by Leslie North
Giving Grigori a stern look, he decided he would need to have a talk with his cousin about corrupting Katya. Grigori was always full of ideas, and if he was sharing them with Katya, Nikolai had better watch his back.
Chapter 18
After an enjoyable lunch, Grigori retreated to the guest suite while Nikolai instructed Vanya to procure tickets to the ballet performance that evening.
Pyotr was still following Danil, who had made several phone calls before leaving the casino. His mood had not improved so it was assumed he was still in a quandary over his next move.
That evening Grigori, Nikolai, and Katya attended the ballet performance, and after saying goodnight to both Grigori and Vanya, Nikolai led her out onto the terrace as he had the first night.
“Did you not like the ballet?” he asked, having become concerned at how somber she had become.
Katya looked at him in confusion, “What? No! Of course I loved it!”
“Then why does it appear to have made you so sad?” he asked, removing his shoes and then hers.
“I guess it just brought back the dreams I used to have.”
“Tell me them,” Nikolai asked, removing her shirt and then her skirt.
Katya lowered herself into the warm water and leaned her head back to watch Nikolai as he undressed. “I took Russian in high school because I wanted to travel to Russia and dance with the Russian Ballet for a season or two. It’s every ballerina’s dream. I wanted the experience to be perfect so I learned the language so I could communicate with the other dancers. After breaking my ankle, that dream will always be only a dream.”
Nikolai joined her in the whirlpool, “Your ankle seemed fine when you were on the stage the other night.”
“It’s strong enough for short pieces, but anything too long or that requires lots of toe work is impossible now. It cramps up and then gives completely out. I could never risk the safety of myself or my partner with a long performance. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone.”
Nikolai pulled her in front of him and hugged her close, “Then change the dream to something that is obtainable. What do you like most about dancing?”
“The ability to create and the freedom of expression. The ability dancing gives one to soar away in their mind and become a bird, or a tree, or raindrops.”
“I can hear how much you love it in your voice. Take that joy and turn it into something tangible.”
“Like what?” Katya asked, covering his arms with her own. She thoroughly enjoyed their lovemaking, but she was also coming to enjoy these quiet times when he just held her close and they talked. She’d never shared that kind of intimacy with another man before, and it was fast becoming addictive.
“That’s for you to figure out,” Nikolai told her, breaking off as the terrace doors opened and Grigori stuck his head out.
“Sorry to interrupt. Katya, I left that little something we discussed earlier inside.” He winked at her and gave Nikolai what could only be interpreted as a look of sympathy before leaving the same was he came in.
“What’s he talking about?” Nikolai asked, watching the gleam enter Katya’s eyes as she pulled away from his arms.
“I really like your cousin, Nik.”
“Yes, so do I. Or at least, I did. Am I going to still like him when I find out what he’s talking about?”
Katya smiled at him, biting her lip to keep from laughing aloud at his concerned expression. “Well, that all depends on you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. See, it was brought to my attention that you were very thorough in your discussion with Grigori about how we met, which could have easily been played down.” Katya tried to appear upset, but she couldn’t do it and ended up grinning at him.
Nikolai decided to play along with this new side to her. Whatever Grigori had suggested definitely had her intrigued and in a playful mood. He was willing to play along, up to a certain point. “So, you think I shared a little too much?”
“Most definitely.”
“So what are you planning to do about it?” Nikolai asked, enthralled with the playfulness in her expression.
“Make you beg.” Katya left the whirlpool, grabbing a towel on her way back inside the building, She looked back over her shoulder, “Coming?” then disappeared through the doorway.
Nikolai followed her inside, his body responding to the invitation and promise he’d seen in her eyes. Walking into the bedroom, he paused for only a heartbeat when he saw what she held in her hands.
Grigori had left her a coil of soft, red rope. She held it in her hands and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she was definitely planning to make him beg before the night was over. Deciding to let her have her turn, he willingly submitted to her every wish. His turn would come later, and then they would see who was better at making the other scream in pleasure.
Epilogue
Nikolai stretched his arms above his head, looking out over the city with a smile of satisfaction. Katya was still sleeping soundly, having made good on her promise of the night before to make him beg.
But then had come his turn. He’d shown her the proper way to use a piece of rope and…
The elevator doors opened and Grigori stepped out, a huge grin on his face when he saw Nikolai, “Have a fun night?”
“Don’t you know it. But do me a favor: don’t share anymore of your tricks with her. She’s too quick of a learner with a very big imagination!”
