Page 72 of High Roller

I lean forward again and steeple my fingers on the desk. “It’s true that my parents have certain requirements regarding who I take as a bride. But they haven’t brought that up in years. And there’s nothing that says we need to get married right away.”

Grace blinks. “Right away? So, you’re saying you want to date me?”

I run a hand through my hair. “I’m saying I enjoyed the needles the other night, and yesterday even more, and I wish it hadn’t ended so abruptly with me being a jackass. For all intents and purposes, I abandoned you when things got awkward. I’m sorry.”

“What about Lili?” she asks, ignoring my apology.

“What about her?”

She gives me a frustrated sigh. “It’s clear you have a thing for her. And I have something... not feelings. But I like her a lot and don’t want her to get hurt in all of this mess with her husband.”

“Zara seems to think Lili is into you.”

Grace’s face flushes pink. “What gave her that impression?”

I shrug. “Something about the way Lili talks about you. And Zara said last night when she came to see you, that you hinted you care about Lili.”

“It’s not a romantic thing. I just think she’s been kind to me even when I’ve been unkind.”

I snort. “There isn’t an unkind bone in your body, Grace. I don’t see how you could ever have been unkind to her.”

“Every time I think about her sleeping with you, I get a little jealous.” Her voice is quiet, and she ducks her head as if embarrassed to be admitting her jealousy.

“Is it that way with every woman I’ve slept with? I haven’t exactly been a monk around you, Grace.”

She grimaces. “Don’t remind me. The number of women I’ve watched you fuck in this club is absurd.”

“I’m not that bad.”

“It’s been pretty bad, Victor. Not in the last year, because the four of you have been a little busy, but before that it felt like a different girl every weekend.”

That’s probably because it was a different girl every weekend, but I’m not going to sit here and agree with her. I have a rule about not getting emotionally entwined with members of the club, so I only play with them inside the club, and I rarely play with the same girl twice.

“Can we agree that there is something between us and figure it out as we go?” I ask, eager to change the subject from my sex life.

“I can live with that.”

“Can I give you the orgasm you should have gotten the other day?”

She waves a hand dismissively. “No. I want a proper first time with you. Not a quickie in your office.”

I’m relieved when she says that because I want the same thing. “We’ll make a plan,” I say matter-of-factly.

She twists a short curl around her finger, and I stand and move to the other side of my desk so I’m standing in front of her. I offer her my hand and pull her to her feet so I can pull her close and kiss her forehead.

“Forgive me, Mariposa. I’m sorry I’ve neglected you all this time.”

Grace blushes and lays her head on my chest. “I’ve cared about you since the day we met. You were so angry.”

And I’ve never told her what made me so angry the day we met. And I’m not sure I ever will. She doesn’t need that violence in her head.

“I should get to work,” she whispers a few minutes later. “Harper hates working over.”

I wince. “Harper might need to stick around, too. Wait here. I’ll come back for you in a moment.”

At the front of the shop, I find Harper scowling at the clock. “Is Gracie coming out? I was supposed to go home fifteen minutes ago.”

“There’s a bit of a situation, and I need you to stick around a little longer.”

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