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“What in the hell, Lom?” Emily snarls at me. She has her brows raised and stares at me like I’m the biggest tool in the shed.
“I call bullshit. Don’t touch what doesn’t belong to you, pretty boy, or your face might not look the same,” I hiss at him, and Emily smacks my arm. I don’t give a fuck, though. Whywould I? I don’t take too kindly to men getting too close to what’s mine.
“Oh, I didn’t realize Emily was your personal property,” Kim comments, a sassy tone underlying his words.
“I’m not his property. I’m my own person, and I think it’s something he fails to realize,” Emily grumbles, and she stops speaking for a moment. I open my mouth, prepared to speak, but Emily cuts me off. “Fuck off, Lom. I’m over you today. You’ve made nothing but a fool of yourself and proved a very valid point that you’re the world’s biggest asshole.”
“Enjoy the drink, babycakes,” I comment in a completely sarcastic manner.
I go up to the bar, close out my tab, and then head for my car. I’ve had a couple of drinks, but I’m not too plastered to drive home. I barely even feel tipsy, honestly. Probably because the woman I’m falling for is with another man at a bar.
I shake my head as I walk toward the elevator and call Ludvik, the man I promoted since Kirill betrayed my family. Ludvik’s worked for me for many years, and he was well deserving of his promotion. He’s now my right-hand man. He answers on the third ring, “Boss, what’s up?”
“I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
“You’re coming back early. Did the night not go well?”
“It’s a story for another time,” I comment, and he drops it. We both then hang up, and all I want to do is be back in the hotel suite. I might’ve crossed a line with Emily tonight, but seeing her with someone else rattled me. I don’t ever want to see her with someone else again.
Chapter Three
Emily
I know better than to call Amelia at this hour, but I’m so irritated right now. For fuck’s sake, there’s a seven-hour time difference between the two places. Kim convinced me to have a couple more whiskey sours before we both called it a night, but the alcohol’s only made me more pissed than before.
It’s nearly midnight, and I know it’s really early for Amelia, but she could even be up with Karim already. After all, babies are notorious for waking you up at all hours of the night. It’s either that or she’s just gotten him asleep, and now I’m about to wake the both of them up. The taxi pulls up to the sidewalk, and I swipe my card for the lift back to my place. I get out of the vehicle and pull my purse close against me as I walk toward the door of my apartment.
Internally, I debate whether or not I should tell her about what happened, but Ihaveto talk to Amelia right now. She’s not only my best friend, but she’s also my cousin too. We weren’t overly close over the past few years because our lives were getting in the way, but over the last year, we’ve gotten close again. I never really knew I needed to have a close relationship with someone, but Amelia is that person for me.
I fish my phone out of my pocket and press the video chat button as I walk into the apartment. By the fifth ring, she’s answering. She already has makeup on, and her hair’s in a messy bun on the top of her head. “I didn’t wake you, did I?” I ask her, feeling a bit guilty if I did.
“Heavens, no. I’ve been up since about five this morning, my time. What’s up? You look so beautiful, but you look so bothered.”
I sigh heavily and stare into my phone, looking at my cousin. “You wouldn’t believe what happened tonight. Lom is fucking infuriating. Let me tell you, he’s, ugh!” I grumble, my anger starting to get the best of me.
Amelia smiles from ear to ear, and it only aggravates me further. “So, this is about Lom, hmm?”
“Yeah, the asshole who thinks he owns me. I went out for some drinks with my very gay co-worker, Kim, and Lom comes up there with nostrils flaring, chest puffed out and everything.”
“Oh, this is getting good. What else happened?” Amelia narrows her eyes in curiosity.
“There was a bit, so I’ll give you the Cliffs Notes version. He asked Kim if he was fucking me or if he was trying to fuck me. Then he told Kim not to touch what didn’t belong to him. I snapped at him and told him I wasn’t his property and told him to fuck off, then he left.”
“Damn, seriously?”
I nod once, “Yep. God, Amelia… I seriously thought about clawing his eyes out right then and there. He pissed me off so bad.”
Amelia laughs lightly. “You two are like a moth to a flame. I know you’re very well aware of his reputation, but… are you preparing yourself for when you’re not this shiny, new thing in front of him?”
Amelia’s always wanted me to be aware of his past, and I am. I know he’s very much a playboy, man whore, or whatever else you want to call him. Lom just gives me the impression he’s not interested in anyone else. It could very well be because I’m still new and shiny, as my cousin pointed out a few moments ago.
“I’m not holding my breath when it comes to Lom, Amelia. I know what I willingly agreed to, and if I get hurt in the process, I have no one else to blame except myself.”
“I have to admit, him getting all jealous makes me think he actually gives a damn about you. But I know what Ruslan’s said about his brother. I know his reputation and the jar of broken hearts he’s left behind. I just don’t want you to be one of those broken hearts too.”
I smile softly at Amelia because she always has my best interests in mind. “I know, and honestly, I don’t want to be one either.”
“Okay, so give me an update about what’s going on between you two. The last thing I knew, you guys were having sex from time to time, but that was it.”