“Not a problem.” Grigori looked around and then asked, “She still sleeping?”
“Yes, I thought I’d let her sleep a while longer. What has you up so early?”
“Early? Nik, have you looked at the time? It’s two o’clock in the afternoon.”
Nikolai looked across the room and chuckled, “So it is. I guess I probably should wake her up and feed her.” He moved towards the bedroom only to be stopped when Grigori placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Wait up a sec. I got a call from a friend of mine who has some intel on what happened to her parents.” Grigori paused before adding, “He’ll only give it to me in person.”
Nikolai looked at his cousin and asked, “Do you think it’s a trap?”
“No, I trust this man with my life. Have on many occasions and probably will again before I die. I told him I’d be in Tampa this evening.”
“Tampa? Not St. Petersburg?” Nikolai asked, referring to a known start-up group operating across the bridge.
“Tampa. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I’ll be in contact as soon as I know what’s up. You good here?”
“Sure. Pyotr is watching Danil, and Vanya is going to become Katya’s personal shadow until this thing is either resolved or blows up in our faces.”
“Well, let’s shoot for the first one, and be prepared for the second. You planning on making sure her place among your group is respected?”
“Eventually. The only sure way to do that is to marry her, but it’s too soon to go there yet. She’s had her entire life turned upside down over the last few months. She deserves a small reprieve and a chance to regroup before making any more life-changing decisions.”
Grigori nodded his head in agreement. “Well, keep her safe until then. She’s special.”
“That she is.” Nikolai looked back towards the bedroom, anxious to go wake her up and start the day off right. Turning back to Grigori, he shook his cousin’s hand, “Be safe, and let me know what you need from me on this end.”
“Will do. I’ll call you in a few days after I get settled out there.” Grigori headed for the elevator just as Katya came wandering down the hallway, rubbing sleep from her eyes. He didn’t talk to her, but as he stepped into the elevator, he watched Nikolai enfold her in his arms. The serene look on her face said it all, and for the first time in his adult life, he was jealous of the connection between two people.
Maybe someday I’ll find someone I can connect with like that, he thought as the elevator doors slid shut. Maybe.
END OF PART 1
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Julia Thompson sat at the bar and watched the crowded dance floor, once again trying to find her best friend, Tonya, amidst the masses of writhing bodies. She pushed her glasses up on her nose, and her brown hair off her forehead, fanning herself to move the air around.
It was Friday night and they were supposed to be celebrating Julia having won the coveted exchange position in her company. Every year, three employees from the American-based mining company traded placed with three employees from the Russian-based mining company. Prior to this year, all of the exchange positions had been filled with men, but Julia had proven that she could hold her own in the financial world. Much to her counter-part’s dismay, she had been given the chance to fill the position for the upcoming year. She would be leaving for Russia within the next few weeks and needed a break before the madness of preparing to leave the US for a year began.
She had been ecstatic and she and Tonya had gone out to celebrate. The hottest nightclub in the city was DYSH and they had waited for thirty minutes to gain access to the inside. The crowd was to be expected so early on a Friday evening, and Julia hoped that as the night progressed, the people would begin to thin out.
She loved to dance, but being pressed up against five other people while she did so was not her idea of a good time.
While she waited for Tonya to return, she glanced around the large room once more, focusing once again on the group of good-looking men sitting at the corner table. They were all tall, with dark hair, and great physiques. The two younger men kept going out on the dance floor, but the third man simply watched.
Feeling someone staring at him, Dmitry raised his head and once again caught the young woman sitting at the bar looking directly at him. He raised an eyebrow at her and then smiled when she held his gaze and didn’t look away.
Julia wasn’t sure why she kept staring at him. He gave off an aura of power and danger, but she was feeling on top of the world at the moment, and the alcohol buzzing through her system helped her project a confidence she normally didn’t have.
Dmitry motioned with his head for her to come to him, pleased when she slipped from the stool and sauntered over to him, a small smile upon her face. “Hi,” she said when she was standing next to his table.
“Hello. Would you care to join me?”
Julia nodded and slid into the booth, “How come you’re not joining your friends on the dance floor?” She tossed her head towards the throng of people and then looked back at him.
“Too many people. What about you?”
“Same. I love to dance, but getting trampled on isn’t my idea of fun.” Julia let her eyes roam over his face, loving what she saw. His gray eyes were striking and very intense. This man seemed like someone who had trouble relaxing. His accent was unusual, and she wondered where he was from, “You’re not from around here.”
