Sasha held back the need to snap at them both. While they had willingly volunteered to go shopping with her, she was a bit irked by their lack of support and empathy toward her situation. So, she turned away from the rack and said, “Okay, here is the deal. I’ve met Dmitri’s parents before and his father blatantly called me a slut. And then, to make matters even worse, I gave their then-struggling-with-anorexia daughter a concussion. So, is that still your final advice: be yourself?”
Lola and Teagan both stared at her, mouths gaped open.
“You never told me that, Sasha!” Teagan looked visibly pissed while Lola was still in amused shock.
“Oh, hell no, girl! You need a fucking miracle to make that shit better. And no outfit is going to give you that!” Lola stated bluntly.
Sasha’s face fell at the truth in her words. “Dmitri isn’t going to dump me because of them- I know that for a fact. But, I would still really like it if the meeting went well for him. He’s under enough stress as it is.”
“I’d say the one under a lot of stress is you, Sasha. You’re being too hard on yourself. From what you did bother to tell me,” Teagan sent a suspicious glare Sasha’s way as she said that, “his parents are not likeable people. So, again, I say just be yourself. That’s who Dmitri fell in love with in the first place. I don’t know why you’re trying to become some goddamn Stepford wife when that is just not you.”
Teagan could tell her words had been taken seriously. Sasha bowed her head slightly and sighed in understanding.
“So, would you mind if we left this goddamn store. The prices on these tags are giving me hives,” Lola joked to lighten the mood.
Teagan and Sasha broke out into laughter as they made their way to the exit with Lola leading the way. And Sasha remembered exactly why she had wanted them to be there with her; even though her worries were far from disappearing, she still felt better.
Her thoughts drifted to Dmitri and instantly, a wide smile spread across her face and she felt the weight that had been on her shoulders all evening lighten. As if on cue, her phone rang and she looked down to see his face displayed on the screen. Without hesitation, she answered breathily,
“Dmitri!”
“Hey baby.” She could hear the smile in his voice as he greeted her in return. “Where are you?” he asked.
“I’m shopping for an outfit for tomorrow. Teagan and Lola are with me.”
There was a slight pause before he replied, “I’m at your apartment right now. Remember? We made plans to spend tonight together…”
Sasha almost laughed at the pout she heard in Dmitri’s voice. While she did recall him making the plans on her behalf, she also remembered her response. “Dmitri, I told you, I am not going to meet your parents without wearing something appropriate. And having your personal assistant shop for me isn’t what I meant by that. I sent Jeremy back to your office for a reason.”
Dmitri sighed in frustration, “Why do you refuse to accept my help?”
Her eyes narrowed at the tone in his voice. Turning away from Lola and Teagan, she planted her hands on her hips and replied smartly, “Because this relationship isn’t going to be me hanging on your coattails. While I am more than grateful for the help, this is something I wish to do on my own. I’m not an invalid; I can shop for myself.”
While their relationship had been thriving since that day in Newark so many months ago, there was still the occasion of them butting heads. It was moments like this, Sasha remembered that Dmitri was not only the product of a rich family, but it was the only lifestyle he had been exposed to from both his mother and father’s side. When she refused the help of maids, personal assistants, and the like he was often flabbergasted by her need to do things on her own. For her, they weren’t a chore, just a part of everyday life. And she vowed to get him more accustomed to doing for himself outside of his business as well.
“Fine,” Dmitri replied in a huff. “When will you be back?”
“I shouldn’t be longer than another two hours or so,” she paused. “Can you wait that long you big baby?”
Even as the words left her mouth, she giggled. Sasha didn’t have to see him to know his face was turning red in embarrassment as he realized just how he was acting. The silence that followed her comment, confirmed it. And she let out her laughter.
“I miss you too, Dmitri. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Her words seemed to have done the trick in easing his discomfiture because he finally replied back huskily, “No panties.”
