Page 5 of Good Girls Like it Dirty
He angled closer and ran a finger down her pert nose. “I’ll survive. I’ve been looking forward to the banquet.”
“How do you know you’ll get a banquet and not, let’s say, a small offering?”
“I’ll devour whatever I get,” he said in a deep, low voice.
A zing of energy passed between them, and she stared at him with a devilish twinkle in her eyes. “I don’t doubt it, mon chéri. À bientôt,” she purred, before leaving the bathroom.
Damn the woman. She kept him in suspense. He glanced around, and decided to put the big pieces of the broken vase in the trash. Then he splashed some cold water on his face and sucked in a breath. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, and for the first time since his separation, a genuine, devilish grin spread across his face. So what if screwing her blurred the lines? This was just sex, nothing more. She’d brought his mojo back and he’d be a fool if he didn’t see it through. He couldn’t think of the last thing he wanted as much as he wanted Monique, and that scared and excited him in equal measure.
Zaine took the stairs and found Doug waiting at the bottom.
“How are you doing, man?” Doug gave him a tumbler of scotch and leaned closer, like they were about to have a one-on-one conversation.
Zaine swallowed hard. Had the teenager suspected something? Had news of his make-out session already spread? He clasped the square glass. He didn’t want to embarrass Monique or make things awkward for her in any way. “I’m good.”
Doug nodded. “I noticed you went upstairs for a while.”
Zaine cleared his throat. He wasn’t one to lie, but this time he had to—for Monique’s sake. He took a generous sip of scotch, the strong amber liquid rolling down his throat and loosening his limbs. Around them, the party continued in full force with a few groups gathered in the house, drinking, laughing, and having fun.
“This must be difficult for you. Being out without Ashley,” Doug said and gave him a condescending pat on his back.
Of course. His friend had assumed he’d left the party because he’d been uncomfortable in a social setting post-separation, not because he’d tried to bang the sexy maid. He let out a sigh of relief. Doug’s out-of-touchness had finally come in handy. “It’s okay.”
“Have you talked to Ashley recently?” he asked.
Zaine pinched the bridge of his nose. Doug always meant well, even if Paula’s overbearing ways had rubbed off on him since their marriage. “Yes. We’ve worked together on some projects. And we text about some house stuff. But nothing too personal,” he said. He should have known blending their services would affect him at some point. He built houses and buildings, and she decorated them. They had their own offices in different parts of the city, but naturally they had shared clients and accounts. Successfully so. “We’re working out details of the divorce peacefully.”
Turned out they made better business partners than spouses. Zaine had been frustrated about his marriage ending, because he’d invested time and had put his heart on the line. Yet, as the bitterness from the breakup subsided, questions began to form. In the last couple of years, had they really had a fruitful, engaging relationship? Whenever they weren’t working, they spent more time with their electronic devices or watching the news than talking to each other. As for social outings, they usually included mutual friends or business acquaintances. No romantic dates.
“Are you thinking about dating soon?”
Zaine brought the glass to his lips and said, before taking another sip, “Eventually. In some ways, I’m already back in the field.” Monique had brought out a side of him he had long forgotten—even before the dissolution of his marriage. Perhaps even before Ashley. Monique awakened in him an adventurous, playful, daring side. He no longer wanted to watch porn at home alone—he wanted to reenact all those dirty scenes with his sinful maid.
“Good. See how going out’s better than avoiding everyone?”
“I have to agree. Coming here changed the course of my evening for sure,” he said, grinning as he noticed Monique carrying a tray and stopping in front of them.
Zaine locked his spine in place, her effect on him undeniable. He wanted to touch her soft skin, to caress her endlessly. His flesh tingled, and he caught himself fidgeting, tapping on the side of his glass.
“Gentlemen?” Monique held the tray, the neutral expression on her beautiful face not giving anything away.
Doug lifted his hand in refusal, but Zaine didn’t pass up the opportunity to tease her. “I’m famished. I’ll take one. What is it?”
She tilted her head to the side, staring him square in the eye as if she were about to whisper a secret. “Upside-down mushroom tartlets.”
He glanced at the tiny brown tarts adorned with some greens, then stared back at her. “Sounds like the kind of appetizer that’ll only make me hungrier.”
She lifted her chin, and the ghost of a smile formed on her lips. “It’s a risk you have to take, Monsieur.”
He didn’t reply, but took a canapé without tearing his gaze from hers. Before he murmured “thank you,” she nodded and left to serve other guests, and he had to will himself not to look at her. God. He glanced at his watch. How much longer until her shift was over? He’d ask her that next time he saw her. His alone time with that bombshell couldn’t come fast enough. And sadly neither could he.
…
Monique rushed into the kitchen, flustered. Shyness had never been a problem for her, but every simple exchange with Zaine sent her blood to a low simmer. She needed a personal fan and an icy drink whenever she shared oxygen with him. The way he looked at her like he’d seen her naked. Because he has.
A sharp sound yanked her from her thoughts, and she blinked, startled. When she looked down, she realized the plate she’d held had slipped from her hands, and dozens of pieces of china littered the marbled tiled floor. “Merde.”
“Crap is right,” said Paula behind her.
