21. Blair
Blair
H air sticks to my forehead as I throw my head back, laughing at Nadya shouldering her way through a group of men that can’t keep their eyes off her. I wouldn’t have guessed that someone as thin as her would be so effective at shoving a grown man out of her way, but she makes it look effortless.
She looks back at me with a smile, her hand firm on my arm as she pulls me toward the bar.
She says something, but I can’t hear it over the crowd and the roar of the music.
I shake my head, already dreading how my ears are going to ring tomorrow.
Raising a single shoulder, she points to the shots on the bar, raising a single brow in challenge.
One that I meet readily.
The alcohol burns on the way down, but it’s exactly what I need to be able to let go, to make myself be here .
We’ve only had a couple drinks tonight, but they’ve been enough to help numb the thoughts pounding away at the back of my skull .
Thoughts like the fact that Andrei kept his condo. And still keeps a full closet there. Like it’s a place he regularly returns to.
Which tells me he’s a man who’s not planning on sticking around long-term, despite any assurances he’s given me.
But that’s not a useful thought right now, so I shake my head to get rid of it and grab onto Nadya’s arm, urging her to head back to the dance floor with me.
I can’t do anything about Andrei. I can’t do anything about how he feels or what he thinks, or even what he does when I’m not around. All I can do right now is try to enjoy myself.
Throwing myself into the rhythm of the pounding music, I share a smile with Nadya as she throws her hands in the air and twirls around, wild and carefree. We dance with reckless abandon, pretending the mass of people around us doesn’t exist.
And despite the worry in the back of my head, it’s fun. Letting go and ignoring everything else with good company is exactly what I needed, and I wish I’d done this sooner.
I’m jolted back to reality when someone moves into our space, shifting like he’s trying to get between us. All hints of amusement drop from Nadya’s face as she rolls her eyes, reaching around him to grab my hand as she urges me to follow her away from him and toward the VIP lounge.
“Next time we hang out, I’m taking you to a pottery class,” she grouses as the bouncer nods his chin at her and lets us through. “Somewhere we can actually talk, and we don’t have to worry about random dudes crashing the party.”
I can see the wisdom in what she’s saying, but still…
“Pottery? ”
“Yeah! I’ve always wanted to try it, and we can make ugly little pots. Who doesn’t want useless, ugly trinkets around their house?”
We plop onto a couch, and as soon as we do, I realize just how much I hate the heels I’m wearing. As soon as I get home, I’m getting rid of them. I don’t care how pretty they are.
“You know, if we really looked, I bet we could find a pottery class that encourages drinking. Like one of those paint and sip places,” I tell her.
As if summoned by the mention of alcohol, a server appears before us with a bottle of champagne.
“Oh my god, you’re so right.” She grins, nodding eagerly as she pours herself a glass. “We’re doing that. Let’s get drunk and play with mud.” We both laugh, and I feel younger than I have in ages.
I’m only twenty-seven, but some days I feel like I’m ancient. Trying to raise a child on top of everything else that’s been going on has run me ragged for years, and most days all I want to do is fall into bed and sleep before it’s time to get up and do it all over again.
Over the past month, that’s changed.
Dates with Andrei give me something to look forward to, and I didn’t know how much I needed that until I had it. And beyond that, he does so many little things that help ease the burden of running the house and taking care of Niko.
He takes out the trash, he makes me laugh, and he’s incredible in bed. Not to mention the fact he manages to get Niko to go to bed on time without a fight. I don’t know which devil he sold his soul to in order to make it happen, but I’m so fucking grateful for it I could weep.
If he wasn’t insisting on taking me out every week, I’d probably be asking him on dates.
But I don’t have to. He makes time for me, and I’m determined to enjoy it for as long as I can, doing my best to ignore the persistent thought at the back of my mind that he’s not planning on sticking around longer than he has to.
“So, what’s going on with you?” Nadya asks when we’ve settled down, startling me out my thoughts. “Things going alright with Andrei?”
“We’re great, actually,” I find myself saying. “He’s been taking me out every week, and he’s just…” I can feel my cheeks turning pink. “He’s pretty fantastic when he wants to be.”
“I told you he was one of the good ones.”
“If I recall, you said he was good-looking, too.” I take a sip of champagne while she throws her head back with a loud bark of laughter.
