Chapter 12 Vasily #2
She gives me a soft smile and kisses my inner wrist. “I know you will. If anyone can find him, it’s you.”
After the shower, I wrap a towel around my waist and watch Nina start to get ready. She laughs when she catches me eyeing her as she puts lotion on.
“This can’t be entertaining.”
“You’re wrong about that, sweetheart.”
She blushes and walks to the closet, flipping through the clothes on the rack. “What should I wear?”
I still her hand when she gets to a red dress that I already know will look amazing against her skin and dark hair. “I would love to see you in this one, zolotse.”
She smiles and slides it on, and my first thought is how badly I want to hike it up above her waist and bend her over and fuck her right here in the closet.
“You look beautiful, baby,” I tell her, behaving myself for the moment.
I drag a finger along her upper chest, admiring the way the dress clings to her curves and leaves her shoulders and arms bare.
Stepping around her, I sigh when I see how low it dips in the back.
Ghosting my fingers down her spine, I say, “Goddamn, zolotse. It’ll be a miracle if I can make it through supper.
I might just have to put you on the table and feast on you instead. ”
“I’m sure the other diners would love that.”
I smile and lean down to kiss her shoulder. “I’d kick them all out first. I would never allow anyone else to see you.”
She shivers when I run my tongue along her skin and give the crook of her neck a soft bite.
I pull back and start getting dressed because I know she’s hungry, and soon we’re walking downstairs with her hand in mine.
Her heels put her a few inches taller than usual, and as great as she looks in them, I kind of miss her shorter height.
“You look so beautiful, Mrs. Medvedev,” Katya says as soon as we walk in.
“Thank you,” Nina says, squeezing my hand a little harder as a flush creeps up her chest.
I run my thumb across her hand and wish Katya a good night before leading Nina out to the Porsche and helping her in.
I don’t want to risk taking her out of my side of the city, but lucky for us, there’s a ton to do in my area.
When we pull up in front of the restaurant, Nina looks at me and gives a low whistle.
“You do realize you already got me in bed, right?”
I laugh and stop in front of the valet. “I like to spoil my wife,” I say with a shrug. “It’s a lot more fun than I thought it would be.”
I get out and hurry to her side so I can grab her and pull her against me as soon as the valet opens the door.
He takes the tip I hand him while I wrap an arm around Nina and we head inside.
I can tell by the looks we get that people are starting to learn who I am.
The men dart their eyes away while the women linger a bit too long, staring with open curiosity at the woman in my arms.
“Reservation for Mr. and Mrs. Medvedev,” I tell the hostess while Nina looks up at me and grins. Truth is I didn’t call ahead, but I know they’ll fit us in.
Hearing my last name, the hostess’s eyes widen ever so slightly before she covers it with a rehearsed smile. “Of course, please follow me.”
“Everyone is staring,” Nina whispers, wrapping an arm around my waist and leaning in closer.
“Of course they are. You’re stunning, zolotse.”
She snorts out a laugh before she can stop it, making her face turn almost as red as her dress.
I’m still smiling about it when the hostess stops before the best table in the place.
The table is private and next to a floor-to-ceiling window that shows an amazing view of the ocean.
I thank the hostess, slipping her a nice tip, and pull out a chair for Nina before taking the seat right next to her.
“This place is amazing,” she says, glancing around.
“This is your first time here?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it, of course, and I know my parents have been here many times, but I never have.”
At the mention of her parents, her face falls a bit, but she reaches over to grab my hand, giving it a squeeze. “Thank you for bringing me here. I was the socially awkward recluse of the family, so I feel I should warn you that I may very well embarrass you by using the wrong fork.”
“You could never embarrass me, zolotse. Use any damn fork you want.”
The waitress comes with our menus and takes our drink orders.
The restaurant is busy tonight, and when I look around, people are still discreetly glancing at us, but I ignore all of them and reach out to stroke the bear tattoo on Nina’s inner forearm.
I love the sight of it on her skin. Every time I see it, I want to run my tongue over it and then fist her hair while I come all over her body, marking her in every way I can.
“How old were you when you got your first tattoo?”
“Twelve,” I say and then laugh at the look she gives me.
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
“What was it?”
