Chapter6
What the hell had she been thinking? Why had she told Sacha that she was falling in love with him?
He stared at her as if she’d just cursed him out.
“I take that back,” she said.
He stepped away from her. “What the hell was that?”
His eyes were sharp. He was clearly angry, his fists bunched up at his sides.
“I got caught up in a moment. I’m sorry.”
He spun away from her. “This isn’t about love, Kendra.”
She stared at his back. If she could go back in time and never say those words, she would. She sacrificed almost anything to have not said those words. What was she thinking? This wasn’t about love. They were both adults and knew that. They were from two different worlds.
“I don’t love you, Sacha. I don’t even want to love you. It was wrong of me to say it. I’m sorry.”
Would he let it go? She’d seen the fear in his eyes. He’d looked like an animal caught in the middle of the road in the headlights of an oncoming car. She’d suspected that he didn’t often get mad or often lose his composure. Today she’d made him do that. Damn. How was she going to fix this?
“I’ll move out.”
He put up a hand. “That isn’t the answer.”
“Then I’ll move back to the other bedroom,” she said.
“That would be best for tonight.” He strode to the door. “I’m going out.”
Kendra stood there, wondering what the hell she was going to do. She couldn’t stay here, but she’d be dead meat if she were anywhere else. She had to stay for Cliff’s sake. She took a shower in the bathroom off of her bedroom, and then slid into the bed. It was cold and empty and she had no idea how she was going to make this right. Damn. She was a lawyer. She should know the power of words.
She called Tembi. Sacha had said not to, but she needed to talk to someone.
“Hey, Kendra. I thought you weren’t allowed to call me.”
“I had to talk to someone.”
“Is your mom okay?”
“Yes, in fact she seems to be thriving in her new environment.”
“What’s on your mind?” Tembi asked.
How did she explain it all? Would it make sense to her friend? So she began at the beginning and told Tembi all of it: the crimes, being in danger and her contract with Sacha.
Tembi let out a low whistle. “You go big or go home, Kendra.”
“Yeah, I know. I should be better at this stuff but I’m not truly a trial lawyer. I’m better at the written word.”
“He left?”
“Yes, he’s been gone an hour.”
“I’d sleep on it then set it to right in the morning. You’re both going to be tired and not at your best. You can reset it all in the morning.”
Her advice sounded spot on, but part of Kendra just wanted to solve the problem. Get them back on an even keel. “You’re probably right.”
“I’m right, honey. I know men. Lord knows I’ve had few of them in my life.”
Kendra laughed. Tembi told stories of a man in every airport. Not literally in the airport, but in almost every city she flew to. That would be too complicated for Kendra. She couldn’t seem to keep things right with one man. And that didn’t involve love. Only sex and it was already complicated. Her life had never been simple, but this was beyond crazy. She was on the run and in need of protection and the man who was willing to it wanted a simple physical relationship.
“I don’t know why I said it.”
“You must have felt something akin to love. You were probably just grateful to him. You see him as a hero in some ways.”
“That’s not like me.”
“It’s also not usual circumstance for you to have help with Cliff or in any aspect of your life. That’s all that happened. You’ve been alone and independent for so long that you appreciate whatever he is doing for you.”
That sounded right. “Should I tell him that?”
“Yes. Maybe he needs to know a little more of your history to understand where you are coming from. He’s rich. They forget what the common people have to deal with.”
Kendra laughed. “You’re far from common.”
“But you aren’t. You’ve had a rough life and this man is now helping you and you appreciate it. That’s all that you wanted to tell him. You just said it wrong.”
That made sense. “Thanks, Tembi. I’m so glad I called you.”
“How’s that little boy?”
“Cliff is wonderful. He and Sacha have bonded which scares me a little. It’s going to be traumatic when we leave here.”
“Maybe Sacha will want to stay in Cliff’s life. If he liked the kid that much, who knows?”
Kendra thought that Cliff would like that. “We’ll see. I have to get past this hurdle first. We’ll talk about the future when I know I have one again.”
“Keep your head up, girl. You’ll get past this too.”
“Thanks Tembi.”
Kendra hung up. She put the phone down on the nightstand. She thought she heard Sacha back in the apartment, but chose to follow Tembi’s advice and talk to him in the morning. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, not being able to focus on reading. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and she hoped that she hadn’t messed this up beyond belief. What would she do if she and Cliff had to leave here? She had no resources to protect them.
Before she could turn off the light and try to sleep, she heard a soft knocking on the door. Thinking it was Cliff, she said, “Come in.”
Instead of a little boy, Sacha looked into the room. “Can I come in?”
It was his house. “Of course.”
***
Kendra looked ragged. Her eyes were red as if she’d been crying. She was on the bed, under the covers, looking rumpled and sexy too.
