Page 21 of Demetri
"You have no shame, do youKrasivaya?" Demetri chuckles.
"Hell no. I'm just saying what most women and even men think but don't have the balls to admit. Don't sit there and act like if my ex was sitting in the same room, you wouldn't be thinking or doing the same as me."
"Excuse me, Sir," Victor interrupts. "You have a call."
"I told you no interruptions, Victor."
"It's urgent, boss," Victor insists.
Placing my napkin on the table, I stand. "It's okay, Demetri. I need to use the ladies' room anyway. Take your call."
Demetri stands and signals for Sasha, who swiftly makes his way toward us. "Glory needs to use the ladies' room."
Plucking my clutch from the table, I make my way to the restroom with Sasha trailing behind. As we pass the bar and step into the adjacent dining room, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I get the uneasy feeling of having someone's eyes on me. Cutting my eyes around the room, my gaze connects with the cold black orbs of Artem as he tracks my every move. Noticing the gained attention, Sasha moves directly to my left, blocking Artem's view of me. I give him a small nod with a look of gratitude because Artem gives me the chills. I briefly wonder where Ivanna is. The only woman I notice at his table is definitely too old to be her, so I'm assuming the lady must be Artem's wife. Pushing those thoughts away, I continue to the bathroom.
"I'll wait here for you, Miss Keller," Sasha informs.
Walking into the bathroom, I go about taking care of business. When I step out of the stall, I'm met by a blonde woman in a black dress, standing in front of the mirror, applying lip gloss. After washing my hands, I take the tube of red lipstick from my clutch and begin applying it to my lips. The whole time tension hangs in the air between the blonde woman and me.
A second later, she is the first to speak. "Are you enjoying your dinner with my husband?" she asks, not taking her accusing eyes off my reflection in the mirror. It suddenly occurs to me; this is Ivanna. My movement doesn't falter as I lift a brow and continue with my task as I take in the very woman I have been curious about for too long. Ivanna is my complete opposite in every way. She has her blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun at the nape of her neck, while my long auburn hair hangs in curls down my back. The woman in front of me has the body of an adolescent, and I have an abundance of curves. Curves that are on full display with the dress I am wearing. With one last swipe to my bottom lip, I place the top back on the lipstick tube and put it back in my clutch. Smiling at Ivanna in the mirror, I don't bother correcting her use of the term husband.
"I'm having a wonderful time with Demetri. Thank you for asking."
"I wouldn't get too comfortable being on Demetri's arm if I were you. He'll come to his senses soon enough, and I'll be back at his side, just as things should be."
"Keep telling yourself that lady." I shake my head.
Ivanna cackles at my last statement; the noise is like nails on a chalkboard.Jesus Christ. Demetri was a saint to have been married to this woman.
"Stupid American woman. You have no clue the way mine and Demetri's world works. Do you think you're the first whore my husband has kept? You think this is his first indiscretion while we have been married?"
Lifting my hand, I cut Ivanna off. "You can save your breath for someone who wants to listen to your bullshit. First of all, you and Demetri are no longer married, so what we are doing is not cheating. Besides, I don't blame any man who has the misfortune of being married to you and keeps a woman on the side. Jesus Christ, your voice alone, will drive anyone to drink. Second, your little name-calling and intimidation tactics won't work on me, honey." Ivanna's eyes flash at my bold statement. If the woman was looking for a weakling, she's barking up the wrong tree.
Before either of us can say another word, the bathroom door bursts open, and Sasha takes in the scene with a concerned look on his face. His eyes land on me first. He looks me over making sure I'm okay before he turns his attention to Ivanna. His features change from one of concern to one of cold indifference. "Miss Keller, are you ready?"
"Yup. I'm finished here." Without giving Ivanna a second thought, I turn and walk out of the bathroom. Instead of being led back to the table, Sasha ushers me outside where Demetri and Victor are waiting for us next to the car.
"I'm sorry, but dinner has to be cut short," Demetri informs me, and I give him a sweet smile, but when he glances over my shoulder to Sasha, his jaw clenches. I know the look on Sasha's face is a telling one. "What happened?"
"I found Ivanna in the bathroom with Miss Keller," Sasha says, and Demetri's eye snaps from Sasha to me then back to Sasha. I'm about to jump in and explain to Demetri I'm fine and Ivanna accosting me was not Sasha's fault when Demetri opens the back door to the car.
"Get in."
I narrow my eyes, but ultimately decide I'm not in the mood to argue and I slide into the backseat. Once the door shuts, I watch as Demetri and Sasha exchange words. When they've finished, Demetri climbs in beside me the same moment Victor and Sasha climb into the front. Victor pulls the car out into traffic while Demetri retrieves his phone from the inside of his suit jacket. Tapping the screen, he brings the phone to his ear. I listen to him as he speaks in a clipped tone to someone in Russian then hangs up. I let out a heavy sigh. "It's not Sasha's fault your ex stopped me. She was already in the bathroom when I got there. He didn't know."
"It is not your job to defend Sasha, Glory," Demetri says in a bitter tone. "It is, however, his job to protect you. Had he done his job right; he would have checked the bathroom before you went in." Demetri levels me with a hard look. "Sasha fucked up, and he knows it."
Knowing this is one argument I'm not going to win; I drop the subject.
11
Demetri
After several moments lost in thought, my attention lands on Glory who out of character sits in silence, carefully observing my demeanor. Keeping my eyes trained on hers, she sighs, then finally speaks. "Talk to me, Demetri. I can hardly believe this tense atmosphere is all due to your ex and our little run-in." The mention of Ivanna causes my jaw to clench. The incident should never have happened in the first place, but Glory's observation is correct; my ex at the moment is far from being the reason we had to leave dinner so abruptly.
Glory reaches out; her fingertips caress; lightly massaging the nape of my neck. Her touch temporarily relaxes the tension in my body, and my shoulders sag.
"Though my ex and her disrespect have left a bad taste in my mouth, it is not the reason for cutting our evening short," I begin. "A package was delivered moments before your unpleasant encounter with Ivanna." A vision of the items contained in the black box distract my train of thought for a moment. Inside laid a single red rose; next to it, a picture of Glory, and a small note that readwe know your weakness. My face heats with anger. Victor was right to question Glory's presence in Russia. Someone has made it clear they are out for blood. My blood, and The Volkov Empire. The only way to ensure my woman's safety is to send her home.
