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“All alone?”
I gasp, taken unawares by the giant silhouette hanging over me. It’s him, the man with the ponytail and diamond studs and the flat, lifeless eyes that make me think of the horror films I used to avoid as a kid.
“I… I’m not alone. Kolya will be back soon.” My voice shakes no matter how hard I try to keep it still.
Iakov smiles wolfishly and then licks his lips again. Christ, I wish he would stop doing that. “Did I tell you how ravishing you look in that dress?” he murmurs. “Pregnancy certainly does suit some women.”
His eyes slide down to my cleavage. It makes me wish I had a shawl to wrap around my chest. Either that or a suit of armor.
I push myself off the bar stool. “I’d better go look for Kolya. Excuse me,” I tell him coldly.
I’m hoping he just lets me go, but it’s a shallow hope, dead on arrival. Iakov tails me like a shadow. “Oh my, what a pleasure it is to walk behind you. Why don’t you let me keep you company until your man deigns to show up again? A prize like you can’t be left wandering around by herself. So many sharks in this room who might try to steal a taste.”
I figure I can lose him on the dance floor, but that turns out to be a phenomenally bad plan, because he takes the opportunity to grab my hand and twist me around.
Before I can catch my breath, he pulls me against him and suddenly, we’re locked in a dance I never agreed to be a part of in the first place.
“What are you doing?” I snap, looking around desperately, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kolya. Or one of his men, at the very least.
“I’m dancing,” Iakov says, giving me a smile that’s more of a sneer. “Heard that you were pretty good at it.”
I feel a shiver run up my spine. It’s an offhand comment, innocuous on the face of it, but I know now that there’s no such thing in Kolya’s world. How much does this creep know about me? The whole truth, or just part of it? The entire point of tonight is to push the lie. If no one ends up believing it, then where do I stand? What use am I?
“I’d rather not dance right now.”
He just holds me tighter. “I would enjoy this while you can. I certainly am. Kolya Uvarov is not the kind of man who likes to share.”
Okay, so maybe he does believe our little fantasy. At least that will give me some measure of protection.
I hope.
“That just makes this move really stupid on your part.”
Iakov scoffs. “He’s not going to do anything. Making a move against me would be akin to calling for war. And that’s a big risk for your man.”
“Kolya can take you,” I say confidently. “And anyone else that comes his way.”
He just laughs at me. “He may have the pride, he may have his father’s ego, but he has half the strength and less than that in support. Oh, he needs me, little rabbit. He can’t afford to act without me.”
I stop struggling so hard against his hold and just stare at him, disassociating. This is not my world. I’m in over my head here. But Kolya isn’t around to hold my hip and keep me safe. I’m in the deep end all alone and the shark is circling. Do I let him take a bite?
Or do I bite first?
“Why would he need you?” I venture.
“Because I have inside information for him. Not to mention a very generous offer to present.”
“Which is what?”
“I’ll speak to him about that when the time is right. I just need you to take the proposition to him.”
“You want me to play messenger?”
“Precisely.” He reaches up and runs the calloused tip of one finger down my cheek. “And what a pretty little carrier pigeon you are.”
I resist the urge to bite his finger clean off. Instead, I jerk away from his touch. “I’m not about to take anything to him without knowing what it is. So you can tell me now, or you can fuck right off.”
His eyes glow with annoyance. “You’ve got a bratty little mouth for a woman who—”
