Xquisite (17 page)

Vlad didn’t acknowledge the jab, knowing that to do so in front of the other men would only make the offense worse. Instead he flourished the wallet. “I have all the information I need here to find his woman. Driver’s license, address, credit cards.”

Sergey’s expression relaxed, and Vlad let out the breath he had been holding. Sergey hadn’t risen to the position of
avtoritet
by tolerating mistakes. His swift retribution sometimes resulted in men like Vlad losing their jobs—or worse.

“So who is this woman who has captivated our friend’s attention?”

At Vlad’s left, Viktor chuckled obsequiously at their boss’s joke. Ricardo de Santos was not a friend, not when he was threatening to destroy a deal that had taken months to set up and tied up nearly a hundred million rubles.

Vlad shrugged, showing a confidence he almost felt. “She is a small dealer of art. Her gallery is not far from here.”

“You’ll be paying a visit, then,” Sergey said. “Very good. Do this quickly, my friend. I am tired of dealing with de Santos. Maybe this will convince him of the need to negotiate.”

A woman came into the room carrying a platter of steaming dumplings. When she saw Vlad, she smiled slyly and set the platter in front of him. He could smell her heavy perfume, a scent he’d enjoyed on several nights such as this one.

But tonight he would go home alone and make a plan. Sergey clearly wanted the matter resolved. Which was not good news for the tall, dark-haired American woman who’d undergone such a startling transformation before creating a scene at the hotel tonight.

She’d managed to catch him off-guard once, dashing away from the photographers who’d provided him such effective camouflage earlier.

She wouldn’t fool him twice.

Vlad picked up the glass that the waitress had re-filled. “
Za vstrechu
!” he toasted.
Until next we meet
.

But the next time he met Chelsea Ryder, only one of them would have cause to celebrate.

The End

***

Did you enjoy XQUISITE?

Check out more books by Ruby Laska:

The Xquisite Series:

Xquisite

Xtraordinary (June, 2015)

Xtreme (August, 2015)

The Boomtown Boys Series:

Black Gold

Black Heat

Black Flame

Black Ember

The Cupid Island Series:

Larissa Learns to Breathe

Mandy Makes Her Mark

Plain Jane’s Birthday Wish

Standalone Novels:

Mountain Song

Heartbreak, Tennessee

A Man for the Summer

Mine ’til Monday

Along for the Ride

Snow Creek Novella:

Miss Bonny’s Buried Treasure

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Xtraordinary
, The second novel in the
XQUISITE
series will be coming in June, 2015!

International art thief Ricardo de los Santos barely introduced Chelsea to the dark, sensual world he inhabits when he disappeared. Now he’s back—demanding more of her than ever
.

Art dealer Chelsea Ryder has spent only two incredible evenings with Ricardo de los Santos when he disappears, leaving only a cryptic note. Attempting to trace the priceless painting he gave her, Chelsea finds nothing but dead ends—and increasing evidence that her lover is involved with dangerous crimes.

Still, she can’t forget the man who promised to take her all the way on the journey of submission she barely began. She tries to numb her need with work until she is contacted by an FBI agent who wants her to cooperate in a sting operation. Ricardo returns before she can cement her arrangement with the FBI. He neither admits nor denies her accusations, but takes her back into his bed, where he pushes the limits of her experience, intuitively guiding her to the things she has sworn she will never do.

Torn between her need and her doubts, she starts an investigation of her own, hiring a former art forger to find out the truth about Ricardo. Is he merely a man ruled by immense passions—or a murderer as well as a thief?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ruby Laska has always been a bit contrary. Where others see stop signs, she sees green lights. What others consider obstacles, Ruby likes to think of as opportunities. And when it comes to men, Ruby has always loved the ones that her mother warned her about: demanding, conflicted, and more than a little dangerous.