“Gentlemen,” one of them called out, her voice smooth and enticing. “Please, take a seat.” She halted in front of me, her manicured hands caressing my body.
“Allow us to help ease your stress,” another chipped in, circling round my back. “Sit back and enjoy the show,” she whispered in my ear.
“Ladies,” Sergei said softly. “Take care of him for me, will you?”
“Yes, Sergei baby,” said one of them.
Sergei baby?
The first lady nodded at him, then took my hand and led me toward the living room. I glanced back at my lieutenant, casting a look that clearly stated he was as good as dead.
Without a word, he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
The tall lady gently pushed me down onto the chair, whispering seductively, “Sit back and relax. Allow us to take care of you.”
By now, the others were already at the pole, dancing, moving their bodies as though their bones were made of elastic.
I should be enjoying this; my cock should be swelling in my pants by now. But nothing of the sort happened. When the tall lady sat beside me and reached to kiss my lips, I pulled away.
Shocked, her brows drew together, accentuating the confusion on her face. She was beautiful, with her dark haircascading down her shoulders in waves. However, she wasn’t qualified to taste my lips.
Her perfume was intoxicating, and her full lips were enticing. Yet none of that stirred anything inside me. Even when one of the dancers sat on my lap, grinding her waist against mine, I didn’t feel anything down there.
These women were trying their best to please me, but the more they tried, the more I lost interest. In my mind, I knew none of them could fill this void inside me. If they could, things would’ve gone down differently.
Even in her absence, Emika still found a way to control me, to make sure no other woman took what was hers. I wanted to lose control and fuck the hell out of these pretty girls two or three at a time. I wanted to release all that pent-up sexual frustration on them.
I wanted to do that so badly.
But I couldn’t. Because as sexy as they were, they couldn’t ignite my fire.
Without a word, I rose to my feet, ignoring their gasps and murmurs. I adjusted my coat and walked out, leaving them shocked and stunned. After I opened the door, I saw him smoking across the hall: Sergei.
He walked over to me, glancing at his watch. “What happened? You’re not supposed to be out yet.”
“Take me home,” I said, leaving no room for gutter debate.
***
Months stretched into a blur of cold mornings and empty nights, a constant reminder of her absence. I’d tried everything to feel whole again, but nothing seemed to be working.
On several occasions, I’d come so close to reaching out to her. However, I always stopped myself at the last minute.
What if this emptiness were one-sided? Why kill myself over a woman who might’ve moved on with her life? Yes, we’d had a good thing going for a while. But it was over. She’d decided to end it and find her place in the world.
Perhaps it was time to move on too. It was time to return to my old ways—unaffected by anyone or anything. She’d stolen too much from me already. No more.
Emika had reminded me of what it was like to be human. And then she’d gone ahead and ripped my heart to shreds, leaving me with the pain to deal with.
Men like me weren’t designed to love. We were monsters, devils in suits. The sooner I remembered that, the better.
The knock on my door snapped me out of my thoughts, my eyes darting toward the entrance.
It was my brother, Artur.
“You look like shit,” he said, strolling in with a hand in his pocket.
“Yet still better than your attitude,” I replied, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of my lips.
