! Pedro had broken down the first wall of the many that, although unbeknownst to him, he would encounter in his relation with Syriah. Pedro was now confident enough to pull a trick out of the bag, and so he did:

- Here’s one for you. Let’s make a bet.

- Alright. But let me warn you, - said Syriah with the body language to match her speech – I rarely lose on these things.

- I… can bet you… - Pedro added a pause at every possible moment to increase the tension – thaaaaaat… I can kiss you without ever touching your lips.

He smiled.

- Oh really? Well, put your money where your mouth won’t be.

Pedro took out a single 200 Meticais note and laid it on the bar. He moved closer, and asked:

- You ready sweetie?

- Shoot, Mr. “I’ll-kiss-you-without-touchin-your-lips”. I wanna see that!

Pedro leaned in slowly, and their lips connected. He turned his head slightly and she didn’t back away. Her cherry flavored gloss got transferred onto his lips, and he passed his tongue over it as he pulled away. Syriah smiled as she spoke:

- You just lost 200 Bucks baby.

- It was worth every cent! – He replied, satisfaction visible on his face.

She took the note and offered to buy them a drink with the money he had just lost. At this point she leaned in closer to him. A bomb was coming his way, and he knew it. She put on a seductive face, and in a very low voice she asked:

- Have you ever had a blowjob, P?

Pedro couldn’t believe what he had just heard, but he calmly answered:

- Many, but I’m hoping to improve my stats.

- Well, then ‘ill order only one, and that will happen. I’ll show you how. Barman! One double sized blowjob! And on the tall glasses, not the wide ones… it does have to go in my mouth you know!

The barman brought the shot glass and Syriah did not take her eyes off Pedro as she pulled the shot glass closer. She then leaned in and held the glass in her mouth, and put her hands around his neck. The liquor slid out of the shot glass into her mouth. Pedro removed the glass from her mouth, she leaned in and as they kissed once again, half of the mixture passed into his mouth. The kiss ended and they both swallowed.

He pulled Syriah off the bar and they headed closer to the dance floor. “Kiss Kiss” by Chris Brown started and they dance facing each other. The song couldn’t have been more suggestive. They chatted and got to know each other a little better as they danced and kissed in between words.

Inevitably, Pedro got around to the talks Rush made about her. He was concerned that it might just end sour. He was concerned about why the relationships she ventures into are never long lasting ones, and why it is that the guys were foul mouthing her so badly. This was a sensitive talk for her and she didn’t give him much to talk about. There was interest on both sides and he was going to capitalize on that. He would remain victorious in this situation no matter what happened next. In his mind he was already thinking about how to keep her interested without selling himself short.

That’s when it happened again. Syriah gives him the vantage point he had needed since the talk had started. She began to give a brief explanation of what she thought was the reason for all this:

- I’ve been needing experienced guys, and sadly all I find are they guys my age that are not capable of keeping up with what I need or the stupidly immature older guys. I hope you show me something different. – She said with a great show of disappointment – I really do.

She stopped for a second, looked at him and said:

- I need to be treated like a princess, because that’s what I am… a princess.

- I’m terribly sorry – said Pedro – and I do regret to inform you, but I no longer deal with princesses. I deal with queens.

Syriah stepped back, amazed at what she just heard. She considered herself a princess, and he had just said he no longer cared about what she considered herself. She didn’t know what to do of it at first, and when she found composure, she finally asked:

- And what does that mean exactly?

In his vantage moment, Pedro carefully calculated his next answer. He held her by the face, gently and kissed her softly. Syriah closed her eyes in surrender, and in her ear he whispered:

- These boys are mere princes, and they do not know how to treat a woman properly. I am the king. And all I need of you is for you to want to be my queen.

[End of chapter two]