Chapter 01: All Eyes On Him
"He's here!" says Scottie, with a big smile on her face.
The moment Brian steps into the party, he instantly captures everyone's attention. Brian is tall, has wide shoulders, and a very commanding presence. His black hair is styled in a somewhat disheveled style, emphasizing his handsome formed face and crystal blue eyes. His well-tailored suit fits him like a glove, accentuating his muscular body. The suit is a deep shade of blue and the shirt is pure white, with no tie. He swings with a natural charm and his charming smile has a different impact on everyone in the room.
There is an immediate and visible effect as soon as Brian enters. The men at the party stiffen, even unconsciously attempting to copy Brian's manners. The ones who are close to him greet him almost reverently, an expression of their respect, shaking his hand firmly and slapping his back.
The women of the party, more than the guys, also fail when trying to ignore the presence of Brian. They stand from their seats one by one checking if it is him who arrived, pulling their dresses down and checking their lipsticks. A swarm of excited whispers and giggles as they share information about Brian's recent affairs, and who might catch his eye tonight seems to be the major topic.
Carl is seated at a long distance from the entrance, watching when Brian makes his first appearance of the night. Carl gets a bit surprised when he notices that Brian is way younger than he thought, maybe only a couple of years older than him. Yet, even at that young age, he already has the attention of the whole party, just by being there!
As he continues to look around, he also notices that Scottie is one of the girls who is standing up to take a look at Brian. Without saying a single word, Carl just watches as she adjusts her dress, pushing her breasts up so that her cleavage is exactly the place she intended, and rises on her tiptoes to see above the crowd in front of her. Carl's heart beats even faster as he notices the behavior of his girlfriend, questioning himself that maybe she is not immune to Brian's charm. "Man, what the fuck is happening here?!" he asks himself.
Carl's attention shifts from Scottie towards the other women in the room who are doing the same thing. Even the older and married ones are checking their clothes, hair, or makeup and standing on their tiptoes to see Brian. There is almost an aura of energy about them, a common sense of excitement as they rush towards him like bugs to a flame.
While Carl is watching everything going on with the people, he by chance picks Jake out among the people. While the other men appear to be estimating Brian's words with admiration and envy, Jake is looking at him with a genuine smile. It's nearly like a young son looking at his father with a kind of pride, wanting to hear the praise and seek out his approval.
Scottie leans towards Emma, her eyes brimming with excitement. "Did you notice that Brian came by himself tonight? No arm candy on his side..."
Emma raises an eyebrow. Her lips form an enigmatic smile as she answers. "You've heard he's back on the market, right? I mean, I know he is ALWAYS on the market, but now he is more than never."
Scottie lets out a giggle, placing her hand on her mouth to hide the noise. "God, please don't forget when he came with one and left with another. The girl was a fucking mess when she figured out he had abandoned her! Haha"
Emma nods back, "Oh my god, yes! I thought Aunt Margaret was going to have a heart attack."
Scottie purses her lips, but a trace of admiration can be heard in her voice. "He is so... impossible. I don't know how he does it!"
Both Emma and Scottie struggle to peer through the crowd, nodding their heads incessantly and extending their necks, while trying to get a glimpse of Brian. Some time passes, and Emma turns to Scottie, then asks, "Alright, now what do you think? What should we do? Should we go over and say hi to him, or should we wait until he comes to our table?"
Scottie is reluctant. She nibbles at her lower lip as she looks for available solutions to their misery. "I don't know... I mean, I don't want to look too pathetic, but on the other hand, you know, I don't wanna miss this opportunity."
Emma nods in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. So many girls around, I guess we should just forget about decency for a second and try to get on his good side," she said.
Scottie takes a deep breath and gets ready for the fight. "Alright, let's do this. Now, let us keep it chill. I mean, we can't let people think we are desperate, you know?" Emma smiles and her eyes are sparkling with the ecstasy of the moment. "Of course. We've got this. Let's do it, shall we?"
