The Wild One

by Cardello, Ruth

  “Enough about me,” I said, needing to end the conversation that was making me think about things I’d wanted to forget for a week. I forced a smile and dropped her hand. “How long have you had this place?”

  “Did I say I own it?” Her head cocked to the side.

  “Are you renting?” I took another look around. Glass and chrome with mahogany accents. Expensive, but with a masculine feel to it that upon consideration didn’t match Cecile’s style. Not nearly enough mirrors.

  “No. Do you remember I told you about Felix?”

  “Once-a-month Felix? You’re still seeing him? I thought you said that was over.”

  She took a long sip of champagne, then raised both arms to place them on the edge of the hot tub, bringing her breasts fully above the bubbles. I must have been buzzed by then, because it no longer felt awkward. “I did end it, but other men drive me crazy. They’re so needy. Felix is just easy. It’s like visiting a fuck spa.”

  “A fuck spa,” I repeated with a laugh. Yeah, I was buzzed.

  “You have no idea how good sex is when there is no pressure to make it into something meaningful. I don’t ask Felix who he’s with when I’m not here. He doesn’t ask me. If I skip a month, I don’t have to explain why. It’s just sex. Really good sex.”

  With round eyes, I looked away again. “Sounds . . .”

  “Therapeutic,” she finished for me. “I swear, there’s no better way to relax. You should try it.”

  A flush warmed my cheeks again. “That’s not my thing either.”

  She laughed. “Sex?”

  “Sex outside of a relationship.”

  “Oh. And how long has it been since you’ve been in a relationship?”

  I cringed. Part of what I’ve always loved about Cecile was that she didn’t filter her opinions. Her description of sex with Felix could easily have fit our friendship. No pressure. No stress. We called each other when the mood struck us and didn’t sweat the times we didn’t call. There were two sides of Cecile, the savvy businesswoman and the free spirit she chose to be in her downtime.

  We were very different, but somehow it worked. The key was appreciating those differences and occasionally giving each other shit for them—but all in fun. With Cecile I’d never had to be anyone but myself, and when you find a friend like that . . . you keep them for life. “Two years,” I admitted.

  “Oh Lord, you need to get laid. Don’t be offended, but I’m going to throw an offer out there. Felix will be back soon. If you want to stay, you’re welcome to.”

  My eyes snapped to hers, and I swallowed hard. “Stay?”

  “For dinner.”

  Relief flooded through me, and I chuckled. “I’m sorry. For a second I thought—”

  “That I was suggesting a ménage à trois?”

  “Yes.”

  “I was. Felix and I like to spice things up every once in a while. No pressure. But think about it.”

  As a knee-jerk reaction, I stood up and stuttered, “I—I—I love you for asking. It’s a huge compliment. Huge. When you asked me if I wanted to come see you in Paris, I didn’t think you meant see you.” I waved my hand at her bare chest. I did love her, and we were close, but I didn’t want more than that.

  Nor did I want to offend her.

  “Wren?”

  “Yes?” I put a leg over the edge of the hot tub. Buzzed or not, it was time to get out.

  “You realize you could simply say no.”

  I really should have used the steps to get out. The drop was higher on that side than I’d thought. I was dangling over the side of the hot tub. Cecile’s tone was so calm, so nonjudgmental, I felt ridiculous for bolting. Still, I needed to be clear. “No.”

  In true Cecile style, her smile remained effortless and genuine. “That’s settled then. Now, would you like some help? I’d hate for you to break a leg on your first day in Paris.” She stood and held out her hand.

  I took it. There was a twinkle in her eye that made me wonder if she’d suggested a threesome just to shock me out of the funk I’d fallen into.

  She hauled me back over the rim of the hot tub. I hit the water with a splash that had us both laughing.

  “I did knock,” a deep male voice announced, and I froze.

  Even though I still had my bathing suit on, I ducked into the water. When I turned toward the entrance to the balcony, my breath caught in my throat. I was still a no go on a threesome, but if I ever did have one, it would be because of someone like him.

