The Proposal - Kitty Thomas Page 0,15

foreign language. I speak five languages, three fluently—Chinese and Japanese I'm only passable in despite doing so much business there. But whatever language she's speaking isn't on the list of the ones I know.

“So what you're saying is, you plan to date other men until you get an engagement ring?”

“Basically,” she confirms.

The little con artist.

“And you expect any man to go along with that?”

“The right man will,” she replies quietly.

I want to throw things, but everything on the jet is literally nailed down. Or maybe it's bolted down. Either way, there aren't a lot of things I can throw. And I realize that intimidating her in this small enclosed space isn't the smartest idea I've ever had.

I rise from my chair and tower over her.

“Soren...” her voice is small, panicked.

I grip the arm rests and lean down over her. “I could just take it,” I growl close to her ear as she shudders beneath me.

“You do and you'll never see me again,” she whispers.

“What makes you think I even want to see you again after you pulled this shit?” I say. Even though I know if either one of us should want to stop this forever it should be—and probably is—her.

A fire sparks in her eyes and suddenly I'm staring at twin blue flames. “Get. Off. Me,” she snarls.

I back off and plop my ass back in the chair across from her, glaring.

“Did you think I was a whore?” she asks. “You know you can pay a prostitute if that's what you want.”

“Honey, I can get it for free.”

“But not from me,” she says.

I don't know why I'm so fucking angry. Only a few hours ago I was thinking about how disappointed I was that no woman was a challenge, and here Livia Fairchild is—a challenge all wrapped up for me. And all I can do is whine like a petulant brat about it.

“Are you some kind of religious fundamentalist?” I ask, because that's the only thing that makes sense to me right now.

“No.”

There is a long beat of silence.

“Are you a virgin?”

She looks at me somehow shocked, hurt, and offended all at once. “No.” She practically spits the word.

Her voice is a bit stronger when she speaks again. “I have the right to set boundaries. I'm not obligated to fuck someone just because they want to fuck. I want the love and the commitment and the security. Sex means something to me, and if it doesn't mean the same thing to you, I'd rather just not. I'll understand if you don't want to see me anymore, and right now I'm not sure if I want to see you anymore so it might not be your decision to make.”

She looks out the window again. We're flying over a city; thousands of lights shine like stars below us.

My mind is racing with all kinds of insane thoughts. I have the money and power, I could make her disappear. I could take her and keep her as my prisoner. I could break her down until she bent sweetly to my will. Fuck vanilla suburban hell. I can lure her into the forest with me and take my time devouring her.

I take a deep breath and say, “I apologize. You caught me off guard.”

But I'm just regrouping, just resetting the game board, strategizing, planning ten moves ahead. I will have this woman in my bed if it's the last fucking thing I do. And once I do, she'll be very lucky if I ever let her out of it again. She has no idea who she's playing with.

Livia

Reboot

Ten and a half months ago. Last August.

I haven't spoken to Soren in two weeks, but I can't stop thinking about him. The reality is, the other two men I'm dating are placeholders. They're buffers to keep me from stupidly getting too attached to the wrong man. And I know without any doubt who the wrong man is now. But I haven't seen the others the past two weeks, either. I'm burnt out to be honest.

I need a break from men. I need to think about if any of it is worth it. Dating men one at a time, dating them three at a time... what does it matter? It's still the same stupid bullshit. They won't commit, but they think you owe them your pussy because reasons. I'm so disgusted with this fucked-up dating scene, this instant-gratification culture, inside of which nothing deeper can ever have the hope to grow.

I seriously just want to time