“Of course. Pain is life and life is pain,kotik.”
“What if I want to be called your ‘knife?’”
I pull a face. “What about that is an endearment?”
“Better than calling me ‘kitty’ or ‘hare!’” She pouts. “Tiger. Shark?—”
“Shark?!”
“I’ll take anything but something fluffy.”
“Ah, but I can’t help that I associate you with all things fluffy.”
“Ugh!”
I twirl a strand of her hair around my finger. “I thought you’d be shy.”
“Modesty fell to the wayside when I remembered how I hurt you.” She hitches a shoulder. “You showed me you in the shower last night. Only right that we keep things equal.”
“Equality.” I savor the taste of that one word. “That’s how you want to go about it?”
“Go about what?”
“Us.”
“Well, I’m not going to let you keep me barefoot in the kitchen!”
“I don’t feel like eating burnt offerings for the rest of my life, so that’s good.”
“I can cook just fine. I’d onlypreferto have a chef.”
A chef. Not a cook.
I had to pick the woman with expensive tastes…
Amused nonetheless, I reiterate, “Set a date, Victoria.”
“Is it as simple as that?”
“It’s as simple as you want it to be.”
“And what if I want to wait until I’m done with college?”
“Then I don’t put out.” I laugh at her outraged expression. “I know. I’m so irresistible. How will you keep your hands off me?”
“You jerk!”
“I’m so evil. Wanting to cherish yourinnocence.”
“Maybe I don’t want to beinnocentanymore. It’s my choice whom I share my body with and when.”
Any flicker of amusement fades. “Don’t think you can punish me for my old-fashioned outlook by dancing around other boys,korovka.”
“God, you make me so angry. I wasn’t implying that I’d go and fuck anything with a dick on campus. Just that it was up to mewhenI did so.”
“And doesn’t that work both ways?”
“Like you aren’t fucking anyone that throws themselves at you!”
