Valarie sat in the front seat next to Dimitri in suspense. They had already done about twenty minutes of driving and he still hadn't told her where they were going. She tapped her feet on the black leather mat and interlocked her fingers on both hands on her lap. Dimitri glanced down at her and smirked.

"Nervous?"

"Uh..no..pissed."

His eyes widened "'You're pissed off?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you won't tell me where we are going."

"Haha I see that you are not a big fan of surprises."

"Nope. So now will you tell me where we are going?"

The slowed down until it came to a stop. "There is no need to. We're already here."

"We are?" Valarie sounded surprised.

She looked out the window to observe the surroundings. A beautiful mansion house stood tall in the middle of a green lawn, decorated with lush flora. A large black automated gate opened and Dimitri drove the car down the driveway. Valarie furrowed her brows and looked at him in confusion.

"What is this? Where are we? I've never seen this place before."

Dimitri smiled and small one and glanced at her. "Welcome" he greeted.

"Welcome?" Valarie questioned.

"Yes welcome...Welcome to my home."

Valarie's eyes widened like two full moons. "Your house?" she asked, completely confused.

"Yes, my home. When I was about sixteen years old, I fell in love with engineering and architectural work. I drew a sketch of a house I would one day call my dream home. For my twenty first birthday, my father gifted the live design to me. I usually stay at his place when I work but sometimes when I need to get away from things, I'll come here."

Her jaws dropped in awe as she got a closer view of the house. It was beautiful! In fact, Valarie couldn't match the style with his personality. He was everything but beautiful.

"It's hard to believe that this is a snippet of your dreams. Of what goes on in your head. This...and you.... I can't see how it mixes."

He smirked. "Never judge a book my its cover hun."

"Are you saying that you are all mushy and beautiful inside?"

"Definitely not! I'm just a man that has great taste. Sometimes I just go with what looks good and what I know people would like so that I'll get the compliments for producing it. It doesn't necessarily reflect me."

"I though you just said that a book shouldn't be judged by its cover. Why would you say that?"

"Because I can" he smirked.

"There. That's the Dimitri I know."

Dimitri chuckled and opened his door to step out. Valarie followed and stepped foot onto the limestone floor. Her head panned the surroundings once more in awe.

"Your 'women' probably drooled over this place" she joked.

"No."

"Oh come on. You're telling me that they weren't in awe with this place?"

"No."

"I don't believe you."

"How could they be in awe of something that they didn't know existed?"

"Wait what? I don't think I follow."

"I never brought any of my 'women' here before."

Valarie furrowed her brows in confusion. "Never ever?"

"No. Not ever."

"I don't get it. Are you telling me, of all the women you have been with, you have never brought any of them to your home ever?"

"I haven't."

"Why?"

He paused and bit down on his lower lip to prevent him from responding. The reason was clear in his head, yet he felt pressured to actually say it out loud.

"Um...I'll tell you some other time okay?"

She scrunched her nose and whined "Oh come on!"

"I said another time" he said between clenched teeth.

Valarie's face immediately burnt red in effect from his acidic tone. He sighed and observed her features.

"Look, I'm sorry but I just don't want to talk about it right now. I promise I will tell you another time okay?"

She nodded vaguely and folded her arms. Dimitri smiled. As bad as it would seem, he enjoyed making her mad. Her reaction was nothing but funny to him. Always a failed attempt to look angry.

"Follow me" he said as he walked towards the main door.

Her feet reluctantly moved behind him. The interior of the house couldn't be described by words. One would just have to see for themselves. Valarie's jaw pried open like a trap set to catch flies. She tried to suppress her reaction of complete awe of the place. Dimitri set his eyes down on a small glass table near the door and took his jacket off. His eyes fell on Valarie who was standing immovably in front of the door. He approached her and held onto the front of her sweater from behind. She was startled and held her hand to her pounding chest.

"It's just me" Dimitri laughed.

She smiled and her heart slowly returned to a close to normal pace. He peeled her sweater off of her and hung it next to his. He glanced at the form of her body in her short fitted black lace dress and clenched his teeth to demonstrate control of himself.

"Come" he said, holding one of her hands and leading her up the stairs that stood in a straight line from the door. Valarie followed in close footsteps behind him. As they reached the top of the stairs, he turned right and walked a little way down the corridor until they came upon a large sliding glass door.

He paused to look back at her for a moment with a small smile on his face. One of her perfectly shaped eyebrows quirked up slightly as she analysed his expression.

"What?" she questioned.

