Dina didn’t know what to say to that. While she was tremendously happy for Sasha and her new relationship, she also felt somewhat protective of the younger woman. Ever since she saw Sasha’s interactions with Faye and Jaelynn at the club, she became shockingly aware of just how…innocent Sasha really was. While Dina was only a few months older, it might as well have been half a decade that separated them. Especially in regards to relationship experience.
It did surprise her later that Saturday night when Teagan had called her, frantic. Apparently, Sasha had not returned home after Dina had dropped her off at the Ritz. Dina, at that time, hadn’t known who Sasha was going to see but she had assumed that her co-worker would at least return home later. The guilt she had felt was potent and so she had apologized profusely to Teagan and promised to return to the Ritz. But, as soon as Teagan heard where Sasha was, the emergency in her tone of voice dissipated somewhat. This was when Dina found out that she had unintentionally dropped Sasha off at Dmitri’s condo. That didn’t help her guilt; it felt as if she had delivered Sasha right into the dangerous clutches of the dragon.
While, admittedly, she didn’t know much about Dmitri, it didn’t take a genius to realize he was much too experienced for Sasha. It was her newfound knowledge of Sasha’s inexperience that made her wary of their relationship. They seemed to be much too different to ever really work and she knew that when they finally broke it off, Sasha would probably be the one extremely distraught and in pain.
“Is it serious between you two, then?”
Sasha nodded her head enthusiastically. “Oh, Dina! It was amazing.”
Dina’s eyes widened. She emphatically shook her head and took a few steps back, “No, I really don’t need to hear any details about your sex life, thank you very much.” Remembering Faye’s cruel remarks about her virgin status, she added, “But I’m happy you lost it to someone you seem to really like.”
Sasha waved her hand at Dina and laughed. “No, that didn’t happen! Dmitri is very accepting of the fact that I don’t feel like I’m ready for that step in our relationship. Instead, we just…hung out. It was so sweet and fun!”
Dina’s eyes widened at this. “You mean you spent an entire day with that man after sleeping over his house and nothing happened? How is that even possible? The man emanates sex!”
Sasha laughed at the look of shock on her co-worker’s face. She shrugged her shoulders with an impish grin. “Yup. He says I’m special enough for him to wait. Isn’t that sweet?” She clutched her hands under her chin with a wide grin, looking at Dina anxiously for her agreement.
“Yeah, it really is. He seems…better for you than I had first assumed.” Dina felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of her newfound friend’s happiness. Sasha deserved the best and she suspected now that Dmitri just may be it. Dina wrapped a single arm around her short friend’s shoulders and they walked out of the employee’s dressing room together; Sasha still exuberantly continuing the conversation about her day with Dmitri.
Dmitri sat at his desk after hanging up with one of his firm’s most important clients. His mind was still overrun by the events of his day with Sasha even when faced with the magnitude of the work he had placed before him. A natural hard-worker, he was unaccustomed to such distractions and found it slightly embarrassing to be so obvious about it. Slade had commented more than once today that his eyes were glazed over through most of the morning board meeting and he had not gotten nearly as much work done as he had previously.
Admittedly, his work ethic had deflated somewhat given the changes in his relationship with Sasha. Ever since he had met her, it had taken him greater effort to stay focused on anything else but her. This was part of the reason he eventually gave in and simply asked her out. Who knew that one date would have flourished so quickly to the point where she was coming over almost every night to just spend time with him? Because of both of their busy schedules, it was the only time next to a handful of weekends that they ever spent together, completely alone.
His body was becoming increasingly aware of this fact, however. The lustful urges he had toward her were getting harder to control despite his promises to wait and he feared completely embarrassing himself with a blatant erection either in front of her or, worse, in public. He felt like a young boy again, incapable of distracting himself from his sexual passions.
Dmitri frowned. Sasha wasn’t doing much to help the situation either. Unknowingly, she would cuddle a little too close to him and end up rubbing her hip or bottom against his groin. The memory of their intimate acts against her apartment wall and in his bedroom served as a constant reminder to his body of how potentially pleasurable a night with her would turn out to be, despite her innocence. One thing he knew for certain, Sasha, though a virgin, was not frigid. She willingly and actively participated, which only made him want her even more.
He groaned and tried to turn back to the papers on his desk. He could already feel his cock hardening at the thought of her writhing beneath him as he fondled her pussy and the wonderful feel of her wetness drenching his erection. Fortunately, before his mind could delve any further, there was a knock at his door. Quickly, Dmitri readjusted himself and called for them to come in.
The head of his assistant popped in from the crack of the door. Jeremy was a young and flamboyant kid from New York. Despite their obvious personality differences, their common passion for advertising made them get along very well.
“Excuse me, sir. You have a visitor.”
Dmitri’s brow rose at this, silently asking him for more information.
“Your brother,” Jeremy supplied before stepping out of the way.
Dmitri felt his heart plummet to his feet as he watched his younger half-brother enter the room from behind Jeremy. With a cocky smile eerily similar to his own, Dominic strolled into his large office and planted himself in one of the black leather chairs. Stroking the arms, he nodded his head in silent approval.