As if on cue, she felt warmth spread down her belly and settle between her legs. And suddenly, she couldn’t give a damn about the outfit she had spent the last afternoon searching for. Trying to control her breath, she cleared her throat and stated inconspicuously for Teagan and Lola’s benefit, “Of course. I’ll see you soon.”
Sasha’s eyes had been in a constant state of awe as Dmitri drove his vehicle through the neighborhoods of Dover, Massachusetts. It wasn’t until they turned onto a private street that she realized the depth of the Vikhrov wealth and estate. With trees and gorgeous fields lining the stone path, a home decorated in grey stone masonry with white paneling finally came into view. It wasn’t simply enough that the home itself was one of the largest she had ever come across, but the land that surrounded the area gave tribute to the powerful family that lay behind the stone walls.
Dmitri drove the car around the roundabout in front of the home, completely ignorant of Sasha’s speechlessness. Instead, his mind and body were overcome with the same uproarious energy that always came every time he came across his father. It was a conundrum of emotions with no specific root. But one thing he was certain of as he placed the car into park and removed the key from the ignition was that today would be memorable for them both.
“Oh my god, is this the home you grew up in?” Sasha finally spoke.
“Yeah, this is the manor,” he replied sarcastically. “It’s about thirty acres. To the east you have my father’s horse stables. We all grew up with a keen knowledge of equestrian despite our protests to the contrary. And behind the house is actually a quite beautiful lake.”
“You never told me you know how to ride a horse?”
Looking over at her, Dmitri merely shrugged. “The memories I have of growing up here aren’t the happiest. Equestrian was simply another reminder of how much control my father had over my life. I’d rather not drudge up those recollections.”
Sensing his soberness, Sasha leaned over and placed her hand gently upon his arm. “It’s okay, I understand. But today’s your chance to start a new chapter. We’re in this together.”
To her surprise, he quickly leaned over and took hold of her lips with his own. The soft feel of their connection further relaxed them both as they were inundated with the desire that always seemed to simmer beneath the surface. But before things could get out of hand, Sasha gently pushed him back with a hand on his chest.
“We should go in.”
Without protest, Dmitri exited the vehicle and walked around to relieve Sasha as well. Together, they walked up the stone steps and rung the bell. They could hear the sound emanate through the home and watched in anticipation as a dark figure approached the glass doors. Sasha could feel the tension begin as she focused on her breath and tried not to doubt herself. After hours of deliberation, she had finally chosen to wear a simple sleeveless sheath dress in white and black. It accentuated her curves tastefully and with the appropriate necklace and bracelet, she felt that she at least looked the part considering the company involved. Taking in one final breath and a quickly glance at Dmitri’s stoic appearance, she watched as the door opened.
On the other side stood a familiar and welcome face; Dominic greeted them both with a warm smile. “Well look who decided to finally come to dinner?” Laughing at his own movie reference, he motioned them in impatiently.
“Come on, might as well get this hellish event over with.”
Dmitri looked down to Sasha sensing the tension
in her body as they walked down the hallway. While she still looked in reverence at the red wood floors and cream walls with portraits of all three Vikhrov siblings, he gently caressed her lower back in comfort. The night before, they had been so distracted in their lovemaking he had failed to ask her once again if she was comfortable with coming along with him.
His parents’ home was a mere thirty minutes away from Boston, but the trip out seemed much longer as the two of them had been so engrossed in their own thoughts. And now, he sincerely regretted it. He wanted to know what she was thinking as she looked upon his childhood home.
Following behind Dominic, they made their way into the main living area. Seated around the fireplace in the deep cushions of the white couch were his sister and mother. His father, however, was nowhere in sight.
Clearing his throat, Dmitri took hold of Sasha’s hand and gained their attention. Nadia’s eyes greeted them warmly as Dominic sat down next to her. The same however could not be said of Natalia; her eyes narrowed upon Sasha’s presence and Dmitri could feel the negative energy she directed at him.
