by Susan Fox
“With him, would you have a sexy adventure?”
I shook my head vigorously. “That’s a boundary I wouldn’t cross.”
He glanced down, watching his hand rotate his coffee cup in its saucer, then up again. “It’s a long trip. Why not have a sexy adventure with Dhiraj?”
I thought about the new persona he’d created. Dhiraj turned me on, and I knew he’d be a dynamite lover. But I was confused. Wary. I needed more time to think about this.
Under the table, his foot found mine again, and this time I didn’t move away. “I’m not sure,” I said softly. “After all, I’ve barely met Dhiraj.”
He gave a quick nod. “Fair enough. A woman who’s open to possibilities. What more can a man ask for?”
I liked that he didn’t try to pressure me, or trade on the fact we’d had sex last night. Of course, Dhiraj and I hadn’t. That had been Pritam.
Hmm. Last night I’d had an amazing time with Bollywood Guy, as Nav would likely call him. Now I was sitting across from Import/Export Guy and might, if I wanted, end up in bed with him. I’d always had my heart set on marriage, so I’d rarely indulged in flings, but it wasn’t like I was going to meet the love of my life on this train trip. Would it be so bad to let loose?
Okay, yes, I was open to the possibility. But I needed to feel my way slowly, as I’d done with Pritam. “Why don’t you tell me more about your work.” What tale would he spin this time?
“I’m the vice president, Operations,” he said. “It’s a family company, established by my father’s father. Dad is the president and his younger brother is the CFO.”
I wondered if he was borrowing from the business his father worked for. If so, he’d given his dad a nice promotion. His uncle, too. I raised my brows. “What about your mother and aunt?”
“They believe in traditional roles. Mum is one of those behind-the-scenes women.”
“As in, ‘behind every good man there’s a great woman’?”
“Exactly. She’s always done a lot of business entertaining, made sure Dad belonged to the right clubs and had the right tailor. You know the kind of thing.”
Thank heavens I knew Nav believed in female equality or I might have worried. No, wait, he was Dhiraj. “Not with my parents. They’re both career driven. Mom always wanted to be a lawyer, and nothing stood in her way except for a little timeout to have kids. Didn’t your mother want a career of her own?”
“I…I’m not sure.”
“Really?” I cocked my head. It seemed he hadn’t worked out this role quite as thoroughly as the Bollywood one. “Did she grow up in India or England?”
“India. She and Dad got married there.”
“An arranged marriage?”
“Absolutely.”
“It seems archaic to me.” I couldn’t believe his parents wanted Nav to agree to one.
He shrugged. “To my parents, it’s incomprehensible that people would choose mates by chance affection. Without ensuring compatibility and matching Janampatris—birth star charts.”
“You mean horoscopes?”
“Sort of, but more complex.” He glanced around and I realized the staff were clearing tables and we were almost the last people in the restaurant.
“We should clear out and let them do their jobs,” I said.
“Yes.” He stood, then came around and held my chair as I got up. Then he rested his hands on my shoulders and leaned down so his breath brushed the top of my head.
My body trembled, remembering all the ways he’d touched me last night. Feeling his heat, knowing the lean strength of his body under those finely tailored clothes.
“Kat, I have a suggestion. Kristin and Sandra were heading off to play Scrabble. What say you and I play a different game?”
I took a breath, then swung around so I could see his face. “What game do you suggest?”
“It’s in my room.” His dark eyes gleamed seductively. “Come and take a look.”
“Oh, that game.” My heart raced. He was moving too fast. Despite his clothes, grooming, and accent, I hadn’t yet bought into the Dhiraj role. I narrowed my eyes. “You think I’m easy.”
He grinned. “You have a delightfully dirty mind. I was talking about a board game.”
Startled, I said, “A board game?”
His eyes twinkled. “Trust me, you’ll like it.”
Chapter 11
Nav studied Kat’s face intently. Would she agree?
