Chapter 21 Elena
CHAPTER 21
ELENA
The girl had a point. Sitting at home and moping about Viking wasn’t doing her any good. In fact, excitement thrummed in her blood at the prospect of dressing up, even if it was in a leopard-print little dress, and spending the night on the dance floor.
“I’m not sure if this is the right outfit for me.” She said it in the most polite way possible. The tight dress hugged her curves and emphasized her generous breasts.
“It looks great on you,” Katya insisted as she brushed Elena’s hair until it shone and spilled over her shoulders in waves. The only makeup she bothered with was mascara and lip gloss.
Elena swallowed any remarks after that. It seemed useless anyway. Katya had declared they were going out and basically taken over her life from then on. Katya had made her change three times until she was satisfied with the way she looked. Not only that, but she also had to try on five pairs of shoes. Elena didn’t have the heart to tell her she’d vowed never to wear stiletto heels again. Katya’s excitement had rubbed off on her, and she’d just gone with the flow. The alternative had been staying another night in the lonely apartment, waiting for a certain grouchy Viking to show up and, well, grouch at her.
So, they went out. All the way downstairs to the other side of the building where Club Flux was located. According to Katya, it was the hottest place in town. Judging by the long line that went all the way around the building, she hadn’t been exaggerating.
They breezed past the lengthy line of people outside the entrance.
It surprised Elena to find their table already filled with Katya’s friends. Seeing Tommie, and Tess—who looked goth chic in leather pants and a leopard tank top—she felt like a hobo.
Katya shooed Baran away. “Go. Just leave us alone for some fun. Sheesh, remember the word, fun?”
He cracked a smile. “Oh, I know how to have fun, little imp. My idea of it just isn’t hovering around the background of your ladies’ night.”
“Not a ladies’ night,” Tommie protested. He rolled his eyes and his panther-print bandanna moved with his eyebrows. Of the four of them, he looked the most smashing, like he’d just walked off a catwalk.
“Sure.” Baran shook his head and walked away, turning the heads of a group of women next to their table.
They were clearly checking out his ass. Elena was tempted to tell them he actually was an ass.
“They say he’s a player,” one of the women said.
Her friend, a blonde cheer-leading looking type, rolled her eyes. “Aren’t most hot guys players?”
“Not like this one. He makes bets with his friends to see how far he can get someone to do his bidding. Sometimes he doesn’t even fuck you, just gets you so hot and bothered you’ll do anything he says.”
Then they continued exchanging more gossip about Baran and his kinks.
Katya’s face soured. “Ugh, they’re an embarrassment for all womankind.” When Elena gave her a look, she explained, “I don’t want to hear about Baran’s sex life. He’s like a brother to me. An annoying older brother most of the time, but still. I’ve known him practically my entire life, just like the other guys. Do I wish they would give me more breathing room? Absolutely. Do I sometimes want to kick their asses for chasing away my dates? Definitely. Life would be so much better without a security detail surrounding me all the time like a wall, but it is what it is. All that’s missing is for the twins to show up.”
“And Viking,” Elena added. She wouldn’t put it past him to barge in and haul her back into his apartment, just to ruin her night.
“The twins are on the other side of town,” Tess chimed in.
Tommie shook his head. “You’re still tracking them?”
“Of course,” Tess declared as if it were the most common thing to do.
Elena waited for her to elaborate. When that didn’t happen, she asked, “And why exactly is that?”
Tess put her phone away. “Can’t tell you. You’re a new Bratva bride after all. I don’t know if your allegiance lies with the girls yet.”
“And boy,” Tommie said, sounding exasperated. “We really need to rename this night.”
“You’re afraid I’m gonna tell on you?” Elena asked, surprised. Apparently, Tess didn’t know how she’d tumbled into the Romanov Bratva.
Tess leaned closer to her. “You might. I haven’t seen you with your hubby yet. Maybe you’re all starry-eyed and will put bros before hoes.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not applicable to this situation,” Elena said dryly.
Katya rolled her eyes. “Tess is tracking the inner circle to see if they are getting any closer to her sister Onyx.”
“Hey!” Tess shouted and smacked Katya’s leg.
