Chapter 23
twenty-three
. . .
Bridger
I hadn’t brought Emilia to Paris with any intent of having sex with her.
Sure, I’d thought about it.
I’d fucked my hand in the shower to thoughts of her so many times I’d set a new record. But I had no plan of acting on it.
But hearing she’d never had good sex?
It seemed like a crime not to act on it now.
Our plates were set down in front of us. This steakhouse was famous for their steak frites, so that’s what we were both having.
Not that I was thinking about food anymore.
Once our server stepped away, I leaned closer to her. Her fitted sweater showed off the slightest bit of cleavage, and I’d had to concentrate when we were on the elevator not to stare at her tits.
“What does it mean that it’s never been good?” I asked, my lips grazing the shell of her ear.
I loved doing that, because I noted the way her body shivered the slightest bit when I touched her.
Even just a graze.
She surprised me when she leaned forward, her hand finding my knee beneath the table as she spoke close to my ear. “It means I’ve had shitty sex with my past boyfriends.”
Why was I smiling?
My tongue dipped out to wet my lips. Our faces were so close that her warm breath tickled my cheek. “Has a man ever made you come?”
“No,” she said, and it came out a little breathless.
How the fuck was that possible?
“Do you pleasure yourself?” I asked, my hand moving to her thigh.
“Yes.”
“Have you ever thought of me when you’ve touched yourself?” I pressed, because I wanted to know.
She pulled back, cheeks flushed, and she reached for her wine glass and took a sip, but her gaze never left mine.
She set the glass down, and I waited for a response.
“Yes.”
“Was it back when you had that crush on me?” I asked, my voice lighter now, because I could tell this was a lot for her.
She cut into her steak and took a bite before she arched a brow. “Then and now.”
“Good to know,” I said with a chuckle.
“How about you?”
“Yes. My cock is a big fan of yours,” I admitted. I had no shame. I was upfront about who I was and what I wanted.
And right now, I wanted Emilia Taylor.
“Holy shitballs,” she whispered under her breath, but I heard her just fine.
“Don’t freak out. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“We work together,” she said, as if there was a big conflict. We both knew that working together was not the conflict that would stop us from moving forward.
“I hired you to design my home. You don’t work for Chadwick Enterprises. There’s no HR violation here.”
“So what are you suggesting? We just have sex one time and then act like it never happened?” she asked, her mouth falling open.
I leaned forward, gently pressing her chin up as I smirked. “I’m not suggesting anything. You’ve got different rules than I do when it comes to this kind of thing.”
“And what are your rules?”
“I have none. If you’re attracted to someone, someone who doesn’t work for the company you founded, of course, and they’re attracted to you—you have a little fun. There are no expectations. It’s not about that. Those are my rules.”
She tucked her lips between her teeth and rolled them around as if she was trying to calm herself down. “Your rules are much simpler than mine.”
“Tell me about yours.”
“Well, no sex on the first few dates, because, I don’t know, that’s just a thing. You don’t want to give it up too easily, right?”
“Well, I guess that’s up to you. It depends what your objective is. I’m not looking for a long-term thing, so I go in with a different attitude. I’m not bullshitting anyone. I’m just making sure we both get off, and then we move on.”
Her cheeks were several shades darker now, and she took another sip of wine. “Is it awkward in the morning?”
“I don’t do the whole sleepover thing, so I wouldn’t know.”
“You ask them to leave?” she asked, eyebrows pinched together as if she was perplexed.
“I don’t bring women into my home. I go to their place or a hotel, and we have a good time, and then we call it done. I like to go home and get some sleep.”
“And do they always have a good time?”
“Always,” I said with no hesitation. Because pleasing my lady was important to me. Even if we weren’t planning to see one another again, I never left a woman unfulfilled.
“Do you ever have repeat business?” she asked, her teeth sinking into her juicy bottom lip.
“Sure. It happens now and then. I don’t overthink it. But I’m always honest that I’m not that guy. If they’re looking for something serious, they’ve come to the wrong place.”
She nodded. “I’ve never had sex with someone that I wasn’t dating.”
“And you’ve had shitty sex, so how’s that working out for you?”
“You might be onto something.” She waggled her brows. “But we don’t even like each other very much. It would be a disaster. I mean, if we were to act on it. Not that you’re offering that, but I’m just saying.”
