down tonight and that I wasn’t sure I’d have stopped if Mila didn’t give in. I may be on a Straight path to hell, but I’d never forced a woman before. Pd never lost all sense of control like that. It made me feel like the piece-of-shit clients my mother entertained. The only way I could think of to alleviate the feeling was to release Ivan—Mila’s friend/lover/whatever the fuck he was. “Tell him to let Alexei know the deal is on for Saturday.” Albert remained quiet for a second before replying, “I thought he wasn’t gonna bite.” I didn’t say anything but I didn’t have to. Thankfully, Albert didn’t question it further. “Its Monday.” I looked up to meet his gaze. “What are you, a news anchor? You gonna tell me what the weather is next?” “T am just curious why you need the rest of the week to close the deal.” My eyes hardened. “Because I can take as much goddamn time as I want.” And because I was compromising with both sides of the conflict inside of me the idea of letting Mila go invoked. The fact she was a virgin fucked everything up. I didn’t have the patience to go slow and sweet and pretend the woman meant anything to me besides a good lay. Though the thought of someone else giving her that seared like acid in my veins. Knowing I was the first to be inside of her made me feel slightly .. . selfish, like a kid on Christmas morning who didn’t want to share his new BB gun. And just as that gun would be forgotten a week later, so would the irritational greed I experienced concerning her. Then I would have my revenge and never again associate yellow with anything but tropical fruit. “I was sure you would like to be the one to deal with Ivan.” My grip tightened on the glass, a darkness flaring in my chest. All I’d been able to see since Kostya shoved the surveillance video in my face was Ivan’s hands on Mila. Most nauseating shit I ever saw. And infuriating. The sight coated my vision with a red mist, rage blistering in my blood. I forced myself to remain in Moscow until the flames cooled, but I guessed I should have stayed longer. “Tell him Pll kill him if I ever see his face again,” was all I said. Pd never spoken truer words, which was why I couldn’t look at him now without backing out on the decision I’d made to release him. Without a word, Albert disappeared to carry out my order.