What We Do in the Night (Day to Night #1) - Stylo Fantome Page 0,99
approval.
It was annoying, but what could Valentine say? She was partially responsible for the situation. She was secretly fucking Harper's ex-boyfriend. Maybe if Val wasn't in the picture, Ari would've taken Harper back. Or maybe he never would've broken up with her in the first place, who knew?
And Harper wasn't the only troubled area of her life. Valentine had been spending less and less time at home. She had her own section of Ari's closet, meaning she didn't have to go back to change as often. She tried to make it a point to stop in for a couple hours every day and say hi. Sit and talk with her grandmother, or take her for a walk if she could talk her into it. But there was a day here and there where it simply got too late. Time got away from her now. Ari had bought it all, and sometimes he was very selfish with it, indeed.
So while most the time spent with him was filled with pleasure, it felt like the moments outside of him were on the verge of imploding.
Something's got to give.
She was sitting at his dining room table late one Tuesday night, staring at her phone, thinking that thought when he finally walked through the front door.
“Hey,” he grunted, tossing his keys onto the table before walking into the kitchen without even looking at her.
“Hey,” she replied, scrolling through some messages. “Are you coming to the club tomorrow night? They organized a building wide hide-and-seek game, only the Club Room will be operating like normal. Charice is the game keeper, it's going to be hilarious.”
“Sounds like a hoot.”
Oh my, he was in a mood. The only time Valentine cared for that nasty tone of voice was when they were in bed and she was feeling particularly naughty. She spun around on the bench, gathering the long skirt of her casual dress about her legs.
“What's up?” she asked, dropping her phone behind her on the table.
“Nothing. What's up with you?” Ari asked back. He was standing in front of his open fridge and necking a beer.
“Nothing, except the person I was looking forward to sleeping with tonight flaked out on me,” she sighed, and he finally glanced at her. “A nasty troll showed up in his place, instead. I hate when that happens.”
He snorted, then finished his beer and shut the fridge. He headed back over to her, folding his arms tightly. A defensive posture, for sure. This wasn't going to be a good conversation.
“Long day,” he said in a gruff voice. “And Harper's been particularly difficult lately.”
“Tell me about it,” Val laughed. “I have to see her, too.”
“Our fathers are best friends, so I'm at a loss as to what else I can do. My dad would kill me if I ever actually took out a restraining order. But I don't know how much more I can take,” he groaned, rubbing his hands down his face. “Between that and work, I'm just ...”
"Over it?” Valentine guess, and Ari nodded.
“Yes. Very.”
“Poor baby,” she cooed, and she reached out to hook a finger around his belt and drag him closer. “Want me to make you feel better?”
“Did you go out with Evans Daniels?”
Valentine blinked up at him in surprise.
“What? No,” she responded quickly, caught off guard.
“He hasn't been back to your club,” Ari pressed. She let go of his belt.
“Well, yeah, but -”
“And you didn't think to tell me?” he growled. She shrugged, feeling a little bewildered.
“We had our own shit going on,” she finally replied. “And I honestly didn't think it mattered. I used to see your friend Derrick there all the time, too, until I had him banned.”
“You had Derrick banned? Why?”
“He slapped my ass and called me a whore.”
“He what!?”
Valentine had never heard Ari's voice reach that octave before. She held up her hands, trying to calm him down.
“It was a long time ago,” she assured him.
“Why the fuck didn't you tell me?” he demanded, staring daggers down at her.
“Because ...” she stammered. “Because we'd just started our thing. I think it was like the second night? The third? I didn't think you'd care – he was your friend.”
“He's fucking dead, that's what he is.”
“Calm down! This was weeks ago, it was handled, Serge beat the shit out of him. What is going on?”
“Did he pay you?” Ari demanded.
“Derrick?” she was confused. The conversation was going like machine gun shots, and she was just trying her best not to get hit.