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“I’m not sure what to say in response to that. Or if I even understand what you are implying. For that matter, why does a man like you need to screen women to hook up with? Wouldn’t they be more than easy to come by?”
“A ‘man like me’?” A dark brow arches up, and if anything, it only makes him look sexier. “Dare I ask what that means?”
I suddenly feel uncomfortable and give a stiff shrug. “Uh…well, successful, obviously very busy. Rich…and um, good-looking.”
His eyes flicker away from mine and follow the path in front of us as we make our way toward a rose arbor and the small brick pathway that leads through it.
“I have particular needs. I’m looking for someone who…is willing and able to fulfill them—and enthusiastically. Someone strong, smart. Someone who has compatible needs that I, in turn, can fulfill.”
I frown. He just said a whole lot of nothing.
“What needs?”
We’re in the narrow arbor now, walking side by side but close enough that we occasionally brush against each other on the narrow path. Each time we do, it’s like an electric shock all through my body. Cold thrills travel up my arm, or my leg wherever my body has brushed against his. And I try to remind myself that it’s my imagination, that it’s merely a chemical reaction, my heart starts racing in response nevertheless.
He stops, suddenly, and turns to me to answer my question. We’re in the shady, dappled sunlight, and his voice is low, rumbling in his broad chest. Sexy.
“I have a substantial appetite, and my tastes tend toward the darker end of the spectrum.”
Darker. My heartbeat doubles in pace, thrumming at my throat. But is this fear? Or excitement? It doesn’t take me long to realize that it’s both. “Like?” I hear myself ask. Damn, I don’t want to hear this! Why did I ask that?
He steps closer to me, touches a long finger to my chin. I have to fight to keep myself from jumping back and away from him. Never let them smell your fear, the random piece of advice pops into my head. I can feel my insides begin to tremble, but I fight to keep that action under control, to not let him see my fear as his intent eyes bore into mine, pinning them down.
His voice is a low and steady rumble in his broad chest. “When I possess a woman, I possess her completely. She is mine to cherish. To protect. To spoil. To pleasure. To dominate. To own. She is mine in every way. And the physical acts between us reflect that. They involve the complete body and the mind as well. And thus, the interplay between us takes a pleasurable act and raises it to a completely new plane of ecstasy.”
Ecstasy. I gulp. I’m sure even he can hear it. My heartbeat is triple-timing now. While he’s been talking, his finger has traced the edge of my jaw, slipped down to my neck, traced my carotid artery down the side of my throat and is now tickling the edge of my V-neck T-shirt. My breath is so shallow, it’s practically coming in pants.
“And—and h-how do you achieve that…that, um, whole new plane of ecstasy?”
He leans closer and speaks in little more than a whisper. “With the exchange of pleasure, pain, and power.”
My eyes close, and suddenly I’m seeing another vivid picture. Me, kneeling before him, my hands tied behind my back as he looms over me, a stern, commanding look on his face. A rush of desire floods through me. A desire to please him. A flush of satisfaction and pleasure at the thought that he wants me to.
Out of all those women…he wants me? My thoughts swim as if under hundreds of feet of water. The world wavers and rights itself, and I suddenly remember how to breathe.
Taking a quick step back, I gulp for air, breaking the moment. What the fuck is this man doing to me? And why am I letting him do it?
Something flashes in his eyes for a brief moment. His head tilts, as if he’s studying me, suddenly his tongue slips out and wets his bottom lip as if he’s that hungry wolf fantasizing about his next meal. And I’m it…
“I, uh, I should be getting back.”
His features harden, but he nods, holding out his hand as if to point out the way we had just come. I follow his direction and he falls into step just behind me. Closely behind me.
“Have dinner with me. When your shift is over.”
I shoot a glance at him, my step faltering. “Um. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Because?”
“Well…your mistress search and all. With all those gorgeous candidates I saw, you have a lot of sifting to do. Unless you’ve finished your search and found one.”
I can feel his eyes on me, but I don’t dare return the look. “I did, in fact.”
My breath stutters. Either he’s talking about me and I’m freaked. Or, he’s not talking about me and I’m...experiencing some type of sick feeling congealing in my gut.
Such a weird mixture of emotions.
The thought of him with one of those starlets or models makes me inexplicably angry. My hands work into fists at my side, and he follows me as I continue to walk slowly in silence.
