There was an event at an art gallery out of town. Students from Brentman University had taken a field trip to the opening of a big artist’s exhibition and were nicely dressed up mingling in the crowd. Silver Shepard was among them; a twenty five year old quirky and nerdy art student with big brown eyes, brown skin and curly dark hair. Whilst the others were inside taking in the art, Silver, in a sexy red dress, was outside in the garden watching the sky with a long face.

“Hello, aren’t you a destruction in that dress?” a man walked up to her and said. His name was Charlie; a thirty-eight year old well groomed and well suited British man with piercing blue eyes.

Silver turned to him. “That’s a compliment right?” she asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Thank you.”

“Goodness." He walked up to her. "I have never seen any woman look so exquisite in my entire life; those legs, that bottom, those . . ."

“O.k. easy tiger.”

“Eyes, I was going to say eyes.”

“Sure,” Silver said and he laughed.

“What is your name?”

“Are you serious right now?”

“Absolutely, what is your name?”

“Sorry I don’t mean to sound rude but I’m not really in the mood of talking right now so if you just leave me be I would really appreciate it,” Silver said.

“I know, I saw you looking sad and I decided to come out here to cheer you up.”

She looked away from him. “I’m not sad."

“You look pretty sad, I’ve been watching you. You’ve just been by yourself the whole night.”

“Yeah well maybe that’s the way I like it.”

“No one likes it that way, all those people who say that are liars,” Charlie said. “So you are a liar and a terrible one for that matter because anyone can see that something’s wrong.”

“I’m fine.”

“Come on let me cheer up. I promise to do a fine job.”

“No thank you, please just go and leave me be.”

“I don’t think I can do that, a gentleman never leaves a woman by herself especially when she’s sad,” Charlie said and they just stood quiet for a moment. “You know you might as well just humour me because I’m not going to stop.”

“Great then I’ll leave,” she said walking away and Charlie stood in her path. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“No I’m not, listen if you walk away from me I promise to bother you for the rest of the night but if you give me ten minutes and I don’t make you laugh even once then I will let you be and never bother you again,” he said and Silver thought about it. “Besides it’s very crowded in there, you’re better off staying out here and enjoying the gorgeous night.”

“Ugh fine.”

“Wonderful, ten minutes starting now. I am Charlie,” he said and stretched his hand out to her.

“I am Lizzie."

"Why does that feel like a fake name?"

"It's because it is," she said.

"Very nice. Either way your name is not Lizzie, it is my pleasure to meet you," Charlie said gently grabbing her hand and kissed it.

“Wow you are trouble.”

“No I’m not, I just know how to have a good time.”

“That’s the trouble I’m talking about.”

“Oh come on we all need to get into a little trouble once in a while and tonight might just be yours.”

“I am not sleeping with you,” Silver said and Charlie laughed.

“Who said anything about you sleeping with me?”

“Because that’s the vibe I’m getting from this.”

“Excellent because that is exactly the vibe I’m going for.”

“O.k.,” she said and sipped on her drink as Charlie chuckled.

“I can be nice too you know, I am a man of many talents both inside and outside the bedroom.”

“Wow what’s happening right now?” Silver asked.

“I’m hitting on you.”

“I thought you were supposed to be cheering me up?”

“I am.”

“You’re hitting on me?”

“Yes which is one of the ways of cheering people up,” Charlie said.

“O.k. good I just wanted to make sure that that was what was going on and not something else.”

“Oh no I am hitting on you.”

“O.k. good, not good good but good that we’re on the same page,” Silver said and went on sipping on her drink.

“Are we? Coz you seem to be shooting down what I’m clearly trying to do even though you like that I’m hitting on you.”

“I do not.”

“Then why are you smiling?”

“Because I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what is going on here?”

“Don’t need to I’m hitting on you, I thought we just established that,” Charlie said and Silver looked away from him smiling. “Ah made you smile, a few more minutes and I’ll have you laughing.”

“How much time do you have left?”

Charlie looked down at his designer wristwatch. “Seven minutes."

“All the best.”

“I know you don’t mean that but I’ll take it.”

“Are you drunk?

“No, would it have made this easier if I were?”

“Maybe yes,” Silver answered. "At least there would be a solid excuse for this."

"I can get drunk easy."

"Or you could just got away."

"And leave a gorgeous woman be, not a chance. Besides I think this is going very well.”

“It really isn’t, half your time is almost gone and you haven’t made me laugh not even once."

“Because you’re playing very hard to laugh.”

“Or you’re just not as good as you think you are,” Silver said and Charlie gasped softly.

“You take that back, I am good at everything.”

“I know men like you.”

“I doubt it I am one of a kind,” he said and Silver gave a soft chuckle. “Ah,” he then said pointing at her.

“That was a chuckle not a laugh, doesn’t count.”

“Fine. I’ll keep at it.”

“You're running out of time,” Silver said.

“Don't worry I got this. Interesting thing you said there you know men like me?”

“I do.”

“And how are men like me?” Charlie asked.

“Dangerous.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing?”

“It is a bad thing.”

“Well like I said I can be very nice too. And when I like a woman very much I can be really really nice.”

“Just how much have you had to drink tonight?” she asked.

