Chapter 6
ZORA
Alisa has been here since five and we've gone through half a bottle of wine and my entire closet trying to find something for me to wear that doesn't make me look desperate.
She's on my bed with her legs tucked under her, holding up a green dress I haven't worn in over a year while I stand at the mirror in my robe finishing my makeup.
It feels like any other night, any normal date, but the flutter of nerves in my belly reminds me otherwise.
"The green is gorgeous on you, but it's screaming for attention," she says, tossing it onto the growing pile beside her. "You don't want to look like you tried. You want to look like you rolled out of bed and this is what happened."
"That's never what happened for anyone in the history of getting dressed." I snicker and watch her roll her eyes in the reflection on my mirror.
"That's the whole point." She reaches behind her and holds up the last option, a dark red fitted dress with thin straps and a low back. "I still think this is the one, Zora. That man won't remember his own name if you wear this."
I finish my eyes and set the liner down, then take the dress from her and step into it, pulling it up over my hips.
She climbs off the bed and zips the back up for me, then fluffs my hair so it lies over my shoulders.
It's a beautiful dress, which I haven't worn in years because my brothers never let me out of their sight to do anything fun.
"I still can't get over him calling to apologize," she says, stepping back to look me over. "You realize most men would've just made you feel like you weren't worth their time and left you wondering what you did wrong."
"I wouldn't wonder that," I tell her, then I think about how she's right. Kazimir is different from other guys. He had no reason to apologize to me. It was his work. He had to go. But it was a sweet gesture that makes me smile.
"No, you wouldn't. But still." She tips her wine glass at me.
"He called you to begin with, then apologized when it got cut short.
And now he's wanting a second chance. Green flag energy all the way, honey.
" She snickers and watches me sort through my pile of shoes to pick which ones will go best with the dress.
I slip on a pair of black heels and check myself sideways in the mirror.
The low back shows the line of my spine and the muscle across my shoulders, and the neckline sits exactly where it needs to—enough to hold his attention without showing too much skin.
I smooth the fabric over my hips and turn to face Alisa.
"Well?"
"He's absolutely done for." She grins at me from the bed and takes a long sip of her wine. "Just relax tonight, okay? Don't overthink it. He already likes you. Let him show you how much."
"I know how to handle a date." I roll my eyes at her and grin, shaking my head. It's like she thinks this is my first date ever, which it clearly isn't. Just my first date in a while. Focusing on the family business forced me to take a sabbatical from my social life.
"Ah, but this guy is different, Zora. You really like him." She points her glass at my face. "I can see it all over your face."
I open my mouth to argue, but the knock at the front door cuts me off. Alisa's grin fades because she's been around long enough to recognize the hard rap of my brother's knuckles on my door. Besides, I told her he may stop by, which I prayed wouldn’t happen, but my gut told me he would.
"Stay here," I tell her. "Don't leave."
I walk to the door and open it. Makar's standing in the hallway with his hands in his pockets and his gray eyes sweep down over me, assessing my appearance.
They hate it when I look like an actual woman, but if I'm gonna do this job right, I have to be appealing.
He steps inside without being invited and looks me up and down.
"Good," he says. "That'll work."
"Nice to see you too, Makar." I shut the door and grit my teeth.
I know if this dress were any less revealing, he'd have me in the bedroom changing.
They really want me to sell this, and I'm really not in the mood to hear how they think my "date" with Kazimir should go.
I wish they would just leave me alone and let me do the job.
"And keep it down, Alisa is here." I turn, raising my eyebrows, to him scowling at me.
He keeps his voice quiet as he says, "Tonight can't go wrong, Zora. Bogdan's breathing down my neck and Yefim wants to hear progress by morning. You get close to him tonight. You make him comfortable, you make him want more, and you do not let him lose interest."
"You think I don't know how to make a man like me?" I hiss, frustrated with him.
"If you don't get this done, they'll pull you and put someone else in.
" I sigh and rub my face at how he's looking at me.
Of course they'll want someone else to do this then.