“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me,” Elena reassured her. “And you won’t be seeing me looking dreamy eyed at any man, least of all Viking.”
Tess perked up. “Really? Is the honeymoon over already? Did he go all Vader on you? This soon?”
She wasn’t exactly sure what she meant but did get the gist of it. “Well, he kind of locked me in an ice-cold cellar, deprived me of decent food, and then he put a ring on my finger without asking.”
“I’ve heard worse love stories,” Tess claimed, making Elena doubt her sanity. There was no love story here.
“I second that,” Tommie said, taking another sip of his drink.
A collective sigh almost shook the table. When Elena gave him a cursory look it was Tess who answered.
“Tommie boy is known for his notoriouslybad dates.”
“Can’t say I can relate,” Elena admitted. “I only ever dated Viking. And look how that turned out.” An involuntary laugh escaped her throat. She needed another drink.
It was as if Tommie read her mind because he gestured toward a waiter, making a swirling motion. She wasn’t sure what it meant. Maybe it meant one more drink or an entire bottle.
“Could be worse,” Tess said. “Before I met Luca, I dated my former college professor. He stole my work and sold it to Big Pharma. Then, he had the gall to claim I should be thankful since I,” she made air quotes,” lacked any business skills and was quirky.”
Elena could see the quirky thing but wisely shut her mouth. Katya, however, did not have that notion.
“You are quirky, Tess, and we love you for it.”
Tess beamed. “I love you too, Pink Panther. And I know I’m not exactly Plain Jane. Thank God. Normal is boring. It was his tone that indicated women don’t have the brains to crunch numbers.”
“That’s just rude,” Elena agreed.
“I’ve got a date tomorrow night,” Katya said.
“Really? What about Kristoff?” Elena had to ask.
“What about him? He hardly knows I exist.”
“That sucks,” Elena echoed Tess. It felt wonderful to just speak her mind. There was no one there to hold it against her. How incredibly freeing. Maybe she needed to carry a flask with her at all times.
Katya played with the cherry from her drink. “Either way, I’ve decided to stop waiting for him to notice me. Be the captain of my own ship and all.”
Tommie whistled. “Go, Katya!”
“Hush!” Katya glanced at Baran who stood a few feet away. “I kind of didn’t tell Kristoff. I don’t want him to vet the guy first, then find all kinds of flaws and prevent my date. Or worse, send a security detail with me.”
Tess placed her elbows on the table, leaned forward, and looked all business. “Do you need me to create a diversion and distract him?”
Elena was about to ask how she was going to do that, but Katya shook her head.
“No. I’ve told him I’m going to a friend’s house to study. Then I’ll sneak out.”
“Just make sure he isn’t some weirdo,” Tommie advised. “There are some crazy people out there. I would know. Let’s see, so far, we’ve got Parrot Man, Sewer Breath, Captain Sparrow.”
“Johnny Depp’s hot, so that couldn’t have been so bad,” Elena surmised.
Tommie gave her a pitying look. “Not only did this guy look nothing like the hot actor, but he also wanted me to play Captain Hook. With an actual rubber hook, if you know what I mean.”
“No need to draw a picture,” Katya grumbled.
“And that’s just off the top of my head,” Tommie said.
He came up with a lot more examples. Some of them made him cringe, some of them made him laugh, but most of all they made Elena feel part of the club. She wouldn’t trade her girl for the world. If she had to do it all over again, she would still choose to become a young mom while still a teen herself. But right now, at this moment, a part of her came alive she hadn’t known had craved human contact, friendship, and all that came with it. These people were close, and she felt honored to be a part of that.
As the night continued, Elena drank more. Not being used to alcohol it didn’t take long for her to become tipsy. She became engrossed in her new drinking buddies’ stories.
Tommie had been disowned by his parents after he came out of the closet. Katya was the fun-loving pixie who had survived cancer after being orphaned at a young age. Tess, the IT geek as she’d dubbed herself, well, she was of a whole new order. Elena was convinced the girl was one lab accident away from becoming a supervillain and taking over the world.
She raised her glass toward Tess. “May you change the world, one IP address at a time!”
Tess gave her a high five, splashing green liquid all over their table. “To world peace!”
