BooksBarbecue
Back The Asset
Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

“Please,” Goldin said. “Don’t cry. It’s just a drink.”

“I ruin everything,” she said.

Goldin looked from her to the hostess, as if she might know how to deal with her.

Tatyana stood up. Goldin tried to speak to her but she went back to her seat.

She gathered her coat and purse and asked the bartender for her bill. “Put the gentleman’s scotch on it,” she said.

Goldin heard her and came over. “That’s not necessary,” he said.

Tatyana knew she was moving fast, but it was working. If she could avoid drawing this out, she’d have more time to make her meet with Spector. She wasn’t sure how long he’d wait for her at the bar in the Village.

“Please,” she said to Goldin, tears still in her eyes, her mascara smudged all over her cheeks. “Let me pay for your drink. I’m so mortified.”

He acquiesced.

The bartender gave her the bill and she whipped a credit card from her purse. She made a fuss of going through the options, added a handsome tip, and then purposely entered the wrong pin.

“Let’s try that again,” the bartender said, re-entering the transaction.

“I’m so sorry,” Tatyana said. “I really can’t do anything right tonight. I should never have left the hotel.”

She went through the payment process all over again and again mistyped the pin. She did it a third time and the card got blocked by the issuer.

“I don’t know what to say,” she said, eyeing Goldin. By now, her makeup was such a mess she looked like a raccoon. “I can’t pay this bill,” she said.

Goldin reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. “Please. Allow me,” he said.

34

Goldin was surprised by how fast Tatyana moved. She hadn’t even bothered chatting him up. She just threw herself at him, got him to pay for her thirty-eight-dollar-a-glass wine, and then pulled him out of the restaurant.

“You can’t leave me,” she said when they got outside.

It was scarcely fifteen minutes since he’d stepped into the bar and he was beginning to worry they were moving too fast. Timokhin had specifically told him to stall her.

“I should get back to my hotel,” he said.

“We’ll share a cab,” she said. “I have no money. I need you.”

“Where’s your hotel?” he said.

“Fifty-eighth street.”

He got into the cab and tried to think of ways to slow her down but by the time they got to the hotel she had her hand in his pants and her tongue in his mouth.

There was nothing he could do but let nature take its course. That was what he was supposed to do anyway. It meant she’d be through with him sooner than Timokhin wanted, but the truth was, he couldn’t have held back if he’d wanted to.