by BWWM Club
“You understood that?” he asked and she nodded.
“I did and Ya lyublyu tebya too, Evgeni,” she said. He laughed and shook his head.
“Ya tozhe tebya lyublyu,” he said. “That’s how you say I love you too.”
*****
When they woke up on Thursday morning, Evgeni was having a hard time trying to find the right words to tell Athena that he thought she should work from home that day. His home for that matter. He sat up and watched her as she climbed out of bed.
“Sleep well?” he asked and she nodded. She bent down and planted a gentle kiss on his lips.
“I always sleep well with you by my side,” she said in a low voice. She walked to the bathroom and turned on the water before he climbed off the bed and followed her there. She took off her shirt she was wearing and stepped into the shower. He looked at her and took off his pants before he stepped into the water. He held her from behind and she rested her head on his shoulder.
“Stay,” he whispered and she smiled.
“You know I can’t,” she said in a soft voice. “There is so much to be done for that cocktail party I am organizing. You know it's tonight, right?”
Evgeni sighed.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he thought. “I do,” he said.
“And you are coming, right?” she asked, her voice full of hope. He sighed and forced a smile.
“Of course I am I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He pulled her even closer to himself and sighed. “The client you are working with, what was his name again?”
“Isaac Cromwell,” she said. “Why? Do you know anything about him or something?”
“Yeah I know him,” he started in a soft voice and Athena turned around to look at him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.” He had his hands on her waist.
“Why? I don’t understand?” she said as she turned off the water.
“He’s a person I have done business with before and I just didn’t want to make you feel pressured to give him a discounted price or anything like that…you know.”
She looked up at him and smiled.
“My bosses wouldn’t allow it. I can only give so much percentage…but besides, he was not even interested in a discount anyway.” She held the back of his head. “He gave Carla and I an extra twenty grand just to secure us for the day.”
Evgeni raised an eyebrow over the other.
“He did, didn’t he?” he said as he held her.
“He is a really cool guy. You know I would expect a man of his age to be a little annoying,” she started as she turned on the water again. “But he is cool.”
Evgeni exhaled loudly as she pulled him under the water.
“Be careful about him, baby,” he said in a low voice. “Never trust a man who is willing to part with such a large amount of money. They are always looking for something in return.”
Athena smiled.
“Is that what you do?” she asked. “I mean, that day you asked me to stay over and I told I didn’t have anything to wear…you got me an entire Chanel and DKNY wardrobe just so I couldn’t go home.” He wrapped his arms around her body.
“I know I am one to talk but I know this guy and trust me, he is no angel.”
“Well, I never said he was.”
Evgeni reached for the loofah and squeezed a generous amount of shower gel on it before he began scrubbing her back.
“I just want you to be careful around him, baby. That’s all,” he said in a soft voice. “I would hate if anything happened to you.”
She reached around and gently brushed a hand on his wet ass.
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” she said in a whisper. She turned around. “Now, turn around. It’s my turn to scrub you.”
Evgeni turned around and sighed. He didn’t know what freaked him out more. The fact that the woman he loved was working with the most dangerous man he knew or the fact that Athena didn’t have any idea.
When they got out of the bathroom, Evgeni put on his bathrobe and walked to the living room. He came back with a key which he handed to Athena who was now busy fixing her hair. She looked at the key and shrugged.
“What’s this?” she asked as she looked at it.
“The key to BMW. Take that to work today.”
She shook her head.
“Why? My car is fine.”
“Well, I drove you here last night,” Evgeni stated.
“I could just take an Uber and then drive back here, Evgeni. It’s not a big deal,” she said.
He let out a frustrated sigh.
“You never take it for detailing. It’s about time you did,” he said. “Actually, I already had it picked up so just take this.” He held the side of her face.
“You are being weird today,” she said. “First the whole thing with my client and then this thing with the car?” She put the key down on the dresser and looked at her reflection before she switched on the hair dryer. “I’ll just take an Uber, babe. I’ll be fine.”
Evgeni ran his hand over his wet hair and suddenly punched the wall making her turn around, startled.
“Damn it, Athena. Don’t be so stubborn just take the car,” he said. “Your car is at the shop being detailed. I already took care of it.”
“What the hell is going on with you?” Athena asked as she looked at him. He had never been this frustrated, this angry in front of her and he knew that she must have been scared.
“Athena…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell but the car is not at your office building anymore.” He walked up to where she was. “Take the car…or any other car.”
She put the hair dryer down and stood up.
“I can rock my curls today,” she said as she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. She put on her shoes as he looked at her.
“Baby, please look at me,” he said.
“You are being weird, and I have a long day,” she said as she picked up her bag and walked out into the living room. He ran over to the dresser and picked up the key before he ran out of the bedroom and caught her just before she opened the door. He looked at her and held her waist. “Evgeni, let go of me. Please,” she said in a whisper.
