Natalia's POV

"When was the last time you had your cleaning?" Irina asked as she pulled two ivory gloves from the box that looks like kleenex box, then put it on as she watched me climbed up on the blue dental chair.

"Not quite sure, eight months perhaps?" I responded shortly, then sat comfortably on the blue dental chair, watching her do things while blabbering.

"You know how excited I was to finally meet you? We just saw you on magazines, pictures, but never in person. Raffy had been talking about you, but he never introduces you to us," she rambled continuously, her enthusiasm was very contagious, I can't help but smile at her. She turned her head and grinned, "that jerk is completely whipped, no denying of that!" she giggled.

"I don't think so," I opposed, shaking my head in disagreement, though I was smiling, thoroughly amused by her.

"Believe me, Natalia. He wasn't the type who will spend his time bringing his girl to a dentist, and wait for her at the waiting area, for God knows how long. He'd rather spend his time behind his desk, and doing work, or going to charity events where he could possibly meet some willing preys instead of sitting in the waiting area, doing nothing" She winks at me, and I wonder how much she had known him. "One thing you should know about men, time is precious for them. They don't spend their time on something they thought doesn't mean much," she gave me a pointed look, and I smiled.

She should be a love guru, instead of a dentist.

"You sure knows a lot about men," I grinned. She nodded enthusiastically.

"I hang out mostly with men. They are fun," she grinned, "but not the kind of fun people think about," she quickly clarified. "Yes. Most of my cousins were men, and my friends were mostly men, that includes his grace," she admitted. "Honestly, fun is real when you're with them, nothing like when you're with girlfriends. No offense meant!" she quickly looked at me as she explained, and continued on. "My life is already a big drama, and I don't need more drama. Men are straight, no chaser!" she elucidated. I felt a little offended, but at the same time, I get her point.

"Oh jeez ... I'm sorry, I forget why you're here," she chuckled softly.

She turned to the small counter, where a small sink was mounted, a big brown bottle of mouthwash, sitting next to the sink, and a stack of a small red plastic cups.

She took one of the small cups, then pour some of the mouthwash, then she handed it to me. "Here," she smiled, and I took it with appreciation.

I swigged the mouthwash, swishing the liquid around my mouth for a few seconds, then into the back of my throat for another few seconds, almost gagging me, before spitting it back into the cup, and then handed the cup back to her.

She took it with a smile, dumped the liquid into the small sink, then tossed the small cup into the small trash bin under the sink.

"All right," she chuckled, then proceeded to put a paper towel on my chest, then motioned me to lay on my back.

I leaned back with my feet propped up. She adjusted the chair, reclining it down, then sat on the stool, next to me, almost like cradling my head. She reached up for the dental operating light, then adjusted the angle, lights directed to my mouth.

"I have three hygienists doing the cleaning actually, but the other one had the flu, and she's been ill for over a week. She hasn't come back, and so my two other, were slammed," she explained casually. "So lucky you, my next patient canceled her appointment," she chirped, causing me to smile at her in appreciation.

"Thank you!" I said softly, but she just waved it off and smiled sweetly.

"My pleasure, Natalia," she smiled. "I never thought I would do the honor to clean your teeth," she chuckled softly. I just nodded my head.

"Open," she said, and I did as I was told.

She started cleaning my teeth, starting from my upper front teeth. "So I was right along when I said to myself, that devil doesn't know he was whipped," she rambled again. I just smiled, my face felt strained due to my mouth opened.

I wanted to share her my thoughts about her assumptions, but my mouth was opened a little wider while cleaning my upper front teeth. I felt restrained to talk, and my mouth felt strained.

It's very uncomfortable with the sound of her equipment against my teeth, rather very distracting. So I just agonizingly listened to her ramblings, without so much I can do but smile, in a restrained way.

"You know, every time he's drunk, he talks about you, and then when we reminded him the next day, he furiously denied it. He acted like it was nothing, but damn, he doesn't see it, he was so naive when it comes to his heart," she giggled, tapping my chin gently as she inserted the saliva ejector inside my mouth, that seems to filled with saliva.

Closing my mouth briefly, the saliva ejector did its job effectively, sucking all the saliva out of my mouth.

Taking the opportunity, I spoke casually. "I bet he'd told you how awful I was," I grinned, and she burst out into a fit of giggles.

"Oh yes, how awfully in love he is with his girlfriend?" she teased, and I smiled, opening my mouth, she resumed her work.

"Can I call you Iya?" she asked randomly and I answered briefly.

"Yes," with my open mouth, it sounded gurgling.

She grinned cheekily, "he called you once Iya, and I find it sweet."

I just smiled, a little awkwardly. "I remembered when we were in our second high school. During our break time, Raffy and his friends, usually hang out in the back of the gym, smoking, drinking, and some other crazy stuff. I was looking for them, and when I found them, they were naked, high on drugs. They were showing off their penis. Comparing to each other, not knowing I was watching them with horror. I've never seen a real one until—" my eyes widened, cheeks felt hot as I pictured him in my head, naked.

