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“Hey!” Samantha’s smile beamed from within.

How did she do that? How did she smile with her skin and her eyes and the way she walked?

“Fancy meeting you here,” Samantha said when she reached her. Arm around Natalia’s waist, Samantha pulled her in and kissed her cheek. Enveloped in her smoky scent, Natalia didn’t resist the embrace. Eyes closed, she lingered, fingers automatically finding the back of Samantha’s neck and the soft, freshly buzzed hair.

Forcing herself to break their contact before it became over-indulgent, Natalia stepped back. “Isn’t having children a requirement for cringey dad humor?”

Samantha chuckled, energy blinding. “I refuse to be put in a box, Natalia.”

Rolling her eyes, Natalia turned back toward the door before she did something stupid, like smile. Samantha’s arm, the one adorned with what Natalia realized was a highly abstract image of an elephant, appeared in front of her. Before Natalia could, Samantha was opening the door for her. A move Natalia refused to respond to.

Natalia stepped into the elegant art deco lobby, heels clicking on intricate tile work. Dark wood paneling and dramatic chandeliers hinted at the hotel’s glamorous past.

Samantha followed, gaze roaming over decorative moldings and arched doorways. “Swanky. Though I feel underdressed.”

“You’re fine,” Natalia dismissed, noticing Samantha’s bared arms again. She led the way to an unassuming door near the front desk labeled “Staff Only.”

Without hesitation, she opened the door, revealing a dim stairwell. As they descended, jazz music and laughter floated up to greet them.

At the landing, an ornate mahogany door engraved with a lion’s head awaited. Samantha’s eyes lit up as Natalia pressed a discreet buzzer.

A slot in the door slid open, a gruff voice demanding, “Password?”

“You should have told me we were meeting at a sex club.” Samantha smoothed down her t-shirt. “I left my leather and chains at home.”

Natalia blinked at her and then provided the password. “McCoy.”

They stepped into an opulent underground bar, chandeliers glittering. Leather booths and a billiard table hinted at its speakeasy past. Patrons laughed and mingled over Prohibition-era cocktails.

“Well, this is damn cool.” Samantha’s approving gaze returned to Natalia. “How did you know about this place?”

Hiding her smug satisfaction, Natalia started for a round booth and left Samantha’s curiosity unsatisfied.

They sat across from one another in the dark bar, the candle between them doing unfair things to accentuate Samantha’s warm brown eyes and the razor edge of her jaw.

“Do you bring all of your dates here to impress them?” Samantha asked, sliding around the half-circle booth to sit next to Natalia.

Natalia hesitated at her sudden proximity. At how good her body felt next to hers. At the way it was so natural to be with her. She should move away. Should create distance, but her traitorous body refused to bend to her will.

The server appeared, and Samantha ordered a spicy-sweet concoction of cinnamon whiskey, apple cider, and lemon juice. Natalia went for a luxurious champagne cocktail with St-Germain, a hint of gold leaf, and a sugar cube soaked in bitters. They both arrived promptly.

“I know I should stop using the D-word around you,” Samantha said, lips quirking. She’d misread Natalia’s silence. “But I’m having trouble thinking of a better term for these completely non-business related outings we’ve been having. Classics are classics for a reason, right?”

Natalia took a slow sip of her drink, never breaking Samantha’s gaze. “I prefer to think of them as strategic negotiations.”

“Of course you do.” Samantha’s eyes danced with enthralling amusement. “Well, in that case, when you agree to marry me, I promise not to refer to it as our legal domestic partnership for optimal tax benefits and probate purposes.”

Natalia nearly choked while swallowing. She glared at Samantha, but the effect was somewhat dampened by Samantha’s mischievous laughter.

“You’re incorrigible,” Natalia accused instead of telling her she didn’t believe in marriage. But she couldn’t ignore the unfamiliar warmth spreading through her chest. It was maddening. And exhilarating. And alarmingly addictive. Rushing up to the line without crossing it was giving her a high unrelated to IP acquisition.

“So I’ve been told.” Samantha’s gaze softened. “But I like to think I’m growing on you.”

Natalia’s heart stuttered, but she quickly schooled her features. “Like mold, perhaps.”

Samantha’s answering laugh lit up her entire face. Natalia had to look away from the radiance of it. She took another long drink until her glass was empty. This simply would not do. She was dangling off the side of a crumbling cliff, fingers and toes desperate for purchase while the unsurvivable fall threatened.

“You asked me to be real the other night,” Natalia said when their second round of drinks arrived. “But I don’t know that you’ve ever told me a single real thing about yourself.”