Chapter 42
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Savina
“GO TAKE A shower. We’re going out tonight, bitch,” Darby announces from my bedroom door after she barges with no warning.
“What if I would’ve been naked in here?” I question her.
“I’ve seen you naked before, and I’ll probably see you naked again,” she says with a shrug.
She’s right. We’ve both seen each other naked numerous times over the years of our friendship. Sighing loudly, I tell her, “I just want to stay home tonight and…read.”
“Okay, now I know you’re lying. First of all, I’m the reader of this friendship, and no one reads more than me.
And even I want to put my book down, which is full of dark mafia romance smut, mind you, and take you out.
” She walks into my room and pulls on my hand, yanking me out of bed.
“You’ve been sulking in your room for the past week, and I don’t like it.
It’s your actual birthday today, and we are going out. End of story!” she cries.
It is my birthday. My twenty-third birthday.
The very one I’ve been dreading since I was thirteen years old.
But there have been so many twists and turns in the past several months, that now I’m dreading it for a whole new reason; not because I have to marry Dimitri, but because, ultimately, I’m not.
“Shower,” Darby demands, pushing me out the door and towards the bathroom.
“God, you’re strong!” I tell her, not being able to push back or resist her strength.
“All those self-defense classes are paying off,” she says with a huge grin.
“Wait, you take those?” I ask before she shoves me into the bathroom and slams the door in my face.
“Yes,” I hear her say from the other side of the door.
“Huh. Maybe I’ll go with you next time.”
“I would like that,” she says loudly. “Now, shower!” she demands.
“So bossy. I like this side of you, Darby!” I call to her, which earns me a laugh.
Against my better judgment, I take a shower.
And once I’m done, I retreat back into my room, hoping that my best friend will forget about the fact that it’s my birthday and that she wants to take me out.
But when I open my bedroom door, Darby is waiting at the foot of my bed.
“Red or black?” she asks, holding up two dresses for me to choose from.
All I can do is groan in response.
“Black it is then,” she says with a big grin.
The nightclub Darby drags me to is one of the most popular spots in the city.
Bright, neon signs in the colors of electric purple and blue are plastered all over the exposed brick walls.
The ceiling is low, making the place feel smaller and more intimate, but the dance floor looks endless beyond the bar as people mingle and dance.
There’s a DJ booth situated at the far end, pumping out music that’s loud but not invasive.
“This is enough alcohol for ten people!” I exclaim after the bartender brings a huge tray of drinks over to where Darby and I are sitting at the bar.
My best friend laughs. “Hey, you only live once.” She hands me a shot, and then we clink our glasses together before downing them. “And you’re only twenty-three once.” Then, she looks at the bartender and tells him, “Keep them coming for the birthday girl!”
The bartender, whose name is Finn according to his nametag, smiles at me and says, “Happy Birthday!”
“Thank you,” I say with a blush before he turns and walks away. “Oh, he’s cute. You should totally get his number,” I tell Darby.
“Yeah, I guess I am the only one living in Singleville now. You left me for Pavel,” she says with a dramatic sigh.
I inwardly cringe and take another shot just at the reminder of that. And then I take another just for good measure.
“Damn, birthday girl, slow down or you’ll be lying on the floor soon!” she says with a chuckle.
We sit for a while, drinking our cocktails, doing shots, and people watching. I quickly learn that some people know how to dance and others…definitely do not.
“Why is he thrusting his hips like that?” Darby questions as she wrinkles her nose in disgust, which causes me to laugh.
“I’m not sure. Maybe he’s hoping to get lucky later,” I tell her.
“Well, someone’s going to get unlucky if that’s the way he fucks,” Darby assures me. She glances around the bar, and then her eyes widen before narrowing. “Oh, what the hell is he doing here?” she says with a loud groan.
I turn to see her stepbrother stalking towards us with an angry look on his face. “How did he know you were here?” I question out loud.
“He always knows where the hell I am,” Darby mutters before quickly standing up. “I’m not going to let him ruin your night. I’ll be right back,” she says before walking towards him and ushering him towards the back of the club and away from me.
I’m sitting by myself, drinking a myriad of cocktails, when someone takes a seat next to me.
“Seat’s taken,” I say. The person makes no move to get up, and so I turn to look at the tall, dark, and handsome man sitting next to me.
“Dimitri,” I gasp. He’s dressed in black pants and a black button-up shirt sans his usual jacket and tie.
