The Rivals

She hesitated, but eventually sighed. “Okay.”

I shook my head. “Such a sacrifice. You’ll probably get into heaven with how good you are to me.”

Sophia tried to hide her smirk, but failed. “I need to run to the ladies’ room first. I’ll meet you down there.”

“Alright. If you want to avoid being alone with me in the elevator, I can understand that.” I winked. “I’ll get us a table downstairs at Prime.”

***

“So do you miss London?” I asked, picking up my water. The waiter had dropped off the wine menu, and Sophia was busy perusing it.

She looked up and sighed. “I do, in a lot of ways. But in ways I didn’t expect, I also don’t miss it. How about you? Do you miss Vegas?”

I shook my head. “Not at all. Me and Vegas didn’t mix well.”

Sophia laughed. “Not even the nonstop parties? I know New York is the city that never sleeps, but it’s different than Las Vegas. Maybe it’s because I’ve only ever spent time in the touristy areas, but everyone in Vegas seems to be on vacation and having a great time. Whereas here, people walk around in suits to go to work.”

I ran my finger along the condensation of my glass. “Especially the parties.”

Sophia looked down at the wine list again and offered it to me. “Do you want to share a bottle?”

I hesitated, but our eyes caught, and somehow the truth tumbled out of my mouth. “I’m an alcoholic, and I’m in recovery.”

Sophia’s eyebrows jumped. “Oh! Wow. I’m so sorry for asking. I had no idea.”

“It’s fine. No need to apologize. And order your wine. Don’t not indulge because of me. I’m good with sitting with someone who’s having a drink and not having one.”

She looked uncertain. “Are you sure? I don’t need to have one.”

Just then, the waiter walked over. “Can I get you something to drink or a glass of wine to start?”

I looked to Sophia, and she seemed torn. So I took the menu from her hands and handed it back to the waiter. “She’ll have a glass of the 2015 Merryvale merlot, and I’ll have a seltzer with lemon, please.”

He nodded. “Very well. I’ll give you a few more minutes to look at the dinner menu.”

After he walked away, Sophia was still looking at me.

“It’s fine, really. Stop thinking you’re going to cause me to relapse or something.”

She smiled. “You’re giving me too much credit. I wasn’t worried about your sobriety at all. I was actually wondering how you knew which wine I liked?”

“You left a half-full bottle in your room when you moved up to the suite.”

She nodded. “That reminds me, you never did say why you moved into my room when I asked the other day.”

I smirked. “You’re right, I didn’t.”

She chuckled. “Seriously, was something wrong with your room?”

“No. My room was just fine.”

“Was it too noisy?”

“Nope. It was pretty peaceful.”

“So why would you move, then?”

“It’s going to drive you nuts if I don’t tell you, isn’t it? Sort of like why you followed me the other day. You’re a little on the nosy side, aren’t you, Fifi?”

She squinted. “And you’re a little on the annoying side. So spill it. Why did you move?”

My eyes dropped to her lips for a few heartbeats before returning to meet her gaze. “I figured it would smell like you.”

Sophia sucked in a sharp breath. “That’s why you told them not to make up the room?”

I leaned toward her. “The sheets still smell like you. I like to imagine that you laid in them completely naked with your fingers inside yourself.”

Sophia’s face flushed. Her lips parted, and her breathing was a little faster and a lot shallower. The look was so fucking sexy. It made my mind race, and I wondered if she would stop me if I slipped my hand beneath the table and fingered her.

Lucky for both of us, the waiter returned. Oblivious to the tension, he set down Sophia’s wine and my drink. “So have you decided? Anything jump out at you that whets your appetite, or would you like to hear the specials?”

My eyes slanted to meet Sophia’s. “Oh my appetite is whet, alright.”

There was a sparkle in her eye, but she cleared her throat and folded her hands. “Actually, I’d like to hear the specials.”

The waiter droned on for a few minutes…some fish…some Japanese beef…some fancy names to justify the lofty price tag. But basically whatever he said went in one ear and out my other. My brain was too busy to catch words as I imagined Sophia trying to keep a straight face while my fingers moved inside her and the waiter stood there talking. At some point, the masculine voice stopped and a higher-pitched one started, and then there was silence. It took a few seconds to realize both Sophia and the waiter were looking at me.