Dimitri turned around and slid the door open and led her onto a dimly lit balcony. There stood a table arranged for two. The fiery flickering candle lights illuminated the space with a golden hue. Two waiters placed food on the table and poured wine as they approached. With a silent sway of his hand, they left the scene. Valarie's eyes looked around in confusion and utter disbelief.

"'What is this?" she asked.

"I believe it's a date" he responded.

He pulled out one of the chairs and sat her down then took a seat himself oppositely to her.

"Did you do all this?" Valarie questioned, still surprised.

"Well...I didn't exactly do it myself but I arranged it.

"But wh-"

"Shhh" he hushed her. "Don't ask why about all this for now. Clear your head. You think too much."

"Hey don't shush me Mr!"

"Shhhhhhh" Dimitri teased.

"Valaie scrunched her nose and rolled her eyes."

"Tonight, I know you and you me. We explore all of each other's being. I want to know more about you Valarie."

She was taken back by surprise. This was a side of him she had never before seen so it took a while for her to adjust. She too wanted more of an insight to him so his suggestion made her do back flips inside.

"First of all, this is beautiful. Secondly, we stand in the same boat with our curiosity so what would you like to know?"

"Where are you from?"

"Didn't you read my files from work?"

"I asked you" he skipped her question.

"Well...originally, I'm from Italy. My parents lived there. However, after they died, my aunt and I moved here and I have lived here ever since."

"Ahh. I'm sorry about your parents."

"It's okay."

"You said you live with your aunt?"

"Not anymore. Well she still lives here but I don't stay at her place anymore."

"How often do you see each other?"

The thought of her aunt made and cringe and practically pissed her off. Her thoughts circled around what she had done to her with the loan and other things in the past that she had took advantage of her for. If she spoke of her aunt anymore, she would probably have to chug the entire bottle of wine to get through it.

"I'm sorry but can we not talk about my aunt right now? I'll tell you why some other time."

Dimitri noticed that the topic made her uncomfortable. "Ahh yes sure. What was your first impression of me when I first started at the company?" he hurriedly changed the topic.

Valarie snorted "Are you sure you want me to answer that?"

He chuckled "'Yes, I want to hear this."

"Well...to sum it up...an idiotic asshole" she grinned.

"Haha why thank you. Have that perception of me changed since?"

"Not exactly....but I will admit that you have shown other sides of you that tend to cool the flame of that side of you. You're like a square....you have like four sides."

His lips quirked up into a wide smile. "I'm a square? Hahahaha ."

Valarie laughed. "Yes you are. So what was your thought of me when we first met?"

"Would you like me to answer that honestly?"

"Yes."

"An annoying fly" he grinned.

"Why thank you" she took it is a compliment.

"And your perception of me now?"

"An annoying fly that's beautiful, talented and has a good heart."

"Oh wow. I'm quite a special fly aren't I?"

"Yes you are haha. Of all the things I did, what did you hate the most?"

"Being a sissy when Ashley stole my designs and stood around and did nothing about it."

"Ahh! You have all right to so feel free to hate me forever for that. I f*cked up.

"Yes, you did...but you made up for it after at the second show. So maybe I'll cut you a little slack. Just a little..."

Dimitri ran his hand through his hair and smiled. "So what does my father think about the little 'mission' he placed you on?"

"Well, he did say that your hoping syndrome has stopped."

"My what?"

"Your hopping syndrome haha"

"What-. What is a hopping syndrome?"

"Moving from women to women like a wild fire."

"Wow dad. What a way to describe it."

"Well he isn't wrong. Isn't that what you used to do? To be honest, I don't think you've completely stopped yet. If you're talking to one woman, your mind will be on the next."

For some reason, her thoughts stabbed holes in him.

"Do you really think that I harbour thoughts of more than one women at the same time?"

"Well you are wrong."

"Really? Is that so?"

"Yes. I'm with you now and my mind isn't elsewhere, especially on another woman."

"How do I know you are telling the truth."

"Trust me."

"Trust you? That's like telling someone to walk on water and hope they don't sink."

"Wow you actually think so?"

"Well you can't exactly blame me now can you? You flipped through women like pages in a book. What makes me sure that you haven't stopped reading yet?"

"Well, you can test the theory yourself."

"How?"

"Go out with me."

"What? But we are already out."

"I mean out, out. Like date me. Full time."

Valarie almost choked on her wine. "What?" she asked completely surprised.

"Well, you've been trying to settle me down. The truth is, none of the women before have affected me the way you have. I have felt nothing but physical attraction to the rest of them but I don't know Valarie. There is something more this time. You're...different."

She blinked her eyes fanatically at what he was saying.