“A bear, of course. You’ve seen it. It’s the one near your name that’s standing on its hind legs.”
“Your parents were okay with that?”
“My mom wasn’t thrilled, but there really wasn’t anything she could do about it.
My dad was head of a Bratva, and I was the oldest son.
That comes with certain responsibilities and expectations.
That tattoo symbolized my becoming a man.
It meant that I was pledging my allegiance to the Bratva and beginning to learn the ins and outs of it so I could run it one day. ”
“Wow. I think I was probably busy braiding friendship bracelets at twelve.”
“I’m glad you were. I love my family, and I wouldn’t change things, but it wasn’t an easy way to grow up.”
She reaches over to pull me closer, giving me a sweet kiss on the lips. “I’m sorry things were so hard and that you didn’t have a carefree childhood.”
I cup the back of her head and deepen the kiss, knowing we’re attracting attention, but unable to give a fuck. I can’t resist tasting her when she’s this close. When she lets out a soft moan, I smile and pull back. “Everything about you is so damn sweet.”
The waitress comes back before she can respond and takes our food order.
Being with Nina is so much better than I ever thought a relationship could be.
She’s fun to be around, easily making me forget about the stress of work, and she’s refreshingly kind.
There’s not a single part of her that’s rude or stuck-up.
She doesn’t look down on other people, doesn’t try to make them jealous, and she doesn’t try to use me.
Nina’s a goddamn breath of fresh air, and I find myself falling more and more in love with her, even though I already feel like I love her as much as any one person can love another.
When neither one of us can eat any more, I pay for the meal and leave a generous tip. Once we’re back in the car, I turn to her and ask, “Do you want to go check out a club while we’re out?”
She looks away from me and fidgets with the hem of her dress. “Um, sure, yeah, if you want to.”
Confused by the reaction, I hook a finger under her chin, turning her back to me. “Baby, we don’t have to go. There’s just a popular nightclub that’s up for sale, and I was thinking about buying it. I thought we could take a look and you could tell me what you think of it.”
“A nightclub?”
“Yeah, what kind of club did you think I was talking about?”
The look on her face has me feeling like an ass. “You thought I wanted to go to a strip club?”
“Well, you do own two,” she says in her defense.
“Zolotse, I would never take you to a damn strip club.”
“Because I’d fall short in comparison?”
“God no,” I quickly say. “Because I wouldn’t want you surrounded by a bunch of horny men.
I’d end up killing someone, or more likely several people.
” I cup her face and brush my thumb over her lips, smiling when she gives me a quick kiss.
“Baby, I have no desire to go to a damn strip club. I have no desire to see another woman naked. You’re all I want, and you’re all I need.
Please don’t worry about that. I have men in charge of those clubs. They take care of everything for me.”
“I don’t mean to sound like a jealous wife. I just still find it hard to believe that you’re interested in me. You should have a model on your arms, Vasya.”
I laugh at the absurdity of what she’s saying.
“I’m glad you have no idea how truly beautiful you are, zolotse, because I think it would be impossible to be aware of it and not be a vain ass.
You’re stunning, sweetheart, and you take my damn breath away every single time I look at you.
I wake up feeling like the luckiest bastard on the planet for getting to be married to you, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why you want to be with me, but I don’t question it. I’m too busy being grateful.”
“Vasya,” she whispers, pressing her lips to mine. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby.”
She rests her hand on my thigh as I drive us to the nightclub.
The place is packed, and there’s a line outside the main doors.
The crowd looks to be mainly college-age, but I see a lot of couples in their late twenties and thirties.
The place must make a killing on the cover charge alone, and when you add in all the overpriced drinks, I’m guessing the club is pretty much all profit.
I park as close as I can and then take Nina’s hand for the short walk to the club. When we’re close, she starts veering off like she’s going to join the end of the long line. I laugh and pull her closer.
“Zolotse, we’re not waiting in line.”
She eyes the large bouncer checking IDs. “We’re not?”
I lean closer and give her a wink. “Your husband owns this part of the city.”
She smiles and says, “I forgot about that.”
“I can assure you they haven’t.”
Sure enough, when we get to the bouncer, he turns to us, eyeing me for a split second before stepping aside. “It’s a pleasure to have you here, Mr. Medvedev.”