“Take the car,” he said again and held the key to her face.
She sighed and grabbed it.
“Fine!” She looked at him and shook her head. “Will you stop being on my case now? Or at least tell me what the hell is going on?”
He took a long deep breath.
“I want to tell you…more than anything I want to tell you but I can’t.”
“So, you can tell me that you were once caught in a weird gang shoot out but you can’t tell me why you are biting my head off about my new client?” she asked. “And the car…what the fuck is that all about anyway?”
He held her face in his hands.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“What?” she asked as he looked at her.
“It’s a simple question Athena. Do. You. Trust. Me.”
“Yes,” she said in a whisper.
“Good. Then trust me about this. I will tell you all about Cromwell but in the meantime, be careful. He is not the man you think he is,” he said before he kissed her softly. “I asked Tino to keep you company today. He is one of my security guys and I trust him with my life. He won’t be a bother but his car will be following yours closely and he will be around the whole day.”
“A bodyguard?” she asked in a scared voice. “Evgeni, what is going on?”
“You are safer not knowing,” he said. “But trust me, everything will be fine.”
“What about you? Are you going to be okay?” she asked as she looked at him.
He lowered his head and kissed her again.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve been in this world longer than you can imagine,” he said smiling.
“What world are you talking about?”
He patted her still damp hair.
“Go on,” he said. “I’ll call you later.”
“Viktor, time for plan B. The lawnmower failed,” he said.
“We were already waiting for a go ahead. The plan is in motion,” Viktor said before Evgeni hung up. He pushed his suits to one side revealing the false bottom on the left side of the closet. He opened it and then opened the safe beneath. He pulled out a gun, a box of bullets and a silencer.
“No one threatens to take Athena away from me,” he thought as he loaded the gun.
*****
Carla was giggling excitedly as she and Athena walked into The Ritz.
“I still can’t believe I am going to be catering an event at The Ritz,” she said in a loud whisper. “I mean, you would expect the client to prefer what a five star hotel serves but no….he chose me.”
Carla looked at Athena and shrugged.
“What is up with you? You have been weirdly quiet all day,” she said and Athena shook her head.
“It’s just one of those days,” she said. “I just want to be done with it, that’s all.”
“What do you mean? This is your biggest gig yet!” Carla took her hand. “Anything you want to tell me?” she asked as they walked into the ballroom where the cocktail party was to be held. She looked around the ballroom and then looked at her phone.
“Evgeni should be here by now,” she said as she looked around again. “He said he would be here.”
“Well, I haven’t known the guy for long but in the few months that I have, he has never been known to disappoint,” Carla said. “Now why don’t you come with me and help with the samosas?”
Athena looked at her and smiled.
“You trust me around those things? They are delicious.”
Carla laughed. Athena had already had five samosas and she wouldn’t have minded having more. She could not believe that she had never tried them. When she got to the buffet spread, a smile played on her lips. She loved what she and Carla had come up with. Spicy skewered chicken, beef and vegetables, samosas, spring rolls, dumplings and the best sauce she had tasted that day – atchar, spicy mango chili sauce. The ballroom had been decorated in colorful throw pillows and fabric that made someone feel like they had literally stepped into some place in the Middle East.
“Wow, you really do deliver as promised,” Athena heard Isaac’s familiar voice behind her. “Throw in some oil fields and you have The Middle East.”
Athena smiled and shrugged.
“Just doing my due diligence,” she said. “And we have traditional Bhutanese snacks plus endless bottles of Irish whiskey.”
“You are speaking my kind of language, Athena.” Isaac was smiling. “And I heard that you usually throw in a surprise. I can hardly wait to see what you have in store.”
“Well, I think the sultan is already here,” Athena said as she looked behind him. There was a foreign entourage walking in and she knew by the way the man in front of the group was dressed that he was the man of the hour. “Maybe you should just wait and see what the surprise is.”
She was about to walk away when Isaac held her hand.
“Please, I would like to introduce you him.”
“Now?” she asked surprised.
“Well, there is no time like the present,” he said as he began walking towards the sultan.
“Mr. Cromwell. This is a beautiful spread,” the sultan said. Isaac bowed in respect.
“Sultan Salim Al Fayed, I am honored by your presence,” he said. “Meet Athena Davis, the woman who put all this together.”
“It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you, sir…your majesty…” Athena shrugged nervously. “I don’t know what to call you….I’m sorry…”
The sultan took Athena’s hand and raised it to his lips before he kissed it softly.
“Salim will do and the pleasure is all mine,” he said.
“Please…this way,” Athena said as he led the men to the VIP area. “I thought this would be a suitable welcome.”
Isaac watched as she gave a signal to someone right before a group of belly dancers walked to the dance floor. He looked at Athena and nodded.
“You are worth every dime,” he whispered as he took a seat next to the sultan.
