Текст книги "Lev"

Автор книги: Belle Aurora

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Sure enough, the man watched as Anika smiled seductively, placing the drink on his table and leaning down to whisper something in his ear. The lonely man smiled immediately.

Impressed, I asked, “What is she saying to him?”

“That we appreciate his business and loyalty.”

I nodded. “Right. Okay. You clearly know your shit. I bow down to you, oh great one.”

His eyes smiled in that way I loved, and I almost slid down the front of my chair, sighing dreamily.

I asked Lev if he wanted his drink topped off. He said no. I didn’t think he realized I wanted to go visit Nas behind the bar. I kept hinting, saying how thirsty I was. He kept frowning, telling me to signal Anika.

There was no being inconspicuous with Lev. It was all or nothing. I finally blurted out, “I really want to talk to Nas.”

His brow furrowed. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

“Because I’m grounded,” I muttered and slumped lower into my chair.

He snuffled, and I liked to believe it was Lev’s version of a laugh. He nodded to the bar. “I can still see you from there. Stay in sight.”

I perked up, leaning over my chair and showing my enthusiasm. “Really, Pop? No foolin’?”

“Go,” he murmured in a bored manner, but his eyes were laughing.

“Neat-o!” I cheered as I rushed over to the bar. I wanted to fuck with Nas. I’d been planning it for days. Tonight’s episode with Vik fit in perfectly with my devious plan.

Strolling up to the bar, I sat in the hidden corner and waited. When she approached, she mumbled, “What a shit night. Not even worth having full staff for this measly crowd.”

“Yeah, I know.” I got right into it. “So, what can you tell me about Vik?”

She turned to me, her eyes narrowed. “Why do you want to know about Vik?”

“I don’t know.” I purposefully acted aloof. “He’s hot, no doubt.” Then I planted the bomb. “And there was that thing tonight. I don’t know, but I think we’ve got a bit of chemistry going on.” I leaned forward and grinned. “I think he’s into me.”

I wanted to burst into laughter at the way Nas’ face turned bright red. She gritted her teeth and spoke through them, “He’s not all he’s cracked up to be, Mina.”

I shrugged. “Who am I to judge?” I pointed to myself. “Homeless girl…hello!”

Her nostrils flared. “He’s not your type.”

“Who’s to say what’s my type? Besides, we don’t need to be each other’s type to scratch an itch.” I used my elbow to nudge her and finished off with a lewd wink. “Know what I mean?”

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Nas planted her palms on the bar, leaned forward, and snapped, “You stay away from Viktor!”

My mission complete, I quickly got out of character, threw my head back, and hooted with laughter. Nas stared at me, confused for a second before she caught on.

Looking mildly pissed off with herself, she shook her head slowly. “Who told you?”

I smiled victoriously. “It doesn’t matter who told me. The question is, why didn’t you tell me?”

Her face fell. She looked sad. “It’s complicated, Mina.”

“Complicated in the the-guy-I-love-sleeps-with-other-women way? Or complicated in the the-guy-I-love-has-issues-with-commitment way?”

“Neither,” she hushed, her eyes shining. “In the the-guy-I-love-doesn’t-love-me-back kind of way.”

My smile fell. That sucked.

“That sucks,” I told her, my heartbreak apparent.

She smiled sadly. “That’s life, my dear.”

Chapter Nineteen

Mina

Saturday morning brought a shock to us all.

Lidiya was summoned back to her mother, Irina. What was surprising about it was that Lev let her go.

I didn’t want her to leave. The thought of her staying with a horrible woman who didn’t even want her drove me crazy. It quickly hit me that if this was the way I, an outsider, was feeling, Lev must have already crossed the border of Crazytown. He hid his sadness so well, but I didn’t miss the way he snapped at Sasha when his brother suggested moving Irina close by so Lidiya would at least live in the same state.

The awful woman had already booked flights for Mirella and Lidiya leaving just after midday, and her warning had been that if the two of them weren’t at arrivals at the designated time, she would be catching the next flight down and raising hell at the club.