“I’d vote for you,” Elena slurred. “Not for the douchebag professor ex. Then again, at least he just stole your work. Lorenzo stole my life! Bastard.”
“Bastard!” they agreed in chorus.
Strengthened by their support and feeling relaxed after another Cosmo, she continued, “He blackmailed me into marrying him. Then he basically took over my life. I was under surveillance at all times. I had to eat what he said, dress the way he liked, and could only talk to people he approved of.” She sighed, thinking back on those days. “Stupid me thought that if I told him I was pregnant by another guy, he’d let me go.” She hiccupped and looked each member of her posse deep in their eyes. “He did not let me go,” she clarified, in case they hadn’t yet figured that part out.
Katya looked shocked. “I had no idea...I mean, I suspected something was off. The way you look at Viking, only a blind man wouldn’t notice that you’re in love with him. Sadly, men are stupid. Especially when they’re mad.”
Seeing the girls and Tommie stare at her in sympathy, it felt as if someone splashed her with ice-cold water.
Elena held up her hand. “Please stop.” She should probably stop drinking. And she would. Right after this delicious creamy glass of Baileys. “You can’t tell him. None of you. Ever.”
Katya’s eyes softened. “Your secret is safe with us. We would never betray your trust like that. But have you considered just telling him, explaining why you—”
“No. And I won’t. I mean, yes, of course, I considered it.” She couldn’t hold in a bitter laugh. “I’ve pictured our reunion a million times. Me coming clean, him begging me for forgiveness. But that’s the Disney version. In real life, once Viking gets mad he loses all control. I can’t risk him spilling my secret to use it against the Morellis.” The Morelli clan was large. Their tentacles reached all the way from the West Coast to the East coast. They’d be the last ones standing after a nuclear attack, outliving the cockroaches. What if Lorenzo made good on his promise, even from the grave?
“Well, that sucks,” Tess said and downed another drink. “But, don’t worry buttercup. Our lips are sealed. Also, I don’t think I’m gonna remember anything by morning.”
Elena liked that thought. Amnesia by alcohol sounded pretty good right now. After finishing her drink, she hardly remembered what they’d been talking about.
When Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” blasted through the speakers, Katya’s eyes lit up.
“Yes! Let’s just dance,” she all but squealed.
The floor beneath Elena seemed to wobble. Odd. Slowly putting one foot before the other, she made her way onto the dance floor.
She chose to believe in Gaga. Everything was going to be okay. She just had to dance. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by a sea of bodies grinding into her. From the corner of her eye, she caught some guy making a pass at Katya. Then Baran gave him a right hook and the sleaze-ball went down. Good for him.
Sometime during the night someone yanked on her arm and tried to pull her with them. Her head was heavy and her eyes drooped. She couldn’t see who the shadowy figure was. All she knew was that he was killing her buzz.
“Go away,” she rumbled. A weird sensation assailed her while she tried to pull herself free. She raised a hand to her temple when the world around her started to spin. Finally, the arm let her go, and the shadowy person disappeared.
Closing her eyes, she surrendered herself to the rhythm of the night. For just one night she could forget about everything. When she reopened them, she was staring into the most beautiful pale blue eyes she’d ever seen.
In the sea of colorfully-dressed people on their nights out, Viking stood out in his sober clothes of black jeans and gray tee.
When someone bumped into her back, his eyes glowed. He yanked her toward his chest.
He looked so sexy. She wanted to eat him up.
“What the hell am I going to do with you?” he growled.
“I hope doing me is the operative word here.”
A cinder lighted up his eyes. “You’re drunk, aren’t you?”
She patted his chest. “I love your pecs. They’re so firm and strong. I want to lick them.”
“Drunk as a skunk.”
Sighing, she lay her head on his chest. The slow song in the background had her shuffling her feet. The lights hitting the floor hurt her eyes, so she shut them. Once her world was pitched into black and stopped spinning, she relaxed.
“I never danced again after you,” she confessed. “Never even kissed another guy after you. Kept my promise.” A giggle escaped her lips. She sounded silly, not like a bad-ass grown woman. She needed to remedy that.
So she roared.