by Roxie Rivera
"Like you care," she snapped back.
He'd never heard such anger in her voice. There was something else coloring her tone. Pain? "Of course I care."
"Liar. You're a big, stupid, Russian liar and I'm a big, dumb Mexican believer."
He frowned and tried to make sense of her ramblings. It was clear she was very drunk. "Lena, are you alone? Is Erin or Vivian there?"
"It's none of your business who I'm with tonight." He heard male voices in the background. She came back on the line, louder and angrier. "Yeah, that's right. You want to be so nosy about what I'm doing. Who the fuck was that girl you were with tonight? Huh? Is she with you now?"
"Tanya? What does Tanya matter?"
"Apparently a lot. You dumped me for her."
"What are you—?" The pieces fell into place. Had she seen photos from the gala? Did she think he had feelings for Tanya? "Lena, it was just a charity thing. It doesn't matter."
"Charity? Are you calling me a charity case?"
Between the alcohol dimming her wits and the outrageously loud music, she'd misunderstood him. "No. I didn't call you a charity case."
"Whatever, Yuri. What! Ever!"
He flinched as she shouted into the phone. The loud male laughter in the background worried him. If she was alone and drunk with men, it could be dangerous for her. "Lena, where are you?"
"Wherever you aren't."
Pinching his nose, he tried to keep his temper in check. "Lena, please, I'm begging you. Tell me where you are."
"Oh my God! I love this song." Her voice sounded fainter. He strained to hear her. The sound of fabric rustling against the phone scratched at his ear. A few moments later, he heard Lena whooping and raucous applause.
Imagining the very worst, he shouted, "Lena? Yelena!"
A deep male voice came on the line. "Sorry, dude, Lena can't play right now. She's busy dancing."
The line went dead. Panicked, he tried to call her but there was no answer. Terrified that she'd gotten herself into a dangerous situation, he called the only person who could find her in a city the size of Houston.
"Yuri?" Nikolai's calm voice soothed his raw nerves.
"I need you to find Lena."
He laughed. "Let the girl sleep, Yuri. She doesn't need you calling her all hours of the night because you're lovesick."
Somehow he managed not shout at his best friend. "She's not at home. She's drunk and in a club. I'm worried about her."
There was a moment's pause before Nikolai sighed. "Let me call Vee."
The line went dead. As Yuri waited for Nikolai's call, he flipped on the lamp and slid out of bed. The exhaustion he'd been feeling from the protracted negotiations fled as adrenaline took hold. What the hell was Lena thinking?
As he tugged on a shirt and pants, he replayed her conversation. Behind the alcohol making her so aggressive, there was so much hurt in her voice. What in the world did she think was going on here in Berlin? What was her hang-up with Tanya?
He had specifically told Anna to make sure that Lena understood this was simply a way for him to get the approval on the pipeline. He went with Tanya, gave an outrageous donation to an environmental charity and in the morning her father would run positive coverage in his papers to steady the nerves of those people preparing to vote to allow the pipeline to cross German soil.
"Shit." Running his fingers through his hair, Yuri pocketed his private phone and stormed out of his bedroom. He crossed the large suite to the bedroom where Anna slept. Hating to wake her so early after all the work she had done, he knocked loud enough to get her attention. "Anna?"
It was more than a minute before the door opened. Rumpled and sleepy, she hugged her robe around her willowy frame. "What's wrong?"
"Did you speak to Lena about cancelling our plans?"
"Yes. Well." Her cheek twitched and she made an apologetic face. "I sent her an email. Between running interference with the council and trying to track down a tuxedo and getting the cash freed up for the donation, I didn't have time for a phone call. Why? Was it important?"
Yuri groaned and wiped a hand down his face. "She's incredibly important to me."
Anna looked surprised. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize she was—I mean, I thought she was just another one of them. If I had known—"
"Yes." He lifted a hand to stop her. His stomach knotted so painfully he thought he might get sick. The stupidity of what he had done threatened to drop him to his knees. He had been so focused on this damn pipeline that he'd put everything at risk. Now there was only one thing to be done. "Get me on a flight to Houston as soon as possible."
