drink. The only fault she could find was that Jack hadn’t bought Diet Coke, opting instead for the full-strength variety.
‘Do you realise how much sugar is contained in this one small bottle?’ Vivienne said after downing all of it.
‘Not enough to send a rocket to the moon,’ Jack replied. ‘But enough to spark lift-off in yours truly,’ he added with the wickedest smile, his blue eyes glittering with sexual intent at the same time.
Vivienne struggled to act cool under an immediate quickening of her heart. Although she wasn’t about to play hard to get—it was a little late for that—she didn’t want to appear too easy. Or too eager.
‘I thought you’d give me the grand tour of the house first,’ she said, casually picking up one of the paper serviettes which came with the meal and dabbing at the corners of her mouth.
‘Then you thought wrong,’ he said.
Vivienne glowered at him. This was why she’d never liked working for Jack. He was far too bossy. It was always his way or the highway. She used to have to put up with it when she was an employee of Classic Design. But she didn’t have to put up with it now.
‘Don’t I have any say in the matter?’ she asked with a toss of her head.
He looked taken aback for a second. But then he smiled. ‘Of course you do. Far be it from me to force you to do anything you didn’t want to do. I have too much respect for you for that. So which would you rather do, Vivienne? Look around this house for a dreary hour or so, or go have some more fantastic fun in bed?’
Vivienne sighed. ‘You are a clever, conniving devil, do you know that?’
He grinned. ‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’
‘Then you’d be wrong!’
‘You mean you’re opting for the grand tour?’
She shook her head at him. ‘You know I’m not. But that doesn’t mean I’ll always do whatever you want.’
‘Are you sure about that?’
She wasn’t. But no way was she going to admit it. ‘The trouble with you, Jack Stone, is you are way too used to getting your own way.’
‘I have to confess I like being the boss, especially in the bedroom.’
‘I gathered that already.’
‘And I gathered you liked it that way.’
Vivienne rolled her eyes. He really was terribly arrogant. And super-confident when it came to sex. She wondered if that was due to his impressive equipment, or wealth of experience. Whatever the reason, Vivienne had no intention of letting him run this show entirely.
‘As a modern woman living in the twenty-first century,’ she said coolly, ‘I expect that any sexual relationship we have will be conducted as equals.’
‘Fair enough,’ he said.
‘There will be rules involved,’ Vivienne stated firmly.
His eyebrows arched. ‘What kind of rules?’
Vivienne had absolutely no idea. It was time to improvise. And quickly. ‘Firstly, you will always use a condom.’ No way was she going to tell him she was on the pill.
‘You won’t have any argument with me on that score,’ Jack said. ‘That’s why I went out and bought a dozen.’
‘A dozen!’ she exclaimed, stunned at the thought he might use so many during one short afternoon.
Jack shrugged. ‘Better to be safe than sorry. Besides, what we don’t use today will keep till tomorrow.’
Vivienne blinked. ‘What do you mean, tomorrow? Surely you have work to do tomorrow? I know you, Jack. You’re a workaholic.’
‘True. But there’s always after work. I thought I’d take you out somewhere swanky in the city for dinner, then back to my place for afters,’ he added somewhat salaciously.
‘You really are incorrigible,’ Vivienne scolded, despite secretly looking forward to being his afters tomorrow night. ‘Rule number two is that you ask me, Jack, not just tell me.’
‘Oh. Right. Okay, would you like to go out to dinner tomorrow night?’
‘Maybe. I’ll give you my answer later.’
‘Nope. That won’t do, Vivienne. I have some rules of my own—the main one being, if
‘Do you realise how much sugar is contained in this one small bottle?’ Vivienne said after downing all of it.
‘Not enough to send a rocket to the moon,’ Jack replied. ‘But enough to spark lift-off in yours truly,’ he added with the wickedest smile, his blue eyes glittering with sexual intent at the same time.
Vivienne struggled to act cool under an immediate quickening of her heart. Although she wasn’t about to play hard to get—it was a little late for that—she didn’t want to appear too easy. Or too eager.
‘I thought you’d give me the grand tour of the house first,’ she said, casually picking up one of the paper serviettes which came with the meal and dabbing at the corners of her mouth.
‘Then you thought wrong,’ he said.
Vivienne glowered at him. This was why she’d never liked working for Jack. He was far too bossy. It was always his way or the highway. She used to have to put up with it when she was an employee of Classic Design. But she didn’t have to put up with it now.
‘Don’t I have any say in the matter?’ she asked with a toss of her head.
He looked taken aback for a second. But then he smiled. ‘Of course you do. Far be it from me to force you to do anything you didn’t want to do. I have too much respect for you for that. So which would you rather do, Vivienne? Look around this house for a dreary hour or so, or go have some more fantastic fun in bed?’
Vivienne sighed. ‘You are a clever, conniving devil, do you know that?’
He grinned. ‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’
‘Then you’d be wrong!’
‘You mean you’re opting for the grand tour?’
She shook her head at him. ‘You know I’m not. But that doesn’t mean I’ll always do whatever you want.’
‘Are you sure about that?’
She wasn’t. But no way was she going to admit it. ‘The trouble with you, Jack Stone, is you are way too used to getting your own way.’
‘I have to confess I like being the boss, especially in the bedroom.’
‘I gathered that already.’
‘And I gathered you liked it that way.’
Vivienne rolled her eyes. He really was terribly arrogant. And super-confident when it came to sex. She wondered if that was due to his impressive equipment, or wealth of experience. Whatever the reason, Vivienne had no intention of letting him run this show entirely.
‘As a modern woman living in the twenty-first century,’ she said coolly, ‘I expect that any sexual relationship we have will be conducted as equals.’
‘Fair enough,’ he said.
‘There will be rules involved,’ Vivienne stated firmly.
His eyebrows arched. ‘What kind of rules?’
Vivienne had absolutely no idea. It was time to improvise. And quickly. ‘Firstly, you will always use a condom.’ No way was she going to tell him she was on the pill.
‘You won’t have any argument with me on that score,’ Jack said. ‘That’s why I went out and bought a dozen.’
‘A dozen!’ she exclaimed, stunned at the thought he might use so many during one short afternoon.
Jack shrugged. ‘Better to be safe than sorry. Besides, what we don’t use today will keep till tomorrow.’
Vivienne blinked. ‘What do you mean, tomorrow? Surely you have work to do tomorrow? I know you, Jack. You’re a workaholic.’
‘True. But there’s always after work. I thought I’d take you out somewhere swanky in the city for dinner, then back to my place for afters,’ he added somewhat salaciously.
‘You really are incorrigible,’ Vivienne scolded, despite secretly looking forward to being his afters tomorrow night. ‘Rule number two is that you ask me, Jack, not just tell me.’
‘Oh. Right. Okay, would you like to go out to dinner tomorrow night?’
‘Maybe. I’ll give you my answer later.’
‘Nope. That won’t do, Vivienne. I have some rules of my own—the main one being, if
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