“I think you’re jealous,” he stated simply.
“Jealous?” I laughed, that awkward kind that screameddenial.“Oh, please.”
His eyes bore into mine, but he said nothing.
“And why would I be jealous?”
“I can think of a few reasons,” he began, stepping closer while I reflexively retreated. “Perhaps because you want to have me all to yourself.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I tried to cut him off.
By now, my heart was already racing, and my breathing was becoming shallow.
He continued, “You couldn’t stand the sight of me with another woman, and that’s why you had to ruin the mood.”
“That’s not jealousy. That’s me being professional. These are office hours.” My back hit the wall behind me.
“Yeah. You keep telling yourself that.” He placed his hand on the wall beside my head.
I could barely mask my emotions in such proximity, and Adrik wouldn’t stop staring at me. It was like he enjoyed watching me struggle to stay calm.
He slipped his hand into my hair, his fingers caressing a few strands. “I have needs as a man, you know, needs that Yelena always gladly met.”
I swallowed, catching a hint of what he was driving at.
“Now that you’ve chased her away, I wonder who’s gonna take her place.”
My heart was pounding like a drum, and at this point, I was starting to sweat in awkward places. Maybe I should’ve played it cool and just kept my mouth shut. Now, he was hinting at me taking over his mistress’s place.
Even if I wanted to—which deep down I did—how was I going to meet his expectations? I’d never even been with a man before. So, how was this inexperienced virgin going to compete with someone like Yelena?
It was impossible to match her energy, let alone beat her record.
“Since you’re the reason she left,” he continued, “I suppose it’s only fair thatyouplay her role.”
“I’m afraid that’s not gonna happen.” I swallowed hard against the sudden dryness in my throat. “The contract says no intimacy.”
“You should’ve thought about that five minutes ago.”
Silence.
A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead as my hands trembled. He stared deeply at me, as though he was trying to figure something out.
“I’m sorry I ruined your game,” I said, instinctively batting my lashes at him. “You’ll have to call her back because I can’t play the role as well as she did. You’ll end up disappointed.”
“Why?” he teased, “It’s not like I’ll be your first.”
I looked away at that instant, my eyes dropping to the floor.
“Hold on a second.” The amusement in his tone couldn’t be any more obvious. He lifted my chin gently and finally caught my eyes. “You haven’t….”
Dang it.
I’d never been more embarrassed in my life, and I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.
“You can’t be serious.”
I switched from being ashamed to being all defensive in a split second. “What? You’ve never met a virgin before?” I pushed him back and broke out of the corner he had me trapped in.
