Page 9 of Destined To Fall

“A date. We were discussing when.” His following smile lights up his whole face, and for a moment, I forget everything, lost in its warmth…wait, what?

“A date? I don’t…date.” One side of my mouth twists up, thinking about the little I don’t do.

“Shame. I don’t sleep around,” he retorts with the slightest twitch of a brow, making me smirk. He’s got me pegged already. Good.

“You should try it sometime.”With me.“It’s rather…liberating.”

“I could say the same to you.”

“Me? Dating?”

“Yes, dating.”

“Ah, but you see, it’s rather frowned upon to have sex on the first date. Rather whorific, I’m told.”

Jeremy bursts out laughing, the sound rich and deep. It sends a buzz of electricity across my skin, making me want to hear it again.

“I don’t play nice with rules, unless they’re my own. So I skip all the preliminaries, simplifying the situation. It doesn’t get more liberating than that.”

“What happened to the thrill of the chase? Delayed gratification and all that?”

“There’s plenty of thrill and chase. I just don’t delay my gratification.” I smirk.“I’m all for delaying someone else’s.”

Jeremy scoffs, but there’s mirth in it.“And here I was under the impression women enjoyed foreplay.” It’s my turn to grin.“Come with me to this charity auction tomorrow night?”

“Why?”

“Because it’ll be fun?”

I raise a brow at that.

“Because I want to see you again and change your mind. Maybe, heaven forbid, prove there’s more to life than a quick fuck.”

I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, stifling my laugh into a snigger, and try not to think about the salacious response that one word coming out of his pretty mouth has.

“A slow one?” I tease.

Jeremy shakes his head in mock displeasure, his grin breaking through, ruining his attempt.

Whatever else I had been going to say catches in my throat when something draws my gaze to the left, through the glass windows, to the street. I see an all-too-familiar black Mercedes pulling up to the curb.He didn’t.My heart stops when the rear door opens and out steps Antony.

Of course he did.

It kicks back up to explosive levels when his eyes look up and through the window, narrowing when they see me.

“Ah, shit.” I scramble off the stool, taking my clutch in hand and downing the last of my scotch.“I have to go, my…ride’s here.” He’s going to ride my ass, for sure.

“Wait, that’s it? You’re just going to leave?”

“Well, yeah. Thank you for the drink and entertaining company.”

“At least…” He pauses, his brow furrowing, seeming to struggle with something before carrying on.“Can I get your number?”

“What for?”I quip.“It was…interesting meeting you, Jeremy.” I smile, and before I can help myself, I lean in to peck him on the cheek, lingering for a beat too long.“The pleasure was all mine,” I whisper in his ear, catching his delicious woodsy scent.

I walk off at a brisk pace before he has a chance to respond or stop me. I can feel his gaze burning into me as I make my way to Antony appearing in the doorway. His displeasure radiates toward me the moment he crosses the threshold. This is going to make for one eventful day.

“Vivienne.” He makes a show of pulling me into him before roughly kissing my cheek, his lips lingering and his eyes intent on something, or someone, behind me.

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