Sasha: The Wallflower (The Wallflower Series Book 1) by R.J. Fletcher

again after she had insulted and slapped him before kicking him out of her apartment.
    There was no doubt in her mind that she was still hurt by his remarks but she felt conflicted. Why would a man like Dmitri, who could easily get another woman, choose to stay with her who he barely knew? She wanted to hope that maybe he felt more than what he told her but she was wary of giving herself any false hope.
    She was wringing her hands in nervousness while she waited in front of the diner for him to arrive.
    “Who are you waiting for?”
    Sasha looked over to see Dina walking up to her. Dina’s mass of wild hair was put up into a messy bun and her eyes looked tired from the day’s work.
    “Well…Dmitri is picking me up today.”
    Her co-worker smiled at this. “That’s nice. I was gonna ask you if you wanted a ride but now that I know you’ll be getting one from Mr. Hottie, I’m not worried. So, how long have you two been seeing each other?”
    Sasha immediately shook her head and said, “Oh, no. We are not dating. I-It’s just…complicated.”
    Dina’s brow rose at this. “Well, I hope it works out for both of you.”
    Wanting to change the subject from her relationship with Dmitri, Sasha asked, “What about you? Anyone special?”
    Dina bit her lower lip and blushed slightly. “Remember the guy who comes at least once a week? Asian. Long hair. Gorgeous.”
    “Oh! You are dating him?”
    “No but I finally got up the courage to accept his offer of a date this past week. We are supposed to be going out this weekend and I’ve never been so nervous.”
    Sasha couldn’t believe a beautiful woman like Dina could ever be insecure about anything. She had seen her interactions with Slade and they seemed to be very cute together. Dina’s mood would always benefit from his visits to the diner. The food wasn’t so great so she could only determine that he made continual visits just to see Dina.
    “I’m sure the date will be fine. You two have been seeing each other unofficially for almost two months!”
    Dina nodded her head. “You’re right. I’m not going to be nervous. I’m going to get excited. This is the first time I’ve been out in too long, you know? I love my job at the art gallery but having to come here part-time is draining the life from me. I’m hoping for a promotion from the curator soon. If I get it, I’ll definitely be saying good-bye to this hole-in-the-wall.”
    She paused for a minute before looking at Sasha excitedly. “You know what? I’ve worked with you for so long and yet we’ve never gone out together. Let’s go to a club this Saturday. My treat.”
    Sasha wasn’t much of a fan of nightclubs but she knew she couldn’t say no to the excitement on Dina’s face. Giving in, she said, “Sure. Why not? Would you mind if my friends came along?”
    “The more the merrier. See you then! I’ll give you a call.” Dina walked away excitedly.
    Almost as soon as she had left, Sasha saw the familiar black sports car pull up to the curb. Unlike last time, Dmitri stepped out of his vehicle and walked up to her with a sweet smile. She was taken aback by his display of affection towards her. Watching him approach, she was frozen as he bent down and gave her a slight peck on the corner of her mouth.
    “Come on,” he whispered, taking her hand and leading her to the passenger seat. Sasha had never had someone open a door for her in any romantic sense but she recognized that was what he was doing. She took a seat and buckled herself up as he made his way back to the driver’s side.
    “So,” he buckled his own seatbelt, “do you mind if we went to my place this time?”
    Sasha wrung her hands in nervousness. “I don’t think that is a good idea.”
    His smile faltered slightly but he nodded his head in understanding. “I give you my word that nothing will happen that you are uncomfortable with.”
    Still hesitant, she gave in. “Okay.”
    The trip to his home was a quiet one. Dmitri had