Page 84 of The Grumpy Billionaire

“You know everything you need to know. Or do we have to review our text exchange?”

Her eyes sparkle. She likes this, and it does something to me, giving her things she likes. She moves near and settles her hand onto my thigh. “Are we staying in here?”

“Please.”

“So you’re not telling me?”

“You know everything you need to know.” I run my fingers through her silky hair, arranging one side to lie flat in front of her shoulder in a way that matches the other side of her hair.

We turn onto a street where they’ve strung up the holiday lights. I usually find it annoying when the holiday lights go up before Thanksgiving, but this year the lights are warm and festive. And the festive holiday displays in the windows. Somehow my store of goodwill is larger than normal. A Stella effect.

My driver pulls up in the circular driveway in front of my building. I help her out and she gazes up at the elegant facade. “Fancy! If I’d’ve known we were coming someplace like this, I would’ve worn better underwear.”

“Come on.” I take her hand and lead her up the walk.

“This looks residential.”

Vern, the doorman, opens the door for us. “Good evening, Mr. Jones.”

“Evening, Vern.” I lead her across the luxurious lobby to the elevator.

“He knows you?” Stella spins around. “You take women here?”

“Never.”

“Wait! This had better not be your place. You said it wouldn’t be your place.”

The door opens. I guide her in and hit the button for my penthouse. “I said you wouldn’t see my place.”

“Is this or is this not where you live?”

“Turn around.”

She refuses, of course, inspecting my face. “Why should I?”

I pitch my voice as low as it’ll go. “Turn. Around.”

“Oh, so it’s gonna be that kind of fuck, is it? F-minus for romance.”

I wait.

A hint of a smile appears in her eyes. She’ll turn around. It’s outrageous, but she’ll comply. Stella can’t resist a dare, as evidenced by her short career as a saxophone player in band where she probably got a D in music, but she killed it all the same.

“We better not be heading to your place.”

I whip a blindfold from my pocket. “You won’t know the difference.”

Her eyes widen.

“You’ll see nothing. You’ll only feel the exquisite things that I do to you. You won’t know where you are, and you won’t care. I’ll make sure of it.”

ChapterThirty-Eight

Stella

He standsthere in the dim light of the elevator, blindfold dangling from his fingers, voice low and gravelly. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Shivers skitter over my skin. Hugo doing a sexy blindfold thing? Works for me!

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