“Well, I wasn’t wrong, was I?”
I laugh as I shake my head. No, she wasn’t wrong. Even more so now that I’ve gotten to know him, Andrei is the most attractive man I’ve ever met. And like she guessed, he’s a fucking beast in bed. Not that I’m going to tell her that.
I twist the rings on my finger, smiling down at my lap.
“He’s… he’s pretty great, actually.” And I don’t know what to do with that.
If he were distant and barely around, this whole situation would be so much easier.
It’d be no problem to hold him at arm’s length and live my life.
Instead, he’s endearing. And sweet. An d I hate to keep reminding myself that he isn’t doing it because he likes me, but because he’s trying to keep me safe.
“Oh, wait, when we left your brother’s place you were saying something about work stuff?” I ask, just to distract her. Based on the way she immediately takes a long sip of her champagne, it works.
“They say you shouldn’t work with family, but I’m an idiot, so I didn’t listen.”
“So, you work with Alexei?”
“Unfortunately. I balance the books for this place.” She gestures around at the impressive club.
“And I’ve needed him to give me a few forms for days , but if something has numbers on it, my darling little brother’s just as likely to toss it in the trash as he is to remember he needs it.
” She rolls her eyes. “He needs to get his shit together after he’s done with his meeting, or I’m not going to be able to do my job.
” She pouts, looking surly as she crosses her arms, and I almost regret bringing it up.
“I mean, seriously, he can’t tell the difference between a balance sheet and a cash flow statement, but will he try to organize things to make my life easier? Of course not! Why would he bother with that?” She waves her hands around as she rants, and I smile.
I don’t understand half of what she’s saying, and from the sound of it, neither does Alexei, but she makes it fun to listen to.
Halfway through a story about what happened last tax season, she trails off, looking annoyed. I can’t figure out why until a voice I’d love to never hear again rings across the lounge .
“Nadya! It’s so good to see you again,” Emiliya croons, sitting primly in the open seat next to me, crossing one toned leg over the other.
Her pretty brown hair is perfectly styled, delicate waves framing her impeccably made-up face. I glance at what she’s wearing, and have to resist the urge to squirm. In comparison to her classy, designer dress, my outfit feels garish and too revealing.
Contempt practically drips from her fingertips, but is it any wonder Daniil was attracted to her? I blame him for more things than I’d like to admit, but not for that. She’s everything I’m not.
Instinctively, my shoulders fold forward, trying to make myself as unnoticeable as I can.
“And Blair. You’re here, too,” she intones, sounding annoyed. She tosses her hair over her shoulder as she eyes me disdainfully, managing to make me feel like an outsider, even though she’s the intruder in this conversation.
I bite back the annoyance battling the nerves in my gut. I’m not sure where she gets off being so hostile to me. I’ve done everything I can to be accommodating even though she was fucking my husband, but despite that, she seems determined to loathe me.
“Emiliya,” Nadya’s flat voice answers, despite her face being the very picture of pleasant surprise. “It’s so lovely to see you, but I’m afraid we were just getting ready to leave. Weren’t we, Blair?”
I nod, trying to seem unaffected, despite how badly I want to throw my drink in Emiliya’s smug face. I hate that she’s chasing us away from here, but maybe we can go back to dancing .
“Oh, that’s a shame.” She grins, flipping her thick hair over one shoulder. She looks me up and down before dismissing me and flicking her eyes back to Nadya. “Is your brother around?”
Nadya squints, her smile dropping entirely.
“He’s working. Tonight, and every other night this week.
” She taps a finger against her chin as if she’s thinking.
“And I’m pretty sure he can do better than associate himself with a conniving snake like you.
” She shrugs. “But, hey, if public humiliation is your thing, you could try to talk to him yourself next time you see him.”
Without another word she stands, looping her arm through mine and leaving Emiliya sitting there, silently fuming.
I choke on a laugh as Nadya walks away with her chin held high, like Emiliya isn’t even worth thinking about.
“Emiliya and Alexei?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t think he even knows her, but she’s been trying to sink her claws into him for longer than I want to think about,” she replies with a shudder. “But that’s enough time wasted on that witch. Want to dance some more?”
“Absolutely.” I’m not going to let one minor setback ruin my night.