by Kay Loren
“Feeling okay?” Nikki asked.
“Better,” Audrina nodded.
“Svetlana wants to show you around,” she replied. “You up to it?”
She was very curious to see Nikolai’s home. “Sure.”
“I tried my very best to explain to your situation to her but she said it was none of her business,” Nikki shrugged. “She’s just happy that you are here.”
Audrina had assumed Svetlana would try to pry into her business but she was glad to hear that wasn’t the case. She yearned to be able to tell Svetlana that she was going to be an auntie but she could not. This whole situation to her was fucked up.
Nikki and Audrina emerged from the room and into the quiet hall. Audrina glanced at the double doors at the end of the hall and instantly knew that was Nikolai’s room.
“Yes that is Nikolai’s room,” Nikki chuckled and ushered her into the opposite direction. “Me and Sergei are on the same floor but on the other side of the house.”
“How big is this place?”
“Fuckin’ huge!” Nikki exclaimed gesturing the size of the house with both her hands. “I haven’t even seen half of it!”
When they reached the top of the staircase to descend down, Audrina felt her jaw slowly fall. The vast magnificence of the home from her place at the top of the stairs was absolutely stunning. A grand chandelier that looked like crystal shards hung from the high wood ceilings where a large skylight overtook the majority of the roof of the entrance way giving the bright day’s light to the room.
The floors were a pearlescent marble flickered with gold and a beige carpet ran down the middle of the staircase. That was just what Audrina could see from her place. She followed Nikki down the steps, holding onto the intricately designed iron railing. She could now see a long, dark mantle on one side of the room and a door to a room adjacent to the staircase where paintings graced parts of the white walls.
“Shall I give you girls a proper tour?” Svetlana smiled at the end of the staircase.
The girls nodded and Svetlana wedged in the middle of them, looping her arms into theirs and led the way.
Every single corridor, room and bathroom kept up with the theme of the house. Crisp, clean, marbled, white, cream and gold with the occasional oak and dark brown thrown in. The place seemed like a palace that one could easily get lost in. Paintings, portraits of family were displayed on every other wall of the house giving the home an antique yet cozy aura.
Svetlana dragged them from one room to the next. There was a total of twenty rooms in the house alone not including the various bathrooms. There was a gym, wine cellar, theater, library, tennis court, gentlemen’s room, an art room -specifically for Svetlana- and even a magnificent indoor pool with a sauna room attached to it. Audrina had never seen such a grand home exist. It was beyond her wildest imagination.
Nikolai had everything. He even had a large section of the house closed off for his most trusted staff -who lived with him- where they had their own kitchen, laundry room and own bedrooms.
Lastly Svetlana showed them the best room -according to her- in the house. At the very top story of the house there was a room she was excited to show them. A spiral staircase led them up to a single red door that she excitedly pushed open.
Audrina let out a gasp as soon as they entered the room. Three of four walls were ceiling to floor glass where one could over look the magnificent garden of the home. The roof too was made out of glass that could open wide with various plants adorning the corners of the room. The only piece of furniture in the room was a 18th century white couch that sat in the middle of the room. It was breathtaking.
“At night this place is the best,” Svetlana stated. “I like to come up here to stargaze.”
Audrina turned to the only hard wall in the room and looked at the paintings on either side of the door hanging on the wall. One painting was a raven haired woman with piercing blue eyes lounging on a white couch in a black dress and a fur wrapped around her shoulders. Diamonds hung from her ears and a gorgeous sapphire necklace sat firmly on her thin neck. A small smirk could be seen on her thin, pink lips.
Audrina knew the woman was Nikolai’s mother.
Her gaze flickered over to the painting on the other side and her mouth nearly went slack when she saw the man who almost completely resembled Nikolai in a dark suit. He leaned on the side of the white couch, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cigarette in between two fingers. This man had the same build and face as Nikolai yet his eyes were dark and his face bearded. Somehow he looked empty.
“Did you paint these?” Audrina asked Svetlana.
“Yes,” Svetlana smiled shyly. “I painted the last photographs ever taken of my parents. I gifted them to Nikolai two years ago and this is where he put them.”
Audrina noticed that the couch in the portraits was the same white couch that was now in the room. It was strange.
“They are exquisite,” Audrina complimented. “Nikolai did not lie when he said you were talented.”
“He said that?” she whispered as if he had never told her before.
“Yes, of course.”
Svetlana blushed with a look down at her feet. “He’s never told me that before.”
“Have you ever painted him?” Nikki asked.
“Nikolai? No. He’s always working,“ she replied. “I’ve painted some of the staff here and even Sergei himself but not my brother, no… Maybe I can paint you guys!”
Audrina giggled and looked over at Nikki who held the same expression. Finally Nikki answered, “Can you paint the two of us together?”
“Any way you’d like,” Svetlana nodded.
Audrina rubbed her belly and then found herself saying, “I would like you to paint my baby once he is born.”
“Really?” Svetlana whispered, all the breath leaving her body. “You would let me do that?”
“I would love you to.”
Svetlana ran up to Audrina and wrapped her in an embrace. “I cannot wait!”