Frankly, I thought the woman was full of shit, and I aired that view. Nas sent me a look advising me that her threat would likely be seen through. I was stunned. Who was this woman that she had the Leokov family becoming yes men?

As I sat cross-legged on the floor of the living room, Lidiya made a home in my lap, playing with little Mina, unaware that she was about to be thrust away from us in a most rude way. The arm I held her with tightened around her. I found myself mighty protective of this little peanut.

I watched in silence as Mirella’s face fell a degree. She covered it quickly, standing and heading over to Lidiya’s room to pack their things.

“No,” I muttered angrily. I turned to Lev, hugging Lidiya with everything I had. “You’re just going to sit down and let that bitch take her away from us?”

He looked as if he’d aged ten years in ten minutes. He looked haggard and worn. He spoke calmly, “What would you have me do, Mina?”

I blinked at him. This attitude was not going to get us anywhere. “Fight for her, Lev. Tell Irina she can’t have her. Let her come here. What’s she going to do? Show everyone how screwed up in the head she really is?”

“I’ll lose the partial custody I have and be charged with kidnapping my own daughter.” He looked at me, pinning me down with a single glance. “Does that sound like a good plan to you?”

Well, no. It didn’t. But there had to be something we could do.

My heart began to race as I realized that no one would be fighting this. “Nas,” I called.

She looked miserable. “Pick your battles, shorty. You aren’t going to win this one.”

My last resort. “Sasha,” I whispered, frightfully close to tears. “Do something.”

He was already shaking his head then he stood suddenly, glowering at me. “Life ain’t fair, little girl.” He stared at me. “You of all people should understand that.”

I was out on a limb, on my own.

“Lev,” I pleaded. “Please. Don’t let her win. She’s just a woman. How much pull can she have?”

I wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

Lev stood. Then he yelled.

At me.

“What the fuck do you want me to say, Mina? That I fall over my feet to please the mother of my child?” He panted, “Yes! I do.” He walked away. “I have my reasons, and I don’t owe an explanation to anyone, certainly not you.”

He said ‘you’ like I was something disgusting. Like I was a nuisance. Like I was not worthy of the explanation that even I knew I didn’t deserve to hear.

It brought my back down to reality.

I was nothing to Lev Leokov.

And yet, he remained my everything.

Sometime after midday, after Lidiya and Mirella were gone, I made my way upstairs with my tail between my legs. I should have known this was a hard time for Lev, and I pushed him over the edge. I was sure it took a lot to do that, and I was feeling like crap about it.

Standing by the open door, I peered inside. Lev, dressed in his usual uniform of a three-piece-suit, lay on the left side of the bed, his forearm covering his eyes. It was heartbreaking to see him so lost.

I made my way over to him, kneeling next to him and speaking from the side of the bed. “Hey,” I started, gently. Reaching up, I tugged on the hand covering his eyes. He allowed it to fall, turning his head to the side to look at me. His warm honeyed eyes were full of sadness. I squeezed his hand. “Oh, sweetie,” I hushed. “I’m so sorry. I’m an idiot. I didn’t think.”

He blinked at me a moment. And when he spoke, I knew I was forgiven for my careless commentary in a situation that didn’t call for it.

“Will you hold my hand?”

I didn’t need to be told twice. Rather than moving to the other side of the bed, I stood and climbed over him, laying half draped over his right side, my right leg hooked over his hip, and taking his left hand in mine, entwined, palm-to-palm.

His right hand came around me, holding me close, and his hand stroked my back. A soft sigh escaped me as I rest my head on his shoulder, my eyes closing in satisfaction. I’d never been more comfortable in all my life. And that would be the reason I fell asleep tucked into Lev Leokov.

After my nap, I got up and showered, getting ready for the night ahead. When I returned, my makeup game strong and my hair newly straightened, flowing down my back, dressed to the nines and ready for the club, Lev shook his head. It seemed he didn’t want me at the club tonight.

I didn’t beg. I wouldn’t beg. It wasn’t the way I did things, not normally.

