if we dated, what does that mean?”
A small pocket of air gushed behind as he pulled away, forcing me to turn around. Dominic created distance between us as if he couldn’t stand to be near me anymore.
“Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear, Kate. I don’t date. I don’t have relationships. This is who I am. I don’t mix business with pleasure.”
Touching the base of my neck, I narrowed my gaze on him. “So why did you bring me here?”
“Because I could see it in your eyes. Your desire to have a man touch you intimately.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand?” I interjected, crossing my arms in defiance. “You don’t want to touch me?”
“It’s not my job to touch you. I’m here to open your eyes to another world. A world where every fantasy can be met.”
I turned back around to avoid the humiliation which had crept in slowly and gazed at the scene before me. Dominic was proposing I fulfill my desires with a stranger, let go of my inhibitions as well as my morals for the sake of what? An orgasm that lasts not even a minute.
The nerve of him.
Suddenly, a burst of anger rattled me. The air in the room became stifling hot, my blazer had become too tight as sweat started to build beneath my blouse.
“I need… I need to get out of here.”
I turn to exit the room before Dominic latched onto my arm, holding me still.
“You’ll be back. Everyone always comes back,” he stated confidently. “You can play your morals in your head on repeat, but deep down inside, you can’t ignore your first initial reaction. Curiosity is the feeder of desire. And with desire becomes your ability to let it all go. You’ll see Kate, I promise.”
Dominic released his grip, and in a flash, I exited the room with my dignity.
There’s no chance in hell I’d succumb to his prediction.
And especially no chance of returning here again.
Dominic may have been sexy, and yes, I’d fantasized about him a lot since I first met him, but those preliminary thoughts didn’t consume me whole. I wasn’t in that deep, not enough to force me under a current with no chance of survival.
I was still able to swim.
Away from the chaos and away from the man marked as dangerous.
KATE
Present
“And so, then he says, what about kids one day?”
Eric’s high-pitched squeal causes me to distance the phone from my ear. With my thoughts focused elsewhere, I think of a reasonable response to calm him down.
“So, he’s thinking about kids? It’s not going to happen tomorrow,” I reassure him while scanning the area of the hotel lobby. “Tristan loves you. Don’t panic over something that isn’t worth panicking about now. You guys just got back together after a long time apart. Slow down and try to enjoy each other’s company.”
“That’s the problem. I’d love to slow down, but Tristan wants to move forward. He’s talking about commitment.”
When it comes to relationships, Eric dreads the ‘C’ word. In ways, I don’t blame him. Not that I’ll openly admit that. Just because it works for some people doesn’t necessarily mean it works for others. I believe we should all set our own rules in life, and conforming to society can only set you up for failure. Different people, different rules, and different relationships.
“Eric,” I repeat, willing to calm him down with my soft tone. “You love him, right? Just follow your gut.”
“My gut has gained ten pounds thanks to his cooking!” Eric’s shrill is enough for me to end our conversation. “I’ll be the laughing stock of Weight Watchers come fall.”
“Stop being dramatic. I have to go,” I tell him, noting the time on the clock on the wall above the concierge desk. “We’ll talk later.”
“You can’t go! And anyway, what are you doing? You’re so secretive these days that for all I know, you’ve joined the Parisian mafia and work undercover as some mob boss.”
“You’ve watched The Godfather way too many times,” I point out to him. “I have some urgent business to take care of tonight. We’ll talk later.”
I press ‘end call’ before he has a chance to say goodbye or quote lines from the movie with his terrible impersonation of Marlon Brando.
Keeping my phone in my hand, I scan the hotel lobby area with a flutter of anticipation in my stomach. A few guests wait patiently to be served by the hotel staff with suitcases beside them, waiting to check-in. Many of the guests are traveling couples looking far