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Dionysus

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

One by one, people leave the meeting room, leaving only the blonde.

I ignore her, hoping she understands that she’s dismissed too, but she still doesn’t move.

“Do you want anything, Miss Moulin?” I ask, folding my hands on the table and finally giving her my attention.

“Since tonight will be your last night in Paris before heading back to the States, I wondered if you’d like to relax with a drink later.”

I lean back in my chair, taking a leisurely inventory of her, from head to toe. In the past, it would have been the ideal kind of ending to a busy work week. A no-strings-attached fuck with a willing partner.

The woman has a nice body and a pretty face, but even though I know it would take only one word to have her naked on my desk in a matter of seconds, I’m not even tempted.

“Have fun in my place. I have to wake up early tomorrow.”

She finds it difficult to move, as if she can’t believe I refused the offer.

I focus on my laptop, blatantly ignoring her until I see her leave. Only then do I get up and lock the door, checking the time on the clock.

Nine thirty-six in the morning local time. Three thirty-six in the morning in New York.

At this point, Cecily will be asleep, and the thought of catching her off-guard excites me. We still have an agreement about talking without touching, and I need to hear her voice now.

The phone rings a few times before she answers, drowsily. “Dionysus?”

Satisfaction spreads through my chest with the certainty that she added a different ringtone just for me. I’m sure she answered in automatic mode and only knows it’s me by the sound.

“Were you dreaming of me, redhead?”

“Am I still dreaming?”

I smile. “Is that the excuse you’re going to give later?”

“Are you back from Paris already? Are you in New York?”

“No, I’m still here, but I wanted to hear you when you woke up.”

She laughs. “Couldn’t have waited a few hours?”

“No. I don’t know that word, especially when it comes to you.”

“What if I’m upset that you woke me up?”

“I don’t believe you are. You wanted to hear my voice too.”

“Arrogant.”

“That’s me, Cecily. Did you miss me?”

“Not at all, although I think you travel too much. You practically ran out of the wedding party. You are the best boss in the world—I hardly see you.”

“Did you want me to stay? Do you know what would have happened if I had gone home that day?”

“Nothing. Nothing would have happened.”

“I would have made you come. I would have respected our agreement not to touch, but I would have made you come just by saying what I want from you. With you.”

“With all due respect, you are very cocky, sir.”

“Really? Can you deny that, right now, your nipples are hard? Can you tell me that if I were there and asked you to open your thighs for me, I wouldn’t see your pussy glistening with lust?”

“You wouldn’t. I wouldn’t let you.”

“That’s what you want, Cecily.”

“I’ve never been naked for a man.”

Damn! “Will you get naked for me?”

“Is this some game?”

“Do you want it to be?”

“I’m shaking. This feels like a dream.”

“Trembling with lust, hottie?”

“Just hearing your voice and the dirty things you’re saying to me...”

“I’m going to make you come. I’m obsessed with hearing you moan my name while you come, but I don’t want to do it over the phone. I want to see your beautiful face while you pleasure yourself.”

“Dionysus . . .”

“I’m dying to taste you, Cecily. I want to bury my face in the center of your thighs and only stop when I’m smeared all over with your honey.”

“You’ll end up killing me. It’s very tempting, but...”

“But what?”

“I don’t want to lose my job.”

“I want you.”

“You’ve already made that clear, but I can’t take any chances. Have a safe return home.”

And then she hangs up on me.

I get up and head straight for the door. I was going to leave tomorrow morning, but I just changed my plans.

As I get into the elevator, I think about calling her again but decide against it.

Cecily wants my word that she won’t get fired after we fuck, and with any other woman, I’d laugh at being pushed against the wall, because I never respond well to being challenged, but the girl has me in the palm of her hand right now. At least until I satisfy the hunger I feel for her.

I think about all the possibilities.

A secret affair with my son’s nanny and, when it comes to an end, everyone going their own way civilly.

No, there needs to be a deadline, a period in which we can enjoy each other’s bodies, but with a predetermined end.

I call my pilot and tell him to prepare the plane.

This fever will pass. I just need to be in her, inside her, and then I can move forward on my solo journey.

The flight was delayed because the airport was closed for a few hours due to an emergency landing, but I’m finally here.

It’s already night, but I know where to find her: in the same place where I’ve been watching her since I discovered that Cecily swims in the heated pool at dawn.

Yes, I’m a fucking voyeur, secretly peeking at my mermaid.

As I walk towards it, I get rid of my suit blazer and tie, throwing them carelessly on the floor.

I try to convince myself that this arrangement I have planned will work. I only need to have her a few times to break the spell, because any real involvement with her would be stupid.

I don’t want anything serious with a woman, and after almost a year, she is the first nanny with whom my son has really been comfortable. If I were to be led by reason, I wouldn’t even start anything with her, but there is nothing rational about the desire that woman awakens in me.

She has already made it more than clear that the desire is reciprocal, but her willpower to resist is much greater than mine. Her stubborn refusal to surrender only makes my Greek blood warm. The hunter in me is out.

Unlike other nights, when I’ve only seen her through my phone screen, through the camera, I’m actually here, just a few steps away from doing what I’ve wanted to do since we spoke in the hospital.

I’m not only testing our limits when I go outside, knowing Cecily is in the pool, I’m throwing all my rules to hell, as I’ve never brought a woman I’ve been sexually involved with into the house, besides my wife.

I convince myself that I have control of the situation. I’m experienced. There’s nothing about sex that I don’t know or haven’t already done. The desire for Cecily is only so intense because she represents a challenge.

I’m starting to believe this, feeling comfortable with my decision, when I see her.

She’s not swimming—she’s getting out of the pool.

Did I say I had control over my desire for her?

No, I have no control with this woman. Especially now when I find her completely naked.