Chapter 44: Dangerous Admission

Dorian sighed. "I genuinely thought it would work. Margot was my mother’s idea. My mother thought the anger I carried after seeing Lillian with my uncle was never going to resolve itself. So she encouraged marrying Margot. A lot. Margot was a good woman. Far more patient than I deserved."

His gaze dropped briefly. "She tolerated me for three years. It was too late before I realized I’d dug the first hole in the grave of our marriage by buying this house. Everything else just..." He exhaled. "Well. It didn’t work."

There were questions she wanted to ask. Why did the third marriage fail? Why had he kept trying after the first betrayal if some part of him had already decided loving someone gave them the power to destroy him?

Then something simpler came out instead.

"You loved your first wife."

It wasn’t a question. She could hear it in his voice every time he said Lillian’s name. Whatever existed there had changed into anger and bitterness but once upon a time it had obviously been love.

"Yes. Yes, I did."

The elevator chimed before Naomi could think about that too deeply. The doors slid open. And every serious thought disappeared from her head.

Her eyes widened. The sixth floor was huge. An enormous entertainment space stretched out in front of them, looking somewhere between a private club, an expensive game room and the ultimate bachelor pad.

Large screens dominated one wall. There were video games. A cinema like nook. A pool table. Naomi stepped out slowly.

"Good Lord."

Dorian walked past her like this was normal. Then she saw the bar. It was beautiful. Backlit shelves lined with bottles. Refrigerators filled with beer and champagne.

Glasses hung neatly above the counter, and the entire setup looked better stocked than some bars.

Naomi turned in a slow circle. Then looked at Dorian. "Oh, wow. Dorian..."

"What?"

"This isn’t a bar."

He chuckled. "then what would you call it?"

"This is heaven for alcoholics."

"I’m glad you like it," Dorian said, coming to stand beside her as they both looked over the bar.

Naomi was still taking in the ridiculous number of bottles when he turned toward her.

"So, what would you like to drink, Chef Bennett?"

She smiled at the title. "Surprise me."

Dorian considered that for a moment. "I think the occasion calls for champagne. Grab the glasses."

Naomi reached for two flutes while Dorian opened the drinks refrigerator and scanned the bottles inside.

He eventually pulled out a chilled bottle of Krug Grande Cuvée. She looked at the label.

"Should I be scared to ask how much that costs?"

Dorian laughed. "Not much."

They took the bottle and glasses through the doors leading to the rooftop terrace. She stepped outside.

The terrace opened above the city, surrounded by low lighting, with the skyline stretching around them.

The buildings glowed below. The night sky seemed unusually clear. And from up here, with the city spread beneath her, Naomi felt strangely weightless.

Like she was flying.

"Wow..."

Dorian looked back at her. Her expression made him smile. "Come on!" He called her toward a pair of chaise lounges positioned to take in the view.

Naomi finally moved. He set the glasses down, worked the cork loose, then deliberately made the opening far more dramatic than necessary.

Pop.

Naomi jumped and laughed. "You did that on purpose."

"Obviously." He poured both glasses, the bubbles rising quickly before settling, then handed one to her. He lifted his own. "To Chef Bennett."

She raised her glass. "To Chef Bennett."

The glasses touched lightly. She took a sip and lowered herself onto the chaise beside his.

"Don’t you have work tomorrow?"

"I do."

"I thought you liked to sleep early when you need to get up early."

Dorian leaned back, one arm resting along the side of the chaise. "I did... until you came to the townhouse."

Naomi slowly turned toward him. "What?"

"You switched up my routine. Threw my entire system off balance."

"I’m sorry?"

He looked down at the champagne in his hand. The truthful answer came easily enough in his head.

Saying it was another matter. Before Naomi, his life had been remarkably predictable. Now, his routine had been completely destroyed.

And somehow... He didn’t want it back. he weighed his next response heavily. Then he looked at her.

"I like it. You... you make life exciting."

Naomi smiled and looked down at her champagne, suddenly finding the bubbles very interesting.

Dorian had said it so simply.

You make life exciting.

It shouldn’t have made warmth spread through her chest the way it did. She took another sip, buying herself a few seconds to think of an answer that didn’t sound nearly as affected as she felt.

"You are fun to hang out with," she finally admitted. "I didn’t think you would be. It’s fun to mess with you. You get this look like you’re deciding whether something is worth arguing about or whether you should just ignore me."

Dorian chuckled and took another drink. She settled farther into the chaise.

"Granted, I met a different version of you in Vegas."

"Blame the alcohol. I already had too much to drink before I met you."

Naomi laughed. "I still cannot believe both of us cannot remember the wedding,"

Dorian looked out over the skyline. "Maybe we should take a trip back there. Retrace our steps."

"That would be fun, wouldn’t it?" She laughed, already imagining them wandering through casinos and bars trying to piece together the worst decision of their lives.

"Including the part where we ended up in bed together?"

"That would be a breach of contract."

"Is that all stopping us? The contract?"

Naomi adjusted herself on the chaise. "I put it in there for a reason."

"Why?"

"Why complicate things if everything is going to end in five and a half months?" Naomi asked.

Five and a half months. Where the hell was the time going? It felt like she had only just arrived.

"Right..." Dorian said, taking another sip. "Five and a half months. So you think sex would complicate things?"