Chapter2
Kendra licked her lips. She didn’t know what she could tell him. She wasn’t convinced that he wasn’t part of this. “How do I know I can trust you?” She’d always kept her private life private. She never brought her troubles into her office. He looked at her with his gorgeous eyes and slight stubble on his face.
He looked rugged and capable of anything. That made her nervous. “You don’t, but do you want to chance going home and having them track you down?”
She pressed her lips together. If she really was in danger, and she suspected she was, then she had no choice. She had to trust Sacha. Not something she liked to do. “I don’t like depending on a man.”
He let out a sigh. He’d clearly dealt with women like her before this. “I see.”
“No, I don’t think you do. Every man in my life has failed me.”
He reached out his hand and covered hers. “I’m sorry, Kendra. I’m sorry that every man has done that to you. I’m not that man.”
She looked own at his white hand on her dark hand and wondered if it could be that easy. That he really could be the first man she could depend on. It mattered to her and it mattered to her mother and her brother.
“I have a mother who has Alzheimer’s. She needs either me or someone to take care of her.”
“We can find a top-notch facility for her.”
“I don’t want her in a nursing home.”
“This would be specifically for Alzheimer’s patients, much better than your average nursing home.”
“Yeah and who is footing the bill?”
“I am Kendra. I’m a single man who makes boatloads of money. I have a boatload of money. I can afford it.”
She swallowed. “I also have a five-year-old brother.”
“I have plenty of room in my penthouse.”
“I can’t imagine that it’s equipped for a five-year-old.”
“I can get it equipped. You tell me what I need.”
“Someone needs to get him to school and I’ll need to go to work.”
“We can work out the details, but I’m sure that we can figure all of this out. Finish your drink.”
“I have to send a text. I was supposed to meet a friend tonight.”
“Don’t tell your friend where you’re going,” Sacha said.
She eyed him. This was Tembi. She’d ask questions, but after mulling it over, Kendra nodded. She sent the text to Tembi. In that moment, Kendra knew her life was going to be different. Having to rely on Sacha was going to chafe, but she had to for her family’s sake. Cliff was only five.
Sacha pulled out his phone. He pushed one button. “I need the car.” He gave the name and address for the bar then hung up.
“You ready?”
“You have a car waiting?”
“Yes, Kendra, I have a car waiting.” He then dialed his phone again. He spoke into it. “I also have an ambulance picking up your mother. I need your address. Does she have a nurse?”
“Yes.” Kendra gave him her address. This was all surreal. Had she really seen what she’d seen? Now her life was upside down. She had work to do and a race to plan. This was all nuts.
“Then we’ll have that nurse go with your mother and I’ll get her a ride home.”
She wanted to keep her mother with her, but she couldn’t ask Sacha to put up with her. Her mother was not coherent often and if she was, she didn’t have any idea where she was or who she was. She had stopped recognizing Kendra ages ago. Broke her heart, but she hadn’t wanted to institutionalize her mother.
“Where is this place?”
“Outside of the city. I understand it is the top place for Alzheimer’s patients on the East Coast. If it isn’t right for her, we’ll move her.”
“Why are you going to all this trouble? You only just met me a week ago. I blocked the demolition of your building.”
“You were doing your job, Kendra. As you’ll see from my report, your injunction was merely a bump in the road. The reason I’m helping is because that’s how my mother raised me. As a Russian, I cannot let a woman be in trouble without helping her. It goes against my code.”
She finished her vodka. It had done well by calming her down. She was hungry, but that could wait. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Her heart fluttered in her chest. Her life was not completely in her control right now and she didn’t like it one bit. If she’d stayed outside, instead of trying to get out of the heat, she wouldn’t have seen Lopez make his drug deal. She could have done without that information. She’d worked on his campaign as a volunteer. She didn’t think he’d remember her, but now she was sorry he’d been elected.
Water under the bridge for sure. She braced herself for the outside heat. A large limousine with darkened windows awaited them. Sacha opened the door for her. “Your chariot.”
“Feels more like a paddy wagon,” then she realized how ungrateful that sounded.
Sacha laughed. “I promise this won’t be as bad all that. Where do we need to go?”
“I need some clothes.”
He waved a hand as he sat next to her. “You can’t go home. They might follow you or us. You can’t risk it. Where is your brother?”
“At a friend’s house.”
“Have that friend meet us somewhere.”
“What are we supposed to do for clothing? Toiletries.”
“I’ll get you new clothes.”
With each passing minute she was becoming more and more beholden to Sacha. This would not do. This was not going to be easy.
