Dark Trade

by Miranda Kavi

  She snatched it up. “Hello?”

  “Sophia? What the hell is going on?” asked a sweet voice that didn’t sound like it belonged to the sharp businesswoman on the other end of the line.

  “Andrea? What’s up?” Sophia fumbled around for the remote. Was it on the news?

  “Um...we were supposed to meet for brunch then shopping. Remember? Where are you? Did you just wake up?”

  “Oh, shit. Yeah, I did. Sorry.” Sophia sat up. She was ready to make an excuse not to go, but Andrea was an executive recruiter that consulted for all the big oil companies. She might know more about the Russian oil company. “I can be there in thirty minutes.”

  “Fine. I’ll be in the antiques store across the street from the restaurant. Text me when you get here.”

  Sophia switched on the TV and flipped through local and national news stations. Nothing. She got out of bed, staring at the rumpled bed sheets she left behind. They had been empty for a while, and here she was fantasizing about a damn gunman. What the hell was wrong with her?

  “I need my shrink,” she said to no one in particular as she pulled on a sundress and sandals.

  An hour later she was sitting across from Andrea, sipping a mimosa, and picking at her chicken salad. She decided that no news was good news, but guilt made her chest feel like it weighed a million pounds.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Andrea said in her oh so tactful way. “Boy trouble? I hope so.”

  “What do you know about EBCasp National?” she blurted out.

  Andrea took another bite of her salad. “The Russian exploration and production company?”

  Sophia nodded.

  “They’re state owned, a subsidiary of one of the big national oil companies in Russia.” She took another bite of her food before continuing. “They’re new here. They’ve been very selective about their hiring—they’ve staffed their Houston office with a bunch of damn expats. I don’t know how they got the work visas for all of them. Surely they could have pulled some talent from the local pool.” She rolled her eyes, no doubt envisioning all the money she had lost by not being able to recruit for them.

  “Anyway, I don’t know a lot about them. Word on the street is they make underhanded deals, particularly in Kazakhstan, Africa, and Brazil. Bribes and other shit. They’re a majority owner in a lot of non-energy companies, too.”

  Sophia took a bigger gulp of her mimosa. “What kind of…shit?”

  “Why the interest? Do you want to work there?” Andrea said.

  “No, no.” Sophia shook her head, probably a little too emphatically judging from the look she was now getting from Andrea. “Just curious. Red Bluff International is dealing with them, and I don’t know anything about them.”

  “Ah. Doesn’t surprise me one bit.” Andrea glanced around and then leaned forward in her chair. “One of my good friends from law school is in the FBI. He said they’re keeping tabs on one of the guys. Dmitri or something. He’s supposed to be this big arms dealer, known all over the world, but runs such a tight ship no one can actually catch him.”

  Sophia choked on her food, but recovered with a drink of water. “Really?” she squeaked.

  “Yep. Google that shit. You’ll see,” Andrea said. “So, yeah. They’ve been picky about who they contract with. Red Bluff International seems like a perfect match.”

  Sophia was too tired to defend her company. Plus, she knew Andrea was right. “Maybe I should look for another job,” she said.

  Andrea threw her fork down. “I’ve been telling you that for years. Just say the word, and I’ll put out some feelers.”

  “Let me think about it.” Sophia rubbed her forehead, the events of yesterday hitting her again.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  They wandered around the antique mall after lunch. Sophia pretended to admire the things Andrea liked, but her mind was engaged. Guilt was a heavy burden to carry. She checked the local news website from her phone, but there was no mention of Red Bluff International or anything else strange.

  She spent the rest of the weekend cleaning her townhome, like she always did when she was stressed to the max. She scrubbed the bathroom, washed all the linens, and even cleaned the crown molding. Bit by bit she cleaned the floors to the ceiling fans, nothing was spared. It kept her hands busy and occupied her mind, at least a little bit.

