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By the time he had returned from his stroll around the grounds, Bryce had come to some important decisions. First, he was going to pull the resort’s finance reports, and do a deep dive into the development expenditure, focusing on guest fronting items such as linen. No guest should ever have to deal with a lack of towels or bedding. Then he was going to review the staffing costs.
That should only take him a couple of hours, after which he would email his initial findings to his father, along with some recommendations. The board could mull over those and decide what they felt had to be done.
After that he was going to take some time for himself. Put on his best Italian linen suit, have a close shave, and then head out to meet Vivian. Over drinks and dinner at the hilltop bar, he would do his best to read her mood and see if the connection he had sensed had grown between them this afternoon was still there. If it was, he would look to take things further.
It had been a long time since he had seduced a woman. Well over a year since he had last shared his bed with a warm, willing female. Pleasured his partner. His body thrummed with barely restrained need.
Vivian was single, and so was he. They were adults. No strings. No attachments. If they wished to end the evening in one another’s arms, there was nothing stopping them.
At the door to his suite, Bryce came to a halt. He smacked his key card to his forehead.
I am getting ahead of myself. I told her this morning there was no obligation. And what if Vivian doesn’t see me in a romantic or sexual way, if she only wants companionship? A friend to share a meal and a pleasant evening.
The words of advice Edward had passed down to all his sons sat front and center in Bryce’s mind. When it came to the delicate matter of sexual relations, consent was everything. There was nothing more attractive than hearing a woman say yes, and then being able to deliver a night filled with meeting her every sexual desire. A gentleman always asked the lady what she wanted.
Where and how this evening ended would be Vivian’s choice. He hoped she would choose him and this hotel suite.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Vivian was having second thoughts—about herself and whether she could allow a stranger to seduce her. She and Bryce had shared a fun afternoon, splashing about in the pool, and lazing around sipping drinks. By the time she left the cabana, she had been certain about what she wanted. Now, she wasn’t sure if she could do this. If this was what she did want.
She grabbed her cell, took a deep breath, and fired off a quick message.
I’ve met a guy.
She picked up Grace’s call on the second ring.
“You don’t send that sort of message, Vivian Holte, and not expect me to hit dial. So spill, young lady.”
Vivian propped herself up on the pile of pillows she had stacked against the bed head. She was due to meet Bryce for dinner in just over an hour. Her prosecco bravery had long dissipated and now she was wondering what to do. Grace was far more self-assured when it came to men.
“He’s in homewares. Has lived overseas but is now back in San Diego. Not married. And yes, I did look for the tan lines of a wedding ring.” Grace would have slapped Vivian around the head if she had failed to do that minimal check.
“Out of ten?”
Hmmm. She’d never been able to get a grip of the whole ‘he’s a Wisconsin seven which means he is a New York five’ thing. “He’s good looking. Well spoken. Ah. Um.” Bryce was much more than that, and she knew it.
Watching him climb out of the pool this afternoon had seen her tongue threaten to hang out of her mouth like a cartoon character. “I would say he is close to a New York eight. Maybe a nine.”
“Hot damn,” squealed Grace as her polished private school accent disappeared momentarily.
Vivian put a hand over her eyes and softly chuckled. A continent might separate them, but she could still imagine the look on Grace’s face right this minute. It would be one of wicked glee.
“A New York eight, and you are calling me for what? Advice on how to get a seriously hot guy into bed? Don’t you dare undersell yourself.”
Grace knew her only too well. She had undersold herself far too many times. Even Pete had said that about her, and he was a solid New York six.
“I’m just a little unsure about getting back on the horse.”
A roar of laughter had her pulling the phone away to save her hearing. For a minute Vivian sat and stared at her cell, waiting until the snorting and guffaws died down.
“You get back on that horse, my girl, and you ride it until your world explodes in a fiery orgasm.”
Vivian’s gaze slipped to her vibrator. She had got it back out of its red silk bag but unlike yesterday, she hadn’t used it. An electric buzz would be a satisfactory way to take the edge off her cravings, but nothing compared to the sensation of skin on skin sex. The only thing she wanted touching her in a sexual way tonight was Bryce. So why couldn’t she stop the worry that he wasn’t what he seemed?
Because Pete broke my ability to trust.Vivian covered her face with a hand.Grrrr. I have to stop thinking about him.
“But seriously, Vivian. You need this. It’s the best way to draw a line under the past. You sleep with this guy and Pete the ass is no longer the last man you had sex with, done and dusted.” There was a long moment of silence after which, Vivian did a quick check to make sure Grace was still on the other end of the line. “You say he lives in San Diego. This is your perfect chance to have a no strings attached affair. He goes back down the coast, and you get on a plane home. No one gets hurt.”
