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I laughed so loud I thought the owners of the restaurant would kick us out.
“My only worry is Logan finding out. I don’t know how he’ll react or what he’ll do, how he’ll look at me. And his daughter, Casey. She's so sweet. I know it will crush her.”
Trinity looked like she had a little sympathy for Logan and Casey, but for Lucas? She couldn’t have cared less. Neither could I, but I didn’t want to hurt anybody. Especially Logan or Casey. They had been nothing but good to me and there I stood telling them a huge lie every time we saw each other.
“So, what are you gonna do?” she asked. “You’ve already slept with the guy. Do you think he’s just gonna let things die down without wondering why you backed away? A man like that will most definitely have questions.”
“I hope so.” I shrugged. “I don’t think I want things to carry on forever, or for us to end up in a relationship somehow. I mean, I don’t even see how that’s possible. Eventually, at some point, Lucas will come around. They already have a lot of bad blood between them as father and son. I don’t want to add on to that and detour them away from each other forever.”
Despite how much I enjoyed being in Logan's arms, I knew our fling would come to an end. Our indulgences for each other were nothing more than ill-fated guilty pleasures. Though I’d have liked to think there was more to it, I couldn’t even imagine how our relationship would work.
Logan
Ariane didn’t know it, but we were set to take a private flight to Paris when she got in. I was going for a business meeting with an important client, but I wanted her to tag along for a good time. There was no need for either of us to pack anything, because I already had everything we needed ordered and taken care of beforehand. I’d even taken the liberty of having twelve dozen roses delivered to her office that morning. Anonymously, of course, just in case anyone went around snooping.
When she came in that morning, she wasn’t as bubbly as she always was. I thought maybe something had happened to her over the weekend that had her in a funk, but I wasn’t sure what that could have been. Her expression was congealed, and her eyes were a little dull, so I knew whatever it was really had her weighed down.
“You okay?” I asked, making my way into her office.
She looked up at me from her desk, her eyes still carrying that same dullness, and forced a smile.
“Did you send these?” she asked, taking a card from one of the flower holders. “It saysanonymous, but this has your name written all over it.”
I smiled at that, because she was right. I was never good at keeping secrets or surprises. Especially when my emotions were deeply involved. And they were. Over the course of the weekend, I’d had a lot of time to think and dwell on the depths of my intimate life. I wanted a relationship with Ariane, even if it couldn’t be official.
“Fine, you caught me. I just wanted to do something special for you. A thank-you, for the surprise you gave me.”
Her eyes softened a bit, but I could sense there was still something bothering her to her core. I wanted to ask her what it was, but I didn’t want to become that meddling man in her life just because we’d had sex a couple of times.
“Well, thank you, Mr. Taylor.”
“You’re welcome, Ms. Pratts.”
After a brief stare-down between us, I finally informed her of our flight to Paris. At first, just like the last flight, she looked a little iffy. But something in her clicked when I told her we would be staying in one of the most romantic hotels in the world, and suddenly she was almost more ready to go than I was.
Once the wheels of my private jet were on the ground in France, things felt a lot lighter between us. Ariane was more relaxed and seemed to have left whatever baggage had weighed her down that morning back home in America. I was happy for that, because I had another surprise up my sleeve for her. As long as I could hold it in until it was time.
“Have you ever been to Paris?” I asked, as we took the ferry trip to our hotel.
“I have.” She slowly nodded. “Never with an acquaintance, though. I've always been by myself. Have you?”
“I have. I've done a lot of work out here for different clients and organizations. It's such a beautiful place; I like to come at least once a year when I have the chance. I've never been with a woman, though, if that’s what you were asking.”
“Not even your ex-wife?”
As crazy as it might have sounded, Margot and I hadn’t gotten to travel much together. We’d both always been so busy with work and our schedules had collided so much, the majority of our time was spent playing catch-up whenever we had the free time.
“Nope. Margot and I have always had different schedules. It was almost like we were living in two different worlds, separate lives even. I don’t know how we managed to stay married as long as we did. I used to make a joke about it, actually. I'd say we were just too busy to get a divorce.”
When we made it to our destination, I felt ecstatic at how blown away Ariane was. I’d rented out an entire five-star hotel for our weekend and had her suite decorated with gifts, flowers, and whatnots for her stay. Of course, I ordered separate rooms for us both, just in case she didn’t feel comfortable staying with me. Or simply wanted to explore Paris on her own. I wanted her to stay with me, though.
When the stars were at their highest in the sky that night, I invited Ariane out for a nice dinner. As always, I had a personal stylist meet her in her room to dress her, do her hair and makeup, and send her out to me. I waited in my suit and tie at the steps of our hotel for her to finally show her face and when she did, I was astounded. The color of her dress perfectly complemented her complexion. She looked good in blue. A dress with such a flattering style and elegance displayed her curves and just enough flesh for a man to admire her. My heart lusted after her like a dog drooling after its master.
We dined at Le Fouquet’s, the most famous restaurant in Paris. The place was elegantly decorated and had some of the best food I had ever tasted. I wondered if Ariane had ever been before, but when I saw the surprised look on her face as we took our seats, I knew she hadn’t.
“This place is beautiful,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to come here but I never got the chance.”
“Well, I’m happy your first time is with me.” I smiled.
