Page 13 of My Russian Roommate

“You don’t have to be an asshole about it,” he slurs, and I grab him in a chokehold and press him against the wall.

“Listen to me. I’m a cop and a very possessive boyfriend. That means I can either arrest you or kick your ass. I haven’t decided which of those things will give me the most satisfaction so I’m leaning toward just doing both.”

His eyes grow wide and he drops his drink on the floor.

“Look at that. Now, you’ve made a mess. Now, I have you on public intoxication and destruction of property. I’m gonna let go of you and you’re going to pay your tab and get out of here. If you have a car, leave it here. A walk in the night air will do you good.”

“Okay,” he chokes as I squeeze his neck a little harder before releasing him.

He stumbles on his feet then corrects himself and walks straight to the bar to pay his bill. I look at Leah who’s standing motionless behind me. She hasn’t said a word but the look on her face says it all. She’s shocked by this third display of aggression I’ve made on her behalf.

“I’m sorry, malyshka. You shouldn’t have had to see me like that,” I tell her.

She rushes into my arms and kisses me.

“No, I’m glad I saw it. You keep coming to my rescue. You’re like my personal knight in shining armor.”

I look out at our table and see that the meal that I ordered for us has arrived so I take her by the hand and say, “Let’s not let this take away from our lovely evening together. Come on.”

For the rest of the evening, Leah looks at me with a sort of intensity that wasn’t there before. It’s like she’s been silently evaluating me all this time and has finally drawn her conclusion. There’s a nuance of flirtation in her eye contact and body language that feels like a tease and really turns me on. Knowing that I’m the only man to bring this out of her makes it even better.

We finish dinner and I hold her hand as we stroll down the sidewalk, feeling the gentle night breeze. The moon hangs full over the city lights and Leah stops to take in the view. I put my arms around her waist and kiss her neck, lingering a bit to breathe in her scent. “I can’t wait to get you home,” I whisper.

7

LAVISH GIFTS AND ROMANTIC DATES

LEAH

If someone would have told me that one day I would wake up and find that a man left his credit card and instructions for me to go spend his money on myself, I would have thought that they were insane.

Add to that the fact that this man reprimanded me for not wanting to spend his money and I don’t know what to think anymore. I can hear my mother’s voice saying, “Men don’t do things for women unless they’re expecting something in return.” But so what?

It’s not as though I don’t want to give myself to him. I’m just worried I might not be good enough for him when I do. My very limited experiences with men have all been bad ones. I don’t know the first thing about being sexual or seductive, and I’ve done an excellent job of walling myself off from men in an effort to seem less desirable.

With Lev, it’s different. When he touched me, even when he spanked me, all I wanted was to please him. Maybe it all goes back to not having a dominant male figure in my life, but I feel like I could trust Lev with my life, and having that kind of faith in someone is almost intoxicating.

I do as I’m told and get my hair and nails done. I skip the massage because I’m not interested in having anyone but Lev touch me. When I get to the dress shop, I’m instantly drawn to a royal blue dress. It’s sleek, sexy, and exactly the same color as the teddy that he picked off the rack for me. I can only hope it will spark the same kind of response from him when he sees me in it.

As I get ready for our date, I consider all of the ways that this night might end. He’s been gentle with me so far, giving me attention and not demanding anything in return, but I want to move things forward. I want to give him what no other man has gotten from me—my virginity.

I hope tonight will be the night we make that happen, but my self-doubt and a lifetime run of bad luck have me questioning everything. What If he sent me out on this spa day spending spree as a goodbye gift? No, that’s ridiculous. He wouldn’t buy me a dress and take me on a romantic evening. He’d buy me a coffee and send me on my way. I stop fretting over the unknown when I hear him at the front door. There’s no use in creating scenarios in my head. I need to just let things progress organically and see where we end up.

He takes me to a beautiful historic restaurant, and I feel like a real malyshka until I look at the menu and don’t have the first idea of what to order. Now, I’m an insecure, inexperienced kid all over again and need Lev to take the lead and order for both of us. He excuses himself to use the restroom and I follow suit.

Taking a moment to compose myself doesn’t sound like a bad idea but a man blocks my escape to the restroom and starts hitting on me. The odor of alcohol coming from his lips assaults my senses and all I want to do is to get away. There’s no way for me to maneuver around him so, instead, I try to be polite and bide my time, hoping he’ll go away before Lev comes out of the men’s room and sees what’s happening.

“Can I buy you something from the bar?” he asks me.

“No, thank you but I’m here on a date,” I reply.

“Oh, yeah? Where is he? Let me see my competition,” he replies and I have to keep myself from telling him that he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“He’s in the restroom. He’ll be coming out any second, so…”

“Good, then I’ll have a real good view of him.”

“I’m sorry. I was on my way to the ladies' room so if you’ll let me get by….”

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