Instead, I tried honesty. Walking up to him, I hooked my fingers into his front pockets and looked up the whole foot to his face. “You’ve had a rough day. Let me be there for you tonight. If you feel like you want to crack heads, all you need to do is reach over and take my hand.” I shook him a little. “You’ve been there for me. Will you let me be there for you?”

He thought about it.

His response was quiet. “Okay.”

I liked that response. I showed him so by reaching up and cupping his cheeks, pulling his face down so I could kiss his forehead.

We got to the club a little after seven. The crowd always took a while to perk up. The later it got, the more crowded it got.

Tonight, however, the crowd dribbled in just as it had the night before.

Lev, spotting what I had, commented, “Something’s up.”

I frowned, nodding in complete agreement. Something was indeed up. I’d never seen the club so empty since I got here. Compared to the day I stole Sasha’s wallet, this crowd was embarrassing.

That was when Birdie approached, looking mildly anxious. “Can I have a word?”

“Of course,” Lev replied.

Her nervousness increased as she wrung her hands together. “I think you should call Sasha. Nas is on her way. I need you all to hear this.”

Lev did as she asked, taking out his cell and calling his brother out from his office. Nas arrived and sat on the arm of my chair. When Sasha arrived, he spoke kindly to Birdie. “Little bird, why are you looking so worried?”

She reached into her jeans pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to Sasha. “I found this on my car when I went out for my break. It was on all the windshields. I collected whatever I could, but…” She shrugged. “Some people were bound to get them before I could remove them.”

Sasha unfolded the paper, read in silence, and then cussed softly.

His jaw tight, he handed the note to Lev. “I think we just found out where our customers have gone.”

Nas and I both leaned over the seat to read with Lev.

Aphrodite’s Kiss. New show. New girls. Completely refurbished. Faces that will stop your heart. Free drink with flyer.

“That’s not all.” Birdie winced. “One of Laredo’s goons approached me just as I was coming in from my break.” Her eyes apologetic, she looked directly at Sasha. “He’s recruiting from right under your nose, baby.”

“Motherfucker,” Sasha whispered. “That would explain why ChaCha quit on Wednesday.”

My jaw dropped. “He can’t do that!”

Lev’s lips thinned. “He can; he just shouldn’t. It’s an unwritten rule of sorts. It’s considered bad form.”

I sat back in my chair, feeling glum. I turned to look at Sasha. “Why does he hate you so much?”

For once, Sasha didn’t glare at me. He spoke quietly, “I scarred up his son’s face when he tried to off me. The pretty boy ain’t so pretty anymore.” He sighed. “Laredo didn’t give a rat’s ass that his boy brought that shit to my property. He sees those scars and he wants to end me.”

“What happened?”

Nas explained in a short tone, “Sasha slept with Alessio’s wife.”

Sasha uttered a defensive, “She said they were done.” He ran a hand through his dark hair. “How was I supposed to know she was using my cock as a weapon against him?” He smirked at the memory of her. “I’d like to say she wasn’t worth the trouble, but she was a goddamn wildcat.”

“Well, it’s not Sasha’s fault the lady is a tramp,” I muttered.

Sasha seemed surprised by my support. But, still, his glare returned. “What new show? What’s he got that we don’t?” Frustration took over. “I can’t even send anyone down there to see what’s up. Not anyone I trust. He knows everyone who works for us. Knows our faces.”

I looked around at them all, their thinking faces on.

Was I the only one who had the solution to this problem?

“He doesn’t know me.” I offered with a mild shrug, “I’ll go.”

Lev barked, “No,” at the very same time Sasha grinned deviously and hissed, “Yes.”

They looked at each other.

Sasha spoke quietly, “You want this ship to sink, moy brat?”

“Net,” Lev replied unenthusiastically.

“I don’t mind. It’s the least I can do,” I uttered sincerely.

Sasha grinned at me while Lev frowned unhappily. Nas squeezed my shoulder in silent support.

And so, a plan was hatched.

***

Mina

“If I think for a second that you’re in danger of being caught, I’m coming in there,” Lev muttered as he drove. Vik remained silent in the back seat.