  A little green monster nipped at my heels. I wasn’t envious by nature. Some people had more than I did. Some people had less. But Cecile had him.

  I totally understand her fuck spa now.

  I’d lost my voice, but not my sight. I started at the tip of his leather dress shoes, let my gaze wander up his legs. He filled out his trousers in a way few men do . . . and the rest of him was deliciously muscular and . . . oh my God, was he getting a hard-on?

  I forced my eyes higher and reminded myself that he was Cecile’s. Sure, they have an open relationship and she pretty much already asked me to have sex with him, but . . . I gulped . . . girl code, right? I shouldn’t be this attracted to someone who essentially belongs to one of my friends.

  What am I saying? People don’t belong to people.

  This guy is scrambling my brain.

  I looked him over again. I could have stopped at his wide shoulders, but I had to know if his face was as . . . Oh yeah. Square jaw. Dark stubble growing in. Eyes so brown they were almost black.

  When our eyes met, a crazy warmth spread through me. I started playing Never Have I Ever with myself. Never have I ever thought a man’s mouth looked so kissable. Never have I ever wanted to lose my inhibitions and do something spontaneous I was sure to regret.

  How much do women touch each other during threesomes? Could I ask for none at all? I frowned as I imagined that scenario. No, I wouldn’t want to share him.

  I shook my head in wonder.

  This is lust.

  Or too much champagne.

  I ducked deeper beneath the water.

  Probably the champagne. I need to get out of here.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  MAURICIO

  Another man might have thought he’d hit a sexual lottery by walking in on what I had, but one of these women, the topless brunette if I remembered Felix’s description correctly, was off my list of possible hookups, simply because it was never good to mix friends and fucks. You can fuck your friends; you just can’t fuck your friends’ fucks. It was a rule that had served me well over the years.

  Now the blonde—I’d gotten only a glimpse of her, but one glimpse had been enough to convince my cock she was not on the do-not-touch list. I wasn’t looking for a threesome, but if she was interested, I wouldn’t mind giving double the effort to her pleasure.

  If she doesn’t drown herself.

  Even while giving me a bold once-over, she’d dipped lower and lower beneath the water until all that was visible above the side of the hot tub was the top of her head and her eyes—wide, big, and difficult to look away from.

  “You must be Mauricio,” the brunette said, and I reluctantly turned my attention back to her. She calmly stepped out of the hot tub and retrieved her top. As casual as if she were donning a jacket over an outfit, she put it back on. Nudity was nothing new to me. In fact, the naturalness of it was what I’d always liked about Europe. The female body, in all its beautiful shapes and sizes, was a work of art. Why should it be hidden away? “I’m Cecile. I recognize you from old photos of you and Felix together. You’ve aged well.”

  “Thank you. Felix’s taste in women has improved, I see.” She was a beautiful woman in her late twenties—tight body, comfortable with her own sexuality. In other circumstances I might have found that attractive, but my attention kept returning to the mostly submerged woman in the hot tub.

  “You’re quite the charmer,” Cecile said, but not flirtatiously, and I was grateful for that. My goal was to convin
ce her to leave.

  I dipped my head in recognition of the compliment. “Felix asked me to drop by with a message. I’ll give you ladies time to dry off, and then we can talk in the living room.”

  My gaze met the blonde’s again, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. Her shyness didn’t appear to be an act. I couldn’t imagine her engaging in a wild romp with Felix and Cecile.

  I could imagine joining her in the hot tub, though, and kissing every inch of her that I convinced to rise above the water. How bold would she become when I asked her to tell me what she liked?

  My cock was at full mast and aching from the images I was torturing myself with. I turned on my heel and strode back into the penthouse. Down, boy.

  I walked behind the bar area and poured myself a glass of water. The shelves were well stocked, with only the best of every liquor, but I needed to keep my wits about me. Cecile was no pushover. Getting her to leave without much explanation wasn’t going to be easy.

  She donned a terry-cloth wrap and came to sit at the bar. I poured her a glass of water and placed it in front of her. Her eyebrows rose and fell, but she sipped at the drink. “So what did Felix ask you to tell me?”

