Placing her menu aside, she took a sip of her water. “I felt I had lied long enough.” There was no need to go into detail about why she’d decided to end their game. Or tell him about how she’d felt herself losing control of the situation. Had she remained for three nights, she would have given up any sense of self-restraint. And she had promised herself years ago not to let any man get in the way of her common sense.
He held her gaze. “Why did you lie at all?”
“Why had you?”
He frowned. “I might not have shared everything about myself, Victoria, but I didn’t lie. I often go by the name of Cort rather than Cortez. I was in Paris celebrating passing my bar exam, and I was there waiting for my best friends — my brothers — to arrive. So, what did I lie about exactly?”
She took another sip of water when her lips suddenly felt dry again. Okay, so he hadn’t lied. But she had. She’d told him she was French and had led him to believe she was a student at the University of Paris. instead of an intern working at the botanical gardens.
“I admit, I owe you an apology for not being truthful with the information I had shared about myself,” she said. “But please try to understand my reasons. I didn’t know you, but I knew what you wanted from me. And it was the same thing I wanted from you.”
She figured their desire for each other had been for different reasons at the time, but it hadn’t mattered. “I couldn’t take the chance of you one day using our time together against me.”
“And you think that I would have done something like that?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Like I said, I didn’t know you. The only thing I was certain about was that I wanted you,” she said honestly.
There was no reason to lie about that. She had wanted him in a big way, even when she hadn’t known just how powerful desire could be. She might have wanted him to help rid her of her virginity, at first, but the more time she’d spent with him, the more she’d just wanted him, skin to skin.
“And I’d wanted you.”
His words made her look over at him. Yes, she’d known he’d wanted her. At least they were being honest with each other about that. She appreciated the waiter returning to refill their water glasses. When the man walked away, she glanced over at Cortez. He’d been sipping his wine while watching her. And then she felt it. That same slow pull in the pit of her stomach that she’d experienced that very first day.
“What about now, Victoria Adele?”
He was letting her know that he knew Adele was her middle name. She figured he discovered it since a number of her older relatives called her by her first and middle name. Realizing what he’d asked her, she nervously licked her lips. “Now?”
“Yes, do you want me now?”
She frowned. “Why would you ask me something like that? For all you know, I might have a boyfriend. And you might even have a girlfriend.”
“I date on occasion, but I don’t have a steady girlfriend. Do you have a steady guy?”
She had a feeling that he knew she didn’t. He had a close relationship with Quinn and Alexia, and probably knew more about her than she wanted him to know. “No, but that’s beside the point. I might have had one.”
He placed his wineglass down. “The only thing that matters to me is us, Victoria.”
“Us?” His word choice caught her by surprise.
“Yes. And make no mistake about it, there is an us. That’s why I have a proposition for you.”
Her mind was still reeling that he assumed there was an ‘us’ where the two of them were concerned. But his final statement intrigued her. “What kind of proposition?”
He leaned in close, so close that she got an intoxicating whiff of his after-shave. So close that she could clearly see the dark specks in his pupils and the extraordinary long length of his eyelashes. He reached his strong hand out and gently encircled her wrist. She immediately felt heat sizzle down her spine.
“You promised me three nights, and I only got one, Victoria. I want the other two. I think we both need the other two. And I want them in Paris.”
There was no need to ask why he felt that way. They were adults and the sexual chemistry between them was strong. Others had even picked up on it and were probably wondering if they intended to do anything about it. But still…
“What makes you think I need anything?” she asked, a little annoyed that he could read her so well.
“We’ve admitted to wanting each other, Victoria.”
“What I admitted to is wanting you then, Cortez.”
A smile touched his lips. “Can you honestly say you don’t want me now? Because I certainly can’t say the same about you.”
No, she couldn’t say that she didn’t desire him. Any woman would. Especially after he’d just admitted to still wanting her. “Why does everything have to be about sex?”
“Can you deny that’s not what you used me for in Paris?”
She dropped her gaze from his. He was calling her out. And no, she couldn’t deny it. It shouldn’t surprise her that he’d figured out what her purpose had been that night. She glanced back at him. “No.”
“Then I guess you just answered your own question, Victoria.”
The waiter came with her choice of wine, and when the man left, she asked, “What will two more nights accomplish?”
He leaned back in his chair again. “Hopefully, it will get you out of my system and finally let me get a good night’s sleep. I want to be free of the dreams of our time in Paris that are plaguing me.”
She didn’t say anything. She’d had dreams about that night, as well. Did that mean he was still in her system? But how would another sexual encounter between them now possibly change anything? “I need to think about it.”
He nodded. “I expected that you would. However, I’d like to know soon, in order to make all the necessary arrangements.”
As she drove home that night, Cortez’s proposal weighed heavily on Victoria’s mind. She didn’t want to become involved in a serious relationship any more now than she had four years ago. She had a feeling that to pick up where she and Cortez had left off was very, very risky. How much sex was too much? Was there even such a thing?
When Victoria entered the house, she was not the least bit surprised that her cousins practically met her at the door.
“How did things go?”
“Are the two of you friends now?”
“What does he want?”
