The Bratva’s Secret Child

Chapter One

Sarah

I’d never been to the bar down the street from my apartment, even though I’d lived in the neighborhood for three years. I wasn’t a big drinker, and on the rare occasion that I enjoyed a glass of wine, it was usually paired with dinner at my home.

But home didn’t feel like a safe haven anymore, especially tonight. And I needed some alcohol to take the edge off my sadness.

So, I walked into the place with its mahogany bar and brass accents.

There was warm lighting coming from bare Edison bulbs hanging from the ceiling and soft jazz music playing from speakers discreetly mounted in the corners of the room.

There was an intimate feel to the bar, with velvet covers on padded chairs at wooden tables and barstools with backrests.

There was a low murmur of conversation among the people scattered around the bar, men and women sitting at the tables and lined up on the stools.

It wasn’t a dive, and the type of customer here reflected the sophistication of the place.

Men in business attire that looked like they were grabbing a beer after work and couples that ordered from the limited food menu.

As was often the case in bars, most people were here with others, socializing, but there were a few like me, alone.

I idly wondered what some of their stories were, what brought them here on this cool fall evening. For me, it was heartache and bitterness wrapped up in regret. I couldn’t be in my apartment while my ex was packing his stuff. That was too painful and even more awkward.

It wasn’t crowded, probably because it was a Thursday evening, so I had my pick of places to sit. I chose to go to the bar.

Along the way, I passed a table of three men, all in slacks and button-up shirts. They were probably in their late twenties, and each of them was reasonably attractive. But my eyes slid away from them, even as the one with blond hair sent a flirtatious smile my way.

I wasn’t here for that tonight.

Taking a seat on a stool at the end of the bar, I waited for the bartender to notice me.

“What can I get for you tonight?” the bartender asked when he made his way over. He placed a cardboard coaster on the bar in front of me.

“I don’t drink much, so can I just get a cocktail? Something fruity and sweet?”

I felt like an idiot, but the bartender gave me a kind smile and turned to grab a shaker.

I watched as he poured in various liquors, some kind of fruit juice, and what looked like a simple syrup.

He was efficient, and in just a few minutes, I had an orange drink with a frilly toothpick speared through it.

I lifted it to my mouth and took a sip just as one of the men from the table I walked past approached me.

It was the blond one, and he allowed his eyes to trail over me from head to toe as he settled himself on the empty stool beside me, moving it closer in the process so that our knees were nearly toughing.

“Hi, I’m Dane,” he said, and there was something almost smug about his smile. I recognized the look. My ex was like that, oozing self-assuredness that I convinced myself was an attractive quality.

Sure, confidence was sexy, but my ex-boyfriend, Jason, took it just far enough to be arrogant.

That was probably what led him to think he could be unfaithful, and I’d forgive him.

Even when he showed up this evening to pack up his stuff, the brief conversation we had showed me that he still expected me to get over my ‘tantrum’ so we could move past his mistake.

He seriously called screwing my boss a mistake, when we both knew it was a choice he made over and over for a month before I finally found out and ended our relationship.

Now, I was newly single and needed to find a new job because there was no way I could keep working for the bitch who stole my boyfriend.

Dane, with lust-filled eyes and a cocky smirk, reminded me way too much of Jason. It was a massive turn-off for me, and I decided to be blunt.

“Sorry, Dane,” I said, not introducing myself because I didn’t want to encourage him. “I’m not looking for a date tonight.”

“What about some friendly company?”

I shot an unimpressive glance his way before I focused my attention on lifting the toothpick out of my drink and eating the cherry, which tasted like sugar with a hint of rum.

“No, thanks,” I said dismissively.

It would have been impossible for my lack of interest to be misunderstood, yet the man leaned one elbow on the bar and looked way too much like he was getting comfortable.

“Don’t be prickly, sweetheart. If you give me a smile, I’ll buy your next drink.”

His audacity shocked me. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to yell at him or laugh in his face. Before I could decide, another voice joined our conversation, a man who was already sitting at the bar alone when I arrived.

“The lady said to back off.” The man’s voice was deep, and when I looked his way, I was immediately struck by how handsome he was.

Even sitting on a barstool, he was obviously a tall man and built with the kind of body that sent heat through me in a rush. Broad chest and shoulders, flat—probably sculpted—abs, and thick thighs.

