Page 56 of The Mastermind

“Thank you.” The adorable couple walked into a restaurant.

Remi wasn’t as dark and cold as he portrayed himself. The more I learned about the various aspects of him, the more I wanted to immerse myself in his world to see what else was there.

Was it all dark? Or did it have glimpses of light? The man Paul had just described had given light to a stranger.

* * *

I lookedat myself in the long mirror in Remi’s massive hotel bathroom. Like the rest of his suite, the décor was black or shades of dark gray, with hints of white. The bathroom needed a splash of color for sure.

Remi had a surprise black-tie event planned for this evening. Since that day, we hadn’t kissed, spoken about a relationship, or anything close to that. Despite not acknowledging anything, we both knew something sacred had bloomed between us that day.

The four weeks that followed Remi spent more time at my apartment than in his suite. He never stayed overnight and never made a move on me. To an outsider, we were just two friends enjoying each other’s company.

Remi had a stronger will than Zeus himself. Or was I not hot enough for him? I valued our friendship and understood why he was hesitant. I refrained from seducing him, even though the sexual tension between us intensified each moment we were together.

Though he never answered my question about not wanting me, he also never admitted that hedidwant me. Sometimes, a girl needs concrete answers to move forward, you know?

I already concluded his kiss reflected him—hot, breathless, and seductive. A powerful kiss that made me yearn for more. He was the full package. I hadn’t told my friends that License to Kiss was a success, or that it had morphed into a serious mission. I wanted to enter his world—enter his heart. In the beginning, the simple mission was to get a kiss from him and to determine what I wanted to do with our attraction. Now I knew, and it scared me. What if the end result didn’t align with my desires? What if he didn’t want what I wanted?

It was no longer a silly spy game. I’d inform my friends when the time zones worked for all of us since they were in different locations around the globe.

I slipped on the body-hugging aqua dress with the V-neckline. The elegant gown had a mermaid silhouette, where the skirt fanned out to skim the floor. Then I slipped into a pair of gold Jimmy Choo ankle strap pumps.

After Remi took over the company, I didn’t need to attend many work events to gain new clients. Part of me missed dressing up in fancy gowns and wearing spectacular shoes. These days, Starke Vision had to turn away new clients because we couldn’t keep up. There had been talks about expanding the department and hiring new employees. I couldn’t wait to see that come to fruition.

Wearing my hair in a side wave, I added a simple gold clip to match the gold earrings, a pair from my Epiphanii collection. After adding makeup, I took one last glance at myself and smiled at the sexy woman flushing with confidence. I looked like a seductress who could get anyone she wanted. I was a worthy catch, and he’d be wise to keep his eyes on me.

Would Remi be able to resist me tonight?

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE

REMINGTON

I was readingan article about a new startup company when Audri stepped into the living room. Sensing her presence, I glanced up, and my heart burst with emotion and lust.

My brain cleared of everything except the stunning woman standing before me in a gorgeous aqua dress that hugged her body, showing off curves and sexy lines that made me want to eat every inch of her.

As she walked toward me, she twirled and showed me an open back and a fine ass. Her long, black hair was swept to one side with a gold clip that matched gold earrings. She didn’t wear a necklace, and she didn’t need it. It would have been too much.

Audri illustrated grace, beauty, and sex, putting my body on high alert. I didn’t know if I would be able to keep my hands off her tonight.

Her eyes gleamed. “What do you think?”

In two strides, I reached her. “You’re breathtaking.”

She smiled, and her eyes were downcast for a moment before glancing back up at me.

“Thank you.”

“You’re right about the blue. It looks fabulous on you.” I swallowed the dryness in my throat and twirled her around. “I can’t wait to show you off.”

I realized what I had said, but Audri didn’t seem to notice. If she did, she didn’t point it out.

Right now, Audri and I were just friends. We hadn’testablished anything regarding our situation yet. After that intoxicating kiss, I knew I wanted more from her, but I didn’t know where to go from there. How could we have a relationship and maintain a friendship if things didn’t work out?

Was I overanalyzing something that shouldn’t be analyzed? Analysis allowed me to achieve a concrete conclusion. It was how I conducted my business, how I projected a profit.

She’s not a business transaction.

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