Page 18 of Defiled Innocence

“Do not test me any further tonight.” I touch the tip of her nose and step out of the room. Her growl of frustration makes me smile as I head down the hall to deal with more serious matters.

Amelia

“Don’t test me,” I mutter to myself as I throw my coat over the back of a dark brown leather armchair.

Who the hell does this man think he is? Lucas was bossy, but he had every right to be.Hewas my brother. He’d been in charge of me since my father passed away.

Lucas was a pain in my ass sometimes with his overprotectiveness, but this man takes it to the next level. Telling me I have to stay in his office like some sweet obedient puppy while he goes off and does mafia stuff?

I stop short, standing at the window overlooking the city. We’re only on the second floor so the view isn’t spectacular, but I can feel the energy through the glass. This is New York City. I can do and be anything I want.

And right now, I want to go downstairs and get a drink.

Leaving my coat behind, I throw my cross-body purse over my head and yank the door open. After a quick peek down the hall to be sure no one is coming, I hurry in the other direction to the stairs I used yesterday.

The heavy thump of the music vibrates the floor as I get closer to the club. Nightclubs have never been my thing. In college, I’d be the first to end the night while the rest of my roommates stayed out until dawn.

The same man that chased me up the stairs yesterday stands by the door leading into the club. For a second, I think he blanches. Did Dmitri get mad at him for letting me get past him?

“Hi again.” I offer a wide grin.

“Does Dmitri know you’re down here?” He glances up the stairs.

I laugh. “Would I be down here if he didn’t?” Hopefully the background noise of the music seeping through the door drowns out the little crack in my voice. Lying has never suited me.

He looks conflicted.

“He had to meet with some people. You can go up there and check, but it looked urgent.” There, let him decide if it’s worth a chewing out for questioning his boss.

After another second of thought, he grasps the door handle. “All right, but I’m letting the security team know you’re in there.”

I lift a shoulder. “Of course.”

Multicolored lights and music assault me as soon as I enter the club. There’s a DJ stand at the front of the room, lifted up on a stage with more lights aimed down at the crowd, swirling over the dancing figures.

It takes a minute for my senses to get accustomed to the bombardment, and I make my way to the nearest bar. As soon as I reach it, a bartender appears as if by magic in front of me. He jerks his thumb at the men standing in front of me to get them out of the way.

“What are you drinking tonight, Mrs. Dragunov?” He leans over the bar and is loud enough that I can hear that he’s just called me Mrs.

I grit my teeth. The man keeps calling me his wife and I haven’t even agreed to marry him.

The arrogance is astounding.

“Can you make an Amaretto sour?” I’m not much of a drinker, but I like the sweetness of that drink.

He makes a face like it’s one of the odder requests he’s gotten tonight.

“I’ll get it done. One sec.” He disappears, looking at the bottom shelves for something.

“Hey, I know you.” A warm hand rests on my arm.

Sliding my arm from beneath his hand, I turn toward the man. I’ve never seen him before in my life. He has sandy blond hair with swampy green eyes. He’s grinning down at me, showing off the deep dimple that pops up on the left side of his cheek.

“I’m sorry?” I shout up at him. He’s good looking in the pretty sort of way. Maybe if he was older, or had a beard like Dmitri, he would emanate the same masculine energy Dmitri does.

Fuck.

I shake my head. Where the hell did those thoughts come from? I’m not going to compare men to Dmitri. No.

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