***
Sacha could feel the tension rolling off of Kendra. What happened to her for this mistrust to be so strong? He wished he could punch every one of those men who had let her down. He wasn’t that way at all and he’d have to work twice as hard to gain her trust. And he wanted to gain her trust. He wanted to see himself in her eyes, even if they only ended up as friends after this.
Still. He wouldn’t mind her in his bed. He’d bet when she did trust, she did it with all of her heart. When she let loose, it would be a storm. He liked storms. He’d never liked doing things the easy way.
No, he’d been a C-section baby. His mother said he’d never gone in the birth canal. He wasn’t content to do it the way he was supposed to; the story of his entire life since law school. Instead of studying political science he’d gone for business before law school. Then he’d taken a year off to work for Viktor. Law school had been good and he’d passed the bar exam on the second try when most of his classmates, who’d had better grades than his, took three and four tries.
Despite offers from various high-powered law firms, Sacha had chosen to work at Legal Aid. He didn’t need the money. He’d invested well during his college years and had plenty of money. His next project was the nightclub, but he wanted to do this properly.
If the building in question had been historical, he would have worked with it, but as far as he could tell, it had no historical significance. Preservation One was just being obstructionist. That organization traditionally didn’t like progress. Given that Kendra didn’t seem as passionate about the cause as she could have been, how had she landed that job?
He put his hand over hers that rested on the seat between them. “I know this is hard. I get that, but realize that I’m none of those people who let you down.”
She eyed his hand, and then pulled away. He sighed. Like dealing with a skittish colt or a woman who had been abused by her husband. He’d dealt with a few of those in his Legal Aid days. He’d been able to coax every one of them to press charges and see it through. He was sure his being a man had worked against him most of the time, but his charm, when he chose to use it, paved the way.
“You realize that doesn’t matter. The damage is done. I don’t trust easily.”
“Got that. Well you got in the car with me so I think you trust me a little.”
“A little. I have no choice. You have resources. I don’t.”
“Got it.”
He understood where he ranked with her. The obstacles with Kendra weren’t insurmountable, just difficult. Sacha liked a challenge.
They picked up Cliff at a park near where he was supposed to have spent the night. Sacha looked at his phone. “Your mother is on her way up state.”
“No problems?”
“None.”
Kendra looked relieved. “Good.”
Cliff eyed him. He was a handsome little boy with big, brown eyes. He held onto a tiny car in his fist.
“Hi, Cliff. I’m Sacha.”
“Mr. Kozlov,” Kendra corrected. “He’s been taught to address all adults that way.”
“Fine. Mr. Kozlov, if you must. You and Kendra are going to come live with me for a time.”
He held out his hand. The boy took it after prompting from Kendra. The boy’s hand was so small in his, but it squeezed his heart. His son was this age. It had been a strange time in his life and the woman he’d made pregnant had been adamant that she’d was going to give him up. Where Sacha was in his life, he agreed to sign off custody rights. He regretted it ever since. Viktor didn’t know about this child. He would have wanted him to keep the baby, but Sacha didn’t think he could raise the child. Now he knew that he could give that child every advantage. He had people looking for the boy. Adoption laws had been loosened and if the adoptive couple agreed, he might be able to see the boy. He knew nothing about him, having not been there at his birth.
“Where are you from?” Cliff asked.
“That’s rude, Cliff,” Kendra said.
Sacha shook his head. “He’s just curious. That’s okay. I was born in Russia, outside of Moscow. Though I’ve lived in the United States since was just a little older than you are. I haven’t completely lost my accent. Is that why you asked?”
“Yes.”
Cliff snuggled up to Kendra. “I’m hungry.”
“We can eat something when we get to my apartment. You’ll have to tell me what you like so I can keep it in my kitchen.”
“Cheetos?” Cliff said.
“I can get whatever you want.”
Kendra shook her head. “Not Cheetos. Mr. Kozlov means healthy food.”
“Oh,” Cliff said, a frown forming on his face.
Sacha leaned across the seat to get closer to Cliff. “We’ll see what we can do.”
Cliff smiled at him and he thought he might have won the boy’s heart. Kendra was going to be a much tougher sell. The boy dozed off leaning against Kendra. Sacha studied him wondering what his own son looked like now. Did he eat Cheetos?
Kendra gazed out the window. “Don’t encourage him, Mr. Kozlov.”
“Sacha. Please. If we’re going to be living together I think we can call each other by our first names.”
She pressed her lips together then nodded. She clearly didn’t like it. She clearly didn’t like him even though she didn’t know him.
“I think you’ll find I’m pretty likable when you get to know me,” Sacha said.
She didn’t turn her head. “I don’t like anything about this situation. Least of all, you.”