Her eyes widened. "But it's—"
He cut her off. "I know what time it is. Leave our private jet here for the rest of team. Find me another one. Hell, I'll take a commercial flight if that's the only thing available."
"Yes, sir." She hesitated. "And the pipeline deal?"
"Jameson is my VP for a reason. If he can't seal the deal, he can find a new job." Harshness edged into his voice. He had no one to blame for this mess but himself. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so short with you. This is my fault."
She didn't argue with him. "I'll get it handled."
"Thank you." His phone started to ring as he crossed the living area and ducked into the bedroom. "Nikolai?"
"We've found her."
Yuri sagged against the closed door with relief. "Where is she?"
"Vee tracked her down using the internet. Apparently she's been posting pictures all night on a club run with someone called Ty."
Yuri groaned even louder. Could this night get any worse? "He's a gossip columnist." Certain Nikolai didn't care, he said, "It doesn’t matter. Can you get her?"
"I'm waiting for Vivian to get dressed. I'm not about to try to bring Lena home myself—especially if she has that damn gun in her purse."
Yuri reeled with shock. "She carries a gun?"
"Can you blame her? With a father like that she needs it."
Yuri's brow furrowed. He had only done a cursory peek into her background. Clearly he needed to delve deeper. "Be careful. I don't want this to turn into a bigger mess than it is."
"Vee and I can handle this." Nikolai's voice trailed off and Yuri heard Vivian's soft voice in the background. When Nikolai returned, he sounded unhappy. "You owe me big, Yuri."
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to have to bribe my way into Houston's most notorious gay bar," he grumbled. "This girl had better be worth it."
"She is."
"Are you headed here?"
"As soon as I get a flight arranged, I'll be on my way."
"I'd suggest you spend that time coming up with an apology. Flowers and diamonds aren't going to cut it this time."
The line went dead and Yuri tossed his phone onto his bed. Quickly, he washed his face and brushed his teeth. There wasn't time for a shower but he hopped into clean jeans and a shirt. He was tossing things into his suitcases when Anna knocked on his door. "Come in."
She stepped inside but stayed near the open door. "You're on a private jet leaving in fifty-five minutes. The car is waiting to take you. Jake and Derek will be in the lobby in ten minutes. I'll have Tony waiting at the airport in Houston. I've emailed the details."
Yuri glanced at his watch and made the calculations. It would be noon Houston-time before he arrived. He hoped Lena could sleep off her hangover by then. They needed to have a serious talk, one that required her to be sober.
"Thank you, Anna."
"Is there anything else I can do?"
He started to say no but remembered something Nikolai had said. "When you have a chance, I want a full background dossier on Lena. Concentrate on her parents."
Surprise colored her face but she nodded nonetheless. "I'll get it done as soon as possible."
"Thank you."
"I'm sorry for whatever problems I've caused tonight."
"You didn't cause them. This was all me."
He prayed Lena would forgive him and give him
a chance to try again. Thankfully, he had a trans-Atlantic flight to figure out a way to make this right.
Chapter Six
It had been the longest flight of his life. Now sitting in the backseat of his car, Yuri rubbed the back of his aching neck. He had a few short minutes until they reached Lena's apartment. He still had no idea what the hell he was going to say.
On one hand, he was irritated that she had jumped to such a nasty conclusion. Did she really think so little of him? Did she honestly believe he could be so cruel?
On the other hand, he had seen the glossy photographs posted to his company's social media pages. They didn't look very innocent. Though he considered Tanya a friend, it was clear from the expression on her face that she thought differently. It wasn't difficult to understand how Lena had arrived at her conclusion.
He could only imagine how hurt she must have been to sit at that damn restaurant waiting for him. He still didn't understand how she had missed the email from Anna but it wouldn't be the first time correspondence had disappeared into the online ether. How she'd ended up with Ty Weston still confused him. He hadn't even realized they were friends. It occurred to him there was a lot he didn't know about Lena Cruz. Hopefully Anna's dossier would fill in those blanks.
