*Sephie*
My cheeks were beginning to hurt from laughing so much after just a short time with Max. We quickly fell into old routines, like I hadn't just disappeared for an entire week with no explanation. I would periodically glance to Adrik. He was always watching me, with his sexy smirk on his face. I watched one of the waitresses try desperately to get his attention a few times. She would lean over the table, giving him a full view down her shirt. She would brush his arm as she set a glass of water in front of him. She would linger and ask questions when she went to check on the table. He never took his eyes off me. He would respond to her with what looked like one-word answers, but he wouldn’t look at her. She finally turned so I could see her face. I recognized her.
“Hey, that’s Kim working the front of house tonight, right?” I asked Max.
“Yes. And let me tell you, I’m still mad at you for not being here because I’ve had to work with ***that*** in your absence.”
“That good, huh? She’s throwing herself at my boyfriend currently. I can’t imagine what you’ve had to go through.”
“Oh, she’s a piece of work, for sure. I told her that she needed to take wingman lessons from you. She’s cock-blocked me so many times I lost count.”
“Ouch. How are you handling the dry spell? Do you need me to find you a deserving chick tonight?”
He grabbed me exuberantly by both shoulders, shaking me hard for dramatic effect, and looked me in the eyes, “dear God, bless you. Bless you, child. YES.”
He let go and I happened to glance in Adrik’s direction. He and Ivan were both standing, like they were headed my way. I shook my head and smiled at them. Adrik nodded and sat down, but Ivan glared at Max while cracking his knuckles, which made me laugh even more.
“Max, you realize I have five trained killers over there watching your every move, right?”
He dropped the glass in his hand on the bar. Luckily, it was empty. “Um, no. I did not realize that.” He reached over and started to pet my head while looking at the guys and smiling awkwardly. Ivan still hadn't sat back down. *Protective*...
I swatted his hand away. “Keep that up and no wingman for you, which is a shame, really, because that brunette at the end of the bar in the blue shirt will give you her number if you smile at her one more time.”
“I’ll be right back,” he said, quickly turning in the brunette’s direction.
As he walked away, Adrik walked up to the bar and sat down, without me seeing him. One of Max’s fan club members noticed him and immediately moved next to him. When she got up to move, I looked up, seeing him at the bar. She sat next to him, her hand on his shoulder, and asked him if she could buy him a drink. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me. I got a glass and filled it with water, taking it to him. I set it down in front of him, looking at her. “He’s not much of a drinker.”
She gave me a funny look. He took the water, drank half of it, then set it back down. I picked it up and finished the rest of it. He never took his eyes off me. She looked at him, then to me, then back to him. She scoffed loudly and moved farther away from him, looking toward Max instead.
He winked at me and motioned for me to come around the bar to him. I happily obliged. He turned in his chair and opened his arms as I walked around the bar. I stepped in between his legs as his arms went around me.
“Are you having a good time, solnishko?” I nodded. He kissed my lips. “Good. But I missed you. It’s been too long since I kissed you. I needed to rectify that.”
I smiled, leaning in to kiss his lips again. His hands roamed over my back and my ass. “I won’t be much longer,” I said, peeking toward Max who was still talking to the brunette at the end of the bar. “Max is closing on tonight’s conquest as we speak. I’ll be forgotten soon,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“I’m happy you got to see your friend, but he is not a smart man, solnishko. Not if he chooses her over you,” he said, kissing me again. I smiled against his lips.
“I think we should leave. I’ll tell Max goodbye,” I said. I suddenly wanted nothing more than to be alone with Adrik, away from prying eyes.
“You’re sure? You can stay as long as you wish,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“I’m positive. Give me a few minutes to say bye to him and we can go?”
“Your wish is my command, solnishko.”
I said my goodbyes to Max, promising to hang out with him outside of work soon. I walked toward the door, where all six men were waiting for me. *Nothing awkward about this at all*. I caught sight of Kim, still trying to get Adrik’s attention somehow. I decided to have some fun. I walked right up to him, kissing him passionately. He bent down and lifted me off the floor and walked out the door behind Viktor and Andrei, with the other three following us, his lips still on mine. When we got outside, he set me down, smiling down at me. “You’re a savage.”
“I mean, she had it coming. I saw her throwing herself at you all night,” I said grabbing his hand as we walked through the parking lot. “But I also saw that you never looked at her.” I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder.
“Because you are my sun, Persephone.”