Chapter 7 - Rurik
Everything was falling into place without having to do much at all, and I was riding high. The few things that I had to deal with for the company while Clem was out shopping barely held my attention, wondering what she would buy.
Should I have sent my cousin Mila with her?
A notorious shopper, she always had her finger on the pulse of the latest styles, even after recently becoming a mother.
She would have kept my frugal assistant from gravitating to outfits solely because they were cheaper.
I hoped Clem would take my warning seriously and only buy the best.
Not just because she deserved it, but because we had to put forward the best image as a successful couple to impress Koboyashi Corp.
The import company I started with Gavril wasn’t merely a hobby or tax shelter like it was to him, and I didn’t blame him for wanting to remain the silent partner.
He had his own organization to run, and after he had to rid the LA Collective of its traitors and then convince the international branches of the major crime conglomerate that the Fokins were no longer an enemy, he had enough on his plate.
But I was ready for a new challenge, and if we got exclusive rights to this game system, I’d have all the more reason to stay in the US instead of going back to Moscow. Now that Clem was in the picture, there was no going back.
She returned at last, laden down with outfits for me to approve.
“Of course I won’t need them all,” she said. “I’ll return the ones you don’t like tomorrow.”
She wouldn’t be returning any of them. They were perfect, and when she held a white dress up, it made her golden skin glow and her sleek black hair shine like highly polished ebony. Just imagining her in it made it hard to keep from drooling.
“Put that one on,” I said. “We’re going to dinner.”
“I shouldn’t risk spilling something on it before—”
“Put it on,” I repeated. “We need to discuss strategy, and I’m in the mood for lobster at Providence.”
Seeing there was no arguing with me, she hurried out, returning to take my breath away.
The sleek white dress clung to every curve. Not so low cut, it would be inappropriate for a business dinner, but much more revealing than anything she wore to the office. The image of her in the towel sprang to mind as she self-consciously smoothed her hands down her sides.
So many thoughts that had no place in an office filled my head. My fingers ached to reach for her. Patience was a virtue, but it was starting to become my enemy, too.
My eyes followed the motion of her hands, down her creamy thighs to the new high-heeled sandals she wore. A perfect match. She needed an entire closet full of clothes like these, not just the handful of outfits she bought today. She deserved the whole world.
While I didn’t have a reservation at the upscale seafood restaurant, the maitre d’ recognized me from my last meeting there with a few of my cousins and found a seat for us. All eyes were on Clem as she strode beside me, her dark hair swept back over her slender shoulders.
The woman was a goddess, and I had to give a few men a threatening look to get them to drop their gazes that lasted too long. I ordered champagne right away. Clem thought it was because of the upcoming deal, but I was already celebrating something else that was much more important.
“I hope you’re not jumping the gun,” She said. “Isn’t this kind of crazy, what we’re doing?”
“You said yourself that Gavrik Imports is the best company.”
“It is. Definitely. But I have this thing when I tell a lie. I get twitchy and start clicking my nails together.”
In fact, she was doing it at that moment, and we both laughed. I took her hands and held them as a blush rose up her chest. “So what are you lying about now?” I teased.
The soft blush turned deep red. “Nothing. Just thinking ahead, I guess.”
“I’ll hold your hand if I see you starting to do it around the Koboyashis,” I said. “Now tell me all about yourself so I don’t trip up on backstory.”
She shrugged. “Not much to tell. No siblings. My mom was never in the picture, and my dad died when I was thirteen. I lived with my Aunt Gigi until I left for college.”
“I’ve never seen you back down from a duty. And you’re so dedicated to marketing, why didn’t you graduate?” I asked.
Was that a spark of fear in her eyes? She swallowed hard, and her shrug was anything but offhand. “Money, partly,” she said, her pointer finger and thumb clicking away. “My aunt got sick—she’s fine now, though.”
I eyed the clicking fingernails, and she laughed nervously. “What about you? I know Mr. Bocharov is married to your cousin.”
Pushing aside the fact that there was more to her reason for leaving school than she was letting on, I told her to call him Gavril from now on, since we’d be in-laws.
“I have so many cousins here that it would take a spreadsheet to keep them straight. And that’s not even bringing the ones back in Moscow into it.
