“So you live in this mansion all by yourself?” I asked him, incredulous.
“Yeah, it’s the ideal place to wind down after work.”
“This is a real oasis.” I gazed around again. It was true.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said and kissed me on the cheek, adding, “I’ll get us something to drink.”
Soon after, he came back, now dressed in black swimming trunks that hung sexily off the middle of his hips. He held white beach towels in one arm and a picnic basket in the opposite hand.
I took off my sandals and pale-blue, strapped dress, while he regarded me, not looking away for even a second.
He approached me and ran his index finger across my belly. “I really like your bikini.”
I’d worn my white Victoria Secret swimsuit. The bottom had side straps and the top was like a push-up bra that made my breasts look even more enticing.
I dived into the pool and, when I came to the surface, turned to him. He was staring at me, mouth agape, as if I wasn’t a person, but a sea nymph.
“I’ve never before seen a woman who swims with such a grace,” he said and dived, coming up right in front of me.
He drank me in for a while, and then our eyes locked, sending my pulse racing. His lips opened and merged with mine, our tongues quickly finding each other.
“You’re… driving… me… wild,” he whispered between kisses.
I dug my hands into his hair, my heart beating like crazy. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I felt his arousal.
“You’re irresistibly sweet,” he said and gently nibbled at my chin, “but I don’t want you to think I’m with you just for sex. No matter how difficult it is for me, I have to hold back.”
“And you don’t like holding back,” I teased.
“I really don’t.” He smiled, lifting me high with his strong hands and dropping me into the water.
While I was sinking, I saw him dive in and lift me with his hands. “Both of us need to cool down a bit,” he remarked.
I held myself by his shoulders. “Really. I can control myself.”
“Don’t challenge me into showing you you’re mistaken.” He looked at me as if to say I should stop putting on airs. And he was right. The truth was I also wanted him.
“All right then, do you want to have something sweet to eat?”
“You eat sweets?” He gaped at me, surprised.
“Yeah, why? Don’t you like sweet food?”
“I do. I’m just surprised. Most women don’t touch sweets to maintain a slim waist.”
“Well, I’m definitely not that kind of woman. I adore chocolate.”
“Let’s go to the kitchen. I have some treats from Sprüngli. I’ve told Henry to keep a regular supply on hand,” he said as we emerged from the pool.
He let me stand on my feet, took one of the beach towels, and wrapped me in like a small child. He carefully wiped the droplets off my body and, when he was sure I was dry, quickly wiped his own and led me toward the house by the hand.
My God, this sexy man can also be caring…
We went into the kitchen, where he took out a box of Luxemburgerli.
“Do you like them?” he asked me.
“Yes, a lot,” I replied and, grinning widely, took a one of the pink cakes and bit into it. They were simply delicious.
Alexander smiled at me affectionately, raised his hand to my face, and caressed me. He leaned toward me and kissed me on the lips, his eyes gleaming playfully.
As we were walking through the living room, I had a chance to have a look at the interior design, which was very stylish. Each piece of furniture was exquisite. My eyes scanned across the wide U-shaped couch in front of the fireplace, the Baroque chest-of-drawers made of smooth wood, and the small Baroque tables that had modern night lamps on top. At the end was a long dining table with twelve chairs arranged around it and a beautiful crystal chandelier suspended above. There were many paintings on the walls. I approached one of them to get a better look.
“You own an original Klimt?” Why was I surprised? I knew it was worth millions, but after all, Alexander had enough money to afford it. “Did you win at an auction?”
“Yes. This is
Litzlberg am Attersee
by Gustav Klimt. All my paintings are originals by various artists. I’ve always appreciated art. I have a great weakness for beautiful things,” he replied and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Beautiful houses, beautiful hotels, beautiful women…” I looked him in the eyes.
“At the moment, I care about only one beautiful woman,” he said and kissed my hair.
He was being honest… at the moment at least.
I mulled over his words but decided not to think about the future and instead enjoy the present.
At the end, who knew what fate had in store?
“Do you have a favorite painting, Alexia?” he asked, his lips touching my cheekbone. I felt his pleasant breath on my skin.