Down boy.
She sat up when he came in. “Hi.”
He sat on the edge of the bed. “I may have overreacted.”
“No, you didn’t Sacha. We made a deal and I still don’t know why I said it. I’m not interested in loving anyone. I’m not interested in being in love. I just, uh, I don’t know.”
He smiled. “It’s okay. I believe you, but I think maybe we need to put a clause in our agreement about emotions. I wouldn’t want either of us to get tangled up in them and ruin a good thing.”
She nodded. “I agree.”
“I also want to put this out there for discussion,” he said.
He was a little unsure and that wasn’t like him.
“Go ahead.”
“Whenever this whole thing blows over and you can get back to your life, I’d like to keep our arrangement going. I recognize this is for purely selfish reasons.”
“Oh?”
“I have a few social engagements coming up and if I arrive with a date I won’t get harassed by my family about not having a woman. Since my brother Viktor has gotten married and they are expecting, my mother has turned her matchmaking skills to me. I have no desire to get married.”
“So I’ll take the stress off of you and we can have a great time in bed.”
“Right.”
“Okay. I’m in.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “You said that readily.”
“I’m having the best sex I’ve had, maybe ever and there are no strings. I can tell you anything because there’s no emotion involved. I’m sure there will be things I need a date for so you can return the favor.”
He smiled. “Yes, I can and I will. This needs to be mutually beneficial to both of us.”
She nodded. “Right.”
“Are we good Kendra? Is this behind us?”
“Yes.”
He studied her for a minute, but her gaze didn’t waver. He wanted her back in his bed. Tonight. “Can we worry about the paperwork in the morning? It’s late.”
“Yes.”
She smiled as if relieved. He took ahold of her hand. “Then let’s go back to my room.”
He led her back to his bedroom. He took her in his arms. He whispered dirty things to her as he undressed her. She was naked in front of him, aroused, he was pretty sure. He wasn’t far behind.
He knelt and took her breasts one by one into his mouth. She arched into him, digging her fingers into his hair. Her moan spurred him on. She tasted of peaches and a promise of dirty things to come. He nudged her onto the bed, her legs over the edge. He settled himself between those legs, her pussy in full view. She’d trimmed a little. Just enough. He licked. She groaned, her body jolting at his touch. He used his thumbs to separate her fold then licked and sucked until her body squirmed. Then she let out a mewling sound then her body went stiff. Her fingers fisted into the covers.
“Aaaah.”
He leaned back on his haunches proud of his job. If he could have high-fived someone he would have. That never got old. Sex was better for him if his partner was enjoying it. He rolled a condom onto himself as the spasms subsided on Kendra. He then rested her legs onto his chest, her feet either side of his head. The bed was just the right height to do this. He’d put the bed on a platform just to be able to do this. He entered her. She gasped. He could get in deeper at this angle and hit all of the right spots.
He began rhythm and her body reacted instantly. Her moans made it difficult to keep control of himself. He must want to pound into her harder. And then he knew she was gone. Her vagina clenched around him and he went over the edge with her. Damn. He couldn’t see and he wasn’t sure if he was still moving. And then he was done. His breath came out in pants and he didn’t think he could stand any longer. He got rid of the condom then lay next to her. She opened her eyes slightly.
“You may kill me,” she said. “That last orgasm just kept going.”
He smiled, and then kissed her nose. “My pleasure.”
She snugged up against him. “Let’s get under the covers before we fall asleep.”
Under the covers, she laid her head on his chest. He played with her hair. Her breathing became steady and he knew she was asleep. He liked the feeling of her next to him. This arrangement was going to be amazing. He had no idea what would cause it to end, unless one of them did bring emotion into it. Sacha doubted that he would be the one. Love was for others, for Viktor his brother. Sacha preferred to be alone and now with Kendra here he didn’t have to go trawling in the bars for a one night stand.
Everything was clear between them and he could help her in the meantime. What a relief not to have to go to a bar or lie to his mother about bringing someone to a function or a family dinner. Would Kendra be willing to do that? Keep up the charade in front of others.
He also had to tell her that he’d proved that the building he owned was not historical, but he’d chosen to keep the outside the same and rework the inside. That was a conversation for another day. He settled further into the pillow. Kendra stirred, but didn’t wake up. At least Cliff hadn’t asked about them. The little boy seemed to take it all in stride. He was a good kid and Sacha wanted to stay in touch with him when this was all over. He could probably use a male role model.
That settled, Sacha feel asleep.
