Page 110 of Ruby Malice

German whistles. “Hot damn. Well, how was the sex that followed? Better or worse than normal?”

“Nonexistent.”

At that, German finally goes quiet. He stares at me for several seconds, speechless, before finally stammering, “She was naked… in your bed… and you didn’t sleep with her? I’m just having a hard time imagining how much you must hate her to refuse that.”

“Do the math,” I say. “Plus, it didn’t help that Rayne walked in on the whole mess.”

German chokes on a laugh. “She walked in while you were fucking?”

“I didn’t fuck Viktoria,” I snap. “I already said that. I haven’t touched Viktoria in… a while.”

Since I met Rayne,to tell the truth.But German doesn’t need to know that. He suspects too much where Rayne is concerned. If he knew we slept together the day I refused Viktoria, he’d draw even more irritating connections.

None of it matters, anyway. Rayne wants a fresh start. She wants to forget the last few weeks.

Fine. That’s what I’ll do, too. I’ll forget her.

“So how awkward is this dinner going to be?” German asks. “The last time you saw Viktoria, she was naked in your bed and you refused her. She can’t be too happy with you.”

The last time I saw Viktoria was actually when I watched the security footage where she tried to run Rayne over with her car. Just the thought makes me tense. My hand tightens to a fist at my side, my knuckles going white. “She should be more worried about me not being happy with her than the other way around.”

“You’re not going to do anything reckless, are you?”

I turn to my best friend. “I’m surprised you’re not eating up this gossip. You love this kind of shit.”

“I love it when it’s not putting the Bratva at risk.”

“Do you think I’d put the Bratva at risk?” I challenge.

He waves his hands in front of him. “No. No, I don’t. I don’t think you’d put the Bratva at risk… when you’re acting like yourself. But lately, you’ve seemed… different. Distracted.”

“I was looking out a window during one meeting, for fuck’s sake.”

“It’s not just today,” he clarifies. “For a few weeks now, you’ve been different. And as mad as you might be at me for questioning you right now, that’s my job. There’s a reason you made me your second—because you know I’ll call you out on your bullshit when no one else will.”

“There’s no bullshit to call. My priorities are always the Bratva and my family. You know that.”

There’s a long pause before German finally nods. “Yeah. I know that.”

“And Viktoria is a loose cannon and the daughter of a so-called ally who is more of a burden than any help to us. The partnership between my family and the Kozlovs is a relic from when my father was alive. I’m not worried about losing it.”

German leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “You’re just cutting off a lot of allies recently. You betrayed Stefano because he hit on a maid you liked. Now, you’re ending an engagement you’ve been roped into since you were a teenager. I have to wonder if this all doesn’t come back to—”

“It comes back to me,” I interrupt. “This has nothing to do with anyone else.”

Certainly not the maid with the ocean in her eyes.

I stand up and shake off the conversation. “Arnov Lenin and his posse are in town, too. Extend an invite. If I have to host this dinner, I might as well take out two birds with one boring stone.”

“Okay, but you’ll need to hire a few extra waitstaff for a party that big,” German says. “I can call a catering company and see about hiring a few waitresses for the day?”

I start to nod, but then stop myself. “That won’t be necessary. A few of the maids came from the catering company.”

German frowns in confusion. Then I see him put it all together. He shakes his head. “Kirill…”

“You’re the one who said you wanted a little excitement at this dinner. I’m just trying to oblige my best friend’s wishes.”

“Yeah fucking right,” he grumbles. “I wanted some excitement, not to watch an alliance older than I am implode over shrimp cocktails. You can’t bring the girl there.”

---