Shit. He totally had a point there.
"So let me ask you again. Why can't I have the job?"
"Why do you even want it?" Fleur blurted out.
"Because I want you."
Oh...God.
She had not expected Julian to say it so simply like that, and her body instantly went up in flames.
"I want to be your first."
And now, his accent was more prominent, his tone so, so thick with desire—-
"I want those twelve fucking nights to be all mine."
That Fleur was just helpless against it, and so she heard herself stammer, "Tomorrow, my office at eight. Bring your lawyer."
Julian's gaze gleamed. "You will not regret it."
"I already—-" She wasn't able to finish speaking, with her mouth already crushed under his, and Julian's tongue thrusting in so forcefully that all she could do was cling to him, and oh, this kiss...this kiss was just as good, maybe better, she didn't really know...all she knew was that she wanted more, more, more—-
And then it was over, with Julian slowly pulling away, and Fleur was once again left staring up at him in a haze of desire, brains fried, heart racing, and every cell of her body aching with need.
"Consider that a free trial, little flower."
Julian turned to walk away, and it was only then that he allowed himself to smirk as he listened Fleur sputter and choke. Uninteresting she abso-fucking-lutely was not.
Chapter Four
Fleur slept like a babe the entire night. She had thought, while brushing her teeth, that she would worry about her bargain with the man she formerly thought as a devilishly hot stranger, but the moment her head the pillow, she had been out in a flash.
The next thing she knew, it was already seven in the morning, and she only had time to call reception about checking out before diving into the backseat of her car and telling Maarten to do everything in his super-driver-power to get them to her office, a.s.a.p.
Meanwhile, Fleur quickly typed an email to Freddie, who - aside from being wife to a Russian billionaire and close friends with her older sister Anneke - also happened to be a damn good lawyer and someone she knew she could absolutely trust to look after her interests.
Since Freddie had been behind high-profile cases such as the kidnapping of Fawn Cornwall and the disappearance of Princess Safiya, Fleur was absolutely certain negotiating the terms of an NDA would be a piece of cake for the lawyer.
And while Freddie assured her that drawing up such a contract shouldn't be too much trouble...
"As your legal adviser, it's my responsibility to tell you the truth and nothing but the truth, and so the truth is...I think this is a bad idea."
The two of them were in Fleur's fancy office in Los Angeles, which also happened to be right next door to Freddie's legal firm. It was also twenty minutes to eight, and Fleur was beginning to regret skipping a shower.
"Contracts make things black and white, and while that's a good thing where professional or commercial matters are concerned, they tend to make things messier when they involve relationships."
"But that's the thing," Fleur pointed out eagerly. "This isn't a relationship. This is more like a fling that also happens to double as, um, an educational course."
"Do you get a degree afterwards? A diploma? Or even a certificate—-"
Fleur made a face. "Freddie..."
"Then it's really not an educational course, is it?"
"Freddie, please, please just help me with this?"
The other woman let out a sigh. "Could you at least tell me why you're doing this?"
"Nope." Freddie was Anneke's friend first and foremost, and if Freddie thought her friend's younger sister could be in trouble, she was sure the other woman would find a way to let Anneke know this without violating lawyer-client confidentiality.
"And there is nothing I can say to change your mind about this?"
"Nada."
"Then in the interest of full disclosure..."
Fleur couldn't help but notice how Freddie was suddenly speaking so carefully.
"I need you to know that Julian is actually a personal friend of mine and Sergei. He—-"
"He was at your wedding," Fleur gasped. Now that Freddie had mentioned being friends with Julian, she finally remembered seeing him in the wedding photos Freddie had posted on social media.
"He was actually the one who introduced me to Sergei," the other woman shared with a slight smile. "We all got to know each other since we belonged to the same club."
Fleur couldn't help zeroing in on Freddie's last words. Another membership-exclusive club? Was there a pattern here or was she merely overthinking because she had watched Enola Holmes just a few days ago?
"And again, in the interest of full disclosure..."
There was more?
"I used to have a crush on him, Sergei was once jealous of him, but that's all in the past, and we're now just really good friends."
Freddie had always been blunt, and Fleur had always liked that about the other woman. Or at least she had...until now. Fleur cleared her throat and did her best to sound very casual as she asked, "Did he, um, like you back?"