“That would be incredibly enlightening.” I tossed back my drink and crunched an ice cube with more gusto than necessary.
“Okay,” Val drawled. “Gianna, why don’t we freshen up our drinks?”
We said our sickly-sweet goodbyes, and I managed to avoid Christian’s gaze, even though I could feel it on me like a rash.
“That was . . . wow,” Valentina said as we reached the bar.
“She’s nice.”
Val laughed. “You’re so out of touch with reality.”
“I need a drink. And this time, hold the bitters,” I told her.
“Honey, that’s a Moscow Mule. There isn’t any bitters.”
“Well, something’s bitter.”
“Yes, something is.” She eyed me meaningfully and then tossed back a shot that was placed in front of her. I followed suit and enjoyed the burn in my throat. I hadn’t planned to drink tonight, but I also hadn’t expected to feel inadequate in Aleksandra’s leggy, six-foot-tall shadow.
“Let’s dance,” I announced.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
She grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the dance floor. We found a spot in the crowd and moved with the bodies, pressing our backs together and rolling our hips. Maybe it was due to my lack of modesty, or maybe it was for pure attention, but I loved to dance with an audience. And right now, there were a lot of male eyes pointed in our direction. Each one lit a spark inside me, slowing, sensualizing, each roll of my hips, the glide of my hands in my hair.
The fact I wouldn’t let myself look at Christian made the touch of his gaze more intense. Each one sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. Set a fire in my blood as a drop of sweat dripped down my back.
Out of breath, we reached the men at our table and fell into our seats.
Van moved in to whisper in my ear, his voice deep and raw, “Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?”
I leaned away shyly, a stupid blush rising to my cheeks. “Yes.”
He laughed at my bold response.
My gaze flicked up and caught on Christian. He leaned against the bar, with Aleksandra and Elena in conversation beside him. He wasn’t looking at me. His gaze was directed at Van, and it was dark enough I could feel the coldness on my skin. He took a sip from his glass, his expression filling with something vo
latile and conflicted before he looked away.
Uncertainty ran through me.
If he ruined another relationship for me, I’d scream.
We talked for an hour until I felt Mother Nature’s call. I weaved through the crowd and walked upstairs, past the bouncer Ronny who nodded at me, toward the bathrooms on the VIP floor. They were always less busy than the ones downstairs.
I pushed the door open and almost turned straight back around to brave the bathroom line downstairs, because Aleksandra stood at the sink washing her hands. Her cat-eyed gaze flicked to me, and I couldn’t back out now. I used the restroom, and when I exited the stall, she was still at the mirror, applying lipstick.
We stood side-by-side at the sink.
She brushed some powder on her cheeks. “I wouldn’t be caught dead in that dress.”
The truth always comes out in the bathroom, doesn’t it?
I reached into my bra for my lip gloss. “Confidence comes with time. I’m sure you’ll get there someday.”
She was unfazed. “You vant him.”
I sighed. We were actually going there.