“She’s not really an upgrade, is she, Sebastian?” Melanie said. She smiled, knowing she had dropped a bomb, and strolled away with her head held high.
“I apologize for her, Ashley,” he said roughly. “Melanie isn’t known for her tact or manners.”
“I’m sure that wasn’t what drew you to her in the first place,” Ashley replied, her eyes flashing with anger. “You were dating her when you slept with me. Are you with someone now?”
“I’m with you.” He didn’t want anyone else. No woman compared to her and he didn’t know why.
“Is there anyone else?” she asked insistently as she tugged away from his grasp.
“What if there was?” he asked. She had no claim, no power over him, and he would remind her of that every moment of this agreement. “What would you do about it? What could you do about it?”
She thrust her chin out with pride. “I’d leave.”
He scoffed at her declaration. “No, you wouldn’t.” She wouldn’t walk away from him. She’d entered this agreement because she wanted to explore the pleasure they shared.
“Inez Key means everything to me, but—”
“It has nothing to do with the island,” he said. He wasn’t going to let her hide behind that reason. “You got a taste of what it’s like between us and you crave it.”
She crossed her arms and glared at him. “No, I don’t.”
“It’s okay, mi vida,” he said in a confidential tone. “I crave it, too.”
“Of course you do. You’re insatiable,” she argued. “It doesn’t matter who you are sleeping with as long as you have a woman in your bed. You’re like all men who are ruled by lust and—”
“I’m not an animal,” he replied as the anger roughed his voice. “I don’t sleep with every woman who flirts with me. I can control my baser instincts. You, I’m not so sure about.”
She gasped and took a step back. He saw the surprise and guilt flicker in her dark brown eyes. “What are you talking about?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“You can’t wait to go to bed with me,” he said with a satisfied smile as the desire swirled inside him. When they finally got to be alone, he knew she was going to go wild. The anticipation kicked harder in his veins.
“I can’t wait to get this agreement over with, if that’s what you’re talking about,” she said. “And you didn’t answer my question. Are you with another woman right now?”
Ashley was tenacious. “You have no right to ask me that question.”
She tossed back her hair and raised an eyebrow. “Because I’m your mistress?”
“Exactly.” He splayed his arms out with exasperation. “You really don’t have an understanding on how this arrangement works.”
“And you don’t seem to understand how I function,” she retorted. “If you’re in a relationship with someone, I’m going to leave. Play any mind games with me and you will regret it.”
He knew she was bluffing, but her voice held a hardened edge. As if she was talking from a past experience. “You’ll lose the island.”
Ashley leaned forward. “And you won’t get another night with me,” she said with false sweetness. “Those cravings you have will just get stronger and there will be nothing you can do about it.”
Their gazes clashed and held. It was time to teach Ashley a lesson. She suspected just how much he wanted her and was testing her power over him. He wasn’t going to let her get away with it.
He heard a feminine squeal of delight next to him. “Sebastian!”
Sebastian reluctantly turned as a woman wrapped her arms around his shoulders and clung to him. He barely recognized the model who had flirted with him a few weeks ago and he couldn’t remember her name. She was an exotic creature, but she didn’t capture his imagination like Ashley.
“It’s been forever since I’ve seen you,” the model declared before she brazenly kissed him on the mouth.
Knowing that Ashley was watching, Sebastian didn’t pull away. He wasn’t going to allow Ashley to make any demands on him.