I'd be blown. I can't very well date Kazimir and then find a different cousin or brother to date too. That'd be too weird and too obvious.
"Look, I got it. Now leave before Alisa starts to wonder why you show up to boss me around about 'best dating practices’. Okay?" I'm already reaching for the doorknob, wanting him to get the hell out of my apartment and leave me alone.
"You don't have to be so mouthy," he grumbles, walking toward the door.
"And you don't have to be so bossy, either," I mumble, shutting the door behind him. I hear his footsteps trail away from the door and lean on it for a second to let the swirl of guilt fade.
Alisa would hate me if she knew what I was doing. If she starts asking, I won't be able to directly lie to her, either. She'll be able to tell. If my brothers want me to be successful, they'll leave me alone and stay out of it.
When I turn to go back to my bedroom to finish getting ready, Alisa is standing there with her arms crossed, leaning on the doorjamb.
"What the hell was that?"
"My brother being my brother." I walk past her and grab my clutch off the dresser. "He does this every time I go out. He thinks it's his job to screen my entire life." It isn't that hard to pour my annoyance into this act. It really does drive me up the wall that they want to micromanage my life.
"That didn't look like brotherly protection…
" Her doubt skates across my skin, making goosebumps rise.
She knows them well enough to know when something's up, too, but I can't get into it with her right now.
It'll just cause me to break down and cry and ruin my makeup.
Then Kazimir would wonder what's wrong, and my brothers will think I'm incapable.
"Alisa." I glower at her, and she holds up both hands in surrender.
"Fine. None of my business." She sets her glass down and grabs her jacket. "Come on, I'll walk you out."
We take the stairs together and she hooks her arm through mine on the way down.
We're just two friends heading out for separate nights on the town, though I wish it were a double date and I had her moral support.
As guilty as I feel being around her knowing I'm basically scamming a man, having my best friend by my side would help me feel better.
"Have fun tonight," she says as we push through the front door. "And if he's as great as you've been telling me, don't hold back." She winks at me, and I know what she means. Not sure I intend to have sex with him, but if it leans that way, I can't really refuse. This has to be perfect.
"I won't," tell her, pressing a kiss to each cheek.
"You deserve this, Zora." She kisses me back, and when the Uber pulls up, I hug her and slide into the back seat. She waves from the curb as the car pulls away.
I nervously check my face with my phone's camera, then put the phone in my clutch and look out the window.
Tonight, I can't afford to be the meek, easily guilted friend of a righteous and perfect human.
I have to be the woman who has three older brothers demanding a show-stopping performance.
I have to make Kazimir absolutely reel. He has to be so smitten with me, he can't think of anything else.
And then I have to make him fully trust me as a human being and potentially as a partner.
The entire plan hinges on my getting into his personal space and the inner workings of his business life.
Without him feeling comfortable enough to open up and share those things, the plan fails.
Everything I'm doing would be useless. I spend the entire drive thinking of how to make that happen as quickly as possible without his feeling rushed into anything.
The restaurant is busy when I walk in. Kazimir's already at the table and he's on his feet before I'm halfway across the room.
His eyes track me from the door all the way across the room to where he stands, and the look on his face makes my stomach flip.
His lips part, then pull into a slow grin, and he seems stunned as he pulls out my chair for me.
"You look incredible," he says.
My cheeks are blazing as I take the seat and grin. It's nice to be admired, but I remind myself not to let it get to me. "You look nice tonight too, Kazimir."
"Please, call me Kaz." He takes his seat across from me and his hands can't find a home.
He adjusts the napkin, lines up his silverware, wraps his fingers around his water glass and lets go.
He's nervous and he's trying not to show it, which makes him more attractive than he probably realizes.
A man that big, that confident in every other room he walks into, fidgeting across the table from me—he's flustered.
I like that, and I let my heart linger on it for a second before I force myself to think about how I can use that.
"I'm glad you came out tonight," he says once the waiter leaves with our drink order. "I wasn't sure you'd want to after I ran out on you."