I huff and prop my hip on his desk, knowing it annoys him.Hetsksand leans back in his chair, putting distance between us as he gives me a mocking once-over.
I drop my bag in his lap and set my briefcase on the desk.
“You know, I can’t even be mad because that pose makes you look like you belong in those clothes.Have you ever thought of becoming a professor?”
Unbidden fantasies flash through my mind.
Valentina—as she is now, not from ten years ago—in a school uniform bent over a desk with her ass in the air and her tits pillowed on the cold surface.Or with her back against a blackboard and my hand around her throat.Or on her knees with my cock in her mouth.
I clear my throat and turn to the monitors to clear my thoughts only to see Valentina on the screen.In her frilly nightgown with braids in her hair and a soft smile on her face, she sits on the loveseat in her hotel room as her father speaks into his glass of water.This happened the night before last.
“Why are you watching this again?”I ask.
Noah sighs and crosses his arms over his broad chest.
“It was the first time he went to her room after dark, and after you asked if they’d visited each other at night, I thought it was worth looking into.There’s something off about it,” Noah explains.
“He’s just scolding her for not sitting next to Romeo Yovanni during the Volkov-Vivaldi wedding,” I say.
“I don’t know.It looks like he’s threatening her, not reprimanded her,” Noah mumbles as he leans closer to his screen.
I scoff even as my hackles rise.I don’t like him watching her with such intensity, no matter the reason.
“Is there a difference in a family as fucked up as theirs?”I snarl.
“Maybe not.”He shrugs and sits back before quirking a brow at me.“We’d know if you’d have let me upgrade the camera to one with sound, but I figured you had your reasons not to, so I didn’t.”When he rubs his nape in an uncharacteristic display of uncertainty, my senses sharpen.“This is the first time you’ve left room for error since I met you.Is there something you aren’t telling me?”he asks.
I step forward and place a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t read too much into it, kid,” I say with a gesture to the screen.“I didn’t change the camera because she’s not worth the time and effort.She’s nothing but a spoiled princess.”When he eyes me skeptically, I sigh and squeeze his shoulder before grabbing my briefcase and heading toward the door.“Don’t fall for her pretty face.She has two of them—and a forked tongue to match.”I call over my shoulder to him.
I stop in the foyer with my hand on the front door handle.
“And I know you won’t listen, but I’ll say it anyway: it’s your place.Sleep in the master bedroom.”
His only response is a noncommittal grunt.I shake my head and step out into the hall, ensuring the door closes behind me and the lock engages before I make my way back to my car.
The drive to my next destination proves more tedious than the one before.I don’t bother to hide my disdain for the ritzy roads until I turn onto the lane to the country club.
With meticulously kept greens, rolling hills, and lush trees in the backdrop, the golf course offers an escape from the bustle of the city, but not the solitude of nature despite the beautiful scenery.Groups of men with lazy strides and khaki shorts meander over the grass, their caddies following closely behind, while women with silicone enhancements, hair extensions, and weatherproof makeup caked on their faces cluster in golf carts and lounge under the umbrellas on the patio.
I pull up to the employee entrance, scan the ID card I acquired through nefarious means, nod at the guard who supports the manager who got it for me, and park at the back of the lot before grabbing my briefcase and stalking inside as though I belong.No one bats an eye when I scan the fake employee card and disappear into the back halls toward the security office.
These guards give me dubious looks out of the corner of their eyes, but they nod and continue their duties without comment when I slip them each an envelope of cash, flaunting the other envelopes in my briefcase I have for them before I leave.
After locating Valentina and her father on the feeds, I watch their movements and mentally review the blueprint I studied of the building before pointing at the screens with the area I intend to visit.
The guards nod their understanding.I slip out of the room and traverse the halls to the selected spot.
I don’t have to wait long.
Like a breath of fresh air, Valentina turns into the hall in a light blue collared top, white skirt, and athletic shoes with her hair trailing behind her in a high ponytail.The moment she thinks she’s alone in the hall, the smile drops from her expression and the bounce leaves her steps.
She’s still sulking but won’t disgrace her father in front of the socialites.
Fury roars through me.I reach out, yank her into the empty conference room, press her against the wall with my bulk, and block her squeak of alarm with my palm.
She fights with the fury of a caught rabbit, wriggling and lashing out, but her strength is no match for mine.I lower my lips to the top of her head and murmur into her hair.
