‘Perhaps now is not the time, or the place.’
Leave it, Brianna...leave it. ‘Oh, is it that bad?’
‘No, it’s that good.’
She breathed deeply and opted for silence. When their food arrived, she pounced on it, feeding her culinary appetite the way she couldn’t let herself feed on the dark, carnal promise in Sakis’s eyes.
She looked up several minutes later to find him watching her with an expression of mingled shock and amusement.
‘Sorry, it’s your fault. Now you’ve unleashed my innermost craving, there’s no stopping me.’ She took another sinful bite and barely managed to stop her eyes rolling in pleasure.
‘On the contrary, seeing you eat something other than a salad and with such...relish is a pleasurable experience in itself.’
‘Don’t worry; I’m not going to re-enact a When Harry Met Sally moment.’
A puzzled frown marred his forehead. ‘A what?’
She laughed. ‘You’ve never seen that clip where the actress simulates an orgasm in a restaurant?’
He swallowed. ‘No, I haven’t. But I prefer my orgasmic experiences not to be simulated. When it comes to orgasms, only the real thing will do. Do you not agree?’
Dear Lord, was she really having breakfast with her boss, discussing orgasms? ‘I wasn’t... This was...’ She stopped, silently willing her racing pulse to quieten. ‘I was merely making conversation. I don’t have an opinion on orgasms one way or another.’
His low laugh caressed her senses like soft butterfly wings. ‘Everyone has an opinion on orgasms, Brianna. Some of us may have stronger opinions than others, but we all have them.’
She was not going to think about Sakis and orgasms together. She was not. ‘Um...okay; point taken. But I’d rather not discuss it any longer, if that’s okay with you?’
He finished the last of his pancakes and picked up his black coffee. ‘Certainly. But some subjects have a habit of lingering until they’re dealt with.’
‘And other subjects deserve more attention than others. What was your other point?’
‘Sorry?’
‘Before the subject went...sideways you said “on the one hand”. I was wondering what the other was.’
It was a purely diversionary tactic, but she wanted—no, needed—to get off the subject that was making desire dredge through her pelvis like a pervasive drug, threatening to fool her into thinking she could taste the forbidden and come out whole.
There would be no coming out whole once she gave in to the hunger that burned within her, that burned relentlessly in Sakis’s eyes. Wanting—or, God forbid, needing—a man like Sakis would destroy her eventually. Their conversation in the boardroom had reiterated the fact that he was emotionally scarred from what his father had done to him. He would never allow himself to trust anyone, never mind reaching the point of needing another human being to the extent she suspected she would crave if she didn’t control her feelings.
‘On the other hand, I’m glad I know this weakness. Because I have a feeling you don’t give yourself permission enough to enjoy the simple things in life.’
Her heart hammered with something suspiciously like elation. ‘And you...you want to give me that?’
‘I want to give you that. I want to indulge you like you’ve never been indulged before.’
Simple words. But oh, so dangerous to her current state of mind.
‘Why?’ she blurted before she could stop herself.
Her question seemed to surprise him. His lashes swept down and veiled his eyes. ‘For starters, I’m hoping to be rewarded with one of those rare smiles of yours.’ He looked back up and his expression stopped her breath. There was a solemn kinship, a gentleness in their depths, that made her heart flip. ‘And because I had my brothers while I dealt with my daddy issues. But you, as far as I know, are an only child, correct?’
Emotion clogged her throat. ‘Correct,’ she croaked, battling the threat of tears.
That weird connection tightened, latched and embedded deeply, frightening but soothing at the same time. ‘Let’s call this therapy, then.’ He glanced down at her plate where one last square of honey-soaked pancake was poised on her fork. ‘Are you finished?’
She hadn’t but the thought of putting that last morsel in her mouth while he watched with those all-seeing eyes was too much to bear. ‘Yes, I’m done. And thank you...for this, I mean. And for...’ She stumbled to a halt, alien feelings rushing through her at dizzying speed.
He nodded, stood and held out his hand. ‘It was my pleasure, agapita.’