Page 22 of Room Nine: For Their Eyes Only

“Where are you going?” Jax voices his concern, searching our surroundings for signs that someone has done something to upset me.

I shake my head, avoiding his questions and urging him to concentrate on Elsa.

“You two should check out your room. Elsa told me it was expensive, and I’m sure you’re dying to see what it looks like inside.” I dash into a passing crowd headed toward the ladies' room and come close to making a clean getaway. Unfortunately, Elsa isn’t letting off the hook so quickly. She wants answers I’m not ready to provide.

Do they really think I was serious about taking on all three?

I’ve never even had one man; I don’t think I’m ready for three!

“Vivi! You look like you’ve seen a ghost. You're not going home, are you?” Elsa wrangles me out from the crowd and closes the distance between us, wrapping her arms around me to calm me down.

“No, she’s not. She’s with me.” Andrei appears through a sea of expensive suits and obnoxious baubles like a demon appearing through the fog. He’s devastatingly handsome, but that isn’t the first thing that catches my attention. His wicked smile turns my legs to jelly. His smoldering gray-blue eyes light my core on fire.

“With you?” Elsa looks justifiably concerned and puzzled.

I nod and place my hand in his, like that was the plan all along. As if I didn’t just try to run away and hide in the bathroom until they grew tired of waiting and left.

“Yes. I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner. I’m with them,” I whisper, my previously unsteady voice becoming more confident by the second.

“Them?”

Chapter15

Vadim was right. I’m happy he told her what to expect. I’m thrilled she told him where to find her. Surprising her would have been creepy and awkward. Three-to-one is bound to be intimidating, and I want her to feel at ease in our presence.

Lust makes you do crazy things, and my unchecked enthusiasm could have been catastrophic.

“That is one hell of a dress,” I rasp, my eyes locked on hers as I struggle to regain my composure. She stole my breath the second I watched her walk through the curtains, and I haven’t found it yet.

“Thank you. Vadim inspired me to go all out. But I don’t think I believed you’d make it here on time. How on earth did you pull it off?” Vivienne whispers, and her eyes fall to the floor. Perhaps the intensity of three men staring with blatant desire is too much for her to handle.

“We have our own jet, and our weekend was free,” Viktor interjects, his stone-cold veneer slowly slipping while simultaneously suggesting we didn’t go out of our way.We were simply in the neighborhood.

“Your own jet? That must be convenient.” Her soft expression betrays nothing. Private jets won’t impress a woman like Vivienne Volkov. Her recent excursion to New Orleans may have been the only time she’s ever flown commercial.

“We were eager to see you, little one.” Vadim can’t take his eyes off her. His gaze travels up and down, devouring every inch without being discreet.

She offers a slight smile, her cheeks heating under his lusty gaze, before turning to me.

“Are you happy to see us, or terrified we’re here?” My arm slips around her waist as I watch her face for signs that I might be crossing the line.

She smiles and closes the distance between us, nuzzling gently against my chest as if trying to keep her balance.

“Would you like something to drink, or have you had enough?” I ask, though she only just arrived. I know she’s not drunk. But I check in, nonetheless.

“I only just started. My friend bought me a glass of cabernet.” Vivi looks to Vadim and eyes the glass of absinthe in his grip. “Is that as strong as I think?”

He nods and hands it to her. “Take a sip and see if you like it. It isn’t for everyone.” She clasps the stem and brings the glass to her lips, taking a slow slip while we watch. Absinthe isn’t a run-of-the-mill drink, and we typically wouldn’t indulge in something potent, but we’re in New Orleans, and the mood felt right.

Vivi’s smile widens as she hands the drink back to Vadim. “That tasted better than I imagined.”

Viktor’s tense expression fades, and he answers her question before she can ask. “I’ll grab you one.” He darts toward the bar, disappearing into an unruly line of men ordering drinks. I don’t know why he’s making it so hard on himself. The stranger he behaves, the more I’m convinced he’s fighting emotions he doesn’t want to feel.

“Are you really from New York?” she asks, still sipping Vadim’s drink, her long dark lashes fluttering against her cheeks. I can’t believe she’s standing in front of us, in the flesh, and ten times lovelier than any other woman I’ve ever met.

“We are, and so are you, baby girl. I can hear a little bit of Brooklyn in your voice,” I tease, still wondering how we'll confess that we used to work for her father and were technically hired to find her. A gentleman would tell her the truth before seducing her, but I can't take that chance.

“I like when you call me that.” She's so much shorter than me. She needs to tilt her head to stare into my face. Her gorgeous eyes, bright and as blue as the sky after rain, fucking slay me.

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