Page 41 of Endless Obsession

“I’m not going home with him tonight,” I tell her firmly, getting my curling iron out to start heating it up. “He’ll be lucky to get a kiss.”

Jaz pouts. “I thought new Charlotte was going on the date tonight.”

“She is.” I clip a large part of my hair atop my head, leaving the bottom layers free to curl. “But what if I actually like him, Jaz? I told him I’m not looking for anything exclusive, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to see where it goes. If I’m interested in more than one night, then I can’t sleep with him on the first date.”

Jaz rolls her eyes so hard that I think they’re going to disappear for a second. “Anyone who says that is either a dick or living by some really outdated rules,” she says, shaking her head. “Plenty of men date women who fuck them the first night. Case in point—” she gestures to herself. “Remember that one guy I dated like two years ago? Jax?”

“How could I forget? He was really into the matching names thing.” I let a curl slide free and let down more of my hair. “You slept with him on the first date?”

“Girl, do you remember how hot he was?” Jaz looks at me wide-eyed. “I let him put it in my ass on the first night. And he still dated me for eight months. Trust me, men don’t play by those stupid rules.”

“You—” I can’t quite get past the first part. “Never mind. I don’t want details.”

“Oh, don’t tell me you’ve never done that.” Jaz takes another gulp of her wine. “Okay, actually, I believe it. And Nate would have never disrespected you enough to ask.” She rolls her eyes. “But I thought maybe some other guy, before him?—”

“It’s not like my love life has been all that prolific,” I tell her dryly. “So no. I haven’t done—that.”

“Try it,” Jaz suggests cheerfully. “It can be pretty hot, in the right circumstances.”

I’m not really sure what those circumstances would be. But I also don’t have time to ask, because I need to finish getting ready in less than thirty minutes, and my hair is only half-styled. Jaz has distracted me more than I should have let her.

By the time I’m done, my dark hair is loose and bouncy, with thick, fluffy waves, my makeup done in muted shades of champagne, with a dark nude lip. I slip on the sharp-toed, high-heeled shoes that Jaz talked me into buying—although I made sure to get them in nude and not red, so they’d go with more—and suck in a deep breath as I grab my clutch.

“It’s going to be great,” Jaz reassures me. “You’re going to have a blast. And I’ll clean up here and then go home, just in case—” She wiggles her eyebrows at me, and I shake my head.

“I’m not sleeping with him tonight. But thanks for cleaning up.” I give her a quick hug, and then head to the door.

When I get downstairs, I see Ivan waiting in the lobby. I see him before he sees me, and my breath catches, heat sweeping over me.

He’s undeniably gorgeous. He was when he interrupted my lunch, and he’s even more so now, in a perfectly tailored light grey suit, his dark blond hair styled away from his face, and his strong jaw perfectly clean-shaven. I can see his tattoos peeking out of the suit, down his hands and in the open space where the top two buttons of his shirt are undone, and the contrast between the dark ink and the expensive suit sends a shivery feeling down my spine.

I’ve never dated a man with tattoos. Never slept with one. Logically, I know tattoos aren’t really all that wild, and half the people in my department either have a few I’ve seen or probably have some hidden away. But it’s more than just the fact that this man is tattooed. There’s something about how he wears them, the presence that he has and the way they’re a part of that, that makes me feel like I’m approaching something dangerous. That he’s a wild predator, and I’m tonight’s prey.

It should terrify me, but like a mouse hypnotized by a snake, I only want to draw closer to him.

He turns, and the way his gaze sweeps over me, taking me in from forehead to toes with a sudden heat flaring in his eyes, makes me feel electrified. I can see the way his lips part, the breath he draws in as he looks at me, and no one that I’ve ever gone on a date with has ever made me feel this beautiful with a single look—made me feel this wanted. He hasn’t even said a word, and I feel like his entire world has just narrowed down to only me.

“I’m glad you didn’t stand me up,” he says with a grin, and that smile softens the perfectly polished, dangerous edge of his look tonight. “I was starting to get worried.”

“I’m five minutes early.”

“I thought you’d be so excited, you’d be down ten minutes before.” He flashes me that grin again, and it takes everything in me not to playfully sock him in the arm. But we’re not that close yet. I can’t be that casual with him on a first date. Can I?

“I thought I should keep you waiting.” I smile back, to let him know I’m just teasing, and he chuckles as he leads me out of the front door of the building.

“For you? I’d have waited all night. But they might have towed my car.” He gestures to the vehicle waiting for us, parked at the curb, and I briefly freeze, staring at it as if I’m not sure I’m seeing correctly.

I don’t know a lot about cars, but I know enough to know that there’s an Aston Martin parked at my curb—silver with a black leather interior, bringing to mind James Bond. I’ve ridden in some nice cars, but nothing as fancy as this.

Nate would be so fucking jealous, I think as I look at it, and immediately feel bad. This man deserves better than to just be an outlet for my rage and pettiness toward my ex. But the thought is there, all the same.

“This is gorgeous,” I breathe as I step towards the car, and Ivan opens my door for me. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” His gaze flicks over my dress again, and down to my legs as I slide into the car. “I also didn’t mean to match you tonight.” That grin returns, and I realize what he means as I take in the powder blue color of his shirt.

“It’s not dark enough to be matching,” I tell him with a laugh as he gets in. “But I see why you would think that. It’s nearly white, though. In the right lighting, no one will even notice.”

“Oh, good.” He puts the car into gear, his mouth quirking up as he glances over at me once more. “I wouldn’t want you to think I was stalking you.”

---