Chapter Twenty-Two Maksim #2
“I appreciate that.” With a giggle, she replied, “I’m not sure I’ll be able to come back without you without disappointing Sammy and the others.”
“Then you won’t.”
Her eyes popped wide. “What?”
“I’ll come with you.”
“You will?”
With a shrug, I replied, “Why not?”
“Maybe because you're a Bratva leader who has a lot on his plate.”
“I’m not that busy.”
“If not Bratva, there might be other responsibilities.”
Furrowing my brows, I asked, “With my family?”
“Or with…” Pink tinged Sarah’s cheeks.
Fuck. For such an intelligent woman, Sarah was completely clueless. “A woman?” I questioned.
“Yes.”
An absurd laugh burst from my lips, which caused Sarah to stare at me wide-eyed. “Trust me, there is absolutely not a woman.”
As she studied me, I could see the wheels spinning in her head. With a groan, Sarah covered her face in her hands. “Oh my God. I’ve totally misread the situation.”
“Excuse me?”
Peeking at me through her hands, she asked, “You were flirting with me, but it’s like how Hudson and Archie flirt with me. There’s nothing really behind it.”
Now it was my turn to groan and cover my face. “Sarah, you don’t seriously think I’m gay?”
She bobbed her head up and down. “Oh my God, it totally makes sense now. I mean, you’re Russian, so you can’t be out. You were coming on to me, but you were just pretending to like me to keep up your facade.”
“Jesus,” I muttered as I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“It’s okay, Maks. I’m a total ally. I mean, I can keep pretending with you if it helps.”
I threw my hands up in frustration, “For fuck’s sake, I’m not gay.”
“Of course not,” she replied with a wink.
“Are you seriously so blind you d-didn’t realize I was eye-fucking you b-back there?”
Her brows creased. “You weren’t pretending?”
“Fuck no.”
“Oh,” she murmured.
In almost a daze, she walked past me to the SUV. Oleg had the door waiting for her, so she hopped inside. I quickly went to my side and got in.
After Oleg cranked up, she still remained staring forward with a disbelieving look.
“Are you okay?” I asked, as we pulled out of Sammy’s driveway.
She buried her head in her hands. “Actually, I’m mortified. I mean, I just accused you of being gay.”
“D-Don’t worry about it.”
Turning her head to look at me, she replied, “I’m so sorry.”
“Seriously, Sarah. It isn’t a b-big deal.”
“Trust me. It is. You don’t know how ridiculously neurotic I am. I’ll be reliving this all night.”
“It’s hard imagining you b-being neurotic. You seem to have everything so t-together.”
She gave me a shaky smile. “Oh, it’s all a facade. I’m a total mess as you’re well aware of.”
“No, I'm not.”
“You should. You know all about my dad’s dementia and how their savings were depleted because of Silas, my older brother.
Shaking my head, I argued, “What I saw on p-paper about you and your family doesn’t tell the whole story. You and your d-defy the idea that you’re a mess. What I see is a woman who g-gives everything she has and more to her family.”
I reached over to brush her hair out of her face. “If that’s what being a mess is, I wish I knew more people like t-that.”
A hesitant smile curved on Sarah’s lips. “Thanks, Maksim.”
“You’re welcome. Now will you stop b-beating yourself up?”
“Maybe.”
“Don’t make me g-go Bratva b-boss on you.”
Sarah pulled her head up and pinned me with a stare. “I can’t even imagine you acting scary or dominating.”
At the mention of me being dominating, a shudder ran through me. If only you knew how I’d dominated you more than once. “All joking aside, I haven’t wanted to show you my real dark side.
With an intense look, she nodded. “Me either.”
“So, can we forget about it now?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I wanted to know if I should wear my tux or just a suit to the dance?”
“Listen, you really don’t have to take Molly to the dance. I can find someone else to take her.”
“Of course I’m taking her.” Pinning Sarah with a look, I replied, “I’m a man of my word.”
With a soft smile, she said, “Yes, you are.”
“Of course, now that I think about it, maybe it wasn’t the best idea I had to ask her. I mean, won’t Molly’s parents kill me for being a thirty-year-old man taking their daughter to a dance?”
Sarah laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll call them in the morning and explain everything.”
“I hope so.”
“And you don’t have to worry about the Gaines accusing you of being a pedo. Molly is Sammy’s age.”
“How old is that?”
“Twenty-six.”
“While t-that’s better t-than I thought, I could still imagine they’d t-think I was taking advantage of her because of her disability.”
“I’m sure that’s a thought they would initially have. I’ll be sure to explain the situation. Besides, we all go in a big group anyway, so it’s not like you’ll be alone with her.”
I exhaled a relieved breath. “I’m g-glad to hear that.”
She patted my arm. “In the end, I’m sure they’ll appreciate you making her day.” With a sly smile, Sarah added, “Maybe even her year.”
I rolled my eyes, “Seriously?”
“Oh yeah.”
“I t-think it’s time we change the subject.”
“Are you denying that you are her Prince Charming?”
I barked out a laugh. “In what fucked up fairy tale am I Prince Charming?”
“The one where girls like tattooed bad boys.”
“Is that what I am?”
“Totally.”
Since I didn’t like the scenario where I was the bad boy and not Mr. Right in Sarah’s mind, I asked, “So what’s the p-plan for tomorrow’s lesson?”
“Did you change the subject?”
“It would seem so.”
In a sing-song voice, Sarah said, “Maksim’s a tattooed bad boy.”
“I am not,” I gritted out.
“There’s nothing wrong with being that.”
“It’s not very complimentary.”
“I think it is. Most women totally go crazy for men like you.”
“And what about women like you?”
The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them. It had already been such a weird evening with the whole cupcake moment and then Sammy putting me through the third degree about Sarah. Not to mention her thinking I was gay.
“I can’t imagine any woman not being attracted to you.”
A diplomatic answer. “Thanks for the compliment.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Now what about t-tomorrow’s lesson?”
This time, Sarah didn’t tease me or keep me from changing the subject.