He smiled. “Agreed.”
“This isn’t amusing, Dominic. I’m not even sure I believe you can follow your own terms,” she said crabbily. “So if this is all just bullshit so you can get me into bed, I’d rather not play this game.”
“Forgive me. I’m dead serious. Have security follow me. I’ll pay for it.”
She gave him a pointed look. “Why would I trust them when you’re paying them?”
“I’ll give you the money,” he offered, quickly adapting. “Hire whomever you want.”
“I don’t want your money.”
“If you have a better idea, I’m listening.” Unruffled, accommodating to infinity.
She grimaced. “You’re missing the point. I don’t think you can change.” She was no prude, but Dominic had no scruples when it came to kink. It was a major part of his life.
“I told you I’d give up all that. I did.”
“For me? Oh, hell, bleep that. I’ve been drinking.”
“No, that’s okay. It was mostly for you, although maybe it was just time to shut it down. Don’t ask me to understand. I don’t. I just know I’ve missed you.”
Maybe he’d pushed all her pity buttons. More likely she’d been delusional in thinking she could withstand temptation when he was so close and so beautiful it made her heart ache. “I missed you too,” Kate said softly. “The Johnny Chens of the world just don’t cut it.”
“Did you fuck him?” A sudden edge entered his voice.
“No. Tell me about your love life,” she said, equally acerbic.
“Fair enough. The only time I even came close to a woman was when a friend in Paris asked me out for dinner. Way before the meal was over, I knew I’d made a mistake. I gave her some excuse and had my driver take her home. That’s it.” He didn’t mention Tatiana because it was meaningless. “Otherwise I jacked off and drank at night. Now, tell me about your love life. Was there someone other than Johnny Chen trying to get in your pants?” That hard edge to his voice again.
“Not really. I couldn’t go through with it.” Missoula had been a huge mistake. She cringed every time she thought about it.
“Go through with what?” A narrow-eyed steely look.
“My roommate set me up. I thought I could forget you if I slept with someone else.”
A visible tick flickered across his jaw. “You slept with someone?”
“No, I only kissed him.”
“Him? What’s his name?” To be filed away for possible reprisals.
“Ben.”
“Last name,” he said curtly.
“I have no idea. I was just doing it to do it.” A touch of sarcasm entered her voice. “Surely, you know the feeling.”
He dragged in a breath; he was well acquainted with casual sex. “Did Ben touch you?” He kept the fury from his tone by sheer will.
“Don’t, Dominic. It was nothing. I burst into tears and locked myself in the bathroom. Okay? It was totally embarrassing.”
“And he just left? He didn’t try and talk you into anything?”
“Unlike you,” she said pointedly, “some men understand a refusal.”
His lips firmed. “I see,” he said tersely.
“I doubt you do. Now tell me about your dinner date,” she said with the same green-eyed jealousy.
“There’s nothing to tell. We ate dinner, my driver took her home.”
“What’s her name?”
A brief pause, instinctive male wariness. “Why?”
“Maybe I could introduce her to Ben,” Kate sardonically murmured.
Dominic softly exhaled. “Her name’s Victoria Melbury.”
“That doesn’t sound French.”
“It isn’t.”
“Where’s she from?”
He sighed. “Does it matter?”
“Only if you don’t tell me.”
An eye roll. “Jesus, she’s from London. She’s in the phone book but I hope like hell you don’t call her because she doesn’t matter. Now, could we talk about something else?”
“My, you’re testy.”
“Like I’m testy about Johnny Chen slobbering all over you and probably Ben too. I should punch them out.”
“Please don’t. And I won’t call Victoria. Deal?”
“Deal.” He suddenly grinned. “I suppose it wouldn’t be you unless we were arguing over useless shit. Could we get the hell out of here?” He nodded at her drink. “Are you done?”
“Yes, sir.”
“There. Finally.” He made a writing gesture to the waiter keeping an eye on their table from a discreet distance. “That makes my twelve hour flight worthwhile.”
“Speaking of worthwhile,” she said, “what are we going to do about condoms?”
The waiter who’d arrived at the table pretended not to hear, but Kate blushed red to her hairline.
Dominic didn’t care if he heard or not. “Send the charges to my trading station,” he politely said to the man. “And have my car brought up.”
He took one look at Kate and murmured as the waiter walked away, “I’m sure the man has heard the word condom before, Katherine.” Slipping a bill from the money in his pocket, he left the tip on the table, looked up, and smiled. “But I do enjoy your modesty. Not quite as much as I enjoy your lack of modesty in private.”
