Chapter 11
Dmitri
The Cristal Ballroom at the Wynn is packed with the most powerful people in Las Vegas.
Businessmen and women. City officials. Investors. Con artists. Even a few cops.
People in my realm who are willing to do anything to be successful in their own definition of the word. The law doesn’t touch us. Not when we own the people enforcing it.
I want Cara to see this world. My world.
“What are we waiting for? I want to go inside!” Annika complains as we stand outside in the hallway in front of the busy ballroom, people flooding in and out around us.
“Then go inside. I’ll meet you in there,” I tell her as I remain standing in my same spot, my eyes scanning the incoming crowd for any sign of my assistant.
Annika scoffs and plants her hands on her hips in irritation.
Her sparkly white dress glistens under the lights, and I can only assume that she’s trying out the color before getting her wedding dress.
It nearly matches her light blonde hair that’s pulled back in a severe updo.
She looks icy and cold, exactly how I’ve come to see her. “What are you waiting for, Dmitri?”
Before I can answer, Cara slips through the crowd toward us, wearing the crimson dress and shimmering heels that I bought for her the other day. She catches sight of me and smiles warmly before striding my way. “You look incredible tonight, sir.”
I glance down at the new tux that I bought for the event. I went for a simple but expensive black tux and tie with a silk red pocket square and lining inside. I wasn’t lying when I told her that we would match.
“Thank you. So do you,” I tell her as I gesture to her, forcing my eyes up. She looks even more amazing tonight after fixing her hair into waves that cascade around her bare shoulders.
Annika quietly huffs beside me before pursing her lips at Cara. “You might feel out of place here. Everyone is high class or runs successful businesses.”
When I gave Annika a heads up that Cara was attending the gala tonight, she threw a fit, as expected. She didn’t want anyone to think that Cara was my bride-to-be instead of her, and she didn’t understand why she got an invitation from me in the first place.
I didn’t bother to explain.
“That’s why I’m so grateful for Dmitri’s help,” Cara replies as she smiles at me, her hand briefly grazing my arm. “Not only did he invite me, but he also bought my lovely dress and beautiful shoes too.”
Goddammit.
I was hoping to keep that part just between us. It was my mistake for not clarifying as much with Cara beforehand.
“You what?” Annika questions me as she whips around to face me.
I fix her with a firm stare. “It’s not a big deal. I invited her to an event last minute that she didn’t have clothes for. It was a business expense.”
Annika scoffs at me like she doesn’t believe a word that I say. In Russian, she grumbles, “I had to use my father’s money for this dress. I’m going to be your wife. You should’ve bought it for me.”
“I’ll buy you what you need,” I reply in English since it’s rude to speak in a different language in front of Cara. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”
Annika snatches up my arm, giving Cara a warning glare. She really is trying to mark her territory tonight.
I glance over at Cara. I hope she doesn’t end up feeling too out of place tonight.
She nods to me, letting me know that she’s good. Thankfully, she doesn’t seem all that fazed by Annika’s bitter treatment of her. It would be wrong if I rushed to her defense instead of standing by my bride, even if Annika is being a jealous pain in my ass.
We walk into the large ballroom. Ornate chandeliers hang overhead as we venture deeper into the crowd of people.
A jazz band plays on the stage, and there are tables and chairs set up for people who don’t want to stand around and talk like all the rest. I don’t miss the bar set up to the right where people are crowding around to get a drink that isn’t the champagne that the servers are carrying around on trays.
“Wow, fancy,” Cara says from behind me.
Annika looks over her shoulder at Cara. “Why don’t you fetch us a drink, suka?”
“Respectfully, I’m off the clock,” Cara replies before looking at me. “Unless Dmitri says otherwise.”
Watching her deflect Annika’s harsh words like a shield is honestly pretty hot. Cara’s so sure of herself. So determined. She doesn’t pout or throw a fit like Annika.
She fights back.