All three questions came at her at the same time, and she drew in a deep breath. In a way, she was glad they’d waited up. In addition to enjoying another glass of wine, she needed girl power. “Let’s go in the kitchen. There’s something we need to talk about.”
It didn’t take long for glasses of wine to be poured and everyone to gather around the table and stare at her expectantly. Victoria turned to Monica. “As far as how things went tonight, I’m really not sure. And I’m not sure if we’re friends or not, either.” She looked at her cousins and took a deep breath. “What Cortez wants is for us to go to Paris.”
“And do what?” Monica asked, evidently not fully understanding what Victoria was saying.
“He wants to keep me in his hotel bed for two nights, the way he’d planned to do nearly four years ago.”
“And you agreed to it?” Bree asked, lifting a brow.
“No, I didn’t agree to anything.”
“But you will,” Kennedy said, grinning smugly.
The room got quiet and everyone looked at Kennedy. “What makes you think I will?” Victoria asked.
“Because you like Cortez more than you want to admit.”
Victoria frowned. “What gives you that idea?”
She couldn’t wait to hear Kennedy’s answer. In the past, Kennedy had always been the logical one, right behind Sebrina. However, since meeting Haddison and falling in love, Kennedy had started to look at things through rose-colored glasses. She was in love and wanted her cousins to join her.
“Well, think about it. Y
ou met Cortez nearly four years ago in Paris…and you haven’t slept with anyone since then.”
Victoria didn’t have to ask how Kennedy knew that — Victoria had admitted it one night when they were sharing secrets over wine. “That doesn’t mean anything,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.
Kennedy chuckled. “Yes, it does. It means he was either so bad that he turned you off sex, or he was so good that you’re afraid no other man can compare.”
Monica and Bree’s gazes shifted from Kennedy to her. “Is that true, Vic?” Monica asked. “Was he that good, or was he a waste of bed sheets like my first guy?”
Cortez certainly hadn’t been a waste of bed sheets. In fact, he was the type of man bed sheets were made for. He’d been attentive and gentle, especially after realizing it was her first time. But then he’d shown her just how enjoyable making love could be. “He wasn’t a waste of bed sheets, believe me.” Then, realizing what she’d let slip, she added, “There could be a third reason, you know.”
“And what reason is that?” Of course, it was Kennedy who wouldn’t let this go.
“Maybe I’d been too busy graduating at the top of my class with both undergrad and grad degrees? Or maybe I spent too many hours taking my business from the brink of bankruptcy and making a success of it. Those things took up a lot of my time over the past four years. Besides, I’ve never wanted a relationship, and the three of you know why.”
“Victor Junior and Victor Senior,” everyone said simultaneously.
“You got it.”
Monica raised a brow. “I can see why you wouldn’t be interested in a serious relationship, but what’s wrong with a casual one if the sex was good? In my case, the sex was bad, so I don’t care if I ever do it again.”
The room got quiet. No one had ever questioned Monica for details as to what had made her first sexual experience so bad. They’d figured the guy had been a very selfish lover who’d left her totally unsatisfied. In a way, Victoria felt bad about that since her first time had been even more satisfying than she’d dreamed of.
“I hear what you’re saying, Vic, but people make time for good sex,” Kennedy said, breaking into the room’s silence. “You’ve just told us that your first and only time was a good experience for you. So, why hasn’t there been anyone else?”
“You don’t have to answer that,” Bree said, coming to her defense.
“No, you don’t,” Monica agreed. “But then we’ll only speculate.”
That’s the last thing she wanted, so she decided to come clean. “My time with Cortez was so good, I didn’t want to risk having another guy come behind him and diminish the memories.”
Kennedy chuckled. “I thought so. And that’s why I think that you’ll go to Paris with him — not only to relive all those memories, but to make new ones. Heck, I would. In fact, I think it’s kind of romantic.”
“Romantic?” Victoria rolled her eyes. “I’m more practical than that. I’m already concerned about what will happen after the two days in Paris.”
“What do you want to happen?” Sebrina asked.
Victoria glanced around the table at her cousins. “I don’t know. I truly don’t know.”
Sebrina nodded. “Maybe you ought to figure things out before you give Cortez your answer.”
CORTEZ GLANCED UP WHEN his cousin Quinn walked into his office. “Welcome back, Tez. I take it things went well with the handling of Victoria’s legal matter.”
He couldn’t help but smile. The Masters’ family had never managed to reach a consensus as to what his nickname would be. The older generations — his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles — had always referred to him as Cort. His brothers and cousins referred to him as Tez. He answered to both.
“Yes, once I spoke to Lampshade and spelled out the repercussions if they continued to harass Victoria with their fallacious claim, they got the picture.”
“I’m glad to hear it. To be honest, I didn’t expect you back so soon. I figured you’d hang around St. Paul a few days.”
There was no need to wonder why Quinn would think such a thing. His attraction to Victoria had been pretty obvious to some people from the beginning, especially his brothers and older male cousins.
It was funny… Not only was Quinn married to Victoria’s cousin, Alexia, but one of Quinn’s brothers, Grey, was married to Victoria’s aunt, Brandy. Evidently there was something about Bennett women that attracted Masters’ males.