*
Kendra thought the ride up to Sacha’s penthouse was interminable. He held a sleeping Cliff in his arms as if he weighed nothing. He’d insisted that they not wake the boy.
“He must need the sleep if he’s doing it when he’s hungry.”
Kendra couldn’t argue with him. Cliff with too little sleep was not a pleasant experience. Waking him from a nap ensured he was grumpy. The elevator didn’t even open on a hallway. It opened to a living room. She wasn’t sure about the security of it all, but she’d had to show her license before Sacha could bring her up. And he owned the penthouse. She wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d been fingerprinted.
“Follow me,” Sacha said.
Lights turned on as he walked down the hallway. Kendra was only a few steps behind.
“Cliff can sleep in this room.”
He put the boy on the bed as if he were fragile. He seemed comfortable with Cliff. As if he actually liked children. Adults could be so odd around kids if they didn’t know them or like them. This would make this stay easier. Not that it was going to be fun. She was out of her element. She’d have to retrieve her car at some point and figure out a route to work. She suspected that her commute would be longer. She didn’t work in the nicest part of Manhattan and where she was now, was.
The traffic would be a pain. Could Cliff go to school? She decided that they could discuss all of this when Cliff was settled. Sacha knelt down, in his suit that probably cost more than Kendra made in a year, then he took off Cliff’s shoes.
“I can do that,” she said.
“It’s fine.”
He pulled the comforter over Cliff she had shifted to his stomach. Sacha looked down at the boy and Kendra thought she detected an affectionate look. She must be imagining it.
“The light will turn off in a minute of him not moving. Does he need a night light?”
“No, he’s fine.”
She didn’t want to be any trouble. Sacha directed her to the next bedroom down the hallway. “Here’s is your bedroom. There’s a bathroom off of it if you want to freshen up. I’ll see what we have to eat.”
“You don’t have to feed me.”
“I have to eat so you might as well join me.”
He left as if the discussion was over. They would have to set ground rules. She’d pull her weight. She wouldn’t be an awful house guest. She’d cook and clean if necessary. She wasn’t disabled. She had more time since she wasn’t caring for her mother. She‘d have to get the number of the place Sacha sent her. She wanted to check that she’d settled in okay.
The bathroom off of her bedroom was bigger than her bedroom in her apartment, bigger than two of the bedrooms. It had gold fixtures and a deep tub. A separate shower took up one corner and that was bigger than her kitchen. For a moment, she was starkly reminded of Sacha’s wealth. He was a man used to getting his way, she was sure. She have to guard against that otherwise he might run her over. She didn’t want to lose herself while she was in this situation.
She didn’t want to lose control of the life she’d carefully planned. It wasn’t a life full of luxuries, but it was her life. She was pretty happy with it.
Splashing water on her face, she realized just how hungry she was. Dinner sounded good. She checked on Cliff as she went by. He was still asleep. The light had turned off. She closed the door gently.
She found Sacha in the kitchen. He had changed from his work clothes into jeans and another button-down shirt. This one had he the sleeves rolled up on. He’d tied on a white apron that looked like a professional chef would use it.
He smiled as Kendra stood in the doorway. “All I have to cook are some chicken breasts. Chicken Kiev okay?”
She didn’t know what that was so she nodded. She wasn’t a particular eater so anything he put on a plate would do.
“Can I help?”
“You’re my guest, no.”
“Sacha, we don’t know how long this will last. I’m going to pitch in and pull my weight. You tell me what needs to be done and I’ll do it.”
He eyed her for a moment. “Okay. Set the counter for us.”
He pointed to a drawer then indicated an eight food island at the other end of his kitchen. She put out placemats and silverware for three. In case Cliff woke up.
“What else?”
“Can you open wine?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never done it, but I can try.”
He handed her a wine key and a bottle of something called Pinot Noir.
“Most people drink white with chicken, but I’m not a huge fan of white.”
She wouldn’t have known the difference. In her job, she didn’t wine and dine clients. Her job was more about activism and the only rich people she dealt with were across the table. She doubted any of those she’d dealt with in the past would have opened their homes to her as Sacha did. She wondered what made him different. She watched him cook. He was clearly comfortable in the kitchen. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself. The muscles on his forearms bunched and flexed as he moved about in front of the stove.
His cooktop was the biggest Kendra had ever seen.
She looked at the wine key and the bottle and figured out how it worked. When the cork made an audible “pop” Sacha looked at her with a smile. “Good job.”
She shrugged, then poured some of the liquid into the glasses on the counter. Sacha wiped his hands on his apron, then picked up his glass. He touched his to hers then sipped.
“Mm.”
She drank some of the liquid, enjoying the tantalizing dance of flavors across her tongue.
