Sophie didnât need the words. She could tell by the way Nigel kept close to her side, the way his eyes would roam over her as if he knew exactly what she looked like out of this sultry red dress that fit her every curve.
When sheâd seen all of the options for her to try on, sheâd fallen in love with this one immediately, unable to stop herself from imagining how Nigel would respond to the sight of her in it. He hadnât disappointed. She shouldâve turned him down, she shouldâve stayed focused on her task and not gotten swept up in all of the glitz and glamour and limo rides with a sexy man.
Yet here she sat in the back of his car as they maneuvered through the city streets. He shifted in his seat and his leg brushed hers, as if she needed the reminder of how close theyâd been all evening.
Throughout the entire night, Nigel had constantly touched her in some wayâhis hand on her lower back to guide her, his thigh aligning with hers beneath the table at dinner, a simple hand holding hers as he led her to and from the car.
âThere wasnât a man in that ballroom who wasnât mesmerized by you,â he went on. âIâm glad you were my date.â
âSo this was a date?â she asked, trying to search his face as the flashes of the lights off the streets and buildings slashed across his features.
âWhat if it was?â
Be careful.
The voice rang through her head, but she ignored it. There was nothing careful about being this close, this attracted to the man she was deceiving.
Sheâd never misled a single person in her life and here she was lying to the one person she actually wanted to get to know on a personal level.
But there was so much chaos going on in her life, how could she even think about something personal with Nigel? Their lives were worlds apart and he didnât even know her real name.
âI thought you didnât get mixed up with employees,â she countered.
He slid his fingertip along the slit in her skirt...the one that extended all the way up her thigh. Sophie shivered as her eyes darted from his hand to his face.
âI never have,â he agreed, with a level gaze. âMaybe Iâve changed my mind...if youâre interested.â
Up and down that fingertip went. He touched her nowhere else, but she couldnât suppress the arousal that spiraled through her. She needed to put a stop to this... Sheâd needed to stop him long ago, such as when heâd asked her to join him for dinner or when heâd stared at her in the penthouse office like she was the most delectable thing and he was a starving man.
âNigelââ
His finger stilled. âShould I stop?â
Sophie pursed her lips as a silent sparring battle took place between her awakened wants and common sense.
But sheâd put her career ahead of her personal life for so long. Couldnât she just take what she wanted?
Just this once? Who said she had to save herself for the right man? What if that perfect one never came along? What if Nigel was the right man?
âYouâre thinking,â he murmured. âI can practically see you arguing with yourself.â
âSometimes I just want to ignore whatâs right, whatâs expected of me.â Her thoughts spilled out before she could keep them inside. âDo you ever have that guilty feeling that youâre being selfish?â
Nigelâs eyes dropped to her lips. âEvery decision I make is on purpose. So, no. I donât have regrets.â
Of course, someone as powerful and confident as Nigel wouldnât second-guess his actions. He likely had his life all laid out to perfection with no worries of consequences.
Sophie had always prided herself on her own strength, but sitting in the back of a dark car with her faux boss had her willpower shrinking. Even before tonight, he?
?d mesmerized her and made her wish for and want more than sheâd ever allowed herself.
Why couldnât this be easy? Why couldnât she have met him under different circumstances? Why did she have to choose between holding true to her legacy and the promise to her brothers and going after what she desperately wanted?
Before Sophie could say anything, the car came to a stop and moments later, her door opened. The driver extended his hand to assist her and as soon as she stepped out, she realized they werenât at her penthouse, but back at Green Media.
She glanced back to Nigel as he exited the vehicle.
âThat will be all, James.â
The driver got back into the car and drove away.