The balcony no longer seemed sufficient for Camile. Not because she was uncomfortable—quite the opposite.
That was precisely the problem.
Victor was too close.
His cologne mingled with the cool night air, and that proximity stirred a sensation she wasn't used to allowing herself.
It was obvious: simple, direct desire with no meaning attached.
That was how she preferred it.
Camile pulled away first.
“I’m going back to my friends.”
Victor kept looking at her.
“Running away?”
She turned her face.
“Don’t confuse control with running away.”
“So you’re in control?”
“Always.”
“Interesting.”
“Why?”
“Because you seem to be trying to convince yourself.”
Camile let out a short laugh.
“You talk too much.”
“And you think too much.”
“Thinking has never caused me any problems.”
“Maybe because you’ve never met someone worth losing control over.”
She grew serious.
“Don’t say things you know nothing about.”
Victor noticed the change.
Behind that confidence was a boundary.
And he had just touched it.
“All right.”
Camile took a deep breath.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Together?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t get carried away.”
Victor smiled.
“I knew you liked me.”
“Don’t ruin the moment.”
Nicole’s eyes widened when Camile returned to the table.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes.”
Vanessa looked at Victor.
Then at Camile.
A smile slowly spread across her face.
“With him?”
Camile picked up her purse.
“I’m leaving in my car.”
Victor approached.
“I’ll drive.”
“No.”
“You’ve been drinking.”
“Two glasses.”
“Even so.”
Camile hesitated.
He was right.
And she hated when that happened.
“I’m not going to your place.”
Victor stared at her for a few seconds.
“I didn’t ask if you were.”
“It was implied.”
“Then let me make it clear. You can go wherever you want.”
His answer surprised her.
He didn’t insist.
He didn’t try to pressure her.
He simply waited.
Camile studied the man for a few seconds.
“All right.”
Nicole stood up to hug her.
“Text me when you get there.”
“I will.”
“And if you don’t?”
“You call me until I answer.”
“Exactly.”
Camile smiled.
Before leaving, Vanessa approached and whispered:
“Be careful.”
Camile knew exactly what she was talking about.
“I know how to take care of myself.”
And she did.
She always had.
Victor’s car was parked in front of the establishment.
He opened the door for Camile.
She got in without thanking him.
Victor walked around the vehicle and took the wheel.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
The city passed by outside the windows.
Illuminated buildings.
Traffic lights.
People walking along the sidewalks.
Camile watched it all while feeling his presence beside her.
“Are you always this quiet?” Victor asked.
“No.”
“Then why now?”
“I’m thinking.”
“About what?”
“Whether I made a mistake coming with you.”
Victor smiled.
“There’s still time to turn back.”
She turned her face toward him.
“You’re not going to try to convince me?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you don’t seem like a woman who likes being convinced.”
Camile smiled faintly.
“You finally figured something out.”
He laughed.
“You’re difficult.”
“No.”
“No?”
“I just know what I want.”
Victor shot her a quick glance.
“And what do you want?”
Camile took a few seconds to answer.
“One night and nothing more.”
He turned his attention back to the road.
“No tomorrow?”
“No tomorrow.”
“No messages?”
“Preferably not.”
“No demands?”
“None.”
“No feelings?”
Camile looked at him.
“Especially that.”
Victor nodded.
“I agree.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“That easy?”
“I’m not looking for a relationship either.”
“Great.”
“Great.”
The silence returned.
But this time, something was different. A kind of silent agreement.
Neither of them was promising anything.
And precisely because of that, the night seemed more dangerous.
Victor’s apartment was in one of the most upscale buildings in the city.
As soon as they entered, Camile observed the surroundings. There were no signs of a shared life. It was exactly what she expected from someone like him.
“You live alone?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“A few years.”
“You’ve never wanted to share your space with someone?”
Victor took off his jacket.
“No.”
Camile nodded.
“Then we’re alike.”
“You live alone too?”
“Yes.”
“Relationship?”
“No.”
“How long?”
She stared at him.
“Are you conducting an interview?”
“Curiosity.”
“There’s no answer.”
Victor draped his jacket over an armchair.
“Do you always run when someone asks you something personal?”
“I don’t run.”
She moved closer.
“I just choose what deserves an answer.”
Victor stood in front of her.
The distance between them shrank.
“And do I deserve one?”
Camile lifted her gaze.
“I’m still deciding.”
He smiled.
“You really do like that line.”
“Because it works.”
The conversation continued for a few minutes. Victor tried several times to learn more about her.
Camile deflected.
Not because she had anything to hide.
But because she didn’t want that night carrying information that might exist beyond it.
She didn’t want to know Victor deeply.
She didn’t want to know his story, much less his dreams and fears.
Because knowledge created a bond. And a bond was exactly what she didn’t want.
Victor seemed to think the same way.
Maybe that was why they worked so well that night.
Neither of them wanted to be known.
Only desired.
Victor moved closer.
Camile didn’t retreat.
He gently touched her face.
The gesture was simple.
Almost too careful for someone so arrogant.
She grasped his wrist.
For a moment, they stayed like that.
Their gazes locked.
“Last chance,” Victor said.
“For what?”
“To leave.”
Camile released his wrist.
“I don’t want to leave.”
He didn’t ask anything else.
He moved closer.
The kiss began slowly, as if they were both still testing the limits of that decision.
Camile closed her eyes.
She felt his hands on her waist, and the closeness intensified when she quickly realized that something inside Victor’s pants was growing, its shape impossible to miss.
Victor moved lower, then squeezed her ass hard, rubbing his cock between her legs. Camile realized that something between her thighs was getting wet, and she moaned.
“Looks like someone here wants me to fuck her hard, doesn’t she?”
“Shut that mouth and eat me however you want.”
Victor didn’t waste any time. He threw Camile facedown, ripped off her dress, and tore her panties apart with all the violence of a starving man. Camile gripped the sheet tightly and felt his huge cock plunge into her, quick and ravenous.
And maybe it was precisely because they knew it would end that they allowed themselves to live that moment without fear.
Victor smiled against her lips.
“Still think I’m arrogant?”
“Very much.”
“And even so…”
She cut him off.
“Don’t ruin it.”
He understood.
No words were needed.
Hours later, the apartment was steeped in tranquility.
Camile lay beside Victor.
Her hair spread across the pillow.
Her eyes closed.
She could have left.
In fact, that was what she usually did.
After a night like that, she would gather her things, call a car, and head home before any strange feeling could arise.
It was her rule.
Never stay.
Never allow enough intimacy for one night to become something more.
But that night, she didn’t get up.
Victor lay beside her, also silent.
Camile opened her eyes for a few seconds.
She stared at the ceiling.
She thought about getting up.
She didn’t.
She turned her face.
Victor was asleep.
Without his usual arrogance.
Without that provocative look.
He looked like nothing more than a tired man.
For some reason, that made her stay.
She closed her eyes again.
She couldn’t explain why.
Maybe it was just exhaustion.
Maybe it was the wine.
Maybe it was the strange feeling of being comfortable.
But there was one thing Camile knew with absolute certainty:
She never slept beside men.
Never.
And that night, she was doing exactly that.
Without realizing it, she moved a little closer.
Victor continued sleeping.
Camile closed her eyes and allowed one night to simply come to an end.
Without running away.
Without thinking about the next day.
Without promising anything.
Without imagining the consequences.
She simply stayed.
And when the first sign of dawn began to brighten the city through the apartment’s enormous windows, Camile was still there.
Beside him.
Unaware that, in a few hours, that seemingly small decision would completely change the way she saw that night.
Because some choices seem harmless when they’re made.
Until someone decides to use them against you.