Page 46 of Hate to Love You
“Well, I’d say that the right guy just hasn’t come along yet,” I say with a wink.
He nods his head, his dark eyes flashing as a devilish smile splits his face, “Well it’s your lucky day Malishka, what’s your poison?”
“Rose Martini,” I smirk.
If only he knew.
He taps his hand on the bar, drawing Lizzies attention as she walks past, her wide eyes darting to my face.
“A drink for the lady, and a whiskey. Neat. Now.” He demands, causing Lizzie to smile in return, which doesn’t quite reach her eyes as she gets to making the drinks.
He turns back to me, his beady eyes locked on mine, “What’s your name Malishka?”
I twist my body toward him, and lean forward, my lips skimming the top of his cheek, to say in his ear, “Jasmine, like the flower. And you?”
The hand that he had resting on the bar falls forward, his fingertips brushing the top of my knee. “Igor.”
Mark secure.
Lizzie slams the drinks down on the bar, causing the Rose Martini to spill. “I’m so sorry! I’ll clea—” Igor jolts backwards, his face turning red as he points his finger at her.
“You bar whores are all the fucking same, you’ll fuc—”
“Oh no, that was my fault, I set my clutch on the counter in the worst spot,” I say pretending that I might’ve contributed to the spill. “I can be so careless at times.”
I place my hand on his arm, feeling the rage that seems to be radiating off him in waves, causing his body to vibrate under my hand.
His eyes snap to mine, sharp and dangerous. For a moment I almost crack under their intense stare, but I’ve come too far to fold now. So instead, I run my hand up and down his arm, trying to draw his attention fully to me.
“It’s no big deal,” I shrug, biting my lip, and watching as his eyes follow.
“Yeah, well she should be paying better attention. She could have ruined your dress! I don’t understand how she’s still working here, she’s a fucking mess!” he complains, his voice getting darker. “Always fucking tired!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lizzie wringing the towel in her hands, her eyes misting with tears. She jerks forward, quickly wiping down the bar top before shooting me a small grateful smile as she retreats to the back of the bar.
“It’s just a dress that I’ll never wear again after tonight anyway!”
“Oh really…and why won’t you wear it again?” He says huskily.
“Something tells me there won’t be much left of it after we leave,” I smirk with a wink, trying to hide the fact that my stomach lurches at the idea.
“Let’s get out of—”
“Sir!” A short man interrupts.
Thank God.
“What, Oleg?!” Igor snaps, his hand running over his bald patch.
“The Boss wants a word.”
Even in the loud club I can hear Igor groan.
“Of course, he fucking does,” he slams his hand down on the bar, “Oleg, Jasmine here is mine for the night.” He says, jerking his head toward me. Oleg tips his head toward me, his lips closed tight into a smile.
Igor leans in toward me, “Don’t go anywhere. I’ve just got a quick phone call and then we can leave and go back to my place for a bit of…fun.”
I have no intention of going anywhere… yet.