“So this one here. What is this?”
“It’s a Chanel quilted caviar leather double-flap bag,” she answered and the response she got from him was a blank stare. She didn’t expect anything different. Men never knew the difference. One of the only men she knew who knew the difference was Alex, but he had come from a well-to-do family who lived for luxury brand goods. Alex was the one who gave her the idea to open the shop and his mother and his mother’s richie-rich friends had helped to stock it –
initially that is.
“And how much would one of these cost new?” He opened the first and then second flap, peering inside at the contents of her purse. One of the items on the top was a tampon, in its bright pink wrapper.
Mortified, Genevieve snatched the handbag from his grasp. “Geez, nosy much?” She placed it back onto the end table. “And almost five thousand.”
His mouth dropped and he leaned over her again, to get another look at the bag. “Five grand.
For that?”
This was getting embarrassing.
She shrugged. “It’s what it costs. I don’t pay that when I buy them, however. I pay about half that – sometimes less, depending on the condition.”
“Why?” Dane finished his plate and placed it onto the coffee table.
She frowned.
“I mean, why do people pay so much? I could buy a car for five grand. Not the best car, but an okay one.”
“Because they can.”
He puffed out a loud huff of air, falling back into the sofa and draping an arm along the back of the sofa. “It’s hard to comprehend.”
Done with her plate, she folded her legs under her and cuddled closer to him, not really meaning to, but his body seemed to be a magnet to her. She seemed unable to stop herself from wanting to be close. The space between his arm and torso begged her to settle into him and she didn’t want to resist.
What about Graham? a voice at the back of her mind chimed in.
Nothing with Graham was for sure. One dinner and a partial kiss didn’t make a relationship.
He hadn’t even called her. He’d simply left it up in the air. She was doing nothing wrong getting to know Dane, nothing at all.
~*~*~*~*~
~ Dane ~
Genevieve had been on his mind since she snuck out of their room in Vegas. He’d brushed it off to his brother as no big deal; another chick to add to his list of conquests. But he was a lying son-of-a-bitch and he knew it. He pretended the threesome was cool – an experience to scratch off his bucket list. But it hadn’t been for him. After the fact, after he woke up and grasped the full ramifications of what had happened, it made him feel a feeling he’d never felt before –
jealousy.
He didn’t want to share her. He wanted her to himself, but she hadn’t given him the opportunity to voice his feelings. She’d left without a word.
Dane’s first call after leaving her shop was to call Graham to let him know he’d found her and that she seemed… okay. Graham had seemed a little perturbed about Vegas, scared they’d upset her, so Dane knew it would set his mind at ease to know she was doing fine and only harboured a slight resentment toward them. His brother seemed okay with that and never voiced any desire to pursue her further so as far as Dane was concerned she was free for the wooing.
“No, no, no. Are you serious?” Dane shook his head in disgust.
“Why not?” Genevieve snatched the remote from his hands, flipping to a dating reality TV
show.
“Because it’s staged. And cheesy.”
She groaned, rolling her eyes at him as she settled on the channel she’d been searching for.
“It’s romantic. And sweet.”
“I can’t do it. Anything but that show. Anything. I think Cops is on.” He reached for the remote, but she pulled back, hiding the remote behind her back. Her bright green eyes challenged him as a wicked grin emerged on her lips.
“Sorry. You want this remote, then you’re going to have to take it from me. I’m not giving up that show without a fight.”
He chuckled and allowed his eyes to scan her. Unlike in Vegas and at her boutique where she was dressed to kill, tonight she was wearing a plain pair of jogging pants and sweatshirt and her hair was up in a high ponytail. She looked nice – approachable. She had a girl-next-door sweetness about her tonight that touched him.
Sensing his scrutiny, she inched away, but her eyes remained glued to him – continuing to challenge.
“We’re seriously going to play it like this?”
Genevieve nodded, her smile widening. As their eyes locked her body tensed as if she were about to leap from the sofa at any second.
Dane lunged at her. She squealed and attempted to squirm from the sofa, but didn’t stand a chance. She fell backward onto the sofa, her arms behind her back with his weight toppling over her.
“Give it!” He reached behind her back, searching for the remote but coming up empty.
“Not a chance!” Giggling, she squirmed and bucked under him, until her legs spread with him settled between them.
Dane groaned inwardly; her squirming under him wasn’t achieving her objective of getting free, but it was giving him a serious hard-on. He attempted to lift off of her, but her wiggling kept knocking him off balance and instead he kept rubbing against her. It was excruciating, and at the same time so fucking hot it was driving him insane.
“Might as well give up, Ginny,” he grunted through clenched teeth, pulling up and staring down at her. He wanted to be a gentleman. Had to be to make up for Vegas, but she was making it so damned hard.
Her face grew serious and body went still under him and he thought he’d won. He was both disappointed and relieved.
“So, we’re done. I win.” Relaxing, but remaining between her legs, he stuck his hand under her nose and wiggled his fingers. “Give it.”
The defiant look flared back up in her eyes and she shook her head. “Take it.”
Instead of digging behind her hoping to strike remote gold, he sat up on her, straddling her waist and keeping her secure to the sofa.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Her eyes narrowed and she scowled at him.
He wiggled his fingers at her. “One last chance Ginny.”
Her green eyes grew wide, her lush lips parting. She bucked up against him, trying to toss him off. “Don’t you dare Dane!”
“A dare?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and pounced.
She squealed and giggled, squirming and bucking against him with every ounce of power she had. “No no no. Stop. Oh my God. Dane!” Her hands grabbed the front of his shirt and attempted to push him off to no success.