“You seem to be doing quite well for yourself, Dmitri.”
Dmitri rolled his eyes and leaned back in his own chair. Crossing his arms, he stated, “Cut the bullshit, Dom. What do you want?”
Dominic laughed at this. Used to his brother’s less-than-warm attitude, he was unfazed by Dmitri’s direct question. Instead, he flipped his chin-length hair away from his face and said coolly, “Is it wrong for me to want to see my older brother who has avoided all family gatherings for the past couple of years?” Unable to keep a straight face at this, a slight grin broke out.
Staring into the eyes that were also similar to his own in their dark coloring, Dmitri rolled his shoulders to stave off the tension that was quickly surmounting. He did not reply, continuing to wait for the answer to his question instead.
Dominic’s smile quickly dissipated. He was annoyed that Dmitri wasn’t playing his game and showed his pleasure with a slight pout. “Fine.” He sighed heavily. “Father sent me. Nadia hasn’t been doing very well.”
At the mention of his sister, Dmitri’s interest was immediately peaked. He unfolded his shoulders and leaned closer, resting his elbows on his desk. There was immediate tension in his jaw as he asked stiltedly, “What happened? I thought…she was doing better, wasn’t she?”
Dominic’s mood turned sour at the thought of Nadia. If nothing else, the two brothers shared one thing in common and that was their unending love and worry for their younger sister. Only twenty years old to Dmitri’s thirty-three and Dominic’s twenty-eight, Nadia was their baby sister and they had always treated her as such.
Dominic cleared his throat as he felt himself beginning to become emotional. “The last couple of months have been hard for her; she took a turn for the worse the moment you stopped coming.”
“Don’t you dare!” Dmitri harshly yelled. “You know why I never came back to that godforsaken house and it wasn’t a choice I willingly made. Father forbade me from ever stepping foot in there again. God knows I would never have deserted her. And you know that, Dom!”
<
br /> His younger brother tilted his head in acceptance. “Yeah, I know that. But that doesn’t change the fact that you never tried to resolve those issues so that you could come see her. You gave in and walked away.” He paused before saying, “From both of us.” Even as he said it, he silently cursed himself.
Dmitri was even more taken aback by Dominic’s statement. The two brothers had never been the best of friends; if he were truthful, Dmitri would even admit that he hardly ever gave his brother a second thought in the past couple of years. But Dom obviously had. The pained expression on his face was evidence of the inner turmoil he had been hiding from his older brother.
“What?”
Dominic shook his head and started to stand up from the chair. “You know what, never mind. I don’t want to hear your excuses. I only came to deliver a message. Father wants you to return and see Nadia. I think he has finally resolved himself to the fact that she needs you…I-I don’t know if she’ll make it and you’re our last hope.” Without waiting for Dmitri’s response, Dominic walked out of his brother’s office with his back stiff.
Dmitri watched him walk away. The tension increased in his shoulders and he slammed his fist on the surface of his desk in aggravation and despair. “Fuck!”
He turned his chair and strolled in front of the large windows featuring the Boston skylight. His mind was flooded with memories of his younger sister. Her sickness had truthfully torn the family apart. Or at least it had inadvertently torn him from his family.
Dmitri turned, feeling the presence of someone else in the room. He found Slade strolling in with a concerned expression on his handsome features. Dmitri could tell just from the look upon his face that his friend was aware of his recent visitor. Slade knew his history with his family, more so than anyone else. A closeted person by nature, it took much effort on Slade’s part for him to even reveal as much as he did.
“Are you okay? What was your brother doing here?”
Dmitri’s jaw tightened as he ground his teeth in frustration. “Nadia isn’t doing well.”
Slade took the seat that Dominic had vacated only a few minutes before. “Are you going to take time off to return home and settle things with your family?”
“You don’t seem too surprised.” Dmitri narrowed his eyes at Slade.
His friend only shrugged. “This was inevitable, Dmitri. While I am very sorry to hear the reason you are going back is because of your sister’s ill health, eventually something was going to pull you back.”
Dmitri said nothing to this for a few moments. He feared returning and completely upsetting the life he had created for himself in the city. And that included his newfound relationship with Sasha. “What about my life here?” he asked aloud.
“What’s so important it can’t wait?” Slade swept his hands before him, indicating the office building. “You’re an important enough aspect of this firm that I’m sure they’d wait for your return. You have devoted clients that only hired us because of your name, Dmitri.”
He couldn’t help but grin at this. “Are you done blowing smoke up my ass?”
Slade laughed and rolled his eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
Dmitri pulled his car up to the curb and set it in park as he waited for Sasha to exit the diner. His mind was still reeling with the information he learned about his younger sister, debating on when he should leave. Slade was right, he figured; eventually, whether it was by his own choosing or not, he had been planning to return home. If not to at least settle his differences with his father, he had wanted to see Nadia again.
Thirteen years her senior, Dmitri had been the big brother who constantly looked after her and was always on her side. That had all changed very quickly the moment his father had banned him from the family. Of course, his relationship with his father had been on a steady decline for many years. If he were truthful with himself, he would admit that he had seen it coming. But foreseeing it hadn’t made it any less painful.
