Have fun,she wrote.
I sent her a winky face before sticking my phone back in my purse.
I got into the car with Connor. It was an expensive sports car, exactly the kind of model I would have expected him to drive. On the way to his house, we talked about the history of Dublin. It was hard to wrap my mind around how old the city was.
“Back home, there’s nothing older than the seventeen hundreds,” I said. “Maybe the sixteen hundreds if you go back to the time of settlements.”
“Your country is young,” he said, as if it were a joke.
I laughed, feeling freer than I had in a long time. It wasn’t that I disliked working for Flynn. The sexual tension between us was electric. It’s just that with Connor, things weren’t so complicated. I knew what he wanted, and all our cards were on the table.
He took me to one of the newer sections of the city, where luxury condos shared space with expensive coffee shops and boutiques. I pressed my forehead to the window, gazing up at all the wealth surrounding us.
“You live here?”
“That’s right.”
“I thought you said you were a teacher.”
“Professor actually.” He maneuvered into a parking structure, driving all the way to the top. “I work at the university, not at a high school.”
“Sorry.” I stuck out my tongue. “I thought you were a professor.”
“I am, but I also have family money.”
“Your family must be rich,” I observed, getting out as he parked.
“We are, but try not to let that bother you.” He smiled, holding out his hand.
I took it, and he led me from the parking garage into the lobby of a fancy residential building. I was almost numb to displays of good fortune after living with Flynn for almost a month. But it was hard not to be impressed by all the old school decorations, the solid wood design, and the deep emerald carpets.
Connor pushed the call button for the elevator, continuing his effortless flirtation as we waited. He showered me with compliments, telling me that I was more beautiful than most of the women who lived there.
“Have you ever slept with any of them?” I asked coyly.
“Not a one,” he promised with a wink.
“Do you make it a habit to pick up women in bars?”
“If I said no, would you believe me?” he teased.
“No,” I replied.
“Then there’s your answer.”
I contented myself with being Ms. Right Now and followed him into the elevator. I expected to ride up in silence, but he turned to me, pulling me in for a kiss. I knew I had made the right decision when his tender embrace melted all the reservations from my mind.
I folded into his arms, knowing the best was yet to come. The elevator whirled around us, carrying us up to the top floor. The bell sounded, breaking the mood only briefly. We stepped off into a penthouse suite.
There was no hallway or locked door to contend with. As soon as we stepped off the platform, we arrived in his living room. A set of expensive couches faced a sliding glass door. Outside, I could see the city lights twinkling.
He removed my coat, ever the gentleman. “Would you like some wine?”
I wasn’t sure if I should partake any more. I’d had several drinks at the club and was already feeling warm. But I decided one last drink would set the mood, so I agreed politely.
He disappeared into the next room, returning with two fluted glasses. I accepted mine with a smile, taking a tentative sip. If Connor was the accomplished bachelor he seemed to be, he had perfected the dance of seduction.
I had only tasted the wine, a chilled white with fruity notes, when he lifted the glass from my hand. Setting it down on the coffee table, he turned back to me. Capturing me in his arms, he spun us around. Pretending to hear music, he waltzed across the floor.