Forbidden Garden

     Victoria shivered a little as the cool night air settled on her skin. After the warmth of the restaurant, the air tasted fresh, almost sharp.

She lingered beside the arched stone doorway that opened into the garden - her supposed reason for being there was that her ride was running late. That was the story she was telling herself, but deep down, she knew she was lying.

She had texted her driver a few minutes ago to take his time before coming to get her, maybe idle down the block a few times, and she knew he was going to take that literally.

She still felt flushed from the inside out. Her body was still humming from dinner, every shift reminding her of the way her silk panties still clung to her - slick, aching, and ready. Sebastian’s voice, that wicked joke, and the way he looked at her, even with those sunglasses shielding his eyes - he did all of this to her.

She had never gone from zero to burning quite so fast, not for a man she barely knew. She tried to steady herself, breathing in the garden’s sweetness as she took a walk to clear her mind and dry her soaked panties.

Victoria thought of the scene as worthy of a painting. Night-blooming flowers floated their lovely perfume through the air. Lanterns cast a buttery glow along the stone path, turning everything soft and dreamlike. Somewhere beyond the garden walls, she could hear the ocean crash against the cliffs.

And then, suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, Sebastian stepped out of the shadows.

There was no chef’s jacket now - just a black shirt, sleeves rolled up, strong arms showing the faded marks of old burns. His sunglasses were still in place, like he didn’t care about the darkness.

“You’re still here,” he said, low and smooth, his obvious amusement flickering at the edges.

She faced him, clutching her bag against her like it was a tiny shield. “My driver’s running late,” she said.

Sebastian merely smiled and moved closer. He drifted right up to the edge of her space, and the scent of flowers in the garden tangled with something raw and smoky that belonged only to him. The air between them suddenly felt charged, pulsing with heaviness and electricity.

“You felt it too,” he said.

It was not a question. He said it with a knowing tone.

“In the restaurant. The way you laughed at my joke when you knew you shouldn’t.”

Her heart almost fell out of her chest.

“You’re pretty sure of yourself, Mr. Montez.”

He shrugged, giving her just the slightest tilt of his head. Even with those damn sunglasses, she felt his hungry gaze prickling her skin.

“I’m sure of what I see. I see a beautiful woman who loves control and likes to keep everything in check - until a man comes along and makes her want to let go.”

His words slid right under her skin. Victoria's heart seemed to stop, and she couldn’t breathe for a second. A voice in her mind told her to step away, but instead, her body leaned in, helpless.

He reached out, slow enough she could’ve dodged him if she wanted to. His fingertips brushed a strand of her hair off her cheek. Just that - light as a feather - and heat flooded her again, this time, faster and deeper.

Her panties were completely soaked now, her body shameless in its need.

“You’re dangerous,” she whispered.

His lips curled into a slow, wicked smile.

“So are you, Victoria. More than you know.”

The way he said her first name was like a secret and like a promise. It made her heart do a fluttery dance.

He leaned closer. They were only inches apart. Her eyelids fluttered, lips parted, pulse throbbing between her legs. God, she wanted him to kiss her. One taste and she’d be lost.

He didn’t kiss her.

Instead, he lingered right there, so close his breath warmed her mouth. He then set his hand on her waist, not forcing her or drawing her in. Just holding her, teasing wickedly.

“I want to taste you,” he finally said softly, voice almost rough.

“Not like how I taste my food. The real way. Slow and deep, until you forget about all of your rules. Until all you can think about is how much you need me inside of you.”

Her knees almost buckled. She could feel wetness sliding down her thighs now, the ache unbearable. Just a single kiss was all it would take for her to lose control. Just a single kiss was all it would take for her to beg him to lift her dress and fuck her against the closest wall right there and then.

But then, he pulled away, just far enough to make her shake with need. His thumb lingered on her bottom lip, caressing.

“Not tonight though,” he said, his voice strained, like his decision cost him too.

“I want you thinking about it all night. I want you desperate and restless, craving me.”

Then he turned and was gone, the cool air swirling over her flushed skin, not soothing anything.

“Tomorrow night,” he called over his shoulder, disappearing back down the stone path.

“My villa on the cliffs. Eight PM. Wear something that makes you feel dangerous, Victoria. Something you’d never wear for anyone else.”

She stayed frozen for a moment, heart pounding, thighs pressed tight as if that would dull the ache and the need. It didn't, however. It only made it worse.

She pressed one hand to her chest and tried to breathe slowly. Her mind was full of the sounds of ocean waves and the memory of the scene that had just unfolded.

She was in so much trouble.

But for the first time in her careful, ordered life, Victoria slowly realized that she was staring at fire that could burn down all of her walls.

And she couldn’t wait to step right into it.