He spoke to a couple of men who nodded and fanned out.

Slavik headed toward the bar, and I hated that he was so handsome. He wasn’t the boy next door. He was far more dangerous and with it, potent.

Women turned to look at him. Yearning swirled within their gaze. He showed no sign of noticing them as he talked to the man working behind the bar.

I smiled at how he acted. I knew he saw their gazes. Did he know I watched?

Licking my lips, the happiness died instantly as a cute redhead launched herself at him. She wore a shorter dress than the one I wore and as I stood in his office, I watched this other woman rub herself all over Slavik.

He didn’t push her away.

Anger, pain, and hurt, it all melded in my gut.

I spun on my heel and stormed out of the office. No guards to keep me locked up in this room. Wow. I wasn’t even worth the extra security. He clearly was used to me being the good girl who didn’t do anything wrong.

I’d fucking show him.

With each step I took, the two sides of my personality conflicted. I kept telling myself to show him I was not to be ignored. Another side told me I was being a complete and total bitch. I needed to go back to the room.

The rebel inside me kept on walking.

Being the good girl had gotten me trapped in a loveless marriage, where I spent most of my days attached to his side.

He still had all the women in the world around him. For all I knew, he had a dozen mistresses. He may take me everywhere, but that didn’t stop him from being with anyone.

Stepping into the nightclub, I pressed my back against the nearest wall.

The rebellious side of me was suddenly a little afraid.

I’d never been to a nightclub as a customer, or participated in the dancing. The air was hot. The energy in the room pulsed around me, startling me.

The music was loud. There were no songs, just a constant thumping noise. The people in the nightclub were going a little crazy. The drinks flowed.

I stayed by the door, knowing I needed to escape.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Slavik. He held the woman’s shoulders, and I didn’t give myself time to analyze what I was doing. Rather than go onto the dance floor and make a fool of myself, which would have been a lot of fun.

No, I decided, in these murderous heels, to cross my path all the way to the bar where Slavik stood.

I made sure I was at his side so he saw it was me as I ran my hands up his body. “Hey, baby, I was getting so lost without you. There are so many men here who want me to dance, but I told them my card is full.” What the fuck was I saying? I hated the words spilling from my lips, but they were the first ones that came to me.