He leaned in and placed a single, tantalizing kiss on my lips as if to intentionally tease me.
“Why me?” I asked.
“Why not you?” he huffed, as if it were obvious. “We’re perfect for each other. Can’t you see that? We’re not looking for love or a relationship. You’re looking for a man to take complete control of you behind closed doors, to make you forget about this crazy, busy, ridiculously over-controlled life you’re living, and I’m looking for a beautiful woman who likes to hand over the reins in bed. You have what I need. I have what you need. It’s that simple, lovely. Don’t make it complicated.”
“Addison, you okay?” It was Coco. I peered from around Wilder’s broad shoulder to find her standing there with her hand on her hip, watching this wildly attractive man in a three-piece suit press me up against a wall.
My cheeks burned red with embarrassment. “I’m fine.” I pushed myself away from Wilder and shooed Coco away as I straightened my blouse.
“That your sister?” he asked.
“Yep,” I said, rolling my eyes and waiting for him to suddenly act even more interested in me. That was how it usually went the second a guy found out who my sister was. “The infamous Coco Bissett. Let me guess, you want a picture with her or something?”
He scrunched his eyes, as if he didn’t know who she was. “Name sounds familiar. Don’t know her, though. As I was saying…”
The whole world knew Coco Bissett. She was touted as the next Susannah Jethro, only she was a younger, more exotic, sexpot version. She had hourglass curves and legs up to her neck. She gave most Victoria’s Secret models a run for their money with her long, dark waves that spilled down her voluptuous breasts and her big, baby doll eyes. Men wanted her and women wanted to be her. With an infectious laugh that put even the most nervous guest or interviewee at ease, she was easily America’s next sweetheart. And that was exactly why the network was in secret talks to replace Susannah Jethro with her next year.
“You really don’t know who she is?” I asked, keeping my jaw from dropping. “You don’t watch the news?”
“I don’t have time to watch the news. I read it,” he said. “Anyway, let’s get back on track here.” He stepped into my space once again. “You and me. Every Friday night. Until further notice. And remember, I don’t share. I should be the only one owning that exquisite pussy of yours.”
“Sounds an awful lot like you want to be my boyfriend,” I teased.
Wilder made a disgusted face, then his lips morphed into the smile of a man who knew he was about to get exactly what he wanted. “I’m not your boyfriend. You’re not my girlfriend. And I promise never to fall in love with you.”
“Likewise,” I said. “I promise never to fall in love with you.”
“So we have a deal?”
I shot him my best professional smile. “I’ll let you know.”
If several years in real estate had taught me anything, it was the art of negotiation. If the seller makes the buyer think the deal is on the verge of crumbling, it places all the power into the hands of the seller, making the buyer want it even more.
If I was going to give him my body to own, to possess, I needed him to really appreciate it. I needed him to realize property like me didn’t come on the market very often, if ever.
“I’ll see you Friday,” he said.
“That’s tomorrow.”
“I know.”
I strutted back to the table where Coco seemed irritated.
“Sorry about that,” I said. “Ran into a friend.”
“Since when do your friends look like Calvin Klein models?” Coco asked. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant you hadn’t mentioned you had a friend who looked like that.” She fanned herself. “Holy shit, he’s hot.”
“I may or may not have hooked up with him last night,” I said coyly, pursing my lips and stifling the proud grin that wanted to plaster my face.
“Wait, what? How did you meet?” The questions continued, but I drowned them out with thoughts of him and his penetrating gaze. “Addison, you have to tell me everything. This is so unlike you. I thought you’d sworn off anything with a penis since that asshole, Kyle.”
“You know that dating app everyone’s using right now?” I asked her.
She furrowed her perfectly sculpted brows. “Yeah, we just did a story on that not too long ago. It’s supposed to be for dating, but most people use it to find casual sex and hook-ups.”
“I was doing a little shopping, and I came across him,” I said quietly. “It all just happened a lot faster than I thought it would.”
Coco’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “So you met a random stranger on a dating app and had sex with him?”
I nodded, rearranging the silverware at my place setting until the bottoms all lined up. “So unlike me, right?”
“Addison,” she said, staring at me intently “Never kiss a stranger. Not in this city. You never know who you’re really kissing.”
“Sorry, Aunt Laura,” I said, returning to the table. “I ran into someone I know.”
“Yes, I saw that,” she said, studying me. “A very beautiful young woman.”
I kept my face free from expression, not wanting to give her any food for thought. Ever since my mother died, my aunt Laura had made it her business to know every detail about my personal life. She’d also made it her mission to be the one adult in my life constantly nagging me to meet a nice girl, fall in love, and settle down.