Page 75 of The Veiling

“Valentino,” she froze, staring ahead, “where is the driver? Whose car is this?”

“Ours, now.”

“You prefer classic cars and new SUVs.”

“Mostly. But I thought we could use another car for date nights.” Handing my briefcase to Noah, I stepped behind Isabelle, taking a black silk blindfold from my pocket.

“What are you doing?”

“Shhh, be still.” I placed it over her eyes, tying it snuggly against her head. “Trust me.”

“Wait,” she touched her fingers to the fabric, “I can’t see at all. This isn’t lace.”

“You’re smart, bella.” Smiling, I carefully guided her to the passenger side, helped her get in the car, and closed the door.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Joseph chuckled.

“She wanted this.”

“She’s freaking out,” Noah snorted. “Look at her.”

I turned to see Isabelle’s mouth moving through the windshield. “Okay, see you guys there.”

I opened the door and got in.

“Where are you taking me?”

“If I told you, it would ruin the element of surprise.”

Normal

“Where are we?” I touched my blindfold once again as the car came to a stop. “We weren’t driving long enough for us to be back home. Are we at the penthouse? No, that’s closer.”

Without a word, he got out of the car. Moments later, my door opened, letting a gust of breeze blow in with a horrid stench. Stepping out, I wrinkled my nose. No matter how elegant and stunning he thought I was, I still made faces when I probably should not have. Especially when confused.

“What’s that smell?” I almost vomited at the odor of urine and stale beer.

His body brushed against the back of mine. Fingertips stroked my collarbone, then shoulders before I felt his warm breath near my cheek. “I wanted to give you the perfect evening.”

“It doesn’t smell like it.” The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

Noah let out a loud laugh from wherever he was standing.

“Relax, bella.” Carefully untying the fabric, he let it lower from my face.

My eyes widened at the sight before me. I had never seen a brick building that looked both new and old before. Neon lights strung over the front of the ragged awning above the glass entrance. A ripped red carpet greeted us, stretching out and stopping at the welcome mat, which was in a language I did not understand.

“I’m nervous to ask.”

“This is our hotel for the evening.” He took my hand in his, leading me toward the hotel.

Joseph carried my shopping and garment bags while Noah opened the door for us. A woman at the front desk yelled into the corded phone, speaking a foreign language as her silky, brown hair swung back and forth with each dramatic gesture. The gold sign on the wall behind her was in both, I guess, her native tongue, and English. Jester’s Inn. I gasped when I read the name. I gently elbowed Valentino in the side. He peeked down at me. I nodded at the wall.

He twisted his lips sideways, whispering, “Unrelated.”

We waited a few more moments before the woman ended her call. The lobby was gold and brown with red accents throughout. It felt as if we had stepped into another world. Before Valentino, this was not evenmynormal. I had no idea what it was, but I felt like I was in a brothel.

“You here for hour or whole night? We take money by hour or by night,” she clarified in broken English.

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