38
Arasagasti
When Romeo performed toccata et fuga, I went for a walk until I found my sister-in-law, who was with Irisha. ”Do you have a moment?” Juliet was startled to see me.
”Hello, Niki, Juliet wasn”t feeling well and I was accompanying her. By the way, this place is fantastic, your father-in-law is unmatched in organizing celebrations.” I offered a restrained smile to my sister, who insisted on using that diminutive she had used when we were little, and no matter how many times I corrected her, there was no way.
”Go on, take a look at Sarka, I”ve lost sight of her and don”t know where she is. I”ll stay here with Juliet waiting for your return.”
”Okay, I”ll be right back, don”t move.”
My sister-in-law looked unwell, her usual tanned skin had lost some of its color.
”What”s wrong?” I asked discreetly.
”I felt a bit dizzy
”We both know that”s not true,” she looked at me with surprise. ”You can pretend if you want, but I saw how you looked at us during the dance...” Her expression suddenly changed.
”Salvatore is a jerk and you shouldn”t appear so attracted to him.”
”Attracted?”
”I have eyes and I”ve seen you, as you”ve said. It looked like you were...”
”What?”
”Never mind.”
”Juliet, it was just a dance, an interpretation of a song, I”m not interested in your cousin, no matter how attractive he might be.”
”Well, that”s better. Look, I know your marriage to my brother was arranged, but I see how he looks at you and I know he likes you, a lot.”
”Tell that to his mistress.”
”I know for a fact he hasn”t been back with her. I know because Irene called me asking if something was wrong with him, he wasn”t even replying to her messages.” That statement pinched my heart.
”That”s because we”ve been very busy with the Mentium.”
”That”s because he likes his wife, and I know if you get to know him, he might also fall for you. There”s no better man than my brother, not to mention how handsome he is.”
”You don”t need to sell him to me, I married him.”
”Yes, but maybe you”re prejudging him over something that has nothing to do with either of you, but with our families...” I fell silent. ”I might look foolish, but I”m not. The enmity between the Korolevs and the Capulets has lasted years, it”s time for the waters to calm, and it”s in your hands to do it. And as for my cousin... He”s nothing like Romeo, he”s a traitor. You would do well to distance yourself.”
”It was just a dance.” Juliet let out a bitter laugh.
”It”s never just a dance, he always has ulterior motives, you can”t trust him.” I would take her words into account, not that I wanted to maintain any kind of extramarital relationship with Salvatore, no matter how good he looked.
”Thanks for the warning. One thing wasn”t clear to me, between you and him...”
”He”s my cousin!” she exclaimed, horrified. She was rubbing her hands together very quickly.
She didn”t fool me. I knew what I saw on that dance floor, and it was the look of a scorned woman, not that of a cousin.
”Whatever you say.”
Irisha and Sarka appeared, silencing us both. My middle sister told me that my father-in-law said that Arasagasti and his wife had just arrived and that I had to greet them because they were my personal guests.
I thanked her and wished my sister-in-law a recovery, as well as thanking her for the advice. I didn”t want to be on bad terms with her.
I went straight to the entrance door, where Irisha pointed out the couple.
Karlos Arasagasti was a serious and discreet man. There was nothing remarkable about his face; brown hair, small eyes, a prominent nose, and thin lips. He was about five foot seven and sported a bit of excess weight in the abdominal area.
His wife, Andrea, was prettier. She dressed with understated elegance, was petite, and had bright eyes. It was clear she assessed everything with the keen eye of an artist.
I approached with a couple of glasses of Mo?t that I had picked up before presenting myself to them. His was spiked with some magical powders courtesy of my uncle, which were safeguarded inside my ring.
A few swirls of the bubbly liquid and his drink was ready to be consumed. It was out of the question to think he wouldn”t be enticed; it was just that the lack of time was pressing me, and that prevented me from weaving a sufficiently enveloping web.
I wanted to accomplish my goal, and the sooner I did it, the better.
”Good evening,” I greeted them, offering each a glass. She gave me an immediate smile and he a complete and furtive inspection. Interesting.
”Hello!” Andrea exclaimed excitedly. ”Nikita?”
