Chapter 300: At Long Last
Nash entered the room and gently closed the door behind him.
Victoria was standing near the large window, her cup of black coffee steaming in her hand.
The gentle the Spires’ twilight filtered through her thin black nightdress. The light fabric clung slightly to her skin, highlighting the full roundness of her breasts, the slimness of her waist, and the generous curve of her hips. Her long golden legs glowed softly under the warm light.
She turned her head slightly toward him and smiled.
Nash took a few steps forward, his hands in the pockets of his pants.
"Still awake?" He glanced at the cup. "And drinking coffee at this hour. I figured you’d be emptying a glass of wine after everything that just happened."
Victoria brought the cup to her lips and drank slowly. She kept the coffee in her mouth for a moment before swallowing, then turned the cup between her fingers.
"I like wine when I want to numb myself a little," she replied in a calm and composed voice. "But some nights, I want to stay fully awake. Alcohol makes you forget. Me, I prefer caffeine. It keeps my senses alert. I feel everything more intensely. Every second. Every sensation."
She slowly ran a finger along the rim of the cup while looking at him.
Nash moved a little closer, a small smirk on his lips.
"And what exactly is there to savor so intensely at this hour, Victoria?"
She lowered her eyes slightly toward her cup before raising them back to him. An amused, almost playful smile stretched her lips.
"Well... Something good should happen tonight," she said simply. Her voice was soft, but there was a slight... something behind it.
Nash raised an eyebrow, interested.
Victoria took a small sip of coffee, then slowly ran her finger along the rim of the cup.
"How do you handle all this pressure?" she asked. "The matches, the responsibilities, the people who always want something from you... It must be exhausting."
Nash shrugged.
"In the Underground, most guys drink or smoke to get through it. Or they fuck their heads up on something else. I prefer to stay clear in my head. Besides, it’s not a big deal. I got lucky and I seized it. If tomorrow I lose a leg, I’m fucked."
Victoria slowly nodded. She slid her free hand along her bare thigh, from her knee up to mid-thigh, as if to warm herself, while looking at him.
"In the Upperworld, it’s a bit different," she said. "You’re always being watched. Always performing. You always have to play a role. Even when you’re alone, you feel like someone is watching you." She took another slow sip of coffee. "Since I came down here... I feel freer than I have in years. It’s strange. Almost... liberating."
Nash listened without interrupting, his eyes fixed on her.
Victoria set the cup down for a moment and slid her fingers higher up her thigh, just under the hem of her nightdress. The movement was slow, almost unconscious. She crossed her legs, slightly lifting the fabric on her skin.
"And you?" she asked, raising her eyes back to him. "Have you always been like this? Or did you learn to handle the pressure like this over time?"
Nash answered in a calm voice, but Victoria was no longer really listening. She drank her coffee in small sips, her lips resting on the rim of the cup, while continuing to slowly caress her bare thigh with her fingertips. From time to time, she ran her index finger along the rim of the cup in a slow, repetitive gesture.
Her eyes regularly returned to Nash, and each time, her gaze lingered a little longer on him.
Nash eventually changed his tone, becoming more serious again.
"Listen... there are things I didn’t say in front of the girls earlier. About the plan. About what Harlan really gave me."
Victoria slowly placed her cup on the windowsill. She turned completely toward him and took a few steps in his direction. The nightdress moved on her body with each step, highlighting the sway of her hips and the slight movement of her breasts.
She stopped right in front of him.
Without a word, she raised her hand and placed her palm flat on his chest. Her fingers spread over the firmness of his pectorals, feeling the warmth rising through the fabric. She caressed slowly, almost lazily.
Nash looked at her, surprised by the gesture.
Victoria then raised her eyes to him. With a calm motion, she gently took his chin between her thumb and index finger and forced him to lower his head to meet her gaze. She moved even closer, close enough for her warm and expensive perfume to envelop him, and for the heat of her body to be felt against his.
"I don’t want to talk about the plan tonight," she murmured in a low and captivating voice. "I don’t want to be the director. Or the ally. Or the one who has to manage everything."
She kept her hand on his chest while running her thumb along his jaw.
"You know what I want?" she continued, looking him straight in the eyes. "I’m tired of seeing you with the others. Jaz. Nia. Dahlia. Even that girl who lives with you. I watch them all take what I desire... while I stay on the sidelines because of an agreement that you decided."
Nash took half a step back, frowning.
"Victoria... We said it wouldn’t be like this. You don’t pay me with your body. You said it yourself to the..."
She placed two fingers on his lips to silence him, while keeping her other hand on his chest. Her eyes were darker, filled with a rising desire.
"It’s not because of the plan," she said softly. "It’s not to thank you. It’s not a deal." She removed her fingers from his lips and placed her palm on his cheek, caressing his jaw with her thumb. "It’s just that I want you. For a long time. And tonight... I’m free. I’m finally free, and I feel like I can do anything. And that’s what I want, to do anything with you. I don’t want to stay watching the others have what I desire when it’s right under my nose."
She pressed herself a little more against him. Her heavy and round breasts pressed against his chest through the thin nightdress, the fine fabric leaving almost nothing between her warm skin and his. Her thigh slid against his in a slow friction, while the heat of her body enveloped his. She stayed there for a moment, letting her curves mold against his.
Nash looked at her in silence, his breathing a little heavier.
Victoria devoured him with her eyes. Her gaze slid slowly over his face, down his broad chest, then along the line of his stomach, before coming back up with slowness. A sensual, almost possessive smile stretched her lips.
Then she slowly stepped back, without taking her eyes off him. She walked backward toward the door, her hips swaying in a supple and provocative motion with each step. The nightdress slid over her bare thighs, revealing and covering her golden skin with the rhythm of her walk.
When she reached the door, she turned the key in the lock. The click echoed in the room.
She then removed the key and threw it with a slow and sensual gesture toward the bed. The key landed somewhere in the sheets, in the darkness.
She stayed against the door, her hands behind her, and looked at him for a long time. Her eyes slowly descended over his body, lingering on his chest and lower, before coming back up to his face. A slow and confident smile stretched her lips.
"This time, Nash Blaze..." she said in a low and warm voice, "you won’t escape me."
