“Mmmm… Something like that.” He took his time before asking me the first question, increasing the anticipation. Finally, I couldn’t take the hesitation any longer.
“Would you like me to tell you more about Perfect Pairing?” When I shifted back and forth in my seat, my pussy throbbed as it had done several times during the afternoon.
“I know everything about the corporation, Vanessa. I assure you that if I’d thought your firm or your leadership wouldn’t be adequate, I wouldn’t have walked through your doors. I have scruples and requirements that I will not budge on. Not for anyone.”
There was the hint of the other man, the one who took from others to garner his wealth. I swirled my finger around the rim of the wineglass, a tool I’d used before to keep from opening my mouth with a nasty retort.
“Ask your questions, Christian. Now I’m curious what you need to know.”
He took a deep breath. “What makes you tick? Money? Power? Love?”
“Not money. At least not in the way I can tell your hefty bank account does for you. Yes, it’s necessary to pay bills and ward off issues, but I don’t need to be a billionaire to make me happy. Power is in the mind and love is definitely not something I believe in.”
“Then what, success?”
“Perhaps. Maybe the freedom to enjoy the fruits of my hard work while respecting others. Their needs. Their wants.” Perhaps Iwas throwing another barb in his direction. I sensed he knew it, another look of amusement just below the surface.
“Understood. What about personally? If not love, then what provides you with the most joy?”
“That’s easy. Good friends.”
“And personal pleasure?”
Another moment of heat was already crawling along the base of my neck. “Great books and a nice glass of wine.”
He laughed. “You’re a tough woman, but I can respect that. What about passion? Do you crave enjoying moments of personal indulgence, satisfying the carnal need we all have buried deep inside?”
Was he flirting with me? Wait. We’d passed that point hours before, tiptoeing around physical attraction that would never mean anything. I was the one who leaned forward this time, folding one arm on the table as I stared him directly in the eyes. “Few men understand what a woman truly desires. They fumble around trying to figure out the woman they’re with, satisfying themselves without noticing the clues given to them on a silver platter.”
I wasn’t certain why I was playing with fire, but I refused to back down.
“You might be surprised, Wildcat. For example, I sense you crave being able to completely let go, feeling thoroughly uninhibited in surrendering. You crave roughness, a man who’s as demanding as he is capable of providing what you need.”
“And what do I need?” The rapid thumping of my heart was becoming annoying. As a smile crawled across his face, my pulse roared in my ears.
The rush of heat even more explosive than before, I squeezed my legs together in hopes of ignoring the intense throb.
Christian was a disaster waiting to happen.
A handsome, seductive, and commanding disaster.
“You need being controlled and disciplined both during and after you’ve surrendered all of yourself without reservation. You deserve the freedom to give up the reins if only for one night.”
I hadn’t realized he’d also leaned forward, his statements little more than a husky whisper.
Trembling, I hated my body’s reaction to him. The offer was subtle but pointed and he was waiting for my cue. Was he wrong? No, and that’s another reason I was furious my pussy continued to throb. Just the controlling tone in his voice alone was enough to create sinful images.
I wasn’t entirely immune to having a one-night stand. I’d done so once in my life, but as with most impetuous decisions, it hadn’t turned out well. Yet even with my single sordid action, which had been so out of character, I considered myself a good girl who would never consider what I knew he was offering.
Filthy sin.
Not just raw and unbridled as he’d mentioned, but something more sadistic, an indulgence that would leave me not only breathless, but sore and aching for days. The images floating in my mind had turned primal, boosting needs I hadn’t knownexisted. No, the truth was that I hadn’t allowed myself to acknowledge them.
I’d driven men away for so long I had no idea how to crack open the door to the woman inside. Work had been more important. Opening and growing my company had captured all my time, burning every desire in the long hours and sleepless nights. Admitting I wanted nothing more than to let go, to share a few hours with an absolute stranger was unimaginable.
Up until now.
He smiled in a way that allowed me to know he was completely aware of what I was thinking.
