“I do not go on dates,” he informed her, deciding to indulge the conversation topic, more out of curiosity than anything else. The woman was strange but she was engaging, and Nikolai found himself wanting to stay in her company despite the many bizarre things that had come out of her mouth over the course of their short conversation.
“Seriously?” she asked. “Why not?”
“Dates are not necessary. They are silly custom. If a woman wants one, I say to her, we are both adults, why waste time with silly custom?”
She looked enrapt now, like she was hanging on every word he was saying. “And what do they say?”
“They agree of course, and then we have very pleasurable time together.”
The look she gave him now was the opposite of impressed. In fact, he could have sworn he saw pity in her eyes.
She shrugged and said, “I guess we don’t have much in common then. When I’m working late, I’m always like, wouldn’t it be cool to be one of those people who goes on dates? Seriously, how nice would that be? To like, you know, go to dinner and a movie. But here you are with plenty of women to date, and you don’t even take advantage of all your opportunities.” She shook her head. “What a waste.”
Nikolai narrowed his eyes at her, not knowing whether to be confused or insulted or both. “You are…” he informed her, “strange. Very strange.”
“Yes, I know,” she answered with that odd lilt of hers. “But it sounds like you’ve got a little strange going on yourself. Like, is that seriously all you do? Not go on dates with the women you invite out to your balcony? How does that work out for you love wise?”
“I do not love,” he answered. “Love is another silly custom. I don’t—how you say—believe in it.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Love? Love is a silly custom you don’t believe in? You seriously just said that? How can you not believe in love?!?!”
Nikolai inwardly grunted, happy he only wanted this woman for a one-night stand. She was obviously a romantic. One who would be much more trouble than she was worth if he were the sort who took women out on dates.
He stepped closer to her and said, “Trust me, you do not have to believe in silly customs to give woman much pleasure. Come upstairs. I will show you.”
His words must have had some affect on her, because she waved a hand in front of her face, like she was trying to cool herself down.
“Okay, you spit amazing game. Well played, Mount Nik. You’re like an expert in getting women all hot and bothered, I can tell.”
“Thank you,” he said carefully, because he had no idea how else to respond to that seeming compliment.
She slightly turned away from him, her eyes scanning the party.
“Hold on, I have someone I want you to meet.”
“You have someone you want me to meet,” he repeated. “Who?”
“I’m not sure yet,” she answered, her eyes still surveying the room. But then her face lit up. “No, no, no, I take that back. I see her. She’s definitely the one.”
She waved enthusiastically at a tall, beautiful brunette in a black evening dress who was standing with a couple of blondes also wearing black evening dresses. When she got the brunette’s attention, she motioned for her to join them like they were long, lost buddies.
Nikolai’s curiosity was fully piqued at this point. The truth was, the brunette, with her high cheekbones and classic features, was much more his usual type, but why would the woman in the green dress be calling her over? Perhaps for a threesome?
“Hi! Hi! Hi!” the minx in the green dress said when the brunette reached them. “What’s your name?”
“Katrina,” the brunette answered, smiling cautiously as if she weren’t sure if the woman who’d called her over was just friendly or insane.
Nikolai was beginning to wonder the same thing.
“Katrina. That’s a beautiful name,” the woman whose name he still didn’t know said. She looked up at Nikolai. “That’s Russian, right? Like you?”
“Yes, but I’m American,” Katrina answered, throwing Nikolai a flirty smile.
“Well, Katrina, let me introduce you to Nikolai Rustanov. He’s a fan of private conversations on balconies, and pleasurable times with ladies, and, and…” She looked up at him, her face and tone completely serious. “What else?”
“Hockey,” Nikolai answered, wondering what she was getting at.
The woman in the green dress snapped her fingers, like he’d just given her the perfect answer. “And hockey! Do you like hockey, Katrina?”
“I love hockey,” Katrina answered. She turned fully toward Nikolai now. “I have season passes for the Indiana Polar, and you’re actually one of my favorite players.”
“That’s awesome,” the woman said, patting Katrina on the shoulder. “I’ll just leave you two to it, then.”
“Oh, okay,” Katrina answered with a wave, seeming more than happy to be alone with him.
“So is that a friend of yours? Someone who works for you?” she whisper-asked Nikolai when the woman in the green dress was out of earshot.
Nikolai didn’t answer, just watched the strange woman walk away with a scowl on his face.
“Excuse me,” he began to say, preparing to go after her, but then his cousin Alexei appeared and got in front of him.
Alexei was a businessman, not a hockey player, but his face was a match to Nikolai’s in that moment. Same Rustanov bone structure, same green eyes, and for some reason, the same grim look.
“What is it?” he asked, immediately knowing something must be wrong. The Alexei he knew would have teased him mercilessly about getting turned down in such a ridiculous fashion by the minx in the green dress.
“Fedya is here,” Alexei answered, his voice low. “Your assistant came to me since you were… otherwise engaged.”
Nikolai inwardly cursed as he watched the beautiful woman disappear into the crowd. No, he wouldn’t be going after her right away as planned.
He’d have to deal with his brother first.
3
Say what you want about the crazy palatial design scheme of Nikolai’s Rustanov’s house—and its owner, Sam thought, but at least it had lots of nooks and crannies for hiding.
She knew this, because she was currently nestled in a little laundry alcove just off the kitchen. From what she’d seen of the house, it might be the only “normal” room in the place, with straight ahead white clapboard cabinets and the same kind of front loading washer and dryer sets that could be bought at any major appliance store in America.