"First of all, don't you think it would be a bit unethical for us to, you know...go out? Secondly, I don't think your father meant me when he told me to find you a match. Another thing, there is no way at all that you could...like me. I'm no match for your type of 'women'. Also....what makes you think that I would want to date you in the first place?"

He skipped all of her first statements and pondered only on her last question.

"Are you implying that you don't want me?"

"I'm not implying. That's what I'm saying. I don't want you" she lied.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"If it's one thing Valarie, you're a terrible liar but since you seem to be forgetting the effect I have on you, I think maybe you need a reminder."

Dimitri took his long index finger and pushed over her glass of wine. The cold liquid drained onto her thigh and down her legs.

"Ugh! What the hell is wrong with you!" she protested and stood up instantly.

A playful smile spread across his face. "Oops."

He stood up and walked around the table to her. His eyes moved down to the wine pooling at the bottom of her dress and dripping like blood at a slow pace.

"Ahh, and now you are all wet" his eyes darkened with the smile still plastered on his face.

Valarie swung her arm at him but he skilfully caught it and with one movement, lifted her up and hung her over his shoulder.

"Let's get you all cleaned up."

"Put me down! She whined.

Her punches and protests had no effect on him. He continued walking out to the side, down a flight of stairs and to the back of the house where a swimming pool stood. Dimitri unbuckled her heels and kicked off his shoes simultaneously. He then jumped into the pool with her.

Valarie screamed at the coldness of the water. "Dimitri!" she scolded, splashing water into his face. She started to swim towards the pools edge to get out but he hugged her from behind and pulled her to the centre of the pool. Her hairs reacted to the temperature of the water, standing on end. Her nipples turned to stones as though medusa had petrified them. She was freezing and she couldn't think straight.

He felt the quiver of her body against him and pulled her in tighter. His lips traced down the back of her ears and down to her neck. Valarie squirmed at his touch. His hands reached out front and cupped her breasts. She wiggled and made attempts to break free but all were futile. He pressed down on her nipples and rolled them between his thumb and index finger.

"Ahh!" she hit him an elbow right in his guts.

Dimitri laughed and turned her around.

"You don't want me?"

"No" she said between clenched teeth.

He crashed his lips on hers and slowly moved her to press against the wall. He placed both hands on the ledge on either side of her and pulled back to look at her face. She gazed upon his storm laced eyes and his firm soft lips. Her hands traced down his cheeks.

"Why can't you settle down with someone else?"

"Because I can't. I just can't find anyone to have that connection to. All is see is physical and that's it. In the past, if I offended any of the women I dated in anyway or hurt them, I wouldn't give a shit. I wouldn't care. I wouldn't feel bad. That's just how I am. If I don't feel for someone or care about someone beyond the physical wall, I just can't find myself to open up to them.

"And you can open up to me? Why?"

"Because you were essentially the only one who didn't like me. In fact, when we first met, I thought you hated me. You didn't get caught up with who my father was, my title, my wealth, my looks...I also can't help but to admire how much my parents adore you., especially my mother. I can crack the door open for you because you don't try to get in. you just do. Go out with me Valarie."

It was too much to process at once. She almost couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Say yes!" her inner devil screamed at her.

She was too stunned to react. Her throat felt heavy like she had swallowed cement and it had started to harden.

"I'm not going to jump head first into the floor Dimitri" she managed.

"I know. I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking for us to at least try. Look this is going way beyond how much I would actually open up and I'm not sure how long I could keep up with the pressure of talking. "

Was it the fact that he had genuinely liked her? Was it the care he recently noticed that he had developed for her or was it the guilt he still felt for allowing Ashley to trample over her for way too long? Perhaps it was all these factors pieced together as one. Regardless of what it was, it has an effect that made him crazy.

"Valarie please..." he buried his face in her neck.

She was at war with herself. Half of her begged her to throw herself at him and the other half told her to run away from him. She snaked her hand behind his neck and leaned into his ear.

"I will tell you something. I still don't entirely trust you...but I trust you enough to test the waters with caution. If you ever, ever hurt me-"

"I won't hurt you ever" he whispered.

She pulled back to look at his face once more. Her eyes pierced into his. She knew it would one of the riskiest chances she had ever taken but who could refuse a sweet deal with the devil?

Valarie leaned into him and pressed her lips against him. They ravished in each other's arms, the poor of water swirling around them, pulling and tugging hungrily.

The lion caught a mouse dead in its trap but he chose to caress it rather than eat it. Now the prey stands dead in the lion's mouth but she chooses to sit there instead of run away. If the lion stays true to his heart, the prey may be spared of its life but if he falters and follows his head, the prey will wound up nothing but dead.