Seduced...

With enough patience, the trap that has been set always gets sprung… but if the prey itself be willing, then even patience is unnecessary….

This was what she lived by.

Gorgeous would have been an understatement to describe her… a gift from god to beautify the dark earth… an angel without wings… but with a heart of ice.

It was impossible for any mortal being not to admire her… to not be enamored by the color in her cheeks…. It was impossible for any man to not feel blessed to be held for a moment in the glow of her soft eyes…. Likewise, it was impossible for them to not be shattered when she discarded them as easily as we throw away a toothpick….

Some wise man once said that we all have some talent… something to allow us to prosper if utilized correctly. For her, it was her sheer breathtaking beauty… and she certainly put it to great use.

From afar, it was easy to see a pattern in her actions. Up front all your higher brain functions automatically shut down and you could only stare with dumb, mute rapture.

She had no feelings to spare for anyone but herself. Her false smile was a gift she would freely bestow on anyone in whom she could see a profit. And everyone flocked to earn it….

She would always be beside the best… the best that was available. Both of them aware that she could do better….

When an option for the future came along, that seemed to her more appealing than her present… it took her five minutes to dismiss, and another five to conquer….

Five minutes to destroy… another five to ensnare.

Time and time again….

Tonight she walked into the bar alone… predictably causing everyone’s heads to turn… every conversation to come to a halt… all the sounds dying away… for a second….

Then the world resumed from its moments pause… the brief respite to admire something more exquisite than any art we can ever imagine… utter perfection.

I had observed her for quite some time… being a regular of the same bar she… hunted in. I knew her routine… and knew that some new unfortunate would swallow her bait… hook, line and sinker, within minutes…. I felt sorry for the bloke in advance.

I turned away from the temptress of Homer’s epics, and asked for a refill.

I was halfway through my fourth of the night and was staring into the murky depths of my glass when I felt someone slide onto the stool next to mine.

The first thing that struck me was the scent… the sweet, soft scent that caused my heart to cease beating for an instant, and then speed up as if trying to make up for the moments lapse.

It was her.

Sitting next to me in this crowded bar… and looking straight at me… looking at her next victim….

I resisted the urge to get up and walk away. I forced myself to remain calm and drained my glass….

I turned in her direction in response to her unwavering gaze… wanting so desperately to blow her off… wanting to put one past her for the sake of all the people that she had left broken… wanting to comprehend what her deadly charm was all about….

I lost track of my thoughts for a while as I beheld her from close range. Eyes deep and dark, sparkling with a light of their own… dancing, shimmering with the glow of the lamps overhead… a bottomless pit to get lost in and never wish to be found… moist, glistening with unshed tears….

I was paralyzed and perplexed. Stunned beyond words to comprehend what could possibly be occurring.

I opened my mouth to say something I don’t remember… but no words came out.

I rested my hand gently on her shoulder to offer some form of support… to ask her if she was alright… and felt her finally break as she began to sob into my jacket….

We left after a while… after she had steadied herself somewhat. After we had talked for a bit….

I spent the best week of my life after that….

Here I sit again, in my usual place, in my favorite bar. I stare into the unseen depths of my glass and am lost in thought.

I am alone again now… but changed from before. Wiser… after closely encountering what has so adversely affected so many. Bemused… at being suckered.

Amazing how I had fallen for a fiendish trick after having spent so long in observing and guarding myself.

The realization only hit after she left… not before. During the time spent with her… these thoughts were somehow repelled from my mind… I am therefore glad to have regained my sanity….

Truly I was beaten by the best… and as such I feel no remorse or shame.

Experience and amusement is all that I carry out from this… being but another statistic in a long list of names….