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“What can I get you?” the bartender asks.
“Surprise me,” I challenge him.
I’m the lonely old grumpy man, bobbing his head to old school Hip Hop.
As I sip on the mystery drink my bartender served me, I hear commotion from the bar entrance. Giggles. Chatting. Heels clacking. Is smoking permitted here?
It’s a group of women and a man. I don’t bother looking. I stare at my empty glass instead, unable to stop thinking about what my son said earlier.I learned from the best.In my nightmares, it translates to “You fucked up. You left the family. I hate you.”
He doesn’t hate you. He loves you more than anyone.Travis always saw the good in people more than I ever did. I’d hate the fucker for how he did my sister, but I can’t. He never promised to love her the way my sister wanted him to. He vowed to protect her. I promised, too. Yet, we failed, and I can’t put the blame on him.
“Another one.” I raise my glass to the bartender, giving him a quick nod.
I need to get rid of the gifts in my office. I can give the flowers to the ladies working in the palace. I’ll keep the sneakers, but the cigars and the alcohol need to go.
The bartender approaches me, handing me a new drink. “This one’s from the ladies to your right.”
Lucky me. I down the drink in an instance. I should feel harassed, but I’m in a funny mood now. They like my type a little too much on Katantia. You can’t escape that shit. Not even on Katantia, and it doesn’t matter how Kamila attempts to sell it.
I look in the direction of the women who bought my drink, and the first thing I see is long fucking legs. She’s not in heels. She wears black Mary Janes with white socks. As I lift my gaze, I finally meet the end of her tiny skirt. Skirts? I just ran away from skirts at my birthday party. Her curves are hidden beneath a pleated high-waist mini skirt. That’s how Valentina describes these clothes. A crewneck sweatshirt tops her look. Straight jet-black hair falls off her shoulders. It’s long, reaching the small of her back.
I inspect people regularly, but I don’t see them. I’m too in my head for that. I see this… Girl? Young woman? Who is she? How old is she, dressing like this in a place for grownups? Why the fuck is she buying me drinks?
On my way over there, she turns around.
Fuck.
“Mr. Winters?”
“What are you doing here?” I ask my psychiatrist.
CHAPTERFIVE
IVY
Before you judge,you should know that I didn’t plan this.
It’s a coincidence.
It truly is.
“What are you doing here?” Mr. Winters asks me in his gruff voice. I swallow hard, seeking an explanation in my friends’ entertained faces. Looking awfully cozy in their sexy schoolgirl outfits, Danai and Malena casually sip on their Cosmos. Smolyakov grins at me, fixing his tie. I squint my eyes at him, hoping to scare him. It doesn’t work. His icy eyes are unaffected. He’s been trained under the harshest conditions inMatushka Rossiya.
I take a deep breath, and I face my patient. Former patient? It’s complicated. I blurt out, “Happy Birthday!”
His stern face doesn’t falter, and my heart pounds heavily in my chest. He’s not relaxed right now. I don’t know him outside of my office in the Queen I hospital. He’s a big man, and he looks mean. I’m a city girl, and I’ve always been too scared to do anything out of the ordinary. Whenever I’ve done something crazy, it backfired. Mr. Winters pushes all my buttons right now, and I don’t even know why.
I’ve peeked into his brain. At least, I hope I have. I shouldn’t feel this tension between my thighs right now.
“My birthday was yesterday,” he tells me.
“Hey, it’s nice to see you again,” Danai says, offering Mr. Winters a handshake. That’s right. They all know each other. I’m hanging out with the Katantian doctors’ cream of the crop. We’ve all been essential for the royals in the last five years.
“What a lovely party! I want one just like that!” Malena adds, tucking a strain of her light hair behind her ear. “Although I doubt my brother would organize mine….”
My eyes follow the movements of hands, and I’m momentarily lost. Smolyakov is the last one to shake Mr. Winters’ hand. It’s a firm handshake, and when I lift my gaze, I see that Mr. Winters is staring right at me.
“What brings you to the Gold Necklace tonight?” Malena asks. “Måns said your party would be an all-nighter. He told me not to expect him back home for tonight.”
