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“Guess I’m just not in the mood for—” I gesture to the ballroom. “—all this hoopla.”
“I can’t blame you. These functions tend to be a lot of pompous, self-aggrandizing millionaires, each one desperate to outdo the other. Either that or insufferable social climbers.”
“Which one are you?”
He chuckles. “I’ll give you the chance to figure that one out while we dance.”
I stare at the hand he’s offering me. “I don’t know. I kinda like my quiet little stool in the corner.”
“Oh, come on.You’re far too pretty to be sitting here all by yourself.”
I glance past the dancefloor and catch Ruslan’s back. Jessica, of course, is not far away from him. Her hand glides over the back of his coat before she loops it through his arm.
I’ve been sitting here for more than an hour and he hasn’t so much as glanced my way. Not even once.It really does feel like a “gotcha” moment.Here’s a beautiful red dress and a gorgeous pair of shoes, Emma. Now, come sit and watch while I tote around New York’s most obnoxious daddy’s girl while I ignore you completely.
Yeah, well—I don’thave to sit and watch. I don’thave to play the wallflower. If I have to endure this evening, I can do it on the dance floor with a man who seems more than willing to shower me with the attention and compliments that Ruslan is cruelly withholding.
I slip my hand into his and give him a decisive nod. “Fine. Let’s dance.”
46
RUSLAN
“I must say, the two of you make a wonderful couple.”
Fyodor coughs discreetly while Vadim flashes me his biggest smile. He only totes that cheesing smirk out at events like these. I’ve come to hate it with a fucking passion.
“Aren’twe, Vadim?” Jessica trills as she reaches up to adjust my collar yet again.
Does the woman think I’m some thumbless ape that can’t adjust his own outfit? Every time I move out from under her reach, she finds a way to latch onto me again. Bloodsucking fucking ghoul. I can’t wait to be rid of her.
Vadim ogles us with a suggestive smirk. “I can just imagine what the kids will look like.”
He’s so full of it. No one can imagine what the kids will look like—mostly because, at this point, no one can even remember what Jessica’s original face looked like.
“Oh, they’d besogorgeous, don’t you think so, Rus?”
My head swivels in her direction. Did she just call meRus?
I drop my arm from around her waist and reach for another flute of champagne. It’s my third glass of the night already, but this weak shit will not suffice. Spending any length of time with Jessica Allens requires hard liquor. Lots of it.
I catch a flourish of scarlet from the corner of my eye and I turn automatically. I’ve spent the last half an hour double-taking at every woman dressed in red. Then I catch a whiff of citrus and Iknowit’s her.
And my fucking God, she looks stunning.
I’ve imagined this very dress on her a hundred times already, but my imagination didn’t come close to doing her justice. Emma in real life is more than I could’ve ever dreamed. The fabric drapes smoothly around her body, highlighting her slim waist, her gorgeous breasts, the flush of her perfect skin.
And herlips.They’re painted with a deep, dangerous crimson and just begging to be wrapped around my cock.
My immediate reaction is desire. Hot and dense, shot through with need.
My second reaction israge.
I’ve spent my whole life practicing the art of control. In my line of work, if you lose it, you die. But now, in the fucking crucible, with allies and enemies swarming on every side… I’m too pissed to rein it in.
There are too many eyes on her. Too many second looks, too many lingering glances. The women are largely tolerable, but themen—I’m tempted to write down every single name so that I can personally pluck out their eyes later.
“Darling, what’re you looking at?”
