“Us?” His word choice caught her by surprise.
“Yes. And make no mistake about it, there is an us. That’s why I have a proposition for you.”
Her mind was still reeling that he assumed there was an ‘us’ where the two of them were concerned. But his final statement intrigued her. “What kind of proposition?”
He leaned in close, so close that she got an intoxicating whiff of his after-shave. So close that she could clearly see the dark specks in his pupils and the extraordinary long length of his eyelashes. He reached his strong hand out and gently encircled her wrist. She immediately felt heat sizzle down her spine.
“You promised me three nights, and I only got one, Victoria. I want the other two. I think we both need the other two. And I want them in Paris.”
There was no need to ask why he felt that way. They were adults and the sexual chemistry between them was strong. Others had even picked up on it and were probably wondering if they intended to do anything about it. But still…
“What makes you think I need anything?” she asked, a little annoyed that he could read her so well.
“We’ve admitted to wanting each other, Victoria.”
“What I admitted to is wanting you then, Cortez.”
A smile touched his lips. “Can you honestly say you don’t want me now? Because I certainly can’t say the same about you.”
No, she couldn’t say that she didn’t desire him. Any woman would. Especially after he’d just admitted to still wanting her. “Why does everything have to be about sex?”
“Can you deny that’s not what you used me for in Paris?”
She dropped her gaze from his. He was calling her out. And no, she couldn’t deny it. It shouldn’t surprise her that he’d figured out what her purpose had been that night. She glanced back at him. “No.”
“Then I guess you just answered your own question, Victoria.”
The waiter came with her choice of wine, and when the man left, she asked, “What will two more nights accomplish?”
He leaned back in his chair again. “Hopefully, it will get you out of my system and finally let me get a good night’s sleep. I want to be free of the dreams of our time in Paris that are plaguing me.”
She didn’t say anything. She’d had dreams about that night, as well. Did that mean he was still in her system? But how would another sexual encounter between them now possibly change anything? “I need to think about it.”
He nodded. “I expected that you would. However, I’d like to know soon, in order to make all the necessary arrangements.”
As she drove home that night, Cortez’s proposal weighed heavily on Victoria’s mind. She didn’t want to become involved in a serious relationship any more now than she had four years ago. She had a feeling that to pick up where she and Cortez had left off was very, very risky. How much sex was too much? Was there even such a thing?
When Victoria entered the house, she was not the least bit surprised that her cousins practically met her at the door.
“How did things go?”
“Are the two of you friends now?”
“What does he want?”
All three questions came at her at the same time, and she drew in a deep breath. In a way, she was glad they’d waited up. In addition to enjoying another glass of wine, she needed girl power. “Let’s go in the kitchen. There’s something we need to talk about.”
It didn’t take long for glasses of wine to be poured and everyone to gather around the table and stare at her expectantly. Victoria turned to Monica. “As far as how things went tonight, I’m really not sure. And I’m not sure if we’re friends or not, either.” She looked at her cousins and took a deep breath. “What Cortez wants is for us to go to Paris.”
“And do what?” Monica asked, evidently not fully understanding what Victoria was saying.
“He wants to keep me in his hotel bed for two nights, the way he’d planned to do nearly four years ago.”
“And you agreed to it?” Bree asked, lifting a brow.
“No, I didn’t agree to anything.”
“But you will,” Kennedy said, grinning smugly.
The room got quiet and everyone looked at Kennedy. “What makes you think I will?” Victoria asked.
“Because you like Cortez more than you want to admit.”
Victoria frowned. “What gives you that idea?”
She couldn’t wait to hear Kennedy’s answer. In the past, Kennedy had always been the logical one, right behind Sebrina. However, since meeting Haddison and falling in love, Kennedy had started to look at things through rose-colored glasses. She was in love and wanted her cousins to join her.
“Well, think about it. You met Cortez nearly four years ago in Paris…and you haven’t slept with anyone since then.”
Victoria didn’t have to ask how Kennedy knew that — Victoria had admitted it one night when they were sharing secrets over wine. “That doesn’t mean anything,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.
Kennedy chuckled. “Yes, it does. It means he was either so bad that he turned you off sex, or he was so good that you’re afraid no other man can compare.”
Monica and Bree’s gazes shifted from Kennedy to her. “Is that true, Vic?” Monica asked. “Was he that good, or was he a waste of bed sheets like my first guy?”
Cortez certainly hadn’t been a waste of bed sheets. In fact, he was the type of man bed sheets were made for. He’d been attentive and gentle, especially after realizing it was her first time. But then he’d shown her just how enjoyable making love could be. “He wasn’t a waste of bed sheets, believe me.” Then, realizing what she’d let slip, she added, “There could be a third reason, you know.”
“And what reason is that?” Of course, it was Kennedy who wouldn’t let this go.
“Maybe I’d been too busy graduating at the top of my class with both undergrad and grad degrees? Or maybe I spent too many hours taking my business from the brink of bankruptcy and making a success of it. Those things took up a lot of my time over the past four years. Besides, I’ve never wanted a relationship, and the three of you know why.”
“Victor Junior and Victor Senior,” everyone said simultaneously.
“You got it.”
Monica raised a brow. “I can see why you wouldn’t be interested in a serious relationship, but what’s wrong with a casual one if the sex was good? In my case, the sex was bad, so I don’t care if I ever do it again.”
The room got quiet. No one had ever questioned Monica for details as to what had made her first sexual experience so bad. They’d figured the guy had been a very selfish lover who’d left her totally unsatisfied. In a way, Victoria felt bad about that since her first time had been even more satisfying than she’d dreamed of.
“I hear what you’re saying, Vic, but people make time for good sex,” Kennedy said, breaking into the room’s silence. “You’ve just told us that your first and only time was a good experience for you. So, why hasn’t there been anyone else?”
“You don’t have to answer that,” Bree said, coming to her defense.