«Lana.» She chuckled. «Lana Limpson.»

«I’m Oleg. Oleg Merkulov,» he said, to her surprise quite casually, and the girl realized he was new here.

«You are Russian, aren’t you?» Lana leered at the man with interest.

He was much older than she, yet he looked great. Very tall and athletic, broad-shouldered, this red-headed man with piercing brown eyes was simply handsome. She thought he looked like some ancient Roman god. All his movements were full of masculine grace, showing off his physical strengths. Though his legs were a little shorter than they should be for someone his height, they were well shaped and toned, and the powerful muscles of his strong thighs were visible even through the fabric of his jeans.

Lana looked at Ruslan and Nicholas. She knew the American, as they had grown up in the same town, and she guessed that the other one was Russian.

He was average, and his appearance did not impress, but surprised her, for Lana discovered that he seemed very similar to her. He also had dark blonde hair, and his eyes were the same olive drab color as hers. It was as if she saw her reflection in a mirror, and an open-eyed Lana inspected him with curiosity.

«He looks tired.» She noticed surveying his exhausted face. «Definitely, he’s had a difficult past and probably went through some grief a short time ago.»

Suddenly she met his gaze, and was amazed at how odd it was. This young Russian man stared at her with adoration and abhorrence at the same time, as if she was doing something extraordinary. As if she was eating spiders for a bet, for example, or dancing on the table stark naked.

His glare intrigued her, and Lana waved. Ruslan and Nicholas just saluted back, but did not come close. Then, pursing her lips, the girl addressed Oleg again. «Why do people ignore me?»

Oleg demonstratively looked at her bodyguard, and Lana winced.

«I promised Dad that I’d take Tom with me if I go to a bar,» she explained with bitterness in her voice. «Tom’s just a good friend, like an older brother to me.»

«Your daddy is right,» Oleg sighed. «Such a beauty as you are has to be under protection, like a rare, brilliant, sparkling diamond.»

«You call me such funny names.» Lana tried to laugh, but she could not. She liked it. This man was talking with a strange, hard accent, and all these nice words sounded very unusual, with masculine sexual inflection.

«I just said what I thought.» Oleg turned to the bartender. «John, give everybody a drink on me.»

«Why?» asked Lana, astonished.

«I want everybody to be as happy as I am now,» Oleg pronounced, gazing at her. «I met you, and it’s the best day in my life. I just want everybody to be happy.»

«But it’s a lot of money.»

«For happiness money does not matter.» Oleg took out a roll of bills and put it on the counter. «Barman, drinks for everybody!»

* * * * *

Just a few days later he met her again.

Downtown Oleg and Ruslan passed by the central hotel with a restaurant on the ground floor. The rain with snow had just stopped, and the streets were full of dirty water. Oleg Merkulov was wearing a wolf-skin coat. It was a very expensive and very warm fur coat and great for the Moscow frost, but now Oleg was hot and he walked with his coat open.

A car stopped in front of the restaurant. A man opened the door to help a girl get out, and Oleg saw Lana Limpson, wearing evening pumps with high heels.

She looked doubtfully at the wide puddle that was between her car and the sidewalk.

Next Oleg threw his coat on the puddle. Lana gazed at Oleg and recognized him. «It’s you again.» She carefully stepped on the coat, and gained the sidewalk. «Oleg, correct?»