I smiled to myself at the protective tone in his voice. “Got it.”

“Make sure you have your cell on you at all times,” he insisted.

I patted a hand over my front jeans pocket for the sixth time since we began our journey. “Still there,” I told him.

Lev surprised me this morning with a new cell phone. It was one of those fandangle ones with the big screen that you could use the Internet on, and download apps, and probably track when you were about to go to the bathroom.

It was fancy.

He spent the morning showing me how to use it. By the end of it, I knew most of the basics. I still didn’t understand what the app things were, but he said we’d get to that another day.

Calling, answering, and texting was easy enough to remember. I practiced by sending Nas messages.

Me: What do you get when you cross a caterpillar with a parrot?

Nas: Who is this?

Me: A Walkie Talkie!!!!!

Nas: Who is this?

Me: Hey, that was funny. You could at least courtesy laugh.

Nas: Who the fuck is this?

Lev also managed to get me a state ID card, which explained why Nas had me get some wallet-sized portrait photographs done the last time we were at the mall. I shouldn’t have been surprised that it had all my accurate details on it, but I was. I smiled. “How’d you get this, you sneaky goose?”

He sat at the kitchen table, seeming pleased by the reaction. “I know people.” That much was clear. He seemed to have connections in every industry. “I also have a copy of your birth certificate, your social security card, and your passport.”

I glanced down at the ID card.

Mina Clarabelle Harris.

The address listed was…Lev’s.

I didn’t bother questioning why. I was sure he did that because he had to provide some address that was partly valid, and I’d been living here for the past four and a half weeks.

Parking a block away, Vik worked quickly, placing the surveillance camera disguised as a large button on the lapel of my black jacket, underneath my coat. The big black button appropriately read ‘I’m silently judging you.’

Vik explained, “This isn’t a live cam. I’m not going to be able to check the footage until you get out of there and we get back to the club. If you think anyone’s onto you, don’t think; just hightail it.” At my nervous nod, he smiled. “Just sit down, order a drink, and watch the show, like you would with us. No biggie.” He added, “It would probably help if you lost the I’m-out-of-my-depth expression.”

“Shut up, Vik.” I shoved his arm away and he chuckled.

I was ready to go. Leaning over the seat, I gripped Lev’s shirt and pulled him to me. “Hey, don’t worry. I’ll be back in an hour, okay?” He grunted, not looking at me. So I forced his attention. Getting closer, I pressed my glossed lips to his cheek softly. “Be back before you know it.”

Aphrodite’s Kiss shocked me. The way the boys talked about it, I expected a hole of an establishment, but it was gorgeous.

The Greek theme meant strategically placed large white pillars with delicate flowers and greenery painted on them, big wooden booth tables intricately designed and trimmed with gold, the booth cushions decorated with the typical Greek meander pattern (in gold, of course), and the stage…wow. It looked as though it had been designed in a dramatic 1900s style, complete with heavy red velvet drapery.

I was impressed.

I did as Vik told me to. I ordered a drink, took a seat, and faced the stage. Half an hour later, the show started. The lights dimmed low and spotlights shone on the stage; the curtains opened and I gaped.

Four men, gorgeous and ripped, wearing white material draped over their upper thighs, showing the tops of their asses, holding up a woman draped seductively on a small sofa attached to a platform. Each man took a corner of the platform and carried her in effortlessly.

It was quite a show.

The woman, who had a feathered fan covering her face, lowered it as the men placed the sofa on the ground.

“Fuck a duck,” I whispered.

It was ChaCha. She was dressed as a Greek goddess. She, of course, introduced herself as Aphrodite.

I watched her performance. It was a skit of sorts, a cross of stripping, drama, and humor. I didn’t want to admit it, but she was a good actress. She had the men eating out of her shimmer-covered hands and staring at her glittered bosom. It finished when ChaCha was down to her pasty-covered ChoCha.

The men cheered as the curtains fell. The music was turned up, and two other women took to the stage to perform a very average pole routine. I’d seen better at Bleeding Hearts. Half an hour later, another skit took place.

