AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hmm-hmm.” She uncrosses her arms and rests her chin on her palm. “It’s like letting a potential client win a game of golf. Try to find some common ground. If you show him a good time on top of that, he’ll be more likely to consider your offer.” She adds with a wink, “Oh, and a few bottles of good Scotch can only help in creating an unforgettable bonding experience.”
Downplaying my wealth or my property just so an old snob of a man can feel better about his inferior status goes against every grain of my being. It’s not like me to pretend, but I find her over-simplistic and generalized take on the male psyche amusing. Her innocence is almost naïve, a trait I find attractive because, unlike me, she’s pure and uncomplicated. However, she does have a point.
“You have it all figured out, don’t you?” I ask, my lips quirking.
“You asked.” She shrugs. “You don’t have to follow my advice.”
“We’ll see.” I hold her gaze as I take another sip of my wine. “Maybe I should let you earn commission on the deal. That’s to say if he accepts.”
She pulls a mock-serious face. “That would be fair.”
“If we really want to be fair, there should also be a punishment if I lose the deal because your tactics didn’t work.”
For the briefest of moments, her eyes flare with something akin to excitement. It’s not only the dare. The idea of punishment turns her on. We’re more alike than she cares to admit.
The playful ambience evaporates. Lust crackles in the air between us. A simple look, a single thought, and all I want to do is pull down her pajama bottoms and bend her over the table.
She must be picking up on my vibe. The red color of her cheeks, which could be attributed to a combination of the wine and the warmth of the kitchen, intensifies.
Her throat bobs as she swallows. Pushing to her feet, she says, “I better clear the table.”
I let her escape, not chasing after her when she stacks the plates and takes them to the counter. I carry the rest of the empty dishes to the sink. She rinses, and I pack the dishwasher. We work in silence until the kitchen is clean. When there’s nothing left to do, she blows out the candle and rests her ass against the edge of the table. She’s waiting for me to say goodbye and leave.
That was the plan.
Instead, I take her hand and draw her against me. Lowering my head, I brush my lips over hers. “Tired?”
“A little,” she says in a breathless voice.
I pull her behind me to the door. “Then come.”
She hangs back. When I look over my shoulder, she’s studying me with a frown.
“Come on, bella. It’s late.”
Relenting, she lets me lead her to the bedroom. We brush our teeth side by side in the bathroom like an old married couple. I go to the room and turn down the covers before getting into bed.
She hesitates for a second when she comes out of the bathroom.
“Come on, wife. I don’t bite,” I tease.
Her tone carries a tinge of bitterness. “Do I get to sleep in the bed?”
I pat the space next to me. “You more than earned it.”
Her back goes stiff. I didn’t mean for it to sound like that, like sex is a currency, but there’s no denying that beautiful ugliness is our truth.
“Come,” I say, trying to be gentler.
She crosses the floor gingerly and lies down beside me. The question she’s not asking hangs in the air. She’s wondering why I’m staying.
To be honest, I have no idea. I only know when I pull her close and wrap my arms around her that this is exactly what I want. I’ll close my eyes, just for a while. I can always get up and leave in an hour.
Chapter
Thirteen
Sabella