“Wait a minute,” Nikki shook her head. “Did you say he?”
Audrina nodded. “I dreamt I had a son and when I woke up today I felt it. I know in my heart I am having a boy.”
Nikki smiled, tears in her eyes. “I still think you’re having a girl,” she sniffled.
“Boy, girl… as long as it is a healthy babe,” Svetlana shook her head.
They all agreed and after a while of gazing out the windows, the girls went down to the dining room to eat their dinner. The tour of the house took up much of the day and Audrina was glad that she would finally get to rest and eat. She was just nervous to see Nikolai. She did not know how their reunion would go. She just wanted to lay eyes on him once again.
The long dining room table that seated nearly two dozen people was laden with only placemats and dinnerware for three. Svetlana yelled out in Russian and out of the door on the side of the dining room, came out a tall, robust, grey eyed woman. Her dark hair was tied up in a nice bun giving view to her beautiful tanned complexation and sharp features. She muttered in Russian back to Svetlana who instantly held her arms up in defense. The woman glanced at Audrina for a quick moment and gave her a curt nod with a smile before retreating out of the room.
Svetlana sat down in the seat opposite to Nikki and Audrina and took a sip of the white wine in front of her.
“The boys won’t be joining us for dinner,” she sighed.
“Again?” Nikki frowned.
Svetlana pouted with a nod and played with the utensils in front of her.
“Is this a normal occurrence?” Audrina asked.
“Sometimes,” Svetlana stated. “A lot as of late.”
Audrina did not let the bitter comparison of Michael’s late nights hinder her thoughts on the current situation. She did not even want to think about Michael. Nikolai is nothing like him.
A bowl of creamed soup was placed before her by the grey eyed woman.
“Thank you,” Audrina whispered.
/> The woman looked at Svetlana and spoke rapidly to her. Svetlana nodded and then translated for Audrina, “She said she hopes you will like it. It is potato okroshka. It is a cold soup of potato and onion made from buttermilk. Try it, it is delicious.”
Despite the weird presentation of the soup Audrina ate a spoonful. To her surprise it was actually delicious. “You are right. It is very good.”
Olga smiled once Svetlana translated her compliments to her. Olga responded again and Svetlana translated, “She said she avoided using pork in tonight’s dinner and hopes you can eat some traditional Russian cuisine.”
“I can’t wait to try everything,” Audrina smiled at Olga.
Dinner went quickly with the soup being eaten first, followed by a pastry stuffed with potato, onion and cheese, and then delicious dish Olga called, Golubtsy, which was a cabbage leaf stuffed with minced beef. Each dish was served with a dollop of sour cream which Audrina took to be a Russian’s favorite topping.
Audrina was so full by the last course that she almost did not want to eat dessert until she saw the beautiful layered, honey cake set before her. She took one bite after another until there was no more left.
“You guys want to see a movie?” Svetlana asked after dinner.
They were all walking up the staircase back to their rooms but it seemed like Svetlana did not want the day to end. It was after eight yet Audrina wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.
“I could do a movie,” Nikki nodded. “You, Audri?”
“If you don’t mind I’m kind of tired,” she replied.
“That’s fine,” Nikki nodded though Svetlana seemed sad. Audrina could tell that there were hardly any women that frequented the house based on how much Svetlana always wanted them around. Audrina enjoyed her company and a movie did sound great, but she could not shake off the bone tiredness she felt.
“Maybe tomorrow night,” Audrina hugged her.
“I won’t take no for an answer then,” Svetlana giggled.
Just then, Audrina felt a set of heavy paws on one of her legs. She looked down to find a brown eyed, fawn colored corgi trying to get her attention. The dog barked a few times but the tail wagged to and fro wildly.
“Who’s this little guy?” Audrina knelt down to scratch the dog behind his ear.
“That’s Valdik,” Svetlana rolled her eyes. “That’s Nikolai’s dog.”
Audrina stifled a laugh. She had always thought someone like Nikolai would have a big dog like a bloodhound or husky. Not the friendly little fur ball who licked Audrina’s arm uncontrollably.
“And like his name, he rules the house,” Svetlana sighed. “Damn dog can bark all day when Nikolai isn’t around.”
“He’s very cute,” Audrina pet him a final time before she stood.
She excused herself to go to her room and as she walked up the steps she heard Svetlana scold the dog. When she turned the dog was following her up the steps, wagging his tail as he waddled up each step, ignoring Svetlana’s commands.
“I’m sorry if he follows you,” she said. “That dog does not listen to anyone.”
“It’s okay,” Audrina laughed and patted her leg for the dog to continue on up with her. “I’ll leave the door a bit open in case he wants to leave.”
Audrina noticed as she went further up the steps, several men seemed to be patrolling every level and hall of the home. She looked back to the staircase and saw men also patrolling the first floor as Nikki and Svetlana went past them as if they were not even there. She had not seen them earlier.
A few of the men nodded in her direction in acknowledgement, but quickly averted their attention elsewhere. The two doors to Nikolai’s room were open and her heart raced thinking he was going to emerge at any second. She waited, gazing at the doors until two men stepped out and continued on down the hall where they too nodded their heads at her and went on their way.
