“Tao. He’s my…butler. Want a drink?”
“Sure.”
He leads me to a gorgeous room with Brazilian cherrywood flooring and an entire wall of windows overlooking the water. A fire burns in the luxury fireplace that looks like it stretches ten feet wide.
“What would you like?” he asks, heading to a full-size bar.
“Whatever you’re having,” I reply as I study one of the mixed media art pieces mounted on the wall.
“You don’t want what I’m having.”
“Well, when you put it like that, I’ve got to try.”
He pours a clear liquid into two porcelain shot glasses. I take one and throw it back. Immediately, a fire flares through my mouth and throat, traveling into my nose, and even my eyes as tears fill my vision.
“Holy crap,” I gasp, sounding like I’ve lost my voice.
He slices a lime and sprinkles sugar on it before handing it to me. I take it, eager to stuff anything in my mouth that might counter the spiciness.
“What is that shit?” I ask when I feel like I have mastery over my mouth again. “That sure as hell isn’t tea!”
“It’s a liquor from the Guizhou province of China.”
“I don’t understand why anyone would want to drink that,” I say as I watch him calmly down his glass. “I think I’ll stick to beer or something sweet like a mojito.”
He checks the refrigerator and finds mint. “Mojito it is.”
After he’s made the drink, he walks toward the sofa in the middle of the room while viewing his cellphone. Following, I sip my drink with joy. It tastes a thousand times better than what I just had. That nuclear shit felt like it was going to burn a hole through my throat.
Having finished texting, he sets his phone down.
“So, you have anything fun planned for tomorrow or do you gotta work?” I ask.
He seems to eye me carefully. “I have some work, but I also might head up to Tahoe. They’re expecting snow.”
I perk up. “Yeah? I was thinking of going to Tahoe. You ski or snowboard?”
“Both.”
No way! He snowboards and is a masterful Dom? How lucky can I get? I want to suggest that we go up together, but that’s probably too forward given we barely know each other.
Instead, I ask, “Are you going solo or with friends or…?”
“Solo.”
“Then we should meet up when we’re both there.”
“Maybe.”
Aaargh. What’s it going to take to get this guy to commit? I finish my drink and set it aside on the coffee table.
His cellphone buzzes. Taking it out, he turns around to view it. I give him a second, then wrap my arms around his waist.
Whipping around, he grabs me by the neck and slams me into the sofa. “Did I say you could touch me?”
His reaction catches me off guard. “Thought you might like to do something since you didn’t get to come at the club.”
“You don’t think I could have if I wanted to? I can do whatever I want with you, princess.”