Chapter 5

I don't want to meet him, but I very much want to get free, so I have to shake that hand.

"Alice," I answer. "And tell your friend to let go. I already have a boyfriend, so his hot embrace doesn't excite me; it's suffocating me."

"Looks like your cat's friend has teeth too!" laughs the one named Andrey, but he removes his hand from my waist. "And I was so hoping your name was Sveta," he says for some unclear reason. "All right, girls, peace? Tell us what decent thing to bring you from the bar. Vitya promised not to be cheap! [*]

I don't know who promised them what, and Marinka also shoves Denis away from herself and takes me by the elbow belligerently, flashing an angry look at the guy.

"No thanks. We'll manage ourselves! We'd rather go dance. Somehow we've changed our minds about getting acquainted. And the only drink I want right now is your blood, joker!"