  I cleared my throat. “He was called away on business—”

  Her laughter interrupted my excuse, and she raised a hand for me to stop. “Felix? He’ll be lucky if his father trusts him with filing. Don’t waste my time with lies.”

  Okay. “That’s all I have.” The lie. I’d already promised I wouldn’t tell her the truth. “It was just as much of a surprise to me. I flew over for a business meeting with him. He did ask me, though, to make sure you got home okay.”

  Her head cocked to the side, and she tapped her fingers on the surface of the bar. “He knows I have my own plane. This rings weird to me. What are you not telling me?”

  “I’ve said all I can.” That much was true.

  Dressed in jeans and a blouse, but deliciously barefoot, the blonde joined us, and I forgot what we were talking about. Broken what? Who cares.

  Her hair was damp on the ends but hung loose past her shoulders. She wasn’t thin, but the way she filled out those jeans was sinful. I’ve always liked an ass I could grab, and she was rounded in all the right places. Although they were chastely covered, her tits were my favorite size . . . big enough to bury my face between. She took a seat next to Cecile and looked me right in the eye.

  All too vividly I imagined looking down into those blue eyes of hers while she was wrapped around my waist and we fucked until neither of us could move. I might want to stay in Paris after all.

  Cecile broke into my fantasy with, “Wren, this is Felix’s friend, Mauricio.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I held out my hand for a shake. I could have gone in for the French double-kiss greeting, but enough of my blood had already headed south. I needed to calm down. I couldn’t remember the last time a woman had gotten me that excited without even trying. I let go of her hand and gave her my signature smile—the one more than one woman had claimed had closed the deal with them.

  “Nice to meet you too,” she said and blushed as if not used to sustained attention from a man. Her American accent was familiar—East Coast, New England. Funny how small the world was.

  Not looking pleased with the idea, Cecile said, “Mauricio was just explaining to me that Felix left town.” To me she added, “Attractive as you are, I hope Felix didn’t send you over in his place.”

  Wren’s mouth rounded in surprise. I poured a glass of water for her as well. I’d never needed the advantage of alcohol, and I could already tell she was attracted to me. After that, it was simply a matter of time, and there was no way I was flying back to the States before having her. We had next-level sexual attraction—no man with a working dick walked away from that.

  “For dinner, you mean?” I asked in a purr, only because I wanted to see Wren’s reaction to the possibility.

  Her eyes widened, and in a breathy voice she said, “I—I—I already explained that I prefer to eat alone.” Her hand flew to her mouth, and in a rush she added, “Not alone. I eat with people, just not at crowded tables.” She groaned and took a long sip of her water.

  I looked back and forth between the two women and wondered at their relationship. They seemed comfortable with each other, but not in the way Felix had implied. “Good. I’m not here for the food, at least not anything from my friend’s kitchen.”

  With a wave of her hand, Cecile said, “Okay, before you give my friend a heart attack, I’m calling a halt to this.”

  My attention remained on Wren. I leaned a little closer, lowered my voice, and asked, “Sorry, am I coming on too strong? So I shouldn’t ask you to leave with me? Have a meal. Just the two of us?”

  While gulping down more water, Wren began to choke. Her face went deep red. She stood and gasped for breath between coughs. I walked around to her side of the bar. Concern momentarily replaced desire. “Are you okay?”

  I gave her back a pat, and she belched. If she’d been embarrassed before, she looked ten times that when she realized how loud it had been. It was adorable.

  “Oh my God. It’s the bubbles from the champagne,” she croaked. “I don’t usually drink at all.”

  “Those bubbles will get you every time.” I laughed. “Okay now?”

  The deep breaths she took brushed the side of one of her breasts against my arm, and heat rushed through me. I stepped back because it was already too tempting to kiss her despite our disapproving chaperone. Alone with Wren, that bar would have been the perfect height for how I was imagining starting my exploration of her.

