“YOU DON’T HAVE to see him if you don’t want to,” Mikelina said.
“Yes, I do,” she said. “You know I do.”
“I have no problem with sending him on his way,” Bastien said.
“Thanks.” She gave them both a hug. “For everything. But I need to at least say goodbye to him.”
“Is it the big goodbye or is it see you later?” Mikelina asked. “Because I think you should at least hear him out.”
“I will.” Selena had spent the last few hours getting her life back on track. She did laundry, borrowed Bastien’s laptop and looked for apartments in Paris that she could afford. She had a few that she was going to visit in a few days, but she probably would have to get a roommate. She was still working out the details.
Her conversation with Kirk Diamonte hadn’t been what she expected, though.
“Did you break the rules?” he had asked.
“Yes, but...” was as far as she got.
“Did you provide your client with internet access?”
“I did.”
“My hands are tied, then. I can’t demand that you finish out your contract there. If you want to cook for him at another of my properties, I can make the arrangements.”
She had blinked in surprise. “You’re not mad at me?”
“Selena, you’ve been with me for several years. We’re lucky to have you. If you broke the rules, I trust that you had good reasons.”
“I’m not fired?”
Kirk had scoffed. “No. I’ve been hearing rumors that Titus takes advantage of his position in several alarming ways. I’m removing the Maui Wellness Center from our property catalog.”
“If it’s all the same to you,” Selena had said. “I’d like to end the assignment. Do you have anything in the Paris area? I’m headed that way.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Kirk said. “No matter what happens though, I’ll give you a good reference.”
At least, she was technically still employed and she had a tentative line at a new gig. It was more than she had expected. She had let Titus get to her and that pissed her off. Nobody got to rent space in her head anymore. Not Anton, not Titus, not Blaine.
At nine that evening she went down to the lobby and almost went right back up when she saw Blaine on his laptop.
“Seriously?” she asked.
He jumped up. “I have a room here. I couldn’t stay at the wellness center a moment longer.”
“Congratulations on getting the block off your phone,” she said dryly.
After closing his laptop, he put it in his bag. “Do you want to go up to my room for some privacy or do you want to get a drink at the bar?”
“Let’s start in the bar,” she said, not trusting herself to keep from jumping on him as soon as they were alone. She was mad, but they were about to be apart for a long time. Possibly forever, depending on how this conversation was going to go.
They took a table with the ocean view. Tiki torches lined a walkway down to the beach. Blaine ordered a beer and she chose a glass of wine.
“I’m so damn sorry,” he said.
“For what?” Selena was curious what he thought his biggest mistake had been.
“For getting you fired.”
“I’m not fired.”
“But Titus...”
“He can kick me off the property, but my boss is Kirk Diamonte, who your family paid to hire me.”
“So technically, you’re still my chef?” Blaine got a thoughtful look in his eyes.
She smacked his arm lightly. “You should be sorry for lying to me.”
“I didn’t lie.” He looked affronted.
“You were on the computer as soon as my back was turned.”
“My brother called.”
“So?”
“He said he found the solution to the car’s problem. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep until I saw if he was telling the truth or not.”
“Was he?”
“So far so good.”
“Congratulations,” she said.
“I’m worried about you,” he said, reaching across the table for her.
She let him hold her hand. “Don’t be. I’m going to be fine.”
“Come back to Detroit with me for the week.”
“And do what? Watch you work? Cook your meals in the company’s cafeteria?”
“If you want. Or you can hang out in my apartment. I’m not ready to say goodbye to you.”
Selena felt the ice around her heart melting. “Technically, I am still on the job.”
“Don’t do it for the job. Do it for me.”
She sighed. “I’m an idiot, but I guess I’m not ready to say goodbye to you either.”
“Titus is such an asshole.”
“No arguments from me.”
“Are you angry at me?”
“It’s a real mess. I was angry at you. But mostly I’m angry at myself. I broke the rules and I didn’t want to face the consequences.”
“Yeah, but I forced you to break the rules.”
“You didn’t force me to do anything. It was a trade. I wanted to help you relax, eat healthier and realize that you have a lot more to offer than just being a corporate drone—even if you do own the corporation. And I wanted the money that you were offering for the internet service.”
“The moment I saw you, I thought you were smart, gorgeous and someone I wanted to spend a lot more time with.”
She shivered when he stroked his fingers over her arm. “I still want to spend time with you.”
He closed his eyes in relief. “I thought I blew it.”
“You almost did,” she said, but she was smiling to take the sting out of her words.
“Will you come to Detroit?”
Selena looked across the bar, not really seeing it. “I was planning on booking a flight to Paris,” she hedged.