“I really like a painting by Klimt—
The Kiss
. It is as if love emanates from it. He has managed to recreate their passion so well,” I replied, then stood on the tips of my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“You definitely are a hopeless romantic.” He kissed me so passionately the fire of desire inside me was rekindled. “However, there’s no way for me to buy it, as it’s kept in Belvedere in Austria.”
* * *
It was now
half past three. Alexander and I lay on a double chaise lounge, drinking some very expensive champagne—Dom Pérignon Vintage Magnum 2002—and eating blue cheese with white grapes. The champagne was divine, with a mango and pear flavor.
“May I ask you something quite personal?” he said casually.
“What do you want to know?” I lifted my head to look him in the eyes. I was lying on top of him, tenderly stroking the muscles of his chest with my index finger.
“How many men have you slept with, Alexia?” His voice was hoarse.
I blushed at his question, even though I knew there was nothing to be ashamed of—still, I felt somewhat uncomfortable.
“That many?!” he continued sarcastically. He raised an eyebrow, making me smile.
“Nooo…” I threw a grape at him. He caught it and popped it into his mouth. “Just three. It may sound improbable to you, but it’s true. All three were proper boyfriends.”
“Okay. So one-night stands don’t count, is that right?” he continued teasingly.
Is he trying to get to know me, or does he simply want to find out whether I’m like him? Whether my sex life is similar to his? Well, I have nothing to hide.
“I’ve never had a one-night stand. I’m not into that. Just because I slept with you on the first night doesn’t mean it’s what I normally do. With you… it was just different.”
I fell in love with you…
“You’re exceptional—so sexy. Didn’t you see how many men’s eyes were following you at the party? And to top it all off, I noticed you like sex no less than I do. At first, I thought you wouldn’t be able to keep up, but you’ve definitely surprised me.” He lightly rubbed his nose in my hair and kissed me.
His words enraged me.
What kind of woman does he think I am?
“Stop. You’re making me feel like a slut. I like to do it with you. And I wasn’t lying about having slept with only three men.” I sat up.
“I’m sorry, Alexia. Please forgive me. It was nasty of me to speak to you like that and make you feel bad. I have to admit I wanted to test you and got carried away.”
I looked at him and could tell he was being honest.
“You’re just so… excitable.” His index finger gently slid across my shoulder down to my elbow.
“This doesn’t mean I drop my panties for just anyone.” I stood and narrowed my eyes, blinded by the strong sun.
Why does he have to make me feel uncomfortable?
Alexander grabbed me by the waist, and I found myself on top of him again. “Baby, I believe you. For God’s sake, I really wasn’t trying to offend you.” He pulled me to him and embraced me with his powerful arms. “I’m glad you’re a modest girl, honestly. I’m so happy I met you.” He stroked my hair, inhaled my scent, and continued. “You have gorgeous blond hair, incredibly beautiful green eyes, the smile of an angel, and a great body. What more can a man hope for? On top of everything, you’re witty and intelligent, and I’m certain many of your coworkers have crushes on you.”
“That’s not true.” I refused to admit it. It definitely didn’t matter to me who liked me and who didn’t if I didn’t feel attracted to them at all.
“And what is your relationship with Sebastian Romer?”
I looked away—the memory of his behavior yesterday quite unpleasant. Then I looked Alexander in the eyes and replied, “Friendly. I know him through Lily. The three of us have been out many times—clubs, parties—but he’d never behaved like that toward me. I don’t know what got into him last night.”
Alexander ran his fingers through my hair. “He was probably jealous when he saw you dancing with me. Forget him.” He gently held my chin, leaned in, and kissed me on the lips.
My cell rang. I stretched to take it from the wooden beach table. From the display, I saw it was Sebastian.
Dammit…
Alexander frowned in disapproval. I put the phone on speaker to show him I had nothing to hide from him and ensure he didn’t get the wrong impression and think I had a sexual relationship with him.
“Sebastian, what do you want?”
“Alexia, I’m sorry about yesterday.” He got directly into it.
“Your behavior was, and I’m putting it mildly, disgusting. I was so embarrassed.” I was furious with him, so I took the liberty of saying as much. “You should be careful how much you drink.”