It occurred to me that I was ogling him a little too obviously, so I returned my gaze to his face, relieved to find that his eyes were locked on Dane. The glare he leveled at Mr. Pushy was dark and intimidating.

“What do you care?” Dane asked, but I couldn’t help noticing that the cocky tone of his voice wasn’t quite there anymore. “It’s none of your business.”

At that, the stranger stood up, and I was right. He walked over to us without saying anything, but when a man looked that intimidating, words weren’t necessary. He towered over Dane, looking down at him with a sneer twisting his full lips.

Dane stood as well, body tense. I could sense his mind working fast, weighing the pros and cons of this situation. It didn’t take long for him to decide that hitting on me wasn’t worth it. He shook his head and turned away, mumbling, “Whatever.”

I rolled my eyes at his petulant need to get a final word in before storming back to his table. I glanced over to see his friends laughing at him. I doubted he’d be a problem again.

Turning my attention to the stranger, I offered him a small grin. “Thanks for that. Some guys don’t know how to take a hint.”

“You gave him more than a hint,” the man said, a muscle ticking in his jaw as if what just happened was bothering him.

The fact that he seemed to care like that made me gesture to the stool Dane had just vacated. “Would you like to join me?”

I had no intention of sharing my time with anyone tonight.

When I walked through the door of the bar, I just wanted to sit alone and stew in the lingering bitterness from the end of my relationship.

But I didn’t regret impulsively asking the man to join me as he retrieved his drink from where he was sitting before and sat on the stool beside me.

I noticed that he pulled the stool out a bit, giving me some respectful distance.

“I’m Sarah,” I said, offering him my hand.

“Dmitri.” His big hand engulfed my own, and a tingle ran up my arm. The sensation was strange, and I squeezed his fingers automatically.

He grinned, his eyes flashing with something that looked almost like amusement. He held onto my hand just a moment longer than necessary, and it was startling how my body reacted to the simple contact.

“So, what brings a woman like you to a bar alone?” he asked.

“A woman like me? What does that mean?”

He took a sip of some kind of amber-colored liquor before answering, his tongue darting out to swipe over his bottom lip. “Beautiful. Classy. The kind of woman that grabs attention.”

I smiled. It was a hell of a line, but there was something earnest in his voice that made me think he was sincere.

“I guess you could say I’m looking for an escape. Just for a couple of hours while my scumbag of an ex-boyfriend moves out of my apartment.”

“Scumbag, huh? Did he cheat on you?”

I felt my cheeks grow warm as I nodded. Logically, I knew he was the one at fault, but it was embarrassing to admit that I was betrayed by someone I trusted like that. It felt as if I was admitting that I was lacking in some way.

But Dmitri shook his head, disgust curling his lip. “Sounds like you dodged a bullet. The man is clearly a complete idiot to look elsewhere when he has a woman like you in his bed.”

Another smooth line, but it was working.

I leaned closer to him, knowing that I was giving him an eyeful of my cleavage as my V-neck blouse shifted. “And what would you do if you had a woman like me in your bed?”

I wasn’t usually this bold, but I felt like I needed this tonight.

My ego had taken a hell of a hit recently, and getting hit on by a man with classic good looks like Dmitri was a balm for my wounded pride.

More than that, I was picking up chemistry between us that I’d never felt before, even with Jason.

I wanted to explore it, even if that meant throwing myself at a stranger in a bar.

“Would you like to find out?” Dmitri asked, his voice taking on a husky tone and his brown eyes growing darker.

A surge of excitement rose inside me, but I hesitated for a moment. I wanted this, but was I being too reckless? There was no doubt in my mind that I was being offered a casual night of sex, which wasn’t normally my thing. I tended to only sleep with men I was in a relationship with.

Before I could talk myself out of it, Dmitri tipped back the rest of his drink and placed it on the bar. Then he stood.

“There’s a hotel right across the street. I’ll get us a room for the night. If you’re still looking to escape for a couple of hours?”

I allowed my gaze to slide down his body again, not just appreciating his physique, but also imagining what it would be like to feel those hard muscles up against my body.

He was wearing a black T-shirt with dark jeans, casual.

But there was something refined about the way he carried himself.

This was a man who was comfortable in his own skin, a man who knew what he wanted.

And suddenly, I had my answer.

“Let get out of here,” I said. It seemed like my impulsive idea to come to the bar was going to pay off.