Yuri

by Marian Tee

  “Ah.” The confusion cleared from her gaze. “Now I understand.” She cocked her head to the side. “So when I felt your manly part because you want me—”

  He choked. Was that how Mila Antoniou had called it?

  “—but I don’t want you back, is that a secret we should keep or may I tell the others about it?”

  “Definitely not.” His gaze narrowed at Kalli. “But it’s only a matter of time—”

  She wrinkled her nose, as if the idea was too preposterous to mention.

  He wanted to strangle and kiss her, but Yuri managed to keep his voice mild as he said, “You will want me back, Kalli.”

  Why that was important to him, Yuri didn’t want to think about. All he knew was that it did matter, and that it would happen.

  “If you say so, Yuri.”

  The skeptical tone of her voice made Yuri gnash his teeth. “Yes, Kalli. I say so, and it will happen. In fact, I’m willing to bet the day would come that you’d want me so much you’d be pleading for me to touch you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  But the next day, it was Yuri who ended up close to pleading. “No, Kalli.” He had never thought they would get into their first argument this early, but he was beginning to appreciate that with Kalli, everything was unpredictable.

  “But why not?”

  “Isn’t it enough that I’m asking you not to?”

  “Isn’t it enough that I want to?”

  Touché, Yuri thought. And so they were back at square one. He stared at his fiancée broodingly. She was in another lovely feminine dress, this time with an asymmetrical skirt that was long at the back and knee-length in front, and she had put up her hair in a loose, elegant twist on top of her head. She looked so breathtakingly beautiful that if she had asked for anything else, he would have given it to her in a heartbeat.

  But instead, she was asking for the one thing that was forbidden.

  “I just don’t think it’s time yet.”

  Kalli struggled with guilt and confusion at the heavy note in Yuri’s voice. “I only want to be normal, Yuri. I want everything to be normal. And here, in your home, I have learned that it’s normal for everyone to eat together.”

  And whoever told her about it, Yuri thought grimly, had him to answer to.

  Looking back at Kalli, he tried one more time to reason with her. “I know and understand why you want to do this, sweetheart, but believe me. It’s too soon.” He raked a hand through his hair. “You see, we’re not quite normal here either.”

  She stilled. “You’re…also not sure if you’re crazy?”

  “Ah, no. But we’re…somewhat different from other people, and so the way we live is different, too. The way we enjoy our meals—”

  “It’s different from what I see on TV?” she interrupted him.

  “Yes.”

  She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “How is it different?”

  He took a deep breath. “First of all, here in the Afxisi, we have what we call…volunteers.”

  “Oh. You mean, those who do good works for a living?”

  He shook his head. “Not quite. You know what college organizations are?”

  Kalli nodded.

  “Afxisi is a college organization and because we’re one, we need to allow a certain number of students to join our…group every year.”

  “And they’re the volunteers?”

  “The women are.”

  “And this is what makes you different?” Kalli asked, bewildered. “I still don’t understand.”

  “I’m not finished yet,” Yuri said. “These volunteers, like the male members of the club, are given responsibilities. Mostly, it has to do with cleaning and cooking, but that’s not what makes them – us – different. What makes this whole situation not…normal is why those women joined.”

  She thought about this hard, but no answer came to her so she asked, “Why did they join?”

  “Because they want to…”

  Yuri thought about telling the truth – that the volunteers only wanted to have bragging rights about getting in bed with a member of the Afxisi, even if just for one night.

  Kalli looked at him hopefully. “Because they want to…?”

  “Have one of us as their boyfriends.” And that, he told himself, wasn’t strictly a lie.

  Kalli blinked. “Oh.”

  “Now, do you understand?” Please have her say yes.

  “No.”

  Dammit.

  “Is it okay with you if one of them flirts with me?”

  “Oh,” she said again, but it was weaker this time, sadder.

  “That’s why,” he said gently, “I think it’s better we continue having our meals here.”