”The same. Welcome to the party and thank you for accepting my invitation, it’s a pleasure to have you both.”
”Mrs. Koroleva,” he extended his hand and I shook it. ”Karlos Arasagasti.”
”You can call me Nikita, and I hope I can also call you by your first names.” I needed them to feel close to me.
”Of course! We are all too young to be so formal,” Andrea confirmed.
”I am very sorry about what happened to your predecessor, a tragedy.”
”Yes, it has been,” he responded succinctly.
”Marbella is a small town, bad news travels fast.”
”I see,” he replied uncomfortably.
”I hope you didn”t find it inappropriate that I contacted your wife, they did the same with me when I arrived, it”s much easier to adapt to a new environment that way. When one is new in a place, it”s important to make friends.”
”Absolutely!” Andrea replied, stepping ahead of her husband. ”I”m eager to meet people so I won”t be alone, I hate being alone, it’s very boring.” I approached Andrea and, as is customary in Spain, gave her two kisses.
”Sorry, I didn”t greet you properly and started talking.”
”No problem, woman. I love the place and your dress is ideal!”
”Thank you, you look very pretty too.” She blushed.
I looked away to see where my husband was. Romeo was just a few meters from us. Whether he was angry with me or not, I needed him.
I called him and he pretended not to notice. He was flirting with a brunette who was laughing non-stop and devouring him with her eyes. It annoyed me that he ignored me and acted oblivious. Me liking him? Juliet was delusional, the only thing Romeo was interested in about me was my company and getting between my legs every now and then.
I asked my guests to excuse me for a moment, that I would be right back to introduce them to my husband. In the plan we had drawn up, Romeo was supposed to entertain Andrea while I had an ”intimate chat” with her husband.
I pulled out my phone from my purse and, as I approached Romeo, I typed a simple ”Come” to Andrey. That was the signal for him to enter and leave Aleksa watching in the parking lot.
I didn”t trust anyone else to take the photos and video I needed.
”Amore,” I burst in, wedging myself between the brunette and him. She startled and looked at me with concern. ”Sorry to interrupt, the Arasagastis have just arrived, I was calling you, but your conversation was so interesting that it prevented you from hearing me.”
”I thought we agreed that each of us would have fun on our own. I heard something, but thought it was hallucinations,” he murmured, giving the brunette a look that flushed her cheeks.
”Well, you see it wasn”t. I”ve come to pull you away from your entertainment for a while. Duty calls, as soon as we”re done, you can go back to...”
”Patricia,” she said.
”That”s right, little whore.” The brunette let out a little shriek of horror, and Romeo pursed his lips.
”My name is Patricia,” she corrected me.
”That”s what I said, what did you hear?” She turned red with indignation. ”Don”t worry, I”ll give him back to you soon. He loves women like you, lots of silicone and little brain. That way he doesn”t have to think too much.”
Romeo grabbed me roughly by the arm and cornered me against the wall.
Patricia left scared.
”What the hell are you doing?”
”Me? I should be asking you that. I”m focused on what we agreed on, the problem is that all your blood goes to your groin and leaves your only neuron flatlined.”
”Don”t mess with me, Nikita, I”ve had enough with Salvatore.”
”Romeo, you”re led by your dick, like all men, and it”s normal that Putilla attracts you, she”s very much like Irene, you could ask her if she likes leeks and you two can have a vegetable festival.”
”You”re cynical. What, you can have fun and I can”t?” My gaze sparkled.
”As far as I”m concerned, you can shove an eggplant up your ass. This thing with your cousin has been stupid. And I”m onto something much more important than your disproportionate jealousy.”
”I”m not jealous!”
”Whatever you say. I just want to know if you”re going to help me or not. The only thing I care about is the cargo that has to come into the port tomorrow, and if you”re not going to stick with the plan, I”ll go ask your cousin Salvatore for help, he”s surely more than willing.”
Romeo slammed me against the wall, breathing heavily.
”Don”t you dare mess with me with that snake! Stay away from him!”
”I wasn”t planning on approaching him, but if you leave me hanging, I”ll do whatever it takes.” His breathing became erratic.
