I looked over at Victor again, his broad back facing me, his hand on the blonde’s shoulder, and something inside me snapped. I took a deep breath, walked into the dimly lit hallway, and pulled Brent by his tie. The last thing I saw before my lips crashed on his was the confused look on his face. Luckily his confusion didn’t translate into his kiss. I tugged his tie a little harder, wishing he’d drop the good-guy act and kiss me. I wanted to be kissed like I was needed, but he was cautious, nice, his lips soft, his tongue coaxing. I ended the kiss and he leaned away with a huge smile on his face, his brown eyes glinting.
“That was . . . unexpected.”
I smiled, trying to work up some excitement, and took another sip of champagne.
“Nicole.”
I gasped at the sound of Victor’s voice saying my name. Brent’s smile dropped as he turned around, wiping lipstick off his mouth. Victor’s eyes jumped from me to Brent and back to me.
“Am I interrupting anything?” he asked, his voice a quiet storm that made me uncomfortable.
“No, we were just . . . talking,” Brent said slowly. He turned toward me again and smiled over his shoulder. I forced myself to meet his gaze and smile back, because fuck Victor. The only thing I could picture was his lips on that girl. It was driving me crazy. Why? Why was such a stupid thing driving me crazy?
“I need you to sign some papers. I won’t take up too much of your time,” Victor said, beckoning my attention. I cleared my throat and walked forward, brushing past Brent.
“You’re going to make me snap,” Victor said, his voice dangerously low as I walked beside him. I plastered on a fake smile for whoever was looking at us.
“Already beat you there,” I said, continuing to walk toward his office. “Where’s your girlfriend?”
“Is that what this is about?” he asked, closing the door behind us. I inhaled the smell of him. His office was coated in it. I exhaled, walking to the front of the desk as he stepped behind it.
“No, I just act like a fucking child for absolutely no reason.”
“I thought you weren’t jealous,” he said, his voice hard.
Did he not want me to be? I looked down at the desk between us, unwilling to look at him. “I thought you weren’t jealous either.”
He scoffed, and at the sound, I lifted my head. Our eyes locked. My gaze held a challenge. Daring him to let me go home with Brent. His eyes seemed to hold the same challenge. Or something. I didn’t even know anymore. Maybe I’d had too much champagne, but I knew that no amount of alcohol was going to dull the fire inside me. I was burning for his touch, for his kiss, for him. After a moment, he punched the top of his desk, making me jolt.
“Apparently I fucking am,” he muttered, and cleared his throat as he slid two papers across the table.
My mouth dropped. I couldn’t even respond. I just reached for the papers and looked at them, though I couldn’t even make out the words.
“One is just finalizing the terms, the other is the agreement that you’ll go to that red carpet event with Gabriel.”
I put my left hand on the paper, my right hand reaching for the pen he offered. He held it until I acknowledged his gaze on mine. Our faces were close. So close. Too close. My heart jumped.
“Don’t go, Nic,” he said, his voice so soft I had to swallow the lump forming in my throat.
“I saw the pictures of you and the blonde,” I said, licking my lips. His eyes dropped to my mouth momentarily before he looked back at me.
“Nicole,” he said, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. “You know why I’m with her.”
“For the media? So that people will think we’re not together? To make those pictures go away?” I posed, my voice rising with each word I said. “Do you forget I was married to a celebrity?”
His jaw clenched. My eyes shot to the Band-Aid on his face. “I can’t forget you were married to a celebrity. I’m reminded of that every time I fucking turn around. You’re not the only one being harassed by the paparazzi.”
“Oh. I’m sorry I’ve made your life so difficult,” I said, yanking the pen from his hand and signing both papers. I dropped the pen and glared up at him. “Is this it?”
We both stood up and looked at each other. I could tell he wanted to say a million things, but I knew he wouldn’t, and I was sick of that. Despite the stupid paper I’d just signed, I was sick of men acting like I had to cater to their needs. I was okay with bending over backward for somebody who would return the favor, but I wasn’t going to do it for somebody who wasn’t willing to reciprocate.
He walked around his desk and stood in front of me. I took a step back, but didn’t stop his hand from circling around my waist, or his lips from crashing down on mine. I got lost in that moment, with our lips locked and our hearts pressed against one another. It was a slow kiss, not urgent, but it held the sparks that Brent’s hadn’t. Victor’s lips were meant to mold against mine. They were meant to push me over the edge. But they shouldn’t. They couldn’t. We couldn’t. And that was the realization that made me break the kiss.
“Don’t go to the premiere,” he said, a hard breath against my lips.
“Are you telling me this as my attorney?”
He took a step back, raking his fingers through his hair as he looked away. I felt my heart sink as I followed his line of vision from the floor to the large window in his office. We couldn’t see the ocean in the dark, but the sound of the waves was soothing enough.
“No,” he said finally, his voice low.
Our eyes met again. “Are you staying with the blonde?”