  “Oh.” When she didn’t say anything else after it, Yuri started to relax, thinking that Kalli had finally seen it his way.

  Kalli lifted her chin. “I still want to eat with everyone.”

  Or not.

  “Kalli—”

  She shook her head. “I really thought about this, Yuri.” Her voice was quiet and absolute. “And I’ve decided that this is a matter of trust. Because I love you, I must trust in your love and your faithfulness. I must believe that you will not…flirt back.”

  But her voice wavered in the end, and Yuri knew then that even though she was putting up a strong front, she was not without doubts.

  He sighed. “You are incredibly stubborn, sweetheart.” But he couldn’t fault her for it because he knew that people who were stubborn were also often strong-willed, and if Kalli hadn’t been the latter, she would have long died under Madame’s “care.”

  “So be it then.” His voice was grim. “I’ll tell the others we’ll be dining with all of the Afxisi.”

  “Thank you,” Kalli said.

  “Don’t thank me just yet. I still think this is a huge mistake.”

  ****

  Thirty minutes later, and Kalli was starting to believe Yuri was right. This was a huge mistake. This being the choice to join everyone at the common room, which also gave everyone the chance to stare and whisper about her. This being the choice to see so many volunteers flaunt their bodies in front of the man she loved, even if Yuri never looked their way. This being the choice to know that these girls wanted him, and knowing that unlike her, they were normal.

  “Amaranth, arugula, beet, bok choy, borage, broccoli, Brussels sprout…” According to her therapist, focusing on the things one loved was a good way to numb negative emotions like pain and anger, and for Kalli there was nothing she loved more than food…and Yuri.

  Beside her, Hallie leaned close and whispered, “Am I imagining things, or did you just start talking to yourself about…vegetables?”

  Kalli nodded. “Cabbage, catsear, celery, chaya...” Wait. She had forgotten something. Chewing on her lip, she went back through her list and came to the missing item a few seconds later. “Celtuce!”

  She said this a little too loud, and everyone in the common room turned to look at her in surprise.

  Without missing a beat, Yuri said smoothly, “That’s exactly what I want you to prepare for me, sweetheart. It’s my favorite vegetable.” He kept his gaze steady on hers as he spoke.

  Kalli was shocked. “It is?”

  Yuri nodded firmly. “It’s my favorite.”

  Hallie coughed daintily into her hand. Considering how much Yuri hated greens even when they were still kids, she was pretty sure her brother wouldn’t know what celtuce was even if it hit him in the face.

  Yuri told himself not to feel guilty about lying. It was a small one, and it had been necessary. It didn’t mean he would keep doing it now that he knew the secret to making Kalli believe in every word he uttered.

  Kalli’s pleasure dimmed when she saw one of the volunteers heading their way. The girl was like a shark, she thought uneasily, with the way she gazed at Yuri like a predator sizing its prey.

  “Good morning, sir.” A thrill ran through Lily as she finally had the chance to serve the club’s
vice president. She liked challenges and because of that, Yuri Athanas was her number one target. It was said that Yuri had never touched any of the volunteers, but Lily planned to change all that, and she didn’t give a damn if the girl seated next to him turned out to be his girlfriend. The other girl may be startlingly beautiful, but she was also too thin, her body like a boy’s. It had nothing, Lily thought smugly, when compared to her voluptuous curves.

  After placing a piece of roll on Yuri’s plate, she asked invitingly, “Do you want some more, sir?” Lily offered the bread basket towards the blue-eyed biker, making sure to place the basket exactly at breast level so that the Afxisi’s vice president would have to look straight at her barely-covered cleavage.

  “No, thank you,” Yuri said politely before turning his back on the volunteer.

  Undeterred, Lily moved closer. “Are you sure, sir?” As she spoke, she made sure to brush the tips of her breasts against the back of his head, wanting him to know that she was hot, ready, and willing anytime he wanted her. She started to do it again—

  “No!”

