“Not a bad trip at all,” I tell her. “Why didn’t you call?”

“I’m not sure,” she says, taking a big gulp of wine.

“Did you not want to?” I ask her, hoping this pull I feel isn’t just one-sided.

“Oh, I wanted to,” she finally says softly. “I just didn’t want to muddy the waters.”

“Meaning?” I ask her.

“Meaning, I don’t know what would happen after,” she answers me.

“You’ll never know unless you call,” I tell her. “I’m not asking for your hand in marriage, Vivienne. I’m old-fashioned,” I tell her, and she raises her eyebrows, “but not that old-fashioned.”

“Old-fashioned?” she questions me. “Does that mean you do all the work?”

“What fun would that be?” I tell her and lean forward softly. “Nothing sexier than watching a woman ride.” And just like that, her eyes change to the darkest blue I’ve ever seen. I watch her swallow and see that she shifts in her chair, but I don’t want to push her. “I’m sure you’ll agree.”

She looks at me, and I see the wicked out in her. “Personally, I like to look over my shoulder.”

I nod at her. The waiter comes and places all our food on the table, but I’m not the least bit hungry. I don’t even want to eat. The only thing I want to do is fuck her on the table, but I know I can’t yet. She eats some lamb, and the rest of the conversation is easy.

“Are you excited for the start of the season?” she asks.

“I am,” I say. “I think Matthew has done a good job putting the team together. Plus, we got a couple of rookies coming in who are impressive, and we did just get Viktor.”

“I met him yesterday at the barbecue,” she says. I wait for her to say something about him. “Not a talkative type, but then again, I was trying to sleep on our way home.” I don’t let it show that this piece of information bothers me. “Zoe spent most of the time talking to him.”

“I met him today. He seems like a good guy who got a bad rap, but that’s what happens when you aren’t private.”

“Is that so?” she says, finishing off her glass of wine and then drinking some sparkling water.