James sat in Robert's home office, feeling downright awkward. It had been a week since he'd seen Rose at the start-of-summer party and he'd taken her back to his home. Her father had no idea what had happened, but James was certain if he so much as said her name that he would reveal everything. He'd seen his daughter naked, he'd touched her bare skin, he'd kissed her cool, soft...he stopped himself before he could do or say something regretful.
"James," Robert said. "Did hear what I just said?"
"I'm sorry, Robert," James shook his head, "Come again, please?"
"I asked if you wanted to stay for dinner," Robert repeated himself, "My sister and her husband are here with my niece and one of her friends. I've heard good things about him."
James chuckled, "Why would you care about the friend?" Robert shot him a knowing look which immediately stopped all thoughts going through James' mind. Of course, Rose was still looking for a suitable boyfriend – or more – and he was being given an offer to sit through the awkwardness. To turn down the offer would simply be rude, though. After all, what did he have waiting for him back at home? An empty home, a silent gardener and cook. Frankly, the awkwardness and company seemed like a slightly better bargain.
"Sure," he said quickly before he was able to retract his response.
**
"Mr. Dupont," Rose said, startled as she walked into the dining room for dinner. Her eyes grew wide and her cheeks shaded pink – a little more so than they had been before she entered the room. She scanned the rest of the room, her aunt, uncle and cousin were there and a man, roughly her age, sitting across from James. She cursed inwardly, wondering how much more awkward the evening could get. Already, she could practically feel James' eyes on her, savoring every step she took towards the table. She almost wished she could throw a rude gesture over to him or shout obscenities in his direction. She didn't even particularly know why she was angry with him. Perhaps because he hadn't even attempted to contact her over the course of the previous week or perhaps it was because he had brought her home immediately after she had stopped him in the bedroom after the party.
"Hello," she said, walking right up to the young man at the table. "I'm Rose." She didn't particularly care for introductions – especially formal ones – not tonight, at least.
"Paul," the man said, holding out his hand. Rose evaded the handshake and plopped down in the chair next to him.
"So Paul," she shot a glance across the table towards James. "How old are you?"
"Rose," her father lightly scolded.
"I need to know, don't I?" she asked. "Paul?"
"Twenty six," he replied. She nodded thoughtfully.
"Do you make a lot of money?" she asked.
"Rose!" her mother and father scolded, harsher this time. Her aunt dropped a soup spoon and she could have sworn that she heard James chuckle from across the table.
Paul stammered for a minute, nodding, although a bit unsure of himself and the answer he was supposed to give her.
"Unimportant, I guess," she shrugged. "If you're here, you must be good enough for me."
**
Paul twirled Rose around on the dance floor, her short skirt flaring out around her thighs. She tantalized him in a way no other girl or woman ever had. She had promised him absolutely nothing except a dance or two during the Fourth of July party they were attending, but that was all he needed. His skin felt hot against hers and when her fingertips touched the back of his neck, he felt as if his feet left the floor.
Rose didn't care for him too much. He was nice enough, handsome enough, he was fun, she supposed. He was a good dancer, even though he may have twirled her a little too often and made her a bit dizzy in a way that she didn't particularly like. He spun her back into his arms and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, silently pleading that he wouldn't do it again – at least not right away. His arm wrapped around her waist and he held her close, their chests and hips touching. She allowed herself to rest her chin against his shoulder and she stared off into the distance. She admired the swirling colors of party dresses spread out over the room and she made a mental note to stop drinking the champagne. She slowly blinked, allowing her eyes to rest at a close for a few moments as they turned. When she opened her eyes, she nearly jumped backward, out of Paul's arms. She hoped he didn't feel the sharp twitch in her thigh and she pulled away from her dance partner just as the music slowed to a stop.
"What's wrong?" he asked, searching her eyes, hoping he hadn't offended her somehow.
She smiled sweetly, a smile that made him and every other warm-blooded man in the room weak in the knees. "Nothing, nothing." But she wasn't telling the truth. If she had told the truth, she would have admitted that she'd seen James standing in a dark doorway, crystal glass in his hand, staring at her as she and Paul danced. It hadn't been a frightening or malicious stare, it was a look that she'd seen in the weeks before, in his office. The way he consumed her with his eyes – now she felt weak in the knees.
"One more dance then?" Paul asked with a smile, not waiting for a response before wrapping an arm around her waist.
"May I?" a deep, familiar voice asked from behind Rose. She turned and felt dizzy as she stared up into James' eyes.
"Yes," she breathed, not waiting for a response from Paul. She twisted herself away from his arm and took James' hand in hers.
"What do you think?" James asked, nodding towards Paul as he made his way towards the bar on the other side of the room. She felt her mind blank for a moment as his fingers danced up her spine and a finger teased the lower layers of her hair.
She cocked her head in response and clasped her hand over his shoulder. She stood on her toes and brought her lips so close to his ear that he wondered if her tongue would flick across his earlobe.
"I can't get you off my mind," she whispered. She tilted her head very slightly, allowing a stray curl to brush against his jaw. He grasped his fingers around the red silk of her dress and drove his palm into her hips, pulling her into his own. She quickly scanned the room – her parents were no where to be seen, nor were any other members of her family. Very slightly, she brushed her cheek against his and pulled away, staring into his eyes as if she was daring him to do something crazy.
"What do you want?" he whispered. She scanned the room once more, making sure no one's eyes were on them. She had been working up courage for two weeks and now that she was in his arms again, she felt like she was losing control.
Very slightly, not to arouse any suspicion, she made a circular motion with her hips into his. She could already feel his arousal through the thin fabric of her dress. She wanted to make him want her. She wanted to make him regret not letting her spend the night with him. She wanted to make sure he knew that she was ready for him.
He cleared his throat uncomfortably and took a step away from her, loosening his grip around her waist. For a fleeting second, Rose thought that she had lost her chance, but when her eyes met his, she saw the same fire she had seen when they kissed. He was all hers.
