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“What are you doing, Shirls?” Alessandro asks me suddenly. “This isn’t a good idea.”
I reassure him because I don’t want to cause a scene. “Don’t worry, Alessandro. I know what I’m doing and have everything under control.”
I can see he wants to say more, that he doubts me, but thankfully, Katya nudges him and gives him a reproachful look.
I glance around the room and recognize the tall, lithe man walking straight toward us. Despite being rivals, he is from a family that has a truce with Evgenii’s family. He’s looking straight at me with his dark eyes, and I feel my breath catch in my chest. I don’t need more complications, but he is delicious to look at.
He approaches Alessandro and smiles. “Don Sorvino. Such a pleasure to meet you. I am Mikhail Golubev.”
Alessandro nods, but he doesn’t return the smile. “A pleasure indeed. How can I help you, Mikhail?”
“I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful young lady sitting alone and was hoping I could steal her away for a dance?” He’s a charmer and oozes it, holding his hand out for me.
Alessandro looks skeptical, but I take Mikhail’s hand and stand. “It’s just a dance.”
He sweeps me onto the dance floor and holds my waist higher than Evgenni did, his other hand holding mine. We waltz around the dance floor, and he grins. “I am so lucky a beautiful woman like you would grace me with a dance. Hopefully, another one after. I haven’t seen you around before, and I make it my job to know everyone.”
I return his charming smile as we move about the dance floor. “You can call me Shirley, and I work for Don Sorvino in another region.”
“What could you possibly be doing for Don Sorvino?” he asks, seeming genuinely curious. I’m not a teenager anymore, so I shake my head. “I’m not important in the greater scheme of things.”
“Well, it is a pity you’re from another area because your beauty is breathtaking. How long are you here for? Perhaps I can tempt you to join me at my family’s cabin up north. We can spend the rest of the weekend getting to know each other more intimately.” He twirls me around, I move away and then back toward him, and he holds my waist again.
I smile up at him, maintaining a friendly disposition. Mikhail starts comparing my beauty to nature, and I realize that Evgenii is standing to the side of the dance floor, with Ivan, watching me with an angry expression on his face.
I won’t lie, that makes dancing with Mikhail and his cheesy analogies worth it. Evgenii can’t say anything because I’m not doing anything wrong, technically.
I turn my attention back to Mikhail as he pauses between analogies. “You haven’t said much about yourself. Why don’t you tell me more about who you are?”
Mikhail tries to appear shy, but it comes across more as a smirk. “There isn’t much to tell. I’m just a man who wants what’s best for his family. I like cars and beautiful women, and I love to ride them both.”
If he’s expecting me to be embarrassed, it doesn’t work. I look him in the eyes and smirk back. “Your family is Bratva, the Golubevs, and I know they have been putting pressure on the Volkovs for better areas.”
“I guess you know more about me than I expected. You’re smarter than you let on, which is good for someone who runs the West Coast operations for the Sorvino family,” he pulls me slightly closer so he can talk more quietly.
I raise an eyebrow. “I’m not the only one who knows more than they’re letting on.”
He rests the side of his head against mine. “We could be great together.”
It’s a murmur in my ear, but I withdraw, giving him a confident smile. “I already work with the greatest family.”
The song ends, and I incline my head. “Thanks for the dance, but I should get back to my people.”
He gives a slight bow, and I walk from the dance floor. I see Evgenii make his way toward me, and we meet on the edge of the dance floor. He takes my arm, gently but determined, to escort me to the side of the room, where he glares at me.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I look up at him, slightly taken aback by his aggressive tone. It gets my defenses up, and I wrench my arm from his grasp.
“I do not belong to you.” If he’s clever, he’ll back off because I’m not playing this fucking game with him.
Evgenii doesn’t touch me again, but he stands close to me. “We agreed to come to this event together. It’s rude to go dancing with someone else,” he says quietly, angrily, as he glances around.
“Afraid of embarrassing yourself?” I hiss, glaring at him. “You don’t own me, Evgenii. I can dance with anyone I like, and there’s nothing you can do about that.”
Evgenii can’t seem to let it go. “What did Mikhail want? Did you give him any information about operations?”
I clench my fists. “You really won’t get over using me like that, will you?”