It wasn’t said as a question, but a statement of fact and Dmitry nodded, “No, I’m not. My brother and cousin are here with me on business.”
Julia looked around the crowded bar, “You conduct business in a nightclub?”
Dmitry looked at her, smiling at her jest, “No, we concluded our business earlier today. My brother and cousin wanted a chance to unwind before we returned home. Hence, the reason I am sitting here.”
“Oh. You don’t sound like you’re having fun.”
“Not at all. Now that you are here, the night is looking much better.”
Julia blushed prettily and then lowered her eyes before replying, “So…”
Before she could finish her statement, the two younger men returned, sliding into the booth and forcing her to press up against the third. “Hey, I’m Alexey. What’s your name?”
Julia couldn’t help but smile at the enthusiasm on the younger man’s face, “I’m Julia.”
Alexey took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it before reluctantly letting her pull it from his grasp. “So, you want to dance?”
Julia shook her head, “Not really.”
Alexey looked disappointed, but then seeing Tonya heading towards their table, he brightened up, “Do you know that girl?”
Julia had seen Tonya leave the dance floor and nodded her head for her to come over. “That’s my best friend, Tonya.”
“Think she might dance with me?” Alexey asked, never taking his eyes off the gorgeous red-head coming towards them.
“Probably. Why don’t you ask her?”
Alexey didn’t even wait for to reach the table before he jumped from the booth and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the dance floor at her nod of acceptance.
The other younger man excused himself and headed back to the dance floor, leaving Julia alone once again with the man whose name she didn’t even know. “I told you my name. Care to return the favor?”
Dmitry smiled and then nodded, “Dmitry. Since you don’t want to dance, would you care to head over to the small diner next door and grab a coffee? The loud music is beginning to wear.”
Julia had been thinking the same thing and nodded. Dmitry scooted from the booth and then pulled her from the booth. Her ankle twisted as she attempted to stand up and she fell against him, plastering herself across his entire front.
Dmitry wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close enough that he could smell her perfume. She smelled delicious! It had been many weeks since he had last spent time with a female as beautiful as Julia and he found himself reluctant to loosen his hold.
Julia looked up at him, knowing she should pull away, but somehow liking the feelings rushing through her body. He was hard in all the right places and she looked up into his face, wondering if his lips were as firm as they looked.
Dmitry gazed down upon her face, leaning in slowly to place a chaste kiss upon her lips. A firestorm of desire rushed through his body at their contact and he found himself deepening the kiss, regardless of the fact that they were in a crowded nightclub.
Finally regaining some self-control, he murmured, “Come, let’s get out of here.”
“Wait! I need to text my friend and tell her where I’m going. We kind of have a system for keeping each other safe, you know?”
No, he didn’t know, but if texting her girlfriend was some sort of ritual that allowed her to leave with him feeling safe, so be it. “Quickly.”
Julia looked at him, and then grabbed her phone from her purse and quickly typed out a message.
Dmitry escorted her from the crowded room, breathing a sigh of reli
ef once they were outside in the cool night air and quiet. He placed his hand at the lowest part of her spine and felt the shiver that snaked up her vertebrae and the goose bumps that came out on her arms.
Julia had never reacted so strongly to a man in her life. She’d dated plenty of guys, but this one was something special. Too bad he was only in town on business! Making a quick decision, she decided that since he wasn’t going to be around long-term, there was no reason she couldn’t indulge in a little making out before heading home for the night.
She was too conservative to jump into bed with someone she just met, but making out with them, trading kisses and touches was just fine. She sensed him watching her as they stood on the sidewalk and glanced up at him, stepping in his chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Dmitry was taken aback at how forthright she was being, normally women waited until he made the first move and then they jumped in. Julia wrapped her arms around his neck like a practiced courtesan and when she pulled his head down for a kiss, he was unable to resist.
The kiss was explosive and went on until neither of them could breathe. Breaking apart, Dmitry took her hand and pulled her around the side of the building. He wasn’t sure where this was heading, but he knew that standing on the sidewalk for all to see was not where he wanted to be.
He pushed her up against the brick building and then let his lips drift from her mouth to her ear and down her neck. “You smell so sweet,” he told her, using his hands to hold her hips still, lest she unknowingly unman him. She was moving around so much, his manhood was in danger of coming into forceful contact with her hipbones.