Page 25 of The Saint

He watched me the whole time but didn’t say a word, giving me time to adjust to the situation on my own. He picked up his champagne flute and took a drink before he grabbed the bottle and refilled it.

I looked at the pizza. “Smells good.”

The smirk on his face was so handsome. It’d melt my panties if I wore any. “There’s my girl.” He grabbed a piece off the platter then took an enormous bite, eating half of it in a single go.

I grabbed one for myself and took a bite, the cheese fresh like it was just grated, the sauce homemade like Gerard whipped it up on the stove before he’d poured it on the dough. It was covered in mozzarella and veggies—mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, and artichoke hearts. “Let’s hope Gerard doesn’t quit and open his own pizza place.”

He smirked. “I pay him too much to even think about it.”

“Does he live here?”

“Yep.”

“Does he get time off?”

“He does. He has an assistant cover for him, usually on the weekends because I’m out of the house.”

“That’s dedication.”

“It’s a dream job in the hospitality world. Makes two hundred thousand euros a year and has no rent or bills and eats for free.”

My jaw almost dropped. “That’s an insane amount of money.”

“I think he’s worth it.”

“How do you know he won’t just work for a couple years then quit when he can retire?”

Bastien grabbed another piece and took a bite. “If that’s his prerogative, I’ll hire someone else. But I doubt he will. I’m pretty easy to work for.”

“That’s whatyouthink.”

He chuckled before he downed the rest of his slice. “He’s never complained.”

“Because he’ll get fired.”

“I’d only fire him if he betrayed me to my enemies or tried to fuck you. If the laundry isn’t done or there’s dust on the counter, I don’t give a shit.”

“Then maybe I should have taken you up on that offer to be your whore a long time ago.”

He gave me a long stare, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “It’s got a lot of perks. Great pay and a free place to live. But the job itself is a little challenging…”

“Isn’t it what I do now?”

He gave a slight shrug. “Close, but not quite.”

The conversation took my focus off the past entirely. Now, I didn’t associate the tub with the coffin at all. “Is there something you’d like to do that I’m not doing?” I thought our sex life was pretty great. I’d slept with a lot of men during my ho era, but I wasn’t exactly kinky. Bastien, on the other hand, seemed like he’d be down for anything.

“That’s not what I said.”

“But you just said it would be different.”

“It would be different,” he said. “But I don’t want it to be different.”

He said what he meant, but I was lost. “I’m having a hard time following this.”

“It doesn’t matter, so we should just forget it.”

“I want to know. Say what you mean.”

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