When she realizes it, she suddenly covered her mouth with both palms, and her eyes matched mine, horror filled her grayish/blue orbs. "Oh my God, he'll kill me when he finds out!" she blurted out incredulously, her eyes sparkling with embarrassment, and at the same time, amusement.

Releasing my mouth, she smacked her lips softly as she groaned loudly, and I burst into a fit of laughter. I can totally picture Raffy naked as the day he was born. Stood in arrogance while his ever so attentive soldier dangling in between his thighs, out in commando. It was hilarious.

I barely got sobered down, and Irina was laughing, too. After a while, she stared at me, her eyes filled with amusement. "Please, don't tell him. He'll never see me, or worst, he'll throw me out of Pushkin," she's almost begging, but her eyes were glinting with amusement.

"Of course," I responded momentarily, "he'll never know," I grinned cheekily at her, then opened my mouth again, she resumed cleaning my teeth.

"I tend to ramble a lot, making a lot of embarrassing slip of the tongue, but most of the time, they enjoyed it, though they never made me feel embarrassed."

I just smiled, and as the second passes by, I came to like her very much. She's very tactless, and I find it very humorous.

"There, done!" she exclaimed, then she scooted her stool backward, reclining the dental chair up, then I sat upright, taking the dirty paper towel off my chest, she took it and threw the paper towel in the trash bin.

"How long are you staying in the palace?" she asked, as she took the gloves off her hands, then threw them in the bin. Brushing her golden blonde to her side, her gray/blue eyes sparkled. She's a beauty, with a slender body, hidden underneath her white dental lab coat.

"I don't know yet," I responded shortly, taking my purse that was hanging on the hook beside the open doorframe, I caught her nodding her head.

"I was just wondering if we could hang out sometimes? I never had any girlfriend. Well, I had one before I met Raffy and the rest through my cousin Kaelan, but then she avoided me after one of the boys hooked up with her, but then broke up with her after you know? The hanky panky?" she shrugged her shoulders as she led me out of the open door.

A man in a lab coat gave her a nod in recognition as we passed by another room, and she smiled at him in response. We walked along the wide hallway while talking. "Sure, just phone me away," I said, then stop on my track, fishing my phone out of my purse, I handed it to her. "Here," I said, and she took it, tapping her number in my contacts, she handed it back to me after putting her name on it. I ringed her number, her phone vibrating in her lab coat pocket, and she took it out and smiled.

"Got it," she grinned happily, and I nodded.

"It was nice meeting you, Irina. And thank you," I said, opening my hands, inviting her for an embrace, she came closer, and we hug briefly.

"I'll call you on the weekends," she giggled excitedly, and I agreed.

"Bye," I said, and headed back to the waiting area, while she went back to her work.

I saw Rafael's back, leaning against the chair's backrest, animatedly watching a show I'm not familiar with. I tap his shoulder gently, with a bright smile.

When he looks up, he smiled when he saw me, and promptly rose from his seat, and rounded the armchair, implanting himself in front of me, he curled his strong hands around my waist, gently pulling me closer, until my our chest were almost touching. I looked up to meet his beautiful orbs. "You look hotter," he teased, holding my gaze, and I raise my eyebrow. "I'm aware of that," I tried to sound less flattered, "but thank you," I added as I grinned. I was about to say something about Irina, when he suddenly leaned down, and gave me a brief peck on the lips, and releases me. I groaned silently in disappointment when the warmth of his arms left me.

I watched him in awe as he strode towards the reception desk and paid my dues. I am a hopeless case, I would never forget him. I'm all over him, and there's no denying that, but he'll never know.

"Let's go?" my eyes snapped back to him when his voice reached my ears. I nodded my head, and headed to the door, with him tailing me.

In the car, we teased, and chat casually. He looks contented and very happy. I can't deny that I'm happy with him, too, yet still, I longed for him to show more than what he is showing me now. I don't know what specifically what I want him to do, but I felt something that he's showing me, lacking.

We reached the salon he was talking about and parked his car in the parking lot.

I stared at the two-story building, made of brown bricks, but it looks modern.

"Pumpkin," Raffy called out in a labored tone, and I slowly turned my head and face him.

Raising my eyebrow, I stared at him, waiting. He looks like he's contemplating something, his hooded eyes staring at me intensely, I felt my skin tingled at how hard he was staring at me.

"Ready?" he asked huskily, and his eyes lingered on my lips. He looks uncertain, his eyes heavily lingered on my lips, shifting between my eyes and my lips. It's very obvious, he wants to kiss me, but I feigned innocence, though my insides were in a riot, screaming at me to give in.

"You look constipated, are you okay?" I fake frowned, controlling the urge to burst into laughter. Touching his forehead with the back of my hand, I felt his forehead, his temperature felt normal, my eyebrows knitted in a deep frown.

I was just faking it. I knew that he's turned on. The way he heavily stared at me, desires radiated off all over him.

I tried to quell the sudden rushes of tingling sensations through my veins, shooting down to my core, and forces myself to ignore the sudden thirst I felt.

