Informing Ivan

Adrian POV 

Ivan and I rented out the strip club for a private show, watching the girls dance around the stage in skimpy thongs and tops that barely covered their nipples.

Articles of clothing slowly fell to the floor, revealing more beautiful skin for us to gawk at.

Ivan slipped a big bill into the thong of the woman who’d just given him a lap dance and I drank from my glass of scotch.

The music boomed overhead, so Ivan raised his voice to talk to me. “I’m ready for the whorehouse, how about you? Or should we hit a bar and do this the old-fashioned way? You know, alcohol and romance?” He slapped the woman’s ass as she walked away.

Liana agreed to marry me. I was a betrothed man, committed to a woman for the rest of my life.

When I told her I wouldn’t keep my dick in my pants, it was an empty threat because I just hoped that would change her mind about sleeping with me. “I’m gonna call it a night.”

“What? It’s just twelve.”

“Yeah…I’m just not feeling it.”

Ivan looked at the dozens of girls dancing in front of us then turned back to me like I was fucking crazy. “Then you’re gay because ou’ve got to be that's the only explanation to this nonsense.”

I smacked him upside the head then left my chair.

Ivan came after me, following me all the way into the parking lot.

I could hear his footsteps behind me, but I didn't turn around immediately because I knew he wasn't going to let it go.

Ivan knew me well enough to recognize when something was wrong, and apparently, I'd been doing a terrible job of hiding it.

“What’s the problem?” he asked. “You’ve been weird all week.”

I sighed quietly because I hadn't told him the news yet and I'd been putting it off because I already knew how he'd react.

He was going to shit a brick, and honestly, I wasn't sure I had the energy to deal with his reaction right now.

I kept walking until I reached my car then I stopped and leaned back against the door, crossing my arms loosely as I looked at him.

“I’ve got something to tell you,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “But it’s not easy for me to say…”

Ivan's expression immediately changed. “Alright…” He looked genuinely concerned now.

“You’re scaring me. Are you dying? Is someone important dying? Did we get in trouble?”

I almost rolled my eyes at his dramatic list of possibilities but I didn't confirm any of them.

I simply stood there, watching him and that seemed to make things worse.

Ivan slowly crossed his arms over his chest and positioned himself directly in front of me, his eyes narrowing as he waited. “Okay,” he said cautiously. “What is it?”

I took a breath. “Liana's mother came to my office last week and asked me to marry her daughter.”

I paused, letting the words settle before forcing myself to finish. “I said yes.”

For a few seconds, Ivan didn't react, he just stared at me like I was an idiot he didn't know how to deal with.

I could practically see the information moving through his brain, piece by piece, as he tried to process what I'd just told him.

Ivan expression slowly changed as the revelation finally sank in and his mouth parted slightly, then his face slackened with disbelief. “Okay…” he finally said.

He shook his head once, as though that might somehow make the information disappear. “I’m officially freaked out now.”

I couldn't blame him because I had barely come to terms with it myself. “I’ve just come to accept it,” I admitted quietly.

Ivan stared at me for another moment, clearly still trying to understand how I'd arrived at such a decision then his expression hardened with confusion. “Why did you say yes to that in the first place?”

I bowed my head, not wanting to answer.

“Adrian. You asked her to marry you, and she said no. Why be with a woman who obviously doesn’t give a shit about you? Why subject yourself to this torture? You know how long it took you to get over her last time.”

“I know…”

“Then what the fuck are you doing?”

“If I don’t marry her, someone else will.”

“Which is a good thing.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want anyone else to have her even if she doesn’t love me, she’ll still be mine and maybe someday…that will change.”

“You really must be going mad because of this girl.”

It seemed like he couldn't understand how much I was willing to sacrifice just to have Liana. “A guy can dream, right?”

He shook his head. “Don’t do this.”

“I don’t have a choice, Ivan. No matter what I do…I lose and that’s how I know this is really a disaster and I’m perpetually miserable. At least I can be miserable with the woman I want instead of imagining someone else fucking her every night. At least I’ll be the one doing the fucking.”

Ivan knew I didn’t change my mind easily. Once I had my mind set on something, I stuck with it. “When are you getting married?”

“No idea.”

“So you plan not to get laid until then?” he asked incredulously.

I was free to do whatever I wanted, but now that she was mine…in a way…it didn’t feel right. I couldn’t screw a woman without thinking about her.

It would be a pointless screw, and my climax would be weak. Now that I knew I’d be having the best sex of my life again, without a condom, that was all I wanted. I didn’t want the cheap, watered-down stuff. “Yeah…guess so.”