Page 4 of Savage Beauty

What thefuckis he doing here?

“Is your wrist sore?” He reaches into the ice bucket and dumps a handful of ice into his napkin, bundling it up. He turns my hand in his, watching the bones move under my skin. “I think it’ll be alright. Here.” He presses the makeshift cold compress against my skin, holding it in place.

I’m staring. My mascara is all over my face, and I just know I’m red-eyed and blotchy. Why did I run into Sashanow?

The bastard looks gorgeous, obviously. His short hair at the sides contrasts with the longer, tousled hair on top, pulled back into a messy knot. Neatly groomed stubble accentuates his chiseled cheekbones, and his gray-blue eyes twinkle in the dim light. Dressed in a navy three-piece suit, he looks remarkably refined, and his tattoos peeking out from beneath his shirt only add to his allure. He must be here for some official business.

“I—hi.” I sit up straight. “This is weird. I saw you earlier, but I figured I was hallucinating.”

Sasha lets go of my hand and leans back, gesturing at himself. “I’m all too real, baby. And I saw your fiancé do something a real manneverdoes.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Men who hurt women are cowards, Josie. Cowards and weaklings. What set him off?”

“He was pissed off at me for wanting to order gnocchi. Started telling me I needed to lose weight. I said that me being smaller might make his dick look bigger, but he’d still be hung like a Vienna sausage.”

“The tiny ones in a can?” Sasha asks. “That’s my girl.” His eyes hold mine, and a shiver of pleasure shoots down my spine as he speaks again. “You really wanna marry that piece of shit?”

“No.”

I don’t know why I’m telling him the truth. It’s the way he smiles. He makes me feel like the only woman in the world. I guess that’s how he gets so many girls falling over themselves for him.

“Hmmm.” Sasha catches a server’s eye, and he scuttles over. “A bottle of Zubrowska, two glasses, and a fresh ice bucket.” He reaches into his pocket and extracts a wad of bills, handing two hundreds. “Get yourself something, kid. And tell Dmitri to come over.”

The money is held together with an ornate gold clip, a cobra’s head with red rubies for eyes. When Marc bought it, I laughed, saying it made him look like a wannabe mobster. Unsurprisingly, it suits Sasha much better.

“So, you say you don’t want to marry Marc,” Sasha says. “In that case, I have to wonder—why did you accept his proposal?”

“Why doyouhave Marc’s money clip?” I counter, dodging his question.

“I had a little chat with him. He emptied his pockets without even being asked. Pathetic, really. I took the clip but gave him his money back out of principle. Compared to me, he’s a pauper.”

I swallow. “So where is he now?”

We’re interrupted by a tall man with a scar on his shoulder. “You asked for me, Sasha?”

“Da, Dmitri.” Sasha hands the man a set of car keys. “Dispose of this as soon as possible. Some cargo also needs handling, so I’d appreciate it if you’d get someone on that, too.”

“Of course. And Boris?”

Sasha laughs. “I’d forgotten about him. Let one of the new kids kill him. They need blood on their hands eventually, and I’m busy.”

Dmitri leaves, and the server brings the drinks. Sasha pours me a generous measure.

“So,” I ask again, “where is Marc now?”

“I scared him away.” Sasha takes a good slug of vodka. “He’ll be giving you plenty of space for the rest of the evening.”

I throw back my drink, and it burns all the way down. “You asshole,” I say. “He’ll be furious when he catches up with me. Marc is not the kind of man to forgive easily.”

Sasha arches an eyebrow. “Neither am I. So enjoy your freedom, and let’s live it up. I’ve nothing better to do than entertain a beautiful woman for the evening.”

“Where?” I say, looking over my shoulder.

He grins. “Obviously, I meant you. You may not be pleased to see me, but you’re stuck with me now. Have some fun on my dime while you can. It’s Christmas, and I feel like being generous.”

I open my mouth to protest, but the words die on my lips. I’d be lying if I said I was desperate to reconnect with an angry and humiliated Marc.

---