He’d been disappointed that she’d fled in the night, but he was damned well going to persist. That’s why he’d chosen the name Dhiraj for today’s role. It meant “patience.”
When he’d seen that blond guy’s hand on her shoulder, he’d wished he’d picked a more forceful name. He’d wanted to break character, claim Kat as his own. Which she wasn’t. Not yet.
Now, he was impatient to get her alone, to continue this flirtation and overcome her hesitation. “Just come take a look.”
“You want to play a board game in one of those tiny compartments?” She gazed at him like he was nuts.
She thought he’d booked a single compartment, one of those minuscule rooms no bigger than a closet. He hid a smirk. “I promise, if you don’t want to stay, we’ll go to the dome car.”
“Okay, let’s see this game.”
He walked behind her, guiding her with a gentle hand on her back. Through her blouse, he felt the heat of her skin, the shift of her muscles. Subtle sensations, yet they reminded him of last night’s fiery passion, and his body hardened.
Together they walked through the narrow corridors of a few sleeping cars. Several compartment doors were open, revealing people sitting in chairs gazing out at the view, playing cards, sipping drinks. The train rocked slightly, a motion that made Nav think of making love, and he wondered if Kat had the same thought.
He opened the door to his room and ushered her in.
“Oh, my! You got a romance room.” She turned to him, expression startled. “How did you…? These rooms cost a fortune. When did…? What made you think…?”
The Romance by Rail rooms did indeed cost a small fortune. As he’d learned when he researched the train, however, they were the only sleeping compartments that weren’t totally cramped, that had any appealing ambience. If this had been a hotel room, it wouldn’t have rated four stars, but it was the fanciest the train provided. And only the best would do, if he was to impress and win Kat. Luckily there’d been a last-minute cancellation, so he’d been able to reserve one of these rooms when he booked on Saturday night.
Of course Kat wanted to know what Nav thought he was doing. But he wasn’t being Nav. So he replied in Dhiraj’s voice. “There was always the chance I might find company.”
“When you bring a woman to this room, it’s pretty clear what’s on your mind,” she said dryly, standing just inside the door, arms crossed over her chest.
The room, which was smaller than the bedroom in her apartment, was mostly taken up by a double bed.
“There you go again with that dirty mind,” he teased. “Take the chair if it makes you more comfortable.” In the beginning, it had taken some effort to maintain the upper-crust accent and rather formal phrasing—the speech patterns of many of his fellow students back in England—but now they came naturally. “Would you care for some sparkling wine, or a green tea drink?”
Sparkling wine came with the Romance by Rail package, and he’d asked the attendant to also put some cold drinks in the ice bucket, including Kat’s favorite green tea.
“I’ll stick to nonalcoholic,” she said. “I don’t know you well enough, Dhiraj, to be drinking in your bedroom.”
She took the chair, tugging down the brief denim skirt as it rode up her thighs, and glanced around. “I’ve never been in one of these rooms. It’s much nicer than the standard sleeping compartment. They even have art, and I love the flowers.”
The painting was an innocuous but pleasant landscape, and a vase filled with colorful mixed blooms sat on the vanity. He’d kn
own these special touches would appeal to Kat. “Yes, it’s not bad.” He opened a green tea drink and handed it to her, along with a glass.
“These rooms are typically booked by honeymooners and people on anniversary trips,” she said. “Not single men.”
“Who wants to be typical?”
“An interesting point.” She studied him, and he guessed she was mulling over the whole Nav, Pritam, Dhiraj thing, and trying to decide how to act.
He took a root beer for himself, then went to the closet to find the game. It had been purchased a year and a half ago when he’d been optimistic about his and Kat’s relationship. The box was still in its cellophane wrap. Now he regretted not having opened it to check it out. He was relying on the write-up on the cover, hoping the game would set a sensual, provocative mood.
When he handed it to her, she read the title. “‘Nice ’n Naughty’?” She arched a brow. “This definitely isn’t the typical board game. How does it work? You’ve played it before?”
