The Blush Factor by Deborah Bladon

Chapter Thirteen

Matthew

A man’sgreatest temptation can quickly become his obsession.

I’m staring at mine.

She’s wearing a black dress that showcases every luscious ripe curve of her body. On her feet are heels so high, they should be illegal.

I saw her stroll into the restaurant, oblivious to the fact that virtually every head turned to trail her.

Men, women and the guy I met on my way in who I swear was hitting on me are included on that list.

Faith Upton, with her pink hair, pouty pale lips, and ass swaying under the fabric of that fucking dress, stopped time for a second when she showed up at Axel NY.

I’m not sure what I did to deserve this feast for my eyes, but I wish I were alone with my carnal thoughts.

I’m sitting at a table with my sister because this is where she insists we come when she has an issue that she needs help with. Delia is two years younger than I am, a scholar of sorts, because she can’t decide which career path to take, so she’s sampled many through course after course at whatever college will accept her.

They all want her because she’s that smart.

The latest degree to add to her collection is in sexuality studies. I didn’t press for any details on that because she’s my sister, and intimacy is not a subject we readily discuss.

“You’re on another planet.” Delia waves the fork in her hand in the air. “Are you thinking about a patient?”

Lying to my sister serves little purpose, so I come clean. “No.”

“A woman then,” she surmises with a smile that suggests she’s confident in her guess. “What’s her name?”

“Miss None of Your Business,” I defer to the tried and true answer I’ve been dishing out since I was in high school.

For the record, there were a number of Miss None of Your Businesses back then. Roman explored the fairer sex far less greedily than I did when we were teenagers. He’d always comment that I picked up his castoffs. My cock didn’t care.

“Grow up,” Delia snaps back before she stabs a bloody piece of steak with her fork. “This is where you ask me about my love life, Matt.”

I glance to where Faith is sitting at a table with a dark-haired woman.

I have a clear view of Miss Upton’s legs. They are crossed with enough of her thigh showing that my cock has yet to calm the fuck down.

“How’s your love life, Delia?”

She lets out a heavy sigh as her brown eyes scan my face. “Try to sound interested.”

I repeat the question in the same tone. “How’s your love life, Delia?”

“Miserable.”

Surprise. Surprise.

My sister, in all her infinite educational wisdom, is no match for the single male population of this city. Hell, she was even less a match for the man she met in Paris last year who suddenly ended things with her with no explanation.

Although she kept his name a mystery, she bled the specifics of their brief relationship out in sharp detail with words that were sprinkled with the French endearments he bestowed upon her as they spent lazy Sunday mornings in his flat near the Champs-Élysées.

I would have found the bastard who broke her heart and throat punched him, but again, I had no clue who the fuck I was looking for, so I comforted her the best way I knew how. Countless dinners here at Axel NY, during which she drank expensive red wine as she cried in her glass.

“Why?” I ask the expected question with a concerned note in my tone. “Why is it miserable?”

I know how to coddle her as well as I know how to commend my younger brother, Callum. I was there for them both as we grew up. Our father fucked off when we were kids, and our mother, determined to prove that fate was no match for her, worked herself until she was bone weary.

Roman had his own demons to deal with, so I drew the lucky straw and became a guiding light of sorts to my siblings.

“There are no good single men left in New York City,” my sister grumbles.

I huff out a laugh. “There’s Mr. Winters from your building. He’s crazy about you.”

She offers me an eye roll. “He’s ninety years old. I’m talking about men I can fuck, Matthew.”

“Too far, Delia.” I shake my head. “That went too far.”

“Sorry?” she asks as if she’s unsure she should apologize for bringing up her sex life.

“I’m sure there’s at least one guy in this vast metropolis who would find you enchanting.”

That softens her immediately. She tugs on a lock of her blonde hair. “Do you think there’s a chance I’ll find him? I can tell you, from experience, that it’s almost impossible to meet someone you have chemistry with in Manhattan. I’m talking explosive chemistry. I’m talking about the type of chemistry that makes you want to race into a room together, shut the door, and never leave, but you wouldn’t get it. You don’t know anything about a connection like that.”

My gaze trails back to where Faith is sitting. Her head is tossed back in laughter, causing those full tits of hers to strain against the thin material of her dress. “I’m well aware of that type of chemistry, and you’re right, it’s very hard to find.”

* * *

Any chancenot taken is a wasted opportunity in my world.

That’s why I bid goodbye to my sister and settled back in my chair for another drink. This time it’s scotch because I’m not on call tonight, and tomorrow I don’t start work until mid-afternoon.

I sip on the amber liquid as I watch Faith sample her way through a plate of desserts.

I can sense the way everything hits her palate based on her reactions. The yellow squared cake must have been lemon because her eyes crinkled at the corners when it met her tongue.

Something that looked like ice cream and colored deep purple drew a sigh from her. I couldn’t hear it, but I sensed it in the movement of her chest.

She hasn’t noticed me staring at her, and I’m grateful for that.

I’m planning on accidentally bumping into her as soon as she leaves that chair.

I glance at my watch.

I have all night.

How could I not? The reward for my patience is going to be some up close and personal time with Miss Upton when I suggest we share an Uber back to our apartment building.

If all I get out of this is twenty minutes in a car near her, I’ll take it.

I already know that before I crawl into bed tonight, I’m going to come with my fist wrapped around my cock while I think about how sweet it would be to fuck Faith with that dress hiked up around her hips.