“You know, you don’t look like an Albert,” I told him. Not a blink. “T’m just saying, when someone says ‘Albert,’ expectations are formed. Old men with cheerful personalities, to be exact. You’ve crushed those expectations, Albert.” He stopped in front of room 203. “T’d peg you as more of an... . Igor.” His lips pulled into the slightest frown as he slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open. Naturally, I followed him inside. “It’s okay to show your feelings, Igor. We all have them.” He dropped my bag near the queen-size bed. “Not to mention, men who cry? Hot.” The disgusted look on his face was comical, and I bit my lip to stifle a smile as he passed me on the way to the door. “Will I see you later?” He grunted and slammed it shut behind him. With a sigh, I turned to take in the room. The alarm clock near the bed said it was only nine in the moming. All of a sudden, the jet lag and everything else hit me like a semi-truck. I needed to let Ivan know I was okay—and I kind of missed his voice—but I was too tired to figure out how to dial out on the hotel phone, so it would have to wait. I took a shower and scrubbed my skin raw. In a towel, I padded back into my room and dug through my bag for some clothes. A muffled commotion on the street drew my attention to the window. Outside, a bicyclist argued with a disgruntled taxi driver, who threw his hands in the air when the teenage delivery boy hurled a newspaper at his car. I started to turn away, but something else caught my eye. A black car sat parked on the side of the street. Tattooed fingers hung out of the window ashing a cigarette before the unfamiliar man brought it back to his mouth. I’d never met a man with inked hands before coming here. Must be a Russian thing. Lethargy pulled on my limbs, so I fell into bed without a stitch of clothing on and was dead to the world for a solid three hours. When I awoke, it was with a groan and a piece of still-damp hair in my mouth. Removing the tags from a new pair of bell-bottom jeans and a vintage T-shirt, I smiled as I slipped them on. They fit me well, caressing my body