  Her phone sat on the coffee table for most of the weekend. That stupid little device reminded her that she was a bad person for not calling nine-one-one. She went back and forth, questioning her decision not to call the authorities. The news was silent—according to the world, nothing out of the ordinary was going on with five executives from Houston.

  Surrounded by gleaming floors, spotless walls, and neatly arranged everything, she didn’t feel any better. She went back and forth in her head a million times on whether to show up at the coffee shop. He probably wouldn’t show up anyway. And if he did, well, she hadn’t made it that far yet.

  By the time she crawled into her neatly made bed on Sunday night, she had decided not to go for coffee, but she would go to work. Early, in fact.

  She got to the office at 7:30 a.m. sharp. Once she dropped off her purse in her office, she went up three floors to the executive offices. She charged down the hallway and ran smack into Don Leed who she had never seen in the building before ten o’clock. She was so relieved she almost melted in the floor.

  “Mr. Leed, you’re all right.” She put her hand on his arm. “Thank God, I was so worried. Is everyone else okay?”

  He removed her hand from his arm. “Of course I’m okay. Excuse me.” He walked away.

  “Don? What the hell is going on?” she said.

  “Nothing. Move on, Sophia. You’re on the wrong floor,” he threw over his shoulder as he disappeared into his office, slamming the door behind him.

  What the hell?

  She went into Ms. Relder’s office. She was seated behind her desk. “What happened? Are you okay?”

  Ms. Relder stood up with her coffee mug in hand. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sophia. Please go back to your desk.”

  She tried to walk past Sophia, but Sophia grabbed her arm. “What is going on? Those men with the guns—what did they do to you, Ana?”

  “Let go of me. And it’s Ms. Relder to you.” She yanked her hand free and tried to leave.

  Sophia cut her off, shutting the door, and planting herself in front of it. “Don’t you dare brush me off after that! I thought something had...had...happened to you guys.”

  Ms. Relder slammed her mug down on the table. “Well, obviously you’re okay. I’m not sure what you did with that man, but we can’t all slut our way out of danger.”

  “Excuse me?” Sophia didn’t even bother to keep her voice down. “Are you freaking insane? I didn’t slut my way out of anything. I made it out safe, no thanks to you. You tell me what happened right now or else I will call every news station in town. I’m sure the shareholders would love to hear about this. And thank you very much for your concern about me. I was sick, literally sick with worry!” Her voice had increased to a high, squeaky pitch.

  Ms. Relder’s face crumpled like tissue. “Keep your voice down.” She collapsed into a chair in front of her desk. “I’m trying to protect you. The less you know, the better. They didn’t hurt us. It was just a warning; they just wanted to scare us.”

  She looked very old to Sophia just then, hunched in the chair. The expensive makeup couldn’t hide the bags under her eyes or the strain on her face.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t say any more. I’m so sorry you were put in danger.” She shook her head back and forth. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I don’t understand this,” Sophia said. She uncrossed her arms and sat down next to Ms. Relder.

  “I don’t either. I’m in over my head. Please—just forget this ever happened. Whatever you want, it’s yours. Raise? New title? I won’t ever ask you set foot in that building again,” Ms. R
elder said.

  “Who was that man?” Sophia said.

  “The one you disappeared with? I’m sorry if he hurt you, Sophia,” she said.

  “Who is he?” Sophia asked again.

  “Dmitri Davydov is what he goes by. I doubt it’s his real name. He’s dangerous. Probably one of the most dangerous men in the world. I was surprised to see him there. I don’t want to say any more. Like I said, the less you know, the safer you will be.”

  “Why is he dangerous?” Sophia pressed.

  Ms. Relder tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair. “I shouldn’t be talking about this, but he’s a suspected arms dealer, and by suspected, I mean he’s never been caught. He probably moves other stuff as well. He’s under investigation in over twenty countries. He’s bad. Very bad. Powerful.”

  “And useful, to you,” Sophia said.

