Page 68 of Wrapped in Perfection

A man in a black T-shirt and jeans stands in the office with his face toward the brick. His clothes fit his body like Dmitri's. The fabric stretches over each muscle. He pushes his hand through his dark hair, and his back muscles pop out. He's speaking Russian aggressively into the phone.

Dmitri knocks three times on the open door, and he spins.

His face is red, and he shakes it at Dmitri. He quickly glances at me and raises his eyebrows.

Nervous butterflies fill my stomach. I assume he's one of his brothers. I see parts of Dmitri in the shape of his eyes and lips.

He says something else, which I would think is a threat by the tone, then hangs up.

Dmitri's body stiffens, and he gruffly says something to his brother in Russian.

His brother responds.

I need to learn Russian.

They go back and forth then Dmitri turns to me. "I apologize, Anna. Forgive us for being rude. This is my brother, Sergey."

Sergey steps forward. His accent isn't as thick as Dmitri's when he speaks English. "Anna, our new designer?"

"Yes."

He smirks at Dmitri then leans down, kisses my cheek, and says, "I've heard a lot of good things about your work."

"Really?" I ask in surprise.

"Yes."

"Wait until you see what Anna has put together. It's fresh and cutting edge," Dmitri boasts.

Sergey smiles. "Can't wait."

Dmitri releases his arm from around me and goes to a fridge. "Anna, you want a bottle of water?"

"Sure."

He takes out two. He opens one and puts the cap back on then hands it to me. "Boris getting ready?"

"Yeah. Maksim is taping his ankle."

Dmitri looks out the window. "Killian looks ready."

"Is that who he's fighting?" I ask.

Dmitri nods then places his hand on my ass and pulls me to the window. "See the guy in green shorts on the corner bag?"

"Yeah."

"He and Boris have gone head-to-head since they were kids."

"Who wins?"

"Both of them. It depends on the year."

"Do they hate each other?"

Dmitri snorts. "Nope. They're pretty good friends."

"Really?"

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