Page 20 of Devil Mine

A waiter exits the kitchen and walks past us with a tray full of fresh champagne flutes. Dagny snatches one and blows him a cheeky kiss when he flicks her a look, then hands the flute to me.

“You should jump his bones,” she declares.

I choke mid-sip.

“I shouldwhatnow?” I ask, coughing.

“Fuck him,” she clarifies. “You should absolutely fuck him. As many times as possible in as many positions as imaginable before your dad ships you off to sexual Siberia for the rest of your life.”

“Jesus. Thanks for making me feel better, Dags,” I say dryly.

“Don’t worry my time will come too and then you can be as brutally honest with me as I’m being with you right now,” she says, patting my shoulder compassionately. “Seriously though, you’ve got too nice a pair of tits for them to go unfondled by someone as attractive and as clearly sexually gifted as that man.”

I blush the same color as my dress.

“He might be just average.”

“He isn’t,” she asserts. “I felt like I was intruding on Tess-Mystery Man private sexy time just watching him staring at you. Those were someverygraphic fantasies being played out behind his eyes, I promise you.” She sighs dramatically. “What I would give for a man to look at me like that.”

There was definitely something explicit about the way he watched me. It’s almost as if he was trying to brand me with his gaze. I can still feel the ghost of his eyes on me like a physical caress.

I crave more of it.

I’ve never been spontaneous. I’m someone who always has a clearly thought out and researched plan and then executes it to the letter, but for some reason the thought of not exploring whatever this thing is between us leaves me with a disappointed feeling in my chest. I’ve never had such an immediate sexual connection with someone and even I can recognize that I’m unlikely to find such a connection again soon.

Especially if I’m married off to a sexagenarian.

“Did you see where he went?” I ask.

Dagny’s eyes shine mischievously. “Does that mean you’ve decided to go find him and let him do unspeakable things to you?” She claps her hands happily before opening up her clutch and taking out a pink lipstick. “Pucker up,” she orders, applying a fresh coat when I do as instructed. “Just so you know, I one hundred thousand percent support every bad decision you’re about to make,” she says, closing the lipstick and putting it back in her purse. She grabs the bottom of my corset and tugs it down, making my breasts almost jump out of the other end.

“Dags!” I exclaim, bringing a hand up to my neckline.

“Franklin had these beauties crushed up against that gross chest of his so Mystery Man never got to see them and that’s just a shame. This time, I want him to get a good long look at what you have to offer.”

“You mean my brilliant mind and razor-sharp wit?” I quip sarcastically.

That makes the rational, sensible side of me pierce through, sobering me in an instant. Looking at this empirically, this is not a statistically sound decision I’m about to make. I have nothing to gain from chasing after a stranger. I’ve never even had a one-night stand.

I should just go home, put my pajamas on, grab a pint of ice cream and eat it in front of a trashy movie instead.

Dagny clasps my face in her hands and squeezes my cheeks, cutting off my mental spiral.

“Ouch,” I churn out through puffed cheeks.

“Put your brilliant mind to the side for now, no man will ever truly appreciate it anyway. This is purely physical. You deserve a night of really good sex. You deserve a night where you’re taking a risk and doing something completely uncharacteristically unlike yourself. A night of freedom, just like you wanted.”

I’m still unsure. “Is this a good idea?”

“Probably not, which is exactly why you should do it,” she smacks a kiss on my lips, releases my face, and slaps my ass. “Now chin up, shoulders back, tits out, and go give that man exactly what he was desperate to get a taste of twenty minutes ago.”

“You really need someone to tame you, you know that right?” I tell her, rubbing my stinging cheeks.

“Ugh I know, and no one’s lining up to do it. So tragic.” She points at a winding stone staircase. “I saw him and another man go up that way. He’s probably in one of the exhibits.” She gives me one final quick hug and then says, “Don’t come back until he’s completely defiled you. I want you looking unsuitable for mixed company and with stories about how you broke atleastfive international laws. Don’t worry, I’ll distract your parents in the meantime and sneak you out when you’re done. And I’m going to see if I can find out who he is while you’re getting shagged.”

I nod, down my champagne, hand her the empty flute and head for the staircase. I’m halfway up the first flight when she issues a belated warning.

“Be careful about one thing, Tess.” I pause and look back at her. “The way he was looking at you tonight…if you do find him, know that he might never let you go.”

---