Page 59 of Dmitri

His words swirl around in my head, weaving through the edges of all the broken pieces of me until they join like Frankenstein.

It feels good to say these things out loud. I don’t have friends, and I rarely tell Addie things about me because I’d rather she not dwell in the past. Besides, her history is worse than mine. The last thing I’ll ever do is traumatize her just to get something off my chest. She doesn’t deserve burdens like that.

“Thank you for listening,” I finally say, surprising us both. “And if the offer still stands, I think I want to stay the night.”

Dmitri pulls back so he can look down at me. “Of course, I still want you to stay.” He cups my face with gentle hands that are strong enough to crack bones.

Like I said, I’m always drawn to a bigger, badder monster.

I’ve gone from Kaleb to Dmitri. From a bad boy to a killer.

Great.

It’s just pretend, I remind myself.This isn’t real. He’s not actually into you, you’re just a temporary toy and you’re not really into him, because he’s just a means to an end.

Except it feelsreal when he holds me in his arms like this. It tastes real when he kisses me. It sounds real when he talks to me.

I’m in so much trouble.

“Are you hungry?” he asks.

“Umm. Maybe a little.”

His warm smile makes me relax even more. “How about I call room service?”

“There’s room service here?”

“Honey, this is an elite sex club. There iseverythinghere.” He pulls out his cell and makes a call.

“How come you get your cell, and I don’t?”

“Because I work security here and you don’t.” He winks and goes into commander mode. “Hey, it’s D. Can we get a tray of apps brought up to room seven?” Dmitri moves his cell away from his mouth and looks at me. “You want wine or anything?”

I shake my head.

“Burger? Steak? Tofu? What?”

“Ummm, maybe fries?”

He tips his cell closer to his mouth. “Double fries too. Yeah, and a steak, medium rare.” He looks at me again. “You want cheesecake?”

I shake my head. “I’m not much on sweets.”

He smiles like he can relate. “That’s it for now. Thanks, man, I appreciate it.” Dmitri hangs up and tosses his phone on the bed. “How about we get you out of that outfit and into something more comfortable?” He points at the hem of my dress. “May I?”

I nod and he lifts my dress up and over my head.

“God damn,” he says playfully. “I’m not much for desserts either, but seeing how fucking good you look, I’m suddenly getting one hell of a sweet tooth, Firefly.”

“Yeah, well, I’m high in fat.”

“Even better.”

Damn him for making me blush.

I let him unhook my bra. My panties have been gone sincethe staring contest.

“Turn around. Let me see my prize.”

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