Picking up his phone, he tormented himself again by scrolling through the photos on her timeline. She'd been a very busy girl last night. The photo of a half-naked, tattooed male dancer licking lime and salt off her neck drove him crazy. It had been snapped at a gay bar but the way the man looked at Lena told him he wasn't playing for the home team. The man looked like he wanted to flip up her skirt and fuck her right there on the bar.
The photos of Lena knocking back shots with a group of friends would have been amusing if he hadn't been so worried about her. He cringed at the idea of how much alcohol she must have imbibed. Only the knowledge that Vivian would never leave Lena in danger soothed his raw nerves. If there had been any question of Lena's health, Vivian would have demanded Nikolai take them to an emergency room.
But Vivian's text from earlier had assured him that Lena was home and in her own bed. The short, snippy tone of Vivian's message told him he was on her shit-list. Getting off of it wouldn't be easy. She was so damn loyal to her friends. It would take a miracle to convince her not to hate him for hurting Lena.
The car pulled into the parking lot of the complex. He exhaled slowly before unlatching his safety belt and climbing out of the backseat. Derek stood at the ready and glanced around the quiet complex. "You want me to come in, Boss?"
Yuri shook his head. "I should probably do this on my own."
"I don't know. If Lena wings you, Dimitri is going to have my ass." The bodyguard said it with a joking smile but it didn't ease Yuri's anxiety any.
Yuri clapped Derek on the arm and walked toward the building. Jake followed him down the sidewalk but stayed back from the front door, giving Yuri some privacy. He was suddenly very glad he'd had a non-disclosure agreement inserted in their contracts. Lena was probably going to tear into him when she came to the door.
Gathering his courage, he knocked three times and stepped back so he could be seen clearly through the peephole. He heard the deadbolt flip and his heart raced. The door opened to reveal a frowning Vivian. For a long time, they stared at one another. Finally, she sighed dramatically and stepped aside. "You'd better come in."
"Thank you." He entered the apartment but didn't dare go farther than the entryway. Glancing around, he noticed the bohemian décor. Everything looked so cozy and welcoming. Unfortunately the look on Vivian's face wasn't.
"You're a real jerk." She addressed him in Russian. "I don't know why you led her on like that but it was cruel and mean. I've never seen her cry like that. Never."
Yuri winced. "It wasn't like that, Vivian. It was a mix-up. An honest-to-God mistake."
"Well, don't tell me! Tell her."
"Will you see if she'll speak to me?"
Vivian glanced at the hallway. "She's going to be a real beast with that hangover but I'll see if she'll talk to you."
Vivian left him standing there and disappeared into the room on the left. He strained to hear but their voices were muffled by the half-closed door. When Vivian came out some time later, she gestured to the couch. "You'd better get comfortable. It's going to be a while."
He didn't think he could sit still so he paced instead. Vivian grabbed some books from the coffee table and stuffed them inside her backpack. "Are you leaving?"
"I'm not sticking around for this shouting match."
He knew enough about Vivian's family history to understand why she was sensitive to couples yelling at one another. "I'm not going to yell at her."
"I wasn't talking about you." She hefted her bag onto her back. "Just a fair warning—Nikolai is in a really bad mood after last night. He was groped and kissed and had his ass smacked by about five different drunk guys before we got Lena out of there. It was mayhem."
"Shit." Yuri closed his eyes and wondered if this situation could get any worse. With Nikolai's background, he could only imagine the awful memories being groped and manhandled had dredged up for his friend. "I am sorry that you two were dragged into this."
She stared at him for an unnerving moment and then left without a word. It was another five minutes before Lena finally emerged from her bedroom. She looked like hell but he wasn't about to tell her that. Her dark hair was pulled into a low, messy bun. A rumpled cotton camisole and stained, ripped yoga pants completed her ensemble.
Her angry gaze seared him. Gulping, he took a step toward her but no more. "Yelena, please, let me explain."
