distracting long fingers on his thigh, thinking. âAlso, Iâd like to take you to dinner.â
Astrid blinked, taken aback. âWhat?â
âDinner. You and I.â He gestured between them. âA meal, in public, where we can get to know each other a little better.â
What was he playing at? âJust dinner?â
Eli cocked his head to the side as if confused. âYes, just dinner. Weâre business partners now and I donât know anything about you. Can I pick you up here tomorrow evening at seven?â
His invitation seemed innocuous, so why did she feel disarmed? âAll right.â
He thought a moment, then added, âAlso, itâll be somewhere nice.â
Oh, he was worried about her embarrassing him? She narrowed her eyes, trying to rein in her sudden irritation. âIâll try to refrain from whoring myself out in public, then.â
Eliâs eyes widened. âI didnât mean anything by that. I just wanted you to know in case you were wondering what to wear. Iâm sorry if I offended you.â His concern was so sincere that Astrid was taken aback again. She couldnât get her bearings in this conversation.
âItâs all right.â What could she do but forgive him?
After gathering up his coat, Eli waited with his hand on the doorknob. âThank you for the tea and the tour. It was very enlightening.â He pressed his lips to her hand as always, lingering for a moment. Then, before sheâd even registered that he had drawn away, with a turn of the doorknob, he was gone.
For a long moment after heâd left, she stared at the closed door, her heartbeat loud in her ears. Sheâd made a business of understanding women, learning what they wanted and how to give it to them. Men had always been straightforwardâfun for sex, for companionship, but predictable and uninteresting. It had been a long time since sheâd met a man who puzzled her, and the puzzle made her want him like she seldom wanted anyone.
She needed to figure out Eli Rutledge.
Chapter Twelve
When the hansom cab pulled up in front of his building, it took Eli almost a full minute to realize he had arrived home. Heâd been so distracted by thinking of Astrid and her felicitation devices that he continued to sit on the plush leather seat, staring at the empty bench opposite him, until the driver swung the door open and peered in. âWeâre here, sir.â
After paying the man, Eli continued into his flat, still walking through a mental fog. He lived on the other side of the city proper, his brownstone a fair bit larger and more nicely appointed than Astridâs. No surprise, since she wasnât even a shop owner. Maybe not a shop owner, but definitely a business owner. That cheeky woman had taken his back massager and turned it intoâ¦
A fucking machine . In his mind, he heard her say it, her full lips wrapping around the words with only the slightest blush. Watching her smile, he could imagine the way she would look in the throes of pleasure, her composed exterior yielding to her primal, wanton instincts.
His cock throbbed against the confining fabric of his trousers. This wouldnât do. After pausing a moment to turn on the lights in his flat, he headed into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. He drew the curtains across his large windows, blocking off the sunlight, and lay back on his bed.
Astrid was the only thing on his mind as he unfastened the buttons on his trousers and freed his erection. Closing his eyes, he imagined her small, deft fingers wrapping around his cock, rather than his own hand. He let the fantasy take over.
Astrid straddled his thighs to look down at him, and one hand squeezed his shaft while the other cupped his sac. She wouldnât be tentative; she would know exactly what to do. After a few long, smooth strokes, she began to tease the head, her thumb tracing back and forth along his slit, spreading