by Anna Antonia
Adrian raised a curious brow. “I sense a story here.”
Victoria quickly recounted what happened, strategically leaving out the parts where she cursed a blue streak, had an emotional hissy, and had to borrow the coat and shoes because she didn’t have the taste or the money for her own.
“And so thanks to her wonderful friends, Cinderella was able to go to the ball after all.”
“That’s one way of looking at it.”
“I’ll have to send them each a bouquet of roses as a token of my thanks.” Adrian suddenly pulled out his phone. “I realized tonight I didn’t have your number. Do you think you can give it to me or am I being too forward?”
“Not at all.” Victoria told him her number and he told her his.
Adrian waited until she programmed it into her phone before saying, “Good. Now I know how to reach you.” He eyed her, sparkle bright in his hazel orbs. “And you can call me too. Any time. You might have to leave a message, but I’ll always call you back as soon as I can.”
He said it with such sincerity that Victoria resisted the urge to put her hands on her cheeks. She was grateful for the darkened car interior because she already knew another infernal blush had taken over. Victoria eagerly looked forward to the day when she didn’t give away her inexperience like this.
Conscious of the driver only a few feet away, Victoria kept their conversation light even though she would’ve liked to have asked Adrian more about his life. Thankfully, they arrived at their destination in no time at all which saved Victoria from increasingly awkward attempts to find impersonal topics to talk about.
Adrian helped her out of the car and kept his hand at the small of her back. He didn’t remove it. All of her nerve endings seemed to center beneath his hand. So conscious of his touch, Victoria barely paid attention to her surroundings until they entered what looked to be a small ballroom.
She soon learned it was a jazz bar. Victoria had never been to one, didn’t even think she’d like jazz, but found it to be a thrilling experience she hoped to have again. These were the kinds of places she dreamed of going to when she first moved to the city, before her father died. Victoria later learned a hand-to-mouth existence didn’t really leave room for cultural events.
They sat at a table, off to the side but still close to the intimate stage. Once they were shown to their seats, Adrian helped Victoria take off her coat. He took one look at her and his brows raised high.
“Wow.”
Victoria, used to wearing far less at her waitress job, blushed as Adrian appraised her form with appreciation. “Did I do well?” she asked while sitting down.
He pushed her chair in and whispered, “Perfect, Victoria. Absolutely perfect. “
Victoria floated on his compliment. A waiter came by and Adrian ordered a delicious plate of fruit, cheese, and desserts along with champagne. Before she could settle on a point of conversation, the lights went dim and the MC came out to introduce the group.
Victoria did her best to watch the performers on stage, but she found it difficult to concentrate because Adrian spent more time watching her than them. It thrilled her even as it made her feel self-conscious. When she tried a chocolate-covered strawberry, Adrian leaned close to ask in a drawling whisper, “Do you like it?”
“Yes.”
“Can I have a bite?”
“Sure.” Victoria went to put her strawberry down on her plate. Adrian stopped her by putting his large hand on her wrist.
Victoria watched, fascinated as his perfect white teeth bit into the plump fruit. He swallowed, never taking his gaze from hers.
“Delicious.”
He’s not talking about the strawberry, is he? He’s talking about me. Please be talking about me.
She looked away, completely out of her depth and feeling as if she couldn’t draw in enough breath. Should she act as if it wasn’t a big deal? Could she be so blasé?
No.
How could she when Victoria obsessively wondered how his mouth would feel against hers? Would she get drunk just from one kiss?
Was she already drunk now?
Adrian brushed the back of his fingers against her flushed cheek and said her name in a sizzling croon. Victoria turned to him slowly, trying her best to keep her composure when all she wanted to do was melt into him. Her heartbeat quickened when he leaned close to her again.
“You’re not watching the stage, Victoria.”
Her trembling lips only inches away from his, she murmured, “No. Neither are you.”
Adrian’s hooded gaze zeroed in on her mouth. “No, I’m not.”
He shifted even closer. Her heart was beating so loudly she was convinced everyone in the club had to hear it.
He’s going to kiss me.
She ran the tip of her tongue across her lips, already tasting the sweetness of his lips on hers. Adrian murmured something that sounded like “…killing me!” and then pulled back.
Victoria would’ve been completely crestfallen if not for him slipping his hand in hers. Adrian lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across each knuckle. It was a sensuous promise of later.
Victoria tried to enjoy the rest of the performance but all she could think was “How will it be when I finally get to kiss him?”
Would he be tender? Would their first kiss be sweet and intoxicating? Would it be the kind of kiss that dropped Victoria to her knees?
She hoped to find out before the night was through.
It was hard to concentrate on the musicians because Adrian kept her hand in his, brushing his thumb against her palm slowly back and forth. Victoria did her best to pretend she was completely at ease being in this beautiful man’s grip.
Like she did it all the time.
She fixed her gaze on the piano player, lips tipped in an appreciative smile, and while her ears tried to let the music sink into her, Victoria’s lusty mind kept circling around the idea of Adrian sinking into her.
