Page 48 of Endless Obsession

I groan, stubbing out my cigarette on the wall, because Lev will be suspicious if I agree too quickly. “I’m not going to be able to get out of this, am I?”

Lev’s smile widens. “No,” he says with satisfaction, and I can tell he’s enjoying this. “And she’s a virgin, Ivan. So no playing with her before she’s handed over.”

I grimace. “Not even a hand job in the bathroom?”

“Absolutely fucking not. She’s to be handed over exactly as she is now, pure as the driven snow.”

“Fine.” I push myself off of the wall. “It’s not like I had any other Friday night plans,” I add sarcastically, and Lev’s expression grows even more pleased.

“You do now. Don’t fuck it up,” he adds, calling out after me as I start to walk away. “Otets patience is waning.”

“So is mine,” I mutter under my breath.

“What’s that?” Lev asks, and I grit my teeth, not bothering to turn back around.

“I said, send me the details. I’ll adjust my calendar accordingly.”

And with that, I start to walk down the street, back in the direction I came. I’ll call an Uber before too much longer, but for right now, I need the fresh air.

If I can pull this off, I might both be able to save Sabrina Petrov, and get Bradley enough information to get him off of my ass for a while.

If not?—

That doesn’t bear thinking about.

15

CHARLOTTE

Ihave high hopes for my Sunday morning, until I wake up to texts from Nate.

Nate: Char, just call me.

Nate: Char, babe. You’re being really unreasonable.

Nate: Don’t tell me you’ve got some other guy over there already, and that’s why you’re ignoring me.

Nate: Were you just waiting this whole time to be a slut?

Nate: I’m sorry babe, I’m just going crazy not hearing from you. My brother is getting sick of me crashing on his couch.

Nate: We can talk this out. Just call me. You’re not going to throw away five years just like that, are you?

Just reading the string of texts before I’ve even gotten in the shower makes me feel tired, and douses some of the glow I’ve been riding on since my date with Ivan. That couldn’t have gone better, so much so that I’ve been looking forward to filling Zoe and Sarah in on it at brunch. Jaz already knows, obviously—-I texted her nonstop the minute Ivan dropped me off at my apartment after the play. She’s of the mind that the fact he didn’t even try to kiss me is concerning. I think it’s gentlemanly.

It made me feel like he really cares more about spending time with me than anything else. Like he really does see more about me that he likes than just my appearance.

I ignore the messages from Nate, tossing my phone back on the nightstand before going to shower and get ready for brunch. If anything, the date with Ivan made me that much less interested in rekindling anything with him. In fact, I’m starting to wonder if Nate’s cheating was a blessing in disguise. Sure, it hurt to find out about, and it made me feel like shit at the time—but I feel like my eyes have been opened since then to everything that I was missing.

Brunch is at Amuse-Bouche, one of our favorite spots. Zoe and Jaz are there first, and I get a text from the group chat just as I’m getting out of the Uber, letting me know that they have a table. When I get there, there’s already a pitcher of pineapple mimosas that they’re sharing, while picking at a plate of cinnamon knots.

“Heyyy!” Jaz exclaims as I sit down. “Oh my god, I can’t wait for you to tell Zoe about your date.”

“I’ll wait for Sarah to get here.” I settle into my chair across from Zoe, noticing an odd-looking man out of the corner of my eye, sitting at the far end of the patio. He’s dressed all in black and wearing a leather jacket and cap, focused intently on something on his laptop screen. Something about him sends a shiver down my spine, but I shrug it off. There are all kinds of eccentric people in the city; there’s no reason to think there’s something particularly off about him.

Sarah comes flying in a few minutes later, breathless. “Sorry I’m late,” she says, dropping into the empty seat next to me right as the server brings me a mimosa. “I had to go to a board meeting last night that they decided to hold at Grapevine, that new wine bar, and we ended up staying out a little too late. I overslept.”

“No worries,” Jaz says cheerfully. “Brunch isn’t supposed to be stressful! You get here when you get here.”

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