The flush returned to his cheeks and he ducked his head, staring intensely at the tablecloth. I chuckled, equally amused and enraptured by how easily he got embarrassed. Yes, I would like to make Asa mine.
“Tell me about yourself,” Asa said, shooting me a shy glance over the top of his menu. “I’ve met your friend. Ana? He was there when I signed my contract and talked about you a bit. All good things.”
I intertwined my fingers and pressed my hands to my chin in thought. “Ah yes, Anatoly. He’s been my friend since we were children. We grew up together in a neighborhood filled with immigrants from the old Soviet Eastern Bloc. A lot of people fled to the US. Ana was my next-door neighbor here, and his parents were neighbors of mine in the Ukraine.”
“And you were best friends from the day you met?” he offered with a grin.
I burst out in laughter. “Actually, no. We hated each other at the start. He stole my favorite fire engine, though if you ask him, he denies it, but I know it was him. That thing cost my tato—my dad—twenty dollars!”
“Twenty dollars?” He mocked a gasp and slapped a hand over his mouth. “No!”
“It’s true. My tato never forgave me for losing it. He told me I wasn’t allowed another one.” I snorted. “So, I still haven’t forgiven Ana for that. I won’t let him forget it, either.”
“And he still won’t admit he stole it?”
“Oh, no. If I can say anything about him, it’s that he will stick to his guns until he finally ends up in a casket.”
Asa threw his head back and laughed, and I took the moment to admire the way his entire body moved with his joy. “I can appreciate a man who has integrity.”
I grunted. “Give me time, I’ll get it out of him, and then he’ll owe me twenty bucks and an apology.”
He shook his head and wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes before straightening his glasses again. “Don’t you have enough money to buy an entire fleet ofrealfire engines?”
“That isn’t the point,” I said with a shrug.
He groaned but waved his hand just as Ben returned with his drink. Ben rested the glass of dark liquid on the table and rushed off again without so much as a word. If I’d been with a business partner, I might’ve been annoyed, but I preferred to be alone with Asa.
“So how did you become friends after he allegedly stole your fire truck?” He took a sip of his drink and let out a small moan. “Coke. My kryptonite.”
The sound he made had my cock twitching, but I wasn’t going to rush it. Not tonight. I wanted to romance him, treat him to the best dinner I could, and show him that I wanted to care for and get to know him.
“I was bullied by a bunch of kids on our street. One shoved me to the ground and Ana came to my rescue. I forgave him for stealing my favorite toy after that and we became friends.” And more. He wasn’t just my second-in-command, but my bodyguard, too. He’d jumped in front of more than one bullet for me, and once, he’d ended up in the hospital with a punctured lung when an Italian went for me. So, I owed him my life.
“I’m glad you two met.” His eyes gleamed in the globed lights strung above us. “What are we going to have for the main course?”
“I won’t lie, I’m a pasta fan. Every time I come here, I stick with the langoustine ravioli.” The thought had my stomach growling. Today consisted of a lot of roughhousing and I was both exhausted and starving, and after all the time spent posing for the camera, I bet Asa was, too.
“Well, you already know I love good food. Sign me up for that.” He did a little dance in his seat that had me laughing.
“You’re so fucking precious, kokhana.” I reached across the table to lay my hand on top of his, and to my surprise, he turned his palm so his lay against mine.
“What did you call me?” he whispered, his voice deepening with a fascination that bordered on lust.
“Something my father called my mother. It’s Ukrainian and means a few different things in English, like lover or darling or sweetheart.” A twinge of anxiety wormed its way through me. Was I moving too quickly? Anatoly would laugh like an asshole if Asa walked away because I was rushing things, but to my relief his lashes fluttered and he smiled.
“Ukrainian sounds like a beautiful language.”
“I don’t speak it much anymore,” I admitted sadly. “I used to as a child, especially to my parents, but after they died, so did my Ukrainian. I speak only in English to the people who work for me, including Ana. Lack of using it means I grew rusty.”
“Well, speak Ukrainian to me anytime,” he said quietly, and a spark of excitement shot through me. He knew exactly how to get me worked up without even trying.
“If you are fine with it, I want to take you somewhere after dinner.” I scratched my nails gently over the soft skin of his palm, and his fingers twitched. I smirked and enjoyed the way a visible shudder went through him.
“Where?” He cocked his head.
“That’s a surprise,” I purred. “Dinner is only the beginning of romancing you, Mr. McGogh.”
He pressed his tongue to his cheek. “I’m intrigued, Mr. Kozlova.”