  Ana stared down at her hands. She looked ashamed, as she should. After a few seconds, she stood up, flicking invisible lint off her skirt. “I need to get back to work and so do you. We never had this conversation.” She walked past Sophia, holding the door open, waiting for her to leave. “I’ll see to it you get a raise.”

  Sophia walked back into the hallway in a daze. She didn’t remember going back down the three flights of stairs or back to her office, but here she was. She forced herself to turn on her computer and start reading her emails.

  She threw herself into her work, growing more nervous as the end of the day approached. She’d already decided she wouldn’t meet Dmitri, assuming he would even show up.

  But she was curious. She wasn’t sure if he would come. She wanted to see if he would.

  She wanted to see him again, sick as that was.

  She shut down her computer at 5:30 and left, feeling numb and detached as she did so. She made the drive from the Energy Corridor to downtown, parking in a garage across from the coffee shop.

  She sat in her car. Minutes rolled by. The blue lights on her dashboard proclaimed it was 6:10. Was she really doing this? Was something wrong with her?

  She got out, walked briskly down the block, and entered the coffee shop before she could change her mind. Just getting coffee. No big deal. It was fairly busy, so she got in line in front of the register. She scanned the shop and didn’t see him. Of course.

  She was relieved, the tension fled from her, and a little ache swelled instead. Rejection was hard, even if it was good for her.

  She ordered her coffee and turned to the creamer stand to sweeten it. She felt him before she saw him, casually reading a paper in the corner, acting as if he had been sitting there the whole time. She knew that red armchair had been empty only seconds before.

  He stood very slowly, standing so he his profile was to her. He did not look at her. He slowly folded his newspaper, straightened his collar, and started to walk towards the doorway.

  She watched him go. He paused at the doorway, hand on the door. He nodded so subtly it was almost imperceptible, but she understood. He wanted her to follow him.

  She did, keeping some distance between them. He walked right back to the building she’d been so eager to escape just a few days ago. She followed him into the lobby, breezing past security guards that seemed to be pointedly ignoring her. He walked around the corner, passed the restrooms and then punched a code into a door pocketed in the corner of the hallway.

  He glanced around them. “Come,” he said, finally addressing her.

  She hesitated, but only for a second. She stepped in the doorway.

  Chapter 3

  They were in a broad stairwell with granite floors and bright red paint. A few yards in front of them, a brushed metal elevator bank gleamed softly in the dark. Like all the other hallways in this place, the lights only came on when there was movement. A couple flicked on as they stepped onto the landing, lighting them but leaving their surroundings dark.

  He leaned against the banister of the staircase, biceps straining against the fabric of his button-down shirt as he crossed his arms over his chest and watched her. She shifted her weight, clutching her bag and coffee tightly.

  Now that she was here, she wasn’t sure what to say.

  “You came,” she finally said.

  “I did,” he said.

  She tried to find the words to form one of the millions of questions floating around her head. “I don’t know why I’m here,” she said.

  He said nothing for several seconds. One of the lights flicked off, leaving only one on behind her. “You kept your word. You told no one,” he said in Russian.

  “I did,” she said. “I don’t know why, and I don’t understand what happened. They won’t tell me.”

  “It is better that you not.” He tilted his head to the side, watching her. The lights cast half of his face in shadows.

  “That’s not fair to me,” she said.

  “Why did you ask to meet?” he said.

  “Why won’t you answer my questions?” she said.

  His lips relaxed, not a smile, but not a frown either. It looked nice on him. He dropped his arms from his chest and moved closer to her. “They are not holding up their end of a deal.”

  “So?”

  “So, that is all. I am very sorry you had to go through that, and now I want to know why you are here.” He took another step forward. She was close enough to really see him now: sharp green eyes, sandy brown hair, stern but handsome face. He towered over her and probably everyone else he met—he must have been at least six foot three, maybe even taller.

  He was close enough she could almost touch him. It didn’t scare her. Chills were coursing up and down her spine, but not the scary kind. The other kind.

