Page 124 of His Prince
“English, please. For my husband.”
Daniil’s eyes flare, but he quickly schools his face. “Of course. How rude of me.”
I eye him and smile widely as if it didn’t bother me at all.
The drinks are brought in and I stare at mine, waiting for Daniil to drink his first. Believing he’s going to kill us off while in this restaurant might seem like paranoia, but I wouldn’t put it past him.
After he takes a few sips and Mikhail follows, I do the same.
It’s strong and I flinch slightly as I drink it down. Daniil must catch my face because he says something in Russian, and Mikhail leans toward me and translates, “He just said you seem soft.”
I snort and meet Mikhail’s eyes. “I am. And you like me just like that.”
His eyes fall to my lips, and he clears his throat. “I do.”
When he finally sits back up, my phone vibrates against my thigh and I pull it out, seeing Diablo’s text.
Diablo:
I’m in. This guy is a slob. I bet he doesn’t wash his penis.
I bite back a smirk, glancing up at the man who is the topic of conversation. He’s laughing with Mikhail, talking animatedly, but I can see the deceit hidden beneath his smile. I can see why Mikhail is so enamored with him. If I were anyone else, I’d assume Daniil adored Mikhail. But he doesn’t. How could he adore him and steal from him?
All of it is a lie, from his books to the way he speaks.
He’s a snake.
I clear my throat and square my shoulders, taking another sip of the alcohol. Wowza, that is quite the drink.
“Slow down, sólnyshko. It is too strong for you,” Mikhail says, hishand moving around my shoulders. Then he whispers something in my ear, “I need your wits about you.”
Our eyes meet, and I know that he senses something is off. He may not have proof, but the vibe in this room is sinister. He must feel it. Something’s changed from the office to now, and from the way Mikhail’s eyes are narrowing to the set of his jaw, I know he believes me.
He may not understand it fully, but at least he now knows that Daniil is up to something.
“I always have those,” I reply and waggle my eyebrows slightly.
Mikhail shakes his head and then turns back to Daniil, talking about their business in a very roundabout manner. I, in turn, watch as soup and then baskets of bread and cold cuts of meat are brought to the table, and everyone digs in, even Casey. I swear this is probably more risky than doing business with Daniil.
I just pick at the bread that’s set before me, avoiding everything else.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Daniil asks, and I shrug.
“I’m not that hungry.”
He looks frustrated at that but hides it with a fake smile. At this point, I’d really like him to start losing teeth. That would make him less charming.
The next course is salad and I move it around my plate, not sure if any of it is actually safe. Daniil seems like the kind of smarmy rat who would use a biological agent to get us immobilized.
He seems like the kind of man to operate on the dark web.
He might be handsome, but he’s a creep. Through and through.
As everyone eats, the clinking of silverware on ceramic bowls resonates throughout the room filled with talking and laughter. It all rings fake to my ears. Even Daniil’s bodyguards are forcing it.
One looks like he’s taking a shit every time he puckers his lips and chuckles.
The main course is brought out shortly after, and I watch as everyone eats it. Casey is a little more circumspect about how muchhe’s eating, obviously wary but not wanting anything to escalate because of him. It seems Daniil has no problem calling anyone out for not eating what’s being served. I’m just getting away with it because I’m Mikhail’s husband.