Chapter 6
Dane
Sydney didn’t bat an eyelid while I stood in front of her, in nothing but a towel wrapped around my waist. I knew at the back of my head that I was trying to seduce her, but she looked completely un-seduced and I felt slightly disappointed. I’d expected her to at the very least, blush or look flustered. I wasn’t trying to come on strong, and neither was I planning on making a move on her. But I was curious. Was she available? Was she attracted to me at all? Till now she had given me no indication that she even found me remotely attractive. Not the kind of reaction I got from most women around me.
“I was baking some rolls, but they’re burnt now,” she said and dusted her hands.
“You’re a baker?” I said and took a few steps into the kitchen.
“Just an amateur enthusiast,” she said and followed me with her eyes. I picked up an apple from the fruit basket at the center of the small dining table and bit into it. She was watching me with narrowed brown eyes, like she didn’t approve of my behavior. I, on the other hand, was merely trying to get a reaction out of her.
“I can’t remember the last time I had something freshly home baked,” I said and stood leaning against the fridge. Sydney looked calm and casual, and turned to pour some flour into a bowl.
“Why is that?” she asked and I shrugged.
“Maybe because I rarely eat at home, and my housekeeper probably doesn’t have the same baking skills as you do,” I said and continued eating the apple.
Sydney had now proceeded to knead the dough, and I noticed the way her slender arms moved. Her whole body shuddered as she exerted herself and I couldn’t help but wonder what she looked like underneath those clothes. I was beginning to believe that my effort in seducing her had been futile.
Instead, I sat down at the table and pulled one of the newspapers towards me. They were lying in a pile on the table. As I read, Sydney kneaded the dough and then started shaping them. I avoided glancing at her, or looking at her from the corner of my eye. I didn’t want her to know that I was fantasizing about her. The last thing I wanted was for her to get the wrong impression of me. Although, I was certain that she had already formed her judgements. She didn’t seem to like me very much.
After some silence, Sydney looked at me.
“You never really told me who you are,” she said and I lifted my eyes off the paper to look at her.
“I don’t understand the question, Sydney. What do you want to know about who I am?” I said and she tucked in some hair behind her ears. She looked back down at the dough in her hands and I could see that her nostrils were flared. Probably from the effort she was putting into her baking.
“I don’t mean to pry, but I was curious about your plans. Ms Lucan told me that you want to stay here indefinitely…I was wondering what that meant,” she said and I flipped over the page of the newspaper. I wasn’t looking at her, mainly because I didn’t want to talk about it. I had been successful in not thinking about my life in New York for this long.
“It means that I haven’t decided when to leave yet. Unless it’s a problem for you,” I said and our eyes met. Sydney quickly looked away from me, and back to her fresh batch of rolls on a baking tray.
“No, it’s not a problem for me. I was merely curious,” she said.
“I’ll give you notice of a few days before I decide to leave of course. So that you can open the place back up for bookings,” I added and she nodded her head and kept her lips pursed.
In silence she pushed the tray back into the oven and dusted her hands again.
“That was it. That was all I was curious about,” she said and I watched her intently. She had soft small shoulders, shapely legs and a curvaceous hip. She wasn’t exactly the kind of woman I usually slept with. The many who threw themselves at me at cocktail parties and fundraisers. There was something unusually different about Sydney though. She had a fresh simple face, striking features that she didn’t even know about, and a body I would have liked to mould in my arms. The most annoying thing about her though, was that she didn’t seem to reciprocate the sizzling desire I had for her.
Her brows crossed as she caught me watching her.
“You’ll have to excuse me, Dane. I’ll see you later,” she said.
“Maybe at the pub,” I reminded her. Sydney nodded her head and quietly left the kitchen, all to myself.
I remained sitting at the table as I read the local newspaper, flipping through the pages absent-mindedly. I was only staring at the news, not really paying attention. Sydney had occupied my mind. I was determined to make her see me. To give me some sign if she was interested. Because I was very interested in her. Sleeping with her would completely ruin this plan. I would have to leave this place immediately because I couldn’t continue to stay on after we had sex. But I was sure that Tina would find me some other place to go to.
The more I spoke to Sydney, and the more she ignored my presence…the more desperate I was growing for her. Now, every time I saw her, I felt like I wanted her right there and right then.
It had been a long time since a woman had made me work for it, and I was beginning to enjoy the chase.