Lust hammered in time with each slow pass of his thumb.
When the performance ended, she looked at him and said, “This was really nice. I liked it a lot.” The fact that was talking more about the feel of his hand in hers was going to be her secret.
“Did you? I’m glad to hear it.” Adrian stood and held her coat open. Once he slipped it on, he placed his hands on her waist. “Are you hungry?”
Victoria licked her lips. “Y-Yes.”
“Good.”
Adrian brought her to a restaurant that served Moroccan food, which was her first time trying cuisine from that part of the world. It was delicious. She had chicken tagine along with chicken kabobs.
“Do you like chicken?” Adrian teased.
“It’s my go-to food when I’m trying a new restaurant.”
Adrian fed her bites of his lamb, wiping the corner of her mouth with his thumb before licking the pad. The tribal beats faded away. Victoria shifted in her chair, fists clenched around her utensils. Adrian seduced her so well and all seemingly without trying.
She clapped along with the rest of the diners when the belly dancers whirled skillfully throughout the crowded space. Adrian squeezed her hand several times and kissed her on the cheek many more times.
Victoria wished he’d kiss her on the mouth but wasn’t bold enough to go for it. Yet.
Time paused long enough for her to recognize her life would never be the same after tonight—regardless of how she and Adrian dealt with one another.
Victoria could no longer deny that she needed more than she had allowed herself to have. She needed to feel desired and to desire. Every touch, every whisper brought her back to life.
Adrian brought her back to life.
It was close to eleven when they finally left the restaurant. She had her leftovers packed up and bagged, which Adrian carried for her to the car. Victoria fully expected him to end the evening when they pulled up back in front of their starting point.
Instead, he kept her hand in his and said, “I’ve got a surprise fo
r you!”
When they ended up on the building’s roof, Victoria’s legs trembled. Not in fear of heights but exhilaration. A sleek helicopter sat on the pad. She had to raise her voice because of the wind. “Is that for us?”
Adrian took the opportunity to draw her close. He leaned down and spoke in her ear. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You’re kidding!”
Adrian laughed and guided her to the waiting helicopter. He handed Victoria into the plush seat, making sure to buckle her in himself. She looked out the window, seeing the older gentleman still standing by the door. “Can you fly, Adrian?”
“Not a chance. That’s why we’ve got the best pilot in the city.”
He climbed in next to her. A few minutes later and they were off. Victoria reached out for his hand first and held it the entire time, squeezing it tightly when they first rose up in the air.
The city unfolded. Darkness and diamond lights scattered beneath hid all the pollution and decay Victoria knew existed. They flew over the water, flying by all the popular tourist sites that looked so breathtaking from above. Victoria turned to Adrian several times to say, “Did you see that?”
Maybe he already had, but each time Adrian leaned close to her side of the seat and verbalized as much enthusiasm as she did. Time slipped away in the air. It was thrilling. Exciting.
It was Adrian.
Soon they landed back down. Once the helicopter powered down, Victoria turned to Adrian and spontaneously kissed him on the cheek.
“I’m so happy! I’ll never forget this night!”
***
One look at Victoria’s face proved his meticulous planning had been a success. He had enchanted her. He had dazzled her. He didn’t doubt that Victoria would ever forget tonight. However, Adrian enjoyed and disliked their date all at once. He enjoyed make her happy. That objective had been paramount to anything and everything else.
So where was the lack? How had he failed in pleasing himself?
Adrian missed talking to her. Every event had seriously curtailed the ability to share more than a few words. Even when they were alone in the car, Victoria had been extremely conscious of his driver.
If he could’ve done it over again, Adrian would’ve invited her to dinner in his penthouse. Not to seduce her, but to simply enjoy conversation.
The last week had shown him how much he didn’t converse with anyone just for the sake of sharing words. Every conversation had an agenda in his regular life. Lunches, dinners, drinks, golfing, vacations—they all served a purpose for business.
Adrian’s pleasure had to be orchestrated as well. Different venues perhaps, but the words were merely a means to an end on both parts.
Victoria wasn’t anything like that.
She spoke to him and he spoke to her just to know a bit more about each other. It was easy in a way he had quickly come to depend on, but the rub of it was that while she had been honest in her interactions with him, Adrian hadn’t. At least not at first. His primary purpose had been to find a way to bring her to this point.
Now that he had, Adrian suffered dissatisfaction. He didn’t want the night to end. He craved conversation with her. The elevator, while not their usual vestibule, would have to serve to create connection.
“Did you enjoy tonight, Victoria?”
Her brilliant smile lit her from within. “I did so very much. I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun.”
A rueful smile crossed his lips. “It was my pleasure.” He rooted for an appropriate bridge to maneuver this lovely girl across. “Are you tired?”
Victoria shook her head. “Not yet. I’m used to having to function on little sleep.”
“Me too.”
Words failed Adrian. He watched the numbers count down with dread. He needed more time with her. Just a bit. The elevator doors opened. Adrian kept pace with Victoria as she walked towards the exit.
