Sex, Lies & Nikolai by R.J. Lewis Page B

always thought my mother used that as an excuse to get me away from all the women. She had high hopes for me. She wanted me with a nice girl, and at the time I had no interest.
    But then there’s this girl, and she’s exactly what my mother spoke of.
    I’ve kept her at a distance for this specific reason. I’m so achingly attracted to her, it’s driven me to her every morning for the last year and a half. I have always maintained distance, but I broke it the second I was alone in a room with her. She’s unhealthy for me. I can sense that already as she defies her hesitation and continues forward, that look of determination on her face.
    She stops in front of me and, conscious of all eyes on her, she quietly says, “I need to speak to you alone.”
    “Strip!” a man shouts behind us.
    Alina looks up in surprise and then glowers at a face I’m not concerned enough to look at. Another man shouts the same thing, and laughter follows.
    “Come on, baby,” they coo. “Let’s see that little body!”
    “Fuck you,” she retorts, surprising me.
    They laugh harder behind us and Alina’s face grows fierce with her anger. Before she can say something else – and I know she’s about to because her hands have closed into fists and her mouth opens – I grab her by the arm and pull her down into my lap. Her breath escapes in a rush as I trap her with my arms. She weighs next to nothing, and still she’s curvy, her cleavage practically spilling from her top, her shorts riding up and revealing those toned strong thighs.
    “What are you doing?” she asks, her voice laced with admonishment.
    I lean into her and whisper, “Sit with me like this and they’ll shut their mouths.”
    “I’m not worried about them,” she retorts.
    “I am.”
    She furrows her brow. “Mister tough Russian man is worried about his safety around a bunch of drunks?”
    I crack a smile. She’s cute. “I’m worried for their safety, rybka.”
    The last thing I want to do is man-handle a bunch of alcoholic pricks. It’ll be annoying, and tiresome, and they’ll ruin my suit.
    She looks momentarily thoughtful at my response, and then she grows quiet. She’s not happy about sitting here, but she doesn’t protest.
    Valeria moves into my peripheral, her face turned in my direction. I’m sure everyone’s looking. Maybe this will shut their mouths. To be honest, I don’t even care. Let the bastards think what they want.
    “They’re looking at you more than they’re looking at her,” I tell Alina just then.
    She’s so pleasing to the eye, I don’t blame them. Her breaths come slower, her eyes dulling as she looks over her shoulder at the exit before redirecting her gaze to mine. She’s troubled. I see it in her hard eyes, the panic lurking there. For a second, I wonder what plagues her, but then her eyes clear and her face hardens. It’s the strangest thing, seeing her close to cowering and then strengthening all at once.
    The girl really does intrigue me.
    Running her hands down her shorts, she tells me again, “I need to talk to you, not sit in your lap like some piece of fluff.”
    “Shame. I’m the envy of the room.”
    “A room filled with assholes with hands down their pants. Their envy isn’t the greatest accomplishment.”
    “Mine’s at least eight inches, baby!” someone shouts, overhearing our conversation. “You can see it if you like.”
    The sound of more cackling follows, and this time a vein in my neck throbs. I look over my shoulder, staring directly at the drunk man watching Alina with hungry eyes. I make sure to remember that face before I turn back to her. The dirty suka will be dealt with later.
    “Ignore the animal,” I tell her on a shrug, keeping my anger at bay. “He acts like filth because he knows it’s the only way to catch your attention.”
    She gives me an odd look. “It’s… fine. I need to talk to you.”
    “What do you want to discuss?” I ask her.
    “I can’t do it here.”
    As much as