Page 150 of Valentino

“So many seats you have saved,” he whispers as if amused. “How do you keep up with all your pretend boyfriends?

“It’s not that hard,” I whisper as I stare straight ahead as if we are not speaking to each other. “I don’t like you.”

He sips his wine. “Clearly.”

Huh?

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I whisper.

He opens the menu as if to change the subject. “What are we feeling like?”

Who was he talking to outside…?

I sip my champagne as my mind goes to Carlo…was his call something to do with Carlo?

The table chat and laugh but Valentino seems pensive and quiet, unlike himself.

But maybe it’s just because I’m noticing everything about him now.

He leans back and slings his arm along the back of my chair.

“You okay?” I whisper.

“Yeah.”

I lean closer so that nobody else can hear us. “You seem off, what is it?”

“Nothing.” He shrugs.

I sip my champagne, unsure what to say next. I don’t know why but I feel like he’s angry about something.

“What are you thinking about?” I ask. “Did something happen? Is that why you were on the phone?”

His eyes meet mine. “What would happen?”

“What do you mean?”

“You keep asking me if something happened, what do you expect is going to happen, Anna?” he says, sterner.

“Huh?” I frown. “What do you mean?”

He gives a subtle shake of his head. “Nothing.”

“What are you having?”

“The shrimp for an entrée,” he tells me.

I scrunch my nose.

“You don’t like shrimp?”

“I love it, but it’s in the shell.”

“So?”

“If I have to rip the head off of something before I can eat it then the mood to eat it has well and truly left me.”

“Weird,” he replies matter-of-factly as he continues reading. “Ripping heads off is a major turn-on.”