I was beginning to see why men were flocking here. It was different. The laughter the skits provided was infectious and improved the overall atmosphere in the club. It wasn’t seedy, and it made the environment easier, less sleazy.

Unfortunately, I was starting to see why they had a winner.

I’d seen enough. Standing, I moved to leave, but was almost bowled over by a man. I squeaked, steadying myself before I fell. The man turned. “Shit, I’m sorry.” He smiled apologetically.

Oh, dear God.

My heart sank so deep it ended up in my stomach.

Sandwich bar guy’s eyes narrowed at me. “Hey, I know you.” He looked me over. “You’re the homeless chick.”

I shook my head, trying to look angry at his calling me homeless. “No, I think you have the wrong person. Sorry.”

I moved to walk away, but he caught my arm, pulling me back. It was obvious he’d had some to drink. He laughed loudly. “Oh, come on, I know it’s you, girl. No man forgets a face like that.” He leered down at me. “You’re looking much better.”

“Get your hands off me,” I sneered.

He tsked. “Too bad you’re not hungry anymore.” He shook his head in regret. “Damn, you’re a pretty one.” He leaned down to speak directly in my ear. “I’m regretting not taking you up on your offer that night. My cock craves your mouth, baby.” He added, “What would it take for the offer to be reinstated?”

“Hell to freeze over, you dirty asshole.” I shoved him away as hard as I could. He lost his balance, fell back, and all attention fell on me.

Hundreds of eyes turned to me. I flushed, looking toward the security guards that had just stepped forward to intervene. I snapped at them and spoke brashly, “Is that how you let men in your club treat women?”

Then I made a huge mistake.

I walked away, calling back loudly, “No, thanks. I’ll be taking my business to Bleeding Hearts.”

Chapter Twenty

Laredo

My mouth parted in shock. I watched the woman leave, my heart beating fast.

Alessio came to my side. “What should I do, Pop?”

My eyes turned to focus on the man she had argued with. “Ban him.”

My son stilled and I felt Alessio’s shock. “What? Why? They had words, that’s all. No big deal.”

I shook my head. “This is a safe environment, figlio. He brought that shit into my club and killed the mood. I won’t tolerate it.” My mind made up, I repeated myself, “Ban him.”

Alessio left to do my bidding, but I was still focused on the exit. I was sure I’d seen a ghost.

“Clara,” I whispered to myself. I needed to see her again, see her up close, with my own eyes.

And I knew just where I’d find her.

Chapter Twenty-One

Mina

We drove back to Bleeding Hearts in silence. Vik caught the panicked look in my eyes and rushed me into the car. Lev was driving before the passenger door even closed.

“What happened?” Vik asked as Lev kept his eyes on the road.

I unhooked the button-disguised camera and handed it back to him. “Nothing.”

It was stupid to lie. Vik would see what happened when he watched the footage. I suppose part of me was hoping he wouldn’t watch it to the end.

No. Hope was too weak of a word. I prayed he wouldn’t watch it to the end.

Had I known that sandwich guy was going to be at Aphrodite’s Kiss, I would never have offered to play spy. The man had humiliated me now on two occasions. He would go to sleep tonight without giving me a second thought, and he would haunt me for a time to come. I knew I was giving him power by doing that, but crap, it was hard to stop myself.

As we arrived back at the club, Lev helped me out of the car and, without meaning to, I attached myself to him, wrapping my arm around his waist and looking up at him, a pleading look in my eyes, asking for silent permission.

He didn’t disappoint. He gave me what I needed, his arm tightening around me, pulling me into his side.

A soft sigh escaped me. When Lev held me, I felt as if nothing could touch me. He played the protector role well, and although I fought the fact that I needed it, it made me feel worth something, and that was more than I’d had in years.

We walked inside and down the long hall to Sasha’s office. Vik opened the door and Sasha paused, mid-pace. He looked up from his pensive state, and as his eyes settled on me, his lip curled.

