“Claudio?” I call.
Nothing.
Sweet. I jog down the hall, throw my bag on the floor, and then take my clothes off and go into the massive bathroom. It’s spectacular. It’s got a huge tub. Which I’d like to take advantage of right now. I’d love to just soak up this good feeling, relax the muscles that were strained during my secret sex, and enjoy the afterglow.
But I can’t. Date with Cole in T-minus fifty minutes.
We’ve had lunch lots of times and I’m sure he thinks this one will go the same way. Me pretending it’s a date, him clueless as ever. But he’s wrong.
I’ve got seduction tips from a semi-famous stripper. And I’m gonna use every one of them.
Well, maybe not all of them. Not the getting-naked ones. I mean, Cole isn’t a one-night stand kinda guy. He’s a serious guy. Career-minded. Stable, reliable, and maybe even slightly predictable. I like all that stuff.
But none of that says we will be fucking on the roof after we eat. No. Cole is a slow and steady kind of conquest. I need to take this one step at a time and the first step needs to be subtle. Just make him look at me differently. Make him see me as a possibility, even if it’s only for one moment. If I could do that at lunch today I’d call it a success.
I start the shower, which is penthouse perfect. The temperature preset is hot enough to make you steamy, but not enough to burn. In other words, sublime. And it’s a rain shower. So wow. Just what I needed after that romp on the roof.
I look in the mirror for a moment and run all of Fletcher’s tips thorough my mind. Make him look at my mouth, Fletcher said. That was the big one. Make him look at my mouth and then bite my lip a little. Maybe if we have dessert I can stick my finger in some chocolate and then lick it off. Or maybe I can do that move men do in movies all the time and swipe some chocolate off his lip.
Oh my God, I’m dying to get started. We really need to have dessert. Chocolate is perfect.
I get in the shower and smile as I wash the musky scent of Fletcher off me and briefly wonder if I should feel guilty for fucking him as I plan my date with Cole.
Hmmm. It’s kinda skanky. But necessary. It’s research. Besides, Cole and I are not a thing, so it’s not cheating. And I know he dates. I don’t date. So if we’re not allowed to have fun before we date, then he’s cheating on me.
I laugh out loud in the shower. He’s the cheater if this fling with Fletch counts. And that’s ridiculous, so it doesn’t count.
Guilt trip over.
“Tiffy?” Claudio calls out from the door. “What are you laughing about?”
“Oh, hey,” I call. “When did you get back?”
“I was looking for you in the casino. Where the hell did you disappear to?”
“I took a cab down to the shopping district,” I improvise. I did that last night. Before the whole Fletcher thing at the show and while Claudio was getting his spa treatment in here at the hotel. But the shop wasn’t going to deliver the dress until today since I didn’t have time to wait for them to wrap it up.
“Oh, that package that came for you?”
“That’s the one,” I say, relieved my cover story has a bit of truth to it. “I’m wearing it to my lunch date with Cole. Go open it and tell me if you like.”
“It’s not a date, Tiff. You’re gonna be depressed afterward, as usual, when you finally have to accept it.”
“Just go look at it,” I call before squirting shampoo in my hair and lathering it up.
“I like,” Claudio calls from the living area a few minutes later. “Great color. Pink always looks good on you.” He walks back into the bathroom and takes a seat at the vanity. The shower glass is as clear as the window with the mountain view in the bedroom, but this is Claudio. He’s not even remotely interested in seeing me naked in the shower. In fact, he’s checking his hair in the mirror. “So how did the Fletcher rendezvous go?”
“What?” I almost choke on the shower water.
“The meeting this AM. Did you fire him?”
I chuckle to myself.
“What’s so funny?”
“No. he came in prepared with a proposal to take the show to the next level. And it was good, Claudio. I probably can’t ignore it.” I rinse the shampoo and work the conditioner in, and then rinse that and finish up. Claudio is putting makeup on when I step out of the shower wrapped in a towel.
“Do you like the eyeliner?”
I glance down at him as I walk past, my wet feet slapping on the Carrera marble floor. “You know I do. Especially when you’ve been drinking.”
He gives me a smile. “When in Vegas…”
“We’re not in Vegas, you dummy.”
“Tahoe, Vegas, same thing. Slot machines and strippers everywhere I look. That one guy in the show is so gay, he walks on air. I have my eye on him.”
“Oh, God,” I say as I step into the bedroom and hold the dress up. It is the perfect summer dress, classic with a floral pattern. It’s not quite sleeveless—there’s a hint of a ruffle up there. And it’s got two tiers, with the bottom one hitting me just above the knee. If I twirl, and I did twirl when I bought it last night, then it flares out and an interested man might even catch a glimpse of the perfect pink panties. Not too revealing, a lady doesn’t show too much. And I think Cole likes conservative women. Soft, pretty women. Like me. I always have pink on. I imagine him loving pink.
I’m conservative in just the right ways. I like classic things. Especially fashion. And Cole wears classically cut clothes. Not those skinny pants trendy men wear with their suits. No, Cole likes a cut that flatters, but isn’t too flashy. His style says business.
“Did you even hear me?” Claudio is asking with irritation.
“What? Sorry, I was lost in thought. Isn’t this dress perfect? Cole is going to love it!”
He crinkles his nose at me in disgust. “I don’t want to talk about Cole. He’s boring.”
“He’s not boring. We like all the same things. Classic movies, quiet nights at home, and the symphony.”
Claudio snorts at that statement and now I’m annoyed. “I’ve never seen the two of you at the symphony,” he says.
“But he likes it, Claudio. I know him. I’ve seen his playlist at work. It’s all classical music. I bet once we hit our stride we’d frequent the ballet and everything. Oh my God,” I squeal, turning around to look at my BFF. “I bet we go see The Nutcracker together at Christmas.”
“Girlfriend, you are delusional. I’ve seen him just as much as you and he does not look even remotely interested in a Sugarplum Fairy. But that stripper in the show, now that fairy can dance. Mmm, mmm, mmm.”
“You’re not helping, Claudio. I have confidence right now that this is gonna work out. I need your support.”
He eyes me up and down and then tilts his head and gives me a sidelong glance. “You do have confidence. Where did that come from?”
“Gee, thanks. I’ve always had confidence. But now I feel like I have a plan. You said he sees me as a sister. Which I don’t believe,” I say, before he can put the kibosh on my momentum. “But maybe there is a smidge of truth to that. So all I have to do is change his mind and make him see me as a desirable woman. Right?” I beam a smile at him.
He scratches his head with one dainty fingernail. “OK. You know I’m on your side, and if you feel Cole is your forever man, then I’m there for you, sweetie. But—”
“No buts! Now let me get ready. I only have thirty-five minutes to turn into the woman of his dreams.”
“Fine,” he says, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “I’m gonna go stalk that hottie and see if he’ll let me lick his abs.”
I just shake my head. But my tryst with Novak really has given me a new perspective. Seduction is a skill. All I need to do is learn it. And I’ve got good tips to try out today.
Cole will be mine.
It’s only a matter of time.
Chapter Ten