Ivy stood up, huffing. “This dick waving contest is pathetic. Why don’t you both eat together instead?”
She pushed her chair back and brushed past the enigmatic CEO, walking quickly out of the restaurant.
“Unbelievable,” Ivy muttered as she pushed out the exit and kept going. She didn’t look behind her.
“Stop walking,” his voice came, a deep command from just a few feet back.
“No,” she said, refusing to look at him.
And then his hand grabbed her just above the elbow and slowed her to a stop. It wasn’t from his force, but rather the shocking sensation of his hand on her body. She held her breath and felt her nipples stiffen uncontrollably.
“Ivy,” he said, coming up behind her. His mouth was near her ear now. “There’s a coffee shop on the corner up ahead. I want you to go inside and walk into the bathroom and wait.”
“What?”
“Do it.” He released his grip on her arm.
Once he let her go, Ivy knew she was free to do whatever she wanted. The choice was very clear. She could walk ahead, past the coffee shop, and continue onward without him.
Or she could go into the coffee shop and do what he said and…something else would happen.
Her insides felt liquid and excited, and everything around her had suddenly become so vivid. It was as if she’d been in some dull trance before, eating with Xavier, having normal adult conversation.
Now she was truly alive. Something was really happening, and her heart was pumping blood, her ears heard the traffic on the street and her nose smelled the scents of exhaust fumes and food from the nearby restaurants.
Without looking back, Ivy walked to the corner and did as he told her. She entered the bustling coffee shop and made a beeline for the women’s room. Someone could have easily been inside, but nobody was.
It was a one-person restroom, so she entered and then locked the door just to make sure no one else came in before Cullen.
As she stood there, her pulse racing, she questioned herself.
Do you really want to do this? Are you sure this is a good idea?
The first question was easy. Yes. She did want to do this. Her sexual attraction to Cullen Sharpe was far too strong, too exciting to resist. The second question wasn’t so simple.
Was it a good idea? Obviously not. The man was trouble anyway you looked at it.
Ivy looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were wide, face flushed. She fixed her hair, wanting to make sure she looked her best.
There was a low knock on the door.
“Who is it?” she asked.
The knock came again, harder. She knew it had to be him, and she opened the door.
Cullen strode inside, closed the door and locked it again. He looked at her, his eyes scorching her, raking up and down her body. “You’re trying to make me angry now,” he said.
“No,” she told him, shaking her head. “That lunch with Xavier—“
“You called him?”
She shook her head yet again. “He just happened to be outside your office when I left for lunch today.”
Cullen’s expression darkened. “Just so happened,” he said softly, and his jaw twitched.
“I don’t see why you care so much.”
“I told you to stay away from him. I explained to you that he’s dangerous.” He walked closer to her and now she could smell his cologne, and it sent a shiver up her spine.
His cold blue eyes stared through her, into her very soul.
“You only want me when you’re afraid someone else might get me,” she said, her eyes tearing up. Her jaw trembled. “When you have me, you try to push me as far away as possible.”
Cullen stepped closer yet again. “You need to trust me when I tell you I’m looking out for you, Ivy.”
“It doesn’t make sense. You said you were bad for me, and you wanted to protect me from yourself.”
His lips tightened. “I am bad for you. But I can’t stay away from you.”
“So which is it? Should I stay away from you or not?”
“Of course you should,” he sighed, and his hand reached out and trailed down her cheek and then across to her lips. His thumb grazed her lower lip, as his eyes bored into her.
Her belly tightened in anticipation of more touching. She wanted his hands to ravish her body, explore every centimeter of her skin. But then his arm was back at his side again and he’d left her cold.
“You’re certifiable,” she said, laughing a little at the insanity of it all.
“I’m not the certifiable one,” Cullen told her. “But that jerk you had lunch with today—he’s a true menace.”
“Oh, come on,” Ivy said, rolling her eyes. “You’re being overly dramatic.”
“That man is not who you think he is. He’s very good at pretending to be something he’s not.”
“Funny, he said the same about you,” she replied, arching an eyebrow.
Cullen’s expression changed. His brow lowered and his eyes became more focused. His nostrils flared. “Did he now?” he murmured, coming that much closer.