“I was going to head to the bar, anyway. I see some people over there that I know,” I say before pulling Annika in that direction.
“Dmitri, you ruthless bastard!” Andrei Smirnov, the head of another Bratva family, greets me with a crooked grin. He reaches out and embraces me, patting my back a little too roughly, but that’s just how he is. He doesn’t half-ass anything.
“Ruthless bastard? You’re the one with the infamous nickname,” I reply with a smirk before we pull apart.
“Touché.” Andrei chuckles before gesturing to Annika. “I heard you were getting married. Congratulations. This must be your bride.”
Annika holds her hand out to Andrei. “I’m Annika Suyunov. Soon to be Ivanov.”
The thought of her carrying my last name makes me nauseous. She’ll indirectly be part of my family. She’ll be cemented into my life.
This alliance has to be worth it.
Andrei awkwardly kisses the top of Annika’s hand. “Andrei Smirnov. Nice to meet you.”
Annika stretches her arm out across my shoulders, forcing me to wrap my arm around her waist as she leans on me. “If you’re a friend of Dmitri, you should come to our wedding. It’s going to be amazing. Totally extravagant.”
“I’ll look out for the invitation,” Andrei replies as he pats me on the bicep. Invitations that haven’t been printed yet because I refuse to officially propose. “Need a drink?”
He can probably sense my lack of desire for all of this. He knows how it is with arranged marriages. They’re typically miserable because they’re created from business, not love.
“Three of them,” I tell him before motioning for Annika to move out of the way since she’s been actively blocking Cara from sight with her own body.
Annika rolls her eyes and shuffles to the side so that Andrei can finally catch sight of Cara.
“And who is this?” Andrei asks as he holds his hand out to Cara, his eyes sweeping over her. He should keep his eyes on her face instead of undressing her with them.
My jaw tenses a little as he steps closer to her. He doesn’t know who she is to me, so I can’t be mad that he doesn’t know she’s off limits yet.
“I’m Cara,” she introduces herself with a polite smile as she places her hand in his.
Andrei kisses the top of her hand and isn’t quick to let go of it. “This is probably the best dress I’ve seen all night, Cara. It’s stunning.” He pauses a moment, flicking his eyes to me before telling her, “Did you know that red used to be the traditional color for wedding gowns in Russia?”
“Thank you. And no, I didn’t know that,” Cara responds with a frown.
“It’s the color of beauty, and it signifies that a woman is ready to become a mother.”
Bewilderment explodes across Annika’s face.
I can feel her bristle in anger next to me as Andrei showers Cara with attention and reveals a cultural tidbit she obviously didn’t know since her father was born in the States.
Andrei is known for raising hell, which includes starting shit just to cause drama.
That’s how he earned his nickname. He’s absolutely ruthless when it comes to gambling in his casino.
Andrei always collects on debts owed to him, one way or another.
“Oh, well, you learn something new every day,” Cara says, her tone turning bashful. She glances over at me with a small smile, and I know that she’s thinking about how I bought the dress for her and is wondering if I was aware of the significance.
Of course I was.
My mother wore red when she married my father.
“I’m just full of useless information.” Andrei chuckles before flagging down the bartender. “Three vodka shots.”
“Actually, make one of them a whiskey,” I speak up before turning to Andrei. “Cara is more of a whiskey girl.”
“I can certainly respect that,” Andrei replies as he motions for Cara to come closer to him.
Before she can budge an inch, Annika throws her arm out to block Cara. “She’s not even an actual guest. She’s Dmitri’s assistant. He had to buy her dress because she couldn’t afford one.”
My jaw tightens as Annika scrambles to knock Cara out of the spotlight so that she can step into it herself.
“Well, that was generous of him,” Andrei says as he nods to me.
“He does love a charity case,” Annika replies, speaking loud enough for other people at the bar to hear. Some of them turn around to be nosy and watch. “I mean, this is an exclusive event. I don’t think we should be letting just anyone in.”
