something out about herself that surprised her. And since it was only a harmless discussion, she saw no harm in sharing it.
âMaybe Iâd be aroused. But not in a voyeuristic way. I canât say that element has ever remotely appealed to me. But in the earthy way it would make you think about sex in general, I suppose.â
There, that was safe and analytical sounding. Never mind that she wanted to squirm in her seat and that the friction of her shirt against her nipples was driving her mad at the moment. He didnât have to know that.
Looking into those amusement-filled blue eyes of his, however, she had to wonder.
âSo you see, we are all the same,â he concluded. âIn general, I mean. We might harbor different fantasies. You donât get into voyeurism. But you have other things that work for you. We all do. No matter how prim and proper we are on the surface, we are all basically driven by our sexual selves, donât you think?â
âNot to the exclusion of everything else, no.â
âBut you do agree that people who pretend they arenât sexual creatures, that they donât respond to some kind of stimuli, are fooling themselves? Even cheating themselves?â
Natalie thought about that. âPerhaps.â
He grinned. âYou donât look too convinced.â
âI think maybe there are people who donât so much deny their sexuality and their needs, as ignore them.âAfter all, that summed her up neatly. Not that she was going to share that. âPeople can have other priorities besides sex.â She shot him a dry smile. âWell, women can, anyway.â
He raised his hands. âHa-ha. But Iâll agree that men are a bit more sexually centered than women. In general.â
âNow, there you have my complete agreement.â
He grinned and finished off his coffee. âFor someone who seems fairly at home with her sexuality, you appear to be pretty conscious of those who arenât. Are all the lawyers you work with that uptight?â
She was honestly surprised at his assessment. But the surprise and the late hour had her responding before she could stop. âWhat makes you think Iâm at home, as you call it, with my sexuality?â
âThe clothes youâre wearing, for one.â He shrugged off her expression with a smile. âI know I probably shouldnât judge you by your appearance, but I donât know much else about you. What I do know is that outfit is definitely not for the faint of heart. Or a person not completely at home with the fact that sheâs a woman.â
She wouldnât squirm. She wouldnât. But damn if she didnât want to. She should have felt self-conscious about that description. And she did. But she also kind ofâ¦liked it. Still, she felt compelled to be honest. Besides, no way could she back up what this outfit promised.
âThank you for the compliment. But in the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that these clothes belong to Liza.â She folded her arms on the table. âShe didnât find my legal-eagle party clothes suitable for her party. Which basically just proves my point. Liza is sexually adventurous, and her wardrobe and lifestyle reflect that.But Iâm not, and my wardrobe and lifestyle reflect that. â There, now at least heâd know she wasnât advertising something she had no intention of putting on the market.
Although, she couldnât deny that the thought sent a brief thrill through her.
Jake seemed to think for a moment about what sheâd said. âSo which precludes which?â
Confused, she said, âWhat do you mean?â
âI mean, does the lifestyle and wardrobe follow the inherent nature of the woman? Or does the woman simply choose to bury her nature due to her lifestyle and accompanying wardrobe?â
Natalie had no answer for that. It was one thing to reveal that maybe, just maybe, sheâd