Fresh Temptation

beautiful.”
    Breathing heavily, she whispered, “Thank you.” She stopped herself before telling him she now realized just how much she needed what he had given her.
    Several minutes later, after collecting themselves, Victor sat beside her and draped an arm around her shoulders. “So, let me guess what you’re thinking.” He cocked a brow. “You can’t believe you just did that with your boss.”
    “Wow. You’re a real mind reader.” She smirked, then chuckled softly.
    He sighed. “If it helps, I can’t believe I just did that with an employee.” He rubbed her shoulder. “But I don’t regret it. Not for a second.”
    “Good.” She nestled against his chest. “Neither do I. At least, not yet…”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    Cara took a deep breath and sat up straight, slightly away from him. “I still don’t understand what’s going on here. And maybe I never will.”
    “Don’t question it. Just let yourself enjoy it.”
    “That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.” She hesitated for a moment, then added, “But, for the record, I want you to know that I don’t exactly enjoy being a pawn in anyone’s game.”
    Victor’s face scrunched up in a bewildered expression. “Wait a minute. Who said you’re a pawn?” He put one finger under her chin and turned her face to his, looking deeply into her eyes. “I already told you, I don’t play games.”
    “Then what am I supposed to think about all this? I know we’ve already had this conversation but after what just happened, I think maybe it bears repeating—”
    He placed two fingers against her lips. “No. When I want something, I’m not shy about it. And I want you, Cara.”
    She waited until he took his hand away. “Just tell me once and for all. Is this because of Alexis?”
    He let out an exasperated groan. “Please don’t mention her name to me again. Besides, how does me sleeping with you have anything to do with her?” He shrugged and glanced randomly around the plane. “Is she here, hiding somewhere, listening to us? Do you think I’m going to call her and tell her what we did? Do you think there’s a hidden camera and she’s watching from somewhere on the ground?”
    “Oh God, I hope not.”
    He laughed heartily for a long moment. “No, there’s none of that. How would any of this affect her? If I were trying to make her jealous I could do that without taking advantage of you on a private plane.” Under his breath he muttered, “I already know she’s jealous. She saw us at lunch last week. Gary told me she called the office.”
    “Should I be scared of her?”
    He blew a scoffing breath out of the side of his mouth. “No. Absolutely not. If she ever contacts you, let me know. She has nothing to do with Monarch Enterprises and there should never be a reason for her to even come inside the office, unless it’s another attempt to torment me like she did at the dinner.”
    “The dinner?”
    “Yes, the charity dinner. Where I met you.”
    “Oh.”
    “I told you, I wasn’t there with her. She planned that all by herself.” He shook his head. “I was so pissed off about it that night. She just wanted everyone to talk about us and think we were back together.”
    “Why did you break up? It wasn’t that long ago, was it?”
    Victor sighed. “I’d rather not go into detail. Suffice it to say, I’m glad it’s over. We were never right for each other.”
    “Then why were you with her, at all?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t know. It seemed perfect when we got together. And on paper, it truly was perfect. I’d spent so much of my youth working hard, busy trying to make something of myself. I guess I was afraid life would pass me by and I’d forget to settle down and have a family. Getting married was always on my list of things to do before I turned thirty, and I’m thirty-one now.”
    “You say ‘thirty’ like it’s so old.”
    “I don’t mean it that way. It’s just that, time goes by way too fast. If you’re not careful you can let years go by without accomplishing any of the things you thought you’d accomplish. That’s my biggest fear. That I’ll wake up one day and wonder where it all went. When I die, I won’t be taking my investments or my penthouse or my sports car with me.” He stared off thoughtfully at a window. “I want to leave a legacy.”
    Cara was taken aback. Perhaps he is much deeper than I gave him credit for . “And you couldn’t have that legacy with