back a client list, rebranding C&L Interiors and putting my personal life on hold. Now it’s time to have a little of what I want and truly put the past behind me.
But with Reid, of all men?
He doesn’t trust easily, that much is clear from some of the comments he’s made. And I understand. I trusted Josh even after the cheating, accepting his seemingly heartfelt apologies, even counselling him through his confusion over his sexuality. I snort at my own stupidity. I spent hours ignoring my own needs while listening to his assurances that we could stay friends, still work together even though we were ending things as a couple.
My stomach pinches as I recall the shock of arriving at the office the Monday following our break-up to find no sign of him, current client files wiped from the computer and the business account stripped of funds.
I hover near the laundry basket, debating the pros and cons of following Reid’s sexy request. I don’t need his trust to enjoy this. I can make the most of our mutual attraction, reclaim my personal life as fiercely as I’ve fought to rebuild my business. Surely I’ve done the hardest part—admitting I fantasised about him and demanding he play the starring role as I live out those fantasies.
I close my eyes, recalling his kiss this morning in his boardroom...my pulse speeds and my internal muscles clench just thinking about the way his lips commanded mine just as I’d always imagined; the way he touched me, his big frame holding me; the way my body felt vibrantly alive for the first time in a year, reality outstripping every Reid fantasy I’ve ever had.
My stomach flips, excitement winning.
Before I can change my mind, I hike up my dress and slide off my lacy thong, tossing it in the laundry basket with a liberating finality. I smooth my palms over my hips, the sensual chill of the fabric lining my dress of choice joining the cool air between my legs—a sensual promise that makes my breath catch as if Reid is already in the room. Just like the promise of his text, the promise of his words.
‘Expect to come a lot. Expect my very enthusiastic and frequent attention. Expect to have all your fantasies fulfilled.’
His car is waiting outside my ground-floor flat in Parson’s Green when I emerge, determined to embrace the arrangement I set in motion. He steps from the back and greets me with a chaste kiss to the cheek. But his mouth twists in the rare but astounding smile I’ve always adored, his scruff-covered jaw scrapes against my skin, sparking my nervous system alive as if he has the unique key to my erogenous zones, and his warm breath tickles my neck as he whispers a gruff, ‘You look beautiful.’
‘Thanks.’ I stifle my body’s uncontrolled judder of pleasure that he, Reid Faulkner, wants me. My eighteen-year-old self would flip cartwheels down the street.
I stroke the lapel of his jacket, this one navy where this morning’s had been charcoal. ‘You don’t look so bad yourself.’ He’s wearing a fresh shirt, the subtle scent of his cologne and undertones of something soapy telling me he’s taken time out of his day to prepare for our ‘dinner date’.
I slide into the car and press my thighs together, the cool leather on the backs of my legs going some way towards counteracting Reid’s appearance, which floods my pelvis with gooey heat and hijacks my pulse with anticipation.
He settles beside me and signals to his driver but leaves the privacy screen down, and I try to hide my disappointment that he’s not going to ravish me before we even make it to the restaurant.
‘How long have you lived in Parson’s Green?’ he asks, setting the tone to polite conversation.
I answer, my hands clenched in my lap. I don’t want to talk about the house I once shared with Josh. The house he encouraged me to remortgage to bolster our growing business and the debts he could so easily ignore when he walked away with our most lucrative clients.
‘Where do you live?’ I’m helpless against the way his mouth moves as he answers, remembering the decadent way he kissed me this morning—full pelt, like he’d been dying to do it since I stepped into the Faulkner Group offices the day before.
I half listen to him talk about Chelsea and how he and his brothers all live within a mile of each other, and close to Graham. I remember how close-knit they were growing up, although Kit and Drake seemed to squabble a lot, dragging Reid into the occasional argument on the rare occasions he was home when I visited.
‘You’ve drifted—everything okay?’ Reid’s voice draws me back to our date. ‘Nervous?’ he asks, and I want him to touch me, to shove my body into that heady euphoria of this morning.
I latch onto the lifeline of his dark blue eyes and nod. ‘A little. This is my first date—’ I make air quotes to let him know I’m not shifting the goalposts ‘—since Josh and I broke up.’
His hand lifts to push some hair back from my face but his fingers make no contact with my skin, to my endless frustration. ‘That didn’t end well for you, I’m sensing. Tell me about this dickhead of a fiancé who let you go.’
I grip my clutch bag and stare out of the window while I organise my emotions on the subject. Funny that admitting I was duped romantically is easier to confess than how naive I was businesswise, perhaps because, with the exception of Reid’s father, no one in my life ever really believed I was capable of running my own business. Even Josh, when I first suggested we start our own company, baulked at the idea, only coming around when I offered the small nest egg I’d inherited from my grandmother as the necessary start-up capital.
‘I caught him cheating, so no, it didn’t end well. Does it ever?’
Shock registers on his face and I take comfort from it for a few flattering seconds.
‘What an idiot.’ He takes my hand, the simple gesture incendiary to my body temperature and soothing the sting of admitting past humiliation I should have dealt with by now, but clearly have simply shelved while working to rebuild my business every waking hour.
I clear my throat, seeking the same bravery I found in his boardroom this morning. ‘I know it’s going to sound naive, but after the initial shock of my discovering his betrayal we parted on good terms. Tried to stay friends for the sake of the business we’d started together after university, which was where we met.’
Reid’s beautiful mouth twists. ‘That’s incredibly mature of you. I’m not sure I could have taken that attitude in your position.’
His compliment warms me, the years between us shrinking away for the first time. I change the subject, too close to admitting more and disabusing him of his regard.
‘What happened with you and Sadie?’
Shutters seem to cover his eyes, reminding me this apparent closeness is an illusion—we’re still virtual strangers. I know his father better than I know him.
‘Also didn’t work out, although not for the same reasons.’ He shrugs. ‘I dodged a bullet and it sounds like you might have as well. At least you hadn’t married the guy.’ His hand tightens around mine, his thumb swiping the back of my hand. ‘It must have been hard though, losing your fiancé and your business partner in one fell swoop and having to go it alone.’
I half nod, half shrug. If only he knew...
‘I channelled all my energies into the business—put in long hours, rebranded, raised the profile of the company.
