Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 67518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Forty minutes later, I’ve learned that Victor’s temporarily offering his professional opinion in the neurological research department at Greco Technologies. Although he was very vague during that bit of our discussion, I debated Dr. Jekyll over the most unnecessary ass subjects. He’s found his way beneath my skin a time or two, and by the time the check arrives, I pop up from my seat. “Good night, Vic.”
As if not expecting my actions, the beast glares through me for a few beats. I inwardly gloat because I’ve beaten him at his game. But why does a wave of nausea constrict my gut when he offers a cold, “Good night, Lux.”
8
LUXURY
“Good night, Lux,” reverberates in my ears. Only seconds have passed, although it feels like eons. Victor drops enough cash on the table to pay for the entire menu. At least, I presume so. I never glimpsed a single page. Although, I viewed the menu online, and he ordered what I had my mind set on. That’s beside the friggen point.
When Victor’s hand brands the small of my back, my glower snaps to him.
His body practically presses into mine, so I give a hushed hiss. “I said ‘Goodnight, goodbye,’ and I’ll further elaborate since you have all the degrees between us, Doctor, good riddance.”
He disregards my rebuff while I desperately ignore the sparks of electricity between us. “Did you hear me, Vic?”
Victor’s hand wraps around my arm.
“Hey, you self-absorbed, egotistical . . .” My snappy attitude resounds in the quiet lobby. A few vacationers linger, so I regain my composure while whispering, “You bastard.”
“Bastard? Brilliant.”
Victor yanks me toward an elevator, jabbing the button.
“Sometime during this awful dinner date, I considered doing . . . things with you. That we . . .” that I’d experience something other than missionary. “But I’ve had a change of mind. You’re a little too . . .” My chest heaves, breasts straining against the V-shaped material. I try to wrestle my arm away. Now, imagine a Barbie doll getting her arm snapped off. Not because he’s exuding any force, although his iron grip accounts for everything.
“You’re a cheeky one, Lux. Tell me, what am I, aside from a bastard? Am I too beastly for you?”
As the doors open, Victor’s hands circle my waist, and he thrusts me backward. My spine jams against the rear of the elevator. As the doors close, the moment sparks with intensity. My astonished gaze lingers over the powerfully built deviant doctor. I’m breathless, speechless, livid, and horny.
Victor’s head dips closer to mine, his breath teasing my lips. “Where’s that cheeky girl? Am . . . I . . . beastly?”
I gasp, “Yes. A beast.”
A perceptive growl of agreement causes my walls to vibrate like raindrops clinging to a leaf. Victor caresses me with a delicate touch. His thumb strokes over my collarbone the same way he had the wine glass. Leaning forward, he invades my senses.
No more breathless.
No more speechless.
My intellect simply doesn’t exist. I’ve. Lost. It.
I’m a blinking, ragged mess, skin burning in agony. Victor drops his face, and his lips brush against my ear. I’m shameful. Shameful as fuck, inhaling him. Desiring him. An amnesiac who forgot the worst dinner date of her life.
His breath tickles my earlobe as he murmurs, “Will you allow the beast inside your lovely cunt, Luxury? I damn well swear that I’ll tame myself just for you.”
He stands to his full height, and I die at the sight of him. The tugging of his mouth twists so seductively.
Dr. Finch’s smile might haunt me for the rest of my natural-born life.
While the numbers climb, my silly voice fades. “I’m supposed to believe you.” I doubt I should pray about fornicating, but Lord, please let me have this moment.
Although he doesn’t respond, danger urges through me. Victor’s thinking calculated thoughts wrapped in darkness.
Lust.
Debauchery.
Forgive me for my sins in advance!
Victor’s fingers glide through mine and entwine them, making me feel so tiny as his hand almost engulfs mine. As the elevator ceases at the tip-top level, Victor guides me out and straight into a suite.
Throat tight, the credo of “not kissing on the first date” weighs heavily on the tip of my tongue. Who am I kidding? This will be my first and last one-night stand. If Victor tames the alpha in him, well, prunes it just a little. I step into the silver-veined marble living room. His fingers slip from mine.
Since I’ve never visited a man’s hotel room, my first thought is to seek out the lights. Turn them off. Ignoring my discomfort, I take in the vivid surroundings—a posh white room with shiny, gleaming ornaments. Downtown nightlights stream through the windows, catching the opulent embellishments in a trillion twinkling lights.
Victor commands a seat in the middle of the living room. He governs the single, oversized leather chair. The type of chair that keeps you warm even with the wrong blanket. They engulf you, making you feel cozy on a snowy night. Perfect for getting lost in a book. It is that type of chair.