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I’m so gob smacked I have to remind myself to shut my mouth. “I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I.” He shifts in his seat. “Look, I’ll be honest with you. All I know is Gabriel ordered me to show you a good time tonight.”
“He ordered you?” Who the hell orders anyone to go on a date? What am I? A piece of meat up for auction? I narrow my eyes. “What else?”
He steals another glance at me. “What do you mean what else?”
“A good time and what else?”
He wipes a hand over his face. “Dinner, candles, and…”
“And what?”
“He wants me to sleep with you.”
“Stop the car.”
“Valentina––”
“Now!” I’m already jerking on the door handle.
He brings the car to a screeching halt on the side of the road and grabs my arm. “Please, calm down. We’ve got his guards watching us.”
I still at his words. I can’t believe Gabriel set me up with Quincy. For sex. I cover my face with my hands. “I’m so embarrassed.”
He pulls my hands away. “It’s not your fault. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I don’t know what Gabriel’s idea with the whole thing is, but we may as well go out and have a good time since he’s paying.” He adds quickly, “I’m not saying you have to sleep with me. We’ll just say it didn’t work out that way. I know you don’t feel for me like that, and I’m not in the habit of forcing women.”
“Thanks.” I drag in a shaky breath. “I guess you’re right. We’ll just go on our make-believe date and order the most expensive dishes on the menu.”
“Good.” He pats my hand. “Now I can relax. Man, this was eating me. You have no idea.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Sorry. I didn’t want you to stress over sex with me. Must be a terrifying thought.”
He gives me another wry smile. “Don’t put words in my mouth, now.”
The tightness in my chest vanishes a bit, but not the hurt that Gabriel would rather send me off to be serviced like a cow or horse than deal with me himself. I need to change the uncomfortable subject.
“How come you got to train with Bruno?” I ask.
“I was the only one more or less not scared of him.”
“You should treat him better. I saw what you’re feeding him. May as well give him sawdust.”
He chortles. “Yeah? What do you recommend?”
“I’ll give you the name of a good brand, but you’ll have to order it from the vet.”
“Is this an order or a request?” he asks mockingly.
“It’s not like Gabriel can’t afford the best.”
“You’re right.” His smile is bright. “We’ll give it a try.”
The Thai Hut is a small wooden house on stilts with colorful fairy lights draped over the porch. The interior smells of curry, and the ambience is warm. Despite myself, I relax with Quincy’s easy banter. We polish off a bottle of wine, and by the time we ask for the bill, there are no other diners left. Since Quincy is over the limit, one of the guards drives us back. At home, he kisses me on the cheek and saunters off to the staff quarters.
The night guard lets me in. After a second’s hesitation, I take the stairs to Gabriel’s room. I want some answers, and I want them now. I push the door open, anger making me brave, but the room is dark and empty. Maybe he’s out himself, doing what he wanted me to do with Quincy. Banishing the thought from my mind, I go to my room and try not to think about him as I fall asleep.
* * *
Gabriel
The overhead tungsten bulbs buzz with a constant noise. Their blue-white light washes out the shadows with an overly bright intensity. It’s been an hour since Rhett left me in the gym. I’m going through the week’s business in my mind, trying to focus on planning and figures, but my thoughts keep on drifting to Valentina and Quincy. Where are they? What are they doing? What is she wearing? Is her hair hanging loose down her back, or did she take it up in the messy bun she does on a Sunday? Maybe it’s tied in the ponytail she wears for work, and my guard is pulling the elastic from the silky strands right now, letting is spill over her full breasts. Is he pressing his lips against the soft, plump curve of her mouth? Is his hand between her legs?
I jerk on the cuffs, rattling the chains like a beast in a cage. A cry of outrage fills the space. It takes me several long breaths to find some resemblance of calm, forcing my brain to function rationally. I made a promise. This is for Valentina. It shreds my heart to bleeding pieces, but I’ve seen the way they look at each other. Quincy is smitten with my woman, and she likes him more than she’ll ever admit. Daily, I’m forced to witness the way her eyes light up when they run into each other in the garden. His gentleness toward her is shoved down my throat. It’s a reminder that I’ll never have her like another man can have her, a man with a handsome face and an easy smile. A man without darkness and a need to hurt and own her. She’ll never be mine like that––freely––but it doesn’t matter. I’ll never let her go. In exchange for forever, I’m giving her this one night. She deserves it pretty with a gentle man on top, offering her a handsome face to stare up at and an unbroken body to hold onto.