***
Sacha couldn’t help watching her face as Kendra tasted the wine. Had she never had any before?
“That’s interesting,” she said.
“Interesting good or interesting bad?” Sacha asked.
Her eyes had close momentarily and Sacha had vision of her like that in his bed as he pounded into her. He tried to shake the image because she’d made it clear that she didn’t trust him. He couldn’t imagine her giving in to him enough to get her in his bed. He could hope, but he wasn’t optimistic.
“Interesting good.”
“I have a proposition and you can tell me to go to hell.”
“What is it?”
“We can write up a contract if you’d like spelling it all out.”
“What?” she said.
He could see impatience in those eyes. He wanted to see passion.
“I find you amazingly attractive, Kendra.”
“Okay. Not liking the sound of this so far.”
She was a tough nut. He had no idea how she would take his idea, but he wanted to pose it. What did he have to lose? If she declined he’d have blue balls for the duration of her stay. He’d been there. He had women he could tap for that if necessary.
“I want to pursue you. I want to date you. I want to bed you. We can write up an agreement, amenable to both of us, no strings since you don’t trust easily. You can back out at any time.”
She put down her glass. “Is this in return for your protection? I knew this was too good to be true.”
“No. You can stay her even if we don’t do this. Don’t answer me now. Think about it.”
He left her to get dinner. He wasn’t optimistic that she would agree.
“Dinner’s ready,” he said.
She slid onto a stool by the island. He put a plate in front of her, then he sat next to her. “Dig in,” he said.
She picked up her fork and began to eat. “This is very good.”
He didn’t think she was going to talk to him.
“How was your day?”
“My day?”
She turned to him a quizzical look on her face. “Yes, your day. I’m making conversation,” he said.
“Uh, okay. I guess. Other than I saw a drug deal go down.”
“Before that I mean.”
She laughed a little. “It was okay. We won a few. Lost a few. Kept the world safe for historic buildings.”
“How did you get that job?”
“They offered it to me. I didn’t have the best grades or go to the fanciest law school, so I didn’t have my choice of plum jobs.”
“How did you come to take care of your brother?”
He really wanted to know what made her tick. He’d have to figure out what made her cum. There were certain generic things that turned on most women, but he wanted to know the things specific to her. What went on in her head? He’d bet it was fascinating. He hoped she had a legal mind equal to his. He could already tell her body was luscious.
“My mother has early onset Alzheimer’s disease. It started not long before she got pregnant with Cliff. She doesn’t remember having sex, but there she was, pregnant. I think it was the cable guy. The disease had already attacked the part of my mother’s brain that told her decorum.”
“Someone took advantage of her?”
That was wrong. He never understood his college roommates thinking it was fun to get a girl drunk and have sex with her. He only wanted willing partners.
“I doubt that person realized what they were doing. She was coherent then. Not long after Cliff was born, she was diagnosed. I knew that I’d have to take care of Cliff for her.
“You ended up taking care of her also.”
“Yes.”
She looked away from him, pushing food around her plate. He touched her arm. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I just wish I could have brought my mother with me.”
“She’s getting the best care possible,” Sacha said.
“I know and I thank you for that.”
“No worries. I’m glad to do it. I don’t have a lot to spend my money on.”
“What about fancy cars?”
“I have a few of those.”
“Helicopter.”
“Have one.”
She blinked. “You have a helicopter?”
“Yes.”
She shook her head. “Wow.”
“I’m that rich, Kendra. I’m not going to apologize for my success.”
“I’m not asking you to. I’m just trying to wrap my head around it.”
“Don’t. I can’t always do it either. I grew up on the streets. I was just lucky enough to have some breaks in life,” he said. “I invested well and still do.”
She nodded, but he didn’t think that she really understood. He poured her some more wine. He drank his own, his plate now empty.
“You not hungry?”
“I’m hungry.”
“Then eat. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I wouldn’t think so. You live here.”
He laughed. “Yes, I do. About what I said earlier. Let’s sleep on it and we can write up a contract tomorrow.”
“Fair enough.”
He watched her eat with gusto. So different from a lot of women he’d been with. They ate very little then worried about how fat they were. Kendra wasn’t fat, but she wasn’t a waif either. She had enough to hold onto while he was making love to her. He wondered what she thought of his idea. It would have to be beneficial to both of them. He already knew that Kendra wouldn’t sign anything she wasn’t happy with. So he’d make her happy, but not at his own expense.
“I’ll wash the dishes.”
“I’ll let you,” he said.
She laughed, then cleared their plates. She filled the sink with soap. Sacha liked watching her movements. She had grace and confidence. That made her sexy. He truly hoped she would be up for what he had offered.