“No, I saw it in a store and thought it would be fun to share with someone special.”
He took the package back, ripped off the cellophane, and opened the box. As he did, he said, “The back of the box says the prize is whatever the players agree on ahead of time. It could be…” he paused suggestively, “two hours of Kama Sutra sex or—”
“What?” she yelped.
He raised his brows. “You don’t want two hours of Kama Sutra? Okay, then it could be, who buys the wine for dinner.”
“Let’s stick with the wine.” She eyed him speculatively. “You don’t actually know how to, uh, do the Kama Sutra thing, do you?”
Oh, yeah, he’d hooked her. He suppressed a grin. “Naturally. Indian men have a well-rounded education.” He had in fact read the Kama Sutra and tried out most of the techniques.
“Hmm. I’ll file that away for future reference, in case it ever becomes relevant.”
He gave a soft chuckle, but the thought of sex, combined with being alone together in a room dominated by a bed, made his dick expand inside his Armani briefs.
Right now his plan was slow seduction, so he tried to ignore his arousal as he spread the game board on the bottom of the bed and sat beside it. “The squares form a maze, with the goal being to work your way from the outside into the heart. The first person to arrive wins the prize.”
She leaned forward and peered at the board. Then she picked up the single die from the box. “So you roll this to move.”
He studied the instructions. “You roll and land on a square. Each square has either a heart, a diamond, a club, or a spade. You draw any card from the corresponding deck.”
There were four small boxes, each with a symbol on top. She opened the box with the heart and took out a deck of miniature cards, each with a rosy red heart on the back.
“Don’t read the cards,” he said. “The idea is, when you draw one, you follow the instructions on it.”
“Oh, sure. Like ‘Strip off my clothes’?” she said skeptically.
“I can only hope. Of course, maybe I’ll get that one.”
The color that rose to her cheeks made him smile. Turning his attention back to the instructions, he said, “You can refuse, but if you do, you have to move back the number of squares on the die.” He glanced up. “Shall we try it out?”
Her expression told him she was intrigued. “As long as I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to.”
“I promise. No Kama Sutra unless you want to.” Which she would, if he had his way.
“Who goes first?”
He gestured toward her. “Ladies, always.”
She rolled a two, chose the red mini-Cupid figurine, and moved it a couple squares to land on a diamond.
Nav held the diamond deck toward her. “Take any card.”
“Here goes.” She drew one from the middle and read, “‘Describe the most deliciously sensual meal you can imagine sharing with your partner.’ Okay, food. I can handle that.”
She closed her eyes and a few moments later opened them and smiled. “Oysters to start. Tiny Kumamotos, not the big fleshy ones. With a squirt of fresh lemon for accent. Mmm. A slight scent of the ocean, a silky slide down the throat, the taste of sea foam.”
Oh, yeah, that was sensual. In fact, it made him think of licking her all over until he finally tasted her pussy. The delicately salty scent and taste, the silky, creamy dampness on his tongue. His dick grew even harder, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
“And then,” she said, “a picnic, eaten with the fingers, of course. French or Italian bread with that wonderful yeasty, fresh-baked scent. Crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. Creamy cheese, something like cambozola or blue Brie, with a subtle bite to it. Kalamata olives, sweet red grapes. Each flavor distinct, unique, and blending perfectly with the others.”
He imagined the two of them in a secluded corner of Parc Angrignon or Mount-Royal Park, spreading a blanket, feeding each other picnic food with their fingers. Each nibble a kind of foreplay. He cleared his throat. “And for dessert?” Knowing Kat, it would involve chocolate.
“Bittersweet chocolate soufflé with Grand Marnier sauce. Melting on the tongue.”
The way her body had melted against his tongue. “Sounds fantastic,” he said hoarsely, barely remembering to keep his accent. “Especially if it’s shared.”
“Many things are best when they’re shared,” she said softly, a little flirtatiously. Then she waved the card. “What do I do with this?”
“The instructions say to put it back in the deck.”
