Page 191 of Roberto

He stepped forward right in front of me, so close that he could have kissed me.

My heart skipped a beat as I saw up close just how handsome he was.

And whatever cologne he was wearing, he smelleddamngood.

“Say yes,” he murmured in a deep, seductive voice.

…oh my.

Maybe, justmaybe,it wouldn’t be a chore to have dinner with him.

“Alright,” I agreed.

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Ihad to admit, Roberto far exceeded every expectation I had.

From the choice of the restaurant…

To greeting the head chef and owner like an old friend…

To the private tasting in the kitchen…

And making our own homemade pasta by mixing the dough with our hands…

I experienced something I hadn’t felt in a long, long time:

Fun.

Child-like, exuberantfun.

Add in the delicious food and the spectacular wine, and I was flying high as we took our seats in the main dining room.

And then he surprised me even more.

We were flirting pretty heavily. I had forgotten all about Lau’s order to do what Roberto wanted; I was just enjoying our repartee.

He asked me if I participated in De Sade’s ‘activities.’

“On occasion. Not at the club, though.Neverat the club. I keep my personal life and work life separate.”

To be honest, it had been forever since I’d done anything with a partner. The stress of my job had forced me to be ‘all work and no play’ for nearly a year.

I asked him if he was in the scene. He told me ‘no’ and that he had to be discreet.

“My family wouldn’t exactly understand my… specific desires,” he said.

“And what are these ‘specific desires’?”

He stared directly into my eyes. “Control.”

A shiver ran down my spine when he said it.

“Domination?” I asked.

“I guess you could call it that.”

Then the conversation got around tome.

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