Great.
I always seem to attract the touchiest creep in the room. I start strategizing my escape when he taps my shoulder urgently, pointing across the room.
“Is that the friend you were with?”
His finger leads to a random woman, walking towards a dark hallway across the room.
“Uh...no. No idea who that is.” What an odd question. I start to turn back, but movement in a far booth catches my attention.
Mikhail.
As if sensing my gaze, his eyes flick up to meet mine. His expression is frustratingly unreadable, but he doesn’t look away. The intensity of his focus makes me squirm. I watch, mesmerized, as his attention dropsto the arm wrapped around my waist, and his brows furrow into a deep V.
I spin around like I’ve been caught doing something wrong.That’s it—I need to leave. This whole night was a mistake.
No longer interested in making the most of my club pass, I lift my drink and take several deep pulls, intending to finish and go. The alcohol hits sharp and fast, washing away my lingering embarrassment. I didn’t do anything wrong, so I shouldn’t even be embarrassed, but something about the deep frown that fell over Mikhail’s face makes me uneasy. Anyway, it’s not likeI’mlooking for a fling to bring home tonight.
The weight around my shoulders reminds me just how close this guy is creeping toward me, and my final straw breaks. I set the glass down and try to pull away from the stranger, but his grip tightens despite my efforts.
“Okay. Get off me.”
But my voice comes out as a raspy whisper, the words echoing strangely in my head before reaching my ears.
And he’s still touching me.
I grip the bar’s edge and suck in a deeper breath.
“Get. The fuck. OFF.” This time, I sound louder, thankfully. He gives me minimal space, looking around anxiously like I’ve caused a scene.
Good.
My mouth is dry, and my tongue is struggling to find moisture to wet my lips. Meanwhile, my head feels like it’s swimming through molasses, throbbing with my increasingly rapid heartbeat.
Faster and faster.
Somewhere in the depths of my consciousness, I know something is terribly wrong.
Gut-wrenching fear washes over me as I catch the man watching from my peripheral vision. Waiting. His wrist rests casually on my bicep, ready to catch me if I try to run.
My tongue brushes the roof of my mouth, tasting something that wasn’t there before.
Then my heart skips.
He drugged me.
The realization loops through my mind like a broken record.Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I force myself to breathe slowly, unwilling to make this easy by hyperventilating and passing out.
He’s still watching. I can feel his oily gaze sliding over my face. My heart rate blurs and throbs?—
I exhale carefully. Suck in fresh air.
Then flash the most flirtatious smile I can manage.
“How about another drink? To get to know each other better?” I’m grateful the words don’t come out slurred.
I trail my fingers up his chest, looking into his shit-brown eyes as they blur out of focus. This might be my one chance.
