Wicked Destiny - By Tiffany Stevens Page 0,23

actually holding me up. Taking deep breaths, I could hear Shay’s pleas to let her know I was alright.

“Sloane, your eyes just went from hazel to jade green. Please, calm down. This is why I wasn’t sure if I should tell you or not.”

“It’s fine, really. I knew he obviously went on with his life. I just didn’t think about the reality of it.”

“I guess it’s a good thing Viktor came along when he did.”

“Yes, I guess so.”

We continued to walk to work. Shay talked about making plans for the beach and I listened and thought about the future. I was afriad of holding Shay back from being happy. I knew she would never leave me and as long as she knew I needed her, she would always be there. For her I would try with Viktor just so she would stop worrying.

The night began like any other night. We stocked our bar section after closing up our jackets and purses in the closets. Just as I thought how “quiet” it was, Jared called me into his office.

“Have you thought about anything I said last night?”

“Yes, I have and I decided that I am going to see Viktor.”

“Oh, really?”

“Jared, it has nothing…” He cut me off before I could finish.

“It’s fine. The crowd is starting to come in. You better get to work.”

Just like that, I was dismissed. It went over better than I thought, but as the night went on, I hardly saw Jared. I guess it was about 11:30 p.m. before Viktor walked in. I wondered why he came so late, but couldn’t help but smile anyway. He leaned over the bar and motioned for me to plant a kiss on his cheek, but as I went to kiss it, he turned his head and I got his lips instead. Cheesy, I know, but it worked and it made my night better. He made sure he played at the closest pool table to me, and when he took breaks we’d sit at the end of the bar and talk. And Shay gave the occasional towel pop on my behind to let me know when I had customers.

It was a good night; better than most in a very long time. That night Viktor waited for me and we walked home together. As we got to our building, he walked me to my door and said good night with a sweet kiss to seal the deal.

Chapter 5

Days, weeks, and months started to run together. Come to think of it, the dreams stopped too. Viktor and I started to do the couple thing. During the week when I wasn’t working we’d spend time together. He was basically some type of consultant that could work whenever he wanted and, well, I was still a bartender-slash-club owner. I still had my days with Shay on Thursdays and we’d always meet up and go shopping. Viktor made sure not to overcrowd me, though Shay always asked for intimate details. Up until now all we’d managed to do was kiss, and even that made my toes curl.

“You are so lying to me right now!” Shay shouted across the clothing store.

“I’m not lying. He’s a complete gentleman.” I couldn’t help but laugh at myself for saying that.

“So, for two and a half months you have managed to keep all your clothes on? With all of this showing,” Shay waved a hand around me, “and with that hanging on your arm?” She then was pointing to Viktor, who was walking toward us.

“Hello, ladies. I came to see if I could buy you lunch.” He gave me a quick peck and a soft smile.

“Like I said, you are lying.” Shay started walking out the store, but turned to us and said, “Well, are you coming?”

“Did I say something wrong?” Viktor took my bags and threw his giant arm around my neck.

“Nope, you did everything right.” I smiled as we caught up to Shay.

After shopping with Shay and having lunch, Shay went home to get some rest while Viktor and I headed back to the loft. He received a call about some deal that needed to be looked at and he went to consult, because that’s what he did. I walked into my loft and put all my bags in my room, kicking off my shoes. I was trying to figure out if I wanted to watch TV, but then I realized I hadn’t been in my studio in a while.

I changed into my overalls and grabbed my iPhone