Page 89 of Savage

I eye him critically. “Really? I highly doubt anyone there even knows your name. Your wallet looks decidedly… middle class.”

He stiffens, his own stance turning into something defensive and angry. “They’ll still take my money.” He casts another glance over Stef, who’s got her head bowed as she stares at her uneaten salad. “Bet she’s cried all day.” He chuckles darkly. “But fine. Enjoy your… lunch.”

I wait until he leaves, then move to sit next to her on her side of the table. She’s trapped between me and the window now, but she shifts quickly to press up against my side.

“I told you, I won’t be sharing you,” I say quietly. “Giulio wouldn’t ever give him the time of day, either.”

Stef swallows hard, looking up at me with tears shining in her eyes. “I… I know,” she says, and she sounds like she’s trying to believe those words. “But I’m an embarrassment to you. People from before… If your family knew…”

“My mother’s entire career is based off of lying to ninety-nine percent of the American population. My brother regularly cheats on his wife, who I presume is having an affair herself. My father hasn’t found a single good idea he hasn’t ground to dust, and the only reason he’s ‘successful’ is because he manages to jump sinking ships before anyone notices the leaks.” I shake my head. “So you can just keep that in mind if they say anything. I know I do.”

“What about your sister?” she asks, sniffling a little. “I… She wasn’t very nice.” She hesitates, then says quietly, “She basically told me to take your money and run.”

A flash of annoyance hits me. “Bethany can mind her own fucking business. And she’s not doing anything with her life right now except for living off of our parents' money and pretending she’s looking for an appropriate husband.”

“Aren’t they going to want you to find an… an appropriate wife?” Stef asks. There’s a flash of panic in her expression as she whispers, “Will you get rid of—” She blinks, looking up and seeming to remember that we’re in public. She tries to pull herself together, but I can see she’s on the verge of breaking down.

I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her even closer to me. “No. I have no interest in anybody my mother would approve of.”

The few times I’d dated for her benefit, the women ended up breaking up with me anyway, to my relief. I don’t want to spend my limited free time catering to anyone else’s whims. The sex had been mediocre at best, too. Definitely not worth the effort.

Stef, on the other hand…

I pick up Stef’s fork and spear some of the salmon, holding it up to her lips. “Here. Eat, and don’t waste your time worrying about something silly.”

She nods and opens her mouth. Her quick obedience and trust in me go right to my cock, in a way no other woman has ever managed to do. No, I would never want to replace her with one of my mother’s pre-approved supermodels or senators’ daughters.

We finish our lunch like this, with me feeding Stef, and I don’t even care that we got several strange looks from people. What I do with Stef is none of their business.

By the time I’m done feeding her, Stef has stopped trembling. People around us have gone back to their own meals, and no one else bothers us.

She even smiles, if a bit tentatively, when we get up to leave. “May I have a kiss, sir?” she whispers to me.

I nod approvingly and cup her cheek gently before bringing our lips together. It’s chaste, and I’ve never been much for kissing…

But something warms in my chest, especially when I pull back and see the slight blush on her cheeks.

I don’t care what anyone else thinks.

Stef is mine, and I’m going to keep her forever.

CHAPTER 23

Stef

I’m still shaken from the encounter at the museum cafe. The man’s awful words keep ringing in my head, no matter how much Hunter tried to comfort me afterward.

How long will I even get to keep Hunter?

For all that he said he’s not going to get rid of me, I can’t shake the feeling that he won’t have a choice. His mother is formidable, and if she pushes him to get a proper wife… What will happen to me? The most I can ask for is to be the pampered mistress on the side, the person who gives him everything he wants—only to be left alone when he returns to the woman in his marriage bed.

I look at Hunter for a moment, my eyes brimming with tears, but I know that if I question what he said earlier, he’ll get upset with me. His word is final, and he’d sounded so certain. It’s just my own paranoia.

Isn’t it?

I wait until he’s taken his shoes and socks off, then I get on my knees and kiss the tops of his feet. “Thank you, Master,” I whisper, “For…” I know what I’m supposed to say, but it doesn’t feel right. “Thank you for defending me today.”

When I look up, Hunter has his usual impenetrable expression on his face. “You’re mine,” he says.

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