Divine Celebrity 164 (Patreon)

I was glad that Peyten — no, Pei, I corrected in my mind, which somehow felt more accurate, not truly her name, but more accurate than her fake name — walked away before I even arrived at my destination. 

I was glad, because it meant I could tone down the drunk-act, making it easier to seduce the target. Of course, with my increased perception, I could see several cameras around the room, but they were not good enough to actually catch the details of my actions. 

There were also better, hidden cameras, but they were targeting the dance floor, receiving a premium treatment compared to the rest of the club. 

As I walked toward the VIP corner, one of the bodyguards noticed my approach and immediately moved to cut my path without being intrusive. He was clearly a professional. I just smirked as he put a hand on my chest in warning. 

I took a step forward, ignoring his hand. He tried to push … only to stumble back. The VIP corner was brighter, which, combined with my display, allowed him to recognize me easily. He moved back to talk to one of his bodyguard friends, who moved to talk with the bouncers. 

Another sign of their professionalism, trying to handle it before their boss noticed by borrowing the club’s security forces. Too bad the bouncer shook his head negatively, refusing to intervene. 

My guess: Pei already ordered them not to touch me. After all, what was the point of making me fight with her bouncers — and, her bouncers, I didn’t believe a second that she was yet another bartender. She was either the owner, or high enough at the ranks for it not to matter. 

Soon, I was at the table, just as one of the bodyguards leaned against the ear of the business mogul and whispered something. His widening, fearful eyes suggested that he had just learned the town’s only hero decided to interrupt their party. 

“What are you doing—” he started, but I just flicked his nose, silencing him as I looked at the sexy, fit brunette that accompanied him. 

“Hello, beautiful,” I said hitting her with my biggest smile. I didn’t use a heavy-handed magical suggestion along with my words, but they weren’t necessary. 

She clearly recognized me as well under the bright light, and she was clearly flattered by my interest. My opening line was hardly clever or imaginative, but it worked excellently when paired with my identity as a local celebrity — this time as the Quarterback rather than a quarterback — and my ability to ignore the four bodyguards at once. 

A sentiment that was clearly not shared by the man she shared a seat with, who was busy imitating ripe beet. “Hey, buddy. This is a private party,” he said. 

“Hey, I’m not here to break your party. I’m just here to help the lady stretch her beautiful legs a bit on the dance floor. You don’t seem like a dancing man, and it would be a pity if she didn’t enjoy a couple songs,” I said, my gaze still on the sexy brunette, examining her. 

She was beautiful and fit, but I paid more attention to the way she positioned her body, and not just the signs she had been displaying, trying to get a better sense of her identity. A model, I decided quickly, probably a reasonably famous one at least at the state level, still in her early twenties. 

“Hey, you might be —” he started, but he was interrupted again. This time by the lady herself. 

“Come on, Carl. There’s no harm in just one dance,” she said as she already stood up, though I could see the calculation behind her gaze. She was attracted to my looks, but not enough to abandon her partner in a second. She had her own calculations. 

Luckily, unlike Pei, she was easy to read. As an emerging hero, I was excellent material for a scandal, which would only increase her brand value. A utilitarian move, but I didn’t care about that much. First, I was exactly in a position to throw stones in my glass house of intrigue … and I was confident that I could seduce her appropriately without annoyance. 

She stood up and gave a shy grin — completely artificial — as she presented her hand. I ignored it, and instead hugged her waist, pulling her closer. She was hesitant at first, but that faded away the moment her hand landed on my back … and climbed up, caressing my muscles. “Wow, you’re strong,” she said, blushing, which, unlike her shy grin, was utterly genuine. 

With that, we walked away, leaving the business owner behind. The music was loud, but not enough to block my enhanced hearing. “Call the papers. The heroes love their reputation, right? I want him in the gutters,” he said. 

His threat was the greatest thing I had ever heard. The other heroes might be concerned with it, but for them, purifying Intent was the biggest challenge. 

For me, his threat was an unexpected treasure, like someone decided to break my windows with gold bricks. Unexpected, yet extremely valuable. 

I escorted the brunette model whose name I was yet to learn toward the dance floor. Her hand slipped under my shirt, caressing my muscles, showing that she enjoyed her men strong. No wonder she had no interest in the businessman who probably spent a small fortune while trying to seduce her. “Naughty,” I whispered into her ear. 

She shivered as my whisper reached her ear. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said seductively as she leaned against my chest, leaving no gaps between our bodies. 

“Oh, that’s the way you want to play,” I said even as I let my hand move lower, cupping her ass aggressively. 

“Hey, that’s too much,” she whispered as her nails dug into my back, but not only did she make no move to push my hand away, but also she leaned against me even further, giving the non-verbal green light. 

“I don’t know what you mean,” I said as I squeezed her ass, giving her the same answer, which made her give out a surprisingly beautiful laugh as she half-turned toward me. 

While her eyes were closed, I threw a glance toward her previous partner who was currently busy walking away … and taunted him. Not by using Intent, not when I was in the club. Trying to use Intent directly was risky, as I had no idea whether Pei could actually feel it. 

Luckily, it was not needed. The scene was already perfect. The sight of the beautiful woman he had been working for a long time to date — likely weeks, I guessed — in my arms, giggling while my hands were already sneaking into inappropriate places was dangerous enough without adding a magical hit into the mix. 

Her dress made it even better. She was wearing a tiny maroon dress, which was supposed to be sexy and stylish at the same time, but as a couple fingers slipped inside using its side slid, caressing her thigh directly, it didn’t look very stylish. 

I could see anger and frustration boiling in his eyes. Even without the potential benefits of increasing my Intent gain without creating suspicion, seducing a woman whom a privileged prick thought was his — as she clearly disagreed with the idea — was a great feeling. 

I didn’t keep my attention on him for long. I just sent a subtle yet mocking wave toward his way before I turned my gaze to my sexy partner, catching her gaze, and enjoying her aroused gaze while I slipped my hand even further. 

“I thought you we were supposed to dance —” she started, which was all she was able to say before I dipped down, catching her lips in a searing kiss, showing her that I had no intention of taking it slow … a sentiment she clearly shared as her lips met mine, even more eager as our tongues danced. 

Though, the kiss was not accidental. I deliberately started kissing her away from the dance floor, as an experiment to understand the range and the effectiveness better. 

It was a fun experiment. 

I let my hands settle on her ass, squeezing them hard, enjoying their perkiness that could only be created through a combination of genetic lottery, supported by very careful physical exercising. She responded with a desperate grind of her hips, surrendering to my surprise assault.  

She pulled back almost a minute later, breathing hard as she tried to control it. “H-hey, I thought we were supposed to dance,” she said as she looked around, afraid that our photo was taken. 

She might want a scandal, but she clearly wanted it in a way that could be vetted by her marketing people. Yet, she didn’t say anything, clearly betting on the fact that I was reckless enough not to think of the possibility of a scandal. 

I continued to play dumb. 

“As you wish, beautiful,” I answered as I wrapped my hand around her waist once more as we walked toward the dance floor slowly, though I still kissed her neck every few steps, making sure to gather the necessary data for my exciting experiment. 

It was very important if I were to properly trick Pei.