Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 106159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Dark locks fall to Millie’s shoulders when she shakes her head at my question. “Only that he needed to refocus on his goals.”
“And some shit about learning he can’t have everything he wants,” Maria adds, her voice booming louder than the music. “Whatever he did, it worked.” She scans the happening space. “It hasn’t been this busy here for months.” She slings her eyes back to the trio standing next to her. “Cocktails?”
“Yes!” Millie and Taylor shout in sync.
Too shocked to speak, I nod.
“First round is on me. The rest…” Maria scans the crowd for the second time, her quick gawk announcing how many suitors are ready to buy us drinks without requesting we reserve them a dance first.
Suddenly weary, I say, “Ask Tyler to put our drinks on my tab.”
“What?” Maria asks, her voice barely heard over the commotion of the men slowly hovering closer.
Mindful this could be a trap, I repeat, “Ask him to start a tab for me. I’ll pay for our drinks tonight.”
“Are you sure?” Millie asks, bamboozled.
I nod. “Yeah. It’s the least I can do after Maria saved me earlier today.”
I went to Matvei’s family hotel to see if one of the chefs at their world-renowned onsite restaurant could whip up a birthday cake. I only remembered Maria’s love of baking when my taxi cruised past her refilling the treat boxes that regularly deplete. Her specialties are usually slices and cupcakes, but she can also whip up a mean custom cake on short notice.
From what Polina announced in her text on our drive to Tappers, it was the fight of her life to hand the leftover cake to Vasily before leaving him on the curb outside the restaurant that hosted his birthday dinner.
“You refused payment, so I’ll have to get you sloshed instead.”
“And laid,” Maria adds. “Can you whip that out of your bag of tricks? I’m desperate and horny.”
“Me too.” Taylor bumps me with her hip, returns my dropped jaw to its correct position with her index finger, then saunters to the VIP booths like she didn’t pinkie promise our sole bed companions tonight would be each other.
“Oh em gee.” Millie squeezes my hand for dear life. “This night just got ten times more interesting.”
I don’t breathe while following the direction of her gaze. The moody eyes across the room deserve an airless response, but not from me. My shock is reserved solely for my friend, since the eyes belong to Saka instead of Matvei.
If he let Tyler go for me, why isn’t Matvei here to collect dividends for his chivalry?
“Do you think Taylor saw him?” Millie asks, drawing my focus away from the knot twisting in my stomach.
“I’d say so.” I nudge my head to Taylor flirting up a storm with two men left of the dance floor. “Because I could have sworn the hem on her dress was two inches longer only seconds ago.”
“Hey.” Tyler dries his hands with a tea towel before announcing he’ll be over to help me once he’s finished serving his current customer.
“No hurry. I just want to finalize my bill.”
His tone is a little snappy when he shouts over the music, “No need. It’s already been taken care of.”
“By whom?” I’m highly skeptical it was him. He hasn’t looked me in the eye all night, and anytime he brought drinks to our booth, he placed the tray on Millie’s side of the table. Since I have no right to get angry about his wish to keep distance between us, I left the ordering to Millie.
“He didn’t say. He just recited the details for a corporate credit card over the phone.”
I hear the frantic beat of my heart in my voice when I ask, “Ivanov Industries?”
Tyler’s throat bobs, but he tries to soothe his evident nerves with a lie. “Don’t know. I didn’t take the call. Trish did.”
Although he owes me nothing, I try to catch him in his lie. “Is Trish still here?”
Dark locks fall into his eye when he shakes his head. “She clocked off around an hour ago.”
He’s lying. I know he is, but I won’t call him out on it. He’s just faced the worst week of his life for doing something as simple as protecting me.
“Okay. Thanks for everything.”
His smile is as genuine as the worry in his voice when he whispers, “Be careful, all right? There are a lot of crazies out tonight.”
I nod and smile before heading for the cab Millie, Maria, and Taylor are waiting for me in. They’re all drunk as skunks but mercifully upholding our pledge of a girls-only night.
We danced, laughed, and commiserated when we realized no man was game to approach us for longer than a couple of seconds.
I was more upset for Maria and Millie than myself. They’re single and free to mingle. Only Taylor and I are chasing unattainable attachments and a heartbreak like no other.