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“Y—yes,” the girl stammers, forcing a smile. “Of course.”
“Come,” Vadik nods with his chin for me to follow him out of the room. “We can go to my study. Bring your wine.”
I glance back at Taylor. Before I know what I’m doing, I’m pulling her into me and leaning down to kiss her softly.
“Have fun,” I murmur.
“You too,” she breathes.
Vadik chuckles, patting my shoulder in a way that makes me want to punch him in the throat as we walk away down the hall.
“Quite miraculous for you to have found her again, Drazen.”
I smile and shake my head. “There was no finding necessary; she wasn’t ever lost,” I shrug. “We were young when we got married and had things we each wanted to do. We’ve…reconnected,” I murmur.
“Just in time for a vote onto the Table with the very woman who was godmother to your ‘not lost’ wife’s father.”
He’s digging. Prying. Poking to see where there’s a weak spot.
He won’t find one.
I laugh as I clap him on the shoulder, like we’re good buddies.
“You’ve been watching too many spy movies, my friend,” I smile.
Vadik eyes me coolly. Then he grins. “What can I say. I’m a sucker for old Bond films.”
“What sort of Russian does that make you?”
He snickers. “A rich one who cares not for politics, just getting paid.” He turns to me. “You know, since you’re such a wine man, I’d love to show you my collection. Before business.”
I feel myself grinning widely.
“Sounds like a blast,” I chuckle.
The fuck. I’ve never once said “sounds like a blast” in my fucking life. And why am I smiling so hard?
“This way, then!” Vadik says, leading me down another hallway. We step into a lavish room with glass walls, behind which sit hundreds of temperature-controlled racks full of wine.
“Fuck me,” I whistle.
Vadik laughs. “You haven’t seen the best part. Come!”
He gleefully walks over to a table. He looks at me like a kid showing off his new Christmas present and twists the lamp sitting on it.
“You’ll love this.”
Behind him, one of the walls of glass slides backward and then to the side, revealing a staircase and a stone archway leading down.
“This up here?” He snorts. “Good enough for stockbrokers and CEOs. But for men like us? With power like ours?” He gestures with his head. “Come. I’ll show you the really good stuff.”
“If there’s not a bathtub still cranking out vodka down there,” I chuckle, grinning widely, “I’m going to be very disappointed in you, Vadik.”
He roars with laughter. “I think that Petrus is going to your head, my friend!”
I chuckle as we start down the stairs. Then I frown as his words ripple through my subconscious.
I think that Petrus is going to your head.