She held up a hand. "I need coffee and something for this damn headache before you start with the groveling."
A flutter of hope invaded his chest. "Where do you keep your coffee?"
"You can manage that on your own? Are you sure you don't need to email one of your assistants for help?"
The barb hit its mark. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left it to my assistant. I wasn't—"
She put up her hand again. "I said coffee and pain killers first."
"Right." He followed her into the kitchen. While she dug around in a basket for some acetaminophen, he found the little cups for the coffee maker. She hadn't been far from the mark with her assistant come-back but he did still remember how to make a cup of coffee.
While she washed down the tablets with some water, he made two cups of coffee and carried them to the dining room table where she waited for him. He found a spoon in a drawer and a bottle of flavored creamer in the refrigerator
Sitting across from her, he watched her stab her spoon into the sugar bowl on the table and dump the heaping scoops into her steaming hot cup. She splashed in a liberal amount of creamer and stirred the syrupy sweet slurry. He wasn't sure how anyone could drink coffee that sweet and sipped his cup of strong black coffee.
"I suppose you expect me to say thank you for sending Vivian and Nikolai to rescue me from that den of iniquity."
His lips twitched at her description of the rowdy gay bar where she'd been partying. "No. I was simply worried about you. I heard all those men and I was terrified you would be taken advantage of or hurt."
"I don't think there was much chance of that. Now Ty?" She drank some of her coffee. "That's a different story."
"I didn't realize you were friends."
"My relationship with Ty is complicated."
"Like ours?" he asked the obvious question.
She stared down into her cup. "Do we have a relationship?"
"I was a complete jackass."
Her surprised gaze jumped to his face. She stirred her coffee. "Go on."
Amusement tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I should have called you personally. I should have told you that the negotiations were going badly and I needed to make an appearance at that charity gala to prove that I was serious about addressing the environmental concerns associated with the pipeline. I should have told you about Tanya."
&nb
sp; "Yes, you should have, Yuri. You really should have told me you were going out with an old girlfriend."
"She means nothing to me, Lena. She's simply an ex-girlfriend with connections I needed to get the deal done."
"That's harsh."
"It's the truth."
"And me? Are you after me for my connections?"
"I'm only here for you, Yelena Cruz. Only you."
She ran her finger around the rim of her cup but didn't drink. "I was so humiliated. I just sat there waiting for you like some big dummy and you were off in Berlin having the time of your life with some rich, beautiful model girl." She made a disgusted sound and buried her face in her hands. "The people at the restaurant probably think I'm some psycho stalker with delusions of dating you after making them check the book and get me a table."
"Then we'll have to put in an appearance there later this week to prove that you're not a psycho stalker with delusions of dating me."
She frowned at him. "It's not funny, Yuri. You really hurt me."
The vise-like grip on his chest tightened. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant for you to feel like you weren't important to me." He reached across the table and grasped her hand. "Because you are important to me, Lena."
She stared at his hand. Eventually, she rotated her wrist and clasped his fingers. "This is your second chance, Yuri. Don't fuck it up because I won't give you a third."
"Understood."
She sipped her coffee. "Are you hungry?"
"Famished," he answered honestly. "I ran out of Berlin before sunrise and couldn't eat on the flight."
"God, now I feel so guilty."
"Why should you feel guilty? I'm the one who screwed everything up."
"Yeah, but I'm a terrible cook." She bit her plump lower lip. "You're famished and the best I can offer is, like, toast or a bowl of cereal."
"Cereal is fine."
"You're sure?"
"Positive."
She slid out of her seat. He let his hungry gaze roam the sloping plane of her belly as she reached up to grab cereal boxes from a high shelf in the small pantry. Her top rode up on her stomach and revealed more of her silky skin. He caught another tantalizing glimpse as she dragged down bowls. She carried her armload of boxes, milk and bowls to the table. When she came back with spoons, she smiled at him as he pushed aside the boring, bland bran cereal with raisins for the box with the cartoon captain emblazoned on the front.