My gaze follows the trail of tattoos peeking out from his sleeves and collar before locking on to his familiar icy blue eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“Making sure you don’t get into trouble,” he says, which makes me furious.
“You know, I can celebrate my birthday however I want to,” I remind him. “And if I want to drown my sorrows, then so be it. You should try it,” I say, slurring my words.
He shakes his head. “My demons know how to swim,” he deadpans.
He watches me take a shot and shakes his head, but I refuse to let him ruin my night. “How did you know where I was anyway?” I ask.
“I put a tracker on your phone weeks ago.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course you did.” It should probably make me upset, but it doesn’t. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Maybe it’s just the alcohol talking, but I find it almost kind of…sweet. Okay, it’s definitely the alcohol talking.
Dimitri then pulls out his cell phone and starts texting…someone. Probably his new girlfriend, I think to myself.
“How’s Irina?” I ask before I can stop myself. Damn, the calm, slow buzz I had just a few moments ago is turning into a full-blown drunken stupor as the alcohol I consumed courses through my veins.
He grins. “Are you jealous, Savina?”
I shake my head and say, “Yes.” Damn it, wrong word.
He chuckles darkly from beside me.
“It’s not funny.”
“Irina is on a plane back to Romania. I sent her away.”
“Why would you do that?”
“She’s not my type.”
“Tall, blonde and drop dead gorgeous isn’t your type?” I say sarcastically with a huff before I take another drink. “What is your type then, Dimitri, because I’d love to know?” I find myself asking.
“Oh, about five-foot three,” he starts.
“That’s funny, because that’s how tall I am,” I mutter, amazed at the coincidence.
“And I like long, dark hair.”
I glance at him and find his blue eyes locked on mine.
“And green eyes.”
“That’s very specific,” I barely manage to squeak out.
“I didn’t have a type before I met you,” he admits.
I tear my gaze away and inhale sharply. God, this night is not going how I planned.
I was supposed to lock away my feelings for Dimitri and avoid him at all costs.
And now, here he is, and everything is going back to the way it was.
I lose my head when I’m around him. Every time he speaks, it’s like he’s putting me under some kind of spell.
“What’s your type, Savina?” he asks.
“Uh, blond, brown eyes, short, no tattoos,” I say quickly.
“So…the complete opposite of me?” he asks with a smirk.
“Mmm-hmm,” I say with an emphatic nod.
“I call bullshit,” he says with a dark chuckle that has my core tightening.
“It’s not bullshit. That’s just my type,” I lie with a shrug.
“I think you drank too much tonight, because you’re obviously delirious,” he says crossly.
I stare at Dimitri and cock my head. Is he upset that I didn’t say he was my type? Oh my god, I think he is. That makes me giggle, and it pisses him off even further. “I’m sorry you’re just not my type,” I say before putting my hand over my mouth to cover up a laugh.
His blue eyes pin me against the bar. He’s actually upset with me. I’ve never seen Dimitri this…vulnerable before. He’s always so cocksure and broody.
“You know, you can just leave,” I tell him. “You don’t have to stay and babysit me.”
“Oh, yes, I do. All I need is for someone to spike your drink again,” he growls out, clearly agitated.
I’m about to ask him what he means by that, but then Finn, the bartender from earlier, chooses that moment to approach us. “Is everything okay over here, birthday girl?” he questions, giving a side-eye to Dimitri.
“Everything is great, Finn,” Dimitri says irately.
The bartender ignores him and looks at me for clarification.
“Everything is fine. This is my fiancé’s brother,” I explain to him, so that he doesn’t think I’m in any kind of trouble and try to call for help.
“Wait, you’re engaged?” Finn says with a frown, searching my hand for an obvious ring, which isn’t there, because nothing about my engagement is traditional. “Damn, okay then,” he says before turning away.
I lean over to Dimitri and whisper conspiratorially to him, “I think he was upset that I’m not single.” And then I smile widely.
Dimitri grumbles in response. And before I can even grasp what’s happening, he’s standing up, slapping a wad of money down on the bar to pay the tab and grabbing my arm. “Let’s go, Savina. Your night out ends here.”
“But…but I can’t just leave!” I plead with him, struggling against his grasp.
“Yes, you can, and we are,” he says with a finality that has me stopping in my tracks.
“What about Darby? I can’t leave without telling her.”
“Already texted her.”