Page 18 of Savage Ambition

He watched me in silence as I processed the total collapse of the barrier between my moral disgust and my physical obsession.

“What should I…?” I trailed off, unsure of brothel etiquette. I wanted to curl against him, to feel his heartbeat slow in time with mine as we cuddled in the afterglow, but that required an intimacy I hadn’t paid for.

Amusement flickered across his face. “Let’s get cleaned up.”

“Okay.” I tried to hide my disappointment as I moved off him, extending my hand to help him up. He hesitated before taking it, our fingers lingering together a moment too long before he released me to shrug out of the robe.

“Follow me,” he said with a beckoning gesture.

I obeyed, wondering what Dante had in store for me next and how much more of myself I would surrender before our time ran out.

CHAPTER SIX

DANTE

Iguided Shaw to the bathroom, where Grecian luxury disguised its true purpose. The camera had blind spots Salvatore never fixed. Even gods of depravity needed to piss in private.

Shaw cleaned himself with shy efficiency, averting his gaze while I wiped away the evidence of our encounter. The professional detachment I’d perfected over years of servicing New York’s elite faltered when I caught him stealing glances through the mirror. His unguarded curiosity demanded corruption.

I cleared my throat, prompting him to flinch. “Follow me.”

His eyes widened when we stepped onto the balcony terrace. “Holy shit.”

The outdoor space extended the Greek villa fantasy. White stone tiles covered the floor, inlaid with intricate blue mosaic. Marble columns framed the perimeter, supporting a partial pergola draped with artificial grapevines and twinkling lights. Potted olive trees and fragrant herbs created the illusion of a Grecian garden, while strategically placed privacy screens blocked the neighboring buildings without sacrificing the Manhattan skyline.

The centerpiece was a sunken hot tub lined with azure tiles, designed to mimic a private plunge pool. Surrounding it were plush loungers upholstered in crisp white fabric with navy piping. Stone urns overflowing with cascading flowers completed the illusion, while hidden speakers played the faint sound of distant waves.

“Impressed?” I asked, activating the fire pit with a remote. The flames cast golden light across his face as I turned on the hot tub jets. “You should consider yourself lucky. I rarely let anyone back here.”

The space was my reward for being Salvatore’s top earner, his perfect whore. It was one of the rare places at Gennaro Corporation where Dragon could disappear and Dante could breathe.

“I can’t believe something like this exists up here,” he murmured, still staring at everything in awe.

Slipping into the bubbling water, I let the heat ease muscles that carried the memory of countless hands. “It’s great in the winter, especially when it snows.”

Shaw joined me, his body sliding into the water with a sigh. “I can imagine. Wow, no wonder people love these. This is amazing.”

The comment confused me. “Hot tubs?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’ve never been in one before.”

I blinked in astonishment. “Never?”

His grin turned wry. “While ancient Egyptians enjoyed bathhouses, modern Cairo homes have little use for them.”

A question about his life in Egypt surfaced, but I smothered it. While the wind and bubbling water hid some parts of conversation from the security cameras, I didn’t want to risk seeming too interested. Salvatore collected vulnerabilities. I refused to hand him this one.

“Is this okay with you?” Shaw asked, breaking the quiet.

I feigned ignorance. “What? Letting you back here?”

“No, I mean with our situation.”

“I’m obviously not the one with the issue.” I guided him onto my lap, positioning him so the lone security camera on the balcony would only see his back. “It’s a little late for regrets, wouldn’t you agree?”

“It’s not a regret, so much as it’s…”

“Shame? Embarrassment? Disappointment? What?” I wanted to hear him say it. To verbalize his moral conflict about paying for sex with someone he knew from high school.