  She didn’t have an answer to his question. “Why did you agree?” she asked.

  He smiled. It was the first time she’d seen it on his face, and it thrilled her that she put it there.

  “You are...compelling,” he said.

  “I am?” She stepped closer, so she could see his face in the light.

  “Yes,” he nodded once. His hand moved towards her very, very slowly.

  Some part of her brain knew she should be afraid, but she wasn’t. He lightly grazed her hand, which still clutched her forgotten coffee, with his.

  Her skin reacted to him, invisible lightning crackling between them. If there were ever sparks, this was it. But these weren’t sparks, these were fireworks.

  He ran his fingers down her arm and then lifted it away.

  She met his eyes, shocked to see they were smoldering.

  For her.

  What am I doing?

  Something inside her snapped. She threw her coffee on the ground, closed the space between them with one large step, and pressed her lips to his.

  He stiffened.

  She stepped back, color flushing her cheeks as the mortification set in.

  A primal, grunting noise issued from his mouth, and he roughly pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her, crushing his mouth to hers. His kiss was hungry, like he’d been waiting for her for years.

  She tried to stop herself, but the explosion between their bodies had already begun.

  He kissed her hard, shoving his hands in her hair, melding her body to his. His tongue tangled with hers and hungrily explored her mouth with a combination of force and sensuality that robbed her of her sensibilities.

  No man had ever kissed her quite like this before. No man had ever kissed any woman the way he was kissing her.

  She moved her hands down his body, reluctantly leaving his strong shoulders but instantly rewarded with the rigid strength beneath his shirt around his biceps and chest. She wanted nothing more than to feel his skin on hers. Fire exploded inside her and she wanted him more than the force of a hurricane.

  She frantically pulled at his shirt, ripping the buttons off. The rest peeled off easily with his help. Muscle carved beautiful lines on his chest and abs and arms. Scars crossed his chest, each one a story she wanted to hear.

  His hands were up her skirt and skimmed
along her hips. She pushed into him even more.

  He gently pulled his hands out of her skirt. She moaned as his hands moved away, but was quickly sated when he put them up her shirt. He rested his palms on her stomach, the tops of his fingers just barely flirting with the bottom of her breasts. He gently stroked her ribs and stomach before snaking his hand underneath the wire of her bra.

  He gently squeezed her breast, his finger and thumb quickly finding her nipples. She moaned beneath his touch.

  His breathing sped up, and he was rock hard against her. He was almost panting.

  She could tell he wanted her—bad—and it made her crazy.

  He moved his hands back down to her waist, then her butt. He gently lifted her and somehow carried her into the elevator as her legs wrapped around his waist. The door shut behind them.

  He let go long enough to slam another button on the door. This elevator wasn’t going anywhere.

  He pushed her up against the wall and pulled her blouse over her head. He licked his lips, staring at her breasts, rising and falling with her rapid breath in the demi-cup of her bra. “So lovely. So very lovely,” he whispered. His eyes flicked down to her narrow waist and smooth stomach, then back up to her eyes.

  He was back against her, burying his face in her breasts. “So beautiful,” he murmured.

  She arched into him as he yanked her bra down, pulling down the thin straps on her shoulders, freeing her breasts fully. His mouth was on her nipple in an instant.

  His hot, wet mouth on her lit her up even more. Moisture pooled between her legs as he flicked the sensitive spot with his tongue. When she was ready to scream, he moved to her other breast, squeezing and licking until she was ready to come.

  He kept his mouth on her skin and skimmed his hands down her side to her legs, then back up her skirt, grabbing her panties. He pulled them down. She spread her legs and they dropped to her feet. She kicked them away.

  Then he stopped. “I can’t,” he said in Russian.

  “Can’t what?” she panted.

  “I can’t desecrate you in an elevator.”

  “Oh, yes you can. And you will.” She unbuttoned his pants and then slowly pulled down his zipper. She yanked down his underwear, freeing his impressive cock.