AllFreeNovel
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I flag down a bartender who’s wearing a scarlet bow tie the same color of my dress.Fitting.
“What can I get you, ma’am?” he asks.
“A cab home would be great.”
“What was that?” he asks distractedly.
I clear my throat. “Gin and tonic, please. And if you go heavy on the gin, I won’t complain.”
It’s not my usual drink of choice, but I need something to jolt me out of the funk that I’m sinking into. I need to drum up at least enough energy to get me through a couple of hours of this thing. Either that or enough apathy.
The moment the drink is set down in front of me—on a crystal coaster no less—I pick it up and take a big and very unladylike sip. The burn scours its way down my throat but it doesn’t do a damn thing to lighten the heaviness in my chest.
Jessica is smoothing out Ruslan’s collar now. I can’t see his face clearly, but I know him well enough to know that he’s not the kind of man who likes being groomed in public.
“That’s a hefty pour there,chica.”
I roll my eyes as Kirill takes the stool next to me. “I can do what I want. No one’s paying attention to me.”
“Emma, you look ravishing tonight. Half the men in this room are locked onto you.”
I give him a skeptical glare. “Is this flattery you overcompensating for the fact that your boss is a total douche?”
“Two things can be true at once.”
I take another sip of my G&T. “I don’t need you to babysit me tonight, Kirill. I’m a big girl; I can take care of myself.”
“Fair enough.” He holds up his hands in self-defense. “I’m just here for the free drinks.”
I take another sip. “Urgh.” I scowl directly at Jessica Allens. “She’sawful.”
Kirill raises his glass once the bartender brings it over and we cheers to that. “He’s on the clock right now, Emma. I wouldn’t take it personally.”
“I wouldn’thave if he’d justtoldme. He had weeks to break it to me and instead, he made me believe thatIwas gonna be his date to this thing.”
Kirill cringes. “I’m sure he just assumed that—”
“I know he’s your boss and all, but I really, really need you to not defend him right now.”
Kirill nods and buries his face behind his drink. After he’s done, he pops off the stool. “I’ll check back in a bit.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
He gives me a wink that says he’ll do it anyway and disappears into the crowd. When I tear my attention away from Jessica and Ruslan long enough, I notice that he was right: Iamgetting a few looks. Women who are admiring my dress. Men who seem to be admiring me. It gives me a little burst of satisfaction that I’m fully aware is horrifically petty, but at this rate, I’ll take more of whatever helps me get through the night.
“Hello there.”
The man at my back is standing a little too close to be Kirill. He glides around my stool and takes the empty spot next to me. “Can you help me solve a little mystery?”
I arch an eyebrow and brace myself for a cringey pick-up line. “I can try.”
He smiles. He’s not unattractive. In fact, with his slicked-back white-blonde hair and hollow cheekbones, he’s working the wholeGame of Thrones, Targaryen vibe. “I’ve been watching you for a few minutes now—”
“Hm, not creepy at all. Go on.”
“—and I can’t for the life of me figure out why a woman as gorgeous as you is sitting all by herself with that permanent frown on her face.”
As pick-up lines go, it’s notbad.
