much as a glance, I would give her the world. Designer clothes, fine jewelry, fancy cars—”
“Stop it. You already do that for me.” I smiled through my tears. “Seriously, is the matter settled now?”
“Of course.” He walked me back to the kitchen.
Boris didn’t look up from his book as we breezed past him at the bar.
“Tonight wouldn’t happen to be your first date, would it, angel?” Vladimir asked.
His question caught me by surprise. “Well, you know I go out all the time with my friends—guys and girls—but I guess officially tonight would technically be my first real date.”
He bit his bottom lip, then snapped at Boris in Russian. And kept snapping. Damn.
The boss is obviously ticked about something, but is he mad at Boris or me?
“Is something wrong?” I had wrestled with the idea of inviting Vladimir to the ballet, but I couldn’t handle him rejecting me again. If he said yes, Kiki would wonder why I was hanging out with Dad’s boss, my employment situation was a secret, Dad would kill me…
Boris replied, “ Nyet, ” and shot me the evil eye.
Vladimir shook off the crazy, slid on my coat, and kissed my cheeks. He lifted my hands and checked out my upgraded fingernails. I’d gotten a manicure at the club, courtesy of him, after I’d chewed my nails off. They were painted pale pink with light purple French tips, and my two ring fingers each had a glittery topcoat to add a touch of bling.
“So, what about my special request?”
“I will leave it up to my sovietnik . Whatever the two of you work out is fine by me. Do svidaniya .”
My keeper cracked a smile and spun the Cadillac key ring around his finger.
Double damn.
I had fourteen minutes to make my case. Once we got on the road, I gave Boris the quick and dirty version of the plea I’d made to Vladimir. I’m in college, perfectly capable of going to the ballet without a babysitter, I appreciate Vladimir’s concern…
“Your papa approves of this young man? Knows the family?”
“That’s not how things work here.”
He gave me a sideways glance. “Your papa knows you have date tonight, right?”
I fumbled with the zipper on my coat. “He knows I’m going to the ballet with Kiki.”
“I don’t recall you mentioning this nice boy’s name.” I could tell by Boris’s tight lips and white knuckles that the big studly picture was coming into focus.
“Uh, the basketball player. Leonar—”
He ranted in Russian, swerved onto a side street, and slammed the car in park. “This will not happen under my watch.” He rubbed his beard. “You have two choices. One: You will go back to the house and explain to boss why a nice young lady is interested in dating a twenty-four-year-old man with a criminal record .”
“I didn’t know, I swear.” It’s not like I asked for his birth certificate and resume. I had no idea how Boris knew so much about Leonardo, but I believed him. The big guy had his faults, but lying wasn’t one of them.
“Option two: Call the Spaniard right now and tell him you will not be going out with him tonight or ever .” His deep, angry voice had enough torque to uproot a tree.
My survival instincts took over. I tapped Leonardo’s number. I spoke to him in Spanish and made up a bullshit excuse why I had to cancel. I ended the call. Boris seemed even more pissed than before. “What did I do now? I called it off.”
By his expression, I should have already known what I did wrong.
“Oh, come on,” I said. “We always converse en español. ”
He pointed his thick finger in my face. “Dear, one day you are going to push me too far.”
I looked away.
He cupped my chin and turned my head until I met his eyes. “Trust me. You don’t want to find out what happens when I lose my temper.”
Chapter 18
Crashed And Burned
After my awesome date with an empty chair, I couldn’t wait for a Saturday night do-over. My
“Stop it. You already do that for me.” I smiled through my tears. “Seriously, is the matter settled now?”
“Of course.” He walked me back to the kitchen.
Boris didn’t look up from his book as we breezed past him at the bar.
“Tonight wouldn’t happen to be your first date, would it, angel?” Vladimir asked.
His question caught me by surprise. “Well, you know I go out all the time with my friends—guys and girls—but I guess officially tonight would technically be my first real date.”
He bit his bottom lip, then snapped at Boris in Russian. And kept snapping. Damn.
The boss is obviously ticked about something, but is he mad at Boris or me?
“Is something wrong?” I had wrestled with the idea of inviting Vladimir to the ballet, but I couldn’t handle him rejecting me again. If he said yes, Kiki would wonder why I was hanging out with Dad’s boss, my employment situation was a secret, Dad would kill me…
Boris replied, “ Nyet, ” and shot me the evil eye.
Vladimir shook off the crazy, slid on my coat, and kissed my cheeks. He lifted my hands and checked out my upgraded fingernails. I’d gotten a manicure at the club, courtesy of him, after I’d chewed my nails off. They were painted pale pink with light purple French tips, and my two ring fingers each had a glittery topcoat to add a touch of bling.
“So, what about my special request?”
“I will leave it up to my sovietnik . Whatever the two of you work out is fine by me. Do svidaniya .”
My keeper cracked a smile and spun the Cadillac key ring around his finger.
Double damn.
I had fourteen minutes to make my case. Once we got on the road, I gave Boris the quick and dirty version of the plea I’d made to Vladimir. I’m in college, perfectly capable of going to the ballet without a babysitter, I appreciate Vladimir’s concern…
“Your papa approves of this young man? Knows the family?”
“That’s not how things work here.”
He gave me a sideways glance. “Your papa knows you have date tonight, right?”
I fumbled with the zipper on my coat. “He knows I’m going to the ballet with Kiki.”
“I don’t recall you mentioning this nice boy’s name.” I could tell by Boris’s tight lips and white knuckles that the big studly picture was coming into focus.
“Uh, the basketball player. Leonar—”
He ranted in Russian, swerved onto a side street, and slammed the car in park. “This will not happen under my watch.” He rubbed his beard. “You have two choices. One: You will go back to the house and explain to boss why a nice young lady is interested in dating a twenty-four-year-old man with a criminal record .”
“I didn’t know, I swear.” It’s not like I asked for his birth certificate and resume. I had no idea how Boris knew so much about Leonardo, but I believed him. The big guy had his faults, but lying wasn’t one of them.
“Option two: Call the Spaniard right now and tell him you will not be going out with him tonight or ever .” His deep, angry voice had enough torque to uproot a tree.
My survival instincts took over. I tapped Leonardo’s number. I spoke to him in Spanish and made up a bullshit excuse why I had to cancel. I ended the call. Boris seemed even more pissed than before. “What did I do now? I called it off.”
By his expression, I should have already known what I did wrong.
“Oh, come on,” I said. “We always converse en español. ”
He pointed his thick finger in my face. “Dear, one day you are going to push me too far.”
I looked away.
He cupped my chin and turned my head until I met his eyes. “Trust me. You don’t want to find out what happens when I lose my temper.”
Chapter 18
Crashed And Burned
After my awesome date with an empty chair, I couldn’t wait for a Saturday night do-over. My
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