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Ruby is already aisles down, completely oblivious. I feel my hands shaking slightly as his footsteps come closer, and I know he’s going to come and talk to me. I don’t know what to say.
You don’t belong in this part of town. Explain why the fuck you keep popping up where you shouldn’t be…whereIam.
Except there’s no way he could have known I was coming here.Ididn’t even know I was coming here until fifteen minutes ago.
“What a lovely surprise.” Mikhail’s deep voice, low and intimate, ripples over my skin. It’s as if he’s speaking just for me, a conversation meant for our ears only. “I didn’t think I’d have the pleasure of seeing you tonight,Athena.”
There it is again.The way he says my name, sticky sweet and lingering, with that emphasis that says he knows, of course, that it’s not my real name and that he would very much like to know what itis.
I swallow hard, trying not to look as unsettled as I feel. “You can see me any night you want,” I say coolly, tilting my chin up to meet his gaze. “All you have to do is come by the club, and I’m almost always there.”
“There’s a certain spontaneous pleasure about running into you so unexpectedly, though.” Mikhail takes a step closer, and I can feel the heat of his large, muscled body. I can smell his cologne,rich and spicy, and desire ripples through me in a way that makes me feel flushed and angry all at once.
“I have places to be, so I’m afraid the pleasure will have to be brief.” I step back, away from his overwhelming presence. “But I’m glad you enjoy my company. You really should come by the club again, so you can enjoy more of it.”
I pivot on my heel, turning away from him, and a small part of me wants nothing more than to feel his hand close around my wrist, pulling me back. I can imagine it, the strong grip, the rush of fear and adrenaline, the heat of his hard body pressed against mine as he holds me against him, unable to pull away–
What the actual fuck is wrong with you, Natalia?
It’s a good question, especially considering the disappointment I feel when no hand touches me and nothing stops me. I hear silence behind me for a moment, as if he’s watching me go, and then the sound of his footsteps retreating in the opposite direction.
You’re losing your mind.
I find Ruby perusing a wall of tequila bottles. At first I think she missed the entire encounter, but then she turns to me with wide eyes, and I know immediately that she didn’t.
“Was that–”
I nod. “It was.” I bite my lip, about to insist that we don’t talk about it, but something nags at me.If anyone would have an opinion about this that you could listen to, it would be Ruby.“It’s weird that he was here, right? A man like that, with that much money–he doesn’t need to buy his own liquor. Hedefinitely doesn’t need to be here, arguing with someone behind the counter about god-knows-what. Isn’t it strange?”
Ruby pauses for a moment, as if she’s thinking, and then shrugs as she plucks two bottles off of a shelf in front of her. “Maybe not,” she says contemplatively. “Maybe he owns this place? He might have been upset about something with the business. It’s entirely possible.”
“He showed up out of the blue as I was walking to work, a few nights ago,” I blurt out, feeling that creeping sensation of fear and paranoia all over again. “You don’t think it’s a weird coincidence? You think there’s a normal explanation for it?”
Ruby shrugs again. “He might own any number of places in this area.” She purses her lips, thinking. “I did ask around with some of the other girls I know, like I said I would. None of them knew anything about him or had seen him–but he could be a silent partner. Or maybe he’s in the liquor business, and that’s why he’s been around here multiple times. Maybe he supplies to the clubs, and that’s how he happened to be there to see you that first night. There could be all kinds of reasons, Athena. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”
She slides one of the bottles under her arm so she can pat mine, giving me a reassuring smile. “Men like Igor–there’s always someone over them, someone with bigger purse strings. This guy is probably one of those. You haven’t been doing this all that long, but you’ll see. I don’t think this is anything out of the ordinary.”
I nod, trying to feel confident that she’s right. “If you think so–”
“You just have a whale on a line, that’s all,” Ruby says confidently. “Now you just have to reel him in.”
“Of course.” I try to sound as sure as I know she wants me to feel. “It’s good that he ran into me, then. He’ll wonder where I’m going dressed like this, what I’m doing. It’ll add a little mystery.”
“There you go!” Ruby grins at me. “Now you’re catching on.” She hands me the tequila bottles, gesturing towards another shelf. “Come help me pick out some vodka.”
I tell myself, over and over as we pick out the liquor for the party, that she knows what she’s talking about. That I’m overreacting, and there’s nothing to fear.
But I can’t help wondering that if Ruby knew who I really was, if she knew my past, if she’d have the same answer. If she’d be so quick to dismiss it.
And that, I can’t reconcile.
Mikhail
Ican’t get the sight of her in that little black dress out of my head.
It sticks with me all day, all the way into the evening’s twilight, as I get ready for the job I have to do. It’s strange, that I’d be so aroused by her clothes, but somehow the sight of that gaudy fabric clinging to her body was more erotic than the lingerie I see her in at the club.I know what’s beneath that,I couldn’t help but think as I looked at her, hot lust throbbing through my veins.I know how your most intimate flesh looks, the sounds you make as you come, the veryscentof you.
If tonight pays off, I very well might know for sure if she’s who I’m looking for. The anticipation is almost unbearable.