Dmitri was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of the passenger door opening. Automatically he put on a smile and leaned over to give Sasha a peck on her lips. He was shocked by her eager response; she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, leading the kiss into something more passionate.
“I missed you,” she supplied while pulling away with a wide grin spread across her face.
Dmitri, still leaning over towards her seat, caressed her smooth cheek. He knew he had to tell her today about his plans to leave but he held back. Everything was still very muddled in his head; he had no idea how long he would even be away. He silently feared that if it was longer than a couple of weeks, he would be forced to let her go.
Instead of voicing this, he said, “My place or yours?”
“Teagan is home,” she stated simply.
“In that case, we can go to my place but…this time,” he continued without thinking. Dmitri just knew that tonight he needed to be with her in whatever capacity he could. “Can you stay over?”
Sasha, who had been in the process of putting on her seatbelt, looked back up at him with wide eyes. Her lips quivered and she licked them unconsciously, trying to cool the excitement that ran through her veins at the thought of sleeping in the same bed as Dmitri once more. “Yes!” She cringed at the loudness of her answer but he seemed to not notice or care as he gave her a reassuring smile and turned to the road.
After stopping at Sasha’s tiny apartment so that she could retrieve necessities (this time she wanted to be prepared and not walk around without underwear), Dmitri drove straight to his condo. Sasha tried to uphold conversation but she soon realized Dmitri’s somewhat somber mood and thought it best to leave him to his reflections.
Dmitri, while not overly emotional, could be quite moody, she had noticed in their weeks together. At first, she had always immediately asked him what was wrong but she soon realized that if he felt cornered, like their first night together, he would either close himself off even more or lash out. Instead, like now, it was best to allow him his time to contemplate and give silent support. Tenderly, Sasha reached over and took hold of his hand. It dwarfed her own so she interlocked her left hand with his and then caressed the back with her right.
For a moment, he tensed up but with her continued ministrations he eventually let out a deep sigh and allowed her to place his hand upon her lap. They continued like this, silence enveloping the car, as they made their way to his condo. Sasha enjoyed the contact with him and knew on some level, he was comforted. So, she felt a twinge of regret once he parked in front of the Ritz and opened the door to hand his keys over to the valet.
He took her overnight bag from her hands once she stepped out as well. Placing it nonchalantly over his shoulder, he grasped her hand and they walked up together. Once they entered his place, Dmitri casually began to undress: ripping off his tie, and unbuttoning his shirt. Sasha looked on with heat rising to her face. Failing, she tried to keep her eyes averted but couldn’t help turning back to take in the musculature of his chest and the deep v indicated by his low-hanging slacks.
“I’ll be back. I just have to change into something more comfortable,” he said walking away.
Something more comfortable turned out to be just boxer briefs. Sasha coughed, her thoughts immediately returning to the events of that Sunday morning.
“Would you like me to make dinner?” she asked, trying to distract herself from his body.
He looked to her with a warm smile. “No, you’re my guest. How does spaghetti sound? I’ll include a Greek salad.”
Sasha nodded her enthusiastically. “But only if I get to help.” She followed him to the kitchen and, together, they began to prepare dinner. “Are you ready to tell me what’s wrong?” she asked softly.
Dmitri sighed; he was in the process of boiling the water when he turned to her. She watched as he stepped closer until her back was pressed against the corner of the counter and his hands caged her in. His face was eerily serious, a slight frown marring hi
s good looks.
Trying to lighten the mood, Sasha reached up to smooth out the lines above his nose and whispered, “You shouldn’t frown so much. You’ll get wrinkles.” Sasha laughed softly at her own joke.
Dmitri’s eyes warmed as he looked down at her. The thought of taking her against the counter crossed his mind but he stubbornly pushed it back. ‘Not now,’ he told himself. The coolness of the counter beneath his palms contrasted with the warmth he felt emanating from her body. Tired of looking down at her and feeling the uncontrollable urge to be closer, he lifted her from beneath her arms and settled her bottom gently on the surface of the counter. Then, he pushed his hips between her spread legs. Grasping her behind the knees, he pulled until she was settled directly against his stomach. Dmitri inwardly groaned at the feel of her breasts rubbing against his chest and the soft brush of her breath near the crook of his neck.
“I have to tell you something, Sasha.” The words sounded strained as he wrapped his arms around her. Not having sex with her was beginning to take its toll on his body. He had never waited so long for anyone before her and his body and mind was acting accordingly. Now, anytime he was with her, he felt the need to touch her in any way that was possible. Like this.
“We never really speak of our families, do we?”
Sasha nodded. “Well, you know that I…don’t have one. And I always assumed you were uncomfortable speaking about your past so I didn’t want to push.”
“What do you mean?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and caressed the ends of his hair. “Dmitri you are a really private person. I get that. So am I- at least in regards to my…past. For me, it’s difficult to talk about and whenever I asked you if you had siblings or where you grew up…you seemed to just shut down. Like today in the car.
“I assumed it was because you had a painful past as well. I know what it’s like to not want to share something like that and…I didn’t want you to think I was being intrusive so…” she shrugged.
Sasha: The Wallflower (The Wallflower Series Book 1) Page 8