  One moment, Yuri had another girl trying to comb his hair with her nipples and then the next moment Kalli had wrapped her arms protectively around his head and was squashing his face against her breasts in the process.

  “No, stop doing that to him! He’s mine!” Her arms tightened, and Yuri’s face sank deeper in the valley of her breasts.

  “Lucky bastard,” he heard one of the junior bikers mutter under his breath.

  He agreed privately, but the volunteer hadn’t anything to do with it. Rather, Kalli’s silk-covered breasts were the sole reason why he was thanking all his lucky stars.

  So close, he thought with a silent groan. Her fragrance teased his senses and made it harder to resist taking a bite of her nipples, which were only a few centimeters away from his mouth. Would anyone notice if he started eating it? After all, Kalli was still speaking to the volunteer. As a supportive fiancé, he owed it to Kalli to stay right here and—

  From what seemed like a great distance, he heard the president drawl, “I think Yuri’s stopped breathing.”

  A gasp, and then Kalli released him and pushed his head away. “Are you all right, Yuri?”

  His cock aching painfully at the terrible sense of loss of being parted from Kalli’s lovely pair of breasts, he managed a strained smile. “Yes, of course.” He heard Kellion laugh behind him, and Yuri, for once, did something improper.

  He flipped his president the finger behind his back. Damn you, Kellion Argyros. He had been drowning happily, but the bastard just had to cut his pleasure short.

  “Are you all right?” Kalli was still gazing at him worriedly.

  He started to answer yes but then he had another idea. “No, actually. Perhaps if we go up…” Kalli would be as far away as possible from the volunteers, and she would be alone with him. Win-win as far as he was concerned.

  “He’s sly,” he heard Helios murmur. “I’ll give him that.”

  “And singularly focused,” Kellion murmured back. “Notice where his eyes still are.”

  Yuri ignored all mutterings from his so-called friends but did manage to wrestle his gaze away from Kalli’s breasts. It would have been nice if her nipples had reacted, he thought with a mental sigh, but they would get there eventually.

  Kalli chewed on her lip. “I want to go with you. It’s my duty to take care of you. But what about her?”

  Lily’s smile disappeared when the vice president turned to her as if he had forgotten she was even there. Bastard, Lily thought in furious humiliation.

  “She won’t do it again, sweetheart.” The vice president’s blue eyes suddenly lanced Lily, and despite her anger, she felt herself whitening at the cold deadly warning in the vice president’s gaze.

  “I’ve learned my lesson,” she said sullenly, knowing that the biker was waiting for an answer.

  “Just as I thought.” The vice president’s voice was coldly polite, and she knew then that whatever chances she had with Yuri Athanas had been blown out of the water because of the bitch by his side.

  Resentment burned hot and viciously as Lily watched the vice president pull the Greek girl towards him and hush her with murmured words. Even so, she kept glancing at Lily from over her shoulder, as if wanting to say something.

  Lily wanted to scratch her eyes out.

  Prissy little bitch.

  Did she think she could fool Lily with her butter-won’t-melt-in-her-mouth sweetness?

  Fuck her.

  Another volunteer bumped into her from behind, growling, “Get your butt moving, bitch.” Although there were less catfights between the girls since MJ’s days as the president’s girl, none of the volunteers liked Lily, who acted like she was only a twerk away from hooking up with one of the officers.

  Teeth gnashing, Lily forced herself to move and place rolls on the bikers’ plates, conscious all the while of how the other volunteers were snickering behind her back. She thought of the vice president and the Greek bitch, and of course it was no huge puzzle what the two were doing now, alone in the private kitchen at the executive floor.

  Lily’s resentment turned into an obsessive desire for revenge.

  I’ll make you pay, bitch. One of these days, I’ll make you pay.

  Chapter Twelve

  “That didn’t go well,” his fiancée said sadly as the elevator doors closed behind them.

  Yuri wisely chose not to reply.

