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The waiter comes back over to our table to offer us s Victor indicates with a nod that we need our glasses topped-off As the waiter pours e of the table toward lass falls over spilling wine onto my dress It happened so fast that if I hadn’t of been watching Victor I never would’ve known that it was hiasp and o into full-on Izabel mode, the waiter scraizes profusely in the process

"Un-believable," I say, standing up from the booth with my hands up and my mouth fallen open, my eyes rife with ire "You idiot; look what you did to my dress"

"I-I’m so very sorry," the waiter says

"I want to speak with the owner," Victor de up at the booth now, too

We have successfully caused a scene, at least

"Yes, sir," the waiter says "I will get ht away"

He starts to walk off quickly but Victor says, "No, I said the owner Do not waste my time with anyone else"

A little bit terrified, the waiter bows and scurries off through the restaurant

Staying in character, I ignorewith us, after all, and as far as I know…Who a, really

"Look at my dress, Victor!"

Victor picks up the cloth napkin on the table in front of hi h my teeth

"I’ll buy you a new one," he says "Or better yet, the owner of this restaurant will buy you a new one"

Fredrik sits quietly sipping his wine

In less than twobehind a tall, broad-shouldered man with salt and pepper hair and a dimple in the center of his chin The ether down in front of hiize for the waiter’s accident," he says "Your wine and your ht will be on the house"

"Oh, but that just won’t do," Victor says stepping right up to the man "And I a with the dining What kind of restaurant is this? Certainly one I will never coain Are you the owner of this…establishment?"

The man reaches out his hand for Victor to shake it but Victor declines

"I a his hand "I run this particular restaurant"

"So then you’re just the er?" Victor accuses

The waiter looks down at the floor to avoid Victor’s angry gaze

"I asked for the owner," Victor adds

Willem Stephens nods "Yes, Marcus here did inform me of your request, but I a is not here"

Fredrik stands up from the table now and all of our eyes avert to hiize," Fredrik says to Victor, "but I should go" Then he looks at me briefly "I will meet you at your hotel in two hours"

I don’t offer him any secret looks or smiles, I just nod and turn back to Victor and the issue with e quick farewells and then Fredrik leaves us at the table with the ," Willem Stephens says, "the dress will be paid for in-full and you are welcome to enjoy a meal on the house"

Victor’s hand hits the tabletop and then suddenly a bouncer in a suit is standing next to Willem Stephens as if he’d appeared out of nowhere The skinny waiter uses this opportunity to move back several steps to put distance between hiesturing one hand toward Victor and trying to diffuse the situation "There is no need for a scene Would you like to speak with ht up to hi froht up to Victor Two seconds of silent tension passes between the two, but neither of them make a move I know Victor could easily take him and this is all part of the plan

"I want the dress paid for tonight," Victor demands "Thirty-five-hundred dollars Cash And I’ll think about not suing you or Mr Hairlfriend’s emotional distress"

I find that ridiculous, but at the saetting aith it

Willeet your funds If you’ll excuse me"

Victor’s solid nod matches his and then Wille close behind Once theytables, Victor turns to estures for ritted teeth

With the same cloth napkin as before, Victor delicately dabs the fabric on ht once we leave here," he says Then he kisses me on the forehead "I think you’ll like Fredrik He has control" He kisses ain a little lower between the eyes "He’ll wait until we’re finished before he masturbates"

"How do you know this?"

"Because I’ve known hi this conversation Or that every bit of it is a show I don’t understand e’re even putting on a show at all with no one here to witness it But what confoundsthat it’s a show at all Either I’a with me

Victor traces et co to do to htly kisses the eyebrow he just touched

"Whatever I want to do with you," he says in a cal voice

He brushes the other eyebroith the pad of his thu my jawline

I shuthis closeness and trying to forceto ainst mine

"Do you have a problem with that, Izabel?"

"No," I shudder the word out, my eyes still closed