“What?” Blaine leaned back in his chair. “Why?”
“I decided to start the MBA course. It’ll take five months of classes and five months of practical experience. And many more years to pay it off, but that’s beside the point.”
“I know Chef Dickhead tried to destroy your career and you feel Cordon Bleu is a way to stick it up his ass...” he began, but she interrupted him.
“It’s not about Anton anymore, not since I made him dinner. I really want to graduate there and get my MBA in international hospitality and culinary leadership. It’s ten months and then I’ll start my restaurant. That’s my decision. I’m sorry if you don’t like it.”
“I think that’s a waste of time and money.”
She leaned forward. “It’s not your time or money being wasted.”
Rubbing his hand down his face, Blaine looked at her. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know what you meant. You have an opinion. I don’t agree with it.”
“I won’t be able to see you until February.”
“Probably not,” she said. “Does that change things?”
“No. I’m going to be busy too. I wish we had more time together.”
So did she. She wasn’t going to waste time being angry. She did the crime. She got caught and she accepted the consequences of her actions. It had been worth it. Blaine was worth it.
“Well, let’s not waste it.” Selena held out her hand. “Let’s go up to your room.”
Blaine slung his arm around her. “I don’t care who sees us.”
“No one will care if they do.”
“I miss my private elevator,” Blaine muttered as they waited for the elevator to come to the lobby.
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’d understand if you don’t want to start anything until after the expo.”
“It’s already started,” he said. “And I’m not ending it.”
“So is this an exclusive thing?” she asked.
“Damn right it is.”
Finally the doors opened, and they got in. Then it was another eternity before they got to his room. She was shaking by the time he opened the door to his room for her. It wasn’t the penthouse, but it had a big bed.
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” she asked.
“Sex is a great stress reliever.” Blaine cupped her face in his hands. “I think I love you.”
Her breath caught, but before she could say anything, he kissed her. Selena lost track of time after that. They stood just inside the doorway kissing. Then, her back was against the door and their clothes were half off. His tongue swept hers in long, slow kisses. Then, Blaine was putting on a condom while she gasped for breath. More kissing and when he slid inside her, she came. Gripping his shoulders, Selena arched against him, needing him closer. She came again while he pounded into her. Still kissing, he dragged her to the bed. After tossing aside the rest of their clothes and the condom, Blaine joined her on the bed.
“Let’s take this slower this time,” he panted.
There wasn’t any time for talking. Just for this. “Please,” she said, rubbing up and down the hard length of his body. His fingers dove between them. Selena sprawled on top of him and let him play with her until that crescendo of pleasure built again. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she rode his fingers to another orgasm.
Limp and panting, she let him flip her on her stomach. Blaine put on another condom and pulled her hips up, so she was on her hands and knees. Rubbing himself up and down her pussy, he muttered, “How am I going to go two months without you? Without this?”
“Sexting and FaceTime,” she muttered into the pillow, loving the feel of him dragging his hot cock over her sensitive folds.
When he thrust in, she groaned at his desperate pace. Blaine was thick and he was relentless in his deep, hard strokes. Shivering, she clamped down around him. “Yes,” she cried out, holding on to the sheets.
Her breathing matched his as he steadily, thoroughly rocked into her with quick, satisfying pumps. The bed shook and she missed the hard rap of the bed frame against the wall as his strokes grew harder and faster.
“Blaine,” she whispered as she tumbled over the edge.
He held on to her hips, his fingers digging in. Deep grunts of pleasure left him as he slammed her back into him and came with a jerk and shudder. Collapsing next to her, he gathered her into his arms.
“Looks like you’re going to appreciate the internet after all in the upcoming months.”
She leaned over and bit his biceps.
The next morning when she woke up, Blaine was on the computer. Selena just shook her head.
“Come back to bed,” she drawled, letting the sheet drift down over her breasts.
Blaine immediately left the desk and joined her back in bed. He cupped one of her breasts in his hand and rubbed his thumb over it. “I was letting you sleep.”
“We don’t have time to sleep.” Selena ran her fingers through his hair.
He sucked one of her nipples in his mouth and her eyes half closed in bliss.
“Are you sure I can’t convince you to come to Detroit for a week,” he said, her nipple held gently between his teeth.
“Convince me,” she moaned.
He gave a deep chuckle. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Blaine played with her breasts, teasing and sucking on them. He kissed down her body and lifted her thighs on his shoulder. Then he buried his face between her legs and licked her up and down. He speared his tongue through her slick folds, causing her to shudder and moan. He circled deeper until he could tease her clit and when he started sucking on it, she would have promised him anything.
She went to Detroit with him for the week before Christmas.