“Three more.” She nods and hurries off.

I stand up when Kervyn reaches us, and I shake his hand. “Pakhan.” Kervyn snorts and bulls me into a bear hug.

“Little brother being so formal.”

I move to hug Penny and then smile and hug Asher, being sure to crush her body against mine.

She doesn’t say anything. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this, and I think she believes it's just how I hug. I chuckle to myself and sit back down. This time, everyone shifts around, and Kervyn and I end up together with Arseny on his other side and Luka on mine.

The girls sit on chairs opposite Kervyn and me while a waitress comes to take our drinks order. I study Asher. She’s so beautiful with her dark curly hair and olive skin complexion. I want to possess her in every aspect of the word.

Our drinks come, and we listen as the girls discuss plans for Asher to see her little sister soon. I didn’t know Asher had a little sister. She can’t be half as beautiful as Asher, though. She is a Goddess in a world of peasants.

I watch Asher as much as I can without making it completely obvious until she and Penny take Luka to the dance floor to dance with them—the little party trio, as usual. I watch Asher sway and move to the music and imagine her swaying and moving with me, amongst other things I would do to her.

She’d writhe.

Luka comes back eventually to get his drink and sits beside me. “Who do you think will be next to get married? Arseny or me?” he asks.

I glance at him. “Who’s to say that it won’t be me, you little shit?”

“Because you live at strip clubs and fuck anything that walks,” Kervyn jokes and my two little brothers guffaw at him.

I shake my head. “I’d bet money that I’m the next to get married, soon even.”

“To whom?” Arseny asks.

“Doesn’t matter who, does it? I will just be the next one married.” I say it matter-of-factually.

“So you’re willing to bet on that?” Arseny asks smugly.

“Two hundred thousand,” I say confidently.

They look at each other, and then Arseny nods. “Okay, I’ll bite. Two hundred thousand that I’ll be the first to get married.”

Luka snorts. “I’m way more handsome. Two hundred thousand says I’ll be married first. Besides Arseny, you barely go out of your dungeon. If you are going to marry someone, you’d actually have to go out.”

I smile. “Kervyn, do you want to bet on one of us?”

Kervyn looks between us and then nods. “I agree that Luka is going to get married first.”

“Hey!” Arseny proclaims. “It’s my birthday. You’re supposed to back me.”

“I’m not losing two hundred grand just because it’s your birthday. I just bought you a new house,” Kervyn says with a chuckle as a fresh batch of shots is delivered to our table.

We all take them, and everyone talks about how they’ll be the first married. I know why I’m the first; it’s because I already know who my wife is.

Asher.

I need the perfect opportunity to insert myself into her life in that role, swoop her off her feet, and marry her. Or order her to marry me. Whichever one works.

Some other VIP girls come over and sit nearby, making eyes at us.

For the time being, I have an itch to scratch, and so does Luka, it seems. We both get up and excuse ourselves. We stroll over to the ladies, who smile brightly when Luka sits on one side and I sit on the other.

“Hello, ladies,” Luka says. “We couldn’t help but notice you beautiful young ladies are dateless tonight, and we can’t let that happen in our club.”

“Your club?” the one sitting next to Luka says. “As in, you’re a Milov?”