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“I’m calling it a day,” I state. “I need to blow off some steam. You guys won’t want my mood darkening the office anyway.”
“What’s your plan now that you’ve cut loose your newest fuck toy?” Alexei ribs me, a smirk curling the corners of his lips.
“Don’t start,” I warn. “She was getting too clingy. I had to cut her loose before she completely lost perspective. I’ll settle for a drink tonight.”
“Or maybe, you could try and put the past behind you and start thinking about a real relationship. It’s been four years, Maks. Symphony wouldn’t want you to be stuck like this. It’s time to move on, and I think you’ll find that a meaningful relationship is a lot more effective in generating happiness than alcohol and meaningless sex.”
There was a time in life when I never thought I’d hear those words leave Dimitri’s lips. Of the three of us, I’d always thought he would be the eternal bachelor. That was until he met his wife, Camille. Now, my brother is a father, a husband, and the happiest I’ve ever seen him.
Same goes for Alexei. He and his wife have a second child on the way, and their lives are nothing short of perfect—at least when it comes to their loving relationships.
“You say that, but I’ve come to understand the hard truth—thatpakhansdon’t get love. You should be happy you’re the younger brothers. You don’t have the responsibility of running the family. I’ll take the target on my back if it means you two can have good, full lives.” I clap them each on a shoulder as I try to keep the bitterness from my smile.
“Maks,” Alexei objects. “That’s now what our father worked so hard to pass down to you.”
“And yet, his untimely death is further proof, isn’t it?”
“Or maybe you’re just being stubborn because you don’t want to risk losing someone again,” Dimitri counters, working his way beneath my skin like no one else can.
Though I know they’re trying to help, it rubs me the wrong way to have my younger brothers trying to coach me on personal relationships. I don’t want their concern. I don’t need it. I’ve made up my mind, and I’m far happier knowing that I won’t be the reason another beautiful young woman might lose her life. “Go home. Enjoy your families. Tell Nadia and Camille I say hi. I’m going for a drink.”
“Maks!” my brothers chorus as I head toward the parking garage and my red Corvette.
Hopefully, a fast drive back to my penthouse apartment will help diminish my bad mood. And if not, I’m sure a drink or ten at the new bar that opened down the street will work.
9
HEIDI
“We’re celebrating,” Zoe announces as soon as I walk through the front door of my sweet three-bedroom home on the outskirts of the city. “Aren’t we, Sarah?” she adds, scooping my daughter up off the ground and giving her a twirl.
Sarah’s peals of laughter fill the house and make me smile.
“Celebrating what?” I ask, setting my purse on the entry table and kicking off my nude heels.
“The fact that you actually have a client moving into one of thePainted Ladiesand they wantyouto decorate it.”
Zoe sets Sarah down, and my little girl skips over to me, offering me the doll she’d been playing with before I walked in.
“Why, thank you. Can Mama get a kiss?” I ask, stooping to say hello.
Sarah obliges, throwing her chubby little arms around my neck to plant a wet kiss on my cheek. It doesn’t matter that my job allows me to spend most of my day with my little girl. I still miss her when we’re apart for any length of time.
Zoe’s a godsend, watching Sarah whenever I have to make house calls to clients and even driving her home on days like today. I don’t know how I would survive day to day without Zoe as my assistant-slash-roommate. Since Mom died, she’s all I have to rely on, and I know I need her an unhealthy amount.
But she and Sarah are thick as thieves. And like Zoe’s said whenever I voice my concerns, my offering her a job has made all the difference in her quitting Lady Venus to have a more comfortable nine-to-five job.
“We’re going out for a drink,” Zoe continues, undeterred by my half-attention as I greet my daughter. “This is your highest paying client to date, and they’ll open doors to even more amazing opportunities.”
“Zoe, I’m a full-time, working single mom. I can’t just go out for a night on the town. I have responsibilities,” I scold, combing Sarah’s hair away from her face and kissing the top of her head before I stand.
“Not a night on the town.Onedrink. Besides, I’ve already hired a babysitter, so you can’t back out now.” Zoe flashes me a devious grin.
“You did not,” I counter.
The doorbell rings in answer, and I plant my fists on my hips.
“Come on, we need a girls’ night,” Zoe pleads, her dark eyes innocently wide.
