Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 106159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
“No.” I laugh at the insinuation, but before I can advise her I’d choose isolation over a bustling city any day of the week, the bell above the door chimes, and a man with an attitude big enough to reinforce anyone’s wish for solitude enters the boutique.
“Vas. Hi.” Polina shakes off her shock before greeting him with a kiss on the cheek. “I thought we were meeting at the restaurant?”
He adjusts the tilt of his head so her lips land on the edge of his mouth before replying, “It’s my birthday, so I thought, what the hell, why don’t I have an early day and spend some quality time with my girl.” His voice could only be sleazier if he slithered his tongue in and out of his mouth while he spoke.
“Aww, that sounds lovely.” Her feisty reply makes me realize Polina’s game is stronger than Vasily’s. “But Natalya is about to leave. She has a doctor’s appointment, and I can’t leave the boutique unattended.” She must forget who she pinned as faking an illness when she sneezes. It is as false as her next statement. “I also think I’m coming down with something. I don’t want you getting sick if I am. You have that final surgery coming up.”
I twist away from them to hide my grin when Vasily replies, “That’s a shame. I thought my gift might have been ready early.” He leaves spit dots on her cheek when he leans in to whisper in her ear, “I guess I’ll have to wait for dessert.”
After adding to the slobber glistening her cheek with a goodbye peck, Vasily exits the boutique as quickly as he entered it.
Polina scrubs at her face with the sleeve of her shirt just as fast.
“That was disturbing.”
Polina holds back the gag I see flaring through her eyes before returning to pricing the latest merchandise. She keeps her thoughts locked up by staying busy.
I cause trouble.
The indecent length of my skirt exposes this, not to mention the numerous texts Millie and I have been sharing today. Our Thursday night adventures have never been more risqué.
“If you get to sneak out early tonight, you’re more than welcome to join Maria, Millie, and me. We’re going out for drinks.” And a ton of mayhem.
Polina’s reply sees my sassy attitude getting hit with a devastating dip. “No Taylor?”
I shake my head. “No, she’s studying all week. She has a big exam coming up.” Taylor has both beauty and brains, but she hasn’t felt like using either for the past couple of days. She’s barely left her room.
As much as this sucks to admit, she’s missing Saka as much as I am. He’s been the only stable influence in my life for years, so I often want to forget my anger and pretend he’s not the bad guy in my story.
It would be easier to let go of my anger if he hadn’t hurt Taylor as well. My room wasn’t the only one under scrutiny. Taylor’s had as many cameras as mine.
I stare at Polina as if she has two heads when she asks, “Where are you going?”
She usually turns down my offers within a second of them being handed out.
The reason for the change-up is announced. “I could use some more bottle caps.”
“You little hussy.” I toss a dress at her, mortifying her when it hits the ground a second after smacking her in the face. She hates when her designer babies get mistreated.
The morning I rocked up with my hair as knotted as a bird’s nest, Polina tried to deny her face was flushed with ecstasy. I knew something had re-sparked the life in her eyes, and I was ecstatic when I pried out of her that their rejuvenation was because of Yev.
Her story was a little PG for my liking, but I had no trouble filling in the gaps. Her night was as adventurous as mine. It just ended hours sooner, since she hid Yev in the bathroom so she could answer the knock of her fiancé.
The gooey goodness of blossoming love smothers the stabbing pain my chest has endured the past three days when Polina asks, “Talking about bottle caps, have you heard from Tyler? Saka mentioned earlier he’s MIA.”
Equal parts of hurt and curiosity highlight my tone. “Saka was here?”
Polina nods. “He was picking up a suit.”
“For?” The shortness of my reply shouldn’t make it sound so snappy, but it barks out of my mouth like a vicious dog in heat.
Polina’s shoulders jerk in a sloppy, careless shrug. “He didn’t say.” Her next question makes me realize her earlier probing was a subtle push for me to open up. “He isn’t away by choice, is he?”
“No.” My reply is whistled through a sigh. “But we don’t have time to discuss my issues right now. You have errands to run and a cake to collect.”