I was getting real tired of his shit. I couldn’t figure out what it was he had against me. At first, I thought it was the whole wallet debacle, but as time went on, I saw it was more. I just couldn’t put my finger on what.

Sasha looked from me, to Lev’s arm that was fastened around my shoulders, then over to Vik, who he asked politely, “Got it?”

Vik held up the button camera, shaking it lightly before moving around Sasha’s desk to plug it into his laptop. He worked quickly, bringing up the file. Before he pressed play on the media player, Vik looked to me. “I think Nas is going to want to see this.”

This is going to be a group viewing?

My heart sank, but I took the hint and found Nas sitting in the dark corner of the bar, sipping a whiskey sour. As soon as she saw me, her face brightened. She stood, walked over to me, and took my arm. “Finally,” she muttered. “While you’ve been off playing Maxwell Smart, I’ve been dying of boredom. Why do you get to have all the fun?”

“Who the hell is Maxwell Smart?” I asked and she huffed out a laugh, ignoring my question.

A single glance around the floor and I knew what she meant. We had almost no patrons at all.

I walked Nas down the long hall, but before following her inside, I pause, pulling back. My nerves sizzled. “I’ll just leave you to it.”

“What?” she asked, a frown distorting her pretty face. “Sit with me.”

It wasn’t a request. Nas did not ask.

She ordered.

Hesitation held me back until, finally, I swallowed hard, walked into the office, and shut the door behind me. Lev sat on the guest chair, opposite Sasha. Vik stood, while Nas sat on the arm of Lev’s chair.

I huddled into the back corner by the door, feeling cold and hugging myself.

The footage was skimmed over until the show started. The second ChaCha was revealed, Nas spat out a string of outrageous and clever cuss words. Sasha looked ready to shoot someone. Namely ChaCha.

Twenty-five minutes into the footage, I piped up from my corner. “That’s it,” I stated. “I get up to leave in a minute.”

Vik turned to Sasha. “It’s a show,” he uttered with a small shrug, like he didn’t know what the big deal was.

Nas got it though. “Yeah, it’s a show,” she began. “But did you see the way the men reacted to it. It was positive and light. Not sordid. And the way they’ve done up the place.” She looked to Sasha. “It looks nice.”

Sasha nodded as if he were answering an unasked question. “We have to improve our show, improve our image. We’re gonna lose more business if we don’t give ‘em something to talk about.”

As this conversation was happening, I was watching the media player, still playing the file, with my body cold with anxiety. On the screen, I had just stood from my table at Aphrodite’s Kiss and was walking away when…

“Hey, I know you,” was heard loud and clear. “You’re the homeless chick.”

All conversation stopped. All eyes turned to the screen.

“Please turn it off,” I begged on a whisper, my voice trembling.

But no one listened. They were too enthralled in the altercation happening on the screen.

“Too bad you’re not hungry anymore.” I bit the inside of my lip, my heart racing. “Damn, you’re a pretty one.” My throat closed and my arms tightened around my body. “I’m regretting not taking you up on your offer that night. My cock craves you mouth, baby.” Tears filled my eyes and I closed them tight, not giving him the satisfaction of crying over his actions one more time. “What would it take for the offer to be reinstated?”

“Hell to freeze over, you dirty asshole.”

I heard the low whine of someone standing from a chair. I knew he was in front of me before I even opened my eyes. Instead, I squeezed them closed tighter. “I’m sorry,” I told him.

I heard myself on the laptop. “Is that how you let men in your club treat women?” I cringed, slapping my hands over my face, knowing what was coming next. “No, thanks. I’ll be taking my business to Bleeding Hearts.”

Speaking through my hands, I let out a muffled, “Oh, God.”

I heard someone chuckle quietly. Nas spat out, “It’s not funny!” shutting them down before they could humiliate me anymore.

Sasha spoke. “I know it’s not funny. I’m not laughing out of humor.” His voice held a key note of derision. “Not only did she cause a scene, but her crazy ass announced that she’d be coming here.” He scoffed. “Yeah. There goes the rest of our customers.”

