Page 28

A flash makes me blink—a photographer, also in a tux, though his isn’t nearly as fine as Julian’s, bows to us slightly.Must be working for our diplomatic hosts.

A waiter holding a tray of champagne glasses offers them. Julian releases my arm to take two, passing one to me. I shiver as I stare at the bubbles. Will the pill on my ring dissolve in a cascade of bubbles?

The room fills, and we mingle with other cast members. The ambassador, who made the trip down from Beijing for this occasion, is introduced to us, a white-haired, handsome man in his late fifties. He smiles at me warmly before introducing his wife, who has one of those rich, white-lady haircuts, all pale blonde seashell.

We talk about Shanghai, what we think of it so far, how much we've traveled, how honored they are to have us, and how honored we are to be there.

"Excuse me.” I lean in toward the ambassador’s wife, whose name I forgot the moment I heard it. "Where is the ladies room?"

She smiles knowingly.Nature happens to all of us."Down there to the right." I follow her lifted chin to where a guard in Marine dress uniform stands at the front of a hall. I nod and head toward him.

The size of a boulder, the guard’s shoulders are almost as wide as the entryway. As I approach he gives me a small bow, his hands behind his back, and steps to the side. "To your right," he says quietly as I pass.

"Thank you." He nods again.

I find the bathroom and push in. I'm alone, and the lightness of that is surprising to me. The weight of so many stares is something I've always craved. The attention usually gives me energy, but tonight I want to be hidden.I'm used to my secrets being in my past, not my future.

After using the facilities, I apply more lipstick and am turning to leave when there is a soft knock at the door. "Just a moment," I say, heading to open it.

I step back, surprised to see a dark suit rather than a slim gown. At first I think it's the bouncer, but as my gaze makes it up to the man's face, I realize it's Vladimir Petrov. My heart skips a beat, and the breath I'm exhaling gets caught in my throat.

"Good evening," he says, with a slight incline of his head. His accent is thick but not unpleasant. Something about it makes me want to try to mimic it.I could play a great Russian spy with that accent."I did not mean to startle you."

My hand is still on the door knob, and I nod, not sure what I'm agreeing to but feeling that this is a man who does not do well with dissent. In person, his power is palpable. It's not just his size, or that inherently threatening-to-the-American-ear accent. It's an aura that emanates from him—similar to the one that pulls eyes to my form, but also very different. Both are powerful: one projects sex, the other violence..

"I've been wanting to meet you for some time," Vladimir goes on.

I give a tinkling laugh. "Did you always picture it happening in the ladies room?”

Color creeps up his neck, climbing that thick edifice toward his cheeks.He’s blushing.“I do apologize. I just wanted to have a moment alone with you." He steps back, as if releasing me from the room. I curl my lips into a subtle smile and beam at him with amused eyes as I step into the hall, letting the door close behind me.

Glancing toward the main room, I'm relieved to find the guard still there. "I am a big fan of your work," Vladimir says.

I return my attention to him, having to tip my head back to meet his gaze. Even in my heels, he's still almost a head taller than me. "Thank you."

"Even when you modeled, I followed your career." He leans toward me, eager, like a schoolboy, not a ruthless oligarch.

"That's very flattering." Checking his hands, I find them empty. "Would you like a drink?" I ask.

"Yes," he almost stammers. "Let me get you one; it would be an honor."

I laugh, tipping my head back again to look up into his face. "I'm just a girl from Kansas. Not the queen."

His face turns serious. There is a glint in his eyes, something that sends a shiver of cold over me. "You are more than that to me."Oh that’s kinda creepy.

I keep my smile in place, though, making sure none of the alarms ringing inside my head can be seen in my eyes. "Shall we?" I gesture back toward the main room, to the shifting bodies and the imagined safety of the herd. I hope to use the crowd to distract him and slip an unknown substance into his drink.What are his plans for me?

"May I?" Vladimir asks, holding out his arm.

I loop mine through his, feeling the pure, terrifying strength of him.He could break me.I think back to my trainer, Synthia’s, words… “your strength comes not from muscle but from your mind. Use your opponents’ size and weight against them.”

The pill on my ring does not seem very sporting.

But this isn't a game.

We move down the hall and past the Marine guard. Is that something in his eyes? A warning to me?That man is dangerous.I suppress the smile trying to turn up my lips.I'm not the one who needs a warning.

Julian spots us and raises a brow, giving me a questioning half smile. I answer with a one shoulder shrug.A fan,it says. Julian smiles wider and turns his attention back to the ambassador's wife. She's a fan of his and is soaking up the attention. Julian is making an ally for life.