Just remember my two older brothers, Mat and Dan.
You’ve met my cousin Lilia that time she came to the office with Gavril, and her sister is Masha.
Those are the ones I grew up with in Moscow. ”
“Have I ever visited?” she asked. “I mean, for the story? I could research any areas you think I need—”
“Let’s stick as closely to the truth as possible. Now, let me guess your favorite color. Turquoise.”
“That’s right,” she said, beaming. “Yours is red.”
“How can you possibly know that?” I demanded, and she reached across to tug on my tie.
“Every single one you wear has red in it.”
“We know we both like to read,” I said.
“With science fiction being our favorite—hey, should that be how we first fell in love? Talking about books?”
“That sounds about right,” I told her, watching her every move and facial expression with delight.
As conscientious as she was, she kept wanting to take notes, and I placed my hand over hers as our dessert arrived. “Stop stressing. I think we’re a natural couple.”
“Let’s hope the Koboyashis agree,” she said, blushing some more.
We had spent the entire dinner lost in conversation, finding things out about each other and discovering more things we had in common. Growing up on the East Coast, she loved boats, but hadn’t been sailing since her father died. I’d have to remedy that one day.
I found I had a new appreciation of dogs since everyone I was close to seemed to be adopting them, and she said her favorite part-time job as a teen had been dog walking.
While I wouldn’t have minded lingering over wine, she reminded me there was a morning meeting with accounting scheduled the next day.
Right. To her, this was only business. For now.
For me, it was only the beginning.
“One last stop,” I said on our way back toward the office.
That stop was a jewelry store I had already told to stay open until we arrived. Not too difficult since it was owned by one of my cousins and I’d helped defend it during a recent attack. They were much too discreet to say a word of any of that as the manager greeted us like visiting royalty.
I led Clem over to the diamond engagement rings and told her to pick one. She laughed, a tiny bit tipsy from the fine wine.
“Is this a joke?”
“Am I in the habit of making jokes?” I asked.
Her giggles stopped abruptly. “You can’t,” she said, dropping her voice to a whisper. “A fake one will be fine.”
The master jeweler and I both made separate noises of dissent. “According to your research, Mrs. Koboyashi has a long family history of wealth. She’ll be able to spot a cheap ring a mile away. It has to be the real thing.”
She pointed to the smallest one, and I glared at her until she finally admitted it wasn’t her favorite. “You need to actually love it,” I said.
I watched her eyes settle on a pear-shaped stone of medium size, surrounded by brilliant diamonds. There was no denying it was her favorite, but she balked at the price, still trying to insist a lesser ring was good enough.
After some back and forth, I took her hand and placed the chosen ring on her finger. She admired it and then started to take it off. “It is so beautiful, but…”
I stopped her, also sliding on the matching wedding band. “Wear it from now on, so you’re comfortable and don’t fidget.” And because I liked seeing it there. My ring on her finger.
The jeweler had slipped discreetly into the back room, and as I held her hand, twisting the ring so the diamond sparkled in the light, she looked up at me, eyes bright.
“I’ll take care of it,” she promised. “So you can give it back—”
I leaned close. “Stop,” I said. “Think married.”
She had to tip back her chin to keep my steady gaze. I was lost in her gray eyes. This already felt so real. Her tongue darted out to moisten parted lips, and a soft exhale fluttered up to me. Very slowly, she raised up on her toes.
Did she want me to kiss her? I had been thinking about the moment our mouths would touch for too long, wanting it too badly.
My phone rang, and she jumped back. It was Aleks, a call I couldn’t ignore.
Stepping away so she wouldn’t overhear, I kept my eyes on her as she held her hand out, studying the ring.
It was an emergency I had to help out with.
Even with the added strength of having the Collective as an ally, we were still always going to be under attack by someone.
“I have to deal with this,” I said. “I’ll call you a cab.”
Her guard would be waiting for her at her apartment, so she’d be safe.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.
There wasn’t. She knew nothing about that part of my life, which I hoped wouldn’t be a problem when she found out, though I suspected it would be, and a big one.
It wasn’t going to stop me. Clem was already mine and would stay that way.