Before he could speak, his stepmother stood and walked toward them. “Well, I’m glad you made it Dmitri.” Abruptly, her countenance rested upon Sasha. “While I don’t necessarily approve of the circumstances in which you’ve arrived, I am happy to meet you again…” Natalia trailed off, her hand held out toward Sasha as she waited for the younger woman to introduce herself.
“This is Sasha Harmon. Sasha, I’m sure you remember my stepmother, Natalia,” Dmitri answered instead.
Sasha took Natalia’s offered hand and gave it a firm shake. “It’s nice to meet you again, Mrs. Vikhrov. I’m sorry it is under such stressful circumstances. How are you and your husband doing?”
Instead of bothering to answer, Natalia returned her attention back to Dmitri. “Your father is being serviced by the nurse at the moment. He should be down shortly and we can commence with dinner.” She swept out her hand at the wide room, “Please have a seat. Make yourselves comfortable.”
Dmitri’s gaze narrowed upon his stepmother at her blatant disregard of Sasha. Before he could open his mouth to respond, however, Sasha patted his arm gently, silently gesturing for him to let it go. Instead, they both took a seat on a loveseat across from Dominic and Nadia as Natalia quietly walked out of the room.
“It’s so nice to have you here, Sasha,” Nadia supplied to the awkward silence that had begun to encompass the room.
Dmitri watched Sasha gracefully return the smile. “I’m really happy to be here.” Whether she was telling the truth or not, her statement alone calmed Dmitri’s nerves. He wondered if she even knew his biggest fear- that despite his efforts, his family would make her want to leave. He could prevent them from antagonizing her, but he couldn’t control her from wanting to escape the often tense and negative family life he had grown accustomed to. Even though it had been years since he had set foot on the estate or sat down with his parents for dinner, the characteristics of his relationship with them had been pervasive in other aspects of his life. And while that had changed somewhat, he worried that it would prevent him from creating the loving family life he knew Sasha had always wanted.
Thoughts of having children and being married had come up quite often since her pregnancy scare. While he was shocked by his desire for both, at the same time, he feared being incapable of making her happy. His own family life had always been dysfunctional; what did he possibly know about what was normal?
“Well, you’re in for a treat if that greeting just now wasn’t evidence enough,” Dominic responded dryly. “In fact, before shit really starts to hit the fan, I always delve into Father’s expensive taste for alcohol. Would you like anything?”
Sasha’s eyes met Dmitri’s with humorous uncertainty. “Umm….I think I’m good, Dominic. But, thank you for the offer.”
He merely shrugged his shoulders as if silently conveying ‘you’re loss.’ “You sure? Have you ever tried real Russian vodka?”
“Dom,” Dmitri warned.
Rolling his eyes at his older brother, Dominic laid back into the couch and said nothing further on the subject.
The scuffling of feet nearing the room interrupted the brief interaction. Just as quickly as she had exited, Natalia returned with Nikolai slowly following behind. Dmitri’s relaxed posture immediately straightened in shock at the sight of his formerly intimidating father walking in with his shoulders slightly hunched. The man had always seemed larger than life with his height and wide build. But it wasn’t just his posture Dmitri noticed, but the deep circles under his eyes and the sad frown marring his mouth.
In complete shock, Dmitri merely watched silently as his father gently took a seat by Natalia. They didn’t truly acknowledge one another for a bit, and so the room waited with baited breath for the first exchange. Sasha’s gaze, like the others, switched back and forth between father and son. To everyone’s disappointment however, before a conversation could begin, a housemaid came in and announced that dinner was ready and the table was set.
Sasha felt almost as if she were in a twilight zone as she watched everyone rise to their feet and in an orderly line, make their way to a room across the grand hallway. The large window that let in beautiful light from the now setting sun characterized the dining room that they entered. There was a chandelier that dangled from the ceiling, shining with gold and silver. And the china on the table made Sasha hyperaware once more of the Vikhrov wealth.
