Page 4 of Taking The Virgin

Chapter2

Twenty-three roomslater on the tour, I’m gaping at what I’m seeing. I never knew that someone could be this rich or that a house could be this top-of-the-line extravagant. I also never knew someone could be as inaccessible as Dr. Owen Gregory, so I’m learning a heck of lot about life today.

I’ve already made several attempts at some “getting to know you” chitchat to loosen both of us up. After all, I’m going to sleep with this man tonight, so it’d be great if we could take a breather from all this tension. But he’s blocked every one of my attempts by either ignoring my questions or brushing off my comments.

When he showed me the first floor with its eat-in chef’s kitchen, a breakfast room, and a den with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook a garden and patio, I commented on the modern paintings decorating the walls, hoping my chit-chat might bond us for a hot second overart.

Nope.

When he showed me the servant’s quarters and guest powder room, I randomly asked if there were accommodations for pets, too, because I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for animals.

Uh-uh.

After we took the elevator to the second floor with its reception room, living room, dining room, and another powder room, I joked about the glass sculptures that decorate this level and said that I hoped his guests didn’t often bring kids to his dinner parties because of all the fragile art. That was my way of wanting to know if he likes children as much as Ido.

Zilch.

The same silent treatment and question dodging continues for the third floor and the fourth floor.

All he gives me by way of information is that there’s also a fifth floor that contains his master bedroom and then the tour isover.

God help me, but I’m going to take one last shot at him here outside the library with all its precisely shelved books and artful models of robots.

“This is all amazing,” I say. “How long have you livedhere?”

He coolly folds his hands behind his back and looks down at me with an even, unblinking gaze. “You might have noticed that I have no interest in talking about my past or divulging anything of a personal nature, Miss Hope. And, likewise, I’m not at all interested in finding out any personal details aboutyou.”

I feel my jaw dropping, but not as it did when I first saw him or this mansion. This time I’m taken aback by his bluntness.

He continues. “This is a business transaction. That’s why I paid such a high price foryou.”

Well. It looks as if I’m only here to keep my mouth shut and screwhim.

After all I’ve been through and after everything I’ve done to preserve my humanity after that hurricane tore everything in my life apart, I’m just a transaction to him. A…pussy.

Damn me, but my jaw starts to tremble. My gaze goes a little blurry and hot with tears. Don’t cry, I tell myself. Don’t youdare.

But these past months have tested me, frayed my nerves, and I can’t keep the hurt out of my voice. “Fine. I understand.”

“Good.”

A serrated silence gnaws its way between us, and through the haze of my tears, I see him tense up. Then he seems to lose some of his stiffness, but not bymuch.

“It’s how I prefer things,” he says tightly.

I feel a tear start to wiggle its way free, and through the sheer force of my will, I command it not to go anywhere. I don’t want this hard-hearted man to see that he’s stungme.

Then the tear falls before I can wipe it away, and anger surges throughme.

“Well then,” I say, my voice thick. “How about it, Dr. Gregory? Do you want me to just strip right here so we can get the whole thing over with and you can be done with me? Is that how you’d preferthings?”

Right away I regret it, and as I swipe another tear away, I can see the anger in him, too. I’ve been testing him during the tour with all my innocent comments and questions, and it’s obvious that he only tolerated that until he got fed up enough to shut me up. Now I can see how far I actually pushedhim.

But when I look a little closer, I see something else—something in the darkness of his eyes. It’s as if no one ever pushes him, and he’s not used toit.

Before I can figure him out, he moves toward the elevator. He presses the call button and talks over his broad shoulder tome.

“In spite of this rough start, I expect you to go to your room and wait forme.”

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