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Wearing my rose-gold sequined club dress once again, I slip from his car with a final wave and head up the front steps of the prominent Brownstone. The guards don’t say anything, keeping their eyes focused on the middle distance, as always, as I pass them. Papachka has strict rules about distracting them while they’re on duty, so I simply ignore them right back.
Easing the front door open, I check to make sure it’s all clear before making a beeline for the stairs. Boris meets me at the top, yipping loudly in his excitement to see me.
“Shh,” I say, worried he might alert my parents to my presence.
But I can’t help smiling, and when I stoop to pet him, he jumps on me, making me giggle.
“Come on, boy,” I encourage, disentangling myself to race him down the hall to my room.
There, I close the door before showering him with unbridled affection.
“Did you miss me?” I ask, stroking his soft ears and cradling his nearly all-black face in my palms.
He yips, his tongue lapping toward my face as his tail wags.
“Don’t worry. We’ll have some quality time together today.” Pressing a kiss to his snout, I rise and start to undress.
Thankfully, it seems I’m not in trouble because I didn’t miss a call from my parents, and neither of them is knocking down my door now that I’m home. I take a quick shower, washing off the sweat from dancing and the smell of the club. After going, I can see why my father has always been reluctant to let me—and why Viktor goes so often.
The energy in the rather seductive atmosphere is addictive. And the plastique dancers are quite risqué.
But what I can’t stop thinking about is the pair of storm-blue eyes that seemed to catch me looking at Mishka more often than I should. It felt so thrilling to have his hands on my hips for one glorious moment. Not to mention that jaw-dropping shirtless physique he was stalking around with this morning.
And even though I’m hurt by his rejection and pissed at his rude comments, I can’t deny I was still disappointed when I came back out of my temporary room to find he’d left without saying goodbye.
Sighing, I get out of the shower and dry off as I try to let it go. Not that I’ve dated many guys or put myself out there all that often, but I’ve never had someone so clearly not like me, and it makes me wonder why.
Rather than discouraging me, it makes me want to press the matter until he at least gives me a reason.
“That just sounds juvenile, Alina. You can’t take it personally if a guy doesn’t like you,” I scold myself.
Glancing out my bathroom door, I find Boris waiting patiently for me on my bed, his head cocked in silent question, his tail twitching. It brings a smile to my face.
“You’re the only man I really need in my life, anyway. Right, Boris?”
His tongue lolls from his mouth in a wolfish grin as a response, warming my heart.
While the shower eased the worst of my hangover symptoms, I’m still beat from a hard night of partying and overindulging on champagne. So, I pull on a comfy pair of leggings and a cropped top before flopping onto the bed beside my dog.
He takes the opportunity to snap up his tug rope and offer it to me in a clear demonstration that it’s time to play. Laughing, I sit up to oblige him, letting him wrestle the rope from my hands before placing it back in my palm for another round.
My phone rings a short time later, and I pick it up without pausing our game.
“Hello?” I answer, tugging on the rope to give Boris an extra challenge.
How’d things go after you guys dropped me off last night? Katie asks, cutting right to the chase.
“Good morning to you too,” I observe dryly. “And thanks for getting me wasted on my twenty-first,” I add playfully.
Hey, I’m not doing my job if I don’t get you drunk on your first legal night drinking in public. Besides, you weren’t that bad. It’s not like you threw up.
I flop back onto the bed and scratch Boris’s neck as he lies down beside me. “I still have the world’s worst headache this morning.”
Champagne will do that to you, Katie says sagely. Now will you please tell me what happened? Viktor seemed pretty pissed when we left the club.
“He was just being protective. He can be a little over the top sometimes.”
I mean, the guy did grab your ass. And he was practically humping you. You didn’t look like you were enjoying it. Once again, Katie offers wisdom where I was just being a snot.