Athena smiled and silently slipped away, making her way towards the exit. She was about to walk over to where Carla was when she felt someone’s hand on her wrist. She gasped as she slipped out into the hallway and then breathed a sigh of relief when she came face to face with Evgeni.
“Hi,” she said in a whisper. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” he said as he pulled her into his arms. “You okay?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed. He pulled away and kissed her forehead and then her lips. He looked down at her body and a smile played on his lips.
“You are trying to make me jealous, aren’t you?” he asked and she shook her head.
“I don’t understand,” she said.
“Well, that dress guarantees that every man gets a clear view at what’s mine,” he said.
She smiled. She was in a black and white midi combination dress that hugged her in all the right places and a pair of red stiletto heels. The dress had a low neckline showing off her cleavage. He pulled her into his body again. “I have half a mind to take you right here and right now.”
She was still smiling when she pulled away.
“I still have work to do,” she said.
“Tino?” he asked. She looked over at Tino who was a safe distance away blending into the crowd all through watching her.
“Been with me all day,” she said.
“Good,” he said. “Everything is almost over.”
She shook her head.
“What do you mean?” she asked and he shook her head. She took his hand and led him out of the ballroom and into the hotel elevator.
“Where are we going?” Evgeni asked.
“We need to talk,” she said as she pressed a button. “We have at least thirty suites on hold in case of anything. We are going to one of them.”
Evgeni sighed. She knew that he did not have a choice. It was done. This time round, she was not going to let him off. She had to know what was going on.
“So,” she said when they walked into one of the rooms. “What the hell is going on with this Cromwell person?”
He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. She looked at him and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I’m waiting Evgeni. I trust you and you have to trust me too.”
“Fine, but I am scared I might lose you after this,” he said.
“Then maybe you don’t know me very well,” she pointed out. “Because nothing would make me walk away.”
He looked into her eyes for a long minute before he finally spoke up.
“Not even after I tell you that my family was involved in organized crime?” he asked and her eyes grew wide.
“That was your family. You don’t get to choose your family,” she said.
“Markovic Freight, the company my father started was used by Isaac Cromwell to bring in contraband. Drugs, guns, you name it and when I started Markovic Trucking, he dipped his hand into that too. At first I didn’t know but by the time I found out, it was too late.” He walked over to the bed and sat down. “I moved from New York, cut ties with my family in Moscow and tried getting Markovic Trucking clean. But it was harder than I expected. So, in a bid to start a new legitimate business, I invested heavily in the Middle Eastern oil industry but he says that in order to get a new pipeline, he needs…controlling interest of Markovic oil.”
“Controlling interest?” Athena asked.
“Initially, that was what he wanted but now, he wants it all. My entire oil company,” he said.
“Oh please, why don’t you just tell him to shove it?”
“Di
d you miss out on the part where I said Cromwell is an Irish crime lord?”
“What’s the worst he could do anyway? He is an old frail man.”
“That old frail man threatened you,” Evgeni said looking up.
“Excuse me?” she asked surprised. “What do you mean he threatened me? As in my life?”
Evgeni sighed and nodded.
“He has been tailing you.”
“And you are just telling me this now?” she asked, angrily.
“Like I told you this morning, the less you knew the safer it would have been for you,” he said.
“So that explains the car and Tino…but…why…” Athena shook her head. “Why would he….What are we going to do?”
“The car is bullet proof and Tino is ex-Israeli Special Forces.”
“What?” Athena asked shaking her head.
“I had to make sure you got the best of the best.”
She began pacing up and down as she rubbed her temple.
“This isn’t happening…this isn’t happening…” she kept on saying. Evgeni stood up and walked over to where she was before he held her in his arms.
“I’ve got everything in control,” he said.
“What does that even mean?” she asked as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Are you going to move to some weird Island that very few people know about or maybe shoot him…”
Evgeni shrugged.
“Oh my God, you are actually thinking about it,” she said as she pulled away from him. She looked at him as he pulled her back into himself.
“I am not going to break the law Athena,” he said a little louder than he intended to.
“Then, what? You are going to give him a billion dollar company?” she asked and Evgeni nodded.
“I can always start over.”
“No, you can’t do this.” She shook her head. “It’s everything you have worked for.”
“I would give up everything if it meant that I get to have you,” he said in a soft voice as he held her closely.
Chapter 10
Normally, an evening this big would have had Athena on edge all night long. She would have been running up and down trying to make sure everything was going well but after the talk she’d had with Evgeni, all she wanted to do was get out of there. But she just couldn’t leave. She could not leave Evgeni there, in the literal line of fire. She was leaning against one wall watching as Isaac danced with one of the belly dancers from earlier. The sultan was looking on, a smile on his lips. Without realizing it, she was holding on to the clipboard in her hands so tightly, her knuckles had turned white. Carla walked up to where she was and interlocked her arm with her best friend’s.