By Zephyria 
“There’s a wine cellar in the basement. No one ever visits, so it’s the perfect spot.”
The man’s voice flowed low, as if he were confessing a secret, but the breath mixed within it was flushed with excitement. He stared intently into my eyes and whispered passionately.
“It might be a bit chilly, but that’ll actually be better, don’t you think? Since we’ll be heating up soon.”
Instead of answering, I simply let a smile play on my lips. The man’s hand was still stroking the bare skin of my waist. He slid his hand down stealthily, stroking my buttocks over my trousers as if by accident. Of course, both he and I knew that the gesture was fueled by impure intentions. After draining the remaining champagne in one go, the man added, holding the empty glass.
“I’ll go and wait for you.”
Then, the man waved one hand. He lifted the hand that had touched my buttocks for me to see, took a couple of steps back, and then turned and walked away. I watched for a moment as he placed the empty glass on a passing waiter’s tray and disappeared hurriedly. After a short delay, I finished the rest of my champagne and followed in the direction he had gone.
All while feeling those purple eyes fixed on me so acutely that my skin practically tingled, yet without ever once looking back.
* * *
I thought I could hear the faint sound of insects. Or perhaps it was the sound of people chatting. It didn’t really matter. I lay stretched out on a beach chair, staring up at the sky.
Why am I lying here?
The thought drifted through my mind blankly, but there was no particular reason. I hadn’t intended to get along with that man from the start, and I was well past the age of rolling around on a cold stone floor in a closed-off basement with someone whose face I couldn’t even remember because I was drunk. Perhaps it was just an impulsive act born of intoxication. But in the end, it was a good choice.
“Haa…”
A satisfied sigh escaped me naturally. The cool night breeze settled over my body, which was warm and flushed from a moderate level of intoxication. I felt satisfied even without having sex. I wondered if the man was still in the wine cellar, growing anxious as he waited for me to arrive. That, too, didn’t matter to me. It wouldn’t be bad to just rest here. No, it was better. I could think about tomorrow after I sobered up. Right now… I just feel so good…
I must have dozed off for a moment. Suddenly, something awakened my dulled senses. After a gap of a few seconds, I realized it was the sound of footsteps on the grass. Though it felt like a chore, I slowly opened my eyes. Perhaps the man had come searching for me and ended up here. Or maybe it was the owner checking to see if the guests were doing well, or perhaps a servant who had business here…
But it was neither. The sense of dissonance felt in the footsteps on the grass became starkly apparent when the sound shifted to tapping on the deck. The unnatural sound heard with every step told me with absolute certainty that all my guesses were wrong. And who the owner of this sound was, as well. It wasn’t a normal footstep; between the strides, there was the sound of something inorganic striking the ground with precise rhythm.
An incredibly tall man was walking slowly, one step at a time, relying on a cane. I stared with vacant eyes at the man who was walking in a straight, unwavering line toward me.
The man stopped a couple of steps away. Dressed in comfortable cotton trousers and a polo shirt with a few buttons undone, he stood leaning on his cane and gazed at me. I silently watched as those dreadfully erotic lips parted. Was I not flustered or surprised because my senses were dulled by the alcohol, or…
“Well, well, Prosecutor.”
…Or was it because I had already expected this?
In my alcohol-fogged mind, that was all I could think.
The surroundings were deathly quiet. Nothing could be heard except for the occasional wind shaking the trees. Strangely, the fact that this man and I were alone in a place like this felt natural. I remained lying there, limbs sprawled. Even as I vaguely realized how defenselessly I had thrown myself before the man’s gaze as it slowly wandered over my body, I still didn’t move a single finger.
Perhaps I had anticipated this moment from the second our eyes met in the hall. That was likely why I felt no confusion or embarrassment.
Or maybe I was just that drunk.
Thinking that, I slowly blinked. Perhaps because I was looking up from a lying position, the man seemed even more colossal. Dammit. A ridiculous chuckle escaped my lips at the feeling of being like a small child crouching at the feet of a giant. Nathaniel Miller, who had been watching me in silence until then, tilted his head to one side and spoke for the first time.
“I didn’t expect to find you in a place like this.”
I thought.
“Liar.”
Nathaniel Miller paused. I simply watched as the corners of his mouth, which had been faintly upturned, returned to their original position. After a short silence, he spoke again, wearing that damn faint smile once more.
“I didn’t realize my inner thoughts would be discovered so easily.”
Only then did I realize why the words I had spoken in my head had been heard in my ears. I should have felt shame, but no emotion arose. Instead, one corner of my mouth lifted in a smirk. Ah, I drank too much champagne. Thinking this more as a realization than a regret, I suddenly frowned and blinked. He’s not here; no matter how much I look.
“…Where is your partner?”
The woman who had been clinging to his side until a moment ago was nowhere to be seen. When I questioned the man standing alone, looking down at me, Nathaniel answered nonchalantly.
“She’s no child; I’m sure she’s enjoying herself.”
He wasn’t exactly wrong. Even if they came together, it seemed quite common for partners to spend time separately if they became interested in other people.
Then, what exactly was the relationship between this man and that woman?
As if reading my mind, Nathaniel spoke.
“In a setting like this, it’s more convenient to have a partner, regardless of the relationship.”
It was as if he were saying it was merely a relationship of necessity. He then added meaningfully,
“So one doesn’t have to deal with cheap tricks.”
It was a clear sarcasm aimed at me. I shot back without backing down.
“So you’re saying it’s just business? A platonic relationship?”
It was a ridiculous suggestion, but he answered as if it were obvious.
“Even teenagers don’t believe that having sex with someone means they’ll marry them.”
His tone sounded as if he were pitying me. Since he was right, I didn’t have much to say. In the first place, what did it matter to me what his relationship with her was?
As I fell silent, the surroundings became quiet again. Amidst an awkward silence, Nathaniel spoke once more.
“What happened to that man from earlier?”
“I don’t know. I’m the only one here, so why don’t you try looking elsewhere?”
I added, deliberately glancing around.
“Unless, of course, you’ve come here to be angry at me for stealing your taste.”
When I added a smile to my fairly kind tone, unexpectedly, Nathaniel’s long eyes narrowed slightly.
Uh…
As I looked at him in confusion, he suddenly leaned over me. Balancing himself with the hand gripping the cane, he reached out with his free hand. Watching that hand approach my cheek, I instinctively held my breath. The moment I vaguely thought that the man’s body heat might suddenly awaken my chilled skin…
My body reacted before my mind. With a speed that was unbelievable for someone who had been lying vacantly until a moment ago, I bolted up from the beach chair. Nathaniel Miller watched in silence as I escaped to a distance of several steps, barely brushing past the man’s hand. Suddenly, the cold night air brushed against my cheek. Slowly, the man straightened his back. I watched with bated breath as he stood tall, his eyes still fixed on me.
“Oh dear.”
Nathaniel Miller spoke in his characteristic slow manner, as if sighing. He continued, using the hand that had almost touched my cheek to brush back his neatly groomed hair.