“Actually I just got here about an hour and half ago, I’ve only had like one glass.”

“Oh my gosh so you . .”

“Actually are this awesome all the time yes,” Charlie said and Silver smiled, almost laughing.

“Oh gosh.”

“Fascinating isn’t it?”

“No, it’s terrible,” Silver said and he laughed.

“The many woman I’ve pleasured over the years beg to differ; maybe if you allowed us to go somewhere a little more private I’d manage to sway you too.”

“Wow generous offer really but I think I’ll take their word for it, all hundred of them.”

“Hundred? What am I a child? There at least three hundred,” he said chuckling and Silver just looked away from him trying to hold her laughter in. “I’m kidding, I am sexually driven but I am not that ambitious. I always do get the job done though."

“Goodness so is this what you do every Saturday night? Show up to parties uninvited and harass women?” Silver asked.

“Believe it or not one I was actually invited to this party, two no I do not do this every Saturday night, I give it Wednesday and Friday night as well,” Charlie said and laughed but quickly covered her mouth stopping herself.

“That was a laugh and just in the nick of time, how about that?”

“Dammit,” she said to herself and Charlie laughed. “So what happens now?”

“You let me continue hitting on you.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Absolutely yes. You’re the one who called me here.”

“I did not,” Silver said.

“Yes you did. Like I have already said I am a gentleman and a gentleman never leaves a woman to stand by herself especially one as exquisite as you so seeing you here by yourself triggered my gentlemanliness to kick in and it pushed me to come out here to join you.”

“I’m beginning to question your gentlemanliness.”

“Many do but at least I always put the number one cardinal rule of being a gentleman above all things I do,” Charlie said.

“And what’s that?”

“Ladies always come first.”

“O.k.,” Silver said smiling and Charlie laughed. “You know what I think I’m going to go now,” she then said walking away and he stood in her path again.

“Before I actually succeed in wooing you?”

“No before I um lose the people I’m with, we’re supposed to be heading back to the hotel together and I don’t want to miss them,” Silver said.

“Right well, next time then,” he said and she walked off. “I’ll see you soon."

“No you won’t.”

“Yes I will,” Charlie said and smiled to himself as Silver walked back into the building. An hour later, the event was still going. Silver was still there and standing with her friends and Charlie was still there too, on the other end of the gallery with his eyes glued on her. She then went to the bar and Charlie followed her.

“I thought you said you were leaving,” he said.

“Really?" She turned to him. "I thought you had left."

“Leave? Why on earth would I do that when you’re still here?”

“I was hoping you had found another woman to hit on and left with her.”

“Again, why on earth would I do that when you’re still here, I have already spotted my target for tonight and I am looking at it,” Charlie said.

“Yeah, you probably should’ve gone with door number two.”

“Hmm, I'm getting a slight feeling you’re not leaving with me tonight."

“Gee what gave you that thought?” she said and Charlie laughed.

“Please let me get you a drink.”

“Trying to get me drunk?”

“Oh absolutely not, I don’t need to get you drunk to succeed in wooing you. What I have got going on is enough. I just need to throw in a little more of my charm, at least you’re already turned on by me so I won’t have to put in as much when it comes to the wooing,” Charlie said.

“Turned on by you really?”

“I can prove you are if you want, but please note that I will not be held responsible for my actions or the consequences of those actions.”

“Really in front of all these people, what would you do?”

“Huh she’s challenging me,” he said and Silver laughed. “And I made her laugh again; I must say this night is going a whole lot better than I had imagined, at this rate, my dreams of cheering her completely up might come true.”

“Wow is this how you talk to all women?”

“No just the ones I find extremely attractive,” Charlie said and she laughed.

“Even after all this they still leave with you?”

“Yes they do; I’m very charming when I want something and I’m British, I can say the nastiest things to them but because I sound like this it comes out like music to their little ears; they don’t stand a chance. Just like you, you will eventually fall for my charm.”

“Wow you British guys really are something else, you think just because you have dashing accents and deathly handsome looks you think you can chat up any female and she’ll magically fall before you and beg you to whisk her away and make the sweetest love to her,” Silver said.

“Ooh I didn’t mention a lot of things you just did but I am so glad you did especially that bit about us British men being deathly handsome, I like that, it’s great that you actually caught that because I hate having to bring that up myself and that bit about you magically falling before me and begging me to whisk you away and make the sweetest love to you, I could do that now,” he said and they laughed.

“Isn’t there someone somewhere waiting for you?”

“No, I came by myself, makes it easier to hunt,” he said and they laughed on.

“This conversation is really amusing me, I must admit you have succeeded in cheering me up.”

“Good, a gentleman should always know how to put a smile on a woman’s face and speaking of that, sorry I didn’t mention this earlier but you have an absolutely magnificent smile; very alluring as is everything on you."

“Goodness you are trouble, who snuck you in here?”

“Shut up I told you I was invited." They laughed. “What would a man of my caliber be doing sneaking into a place like this or any place for that matter? A man of my caliber has no trouble getting into anywhere, I am so rich I just keep getting invited to things.”

“Wow you must have a great life.”

“I do; but it would be even greater if you were in it. Will you marry me?" Silver popped with laughter; who was this man who was slowly beginning to steal her heart?