“I’m not just anyone,” Cara replies in a calm voice. “Dmitri trusts me.”
Probably more than I should.
Annika crosses her arms over her chest as she faces Cara. “And I’m marrying him. You should remember your place before thinking that you’re anything special.”
Cara’s expression wavers, and I almost think that she’s finally about to snap from Annika’s mistreatment of her. She then breathes in slowly through her nose and smiles. “I’m going to network. Andrei, it was a pleasure to meet you.”
I don’t say anything, watching her instead as she grabs her shot of whiskey off the bar and downs it without a flinch. She places the empty glass back down before turning and striding away, drawing a few eyes with her swaying hips.
She doesn’t need to be defended. She has everything under control all the time.
No matter what Annika does, she can’t put a chink in Cara’s armor.
“I’ll be back,” I say before knocking back my shot and staring Annika down. “Stay here.”
Annika’s jaw drops. “What? Why? Where are you going?”
“To handle business. Tell Andrei about your wedding plans,” I suggest, patting Andrei on the back and heading off. I’ll have to make it up to him later. He’ll make certain of that.
I slip through the crowd, greeting a few people and shaking some hands. I know a decent amount of the hundreds of people here, but I’m not really in the mood to talk about business tonight. That’s all I do every day at work.
Eventually, I spot Cara on the outskirts of the dance floor as she watches a few couples sway together to the slower song. When I approach her, my hand grazes the back of her arm to let her know that I’m there.
Cara looks over at me and smiles, but her green eyes aren’t their usual brilliant shade. “I’m fine.”
“She feels threatened by you.”
Cara laughs a little. “I know. She’s not shy about making it clear she doesn’t want me here.”
“I want you here,” I reply as our eyes lock. “And I want you to have a good time despite her.”
“I know you brought me here to meet associates, to see who seems trustworthy, but I’m enjoying watching them,” Cara admits as she nods to the dancers, an almost bittersweet look on her face as she watches them dip and twirl, holding each other like they never want to let go.
I take Cara’s hand and pull her onto the dance floor, making her eyes fly open wide in shock.
“What are you doing?” Cara questions me as I take us to the middle of the floor, her cheeks growing pink.
“Dancing,” I reply before pulling her close to me, my other hand resting on the small of her back. “I promise I’m decent at it. I won’t step on your feet.”
“You better not. These shoes cost you a fortune,” Cara says with a playful smile on her face as she places her free hand on my bicep.
I slowly sway with her, a warm sensation growing in my chest. It’s nice having her in my arms like this. She’s a perfect fit. “I’m glad you came. Andrei seemed glad too,” I mutter, knowing that he would’ve kept flirting with her at the bar if she hadn’t left.
Cara tilts her head to the side. “You don’t think the notorious Sin City Savage is good enough for me?”
“So, you’ve heard of him,” I remark with a chuckle and she nods. “Despite the rumors, and womanizing, he seems trustworthy.”
She likes him. I do too but I don’t care for her positive assessment.
I draw Cara closer to me until our chests graze, our faces only inches apart. “Even so, I think you would be better suited with someone else. Someone who wants to settle down.”
Cara lifts her eyes to mine. “Have anyone in mind?”
Heat coils low in my stomach as she peers at me through her lashes, looking damn right delectable.
“Dmitri?”
I snap out of my thoughts. “Hm?”
“People are watching us,” Cara whispers to me.
I glance around and see a handful of people scattered around the dance floor staring at us with raised eyebrows. I shouldn’t be dancing with another woman while my bride-to-be sits at the bar.
What the hell was I thinking?
“Right. I should get back to Annika,” I tell Cara as the song finishes, and I release her.
She nods her agreement. “I’m going to use the restroom.”
I watch her disappear into the crowd, hoping that she doesn’t end up sneaking away and leaving.
I shouldn’t have danced with her.
But I know I would do it again in a heartbeat.