”Salvatore is nobody”s ally,” he growled, ”he”s selfish and treacherous.”
”I don”t give a damn about your cousin”s virtues. We shouldn”t be talking about him, but with the Arasagastis. Are you going to help me or not?” Romeo snorted, cursed, and placed my hand on his arm.
”Let”s go.”
When we reached the couple, they had already finished their drinks. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Andrey enter, keeping a prudent distance.
The four of us started a very pleasant conversation. At first, Karlos was a bit hesitant, but the drug was beginning to take effect, causing him to become uninhibited and shift his gaze in a most indecent way.
The drug was a ticking time bomb. It was a shame the police had busted my uncle”s business. He was only able to reserve a few kilos, which he sent me before dying, for personal use.
Its effects were aphrodisiac, besides giving you enough courage to do anything.
”Why don”t we dance?” I suggested flirtatiously. I licked my thick lower lip and the director”s fly tensed. ”Will you join me, Karlos?” He looked nervously at his wife, who nodded, giving him permission.
”Go, have fun.”
”I”m not very good at dancing,” he apologized.
”I”ll lead.” I took him by the arm and insisted on going to the dance floor.
”Shall we dance too?” my husband suggested to Andrea.
”Delighted.”
The four of us went to the dance floor, and as soon as Andrey saw us start, he headed to the DJ to request a slow song.
I clung to Karlos, ready to cast my spell and excite him until he was eating from my palm.
Five minutes later, while Romeo walked away with Andrea to introduce her to some of the celebrities at the party, I took the director away with the excuse that my shoes were killing me and I needed to rest for a while.
As I expected, he did not refuse to keep me company in the adjoining lounge filled with plush sofas.
”I feel a bit dizzy and warm,” he complained.
”That”s because you”re overheated, let”s sit down and you”ll see how it passes.”
Karlos had a noticeable bulge in his crotch and kept staring at my breasts.
Andrey was already inside the lounge lurking to capture the best angle, hidden so that Arasagasti wouldn”t be on his guard.
”It”s very hot in here...” he complained, overwhelmed.
”Let me help you.”
I took off his jacket, his tie, and started unbuttoning his shirt.
”What are you doing?”
”The thing about the shoes was an excuse. Don”t play hard to get with me; I”ve noticed that you”re attracted to me,” I argued, unbuttoning it completely while caressing his stiffness. ”We both like each other. I felt it as soon as I saw you, and I know you did too.”
”We can”t. I… I”m married.” My hand continued to pamper him.
”So am I, but there”s nothing that can be done against a desire as strong as this. It will be our little secret...”
”But my wife...”
”She doesn”t have to find out, nor does my husband.” I took off my panties and let him smell them. He inhaled deeply.
”They were damp, not because of him, but rather because of the argument with my husband, which always turned me on.
I strategically placed them on the back of the sofa, next to his head, and sat on his lap, with the skirt of my dress covering his trousers. If Andrey did his job well, it would look like we were having sex.
”Nikita...” he whispered.
”Shhh,” I silenced him, pulling down the front of my dress to make it more believable. ”Don”t tell me you don”t like them. They”re yours.”
I took his hands and placed them on my breasts. He started to fondle them and I began to move and moan as if we were actually doing it.
Karlos got carried away and took one to his mouth. I stayed like that for a few seconds to ensure a good capture of the encounter.
”Nikita,” he gasped again. ”This can”t get out, if it goes public, it would be my end, my ruin...”
”That will depend on you,” I commented playfully.
His glassy eyes tried to focus on me and understand my words.
”How?” I snapped my fingers and Andrey appeared, waving the mobile in his hand. Karlos got nervous. ”But what is this?!” I stood up from the seat and pulled up the front of my dress. The job was already done.
”Andrey, show him what we have.” My man turned the screen and the new port director began to tremble with indignation.
”Damn bitch!” he howled, trying to stand up to hit me. I dodged him, pushed him, and he bounced back into the seat. ”What do you intend to do with that?!”
”Nothing, as long as you cooperate.”
”Cooperate?”
”Let”s talk business, I”m sure we can reach an agreement.”