I’ve been with so many men, I’m not sure why the thought of being with his cousin makes my skin crawl.
“But you can’t give up,” I press.
“Do you mean to tell me you’re okay with his proposal?” I knew the first time I laid eyes on Fabien he was a dangerous man. I’d almost forgotten that, until now.
I swallow. “I don’tlikethe idea, but I promised you.”
The song comes to a stop. Fabien’s lips are pressed in a thin, tight line. I swallow.
“I’m just saying?—”
He throws up a hand to stop me mid-sentence. I watch as he breathes through flared nostrils. Alright, then, he needs a minute.
“We’ll revisit this later,” he whispers in my ear as his cousin comes back over. This time, the threat sounds ominous.
“Alright, alright, that price isn’t worth it to you.”
I don’t look at him. I don’t know why someone like me, who’s been used so many times I’ve lost count, feels uncomfortable with the thought of being a bargaining chip.
I like the thought of him not sharing me.
This time when he pulls me to him, there’s no distance between us. My breasts are smashed against his chest, his hands are in my hair, and when we dance to the slow tempo of the music, I feel as if we dance as one.
“I don’t share, Nicolette.” The way he pronounces my name sounds like a prayer, the delicate enunciation of each syllable a plea to the sacred. “I won’t share you. Our deal excludes all others while you’re with me.” Though he doesn’t say it, I feel the rest of his words deep in my belly.And all others after.
I close my eyes against his chest and wish, for one brief moment, this was real. That I hadn’t agreed to a short-term arrangement. That he’d won me fair and square, and that when the music stopped playing, I wouldn’t have to go home. Alone.
Discarded.
I want this to be real.
“I like that,” I tell him honestly. “I don’t want to be with anyone else. I want to follow through on the plan we agreed on, and I’m not sure the best way to make that happen. And your brother…”
“Wait. You’ll see. Milo is trying to get under my skin, but he wants the money. He’s bluffing. I’ve never known a greedier man in my life. Why do you think he’s in the position he’s in? He doesn’t need the job.”
It dawns on me with crystal clarity. “He likes the power. The leverage.”
“Exactly. So what do you think is our best chance of convincing him to give us what we want?”
Ahh. “We give him even more power and leverage.”
“Precisely.” He releases me only long enough to kiss my cheek. “But tonight, we dance. Tomorrow, we attend the wedding. And then, we set our plans into motion.”
The bride and groom take their leave a short while later. The wedding, like many French weddings, will be an all-day affair, first the legal matter of vows, followed by a church wedding, then the reception and dancing. I’ve heard they can run into the wee hours of the morning.
As the number of guests begins to dwindle, I notice more people looking our way. Milo paces back and forth as if mulling over the request from Fabien.
“Will you make a counteroffer tonight?” I ask in a low voice only Fabien can hear.
He shakes his head. “I’ll let him mull on it overnight and discuss it again with him in the morning. I may have dropped a hint I have another contact in Sartène that can help.”
“Do you?”
He huffs out a breath. “She’s sitting right in front of me.” I watch as he takes a final swig from his nearly empty glass.
“You think pretty highly of my skills,Monsieur.”
“I do. I have something to show you before we head upstairs for the night.”
