“She’d have to be,” I drawl. “She set her sights on you, didn’t she?”
“Fuck you. That’s not what she was doing.”
“Don’t play dumb, Lev.”
“She didn’t even charge me!”
“For the dance or the fuck?”
He grimaces. “The boys took care of the dance. The sex just… happened.” He raises his eyes to mine and squints. “Don’t sit there and judge me, asshole.”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“Because you’re in no position to,” he retorts, “seeing as how you’re fucking around with the girl who stole your phone. If she were anyone else, she’d be dead.”
“Lucky for her, she’s a good lay,” I growl. “But the moment it stops, she’ll stop being an issue.”
“So you’re just keeping her around for what… entertainment’s sake?”
“I don’t need a reason.”
“And you’re not getting attached?” Lev asks.
“Not like you are with the stripper.”
“I’m not getting attached,” Lev says immediately. “I’m just… intrigued.”
I snort. “So intrigued you can’t even remember her name.”
“It’s probably not her real name anyway, is it?” he points out.
“Must have been true love if you never thought to ask.”
He narrows his eyes. “Well, once she had her mouth around my dick, it felt like the time for conversation had passed.”
My phone lights up again. It’s the unknown number. Lev and I frown in sync. “Who could it be?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”
We exchange a glance and I make a split second decision. I accept the call. “Hello?”
“Anton.”
I recognize his voice immediately. The raspy, exasperated snarl. “Rodion.”
Lev’s eyes flare and he sits straight up.
“Long time since we last spoke,” I add.
“Indeed,” Rodion says immediately. “I was lost to my grief for a long time. I needed to put Marina’s death behind me.”
I nod. “Understandable.”
“It’s not as easy for a father to move on from that kind of loss. Not as easy as it is for a husband to do so.”
I grit my teeth. His bitterness is practically tangible.
“Her death affected me, too, Rodion.”