Page 397 of Valentino

“You think I’m a science experiment?” I squeak.

He tips his head back and laughs out loud, and I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from smiling too.

“Would you like a drink?” he asks.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether I’m getting an apology for your assholeness or not.”

His eyes dance with delight, and I get the feeling that it is me who is the toy. “Gracie.” He takes me into his arms and drops his lips to my neck, “I am sorry for acting like myself at the office.” He bites me and goosebumps scatter up my arms, “I should have acted like someone else.” He teases me as he bites me again. “Because the very least you deserve is for me to act like I want the entire office to know my business.”

He bites me again and my body melts against his as I grab his hair.

Okay, what the hell is this?

He’s taunting me while not apologizing, and my body is lapping it up.

Asshole.

I take a step back from him, “I’d like that drink now, please.”

“Of course.” He licks his lips as his eyes hold mine and the darkness behind them sends a shiver down my spine.

I get the feeling that I’m going to get it.

Hard.

He walks into another room off the living room and down a corridor, and I tentatively follow.

Holy…… what the?

It’s a bar. A fully fledged huge bar, the walls are dark green, and the bar is a rosewood timber.

He begins to pour the drinks as my eyes look around the space.

There’s a pool table, a card table, even a roulette table. It’s like a damn casino in here. To the right, there’s a sunken room with a black circular leather couch around a pole.

Huh?

“What’s the pole for?” I ask.

“Strippers,” he says casually as he takes a sip of the drink he’s just poured.

I stare at him as my brain misfires, what do you even say to that?

“You have strippers come to your house?” I gasp.

“Of course, I do. I certainly don’t want to go to their house,” he replies casually as he passes me a heavy crystal glass.

What the….

I’m shocked, shocked to my core. He has a fucking stripper pole in his bar room.

I take a sip and wince, so strong. Ugh it’s horrible. “Is this stripper juice?”

He raises his glass in the air with a cheeky wink, “Something like that.”