James remained frozen in the doorway until the sound of Katherine's footsteps had completely faded, only then allowing himself to close the door and turn back toward Victoria.
She was still sitting on the sofa, but now there was no mistaking the smugness that lit her features. The smirk that played at the corners of her mouth was subtle but unmistakable, and James found himself shaking his head at the obvious satisfaction radiating from her.
"Satisfied?" he asked, though there was no real irritation in his voice.
Victoria's smirk widened slightly, but she didn't dignify his question with a response. Instead, she simply raised her wine glass in a small toast, as if celebrating a victory only she fully understood.
James shook his head again, but he couldn't deny the warmth that spread through his chest at the realization that Victoria's possessiveness extended beyond mere words. She'd watched him choose her over Katherine without saying a single word, and the approval in her expression made something proud and primitive stir in his chest.
"Goodnight, Victoria," he said softly, then turned and left the room before she could respond.
The walk through the hotel felt surreal, as if James were moving through a dream. The ballroom was still full of guests, the party continuing around him as if the entire world hadn't just shifted on its axis. But James felt like he was floating, disconnected from the celebration surrounding him as his mind replayed every moment of his encounter with Victoria.
He found Mikhail and Anastasia near the main bar, surrounded by well-wishers and looking radiant in their happiness. James approached them with genuine warmth, pushing aside his own turbulent emotions to focus on their joy.
"Mr. Mikhail, Mrs. Anastasia," he said as he reached them, his smile authentic despite everything else churning in his mind. "I wanted to say goodbye and thank you for including me tonight."
Mikhail clapped him on the shoulder with the easy affection of an old friend. "James! You're leaving already? The night is still young."
"I have an early morning," James replied, which wasn't entirely untrue. "But I wanted to wish you both every happiness. Marriage is a beautiful thing when it's with the right person."
Anastasia beamed at him, her eyes bright with joy and perhaps a bit too much champagne. "Thank you, James. That means so much to us."
James spent a few more minutes exchanging pleasantries with the couple, offering his congratulations and best wishes for their future together. But even as he smiled and laughed with them, part of his mind remained focused on Victoria, on the intensity of what had just passed between them.
Finally, he excused himself and made his way out of the hotel, the cool night air hitting his face like a physical relief after the charged atmosphere he'd just left behind.
The drive home passed in a blur of streetlights and half-formed thoughts. James found himself replaying every moment of the evening from Katherine's innocent flirtation to Victoria's explosive territorial display. His body still hummed with the memory of Victoria's touch, of her tongue on his skin and her teeth at his throat.
By the time he reached his apartment, James felt physically exhausted but mentally wired, as if every nerve in his body were still firing at maximum capacity. He went through the motions of getting ready for bed; removing his blazer, hanging it carefully in his closet, brushing his teeth but his mind remained completely consumed by thoughts of Victoria.
When he finally collapsed into bed, still wearing just his boxers, James found himself staring at the ceiling as the full magnitude of the evening hit him. Victoria Sharp had claimed him. Not just wanted him, not just admitted to desiring him, but actually claimed him as hers with a possessiveness that had been both thrilling and overwhelming.
The memory of her transformation from open vulnerability to territorial predator sent heat coursing through his system all over again. James had never experienced anything like the raw sexuality Victoria had displayed, the way she'd used her body and her mouth to stake her claim on him with an aggression that had left him reeling.
He rolled over and grabbed his pillow, hugging it tightly against his chest as a flush of embarrassment and excitement washed over him. The gesture felt ridiculously teenage, like a schoolboy with his first serious crush, but James couldn't bring himself to care about how juvenile it might seem.
Three years. He'd waited three long years for this moment, had endured professional distance and stolen glances and the constant ache of wanting someone who seemed completely out of reach. Three years of wondering if Victoria Sharp even saw him as anything more than a valuable employee, three years of hoping that the occasional spark he glimpsed in her eyes meant something more than professional appreciation.
And now, finally, it was going to bear fruit.
The thought sent a surge of anticipation through James that was almost overwhelming in its intensity. Victoria had promised to woo him, had looked him straight in the eye and declared her intention to pursue him with the same focused determination she brought to every other challenge in her life.
James could only imagine what that would look like. Victoria Sharp wooing someone was bound to be unlike anything he'd ever experienced. She was brilliant, strategic, utterly relentless when she wanted something, and now all of that formidable focus was going to be directed at him.
The prospect was both exhilarating and terrifying.
James pressed his face into the pillow, breathing in the familiar scent of his own laundry detergent as he tried to calm his racing thoughts. But it was impossible to find peace when every fiber of his being was still humming with the memory of Victoria's touch, with the promise of what was to come.
He thought about the way she'd looked at him when she'd made her declaration, the absolute certainty in her voice when she'd said "You are mine." There had been no doubt in her expression, no hesitation or second-guessing. Victoria Sharp had decided she wanted him, and now she was going to make it happen with the same ruthless efficiency she applied to hostile takeovers and billion-dollar deals.
The thought made James's pulse accelerate all over again. He'd challenged her, had demanded that she prove her commitment by wooing him properly, and Victoria had accepted that challenge with the confidence of a woman who had never failed to get what she wanted.
James couldn't wait to see what she would do next. Would she send him flowers at the office? Take him to expensive dinners? Use her considerable resources to create elaborate romantic gestures? Or would she be more subtle, more strategic, slowly dismantling his defenses with the same calculated precision she used in boardroom negotiations?
Knowing Victoria, it would probably be something he never saw coming, something that would catch him completely off guard and leave him as overwhelmed as he felt right now.
The anticipation was almost unbearable, but it was also delicious. For the first time in three years, James knew exactly where he stood with Victoria Sharp. The uncertainty was over, the wondering had ended, and now all that remained was to see how she would choose to claim what she'd already declared was hers.
James hugged his pillow tighter, allowing himself a moment of pure, unguarded happiness. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new complications, new questions about how they would navigate this shift in their relationship. But tonight, he could simply bask in the knowledge that Victoria Sharp wanted him enough to fight for him.
Three years of patience was about to pay off, and James had never been more excited about anything in his entire life.
He closed his eyes, finally feeling exhaustion begin to overtake the adrenaline that had been keeping him wired, and let himself drift toward sleep with a smile on his face and the taste of possibility on his tongue.