  Her tongue flicked across her bottom lip. Oh yes, we were on the same page. Time to lose Cecile. I cleared my throat. “So, work will keep Felix off the grid for a while. He said he’d call you when he’s feeling—when he’s back in town.”

  In the throbbing silence that followed, Cecile sighed. “I don’t believe you about where Felix is, but if he doesn’t want me to know what he’s up to, I’m reasonably certain I don’t care to hear the details. You can tell him I’ll be out of here in the morning, and he is welcome to call me, or not, when he returns.” She stood and walked over to the door of the apartment. “Thank you for delivering his message.”

  Wren opened her mouth, then shut it as if changing her mind. “Nice to meet you, Mauricio.”

  I wasn’t one to give up that easily. I looked around, found a pen, and wrote my number on a paper napkin. As I handed it to her, I purred into her ear, “I’m in Paris for several more days. Call me.”

  I heard the catch in her breath and saw desire flame in her eyes. I didn’t need to pursue. She’d call.

  I told myself to step back and walk out of there with a clear victory. I remained rooted, though, looking down at her until I gave in to the pull and brushed my lips over hers. Softly. Just a taste.

  Her mouth opened slightly, and my tongue swept in. Hers danced with mine briefly. Hot honey and fire. I was barely in control when I lifted my head and stepped back.

  She raised a hand to her lips. I waited. Would she leave with me? She wanted to. “Goodbye, Mauricio,” she said in a husky voice.

  It was a struggle not to kiss her again. “Talk to you tomorrow,” I said, then winked.

  Cecile opened the door as I approached it. She was shaking her head with disapproval. As I passed by her, she placed a hand on my chest to halt me. “I’ll get my own place, but I’m not leaving Paris. I invited Wren for a visit, and her safety is my responsibility.”

  I frowned. “I’ve never hurt a woman in my life.”

  She lowered her voice so only I could hear. “I know your history, Mauricio. Stay away from my friend. You’re not her type.”

  “Shouldn’t that be her choice?” I couldn’t help but add, “Or are you jealous because I’m the one she won’t turn down?”

  She dropped her hand, and a smooth, cold smile stretched her lips. “There are very few people I give a shit about, but W
ren is one of them. Break her heart and I’ll kill you.”

  “Her heart? I’m not looking for anything that intense.”

  “I know.” With that, Cecile closed the door in my face.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  WREN

  No matter how far I was from home, what I’d just realized was that I was still painfully, awkwardly, myself. I don’t know what other women do when they encounter drop-dead gorgeous men who show interest in them. I hid, said almost nothing, nearly choked to death, belched, kissed him like I knew him, then said goodbye as if everything that had happened was normal.

  I looked down at the napkin in my hand. “Talk to you tomorrow,” he’d said with a wink. Cocky bastard. Oh yes, because whatever I’d come to Paris for, he was certain he could deliver.

  Physically impressive? Yes.

  Humble? No.

  But that kiss . . . it had lit something in me, a yearning so strong that not kissing him back hadn’t been a possibility.

  Cecile came to stand beside me. “Don’t even think about it.” She reached for the napkin, but I stuffed it in my jeans pocket.

  “I’m not going to call him.” Even as I made the affirmation, I wasn’t sure I meant it.

  Hand on hip, she challenged, “Listen, I’m the last one to judge anyone’s decisions. You do what you want, but that guy—he’s a player. You’ll only get hurt.”

  Okay, hang on. “Didn’t you just tell me I needed to loosen up? You have a fuck spa. One you invited me to dinner at. How would seeing this guy be worse?” I made a pained face. “Not that being with you and Felix would have been bad, just crowded.” I stopped there because it was uncharted territory to me and I didn’t want to offend her.

  She threw up her hands. “You don’t need to justify your refusal. It was just an offer I tossed out. Let’s move past it.” She walked behind the bar and poured herself a glass of rosé. “Want one?”

  I shook my head. “I caught a buzz from the champagne.” I groaned. “I can’t believe I burped in front of Mauricio. It’s really not hard to figure out why it’s been so long since I’ve had sex.”