*
Kendra woke alone again but knew that Sacha wasn’t far. He usually made breakfast for Cliff and let her sleep. She thought about last night and their revised agreement. The day was looking brighter, as was her future. Even if it was only pretend, she could tell people who asked that she had a boyfriend. She wandered out after her shower and sure enough Sacha was with Cliff. But they weren’t in the kitchen. No, there were dirty dishes in there. Instead, Cliff and Sacha were in the living room in front of the television, playing a video game.
Kendra hadn’t realized Sacha had a gaming system. She began to do the dishes.
“Hey, Kendra. Look what Mr. Kozlov brought home,” Cliff said.
She walked into the living room. The game itself looked innocuous but why did a five-year-old need to play video games?
“Good morning,” Sacha said.
“What are you guys doing?”
Sacha was still in his pajamas. She’d never seen him leave his bedroom like that.
“We’re playing Alphabet Warriors,” Cliff said. His smile was huge.
“Okay.”
“I brought home a game system last night. I figured Cliff and I could play it once in a while,”
He looked at her as if he were asking permission. Kind of cute to see a captain of industry, a man who made a lot of money, looking at her to see if she was okay with it. She appreciated the illusion of a boundary with Cliff. “Okay.”
“Sit,” Sacha said. “You can play the winner. The kid’s pretty good.”
Kendra sat on the edge of the couch. “Nice.”
Sacha lost. “Put it on single player. I need to show Kendra something.”
“I think we need to put a time limit on game play,” Kendra said.
“Aw, Kendra,” Cliff said.
“Hey, what Kendra says, goes.” He pulled his phone out of his pajama pockets, which made her wonder where he got the pajamas from. She’d never seen him wear any.
“We need a timer,” Kendra said.
“I’ll use my phone for now,” Sacha said. “Half an hour okay?”
Kendra nodded. He punched in the timer on his phone. “No argument, buddy. When that goes off, you’re done.”
“Okay, Mr. Kozlov.”
Cliff went back to his game. Sacha bounced off the couch. “I have something I want to show you.”
She followed him to the dining room. Architect plans were laid out on the flat surface.
“What’s this?”
“I decided to keep the façade of the building I own. It fits into the neighborhood well.”
She looked at him then at the plans. “The building isn’t historical. You can do what you want.”
“I know, but this way the neighborhood will look better. The sleek building I wanted to build wouldn’t work.”
She eyed the plans, liking them a lot. “Why?”
Sacha shrugged. “Seemed a better, long-term business plan. This way my neighbors won’t hate me either. Less messy, too, maybe.”
She laughed. “I doubt it will be less messy by much, but these plans are great. Are you getting excited?”
“I am. I can start sooner on the renovation. I have the permit applications in so hopefully those will come through soon.”
She smiled at him. He was a sweet guy. That’s why she could trust him with her body. This arrangement was going to work out great for them.
“What’s on your agenda today?” Sacha said.
“Can you go to my mailbox and empty it? Then I can concentrate on paperwork today when the nanny comes.”
“Sounds good. Then I need to head into the office for a few hours. I have a few changes for the architect to make. I’m having lunch with my brother then I should be home before dinner.”
“You don’t have to tell me your whole day. I don’t need to know.”
“I figure my comings and goings affect you so my schedule is an open book,” Sacha said.
Very considerate. “Thank you. I do appreciate it all that you’re doing for Cliff and me,” Kendra said. She really didn’t know what would happen to them if Sacha hadn’t been there and if he wasn’t such a generous man. They’d be in trouble. Or dead. Who would take care of her mother? Kendra shuddered at the thoughts in her head.
“Take a closer look at these plans. What do you think of them?” Sacha said.
“What do I think of them? You’re asking the wrong person. I don’t go to clubs.”
“Still. I’d like another set of eyes on them before I give any changes to the architect,” Sacha said.
He tapped the blueprints. It took a moment of her to orient herself. “So there’s the front door. This is the first floor, I guess.”
“Yes. This is the actual nightclub part. Upstairs will be offices. And my apartment.” He pointed to an elevator shaft. “This is a separate entrance for the offices.” He slid his finger over to another spot marked elevator. “This is my elevator up to my apartment. There are stairs also in case of a fire.”
“Are you looking for flow?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the bar is up front. Don’t you want people to have to walk through the whole club to get to the bar? That way the patrons get to see the whole place. Kind of like supermarkets have the milk at the furthest point in the store.”
Sacha rubbed his chin. Was he actually thinking over her idea?
“How about halfway back. I don’t want anyone to have to walk through the dance floor.”
“Okay.” She pointed to a spot in the middle of the room. “A rectangular bar here. Then no one has to navigate the dance floor to get to the bathroom. Or the crowd overflow from the bar.”
Sacha hummed for a moment. “Yes, I like it. Wonder why the architect didn’t think of that.”
“Maybe he was going for form over function.”
