What We Do in the Night (Day to Night #1) - Stylo Fantome Page 0,40
want anything more, and you won't get anything more.”
“And thank god for that,” Val snorted. Ari Sharapov wasn't a particularly romantic man, it seemed. She was beginning to think maybe Harper should be glad he'd ended things.
“I'm serious. You're not my girlfriend. You're not my friend. You're not anything to me except a good time. You won't be a part of my day to day life – you're for the night time, only.”
Saint Valentine, at your service – only makes appearances after dark!
Valentine closed her eyes for a second. He talked about her like she was a toy. Something he could pull out at night when he wanted to play with it, then put it back on a shelf during the day.
Yes, but a very, very expensive toy. Take the six-thousand and keep your mouth shut for two weeks. You don't want anything more from him, either, so it's for the best.
“That works for me, too,” she finally replied. “You're a client. I'm providing a service. I'm basically like a yoga instructor.”
“Hmmm, I was thinking more along the lines of a Kama Sutra instructor.”
“Har dee har har.”
“Since we see eye to eye on that, let's move on,” Ari continued, and she almost laughed. He really was a lawyer, through and through. “DelVecchio mentioned something about a grandma? You're going through a hard time?”
Now that really surprised her. Why would he care? He'd just gone on and on about not being a part of each others lives.
“It's none of your business,” she echoed his earlier statement. “You don't need to know anything personal about me.”
“I don't even care about anything personal about you. I just want to get rid of anything that might impede me fucking you,” he explained.
“Which I've yet to agree to do.”
He snorted loudly.
“Okay, Valentine. Okay. Whatever you say.”
God, she hated him.
“My grandmother had a stroke five months ago, right after I moved here. That's why I got the job at Caché, to help pay her medical bills and the rent and everything else. That's why I do bike messenger work after classes, and that's why I didn't have Del call you last night and tell you to shove your thirteen grand up your ass,” she snapped out in one long breath. He raised his eyebrows.
“You do all that?”
“Yes.”
“You must be exhausted.”
“I always am.”
“Explains why you look the way you do during the days,” he murmured, his eyes wandering over her face. She didn't have any makeup on, she remembered, and she glared at him.
“Get fucked, Ari.”
“Gladly,” he said, then he scooted down the couch, his hip brushing against her knees. “Tell you what. I paid that thirteen grand for your nights, Wednesday through Saturdays, right?”
“Right,” she said, her voice full of suspicion.
“Those nights aren't worth anything to me if you're tired from school and biking and the club and sick grandma's and whatever else you do. That's not exactly fair to me,” he started. Her jaw dropped.
“Are you shitting me? Me taking care of my sick grandmother isn't fair to you?”
“That's not what I said,” he cut his eyes at her. “You being exhausted isn't fair. It creates a problem for me, and I don't have problems. I remove problems.”
“You do realize you sound like you're talking about killing my grandma, don't you?”
He laughed loudly.
“I'm not quite that evil yet. So let's work out another deal. One that maybe involves some day time hours.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“You literally just said I was for the night time, only.”
“You take everything so literally. Fine, think of it more like you're for the shadows, only. For the periphery of my life.”
“Gee, you know how to make a girl feel swell,” Val sneered. “How many hours? How much money?”
“I just finished a big case, so I've got a light work load for the next two weeks,” Ari replied. “I have a lot of free time right now, so let's say weekdays, two to nine.”
“You're insane,” she laughed. “You barely even know me. Even I don't think I'm interesting enough to spend that much time with.”
“You've apparently never fucked yourself.”
“I'm flattered, but it's still crazy. Besides, I can't – the nurse leaves at six, so I have to stay with my grandma after that time. She can't be alone.”
“Ah! Negotiating point,” Ari said in a loud voice. “In exchange for access to your wonderful 'company', I will pay for another nurse to stay with your grandmother after six o'clock. Sound good?”
Oh. my. god.
It sounded like heaven. Valentine loved her grandmother, she really