Page 42 of High Roller

Victor holds her down with a gentle arm around her. “I’m here, butterfly. It’s time to get up.”

“Get up? What time is it?”

“It’s almost seven,” Victor says, picking up his phone off the nightstand.

“Shit, I slept all night. Lili, I’m so sorry. I was supposed to be keeping you company.”

“You did, sweet girl. Don’t worry about sleeping. It looks like you needed it. And just having you here was nice.”

Gracie pokes at Victor’s arm with a teasing smile on her face. “I thought you were going to sleep on the couch.”

He rolls completely on top of her and cups her face in his hands. “You were snuggled so close to Lili that there was plenty of room for me, so Lili invited me to join you. Wasn’t that nice of her, butterfly?”

The way Gracie blushes makes me grin.

She looks at me with a shy smile and moves her hand to touch my arm. “Very nice. I hope you slept well.”

“Much better than I have the last couple of nights. Thanks to you.”

“And you, butterfly? Did you sleep well?” Victor asks.

“Yes, Sir. Very well. You?”

“Look at us. All sleeping well. Maybe we need to share a bed more often.” Victor plants a noisy kiss on her cheek and rolls off of her and out of bed. “I have to leave you ladies alone again for just a little while. When I come back, we’ll figure out breakfast.”

When Victor is dressed and gone, Gracie sits on the edge of the bed and finger combs her hair.

“What happened with you last night, Lili? You kind of scared me.”

“I’m sorry about that. It was a surprise to me. But between the stress of being kidnapped and then seeing someone who reminded me of an awful day in my life was just too much and triggered a panic attack.”

“Oh, Lili. I’m so sorry.”

Gracie looks conflicted, like she’s wrestling with something.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“It’s complicated. I hate what Victor did to you. But at the same time, I understand what drove him to it. I’m also grateful to have met you, because you seem like a wonderful person I would very much like to get to know better.”

Her explanation of it is exactly how I feel, so I sit next to her and tell her as much.

“I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m a mess. Victor is a complex human full of emotions just like the rest of us. Something tells me he’s a little angrier than the rest of us, but overall, I think he has a good heart.”

Gracie smiles. “The best heart. And he has reasons for his anger.”

“But I can’t decide how much to trust him since he pulled a gun on me and forced me out of a casino stark naked.”

“It’s extreme for sure,” Gracie admits.

“But even with all that, I’m grateful to have met you, and no matter what happens, I hope we can be friends. I would say I hope we can be more, but I feel like Victor would not be comfortable sharing you, and you might not even be attracted to me.”

Gracie blushes, and for a moment I wonder if I’m being too forward. But she puts a hand on my thigh. “I would love to be friends. As for more. My feelings are just as complicated as yours, and now things are getting complicated between me and Victor, so I’m not sure what to say. Other than I am indeed attracted to you.”

I squeeze her hand. “Don’t say anything. Let’s just spend the day that we have together talking about our newfound friendship.”

Victor

WakingupwithLiliand Gracie in the same bed was a strange, wonderful experience. I wanted to take turns fucking both of them, and since that wasn’t possible, I made excuses to leave the room earlier than I really needed to. Now it’s almost eight-thirty, and I’m waiting for Jacob to meet me in the dungeon for a cup of coffee at the bar.

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