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Viv returned to the bedroom, suspicion clearly etched in her dark almond-shaped eyes. “You’d actually let me do that?”
Caesar propped himself up on his elbows. “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it, Plum.”
Viv watched him for a few minutes before her gaze faltered. “No, thanks.”
“You scared?”
The taunt stopped her in her tracks. “Scared of what?”
One sinewy shoulder rose just slightly. “Of what might happen.” He taunted her so covertly it might have been imagined.
Vivian’s full laughter burst forth. “Only in your wildest dreams, sweet stuff.”
Caesar decided not to respond. Silently and arrogantly, he assured himself that if he decided to have her, she wouldn’t think of refusing.
Viv could see the doubt on his handsome face and decided to prove him wrong. “Give me a few minutes to get my stuff together,” she finally told him as she waited for him to leave the room.
Her housekeeper had already arrived by the time Viv got dressed and packed her outfit for dinner. As she headed downstairs, she could hear the woman’s laughter. Vivian shook her head. Obviously, Caesar was turning on the charm.
Indeed he was. Shelly was seated close to Caesar on the sofa. Whatever he had said was causing the girl to laugh uncontrollably. Vivian ran her fingers through her silky curls and watched them for a moment. She cleared her throat to bring an end to the amusing conversation. Unfortunately, she wasn’t noticed. A few more minutes passed before Viv bustled into the living room and cleared her throat, much louder that time.
Shelly’s brown eyes widened when she saw Viv. “Oh! Hello, Ms. Desmond.”
“Hey, Shelly,” Viv replied, shooting Caesar a sour look. “Did they tell you what happened?”
Shelly nodded quickly. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll have it taken care of in a minute.”
Viv raised her hands. “I think it might take more than a minute, Shelly. You may even need some help. I made a pretty big mess in there.”
“Humph, I’ll say,” Caesar noted as he lounged on the sofa and toyed with his hair.
“Anyway,” Viv sighed, “you don’t have to rush. I don’t need the bathroom right now.”
Shelly nodded toward Viv. She sent Caesar an adoring smile before leaving the room.
“I hope you’re not too upset,” Caesar told Viv, noticing the stern look on her face.
“Upset about what?” She pushed her hands into the back pockets of her snug-fitting jeans.
Caesar propped his feet on the oak-trimmed edge of the glass coffee table and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, I was havin’ a few laughs with Shelly.”
“So?”
“I know you tend to get upset when you see me with other women.”
Viv’s mouth fell open and she stared at him like he had two heads. “What the hell are you talking about? I never get upset over you and other women.”
Caesar propped one index finger along his temple. His gorgeous brown eyes twinkled mischievously. “Maybe a better word would be jealous.”
“Jealous!” Vivian cried. “You know, Caesar, you’ve always been arrogant. But, after all these years, even you should know how much I hate your guts.”
Caesar pushed himself off the sofa and retrieved Viv’s duffel and garment bag. “I understand why you keep saying that. You’re trying to convince yourself.”
“Convince myself of what?” Viv asked. She frowned as she looked up into his handsome face.
Instead of replying, Caesar grinned and patted her bottom.
By the time Caesar parked in front of the condo he owned in Manhattan, Viv was a bundle of nerves. She had always counted on him enjoying their sniping and arguing. The constant quipping was the only thing that kept her from thinking about how attracted she was to him. If he tried to change tactics now, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“I just won’t let that happen,” she softly promised herself.
“You say somethin’, Plum?”
Viv saw the expectant look on Caesar’s face and realized she’d spoken out loud. Quickly, she shook her head.
Caesar stepped out of the black Expedition and handed his keys to the valet. Viv took a few minutes to get a handle on her emotions and accepted Caesar’s help when he opened the passenger door.
“You can take off the glasses, you know.”
“What?”
Caesar grinned as they strolled the gorgeous, airy interior of the building. “People are real cool about seeing famous faces in here.”
Viv pulled the stylish, cat-eyed glasses from her face and perched them on top of her head. “I don’t mind the fans a bit, it’s the press I can do without.”
Surprise registered on Caesar’s sinfully handsome face. “You mean, you don’t relish the chance to get in front of the camera as much as you can?” he asked as they approached the elevators.
“The press always catches you at the worst time,” she replied wearily, refusing to let him rile her.
Caesar grinned as the elevator doors closed behind them. “You got a point there.”
“Did you know our lunch at Alindo’s was on the news?”
Caesar only shrugged as he pushed his large hands into his navy trouser pockets. “Doesn’t surprise me. But now I understand why you hate the press being around. You’re always on your worst behavior and they always catch it on tape.”
Vivian clenched her fists so tightly she could have drawn blood from her palms. “You just can’t let it rest, can you?”
Caesar pretended to be confused. “Let what rest?”
Viv closed the tiny distance between them in the elevator and poked her finger against his shoulder. “You just can’t let it go. You have to cut me down as often as you can.”
“I’m not cutting you down. You just can’t handle the truth.”
“Oh, please, spare me, Caesar! Let’s not talk about not being able to handle the truth!”
Caesar’s long sleek brows drew close as he frowned. “I’m not the one who’s been griping all day.”
“That’s because you get off on making me look bad!”
“Love, I don’t think you could take what I get off on,” Caesar softly assured her, the erotic curve of his mouth twitching in amusement.
Viv shook her head and gave Caesar a sour look. “You really are an arrogant jackass.”
Caesar brought his face close to hers. “I’m getting tired of the name callin’, Plum.”
Completely oblivious to the steely edge in Caesar’s deep, rough voice, Viv took a step closer. “And you mean to do something about it, do you?”
