Chapter 62: Cutely wild

The knock came again.

Harder this time.

Stella moved first. She pulled away from Tom with a movement that wasn’t too fast or too slow, smoothing her dress down, fixing the line of the fabric over her thighs, dragging her composure back into place by force. Her reflection in the mirror still looked too flushed, too bright-eyed, but there was no time to perfect it.

"It’s occupied," she called out.

The words came out sharper than necessary, edged with enough irritation to discourage questions. For a moment there was only silence on the other side of the door. Then footsteps retreated, fading back toward the main corridor.

Neither of them spoke at first.

The restroom felt smaller in the aftermath, the air still tight with what had almost continued. Then after a moment, Stella broke the silence.

She exhaled slowly and let out a short, disbelieving breath that was almost a laugh.

"This is completely wrong," she said under her breath. Then, after a beat, quieter still: "And yet..."

She didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t need to. The unfinished heat between her thighs had already said enough. She was still excited. Her heart was beating with adrenaline at the idea of almost being caught pants down.

She turned her head toward Tom, studying his face with a more complicated expression than the anger she had worn when he first entered.

"Hey, do you think I’m strange?" she asked. "Or just... recklessly wild?"

Despite the fact that the question was out of the blues, Tom met her eyes and without hesitation, he replied firmly. "No."

Her brows lifted slightly, unconvinced. He saw that she wasn’t convinced and offered an explanation.

"You’re not strange. You’re normal. You just have an intense appetite. There’s nothing abnormal about that. I mean, science explained that that’s very normal." he said.

Stella searched his face for mockery and found none. The seriousness in his answer landed harder than flattery would have. Something in her shoulders eased by a fraction, the defensive edge softening into an obvious reluctant satisfaction.

She was one inch away from giving room to the sweet smile wanting to break out on her face. Still, she glanced once toward the locked door and shook her head.

"This isn’t the place for it."

"I know," Tom said. "Then we finish it somewhere better."

Her eyes returned to him. For a second the old pride and the newer craving sat openly in the same look. Then she nodded once.

"I’ll call you when I’ve arranged it."

"Good."

Tom stepped back, giving her space. "You go first. I’ll wait and leave separately."

Stella nodded then moved to the door, paused, and opened it just enough to check the corridor. It was empty. She slipped out without another word.

As he looked at her retreating steps, A smile made its way onto Tom’s face. He found her wildness and the way she was about it, really cute.

~~~~~~~~~

By the time Stella reached the table, her posture had returned to its public shape, elegant, controlled but just faintly tired. She didn’t spare Sienna a glance before she leaned in toward Adrian and lowered her voice.

"I’m not feeling well. We should leave."

The smile on Adrian’s face dropped. A crease formed between his brows, but with Sienna sitting across from them he kept his tone polished.

"Of course." He rose, already signaling for the check as a matter of form, and turned to Sienna. "I’m afraid we’ll have to cut the evening short."

Sienna inclined her head with understanding. "These things happen. Take care of yourself," she said to Stella.

Stella offered a brief word of thanks. Adrian paid the entire bill then guided Stella from the table. Together they moved through the restaurant and walked out, while presenting the image of an attentive fiancé and his elegant partner until the car doors closed behind them.

Only then did the performance drop.

Adrian settled into the back seat with a hard exhale. "Jesus, Stella. Did you have to ruin the evening like that?"

Stella turned her head toward him, her nostrils scrunched up in disgust; Should I have sat there pretending for your benefit while I felt unwell?"

"You knew why we came tonight."

"Of course I did." Her voice sharpened as she retorted. "If there had been no purpose, we wouldn’t have been here at all."

Adrian’s jaw flexed. "Don’t start."

"Then drop me off once we’re away from the cameras. I will have my car brought. I will manage on my own." she said sharply.

He looked at her for a moment, clearly weighing image against irritation. At last he gave a short nod.

"If you insist."

"I do."

The car pulled away from the restaurant, carrying with it two individuals who were boiling with annoyance.

~~~~~~~~~

Back inside the restaurant, Tom returned to the table with the unhurried composure of a man who had simply handled a call. He glanced at the empty seats across from them and let a mild frown touch his face.

"Where did the senator and his fiancée go?"

"Stella wasn’t feeling well, so they left." Sienna said.

Tom nodded once, as if filing the information away. "We should go too."

Sienna’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Why the sudden hurry?"

"I still have a client to deal with." He held her gaze, then leaned in just enough for the next words to remain between them. "Besides, the reason we came has already been handled. There were enough phones and cameras on us when we arrived. The pictures will do their work."

Sienna looked past him toward the room, reading the lingering attention with a professional eye. After a moment, she gave a small nod.

"You’re right."

She stood. Tom offered his hand, and she took it with the same practiced ease they had used on the way in. Together they walked back through the restaurant, presenting and maintaining the image of a composed couple...

While the unfinished business of the evening remained carefully out of sight - waiting for a quieter place, and a later call.