Nikolai laughed. “Honestly, it was for my sake, not yours. I can’t stand the thought of watching them coo over each other for the rest of the night.”
I turned my head to look at him, noting the bitterness in his words and I realized for the first time that he was as annoyed as I was that Alexander had found love. He was in the same position as me; both being offered to someone as a power trade, and we were both having to give up on our sexual freedom for our families.
“Let’s go get a drink,” he said with a nod of his head towards the restaurant’s bar, a separate space from the lounge area and out of sight from where the family would be eating. Which was a relief. He looked at me and for once his mask wasn’t in place. There was no smugness, no sparkle in his eye as he thought of a fresh way to irritate me, no cocky grin. Just Nikolai looking sexy and strong in his suit, his heated gaze on me.
“Just one,” I finally replied, “as you said, I need my beauty sleep after all.”
His smile grew. “I think we both know that’s the last thing you need, Katya.”
And here it was; the quip. The smart remark. The biting insult.
“And why’s that,” I replied with narrowed eyes.
Nikolai frowned, just enough to make me know he meant his next words. “Because, Katya, you’re already the most beautiful woman on this island.”
*
I wasn’t even sure how many drinks we’d had now. We’d lost count after the sixth shot and my third margarita. The hard liquor was tumbling about with the champagne bubbles from earlier, leaving me feeling fizzy and lightweight. Drinking on an empty stomach was not a good idea, but it sure was fun.
“Never have I ever...given a lap dance,” I said, downing my shot in one. I grinned at him drunkenly.
Nikolai barked out a loud laugh and threw his head back. His jacket was hanging on the back of his chair, the top two buttons of his shirt undone, and his sleeves rolled up. He looked relaxed and sexy, and drunk. And if he had been any other man I might have made a move on him.
“Well,” I prompted, arching an eyebrow.
He picked up his glass and threw the tequila to the back of his throat and I gasped and began to laugh. I clapped my hands together. “You have not. Shut up.”
Nikolai continued to laugh, his expression handsome in its drunken state. “What can I say, I’ll do anything for a woman if I like her.”
I laughed some more and picked up my mojito before taking a sip. “I cannot believe that you’ve given someone a lap dance. I just can’t see it.” I shook my head and he grinned at me.
“The poor woman probably can’t unsee it,” he chuckled and grabbed the next two tequila shots, sliding one over to me. “Okay, never have I ever... had a friend with benefits.” His shot glass stayed poised in the air, hanging between us like some dirty secret. I picked up my glass and I noted how his smile fell infinitesimally. “Really?” he asked. His tone suggested he was impressed, but his eyes gave him away.
I shook my head and lowered my glass. “No, never, though I like the idea of it though, especially with my impending marriage. I’m sure I’ll be set up with a fat, middle-aged man with no libido.”
His expression fell. “And I’m sure I’ll be set up with a desperate housewives wannabe who likes sex with the lights off.”
We both laughed at our misfortune.
“A friend with benefits?” he asked, lowering his own glass.
I nodded. “Yeah, don’t you?”
We stared at each other for a long moment until I began to feel uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny.
“Okay, it’s my turn again. Never have I ever...had sex in a public place.” I threw the tequila to the back of my throat and Nikolai watched as my tongue darted along my bottom lip. “Well?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He lifted his glass and downed his shot before slamming it back down on the bar loudly. “Parking lot. Kids playground by the swing set. Over the bonnet of my car on the side of the road.”
I picked up a second shot glass and threw the hot amber liquid to the back of my throat. “Bonnet ofmycar. Bonnet ofhiscar. And on the beach.”
“A beach? Wow.”
I grinned. “Yeah, that sand gets everywhere, let me tell you.”
I was drunk and having fun. Too much fun considering that this was Nikolai, and I checked my watch.
“You gotta be somewhere?” he asked, his steady gaze on me. He ran a hand through his unruly hair and leaned on an elbow.