***
Sacha came home from a long day. He’d met with the architect and the man was not happy about the changes that Kendra had suggested. The man clearly didn’t like his work questioned. Sacha had to fire him from the project, which meant he had to spend the afternoon searching for a new one. Viktor, his brother, had given him a few suggestions. Finally, one had been available. A younger man who was hungry for business. Sacha wasn’t averse to helping someone out in the business that was new. In fact he liked them better because they were more willing to hustle for business.
He had new plans for the first floor that he wanted to show Kendra. He liked that she hadn’t been shy on giving him her opinion. The architect had incorporated her design changes. He’d give Sacha the rest of the building designs in a week or so but that would be fine. Sacha would have to resubmit the permit applications. He would still be closer to completion than if he had to tear down the building. Kendra’s group had done him a favor by blocking the demolition.
Sacha entered his apartment and knew instantly Cliff was asleep. The place had a lot more noise when the boy was awake. Sacha didn’t mind, nor did he mind when the boy went to bed. Sacha hadn’t realized how late it was.
He found Kendra elbow deep in paperwork for her race. “I’m sorry.”
She looked up at him. “For what?”
“For not being here when I said I would be.”
“It’s okay. The nanny gave Cliff dinner then put him to bed. She just left a half an hour ago. I’ve been working on these registrations since not long after you left.”
“You hungry?”
“Yes, I was just thinking about getting up to find some leftovers.”
He took off his tie. “No need. I’ll cook.”
“I’m sorry. You’ve worked all day,” she said.
He shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I find it relaxing.”
“Okay.”
She went back to her paperwork. He changed into jeans and a shirt then padded barefoot out to the kitchen. He perused the refrigerator and decided on a course of action. But first, he wanted wine. He had a nice Malbec on hand so he opened that and took a glass of it to Kendra. She looked ragged. She smiled when he set it in front of her.
“Maybe you should quit for tonight,” he said.
She looked around. “I guess I could. I might not be so productive anymore.”
“Come join me in the kitchen.”
Sacha led her back to the kitchen where he began to chop items for a ragout.
“You’re very patient,” Kendra said.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve invaded your home with a child. I’ve taken over your dining room table.”
“Kendra, Cliff is fine. I like kids.” Should he tell her about his own? What would it matter? “Years ago, I was in a relationship with a woman. We weren’t in love, in lust most likely. We had a child that she gave up for adoption. I was young and insecure and stupid. I’m looking for him now. Having Cliff here reminded me why I’m looking for him.”
“I can’t ever see you as insecure.”
He laughed. “That’s what you got out of what I said? You aren’t shocked that I had a child?”
She shrugged. “My mother had a baby with a man she can’t remember.”
“You have any idea who Cliff’s father is?”
“No, it was a one night stand and I doubt he even stayed that long.”
He could hear the bitterness in her voice. How could a man take advantage of a woman? He never understood that. He wanted his partners to be his equal.
“She wasn’t lucid enough to remember at that point?”
“She had her moments, but I think she chose to forget him. I think it was as mutual as it could have been in her condition. Might have been the mailman or the UPS guy,” Kendra said. “She couldn’t give me enough information to begin looking and at the time I just had to get her through the pregnancy. That’s where all of my energy went.”
“Understandable.”
What a nightmare for her but, from what he could see, she didn’t hold any resentment toward her mother or Cliff. What a brave soul. He had to admire her.
A half an hour later, he served up dinner with a flourish.
“Looks, great. Thanks.”
She ate with gusto and that was enough thanks for Sacha. “I could help with whatever you’re doing in there.”
She waved a hand. “It can wait until tomorrow. I’m tired.”
“Okay, but I don’t mind.”
She yawned. “No, I want to be fresher.”
He cleared away her plate.
“I’ll do dishes,” she said.
“I’m thinking about hiring a maid. I’m not usually here this much and I don’t think you should have to clean,” Sacha said.
“I don’t mind.”
“I do. You still work even if you don’t go there. Since you can’t go there.”
“The dishes still need to be done tonight. I don’t like to go to bed with them dirty.”
“Okay, but I made a fine mess and I’m going to help you clean it up.” She looked around the kitchen. He knew what she saw and the weariness in her eyes spoke to him. “You do the dishes. I’ll do the rest.”
“Deal.”
She filled the sink with water. He wasn’t going to ask for sex tonight. She looked far too tired. He’d bet this whole situation was wearing on her. He’d give her the night off. Might result in a cold shower for him, but he’d live.
Finally the kitchen was cleaned. Kendra wiped her hands on a towel.
“Good night Kendra.”
She gave him an odd look. “Good night, Sacha.”
He left her standing there a puzzled look on her face.