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Topen my mouth to say something anything but the girl on Ivan''s arm is quicker than me.
"Daniel," the young woman ways with a sweet smile, pretending she doesn''t notice the tension and breaking it as she takes a happy step forward towards Daniel. "Do you remember me?" Her voice has a slight Russian ent-not at all strong, but the sort of thing you might unconsciously carry if you grew up American but lived in a Russian speaking household all of your life.
Daniel takes a deep breath and then shifts his gaze to the Russian girl, smoothing his expression with effort. "Of course I remember you, M," Daniel replies with a genteel smile. He tucks his temper fully away as he drops my arm and steps forward to give her a polite, familiar kiss on the cheek.
Mughs charmingly as Daniel kisses her, turning her face towards him as he pulls away so that their lips almost brush. I blink in surprise at this, and then look at her more closely, admiring the sheet of ck hair that falls over her slim shoulders like a waterfall, her sparkling silver dress. And as I survey her, I realize that she hasn''t said a word to me, or looked at me, once. I rankle a bit at the insult.
Daniel, perhaps realizing this as well, turns back to me and smiles. "M and I were friends in our teens," he tells me. "Our parents put us in dance ss together." He grimaces a bit,ughing. "She was much better with me."
"Oh, Daniel," M says,ughing and still ignoring me as she takes a step forward to grasp his hand. "Come and dance a little with me, just for old time''s sake -*
"Oh, no, I couldn''t "Daniel replies,ughing, embarrassed.
*Please," she pouts and my mouth falls open a little bit at how bold she is. "It would be so rude of you to deny me-
Daniel, faced with insulting who I assume is the daughter of a Russian mob boss, shrugs andplies, stepping forward to her. "I''ll be back," he calls to me over his shoulder as she pulls him away, "just one dance!"
As Daniel steps away, Ivan smoothly steps into the vacant ce next to me. He doesn''t look at me, but his cat-got-the-cream expression tells me all I need to know.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.
"Nicely done," I say, crossing my arms and looking up at him. "How much did that cost you?" "Fifty bucks," he replies, watching as Daniel and M take to the dance floor.
"Rich girl like that?" I ask, surprised, "took fifty dors to dance with Daniel?"
"No," Ivan responds, turning to look down at me and shifting his weight to knock his shoulder against mine. "Fifty bucks to the band leader to start ying the tango, which I know she can''t resist. ying on a lonely girl''s teenage crush on the guy that her dad wants her to many?" Ivan''s eyes crinkle with humor as he looks down at me. "That was free."
"Cruel," I use, shaking my head at him a little but impressed despite myself. Ivan is, if anything, quite good at reading weaknesses before using them to move people around like pawns on his chess board.
"Worth it," he says, slipping a hand out of his pocket and, unseen, dragging his fingers down the length of my spine until his handes to rest at the small of my back. "I''d have paid much more, after all, for the chance to chat with my best girl when she won''t retum my calls." "Oh, you called?" I reply, coy. "I''m sorry, I must have missed it."
"Lies," he whispers to me, but then heughs a little. "I missed you, Fay."
And, damn it, but that old butterfly fleeing rises in my stomach.
And I have to admit to myself - I missed him too.
"Come on," Ivan says, shifting that hand on my back to my elbow and tugging me with him as he heads behind the little rose arbor next to us.
"Ivan," I gasp, ncing around anxiously as he pulls me with him out of sight. "Stop! We can''t go back here!"
"Sure we can," he replies, grinning back at me, a little danger dancing in his eyes. "No one saw I made sure of it."
"Ivan," I growl, digging in my feet and trying to pull out of his grasp. "You''re going to get me - and everyone - in big trouble!"