Cervena Read Online Free

podium, scooped up his clothes, and hurried off the dance floor. When he returned to the bar five minutes later he’d changed into jeans and a T-shirt. I’d had time to compose myself, and my erection had reduced to half-mast.
    “Pretty good.” Karel was the first to speak.
    I cleared my throat and looked up at Sasha’s flushed face. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead from his exertion. “That was great, Sasha. You think you’ll be okay in front of a crowd?”
    “I think so. I think about something else. Imagine I’m somewhere else.”
    “Whatever helps. The schedule is on the back of the door in the dressing room. You’ll have three slots tonight.”
    “I’ll leave you to carry on.” Karel got up and went to the bar.
    “Was it really okay?” Sasha asked.
    “You’re a natural. You look like you get lost in the music.”
    “Yeah.” He grinned and his green eyes sparkled. “That’s how I feel.”
    “You must have practiced somewhere before.”
    “In front of a mirror in my bedroom. My parents would never have let me go out to parties or clubs.”
    “You seem to be settling in well—fitting in with the others.” I hadn’t had much opportunity to talk to him since that first night. I’d checked on him a couple of times but otherwise left him in the hands of the boys. I’d given Tomáš one of the company credit cards and instructed him to take Sasha for his haircut and to buy clothes. They’d made a day of it and returned with so many bags they could barely carry them. Tomáš had been filled with glee, while Sasha had seemed guilt ridden and embarrassed.
    “They all seem nice. Tomáš is becoming a good friend.”
    I raised an eyebrow.
    “Not like that.” Sasha chuckled and avoided my eyes. “He’s not my type.”
    I opened my mouth to ask what his type was but bit back the question. He’d only arrived a week ago. I didn’t want my attraction to him to be obvious and make him feel awkward or under pressure. He needed the job more than he needed me bothering him. I reminded myself of the fifteen-year age gap and besides, he probably wouldn’t be interested in me.
    “I’m glad you get along well with them. What about Karel?”
    “I’ve barely seen him. He spoke to me once on the day after I arrived.”
    I heaved a sigh of relief. I wouldn’t put it past Karel to try and break in the new boy, despite my warning to leave Sasha alone. Bohdan and Marek had seen their brief involvement with Karel as entertaining one of the bosses, but there’d been another boy a year ago. Dominik from Slovakia had only worked for us for three weeks. Karel had fucked him twice, grown bored like he usually did, and left Dominik hurt and confused. He’d confided in Marek how he felt, but he hadn’t been able to continue working at the club. He’d slipped away one night without even leaving a note.
    Sometimes I wondered how I managed to remain friends with Karel. Some of the things he did either annoyed me or turned my stomach, but on the whole things worked well between us. He’d had my back when I was finding my feet in a new country, and he was a good business partner, so I tended to overlook the rest of it.
    “I want to say thank you.” Sasha’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
    “You don’t need to thank me.”
    “I do. You didn’t have to take me in that night. I’ve seen many homeless people in this city. You could easily have turned me away or called the police. I never expected—” He gazed around him. “—all this.”
    “It was a good decision. I’m glad you’re here, Sasha.”
    I wanted to keep talking to him, but I excused myself and went to get my coat from the office. It was early afternoon and I had eight hours before the club opened. I intended to go home and have dinner before I got ready to go out again. I had no intention of missing Sasha’s debut and planned to watch all three of his performances.
    The cleaning team arrived as I left, ready to scrub the floors,