‘‘Men are complete twats. I will never understand any of you. All this dominance bullshit makes everything insane and dumbs you all down.’’ I blurt out in frustration, and Alexi turns and smiles at me. It’s a weird reaction, but he props his arse on the bar's edge and looks at me for a long moment. His face softens from that glacier frown to a softer, more relaxed look.

‘’I’m sorry.’’ He says it so matter-of-fact and emotionless that I blanch at him.

‘‘For ...