His presence only made me pause for a moment, but I recovered quickly. “Oh, hello, Bernard. I didn’t know that you were the one requesting my company,” I noted with a smile. I closed the door, even though what I really wanted to do was lock him inside this room to ensure he couldn’t hurt anyone else. I wished I could lock him inside this room forever. I went to sit by him on the couch. Bernard was sitting there with his legs crossed and a drink in his hand. He had a pleasant smile on his wrinkled face, a black suit on, and his white hair slicked back. “Good evening, Gabrielle. I was wondering if you would like to have a drink with me before casino night?” Bernard asked, and pointed to a glass that was sweating on the table. I picked it up, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to swallow any of that. He could have laced it with roofies. I put the drink to my mouth and pretended to sip it, but I kept my lips firmly closed. “Thank you, Bernard. That is very

I walked into the room because the door was open. For a moment, I studied him and the feeling of the room. Bernard had chosen one of the few private rooms without a bed in it. The curtains in front of the window were open and the sunlight was streaming into the room. He was sitting with his legs crossed and reading a newspaper at a nicely set table that had a white tablecloth on it. There was a small buffet of food, with plates filled with french fries, bite-sized burgers, mac and cheese, sliced watermelon, and pineapple. Even though I was nervous, my mouth began to water automatically. Bernard saw me eyeing the food. “Good afternoon, Gabrielle,” Bernard began warmly. I studied his eyes, there was no evil glint in them right now. “Please, sit down and help yourself to anything.” He pointed to the small feast. I did as he instructed. I loaded my plate with all the food, already anticipating the wonderful taste of everything. Just before I took my first bite thoug

“I need you. Now,” I whispered to him, and pressed myself against him again. Instead of answering me, Dante stood up and carried me over to the bed. I wrapped my legs around him and continued to kiss his neck. “Gabrielle, whatever has gotten into you, I hope it stays around,” he replied, then gently laid me on the bed. “Take your shirt off,” I demanded. He grinned and followed my orders. Damn, I’d never get tired of looking at his stomach. It was one of the best parts about him. Along with his face, his arms, and his…Dante pulled his pants and boxers down. I stared at his hard erection. “Come here,” I said in a husky voice. Dante crawled onto the bed. We continued kissing passionately. His hand worked its way under my dress and pinched my nipple. I bucked my hips and moaned in pleasure. After he played with my boobs for a while, I was already close to coming. “Please, Dante.” “Please what, baby?” he asked, chuckling amusedly.

The next week and a half were the darkest times I’d ever had in my life. I barely got to talk to Alice because Valerie was always assigning us chores in different areas of the house. I knew she was doing it on purpose to keep us apart. I hadn’t seen Dante because there hadn’t been any more parties. Every day felt like it was the same. That was why I was surprised when Valerie came into the room I was dusting and told me I had a date in five minutes. “What room is it in?” I asked her. What I was really asking was who the date was with. When Valerie told me it was the room I usually met Dante, I could have leapt up and kissed her. But I controlled my reaction and studied Valerie as inconspicuously as I could. She was smiling, but I could tell that she still wasn’t sleeping well and she had lost weight. Valerie was already a tiny person, so she was starting to look sick from not eating. I walked to the room with a smile on my face. I walked into the open door and s

“Ew, that guy’s mouth tasted like onions,” Alice said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and walking into the room. When she closed the door, I jumped up and hugged her tightly. “Alice! Thank you so much! You just saved my life,” I told her, meaning every word. “You’re…crushing…me,” she managed to get out. I pulled away at once. “Sorry,” I replied. “I’m just so grateful. I can’t believe you kissed that guy for me!” We sat down on our beds, facing each other. Alice waved me off like what she did hadn’t been a big deal. “I’ve had worse kisses on the stage and off. Simon wasn’t a bad kisser, he just must have had something with onions for breakfast,” Alice explained. I got up and handed her a water bottle and got one for myself. “Enough about me, I was just a distraction. Did you find anything?”I took a sip of my water, then frowned. I didn’t even have to answer her question. She could read my face easily enough. “Are we looking for