Page 10 of A Billionaire for Christmas

‘That depends. Are you hoping for an increase in sexual desire?’ Molly gulped anxiously.

There really was no scientific basis to her culinary creations.

They were essentially an edible metaphor for desire.

At that moment, she couldn’t even be sure if this whole conversation had been reduced to a mere metaphor, such was the verbal foreplay going on between them.

Levi removed gold and diamond cufflinks.

The movement captivated her. His hands were tanned and manly, deftly rolling up his sleeves to reveal strong forearms. He undid his bow-tie, sliding it slowly from his neck.

Molly felt her heart racing and tried to shift her focus to the glass in her hand.

Levi dropped the bow-tie onto the coffee table in front of them and shifted his weight to face her dead on.

‘Sex sells. You only have to see how much the tickets cost for the party upstairs. All on nothing but a promise. It’s basically Tinder for the super elite. ’

‘Exactly.’ Molly had no idea what extortionate price people would pay to attend a Burlesque Night at the Cigar Lounge, but she had heard rumours that the tickets were so prohibitively expensive, only the super-rich could afford them.

This was so far from her world. ‘Who wouldn’t want to dress up like this every year for a date? ’

It was an unintentional invitation to check her out, and Levi took it. As his appreciative gaze roamed across her body, it sent her temperature soaring.

Her mind flew to the bucket list and the pressing need to get it completed before close of play on Christmas Eve. ‘Mind-blowingly expensive tickets demand mind-blowingly good food.’

‘Exactly. What’s next?’ Levi asked as he topped up their glasses.

The champagne was doing a brilliant job of relaxing her. Me, I’m next , she thought, eyeing his impossibly toned shoulders and biceps as he placed the bottle back in the ice bucket. They were magnificent.

Unused to flirting, she had had very little practice and had never tried to do it while drinking champagne or while hiding an ulterior motive.

But if she couldn’t succeed at it now, dressed in the sexiest costume she’d ever worn, then when could she?

She made a big deal of crossing her legs, making sure her stockings were centre stage.

She mirrored his movements, propping her elbow on the back of the sofa, twirling her hair suggestively.

Molly dragged her teeth slowly over her lower lip.

She needed to get him on the same page and hoped he couldn’t read the turmoil going on in her mind.

She inspected the tray with a forensic eye and slowly picked up one of the more delicate pieces.

A spectacularly ornate creation made with cured salmon gelatine in the shape of a diamond, rolled in bright green wasabi dust, topped with a watermelon purée and a pensée flower.

Feeling brave, she leaned across and fed it to him.

The gesture was intimate enough to create instant tension.

Levi opened his mouth to accept the offering and chewed slowly, not taking his eyes from hers.

She leaned a little closer to him. Still, he held her gaze.

She licked her lips. It reminded her of those poor women in romantic novels, constantly licking their lips every five minutes to get a man’s attention.

Levi instinctively dropped his eyes to her mouth.

This had to be the most sensual experience of her entire life. She was now but inches from his face.

She lowered her voice a full two octaves. ‘The techniques that go into it are very specific. Like, spherification… and, erm, the one that you are currently taking forever to eat… has been emulsified.’

‘Fascinating,’ he said, a hint of delight in his voice while he rolled the food around his mouth.

Chew. Chew. Chew.

Pursing her lips, she waited for him to stop chewing and start kissing her. She couldn’t make it any more obvious, but as the seconds ticked by, Levi kept chewing.

Her lips hovered millimetres from his. It was intrusive at best. She had crossed a professional line. The poor man was hungry for food and culinary advice, not her. She eased back into her seat and guzzled her champagne.

Levi, with a final swallow, observed her silently as though he was toying with her, while she felt borderline manic, consumed with a need to seduce him.

Infuriating.

What would tempt him? She would need to try harder.

This situation called for romancing at the highest possible levels.

She tore her eyes from his and glanced down to see her breasts rising above the corset.

She caught Levi following her gaze. She was comforted to see he had a lustful glint in his eye, for all he was trying to restrain himself.

It would have to do. Emboldened by the scandalously expensive bubbly, Molly parted her lips and thrust out her chest. She hadn’t read a thousand Mills & Boon novels over the years without learning a thing or two.

Perhaps she could wear him down with sheer determination.

She swept her hair seductively to the side in her most alluring manner. ‘I’m just trying to, you know…’

Silence.

Oh, for God’s sake.

Molly let out an exasperated sigh.

Levi leaned closer to her, their eyes colliding in a heated gaze. He reached out to cup her face. ‘You’re an incredibly beautiful woman. It’s very late. You’ve had almost an entire bottle of champagne, and I’d hate for this to go anywhere you’d later regret.’

There was nothing she’d regret less. Shaking her head, she searched his face, hoping for signs that he felt the same way. She saw his pupils dilating and decided that would have to do. She leaned into him and whispered against his ear. ‘Do you have a hot tub?’