Everyone seemed to have pre-assigned seats with Nikolai at the head. Dmitri and Natalia took seats on his left and right side. Sasha naturally sat beside Dmitri with Nadia across from her and Dominic on Nadia’s right.
Sasha paid little attention to the meal she was served, instead her heart beat quickly in the silence. There was no longer a mere intimidation factor- it was simply uncomfortable. How could a family have so much and seem to be so lacking? There was none of the laughter and love she had dreamed of and had seen with her own two eyes as a ward of the state. There was nothing but the sounds of utensils clattering against the china plates as everyone paid more attention to the food in front of them than the people beside them. Until finally-
“So, I guess this is how you wished to reintroduce yourself to the family,” Nikolai stated to Dmitri, breaking the silence. It was the first words from his mouth since coming downstairs.
The fork travelling to Dmitri’s mouth paused in midair. There was a slight tick in his jaw, before he responded, “You mean by bringing my future wife?”
Sasha, overhearing their exchange, quietly reached over under the table and placed her hand upon Dmitri’s thigh. While the subject of marriage had come up before, there had been an underlying uncertainty within her that Dmitri may not be ready to commit to a deeper relationship. Now she knew. And her heart filled with warmth, a reoccurring habit since they had gotten back together.
Nikolai obviously was a bit upset by the news. “Future wife or not, given what’s happened to me, this dinner is supposed to be for family.”
Dmitri laughed humorlessly, “Yes, by all means continue talking about family. Because you have exemplified that so well. Forget how you banished me from this place, or how you ignored Nadia’s anorexia until it nearly killed her. Let’s go back to how you treated your family by having an affair with Natalia and kicking my mother out of her home.”
Their eyes locked, the same ferocity in them both evidence of their genetic link. All eyes were on them at the dining room table, their audience unable to eat with the rapidly growing tension in the air. They had all known with Dmitri’s return things would boil over, but had wrongly assumed it would come later in the night. But Dmitri was tired of waiting. It was finally time to address the elephant in the room when it came to his relationship with his father.
“Maybe you two should talk about this later,” Natalia softly suggested, trying to salvage the dinner.
“No,” Dmitri responded immediately. “I am done with the niceties and passiv
e aggression. You want us to finally be a happy family, Natalia? Well you need to stop cowering away from the problems that have been slowly tearing your children away from you. It’s time to get your head out of your ass, you and my father.”
Nikolai’s fist slammed down onto the table at Dmitri’s tone. “You will not speak to her that way.”
“And you will acknowledge the woman that I love!” Dmitri combatted.
A silence fell upon them at his statement. The blatant hypocrisy was now obvious to them all and Nikolai seemed to be at a loss of words as to how to respond.
“You want me to finally accept your love for Natalia and how it tore apart the last vestige of my mother? Well, look at Sasha for once with the respect that she deserves. She has been more of a family to me than you have ever been; she opened my eyes to something other than hate. It is because of her that I even bothered to be here. And yet you can’t even look her in the eye? What is it, Father? Is our relationship not advantageous enough for you? How is it any different from you marrying, Natalia? You know, if they knew the truth, most of your friends, according to their line of thinking, would be appalled that you married white trash.”
Natalia gasped in horror, tears glistening in her eyes as she saw the night start to unravel. Seeing how distraught she was, Nikolai’s face went into a rage. He threw back his chair and threateningly took a step toward his oldest son.
“How dare you!” he growled.
Dmitri remained in his seat. “How dare I what? Pass off the same judgment you’ve bestowed upon Sasha? I’m only doing what you taught me. There are people in this world that are just worth more than others, right? Isn’t that what you’ve always told me?”
As Dmitri waited for his father to finally respond, he was taken aback by the smile that slowly spread upon the older man’s face.
“You think you can find happiness with her? Some black woman you met on the street?” Nikolai was either completely unaware of or had decided to ignore the glares he received from both Dominic and Nadia at his last statement.
Sasha: The Awakening (The Wallflower Series Book 2) Page 15