39. Daniela

THIRTY-NINE

Daniela

M y eyes keep going to my phone checking the time, watching it and wondering where Val is. It's already two hours past Viktor's school time and the door opens with a whistle making its way through the studio. Turning to see the arrogant shithead who's late, the first thing I note is his knuckles. They're all red but he has the widest smile on his face.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I examine the rest of him. He's far too attractive and that smile is pure sin.

"What happened to your hand?"

He lifts his fist with pride, and it gets wider as he shrugs. "Some little cunt was picking on our kid." There's no chance he means what I think he does, and he adds, "Had to beat the shit out of the kids dad."

I just blink.

The schoolyard taunt of "my dad can beat up your dad" is supposed to be a taunt. Not a bet that has a winner during drop off.

He pulls me up from my seat and he wraps his arms around me. He looks so proud of himself it's endearing despite the violence. And he ruins it by opening his mouth.

"Tali's going to fuck the kid's mom. I'm yours so I had to change the plan."

He tightens his hold and kisses my cheek not seeing anything wrong in his actions as I try to get away from him. It's fucked up to use sex as a weapon and that poor woman will be played thinking he's interested in her only to be cast aside.

"That's wrong, she's going to be hurt and used," I say.

Val picks me up and sits me on the counter. He steps between my thighs and strokes my hair back to cup each side of my head so I can't move. His voice is annoying, each word leaving his mouth pissing me off further.

"She shouldn't have been eyeing me up and gossiping with the other housewives about how I fuck. Oh, not just how I fuck, but going into detail about what she would do. Do you think I want my kid to hear that fucking shit?"

The conversations haven't changed from when we were kids. It's disgusting to think they all just stand on a playground eye fucking each other. As creepy as it was overhearing it when we were younger it's worse now that Val is the subject.

When he sees my agreement his smile comes back, and he kisses me all innocent and quick. Holding on to his neck to deepen it, the green eyed monster comes out seeking more material.

"Have you slept with the moms at his school?"

Val is open, there's no lie on his face as he explains his life. "He's only just started, we used to homeschool him. And I haven't touched anyone since you came back."

It doesn't mean shit if he wore a ring, or they knew he was in a relationship. We used to catch the not so secret glances and know which parents were fucking each other.

Rich people love debauchery. Their lives are filled with an excess of everything; money, power, alcohol, sex. It doesn't matter what it is as long as they have the most. But it always has to be done at someone else's expense. My own parents did that shit, trying to maintain an image of respectability but behind closed doors the price of that image was the loss of our family. The Vartanov way seems better. They show everyone the ugliness but cherish the good, Viktor is protected and happy unlike the majority of the kids in his school who are put on show and dragged out for parties.

Val drags me into his dirty thoughts as he kneads my thighs and groans out, "We need to get you some dresses or those things babies wear with the buttons."

Asshole.

Looking down at my clothes, I feel like an idiot with clay on me while he's dressed casually. My voice comes out small and insecure. "What's wrong with how I dress?" I might not win any awards but it's practical with being in the studio and I don't care if I spill anything on my overalls.

He pushes one finger under the hem of the shorts and pulls showing the small gap as he raises a brow. "My dick won't fit through that, need access to that sweet pussy. Especially when you're working. It's sexy as fuck watching you make things from nothing."

His utter filth makes me smile and chases away any self-doubt.

Kissing his cheek, I shamelessly ask for more. "It's sexy to watch me get covered in paint?"

He nods against my lips and kisses me between the words. "Mhmm, you're beautiful and your face goes all gooey."

Just what every girl wishes to hear, I have a gooey fucking face. He may as well have said slimy and added on I stink for good measure.

He ignores my reaction, and the big smile is back as he pats the outside of my thigh. "Ready to go rodnaya?"

I move his handsome face out of my gooey one. He lets me go and I change in the bathroom. There's no clay on my skin and Val almost looks disappointed when I step out in a dress. I can't keep the ire out of my voice and hold the hem checking my clothes for whatever has pissed him off now. "What's wrong with me now?"

There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing, and he can go fuck himself.The asshole looks me up and down and his hands go to his belt with a smirk.

"You need a repeat of what happened the last time we were here? "

Muttering no, I walk towards the door ignoring him. Arms wrap around me from behind, pulling me back and his stupid annoying voice is in my ear. "What's crawled up your ass?"

He called me gooey. Goo is slime, snot, or something disgusting. Not a person's face.I sound petty and immature speaking around a pout. "You don't know how to give someone a compliment."

His smirk touches my neck, and he sways side to side forcing my body to loosen. "You are my sweet Dani, beautiful doesn't even describe you. Every feature was sculpted by goddesses so they could worship at your feet."

I soften at the awe in his voice, and he kisses under my ear. "You have the warmest brown eyes, the same color as your hair, when you laugh they get lighter and glow." He places a kiss to my cheek, and keeps rattling off different features without being able to see them."Your smile always reaches your eyes but it's different each time, and you're cute as fuck when you're angry it makes me want to bite your cheeks. Especially when your nostrils flare. Want me to keep going baby or do you still need to be reminded that you're amazing?"