I knew it wasn’t my place to admonish him, but thinking about his behavior yesterday… I had built up momentum. He’d put me in an uncomfortable position in front of everybody, though the one that mattered most was Alexander. He had no right to try to kiss me and make me feel bad.
“Now you’re going to read me the riot act too?”
“Get it together, Sebastian. You have everything a person can dream of—a great, prestigious job in your family’s business and you can’t complain about a lack of money. You have—”
“Alexia, dammit…” He interrupted me. “I like you. I don’t want to hide it anymore,” Romer barely whispered.
Alexander slightly tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow as if to say,
I told you so.
“Sebastian, I…” After a moment’s silence, I continued. “I don’t feel the same.”
“I know, and I have no chance, right?” His voice was sad.
“Please, don’t let this ruin our friendship. I’ve never given you a reason to get the wrong impression.”
Or maybe I had subconsciously?
I hurt him, but what else could I do? To me, he was just a friend, and I’d never thought he might have stronger feelings for me. I believed whenever we joked about something and he hugged me, it had been just a friendly gesture. How had he managed to hide it so well that even Lily hadn’t noticed? Otherwise, she would have told me.
“Okay, I understand. Will you at least agree to go to lunch with me this week?”
“Fine. Is Friday good for you?”
“Yeah. See you on Friday, then.”
“Bye.” I began pulling the phone from my ear.
“Wait, Alexia…”
“I’m listening.”
“I really am sorry about last night. I promise it will never happen again.”
“Okay,” I sighed. “I forgive you. Have a nice day, Sebastian.”
“You too. Bye.”
I hung up the phone while Alexander stared deeply at me.
“This is what I meant. You’re a beautiful woman, Alexia, and I don’t believe there’s any man who wouldn’t want to get into your bed. Which is why I was surprised you’ve been with so few. I didn’t want to offend you. As you can see, Romer has a crush on you. However, I don’t understand why you agreed to meet him for lunch. You’re only pouring oil on the fire.” He looked tense.
What?
I felt confused. It was obvious he didn’t like my agreeing to meet with Sebastian. But that couldn’t stop me from doing it. I couldn’t let him keep me away from my friends. “What do you think I should’ve done?”
“Romer showed his cards. What’s the point in going out with him?” He pursed his lips tightly.
“I can’t just cut him off and never see him again. We’ve known each other for years, since I’ve known Lily. He’s my friend,” I tried to explain.
“You cut him off when you told him you don’t feel the same.” His icy-blue stare was piercing.
“This doesn’t mean I’ll stop seeing him,” I snapped.
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“I can already sense you’ll make me nuts.”
Suddenly, he picked me up as if I were light as a feather and jumped with me in the pool, making me scream at the top of my voice in surprise.
T
he day was
going great. The sun caressed our bodies with its rays. Alexander and I were lying on a double airbed and enjoying the moment.
“How old were you when you first kissed a boy?” Alexander asked me teasingly. He had that playful gleam in his eyes. He liked interrogating me.
“You want to know everything.” I stared at him without replying.
“Everything. Tell me,” he insisted.
And since I was already
crazy in love
, I found myself unable to refuse.
I thought about it and started my story. “I was ten and had a part in a school play. We were rehearsing
The Frog Prince
by the Brothers Grimm. My teacher, who was a very good director, picked me to play the princess. Perhaps he chose me for my waist-long blond hair? I’ve no idea… Anyway. So then I had to kiss the prince in front of the entire school. I felt just… mortified. The prince was a boy from another class—quite skinny and very tall for his age. So, Jason—that was his name—generally gave people a lot of backchat, always blabbering and pretending to be all that… You know what kids are like at that age. But when I kissed him… he blushed all over and literally fell speechless, forgetting his lines for a second, but then he regained his composure. The kiss was no kiss at all—we just touched our lips—but it was still quite awkward.” I smiled at the memory. “To top it all off, my parents had come to see the play.”
My mother was still alive then. I would never forget how proud she and my father were of me. They were so glad their daughter had been chosen to play the lead. My teacher, Mr. Thomson, couldn’t contain his excitement. He was very happy with me and praised me to my parents, saying I could become a great actress.