What We Do in the Night (Day to Night #1) - Stylo Fantome Page 0,72

and felt a warmth low in her stomach. Ari watched the movement, then jerked on her arms, sending a jolt of pain through her nerve endings. She sighed and rubbed her bare breasts against the sheet beneath her, seeking friction.

“I think the real question is,” she whispered. “Did you really think I'd want to be let go?”

“Perfection,” Ari groaned, rolling onto his side and planting kisses along her arm. “You, Valentine, are absolute fucking perfection, and I'm going to take such good care of you for the next two weeks.”

Val closed her eyes when he gripped her hair, pulling back on it to lift her head so he could kiss her.

Of course he is, because I'm an investment, and maybe if I do very, very well, he'll invest a little more and keep me around a little longer, because honestly, now that I've got this, I can't go back to how I was before. So control me all you want, Ari, and I'll keep letting you do anything you want.

Just keep me around for a little longer.

13

Valentine wasn't a small person – in fact, if Ari had to guess, she was probably around five-foot-five, or six. A little on the tall side for a woman. And in heels, she was almost eye level with him.

But standing in the shower together, her back to him as she stood under the spray, he fully realized how much smaller than him she was; the top of her head barely reached his collar bone. He liked it. He'd never thought much about a girl's height before, but something about her ... he liked how petite she seemed next to him. How feminine.

“I'm going to smell like you tomorrow.”

Her voice interrupted his thoughts, and he watched as she started rinsing his conditioner out of her hair. He smirked at the back of her head, not minding at all that she'd have his scent around her for the next day.

Then his eyes landed on her hands, watching as she combing her fingers through her hair. Zeroing in on the red marks around her wrists.

Without thinking about it, without even fully realizing what he was doing, Ari reached out and grabbed her right arm. She seemed startled by his touch, but turned around as he gently tugged her towards him. They both looked down as he massaged the bruised the skin with his thumbs.

“You let me do this to you,” he mumbled.

“I did, in fact.”

“Why?”

She paused for a long time, so he picked up her other wrist and started massaging it, as well. Smoothing her skin with his own. Trying to erase any lingering pain, and memorize all the pleasure.

“Because it felt good,” she finally replied, her voice soft. He finally looked her in the face.

“You would let me do it again?” he checked. She smiled at him.

“I hope you'll do it again.”

“Why?”

“Because ...” she started, searching for words. “Because, Ari. When you take control, it means I don't have to be in control anymore. It means for just a little while, I don't have to be making the big decisions. I don't have to be doing all the work. These marks, they mean that for a couple hours, I didn't have to worry about a goddamn thing, because you were taking care of everything. And that ... you don't even know. That's beautiful to me.”

He went back to looking at the red marks as he absorbed her words. He certainly hadn't expected such an in depth answer. Valentine needed him to do the one thing he was always craving. She needed him.

They needed each other.

“Why me?”

Again, her voice cut right into his deep thinking.

“What?”

“Why me?” she asked again, her voice soft. “You could've had anybody. Anybody at that club, at your job, in Chicago. You're the Ari Sharapov, you're practically famous. I'm a nobody.”

“A very sexy nobody,” he tried to tease. She didn't laugh, though, so he lifted his head to look her in the eye. She was frowning.

“You know lots of sexy women,” she pointed out. “I'm sure you've even been with other escorts – probably seasoned ones who would sleep with you for a lot less money. Why me?”

Ari took a deep breath.

“Why not you? I've been wanting this,” he tried to explain, gesturing between the two of them. “Wanting it for so long, that I'd all but given up on getting it. And then there you were, right in front of me, and it was like ... like I recognized you. Like I