“I don’t want you to kiss me.” I pulled away from him sharply and lied. “I don’t date cocky bastards.”

“But I don’t think you came here for a date, mon cher,” he laughed sardonically. “Unless you considered a rendezvous in a hotel room a date?”

“I’m leaving.” I tried to push past him again to walk to the bathroom, and he grabbed my wrists and pushed me against the wall.

“You are not going anywhere right now.” All humor and light was gone from his dark eyes, and his features looked dark and controlled. “You will stay here tonight, and in the morning, you may leave.”

“You can’t tell me what to do.” I tried to push against his chest, but he was immobile. My strength did not compare to his, and I realized that there was nothing I could do to get away. “I’ll scream, you know. If you don’t let me leave, I’ll scream.”

“You won’t be the first bimbo who screams in the throes of passion.”

“But we’re not in the throes of passion.”

“And that disappoints you, does it not?” He cocked his head to the side and surveyed my heaving breasts. “I think right now you are disappointed that I don’t have you in my bed, caressing your—”

“Stop it.” I blushed at his words and looked away. There was no way I wanted him to know how very right he was. I was intensely attracted to him. My brain was fighting my body and just barely winning.

“Come now.” He stepped away from me. “Please spend the night and relax. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. I wish you no harm, beautiful Lola.”

I blushed as he complimented me. “I’m not beautiful.”

“Do not tell me you’re modest as well?”

“Well, you know. Some of us bimbos can be modest.” I winked at him and watched as his face transformed in laughter.

He stared at me for a moment and sighed as he stepped away from me. “You’re not English?”

“Disappointed?” I raised an eyebrow at him, not caring what he thought of me at this point. It was unlikely I’d ever see him again.

“No.” He shook his head. “English girls are polite. I like a girl with some bite in her.”

“All English girls aren’t polite. You shouldn’t make generalizations.”

He nodded his head. “You’re right, of course.”

“Where are you from?” I peered up at him curiously. I figured that he was Italian or something. His skin was too olive for him to be for him to not be from one of the Romance language countries.

“You will not know it.” He smiled and walked into the bedroom. “Would you like a drink?” He called back to me. He walked back to the door with a decanter of whiskey.

“No thanks.” I shook my head and then yawned.

“I bore you?”

“I’m just tired.”

“Five minutes ago, you were ready to make passionate love in my hotel room with my assistant. Now you want to go to sleep. I think I’m losing my touch.”

I shrugged my shoulders and looked away, not wanting him to see how every fiber of my being was hoping for him to touch me. I wanted to feel his warm, strong hands on my body, trailing a line of fire across my skin.

“I wasn’t about to make love to—”

“I know you want me, Lolita.” He cut me off as he sipped from his glass of whiskey and loosened his tie. “But I’m not a man that—”

“What’s your name?” I interrupted him.

“I’m Xavier.”

“Xavier?” I looked at him in surprise. It wasn’t a name I was familiar with.

“It means I last all night.” He paused, and my heart stopped beating as we stared at each other in silence.

“In what language?” I whispered, unable to stop myself from playing his game.

“In the language of love.” He moved towards me smoothly and before I knew it, his lips were crashing down on mine, softly and firmly. I melted against him, and my eyes widened as I felt his tongue doing things to mine that sent a sharp thrill down my body. His eyes twinkled as I gasped against him, and he pulled away from me and whispered in my ear.

“I told you my kiss alone could make you wet.”

I looked up at him with an incredulous expression, but he didn’t wait for me to respond. Instead, his lips came crashing down on mine again, and his hands found the crook of my back and pulled me in towards him hard. I reached my hands up and placed them around his neck, needing the support of his body to remain on my own two feet.

This time, his kiss wasn’t soft and sweet. It was hard and searching. His tongue explored my mouth while his teeth nibbled on my lip. But then he stopped, took my tongue in his mouth, and sucked, and it was all I could do to not cry out in surprise and pleasure. I had thought that he looked like a sex god, but this man—this Xavier—was sex himself.

“Shall we?” He took my hand and led me to the bedroom, pausing at the door with a question in his eyes.

I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to say anything as I stared at the handsome man in front of me. All reason had left my mind, and all I could think about was being taken by this man, roughly and gently, all night long.

It was at that moment that Anna finally emerged from the bathroom. “I’m feeling better now, Max.” She twirled into the room and I tried not to groan.

“Who are you?” Xavier looked at her in shock.

“I’m Anna. Where is Max?” She looked at me in confusion.

“He left.” I shrugged.

“Oh, no?” She made a face. “Was I in the bathroom too long?”

“What’s going on here?” Xavier pulled away from me and eyed us both. “Don’t tell me you’re a pair of working girls?”

“No, we’re in grad school,” Anna responded, not really understanding his comment.

“You’re a jackass. We are not prostitutes.”

“Prostitutes?” Anna’s eyes widened. “What?”

“So you weren’t about to have a threesome with Max?”

“Hell no,” Anna responded. “I didn’t even want Lola to come back with me, but she said she wouldn’t let me leave with him unless she came.”

“Oh, she’s your watcher?” He gave me an assessing look as he spoke to Anna.

“No, I’m her friend.” I glared at him. I didn’t care how good looking he was. I wasn’t going to put up with his rudeness. “We were at the museum earlier,” I stated, trying to see if he remembered me. I knew he had to remember me. I just wanted him to acknowledge it. I wanted him to say that he’d thought I was hot from the first moment he’d seen me in the museum.

“I see.” His eyes darkened and he walked to the side of the room. “I will get you girls a room. You’ll stay here tonight. You’re too drunk to go anywhere now.”

“We don’t—” I started as Anna nodded eagerly.

“Thanks.” She held her stomach. “I’m still feeling a bit sick.”

I gave her a look. “I told you not to drink so much.”

“Oh, not now, Lola.” She made a face. “Save the lecturing for tomorrow.”

“I need a suite,” Xavier spoke into the phone. “Is the junior penthouse available? Good. Send someone up with the keys.” He hung up and walked back over to us. “You’ll have your room soon.”

“Thanks.” I sighed and stared at his lips.

“Next time, you girls need to be more careful. You never know who you’re going to end up with.”

“I was only coming to make sure she was okay.” My eyes narrowed at him as he lectured us.

“But it seemed to me that you were mere minutes away from joining me in bed.”

“What?” Anna looked at me. “No way.”

“You know that’s not true.” I looked at Anna.

“Oh, Lola.” She giggled and then looked back at Xavier. “He is hot. Wait a second.” Her eyes widened and she looked at me. “Isn’t he the—”

“Anna.” I grabbed her arm and walked to the door. “Let’s get ready to leave.”

“I’m interested in hearing what your friend was about to say.” Xavier’s eyes lit up, and he took a step in front of me.

“She’s drunk. She needs to rest.” I looked into his eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Oh?” He smiled down at me and whispered into my ear, “You’ve been playing games with me all night, Lola. First the museum and now here. Next time, you will not be able to just disappear.”