When the elevator doors opened, Vivian was thrown across one of Caesar’s powerful shoulders. Her heart pounded wildly as she beat his wide back with her fists.
“Caesar, dammit, wait! My glasses!”
He ignored her, holding her legs snug against chest. He carried her out of the elevator to the polished oak door at the end of the long corridor. He whistled a little tune, unmindful of Viv’s loud voice and her pounding upon his back. He stepped inside the gorgeous, warmly furnished condo and pushed the door shut with his shoulder. He went directly to the bathroom and deposited Vivian on the toilet.
“Get dressed,” he ordered, his stern expression brooking no argument.
The steamy, invigorating shower soothed the tension in Vivian’s shoulders. The powerful spray of water hitting her body felt so wonderful, she dreaded getting out.
“Oh, no,” she groaned when she shut the water off. She realized her bag had not been brought in and Caesar hadn’t been thoughtful enough to provide her with a fresh towel.
Her search through the closet provided no extra towels. “Dammit,” she sighed, propping her hands on her hips and debating on whether or not to risk prancing naked outside the bathroom. “I don’t have a choice.” She pulled the door open and peeked out into the hall. “Caesar?” she called, hoping he wasn’t upstairs. There was no answer, so she sprinted out the door and found a huge bedroom.
She spotted her leather bag on the white oak dresser. “Thank you,” she whispered. She retrieved a thick, dark blue towel and dried her face. Setting the towel on the dresser, Viv bowed her head and took several, refreshing deep breaths. When she opened her eyes and looked into the mirror, she found Caesar leaning against the doorjamb. Unmindful of her nudity, she turned to face him. “What are you doing here?”
Caesar pulled his sensual light stare away from the silky dark curls shielding Viv’s womanhood. “I live here,” he reminded her as he slowly stepped into the room.
Viv gasped, realizing her body was completely bared to his searing gaze. “I mean, what are you doing in here?” She pulled the dark towel in front of her.
“I came to get something.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her. “Besides, I thought I left you in the bathroom.”
“You did, but you brought my bag in here.”
Caesar closed his eyes as realization dawned. “Yeah, that’s right.”
Viv propped her hand on her hip and gave him a strange look. She had no idea the towel only covered the front of her body, leaving the rest in plain view through the mirror. When Caesar just stood there staring, she frowned.
“Are you gonna leave now?” she asked.
“I hadn’t planned on it.”
“Caesar, what are you doing?”
“You know, I wish you’d stop asking me that,” he said, pushing his hands into the pockets of his trousers.
Viv’s lashes fluttered as she shook her head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know damned well what’s going on here.”
“Well, would you clue me in anyway?”
Caesar leaned back against the wall. “Come on, Plum. All that arguing with me, getting all up in my face, pushing all that chest against me? You’ve been coming on to me all day.”
Viv’s mouth fell open. She was so exasperated it took a full minute before she could speak. “I don’t believe you just said that.”
A wolfish grin spread across Caesar’s face. “Truth hurts, huh, Plum?”
“No-o-o, lies hurt!”
“I’ve been around enough women to know the difference between one who’s not interested and one who’s flirting with me.”
“I’m sure you have, but you’re wasting your time with me!”
Caesar leaned his head back against the wall and smiled. “I’ll take my chances for a body like that.” His eyes trained on the mirror.
Vivian’s lovely, dark gaze narrowed and she glanced behind her. “Dammit!” she gasped, whipping the towel around her body. “I really hate you, Caesar Morrison.”
He feigned surprise. “What?”
“You could’ve told me.”
Caesar pulled one hand from his pocket and pressed it against his chest. “And deprive myself?”
“Of course not, Caesar.” Losing her zeal for fighting, she dropped to the side of the bed. “Oh, how can they make us work together? We can’t even be in the same room for two minutes without arguing.”
Caesar’s features softened at the tiny, lost tone in Viv’s words. He walked over and took a seat next to her on the bed. Turning to face her, he brought his hand to her face and cupped her chin in his palm. “Hey,” he said, waiting for her eyes to meet his. “The grannies must see potential in us or they wouldn’t be asking us to do this.”
“It just won’t work.”
“Shh…” Caesar whispered, leaning closer. His lips brushed the baby-soft hair near her temple.
Vivian closed her eyes and leaned into the pressure of his mouth against her skin. The sweet gesture felt so right, an insistent tingle emerged in the most intimate area of her body. “Caesar…” she whispered, a twinge of unease in her voice.
He trailed his lips down the side of her face, then stood. “Hurry up and get dressed,” he ordered, forcing himself to be firm. “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” he called over his shoulder as he walked out of the bedroom.
Caesar looked for the key to his grandmother’s front door while Viv stood next to him. As he pushed the thin key into the lock, his striking champagne stare slid to Viv’s beautiful face. For a while, their eyes held. Vivian was the first to look away. The door opened and Caesar escorted Viv inside with one hand pressed against the middle of her back.
“Are you okay?” Caesar asked, staring directly into her eyes. Concern was clear on his handsome face.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Viv assured him, though her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Caesar? Vivian? Are you two out there?”
“Yeah!” they called in unison, following the sound of their grandmothers’s voices.
“Oh, the two of you came together!” Francine cried as she and Carlotta rushed across the foyer to hug their grandchildren.
When the two women pulled away from Caesar and Viv, they couldn’t help but notice how subdued the two seemed. Caesar was unusually quiet and Viv seemed a bit unsettled.
Carlotta slipped her arm around Viv’s waist as they all headed to the living room. “Baby, you look so lovely tonight.” She took in the ankle-length peach dress with spaghetti straps and empire waist.
