“You’re a very powerful man.”
“Am I now?”
Her mouth rounded into a perfect O and all I could think about was seeing how my cockhead fit between her succulent lips. “You don’t like the word no. Do you?”
My deep chuckle caused her to wrinkle her pert nose. “No one dares tells me no.”
“And what if they do?”
Her questions were as weighted as my answers. We were playing a game of cat and mouse, but if she thought for a second I would allow her to be the cat, she was dead wrong. Even if I craved hearing her purr my name as she writhed underneath me. “Then they’re punished, Valentina. Swiftly. Sternly. And without remorse. Tell me. Do you consider yourself a bad girl?”
I was eager to hear her answer, the anticipation keeping me on the edge of my seat.
“Yes.”
The one-word admittance meant much more than a single syllable. She was not only defining the moment but also her desires to surrender to a firm hand. Correction. To my firm hand.
Riveting.
She shuddered visibly, her long eyelashes skimming across her cheeks.
That was it. I wasn’t much good at playing games. I’d never been, even as a kid. As soon as I pulled out a credit card, flagging down the waiter, her breath hitched.
The young man came quickly, grabbing the card and I could tell by the look on his face he sensed I was in a rush.
A sly grin slipped across her face and she purposely dropped her gaze, pulling away as if playing coy. The air between us was suddenly stifling and my thoughts turned into something much darker than before.
We’d both admirably tried to avoid the intense connection. That wasn’t possible any longer.
With the card and receipt returned, there was nothing left but to take command.
“No dessert?” she asked coyly.
“I intend on having dessert, Valentina. Just not at the restaurant.” I stood, pushing back my seat and moving beside her. When I held out my hand, her breath hitched again before locking eyes with mine.
“Where are we going?”
“Does it really matter? You’re coming with me.”
“What if someone sees us?”
“Let them,” I growled. “Let the world see that you belong to me.”
CHAPTER 3
Valentina
“Let the world see that you belong to me.”
Hudson’s deep voice and stunning words reverberated in my ears. Had he really said them?
I could tell by his possessive hold as he pushed me away from the table that he had.
His hold of my hand was firm, the pressure of strong fingers against my back exciting.
And the darkness wrapped around the smooth velvet of his voice captivating.
I was holding my breath as he weaved us through the crowd. Even with a band playing in the corner, waiters bustling back and forth, and laughter coming from every corner of the restaurant, I remained in an impenetrable vacuum.
