Page 22 of Executive Privilege

"Frankie mentioned it," I add quickly. "She handles your mail sometimes. And she loves to gossip."

"The hotel is convenient," he says carefully. "No maintenance, no complications, no—"

"No personal attachments," I finish.

His eyes meet mine across the candlelit table. "Yes."

The waiter returns to take our dinner order, breaking the moment, but the tension continues to build throughout the meal. Every shared smile, every moment when the conversation dips into territory more personal than professional—it all feels like we're dancing around the elephant in the room.

Or the kiss in the parking garage.

"Sadie," Nicholas says as we're finishing dinner, his voice lower than before. "About last night—"

"You said we were going to pretend it never happened."

"I said a lot of things last night." His fingers trace the stem of his wine glass. "Most of them were probably lies."

My breath catches. "Which part was the lie?"

"The part where I said it couldn't happen again."

The admission hangs between us, raw and honest and completely at odds with his careful control.

"So what are you saying?"

Nicholas signals for the check, his movements precise despite the tension radiating from him. "I'm saying we should get out of here before I do things that prove just how little self-control I actually have."

Nicholas follows me home in his car, and when we both park in my building's lot, the memory of last night's parking garage encounter makes the air between us electric.

"Ready to come up?" I ask, my voice steadier than I feel.

"It's probably not a good idea."

"Probably not," I agree. "But you're going to come up anyway."

"Sadie, I need you to understand. I'm not good at... this. Relationships. Emotional complications. Trusting people."

"Who said anything about relationships?"

Surprise flickers in his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying maybe we don't have to complicate this. Maybe we can just..." I step closer. "See what happens."

"Just sex," he says, but it sounds like a question.

"Just really good sex," I correct, and watch his control snap.

This time when he kisses me, all of the hunger and need and the desperate chemistry that's been building between us for weeks is behind it. I'm dimly aware that we're in a semi-public parking lot, but I don't care.

"Upstairs," I breathe against his mouth. "Now."

The elevator ride to my floor is torture. We stand on opposite sides, not touching, the tension so thick I can barely breathe. But the moment my apartment door closes behind us, Nicholas has me pressed against it, his mouth on mine and his hands all over me.

"Are you sure about this?" he asks, pulling back just enough to search my eyes.

"Are you seriously asking me that now?"

"I'm asking because once we do this, everything changes."