Carl watches as Scottie and Emma talk and giggle, completely absorbed in their conversation about Brian. For a moment, it seems as if they've forgotten all about their boyfriends, and Carl feels a wave of jealousy and a feeling that he should be worried about this whole thing. He can't believe how easily everyone in there has fallen under Brian's spell.
In his panic, Carl decides to say whatever to remind Scottie that he is there. "Hey girls, what's going on?" he asks, pretending to be as natural as he could.
Scottie turns to him with a surprise start, as if she'd forgotten he was there. "Oh, hey Carl. Just gossip, actually, hehe. We were just talking about Brian," she says, her voice calm without any regret but her eyes still sparkling with excitement.
Carl gets a slight feeling of fear and apprehension, but he tries to suppress it. He wants to assert his presence, to remind Scottie that he's still there and still as significant as before. Therefore, he chooses to jump into the topic, although he doesn’t completely know what to contribute, and ends up asking a submissive question. "Oh, Brian, right then, I'm not sure, though. What should I do when I meet him?" he asked, trying to sound relaxed.
Scottie and Emma exchange a quick look, and Carl gets a glimpse of teasing in their eyes. However, they don't mock or ridicule him.
It was as if Scottie suddenly came to her senses, directing all. her attention towards Carl once again. "Relax, sweet. You're going to do just fine, just be yourself, okay?" she gestures with her hand, and pats him comfortably on the palm.
However, Emma offers in a teasing way with her shining eyes. "Ok, here are a couple of things that you should do – and a handful of things you clearly shouldn't do."
Scottie simply agrees smiling, her eyes expression joy. "Well, I would begin making sure to show him some respect, you know? I mean. When the subject is this family, he is basically the big boss, right? So, you have to accept him as a boss."
"Besides, compliment him so that he feels flattered," Emma goes on. "He loves it when people stroke his ego."
"However, be subtle. Try to not sound too obvious about it," Scottie says. "You don't want to be perceived as someone desperate or even a fucking liar."
"And whatever you do, don't defy him," she says, dropping her voice to a whisper. "He gets pretty mad when people try to resist his authority." Emma agrees and completes Scottie's words, "Oh, you don't wanna do that! BELIEVE me!"
"Just be yourself, Carl. But maybe a more confident version of yourself, I guess?" Scottie concludes, giving Carl a pat on the back. Carl nods, taking a deep breath and not knowing what to say, feeling more and more panicked.
After a couple of minutes more, Brian finally gets to their table. Everyone stands up when he gets closer. Without wasting time, Brian's sight focuses first on Jake, and a big grin spreads across his face.
"Hey, what's going on, bro?" Brian shouts across the table, his voice reverberating. As Brian approaches, Jake's face lights up, and he stands to greet him. However, Brian doesn't extend his hand to shake or hug his friend. Instead, he digs into his pockets and retrieves a bunch of keys which he flings at Jake from a distance of approximately two meters.
"The noise in the engine is back," Brian says, still grinning. "Think you can take a look?"
Jake's eyes widen, and he catches the keys with some surprise. "Of course, bro. Happy to help."
"You're a lifesaver, Jake," Brian says, clapping his hands together. "I knew I could count on you."
Jake smiles with pride, looking like a kid who's just been given the keys to the candy store. "No problem, Brian. I'll take care of it right away. Maybe I need to take a small ride to test it. Want me to fill the tank for you while I'm out?"
"Sure, that would be awesome. Thank you man!" adds Brian. With that, Jake turns and makes his way out of the house, leaving his girlfriend Emma, Scottie, and Carl alone with him around the table.
Chapter 02: Brian Greets the Girls with a Special Hello
Brian catches a glimpse of the girls' stares and winks, causing himself to spontaneously smile as soon as Jake leaves to check Brian's Mercedes. He then moves his attention to Emma, wrapping her in a warm embrace, and kissing her on her cheek. "Emma, you look striking as always," he admits, his voice as gentle as ever.
Emma's cheeks immediately turn red, and she starts giggling, feeling embarrassed yet also liking what is going on. "Thank you, Brian," she replies, in a soft, breathy voice.