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“How so?” I asked, curious about his sudden interest in my personal life. “Let’s be honest, Dominic, we’re both adults. Working long hours then crawling back to my apartment at some godawful hour means I have no personal life. I’m not a dating person, although Eric will argue that in a heartbeat. And so, with that said, work has become my life. I don’t have time for relationships unless a man understood my lifestyle, and so far, that’s come up empty.”
I’d laid all the cards on the table, unsure why I’d gone this far. I blamed the champagne plus my empty stomach and the combination of both of those mixed together. Add in a handsome man beside me and a raging libido, and that right there was your answer.
“What if you could have both?” he questioned with a serious tone.
“Both what?”
“Your passion, your work, and have your personal needs fulfilled?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Then, I’d say it’s my lucky day.”
Dominic didn’t say another word. Placing his hand in his pocket, he removed a business card, handing it to me. “Call me sometime.”
Standing up, he poured the remains into my glass with a playing smirk. For a brief moment, he lingered but then walked away like a thief in the night.
Call me? Is that it?
What the hell was that?
I gave myself time to process our encounter. Undoubtedly, he could’ve stayed around and conversed rather than handing me a business card, mainly after I rambled on about my personal life. Then, he questioned me about all my needs being fulfilled. It’s bizarre, or maybe, I was boring, and it was his way out, thinking I wouldn’t have the courage to call him.
Ten minutes later, and with an empty glass, I made my way back to the party with an over-dramatic Eric raising his hands when he sees me.
“There you are!” He sounded panicked, the high-pitched tone hurting my eardrum. “Jesus Christ, Kate, I was this close to unraveling a cravat in the pool house. Where were you?”
“Just, um…” I decided to keep my chat with Dominic to myself as it would only bore Eric, anyway. “Just walking around the grounds and admiring the property.”
“Okay, way to get laid tonight,” he dragged, distracted by a large birthday cake being presented to his mother. “I’ll be back.”
The band began to play a sweet version of Happy Birthday as the crowd sang. Eric’s father stood beside Vivian, and standing on the other side were Dominic and Eric. Between them, I could see the strong gene pool with Dominic looking more like his father.
Vivian blew out the candles as we all cheered, then kissed Eric on the cheek and then Dominic. She kissed her husband with a loving smile before he turned to the mic and said a few words.
His speech was delivered with admiration and love toward his wife, and a few humorous anecdotes prompted their guests to laugh. I found myself listening attentively, but somewhere during a mention of his sons, my eyes shifted toward Dominic.
He was staring directly at me, a piercing gaze caught me by surprise and left me breathless. My rational thoughts told me to look away, yet I couldn’t seem to shift my gaze, almost as if a magnetic force pulled me.
Taking a deep breath, I thought of ways to ignore Dominic. After this party was over, I no longer needed to torture myself in his presence. Nothing good would come of it, anyway. He’s Eric’s brother, and no matter how handsome he may be, I didn’t want to ruin my friendship with Eric.
Inside my purse, I pulled out his card and re-read it.
I placed it back in my clutch as if it would magically disappear, ignoring the sensation building inside of me. You imagined all of this, conjured up wild thoughts because you lacked intimacy with a man, especially one so sexy.
I could resist his charm.
And resist the temptation to call him.
But for how long, I had no idea.
KATE
Present
There’s something to be said about the change of seasons in France.
It was only a few weeks ago when I walked the streets, admiring the pretty pastel blossoms and the lush green parks while over-indulging in chocolate during Easter celebrations. People are much more pleasant, welcoming the sunshine after a dreary winter.
But time flew by quickly, and we all found ourselves in a much more uncomfortable predicament—summer.