“This isn’t amusing, Dominic. I’m not even sure I believe you can follow your own terms,” she said crabbily. “So if this is all just bullshit so you can get me into bed, I’d rather not play this game.”
“Forgive me. I’m dead serious. Have security follow me. I’ll pay for it.”
She gave him a pointed look. “Why would I trust them when you’re paying them?”
“I’ll give you the money,” he offered, quickly adapting. “Hire whomever you want.”
“I don’t want your money.”
“If you have a better idea, I’m listening.” Unruffled, accommodating to infinity.
She grimaced. “You’re missing the point. I don’t think you can change.” She was no prude, but Dominic had no scruples when it came to kink. It was a major part of his life.
“I told you I’d give up all that. I did.”
“For me? Oh, hell, bleep that. I’ve been drinking.”
“No, that’s okay. It was mostly for you, although maybe it was just time to shut it down. Don’t ask me to understand. I don’t. I just know I’ve missed you.”
Maybe he’d pushed all her pity buttons. More likely she’d been delusional in thinking she could withstand temptation when he was so close and so beautiful it made her heart ache. “I missed you too,” Kate said softly. “The Johnny Chens of the world just don’t cut it.”
“Did you fuck him?” A sudden edge entered his voice.
“No. Tell me about your love life,” she said, equally acerbic.
“Fair enough. The only time I even came close to a woman was when a friend in Paris asked me out for dinner. Way before the meal was over, I knew I’d made a mistake. I gave her some excuse and had my driver take her home. That’s it.” He didn’t mention Tatiana because it was meaningless. “Otherwise I jacked off and drank at night. Now, tell me about your love life. Was there someone other than Johnny Chen trying to get in your pants?” That hard edge to his voice again.
“Not really. I couldn’t go through with it.” Missoula had been a huge mistake. She cringed every time she thought about it.
“Go through with what?” A narrow-eyed steely look.
“My roommate set me up. I thought I could forget you if I slept with someone else.”
A visible tick flickered across his jaw. “You slept with someone?”
“No, I only kissed him.”
“Him? What’s his name?” To be filed away for possible reprisals.
“Ben.”
“Last name,” he said curtly.
“I have no idea. I was just doing it to do it.” A touch of sarcasm entered her voice. “Surely, you know the feeling.”
He dragged in a breath; he was well acquainted with casual sex. “Did Ben touch you?” He kept the fury from his tone by sheer will.
“Don’t, Dominic. It was nothing. I burst into tears and locked myself in the bathroom. Okay? It was totally embarrassing.”
“And he just left? He didn’t try and talk you into anything?”
“Unlike you,” she said pointedly, “some men understand a refusal.”
His lips firmed. “I see,” he said tersely.
“I doubt you do. Now tell me about your dinner date,” she said with the same green-eyed jealousy.
“There’s nothing to tell. We ate dinner, my driver took her home.”
“What’s her name?”
A brief pause, instinctive male wariness. “Why?”
“Maybe I could introduce her to Ben,” Kate sardonically murmured.
Dominic softly exhaled. “Her name’s Victoria Melbury.”
“That doesn’t sound French.”
“It isn’t.”
“Where’s she from?”
He sighed. “Does it matter?”
“Only if you don’t tell me.”
An eye roll. “Jesus, she’s from London. She’s in the phone book but I hope like hell you don’t call her because she doesn’t matter. Now, could we talk about something else?”
“My, you’re testy.”
“Like I’m testy about Johnny Chen slobbering all over you and probably Ben too. I should punch them out.”
“Please don’t. And I won’t call Victoria. Deal?”
“Deal.” He suddenly grinned. “I suppose it wouldn’t be you unless we were arguing over useless shit. Could we get the hell out of here?” He nodded at her drink. “Are you done?”
“Yes, sir.”
“There. Finally.” He made a writing gesture to the waiter keeping an eye on their table from a discreet distance. “That makes my twelve hour flight worthwhile.”
“Speaking of worthwhile,” she said, “what are we going to do about condoms?”
The waiter who’d arrived at the table pretended not to hear, but Kate blushed red to her hairline.
Dominic didn’t care if he heard or not. “Send the charges to my trading station,” he politely said to the man. “And have my car brought up.”
He took one look at Kate and murmured as the waiter walked away, “I’m sure the man has heard the word condom before, Katherine.” Slipping a bill from the money in his pocket, he left the tip on the table, looked up, and smiled. “But I do enjoy your modesty. Not quite as much as I enjoy your lack of modesty in private.”
