“Milan wants me to fuck you.”
Lydia’s bite of club sandwich turned huge and indigestible on her tongue. She struggled to get it down, then nodded.
“I know. He thinks we should get to know each other in and out of the bedroom. How do you feel about it?”
Evgeny raised his eyebrows, looking down at his pasta.
“It’s fine,” he said. “You’re a nice girl. You know, I’d maybe ask you out if I wasn’t with Milan, anyway. So…”
He shrugged.
“Do you…are you in love with Milan?”
“Of course.”
“Do you ever wish you could be exclusive?”
Evgeny sneered.
“I suppose you do?”
“I’m asking you.”
Evgeny sniffed and leant back in his chair.
“I like to play the field,” he said. “Milan allows me to do that. As long as I tell him who I’m fucking, he’ll let me do what I want.”
“So it suits you—this arrangement?”
“Sure it suits me. I get lots of sex, and some of it’s with Milan, who I love. It’s good.”
“I suppose so.”
“You sound doubtful. I know your type. I’ve seen this before. You want him for yourself. Well, it won’t ever happen. He won’t be tied down to one person. He won’t even be tied down to one gender, so why don’t you give up on that little idea and share the wealth?”
“You’ve seen this before?”
“So many times. Boy, it’s boring. Like your friend Vanessa. She couldn’t handle it, wanted Milan all to herself. Greedy bitch. He dropped her like a stone. So get your head together, Lydia. Accept that, if you want him, you have to share him, or get out.”
“Don’t you ever get jealous?”
There was a beat of silence before Evgeny said, “No.”
He’s lying.
“So, are we going to have sex?” said Lydia.
“That’s the plan.”
“Even though you obviously don’t like me?”
“What’s that got to do with it?”
Lydia thought back to Milan’s words. She didn’t have to like Evgeny. She barely even had to know him. How odd it all was.
“A lot, surely! Isn’t it a bit weird to have sex with someone you don’t like?”
“No. I do it all the time. It’s kind of good. Different, but good.”