Page 63 of Cruel Honor

I grimace and turn as Tatiana approaches. “Tatiana. You know, when I slept with you, I didn’t realize you were such a bitch. But now I know you’re a bitch and a whore.”

Evie completely pulls away from me, leaving behind a pit in my stomach. Just when we were getting close …

“Be careful what you say to me, Dimitri,” Tatiana says. “One day, you’ll be my husband. Once this slut is gone.”

“We should go,” Evie says to me.

“No. This is my club.” I try to put my arm around Evie, but she backs away from me again. Fuck. None of this is going how I wanted it to. “Tatiana, you need to leave.”

She sticks her hip out, planting her hands on her waist. “I have a right to be here.”

“And I have the right, as this club’s owner, to kick out anyone who pisses me off. And right now, you’re pissing me off. So, leave”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll drag you out of here myself.”

“It’s nothing I haven’t experienced before. I remember how much you liked it rough when we slept together.”

“That’s it,” I growl, hiking up my sleeves.

Evie walks right past me and heads toward the restrooms.

“Evie,” I call out.

“I just need some space.”

I watch her go. Before Evie, when a woman would walk away from me, I’d just shrug and move on to the next woman. But now, all I feel is the pit within my stomach grow. Fuck. I hate this feeling. It’s no wonder I’ve never tried to care for any woman before. It’s too much fucking emotion.

I turn back to Tatiana, but she’s gone. Good riddance. I slink over to the bar, and the bartender hands me my favorite drink—an old-fashioned. I practically chug it back in one mouthful.

Tonight was not supposed to go like this. I’m trying with Evie, but she’s hard to crack, and Tatiana and Irina didn’t help.

Setting my drink down, I raise my fingers for another.

EVIE

I lean over the bathroom sink and suck in deep breaths. It’s not going well. I’m a fool for liking Dimitri. Life would be so much easier if he just chose one of the hundreds of women who would be a better fit for him. He needs someone who loves to go to the club. Not a bookworm like me.

The restroom door opens and in walks Tatiana. I push down the groan that threatens to escape me.

“Hi,” she says, leaning against the counter. She’s so close; I can smell her sugary perfume.

“Hi,” I respond warily.

“I know I was a bit rude back there.”

“You called me a slut,” I remind her.

“Right. I did, didn’t I?” Her laugh takes up the entire room. I try not to flinch. Tatiana’s smile is red and dangerous. She’s objectively a beautiful woman, but there’s a bite to her looks. A sharpness I find unsettling.

“Did you need something?”

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

I look at her more closely. “You’re … sorry?”

“Yes,” she huffs. “I am. We got off on the wrong foot, and for that,I’m sorry. It’s not your fault Dimitri chose you. It’s him I’m angry with. I say us girls should band together.”

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