  They stood next to each other, close but not touching, the silence between them sharpened by Kalli’s aura of dignified sorrow. He was torn between amusement and fascination at the sight. Only Kalliope Antoniou, Yuri thought wryly, could look like a beautiful, suffering Madonna without even crying a single tear.

  Nobody feeling like shit had the right to look as good as his fiancée did. If the other volunteers could see her now, they would no doubt hate her more. Probably even think she was faking it.

  But because Yuri knew Kalli would rather kill herself than fake anything, he took pity on her and drew her close, murmuring, “Don’t let it get to you.”

  She didn’t answer, staying quiet and still in the circle of his arms, absolutely picture-perfect in her sorrow that it tempted him to smile.

  Finally, he heard her say with a morose sigh, “You may say it now.”

  It was Kalli’s queenly voice again, and this time he couldn’t stop his lips from twitching as he asked, “Say what?”

  “You know.” She lifted her serious gaze up to him. “Grandmother always says it when I disobey her and I have to suffer consequences for it.”

  He shook his head, saying honestly, “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

  “You may say I told you so.” This was uttered in Kalli’s best Queen Mary of Scots voice.

  Ah. He almost laughed. “I don’t think I should,” he said solemnly. “You make it sound no different from a beheading.”

  The elevator doors slid open then, and taking hold of her hand, he led her to the officers’ private kitchen slash dining room.

  “Shall we just eat in the kitchen?” he asked.

  She nodded and allowed him to seat her on one of the stools around the island.

  “What do you feel like eating?” The bitch of a volunteer had gotten her claws into Kalli before she could even take a single bite from her plate, and Yuri’s lips compressed at the memory.

  “No.”

  Startled, Yuri’s head swung in Kalli’s direction but found her chewing her lip while gazing at the cupboards. “Did you say anything?” At the back of his mind, he remembered the latest message from the doctor, about Kalli talking to herself when she was unsettled.

  “I saw it in your face.” Kalli’s tone was absent-minded as she got off her stool. “You plan to have a word with the volunteer.” As she spoke, Kalli walked towards the cupboards like someone hypnotized. “You mustn’t, though. It will only create greater discord.” She reached for the handles as if in a trance.

&
nbsp; The cupboards opened.

  Yuri forgot what he had to say when he saw the look of bliss in Kalli’s eyes.

  “Oh, Yuri,” he heard her breathe softly. “So. Much. Food.” She whirled around, her eyes glowing as they sought his. “And from all over the world! How?”

  It took him a beat to answer. “You have Aria to thank for this.” Nothing in his steady voice betrayed the sudden rawness that squeezed his chest. He was suddenly remembering the years Kalli’s tormentor had starved her as a child.

  “Want to be the one to fix our breakfast?” he heard himself ask.

  Her eyes widened. “I’m…allowed?”

  “This is your home now, and we’re a family here,” he said gently. “This kitchen is yours as much as it is anyone else’s.”

  Others would have protested coyly at his words. Others would have thanked him. But Kalli only nodded.

  “I see.”

  And if he hadn’t been watching her as closely as she was staring at him now, he would have thought he had imagined it.

  Fear.

  And then it was gone, Kalli moving around the kitchen like a goddess. Gliding instead of walking, her hands dancing in the air even though she was doing something as simple as taking a bottle of jam out of the cupboard.

  Sunlight from the window above the sink filtered in, giving Kalli a halo, so golden and bright Yuri could almost convince himself he had imagined it. But he knew he hadn’t. Kalli was afraid, and he knew enough of her past to understand what her fears were.

  She was afraid he might take his words back, afraid that she would be alone again if he ever walked away.

  Three words, Yuri thought, his fists clenching against his sides in frustration. He knew he only had to say three words and she would never feel afraid again.

  But he couldn’t bring himself to say it first.

  He had lied to her too many times already. He didn’t want to add to them as much as he could help it.

  “It’s ready.” Kalli’s soft voice pulled him out from the darkness.