She clapped a hand over her mouth as if she needed to force herself to stop talking.
Emilia Taylor was fucking adorable.
I finished chewing and leaned forward, my forearms resting on the edge of the table. “Emilia. I’m offering. But it’s got to be your choice. It’s only awkward if you don’t know what you’re getting into.”
“And what would I be getting into?”
“You want the details?” I asked, my voice gruff now.
The smell of jasmine and vanilla wafted around me.
She nodded. “Yes. I like to know all the things before I make a decision.”
I leaned closer, tucking the loose strand of her hair that had broken free from the knot at the nape of her slim neck behind her ear.
“I’d take my time with you. I’d kiss every inch of you, licking and tasting all that sweetness.
And then I’d make sure you came on my fingers, before having you ride me for as long as you could handle it.
I’d let you set the pace, until you came so hard you cried out my name. ”
Her breaths were coming hard and fast against the skin on the side of my neck. I swore I could hear her heart pounding against her chest.
And then she pulled back, once again reaching for her wine.
“That’s quite an offer. You sure you can deliver on that?” She smirked.
“I’m a man of my word.”
“And you’re sure it won’t be uncomfortable tomorrow? Because I have a mantel to go see, and then at some point I’m going to need a ride home on your fancy aircraft.”
“I mean, I can only speak for myself. I don’t get awkward. And you said it yourself—we don’t even like each other. It would just be about us scratching an itch. But there is one stipulation if you so choose to have some fun in Paris.”
“What is it? Do I have to accept the golden shitter toilet?” A wide grin spread across her pretty face, and I chuckled.
Had I ever laughed so much before with a woman?
“You have to be okay with the arrangement, because I can’t have my brothers’ girlfriends banning Sunday dinner because they think I fucked you over.”
“Do you plan to fuck me over?” she purred, and the way she said it was so sexy, I had to shift in my chair to adjust myself.
My dick was enjoying this unexpected conversation.
“I plan to fuck you senseless. Nothing more.”
She sucked in a breath. “I’ve never had such an open conversation about having sex before.”
“So how does it normally go down for you? Pun intended.”
“You have a filthy mouth, Bridger Chadwick,” she said.
“You have no idea. So, you best prepare yourself if you really want this,” I said, almost in warning. “Answer the question. How does this normally work for you?”
“Sheesh. You have a lot of questions for a guy who doesn’t do relationships.” She made yet another attempt to avoid the question.
“And you’re deflecting.”
Her eyes widened. “Fine. We go out a few times. We talk on the phone often. And then we decide to give the relationship a try, so we do the dirty deed.”
I leaned back in my chair, shaking my head. “That’s about as boring as it gets. No wonder it sucks. You’ve got all these expectations for everything outside of sex. Who wants to deal with that shit?”
“Umm… most people,” she said with a laugh. “Most people want to find someone. To have a partner. Aside from you, clearly.”
“I’m happy on my own. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy spending time with a woman.”
“Maybe that’s what I’ve been missing. A one-night stand.
And you’d be the perfect person because, well, you’re…
you. You’d be a great one to start with.
Because I’m certainly not expecting anything here.
Aside from all the things you mentioned earlier.
Maybe I’ll like this, and then I can go on to find myself a lover in every city I visit moving forward. ”
What the actual fuck is she talking about?
“Not sure that was a compliment, but I’m fine with it.”
“So this would be a French fling,” she said, a wide grin spread clear across her face. “I won’t even tell the girls about it, because it’s a one and done. What happens in Paris, stays in Paris.”
I nodded. I’d never discussed having sex with someone at such great length.
This was probably a terrible idea.
She was into relationships.
I was… not.
This would probably end in disaster, but the thought of having her fall apart on my lips was too much to walk away from.
I wanted this.
When was the last time I’d actually wanted someone like this?
Probably never.
But I wouldn’t tell her that. That would mislead her. We’d fuck one another out of our systems and never speak of it again.
I was good at that.
“What happens in Paris,” I said, loving the way her chest was moving up and down rapidly, her eyes wild with curiosity.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, Bridger Chadwick.” She extended a hand. “I’m yours for one night, and one night only. Feel free to rock my world.”
Oh, I intend to, angel. As many times as you can handle.
I took her hand in mine and used the other to hold up my credit card as the server walked our way.
I was ready.
So fucking ready.