In Bad Faith

Chapter 39

My eyes were fixed on how the bartender put four empty shot glasses on the bar, after which he started pouring transparent liquor into each one of them. I still couldn't really believe I was doing this, and that I was now in a nightclub with none other than Misha Zaveri. Not only my boss but also my suspect, both of us wearing clothes just a little too formal for a club like this. And the best thing was, no one knew us here. This was something we would never be able to pull off in New York, where Misha had made quite a name for himself.

I always limited myself to two glasses of wine for missions like these, and maybe that was because apparently me exceeding that limit was enough to make me forget about all my morals. It was clear that this had nothing to do with the investigation anymore, just like our little slip-up the night before the event. And I could tell myself that I did this to get closer to him, or to find out more about him now that he was tipsy, but those would be lies. I did this for him, and for myself. And at this particular moment, I didn't even care. I was excited, and all of a sudden way less tired.

"Now, whether you like it or not, this one is to it being your birthday," I told Misha loud enough to be heard above the music vibrating through this club, while holding up the first shot. He smirked as he also took one from the bar. "Fine. To me reaching the age of twenty-eight," he grinned, as he clinked his glass against mine. And after that, we both knocked back the strong-tasting liquor.

"What is this, vodka?" I asked him with a sour look on my face, as I still felt it burning my throat. I knew my dad loved vodka. Especially after my mom died. I drank it myself before, but I could never really get over the taste of it. Misha shrugged. "I asked them for something strong," he replied casually, but his slight grin and the look in his eyes told me he was just as excited as I was. And I knew it shouldn't, but seeing that made me feel good.

"How long has it been since you've been in a club like this?" I asked him, and to be able to hear each other, we needed to get way too close. Misha started to visibly ponder his answer. I kept my eyes on his way too pretty face, which was now lit up by the lights dancing through the venue and by the partially lit up bar. "A while," he then answered, as his eyes locked with mine again. "I've just been way too busy lately," he followed. I knew he was. Because I was certain that I didn't even see half of the work he put into his company, legal or not.

"I can tell. You've been gone from the office a lot," I answered. And I knew that there was no reason to grin at him right now, but at the moment it felt like it was permanently stuck on my face. I should stop drinking. I saw how Misha started giving me this way too amused look, and I didn't know whether it made me feel nervous, or thrilled. "Have you been missing me?" he then asked me teasingly, making me almost forget that I still had to breathe. I could tell that he was teasing me and that he was loosened up quite a bit by the alcohol, but his words did awaken real feelings in me. "No," I assured him, but my eyes must've betrayed me because his grin got even wider.

"At least I can get some work done when you're not around," I stood up for myself, but I doubted if these words made it any better, if not worse. "I have to confess though, this is the first time I've ever been to a nightclub with my boss," I quickly followed, to at least try and change the subject. Misha chuckled. "Well, this is a first for me too," he said. And again, this led to this damn well-known tension building up in my stomach. Was it really? Or did he say that to please me? 

"Well.." I spoke, trying my best to hide my underlying feelings, as I took a second shot glass from the bar. "Then here's to new firsts," I followed. I raised the glass, while Misha smirked and followed my example. "To new firsts," he repeated. And after giving each other this brief look of something I could not quite place, we both took our shots. As I welcomed the feeling of the alcohol leaving a sharp sensation on the back of my tongue once more, my eyes met Misha's again. And while my vision was slowly but surely getting blurry, I could still see him clearly, as close as he was.

At this point, I couldn't help but let my mind wander off to the thought of kissing him. The euphoric buzz of the alcohol convinced me that it would feel even better under his touch, but I did still have the self-control not to, for now. "Speaking about confessions," Misha interrupted my stream of thoughts. For a moment I just looked at him, waiting for him to resume his words. "You distract me in the office too," he continued after a short pause. My eyes widened a bit as I took in what he just said. These were words that made it even harder for me to resist him, because.. god. That was bold.

"Too? I didn't tell you that you distract me," I told him, playing along with this little game he tried playing with me. Because I wasn't going to let him win just yet. "I told you I could get more work done when you're not around," I followed, his gaze still holding me captive. Misha softly chuckled, again, after which he narrowed his eyes a little. "Isn't that pretty much the same thing?" he then spoke. Fuck. It was.

These drinks were obviously getting the best of us. And even though this was the complete opposite of what I should want, I wanted it badly. I caught myself enjoying every second I spent here with him at this club, and I hadn't regretted my choice to come here for even a single moment. But I wanted to win him over instead of the other way around this time. So instead of reacting to his words, I grabbed his wrist once the intro of I want it that way by the Backstreet Boys started playing. Ten-year-old me was screaming right now.

"It's time," I smirked at him, referring to us talking about dancing on the way here. And while a lot of people were starting to sing along to the first words of the song, I started guiding Misha away from the bar and into the crowd. A perfect way to avoid having to give in to his words, and at the same time something that got me excited. Because for me, it had also been a long time since I'd even been to a club like this, let alone dance. And at this particular moment, there was no one I'd rather do that with than with Misha.