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I nudge German. “Where did Little Lenin go?”
“I’ve been a little preoccupied over here,” German hisses. A daughter of a cousin of some mafia boss or other has German’s tie wrapped around her palm and her leg hitched over his hip. I didn’t have the heart to tell German the woman is trying to make me jealous. She hit on me the moment I walked through the door and didn’t take my swift rejection well.
Then again, I don’t think German will care either way. It’s not as if he has long-term plans with the girl. By my estimations, he’ll be done with her within the half hour.
“Sasha has been milling around all night, but now, he’s gone,” I tell him. “So is Rayne.”
I chose the far corner of the room so I’d have a good line of sight of everything going on. But Leonid dragged the newest motorcycle club leader over to talk to me fifteen minutes ago. He was ranting about his dreams for his piddling little club for so long that I must have blacked out.
I agreed to a meeting with him next week just to get him out of my face. Since German is being so unhelpful at the moment, I’ll send him in my stead. He’ll love that.
I start to scan the crowd again just as Viktoria separates from the party and heads straight for me.
“Well, aren’t you a wallflower tonight,” she remarks, sashaying her hips a little too much for it to be natural. “You haven’t left this corner since you got here. I’m surprised. I figured you’d be following your girlfriend around like a sad little puppy.”
“I would, but I can avoid you a lot better from over here.”
I look around her as the kitchen door opens. A waitress comes out carrying more champagne.
“Clear skies?” Viktoria asks.
I turn to her with a sigh. “What?”
“No Rayne to be seen. Get it?” She laughs at her own stupid joke.
“What do you want, Viktoria?”
She presses a hand to her hip and cocks her head at me. “I want you to deny that the pitiful creature in that too-tight dress is your girlfriend. I just gave you two opportunities and you ignored both of them. So it’s true?”
“Is what true?”
“God, you’re slow tonight. How much have you had to drink?”
“I’m stone cold sober,” I tell her truthfully. “I’m just busy imagining that too-tight dress you just mentioned. It looked just fine to me.”
That is an understatement.
The moment Rayne walked out of the kitchen in that dark red number, I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and carry her away from all of these gnashing wolves who surround us. The only debate that remained was whether I was patient enough to get her all the way to a bed before I had to taste her.
Viktoria snorts. “You men are all such pigs. Honestly. Show a little thigh and a little boob and you lose your heads.”
“For the right woman, maybe.”
Her gaze sharpens. “No need to get nasty, Kirill.”
“I’m not being nasty. I’m telling the truth."
"Is that a new thing you're trying? The truth?"
The admission I made to Rayne this afternoon was certainly the truth. Raw and unfiltered. As stupid as I felt immediately afterward, I don't regret it now. I’m glad she knows.
When I don’t answer, Viktoria clicks her teeth. "It sure would've been great if you could have tried it a few years ago. Would’ve saved me a hell of a lot of time."
"I didn't need to confess anything to you, Viktoria.”
"The hell you didn't! You've been hung up on a disgusting little maid the entire time we were engaged."
I shake my head. “I'm not talking about Rayne. I'm talking about the fact that you knew I didn't love you the entire time. You were just hoping I wouldn't notice.”
