Page 36 of Indulgence
The creativity of it was left up to him.
I was just to simply follow his lead, which seemed to be a strangers-in-a-bar theme. Matteo wanted to set up the room and asked me to meet him here. I wasn’t sure what to expect and the anticipation had been eating me alive in the best possible way.
He took a seat next to me and nodded toward two people sitting at the end of the bar. “See them?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He jutted his chin at them. “What do you think their story is? Are they work colleagues or here on a blind date?”
They were sitting close enough that they could have been on a date or just familiar with each other. They weren’t touching at all yet seemed content in each other’s company. “Maybe they’re work colleagues who secretly want to date but can’t.”
He tilted his head and took a good look at them for a moment. While he looked at them, I looked at him. I could see his pulse point on his neck. It throbbed steadily. His chest rose and fell with calm breaths. He hadn’t seemed the least bit uneasy.
“And why can’t they?”
I ran my finger along the rim of my glass and smirked. “Oh, she desperately wants to accept, but he’s her boss and that could lead to a scandal at work. He knows how hard she worked to get to where she is, and he doesn’t want anyone to think she got there by spreading her legs.”
He drummed his fingers on the bar top and looked at me lasciviously. “Or maybe she’s the love of his life and he was finally able to take her out for nice night at a fancy hotel. And she got all dress up, and he is barely containing his desire to slam her on top of the bar and have his way with her.”
I shook my head and turn my gaze to a couple sitting at a high-top table behind us. “Now, those two seem to barely be able to keep from jumping over the table and mauling each other.”
He shifted in his seat and angled his body so he could see the couple I was referring to without being obvious. “He looks ready to eat her alive. Can you feel the sexual tension pouring off him?”
My eyes flitted between the two of them as I observed their interactions. Her brows her draw in and her jaw seemed to be clench. Her eyes, though, seemed to scream out for his touch. “She looks ready to slap him then kiss him. As if she can’t make up her mind whether she wants to fuck him or kill him.”
A fire blazed in Matteo’s eyes. I didn’t know what he was thinking. He didn’t add anything to the conversation as he took them in.
“Maybe they’re star-crossed lovers meeting in the night.” I winked. My voice dropped to sultry rasp as I said, “What a sexy concept.”
It seemed our little game of people watching was over as Matteo’s attention focused on my thighs as I shifted in my seat, uncrossing and crossing my legs. My core tingled as he took in the intricate lace pattern of my garters. “You’re the most beautiful woman in the room. Like a fine piece of art: alluring and exquisite.”
His praise had me sitting straighter in my seat. “It’s funny you say that.” I stirred the little plastic straw around the ice in my glass. “I happen to truly appreciate art. It’s one of my true loves.”
The corner of his mouth tipped up on one side. “You don’t say?”
My lips closed over the straw and I nodded, sipping my drink. “What about you? Have any true loves?”
My eyes roved over his body as I waited for his answer. His button-up fit him flawlessly. Sun-kissed skin peaked out from behind the top two buttons left undone.
He pierced me with his gaze as my focus hit his face. “You could say that.” His forearms flexed under the cotton of his shirt as he leaned an elbow on the bar and asked, “What about any other true loves? How’s a pretty lady like yourself sitting at a bar all by herself?”
I pursed my lips and tilted my head. “I’m waiting for a handsome man like you to come and sweep me off my feet.”
A devious grin played on his lips. “Off your feet, huh? And what are we doing with your feet off the ground?”
A buzz of exhilaration pulsed through me as the background din faded. He made everything else us die out leaving me emersed in this cat and mouse game. I was looking forward to finally being caught. I sipped the last of my drink, letting my muscles relax. My nerves seemed to take a hike, leaving me ready for the night of my life. “I’m sure we could think of a few things.”
He winked as he stood and reached into his pocket. He picked a bill out of a stack and slapped it down on the bar. “I’ve already thought of several.”
His skin scorched under my palm the instant I laid my hand on his arm. “Will your friend still be joining us?”
His eyes flamed with desire as he leaned forward and spoke into my ear. His warm breath ghosting across the shell and down my neck. “He’s already upstairs waiting.”
My breath caught in my throat.
The noise of the bar died out again.
The lights dimmed.
