Page 90 of The Bratva Sinner

I don’t get to be jealous.

But damn, these people don’t know that. I’m wearing his fucking ring, and that woman is giving him “fuck me” eyes.

I drift toward the edge of the pool, careful of how and where I walk. I don’t want to fall on my ass and humiliate myself in front of all these dignified people.

“You look like you’re calculating how many people you could outrun in those shoes.”

I turn to see Ava walking toward me, carrying a glass of champagne. She’s wearing a blue dress that fits her like a second skin. Of course, she’s stunning. Her curves belong on a runway, and she knows just how to use them.

“I’d settle for out-walking someone.”

“You look gorgeous.”

“I look like someone put me in a costume.”

“Everyone looks like someone put them in a costume; that’s the whole point.” She sips her drink. “How many glasses is that?”

I look at my champagne. Is a sex worker really going to lecture me about underage drinking? “My first.”

“Smart. Don’t go past three. These things run long. The men will try to get you drunk. Never take a drink from anyone except the staff.”

I watch Maksim steer one of the men in suits toward a table near the far garden, where Damien is waiting with a folder, the woman in the red dress, and two other men I don’t recognize. It’s all business. Even the beautiful women.

“He’s good at this,” I observe.

Ava follows my gaze. “He’s exceptional at this. This is what he’s best at.” She tilts her glass slightly toward the crowd. “Making people feel safe handing him their money and their trust. People like him. It’s how he’s become the businessman he is. That, and he makes them richer.”

“It feels deceptive.”

“He’s working, Lila. Every handshake tonight is a deal. He’s not flirting with the woman in red because he wants her. He’s flirtingwith her because her husband is the man in the grey suit, two feet away. They have a unique relationship.”

I look at the man in the grey suit. He’s watching his wife laugh with Maksim, and he looks pleased. Proud, even. Like the attention being paid to his wife reflects well on him.

“They want him for a threesome?” I am unable to hide my horror.

She laughs. “Oh, she wants it, but her husband will never allow it. He lets her have fun with one of us.”

I turn to look at her. “One of you?”

Ava smiles. “We don’t judge.”

I do. This is a whole new world.

I look back at Maksim. He’s beautiful and legally mine, but I’m not sure that’s good enough.

He looks up. His eyes find mine like he knew where I was standing.

He doesn’t smile, but he doesn’t look away. Several seconds pass. I see my husband in that moment. The man who holds me all night and whispers things in Russian when he thinks I’m sleeping.

Then someone says his name, and it’s gone.

“Go talk to him,” Ava says.

“He’s working.”

"He's been keeping an eye on you since you came downstairs. I saw him clock you the second you walked out. He's been tracking you all night."

I finish my glass of champagne, and when another tray passes, I take a second. Ava gives me a look. I arch a brow and sip. "We all have to learn in our own way. Good luck. I have to get to work."