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Since Valhalla’s top two floors had been closed during the fall gala, Dante gave me a quick tour of the places we’d missed during my last visit, including the spa, an indoor bowling alley, and an arcade lined with rare vintage games.
I would’ve enjoyed it more had I not been so impatient to find out what the big mystery date was.
“Are you still mad you didn’t get the surprise out of me in the car?” Dante asked as we stopped in front of a set of double doors on the fourth floor.
“No.”Yes.
“At least we both got orgasms out of it,” he drawled. “It was a win-win situation.”
Laughter crinkled the edges of his eyes when I swatted his arm, my face hot, but his boyish smile was so endearing I couldn’t hold onto my annoyance.
“Like I said, it’s something that’s better seen than told.” He tilted his head toward the closed room. “This is the club’s multipurpose space. Members can reserve it and turn it into anything they want. It’s been a private concert hall, a vintage porcelain doll exhibit…”
My eyebrows shot up.
“One of the members is a collector. Don’t ask.” He opened the doors. “Hopefully, this makes up for the wait.”
Oh my God.
I sucked in a sharp inhale.
When he’d said multipurpose space, I’d pictured whiteboards and industrial gray carpet. Theoretically, I knew Valhalla wouldn’t house something so generic, but nothing could’ve prepared me for the sight before me.
He’d turned the room into a planetarium.
No, not a planetarium. A virtual galaxy.
Brilliant stars splashed across the soaring walls and ceiling and swirled beneath our feet. Constellations dotted the “sky,” including Andromeda, Perseus, and a distinctive hourglass shape that made my breath hitch.
Orion. My favorite.
“You can’t see the stars in New York,” Dante said. “So I brought the stars to you.”
A ball of emotion formed in my throat. “How did you…”
He followed my gaze to Orion. It sparkled front and center, shining more brightly than the rest.
“I had a call with your sister. She told me it was your favorite.” He guided me into the room. “Apparently, you wouldn’t shut up about Orion when you were younger. Her words.”
Agneswouldsay that.
Dante’s face softened with an uncharacteristic hint of uncertainty. “Do you like it?”
I laced my fingers with his, my chest indescribably tight. “It’s perfect.”
We’d gone on more than half a dozen dates over the past month. They’d ranged from lavish, like the helicopter tour after our milkshakes and an overnight getaway to Bermuda, to casual, like a stroll through Chelsea Market and a show at the Comedy Cellar.
But none had hit me quite as hard as tonight’s.
The fact Dante had gone to the trouble of setting this up and consulting my sister when he could’ve easily taken me to the planetarium instead…it touched a part of me I hadn’t thought anyone could reach.
His shoulders relaxed and he squeezed my hand in silent reply as we walked to the center of the room, where a pile of blankets, cushions, and a dinner spread awaited us.
I sank onto a pale blue cushion while Dante picked up a distinctive wine bottle. Was that…
“Domaine de la Romanée Conti,” he confirmed. Dante uncorked the famous red and poured it into two glasses. “Courtesy of the club’s sommelier.”
Known for its high quality and limited production, Domaine de la Romanée Conti, or DRC, was one of the most expensive wines in the world. An average bottle cost upwards of twenty-six thousand dollars.