It was strange to Audrina. The men made her think of the ones Michael always had around his home with the guns in their waistbands. They creeped her out and could always be heard talking in Italian or cursing profusely. They would always watch her every move no matter how uncomfortable she looked.
She stepped into her room and let out a scream when she saw a man emerge from the bathroom. Valdik barked, startled by her outburst.
“It’s okay!” the young man held his hands up.
Two men burst into the room and stood in front of Audrina, quickly shielding her with their large frames. They must have recognized the man in her room or else they would not have laughed and went on their way quickly after.
“Who are you?” Audrina asked the man.
The man resembled Sergei, Nikolai’s driver but a younger version… Almost like a teenager. The dog went straight for him and jumped up with his tail wagging.
“I’m Alek,” he said and put his hands down. “Sergei’s brother. I work for Nikolai and I was just sweeping the room.”
Audrina looked down at his hands. “I don’t see a broom.”
Alek gave her a quizzical stare. He replied after a while, “Sweeping, like making sure no one is in the room or under the bed or hiding in the closet.”
What the fuck? Audrina had never heard of the word being used in that sense.
“Nikolai put me in charge of your personal security while he went out for the day and it is my job to make sure your room situation is in order and you have everything you need,” Alek smiled finally and knelt to pet the dog. “Audrina, right?”
“Yeah,” she nodded.
“Sorry I scared you,” He smiled again. He seemed friendly as he kissed the dog and ruffed up his ears.
Audrina wrapped her arms under her breasts. “Why would you need to ‘sweep’ the room?”
Alek stood, “Well it’s a big property and it’s my nightly routine.”
“Oh,” Audrina nodded. Made sense. “Is there always men roaming the halls?”
“Yeah,” Alek nodded. “They mean no harm they just want to make sure everyone is safe.”
Something did not quite sit right with Audrina. Something she hoped she was wrong about popped into her mind. She decided to question Alek a bit more.
“So how long have you been working for Nikolai?” she asked and sat on the edge of the neatly made bed. She brought Valdik up with her when he insisted she pick him up.
“About four years,” he stated. “My brother got me the job.”
“So what do you do on a day to day basis?”
“Depends,” he shrugged. “I could drive Nikolai around to his meetings, run a job he sends me to, get things done around here. Whatever he needs.”
Alek was coy and careful of how he answered. He didn’t seem nervous. He was very nonchalant as if he had been asked the same questions before.
“So if he told you to, let’s say beat someone up, you’d do it?” she pressed.
“Why would you ask that?” he asked, a wicked gleam in his eye.
“I’m curious.”
Alek narrowed his eyes. “What’s that American saying I hear a lot… about curiosity?”
“Curiosity killed the cat.”
“That’s the one,” Alek nodded with a smirk.
“So, would you?” she pressed again after a moment of silence between them two.
Alek sighed with a shake of his head. “Let me put it like this, any one of us, every man you see roaming those halls or Olga, any of his staff… myself… we would do whatever Nikolai wished. Not because he pays us tremendously or the fact he is our boss, but because of who he is and what he has done for all of us.”
Audrina listened intently as Alek spoke on with so much passion for Nikolai. It intrigued her. Nikolai was a great person from what she‘d known about him, but that was it. She had just known a small fraction of who he was. She looked down at her knotted hands, thinking to herself for a moment.
“Does that answer your question?” he asked.
“I think so,” she whispered.
He nodded with a s
mile, hands clasped behind his back. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No,” she shook her head and looked back to the dog who had found a space on the middle of the bed to sleep.
Before Alek left the room he turned back to Audrina, “It was nice meeting you Audrina.”
“You too,” She nodded.
Alek closed the door behind him and left her alone. She let her mind wander about Nikolai. From what Alek had said, they would all do anything for him. But why, she wondered. What did he do for them that they all feel this undying loyalty to him? Who was he? She had wondered so much about someone before until it finally struck her.
She had always known.
Chapter Twenty- Eight
It was past midnight by the time Nikolai and Sergei returned home. Nikolai was tired and after dealing with the angered D’Amuri family who pressed him about Audrina’s whereabouts and him lying to buy time, he was tired. He didn’t know how much more he had in him to keep up with everyone’s shit.
Especially after what he had found out about his own ties to the Cathan family. The thought made him shudder. She would surely leave me for good once she founds out the truth. He couldn’t think about it now.
“If you don’t need me Nik, I’m going upstairs,” Sergei yawned.
Poor guy had been helping Nikolai fiercely convincing the D’Amuri family about whatever they wanted to hear and putting himself in harm’s way. He had done way more for Nikolai than Nikolai had intended. Sergei deserved a break.
“Go,” Nikolai waved him away. “You need to rest. If anything comes up, I will take Alek with me.”
Sergei sheepishly agreed and walked up the staircase with his coat in hand.
Despite Nikolai being tired, he could not sleep. He walked straight to his office and found Alek going over some paperwork.
“Hey Boss,” Alek waved.
How the boy seemed to always be wide eyed, cheery and awake was a mystery to Nikolai. He had not been that way when he was Alek’s age. He thought perhaps he did not work Alek the way he worked Sergei.