Page 1 of The One Who Won’t Get Away
Chapter 1
Nadya
Two Years Ago
IPICKED THE BAR FORits modern vibe.The last thing I needed was one of those dingy places where the clientele was over sixty or someone looking to sell their bodies to those over sixty.Not that I had a problem with sex workers, but I didn’t want to be mistaken for one and having to deal with some sleazebag who thought flashing me a twenty-dollar bill meant he could grope me.
Also, it was close enough to a subway station for the Q train that could get me home.Driving...yeah, even if I didn’t plan on drinking, driving just wasn’t in the cards for me.It’s why I liked Brooklyn so much — I never had to drive if I didn’t want to.
Today was one of those Saturday nights with the weather in denial, half winter, half spring, all slush.Weather like today always made me want to forget myself in alcohol, sex, and occasionally, when my thoughts decided to really go spinning, drugs.Alcohol first, though.Because I was good like that, caring about my health and what not.
I shook off my coat at the door and bee-lined for a seat in the center of the bar where I could easily see and be seen.It shouldn’t be hard to find someone to hook up with.Harder to find a guy good enough to make me forget.
Forget my adoptive father putting me in the car, saying we were going on a field trip.Just the two of us.Wouldn’t that be fun?
It wasn’t.It absolutely fucking wasn’t.
A guy two stools away looked like he could do the trick.All those muscles, those huge hands...then again, just because someone looked good didn’t mean they knew what to do with a woman.Too often, men like that only cared about their own pleasure.That was the last thing I wanted tonight.
I dug the leather jacket, though.Bad boy vibes were definitely my thing.
The bartender with a man-bun and a tattoo sleeve tried for a smile.“What can I get you?”
“Vodka.Neat.”
He moved off to pour it, and I glanced sideways again.The stranger had a face you could call handsome if you liked your men permanently tired.And yeah, maybe I kinda did like that.He looked like I felt.
It wasn’t an exhaustion after a long day of work but rather that bone-deep weariness I’ve been carrying ever since I was a kid.And all of that because of one incident.Because someone was walking in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The hunk didn’t speak until my glass hit the bar.
“Saturdays are the worst,” he grumbled.
“If you don’t like Saturdays, try yoga.It’ll either help you relax, or it’ll make you so miserable you’ll think Saturdays are the best.”
He huffed a low laugh.“Already tried yoga.The quiet doesn’t help.”
Huh.I could definitely relate to that.
“Then you must be loving this,” I said, waving a hand at groups of people chatting at all the various tables.
The place looked half-empty by Brooklyn standards, but the chatter was deafening because Brooklyn standards?Yeah.Tables were practically on top of one another to get maximum income from the extremely expensive rent.
The hunk looked me up and down, but it didn’t make me feel slimy, so that was a good start.Raising his glass in my direction, he gave me a slow nod.“Nick.”
“I think you got the wrong person.My name is Nadya, not Nick.”
He smirked, then in the most seductive voice repeated, “Nadya.”Did it have to sound so hot when he said it?“You Russian?”
“No.”I was.Russian born in Ukraine.
He didn’t press.“You come here often?”
I let that one hang for a second, then laughed.“Jesus.Are we actually doing this?The standard line part?Tell me you have something better.”
Was I being an ass?A little.It just...well...I had to see how he’d react to a slight pushback.A very slight one because I wasn’t about to piss off someone I didn’t know.Men who didn’t react well to these things would be an automatic no, regardless of the hot looks.It didn’t even matter that I only wanted someone for tonight.Temper of any kind was unacceptable and the inability to take no for an answer even more so.Call it a test.
“Not really.The classics are classics for a reason.”He turned to me fully then, propping his elbow on the scarred wood.His eyes were dark, not quite black but close, and they didn’t dart away like some guys did if they were up to no good.“Okay.How about this.You look like you could drink me under the table, and I want to find out if that’s true.”