“Shut up, Sash,” Nas hissed. Her voice softened a great deal when she asked, “Mina, you know that guy?”

I shook my head.

When Lev spoke, I felt his fury. “You said nothing happened. That wasn’t nothing.”

It was then that I opened my eyes and, sad as they were, they settled on Lev. “I didn’t want you to hear what he said.”

“Why?” he asked, bordering irate.

I bit the inside of my lip and spoke through the thickness in my throat. “Because what he said…” Oh, God, I was so ashamed. “It’s true.” I sniffled, the first of many tears trickling down my flaming red cheek. “He owns a sandwich bar. I asked him for food. He told me to suck his dick. At first, I refused, but,” a ragged breath escaped me, “but I was so hungry, Lev. So hungry,” I stressed. “And when I finally agreed, he told me it was too late and left me crying out in the street.” I looked down at the ground. “He didn’t get his blowjob. And I didn’t get anything to eat.” My voice turned to a whisper. “That was the day before I met you. That was why I stole Sasha’s wallet.” I looked up through my blurry eyes to lock eyes with Sasha. My whisper was hoarse. “I was desperate.”

No one spoke for a while. I didn’t want anyone to speak. I didn’t want looks of pity. I didn’t want sympathy. I wanted to go home.

“Okay,” Lev murmured in that soft way of his, and it was almost as if he’d read my mind, because he turned to the others in the room and stated, “I’m taking Mina home.”

Even though he wasn’t asking for permission, Sasha gave it in the only way I imagined he could. “Yeah, whatever. It’s not like we got customers to serve.”

We drove in long, comfortable silence, holding hands over the center console.

When we arrived home, we went about getting ready for bed. Lev undressed all the way down to his boxers, no longer afraid of dashing my mild sensibilities, and I dressed in my ‘hideous’ yellow pajamas. Lev locked the bedroom door, pulled out the sofa, climbed in, and turned off his lamp. My lamp followed suit as I climbed into the ginormous king bed.

I lay there a long while, unable to get comfortable or find sleep.

It took a long, stern, mental pep-talk, but I made my decision.

Sliding out of bed, I shuffled over to the sofa bed, climbed onto the mattress, and wasn’t a little bit surprised that Lev had predicted my move, lifting the sheets to let me under. He spooned me, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me back into his warm, strong body.

His scent was warm and manly. He was toasty, and his hard body cocooned mine. It calmed me. Comfort hit me immediately and I yawned.

I felt Lev’s lips press lightly at the base of my neck. “Goodnight, Mina.”

“Night, sweetie.” My eyes turned heavy, and soon, I was lost to slumber.

We slept that way until dawn.

The next morning, as I walked out of the bathroom dressed in my black yoga pants and white off-the-shoulder tee, I was brought to a stop by Lev sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting for me.

Brushing out my wet hair, I smiled softly at the sight of him in his sweats, tee, and hoodie. “Morning.”

A frown at his brow, he stood and came forward, a small turquoise box in his hand. He strode forth, a decisive gleam in his eyes, and when he stopped an inch in front of me, I knew what was coming next.

Lev leaned in low, close, and breathing in his warm, manly scent, I closed my eyes, awaiting the kiss I had been waiting for my entire life.

I stood on my tiptoes, my face turned up, ready to receive it.

This kiss would be the kiss I judged all others by. I felt it deep in my bones. This kiss would be groundbreaking. This kiss would push me over the edge and would finally fall for Lev Leokov.

This kiss…

Never happened.

His hands worked swiftly, fastening something behind my neck.

I looked down.

A silver anchor on a long, delicate silver chain sat just above the valley of my breasts. The disappointment from my non-kiss faded, but only marginally.

“It’s not my birthday,” I told him.

Turns out, I didn’t need a groundbreaking kiss to fall in love with Lev Leokov. I knew this, because what he said then settled the matter. “This is for all the birthdays you missed out on.” He reached out to brush the anchor pendant, his finger sweeping across the top of my breast accidentally. “For the birthdays that were never acknowledged when they should have been.”