“I’m Moira, but I guess you already know that. It’s nice to meet you, Natalya.” I take another drink, more for courage than anything else and aim for casual-curious when I ask, “So, are you and Nikolai an item or something?”
She laughs, and the look on her face tells me I’ve managed to be about as subtle as an elephant traipsing through the center of town.
“No, I never date or fuck men who hold my job in their hands. That’s never a good idea for any woman.”
I nod my head in agreement, because that is some sage-ass wisdom, and that’s not just the third whiskey talking.
“Go easy on the drinks, babe.” She gives me a wink and adds, “And Nikolai is single,” before walking off to take the next order.
I sip the rest of my third whiskey a bit slower, enjoying the feeling of being on the other side of tipsy and grateful that I just ate a large meal; otherwise, I’d be a lot closer to drunk than I want to be. Tipsy is good, though. It’s all about feeling good and letting the stress fall right off without the queasy consequences. I look around the crowded room, watching the people on the dance floor and secretly feeling pretty damn thrilled that Nikolai is single.
When I scan the room, a small thrill runs through me when I spot his broad shoulders and chiseled jaw, but it immediately turns to dread when I see the woman he’s talking to. I recognize her annoying face from when I’d been standing behind her in the line to get in. She’s beaming up at Nikolai and twirling a curl of blonde hair in her hand. I keep waiting for her to blow a bubble and giggle when it pops, but sadly she doesn’t seem to be chewing gum.
The second Nikolai smiles down at her, I turn my head and grab whiskey number four. Fuck this shit. He’s free to sleep with whoever he wants. I mean, I just met the damn guy. My hormones are running rampant and that’s all there is to it. I down my drink in one burning gulp and head out to the dance floor. Time to sweat him out of my system. If I can’t punch a bag, I can at least get some aerobic work in.
I let out a whoop of pure joy when a song I love comes on and I join the crowded dance floor, closing my eyes and forgetting about everything except the beat of the music. I’m lost in the rhythm and if it wasn’t for the hand that grabs my ass, I probably would’ve stayed that way. For one brief moment, I allow myself to think it might be Nikolai, but as soon as I think it, I know it’s wrong. I may not know him very well at all, but something tells me that’s not his style. There’s something invasive and desperate about this hand on my ass, and when I turn and see the young guy it belongs to giving me a ridiculous, drunken smile, I groan and grab his wrist.
“Hands off, fucker,” I yell over the music, making sure to dig my fingers into the pressure points of his wrist.
“Ow!” he yells, jerking his hand away and disappearing back into the crowd.
I smile and keep dancing. I try to ignore the corner where I know Nikolai is, but I can’t help glancing over. I immediately wish I hadn’t. Miniskirt is pressed against him like she’s glued to his expensive suit, making me feel slightly nauseated, or maybe that’s just the four whiskeys my dumbass drank.
Right as another guy comes up and starts dancing behind me, Nikolai looks up and catches my eye. He’s too far away to see clearly, and the club is way too dark for me to know exactly what he’s looking at or to read his expression, but I’m guessing he sees the man behind me, and I’m guessing it looks like we’re just happily grinding away at each other. Right when I decide that I don’t want him to think that, he takes Miniskirt’s hand and leads her down a dark hall until they both disappear from view.
My stomach clenches when I think about what they’re doing. I imagine his mouth on hers as he picks her up and fucks her against the wall, supporting her weight easily in his strong arms. Sickened by the thought, I push my way through the crowd, desperate to get some space so I can breathe. I don’t have a plan. I have no clue what I’m doing, but by the time I get to the hallway, Miniskirt comes running out with her face a smear of tears and too much mascara. She pushes me aside, nearly tripping on her ridiculous heels as she shoots me an angry look.
“What are you looking at, bitch?” she growls at me as she walks past me to her group of waiting friends.
When Nikolai appears, he looks just as pissed as Miniskirt did, and I don’t know what makes me do it. Maybe it’s the whiskey, maybe it’s the hormones, maybe it’s just me being pissed about how much it upset me to see him disappear with her, whatever the reasons, I open my big mouth and say, “What’s the matter, Nik, couldn’t get it up?”
His eyes widen and right when he grabs my arm, I have just enough time to thinkOh shit!before he’s dragging me down the darkened hallway and giving me an earful. Too bad I don’t understand Russian, because I bet it’s a doozy of a rant. Even though he’s probably cursing me from here to kingdom come, there’s no denying the effect it’s having on my body.
He stops to run a hand through his hair, his movements clearly showing his frustration, and when he looks at me with those dark eyes and says another long string of Russian sexiness, I let out a soft moan that shocks him just as much as it mortifies me.
I know the whiskey has addled my brain a bit, but I swear not even a second passes before he’s got me pinned against the wall and I’m feeling every hard inch of him against me, including a very large cock that most definitely proves he doesn’t have a problem getting anything up.
He hovers his mouth above mine and gives me a very smug smirk. “What were you saying, Moira? Something about me not being able to get it up?”
Grabbing my wrists, he raises my arms and pins them to the wall, easily holding me with just one of his large hands. I buck against him, but not because I’m trying to escape. I’m not a fragile woman. After years of training, I have the body of an athlete, and the fact that he can so easily hold me and overpower me is the sexiest goddamn thing I’ve ever experienced. I wiggle some more just because I like the feel of him pinning me down so much, and when I hear him give a deep groan, I’m downright giddy with knowing I was the cause of it.
Drunk on more than just whiskey, I rock my hips against him, earning me an even bigger scowl than usual. “You’re looking a little tense, Nik. Everything okay?”
“Nikolai,” he growls, and he’s so close it’s making me dizzy with need and with bigger things that I’m not about to call forth and examine right now. “Looks like someone enjoyed her free drinks. You smell like a fucking Irish distillery, little Moira.”
“You’re one to talk. I hear all Russian babies suck vodka from their mommy’s tits.”
He looks at me with absolute disbelief. “God, you’re such a pain in the ass.”
I arch my hips up at him again, asking myself what the fuck I’m doing but unable to stop it all the same. The truth is I’ve never done anything like this, and it scares the hell out of me how much I want to do everything with this man. After being treated like a freak in high school, I just learned to keep to myself. Guys didn’t pursue me, and I had way too much pride to just fuck some random dude, and then eighteen turned into twenty-one, and here I am—a virgin who is so terribly out of her element that it’s not even funny.
I’m tired of waiting, though, so I let the alcohol give me the boost of courage I need, and lean towards the gorgeous man in front of me. Instead of soft lips and the wet heat of his tongue against mine, I’m met with nothing but air. I open my eyes to a smug grin and an arched, dark brow.
“I don’t fuck rival business owners or drunk women,” he says in his deep, sexy voice, and I’ve never wanted to disappear so badly in my life. Shame heats up my face and chest, and when I feel my eyes start to sting, threatening to overflow, I grit my teeth because there’s no way in fuck I’m going to let him see me cry.
His dark eyes study me, as cold and calculating as always and giving nothing away. I struggle against his grip on me, but he calmly holds me in place and cups the side of my face with his other hand. I’m so hurt and pissed and embarrassed that I’m shaking, and when one traitorous tear leaks out, he swipes it away with his thumb, sending an unwanted rush of pleasure down my spine before settling between my legs.
Keeping his dark eyes on mine, he brings his thumb to his lips before licking away the tear. Without a word, he lets me go and takes a step back.