He groaned, cupping the back of my head, then he held my gaze, staring through heavily hooded, glinting dark lustful eyes. I felt my hormones gone haywire, his other arm on my back, drawing me closer. "I want to kiss you," he drawled, barely a whisper, and before I could retort, he claimed my lips, with so much passion. He kiss me like gently, teasing me, and a soft moan escaped my lips, causing him to dart his skilled tongue into my mouth, exploring the insides like a conqueror, gradually becoming aggressive, and I felt like my body was set on fire, my bones melting, and all the reasons evaporated into a thin air.

I met his kisses with the same fire, my hands curled around his neck, pulling him closer, letting him devoured my mouth as I cried softly in pleasure. I wanted more, but the car feels so small, and I don't think it's a good idea to give in my virginity inside the car, in a broad daylight.

Dragging my lips onto his, lower, I caught his bottom lip between my teeth and tug it gently, then releases it as I pulled away.

My brain suddenly switches to work.

Wait, what?

Giving in my v-card? Where the hell that came from?

His loud groan snapped me back to him. He looks completely turned on and I grinned, thoroughly enjoying his predicament. "You look turned on," I blurted out before I could filter my mouth. And he grunted loudly.

"You have no idea, pumpkin. And you're such a tease!" he grumbled as he pulled away, then slid out of the car. I burst out into a fit of a giggle as I watch him rounded the car, with a deep frown stuck on his handsome face.

He opened the door for me, then help me out. I hoisted my purse on my shoulder as he closed the door behind me.

I grinned evilly, then my eyes traveled down to his crotch, remembering Irina's fascinating story, and truth be told, a huge bulge in his crotch.

"Don't stare, pumpkin!" he grunted, his tone sounded huskier, and he pulled me closer to him, trying to hide his bulging crotch from my perusal, and I grinned wolfishly. Rubbing my belly against his, he groaned gutturally. Fighting the blush that's creeping up my cheeks, I looked up and met his dark eyes, filled with lust, leering at me.

"Should we go in? Your awake friend is very noticeable," I taunted, ignoring the heat rippling through me, and brushes my belly against his bulging friend even more.

He tugged me closer to him until our chest touching each other, he growled in a labored tone. "Don't play fire with me, pumpkin," he panted heavily, and I looked at him, feigning innocence, and he groaned disappointedly.

"Oh, Am I?" I retorted innocently, widening my eyes with fake surprise, and he burst out into chuckles, simultaneously shaking his head.

"Yes!" he swallowed hard, then he leaned down, and I close my eyes, waiting for his lips when it interrupted with my phone ringing.

I quickly disentangled myself at him, and then fished out of the phone from my purse.

Looking at the screen, my eyes snapped back to Raffy, he was scowling at me, then I quickly walked ahead of him as I connected the call.

"Hey," I answered in a very low voice, enough for William to hear my voice.

"Hi. It's William, I was wondering if where are you right now? What time will you be back?"

I ignored Raffy when he narrowed our gap, with his face that looks like he was about to kill, my whole attention averted to William completely.

Does he know where I am?

"Who's that?" I heard Raffy asked in his cold, menacing tone.

Giving him a warning look, I responded to William. I will just call him back later, and ask if where he is. He seems like he knew where I am, but I can't talk longer with him at the moment when hot-red raging Raffy is next to me. "I'm actually with a friend, and I don't know what time will I be back—" I didn't finish my words when Raffy suddenly took the phone away, then looked at the caller with dark, raging eyes.

I can't do anything, but face him, unflinching, because that's the right thing to do.

He's not my boyfriend, and he's not even trying to win me over. He was still acting as the jerk Raffy that I know.

"William? Really?" he mocked, dangling the phone in front of me, then when I'm about to take it, he released it, causing my cell phone to dropped on the pavement, and smashed the screen.

I gave him a seething glare, then picks up the phone, and my heart sunk when I saw the screen shattered, like my hope for him to redeem himself.

I let out a soft bitter chuckle. "You're hopeless, Raffy!" as I held the phone tightly. I didn't look at him as I opened the passenger door, and the alarm went off.

"Take me back to the palace, and don't ever talk to me until you realized what's wrong with you, why the hell we never work out again!" I seethed, without looking at him, I could feel the moist under my eyelid.

"Pumpkin," he sounded pained, and I ignored him. When the car was unlocked, I quickly opened the door, and slid in, slamming the door shut, and buckled up, silently seething.

"I'm sorry, pumpkin. I really do, I'll replace the phone right away," he pleaded, and I clenched my teeth.

"It's not the damn phone, Raffy. It's how you always act!" I grit out, glaring at him vehemently, then looked away. I stared out the window. "Just take me back," I said softly, my blood boiling in anger, frustrations.

"How about your hair?" he asked innocently, and I wanted to strangle him.

I gave him a deadly glare. "I'll call Kaelan and set me up an appointment with his uncle," I responded sourly, then looked away, missing the glint of rage in his eyes.

"I'll make sure he'll never get passed the gate of the palace." My eyes snapped at him, he held the steering wheel tightly, his face hard and tight.

I wanted to make sure I heard it right, but the murderous look on his face, I decided against it.

.....

A/N: Oh Raffy, he's still the jerk he is!