I nod and ignore the way my face heats. He keeps one arm wrapped around my middle and lifts me off the floor as he grabs my bag with the other hand. He doesn't stop listing things he likes about me, changing from my appearance to my character as he carries me out and locks the doors.

"Okay, you want more? Easy, you have a huge heart. You're kind and even though you're soft natured it doesn't make you weak, it makes you stronger." Sitting me in the car, he leans down holding on to the roof and kisses my temple. "And you have the best pussy, it always feels like home."

He's an idiot but he's my idiot and I don't say anything to reprimand him.

He takes my hand as soon as he's in the car and kisses my knuckles. My mind flickers between the image of us in this position as teenagers to now. He doesn't drive for long and I'm too busy staring at his profile to notice where we've stopped. This Val is perfect, and he acts like a gentleman as he opens my door for me, then places a hand on my back as he guides me into another art studio. There are glass ornaments all over the space, little trinkets that have me breaking my neck because I can't understand how they've managed to make them so intricate.

His lips brush my hair as he speaks and my chest warms. "You always wanted to learn. We've got the space all day."

Glass blowing was something I had put on my list at thirteen years old, something I wanted to master so I could incorporate it into the sculptures. But I'm a chicken shit and the thought of being near molten glass has always kept me away.

The owner comes out, I've seen him before when I've been creeping on the items, he's friendly handing me safety glasses and an apron as he introduces himself. Val's masculinity is apparently going to protect his eyes as he refuses them and stays attached to me. The childish shit snickers when Roger explains the equipment. "Once you've got the molten glass on the blow pipe, you can keep it warm by holding it in the glory hole."

I'm too focused on learning that I don't laugh at the innuendo, my maturity surpasses the idiot behind me.Smothering his laugh with his hand, he leans down whispering, "Dirty Dani, you want to put a blow pipe in a glory hole?"

Elbowing him harder doesn't work and I step to the side, so I'm not distracted. All the equipment is heavy as fuck and I'm too slow moving between each station. Roger is kind enough not to laugh at my efforts and gets another pipe ready for me to try again. "I'll just be over there, if you need any help let me know." He leaves while I give my full focus to dipping the molten ball in crushed pigment.

Val holds the weight of the pipe letting me control the spin. There's no filthy joke and he silently helps me move it around. I'm single minded in my focus to create a paperweight that doesn't look like utter shit that I don't realize he's moved closer as I press my lips against the blow pipe.

The dirty fuck leans down and fits his lips next to my ear as he deepens his voice. "Keep blowing, just like that baby."

He probably researched what glass blowing is just so he could say every dumb joke he could think of.

"Oh, you want to go back to the glory hole, get me all hot and ready to drip for you?"

I nudge him with my elbow and ignore his immature commentary, but it doesn't make him stop as I take a deep breath to blow again .

"That's it, keep blowing, get me nice and big."

He frowns as I move my lips back and his hand lands on my ass without any pressure behind it.

"I was so close, you little tease."

Setting the pipe on the holder, I turn to face him, and my smile isn't forced. He planned it all perfectly and I move closer hugging his middle in gratitude.

We have to wait twenty-four hours for the pieces to cool and Roger agrees to send them directly to my studio as soon as they're done. Leaning up on my toes before I get in the car I press a chaste kiss to Val's lips in thanks. He doesn't deepen it and cups my face with gentle hands. He stares into my eyes and fixates on the only question he has.

"Ready to be my wife yet?"

His proposals are all shit and I roll my eyes and fold into my seat.

There's a way to life that makes sense. You meet someone, date, discuss the future, move in together, get engaged and then get married. He's doing it all ass backwards.

His phone rings flashing the name of Viktor's school on the display as he drives to the next stop on whatever he's planned. I press accept before he can untangle our hands he kisses my wrist as the teacher speaks in that no nonsense tone they all have. "Your son has been involved in an altercation. We think it's best if you come in to discuss it at length."

My first thought is Carly. She wouldn't go near him after Val and his brothers went to threaten her. She can't be that stupid.

He looks at me apologetically as he ends the call. Bugging my eyes out because he hasn't done anything wrong, I speak to him like he's an idiot. "Turn around, you need to go to the school."

He's weird as fuck and grabs my face slamming his lips over mine. "You're perfect."

Strange idiot.

Viktor won't be hurt, and Carly couldn't have gotten into the school. I'm sure they have fences or some shit to stop random people walking in.

He puts his foot down racing between the other cars and his breathing escalates. It doesn't get any better as we pull up outside of the school and he quickly gets out while I stay seated. It's not my place to march in as much as my limbs protest staying still. Seeing that I haven't moved, his brows come together, and he pulls the door open holding his hand out.

"Come on Dani mine, I need you to be the calm one, so I don't beat the shit out of one of the teachers."

His voice lowers as he leans into the car and there's so much fear on his face it fills his voice. "I'm struggling to breathe so move because I don't know if he's okay."

I can't say no or argue so I silently take his hand.