That meant glancing down, and when she did, her gaze focused on the erection his dress pants couldn’t hide. Her cheeks went pink again. “Uh, it’s your turn to roll.”
He threw a four. His black Cupid landed on a square with a spade, and he picked a card. “It says, ‘What’s the one thing you want most in the world?’” Wasn’t she sitting across from him right now? But of course he couldn’t say that. And in fact, he did have a deeper desire. One that, if his plan succeeded, would include her.
He’d give Dhiraj that same desire, so he could be honest with Kat. “Family,” he said. “Marriage and kids. A loving home.” A home in which the kids’ individuality and self-expression would be encouraged, not thwarted as had happened with him.
“Oh, yeah? I’d have taken you for the playboy type, Dhiraj.”
“Why is that?” How had she got that impression, after he’d spent much of lunchtime listening happily to stories about kids?
“I’m sure you meet—date—lots of eligible women, yet you’re still single. And you seem like a pretty good catch.”
A good catch. Even though he’d created Dhiraj to be one, he hated the concept. Margaret had said he was a good catch—up until he decided to be a photographer. “So I’ve been told,” he said evenly. “And yes, I’ve met many eligible women. But eligible doesn’t equate to special.”
Her gaze met his. “You’re right.” Her voice was solemn, and he realized he’d reminded her of her own failed relationships.
Damn, that had been stupid. He wanted to create a sexy, fun mood. “Your turn to roll.”
She got a three, landed on a club, took a card. “‘Who’s your favorite person of the opposite sex, and why?’ Hmm. I need two.”
He hoped he was one of them. “All right.”
“I have to say my dad. Even though we butt heads, he raised me, and I know he loves me and he’d do anything for me. And I love him, too. I really do.” She shook her head wonderingly. “These questions make you think.”
“And the other?”
A grin flashed. “Oh, that’s easy. My friend Nav.”
Relief warmed him. When she didn’t go on, he prompted, “The card said you were supposed to tell why.”
She chuckled. “You don’t mind hearing me sing another man’s praises, Dhiraj?”
“My self-esteem is just fine. Sing away.”
“Well, he accepts me and doesn’t want anything
from me except to be friends.”
She sure as hell didn’t know him very well.
“He’s easy to be with. Like, at the end of the day when I’m tired and I want to relax and unwind. He’s considerate, generous, sweet.”
Sweet. There was that stupid word again. “Those sound like good qualities in a friend.” He paused, took a swallow of root beer, wondered if he could shake her up. “Or a spouse.”
She frowned slightly. “A spouse?”
“Mmm. Do you ever want to get married?”
“Yes. Very much.”
“All right, I’ll give you a bonus three spaces on the board if you answer me this question. What are you looking for in a husband?”
“Um…” She took a breath, moved three spaces. “Okay, here goes, in no particular order. Intelligent, fun, interesting, creative. A positive attitude. Attractive, sexy, someone who turns me on. Loving, generous. Successful, motivated, energetic. In good shape.”
She paused, then went on. “Someone I can relax with when I want to, but also someone who can be spontaneous, impulsive, unpredictable. If you think about spending decades with a person, you want to know you won’t get bored. Right?”
He nodded. “Absolutely.” And, damn it, he wasn’t boring.
She studied his face intently. “Okay, Dhiraj, how about you? You say you want to get married. What are you looking for? Three spaces for you if you answer.”
“Your list actually sounds pretty good to me.” He moved his Cupid three squares.
“Oh, no, you don’t. Seems to me like you haven’t really thought about it.”
“Oh, I have. Believe me.” He gazed into those sparkling chestnut brown eyes, and let Nav speak through Dhiraj. “A woman who’s a true equal. Independent, but not afraid to share her problems, to lean on me when she needs support. Strong enough that sometimes I can lean on her, and she won’t think less of me. Together we make a team, a partnership. We’re different but we complement each other. We don’t compete. We’re each other’s biggest fan.”