“No, I decided to come back right away.”
Quinn nodded. “Oh, I see.”
Cortez leaned back in his chair. “I’m not sure if you do, Quinn.” Although he knew some people had their suspicions, he’d never told anyone about his connection to Victoria, other than his brothers. And the only reason he’d told them was because when they’d arrived in Paris, a few days after Victoria had disappeared, he’d still been in a bad mood with the way she had run out on him.
Quinn eased down in the chair across from his desk. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Cortez couldn’t help but smile. That was Quinn for you. He never pried, but was ready to listen when you wanted to spill your guts about something. The triplets had been blessed with having older cousins they could look up to while growing up. Quinn, and his brothers, Grey, Lake, and Shane, had always been there to offer an ear and advice when it was needed. And Quinn’s twin sister, Quinece, had been great, as well. He’d told Quinece about the woman he’d met in Paris who had disappeared on him; however, he hadn’t divulged Victoria’s identity to his cousin.
“Yes, but I’m sure it’s something you suspected anyway,” Cortez said.
“And that is?” Quinn asked.
Cortez stared at Quinn for a moment, then admitted, “Victoria and I originally met four years ago in Paris. She was an intern at the botanical gardens, and I was over there celebrating passing my bar exam.”
Quinn leaned forward in his chair. “Then why did the two of you act as if you didn’t know each other that night at Alexia’s birthday party?”
“Because I hadn’t seen her since Paris, and that night I got the distinct impression that she didn’t want anyone to know of our prior involvement. Besides that, I was mad because I felt she’d deliberately set out to deceive me in Paris, using a phony name and all.” He then explained things to Quinn, though he left out some specific intimate details. He figured Quinn was smart enough to fill in the blanks.
“Alexia and I couldn’t help noticing the awkwardness between you two that night. Then at other family get-togethers it was obvious the two of you were trying hard to avoid each other. We figured there had to be more to the story. Have you and Victoria worked anything out?”
Cortez shook his head. “Unfortunately, not yet. Hopefully that will be resolved soon. I’ve asked her to go back to Paris with me, to the place where it all began.”
Quinn lifted a brow. “And she agreed?”
“She’s thinking about it. I’m just glad she doesn’t have a steady boyfriend.”
“Victoria not involved in a serious relationship is not surprising.”
Now it was Cortez who lifted a brow. “Why?”
“Because her father and grandfather were staunch womanizers. While growing up, she watched how they would mistreat women; especially how her father mistreated her mother by committing adultery. I remember her telling me and Alexia that she would never let a man hurt her the way her father hurt her mother.”
Quinn didn’t say anything for a moment, then shook his head. “Victoria is married to her work. Alexia and I are proud of what she’s managed to accomplish since taking over her family’s business.”
“Are you saying that she actually thinks all men are like her father and grandfather?”
“They aren’t exactly role models when it comes to marriage and fidelity, Tez. I’m sure she knows there are some good men out there — men who love their wives and make them happy. She’s always complimenting my and Alexia’s marriage, Grey’s and Brandy’s,
and those of her other relatives who’ve been married for a while. But I honestly believe she’s afraid to take a chance on love and happiness because she thinks neither are meant for her.”
“Then I guess I’ll just have to change her mind about that. I love her, Quinn.” When his cousin didn’t say anything, Cortez said, “You don’t seem surprised.”
Quinn smiled. “I’m not. I fell in love with Alexia rather quickly, too. It can happen that way for a Masters…especially when the object of our affection is a Bennett. But do you think you can convince her of your sincerity in just two days in Paris?”
Cortez met his cousin’s gaze. “I intend to try.”
Maybe you ought to figure things out before you give Cortez your answer…
Three days later, Sebrina’s words were still ringing in Victoria’s ears. Unfortunately, she hadn’t figured anything out yet. At least Cortez hadn’t pressed her for an answer, but she had a feeling she’d be hearing from him soon.
Getting up from her desk, she moved to the window that overlooked downtown St. Paul. It was a beautiful city. Moving here with her cousins after college had been one of the best decisions she’d ever made.
Victoria knew the weather in Paris wouldn’t be ideal. After all, it was January. But she didn’t care. She loved Paris enough to go at any time. She threw her head back, wondering why she was doing this, trying to talk herself into doing something she truly wanted to do anyway. Kennedy had been right. She would love to return to Paris and relive those memories with Cortez, especially those they’d shared in his hotel room. They had made love just that one time, but it had left an impression on her. She’d had two orgasms in one night — and it had been her first time experiencing one.
That night at dinner, his male energy had called out to her, and she hadn’t quite recovered yet. She’d been dreaming of him for years, but lately, those dreams had become even more vivid. She had definitely liked the Cort she’d met in Paris. But this Cortez Masters was older, even more suave, polished, and smooth. He could lay on the charm without even trying. And the way he had looked at dinner, in his expensive trousers, Brooks Brothers shirt, and Italian knit blazer still had her fanning her face. Definitely hot.
THE BENNETTS' WEDDING (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family Book 5) Page 18