She stopped suddenly. “Are you still going to take me home? Because you don’t have to. I know how late it is and I can make my own way.”
Adrian blurted out, “I don’t want you to go yet.”
Victoria’s gaze met his shyly before skittering away. “It’s almost midnight. I’ve got to go.”
“Don’t.”
***
Victoria licked her lips. “Don’t what?”
Adrian opened his mouth and then closed it. He seemed to struggle with his words. A frown overtook him. “I…don’t want you to go.”
“What do you want me to do?”
He looked at her, so incredulous that Victoria wondered if her actual spoken question didn’t match her thoughts at all. Adrian’s low laughter made her take a step back. He immediately stopped and reached out.
“I’m sorry, Victoria. I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at me.”
“Why?”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Look, Victoria, I didn’t plan for this. I plan everything but not this.” His hand skated down her arm. Victoria felt the leashed power in it. “I planned to let you go. To do this slow. But I can’t. I don’t want to. Do you understand?”
Victoria understood she was at the precipice between the life she had and the shadowed one waiting for her. Everything would change if she responded to him, especially in this way.
“What are you saying? Say it straight.”
Adrian tipped her chin with one finger. “I want you to come home with me tonight. I want to make love to you all night long.”
Her pulse sped up. She closed her eyes and let the dulcet notes of his voice bend her to his will.
“I want you, Victoria, but if you say no then I’ll understand. I’ll still ask you to come home with me and I’ll promise to be a perfect gentleman even if it kills me. I’ll have dessert sent up to us. I’ll talk to you about anything and everything you want. I’ll watch the sunrise with you. I just want to be with you.”
Logic told Victoria all the reasons why she shouldn’t even entertain his request. Despite their time spent together, she still didn’t really know him. Adrian didn’t know her. Then there was the tricky bit of her moral code and why she was still a virgin while closing in on her mid-twenties.
And yet…
Adrian fascinated Victoria. She felt ecstatically alive in his presence. All her fatigue and worries about her future, her little family back home, all of it disappeared when she sat down in that leather chair and spoke to Adrian.
The way he completely focused on her, making Victoria feel that she had his undivided attention, captivated her. During those fifteen to twenty minutes she wasn’t an overworked drudge dressed in an unflattering jumpsuit, but rather a young woman who had everything to look forward to.
She was alive and he was the man who brought that out in her.
So could she go with him? Could she take that chance? There was no question about it.
“Yes, Adrian.”
“Yes?”
“Yes, I’ll go with you.”
SIX
Adrian held Victoria’s hand. He felt the slight trembling.
“Here we are.”
She looked at him, gaze gone adorably shy, before crossing the threshold. Normally he would’ve shoved his companion against the wall as soon as the door slammed shut. Victoria required finesse. Kindness. Gentleness.
All the things that didn’t come naturally to Adrian, therefore, putting him in the rare position of feeling inept and unsure.
Logically, this state of affairs would be absolutely unacceptable to him and cause enough to terminate the situation.
It was the last thing he wanted to do.
Adrian would simply do as he always did—trust his instincts. No matter how many cold showers he might be forced to take as a result.
“May I take your coat?”
Her gaze widened. She licked her lips with a furtive swipe of her tongue. “Ah, okay.”
Adrian bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. He’d already made the decision he wouldn’t pounce on her. Too
bad she didn’t realize it. Adrian took her coat and then seriously rethought his decision.
The way Victoria’s dress hugged all her delicious curves…he groaned silently. It positively made him ache. Adrian wanted to unzip her dress right now.
But he couldn’t.
Damnit.
Adrian took her coat and hung it up in the closet alongside his.
“Living room?” He held his arm out and directed her to walk in front of him. Adrian needed to readjust himself but couldn’t take the chance of her looking back. He’d have to deal with the discomfort.
Seems like I’m going to have to make friends with that feeling for a while.
She sat down on the couch, bottom at the edge and legs together primly. It aroused him as nothing else because it was the exact posture she took when they met in the vestibule.
“Would you like a drink, Victoria?”
“Yes, please.”
He smiled, a brief, tight thing, and hoped she didn’t study it too closely.
“Here. I can take your leftovers and put them in the fridge.” Victoria looked down at her bag in surprise, as if she’d forgotten she still carried the bag with her.
“Thank you.”
Satisfied that he wasn’t the only one affected, Adrian took her food and promised he’d be back in just a bit. He went into the sleek, modern kitchen, deposited her food, and then leaned against the island.
What was he thinking? Having Victoria here was like bringing Red into the Wolf’s den. How could he possibly believe he could sit next to her and have a conversation while the lure of his bed sang its siren song?
Suck it up. You’re not going back on your word. You never go back on your word.
Exhaling heavily, Adrian pushed away from the counter. He opened up his fully-stocked fridge and pulled out a bottle of orange juice and a can of his favorite soda. Adrian grabbed a couple of glasses and filled them with ice. He then arranged them neatly on a serving tray, complete with a plate of petite fours and napkins.
She’d pulled her phone out of her little purse and had a half-smile on her face.
“Everything okay?”
