Page 66 of Valentine's Slave

“Open it,” he says.

Despite everything, one small, stupid part of my brain can’t help but get excited.

This can’t be a ring, can it? Not that I want a ring. Do I want a ring? It’s too big, anyway.

Pulling the paper off, I find a little box. Bigger than ring box. Yanking it open, I find a red, lacy pair of panties with a little remote—remote-controlled pleasure panties. There’s nothing more telling of who Valentino really is than to give me a sex toy as a parting gift.

“I meant to use them on you,” he says, his gaze taunting. “We didn’t have time, but I want you to continue on with your kinky journey. You know you’re a wild, little minx, and you deserve to keep exploring this kind of pleasure.”

Though this is, perhaps, the most selfless thing he’s done all week.

“Thanks?” I don’t know what to feel. I have too many feelings right now that I’m trying not to feel.

“Your master’s last order is that you wear these panties at least every Friday night and have a good time.”

Well, that’s bizarre.

“You want me to use them with other people?” I ask. Not that anyone else could match up after this mind-blowing week.

Valentino gives my ass a little slap. “I would hate to see anyone touching my things, but you’re not mine anymore, technically. Even so, you don’t need someone else to use these.” He taps the box. “Have fun with yourself. My point is, I want you to keep living. When I met you, you had this forlorn look in your eyes. Now you look alive, and I want it to stay that way.”

Do I look more alive? I certainly feel alive, but I assumed it was just a temporary high, due to the quality sex. And yet, the pull in my heart that’s screaming at me not to leave is making me think that maybe there’s something more.

“Promise me,” Valentino growls in my ear.

I have no idea why he’s so intent on my sexual pleasure. Why does he even care, if he’s leaving anyway?

Even so, I give in to the sexy fucker. “Fine. But if I don’t like it after a month, I’m quitting.” The other fish in the sea can be quite awful.

Valentino chuckles. “Fair enough.”

And then, he gets all serious again. He slips his arms around me and holds me close, looks into my eyes, and says, “Thank youfor being my Valentine's slave, Ava. If this is the last time we see each other, I want to thank you for the time that we shared.”

My heart sinks through my stomach, and suddenly, I can’t breathe. I packed my bags this morning in a haze, the emptiness pounding through my soul. What should I say? What could I say? It was over. It was always meant to be over. This was a week-long deal, nothing more. He doesn’t do relationships. He’s a lone wolf. And me—what would I want with a kinky loner like him anyway? Besides lovemaking. And fucking. And intellectual debates. He is smart. That’s why he’s rich, after all, or at the very least, wealthy.

Shut up. Just stop thinking about him.

He opens the door for me, and I walk out into the hallway. For some reason, I keep thinking that he’s going to come after me, that this isn’t the end. It just feels so unfinished. He didn’t even kiss me goodbye.

I hear something, and I look over my shoulder. My heart sinks—the door is closed. Valentino Rossi is gone. He’s already gone.

Tears burn my eyes before I get to the elevator. I don’t care about the money. I don’t care that I have two interviews lined up for next week. Hailey is calling me, but I can’t bear to talk to her. I’m lost in a storm of feelings that I’ve refused to acknowledge until now. But none of it matters. It’s over.

I’ll be staying with Hailey and Malcolm briefly until I get settled at a new job so that I can secure myself a new apartment. I haven’t even begun to process everything involved.

I didn’t expect to be this emotional. My period is coming soon, so I know I’m feeling extra heavy and even wilder for chocolate. But now, I have no sexy lover to feed it to me, no one to tie me up and torture me with pleasure until I scream.

As soon as I’m out of the building, my tears cascade down. I get as far away as I can, as fast as possible, trying to cry it all out before I see Hailey. She’ll be dying for information, and now, Ihave to give her the summary of my week in heaven, which has ended here in hell. I cry on the bus, and I don’t care if people see me. They don’t understand. I hardly understand myself.

When I get to Hailey’s, I put on a brave face as Malcolm opens the door.

“When’s Valentino coming over?” he pipes up, all excited.

That brings fresh tears to my eyes. “Valentino and I broke up,” I tell him, since that’s the simplest way to put it.

“What? Why?”

“He doesn’t ‘do relationships’,” I say simply.

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