Chapter 5
“This is not a good look,” Athena thought as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the reflective wall as she made her way to Carla’s restaurant. She was in a knee length, elbow sleeved dress and a pair of sandals. “I miss my heels.” A woman gave her a strange look as she walked into the restaurant and Athena sighed. “I really, really miss my heels.”
“Hey,” Carla said when she saw her. “I was beginning to think you were not going to show up.”
Athena leaned forward and gave her friend a quick hug.
“Sorry, my last minute went on a little longer than I expected it to,” she said as Carla led her to the back. “Oh wow, private table…chef’s table, right?”
“Right,” Carla said smiling. “You must feel very special right now.”
“Well, of course. I am kind of a big deal, you know,” Athena said matter of factly and Carla rolled her eyes.
“Yes you are. I even noticed the sandals you are rocking with that dress.”
Athena bit her lip and nodded knowingly.
“Please, don’t hold back the sarcasm on my account.”
“I had to, honey. You are in a killer dress which should be probably worn with Louboutin heels or something but no, you thought that a pair of sandals would do,” Carla said. “Heading to the beach later or something of the sort?”
“I have a cut on my sole, okay?” Athena said rolling her eyes.
“A cut? What the hell happened?” Carla’s voice was full of concern.
“It’s no big deal. I just stepped on broken glass, that’s all.”
“Whoa, did you walk blindly into a crime scene or something?” Carla asked and Athena shook her head.
“No, I dropped a cup in my kitchen. Seriously, it is not a big deal.”
“If you say so,” Carla said matter of factly.
“I do, missy,” Athena insisted as Carla signaled one of her waiters.
“So, I know that I might not get all the dirty details since I didn’t see you yesterday but I want to hear everything,” Carla said. The waiter brought two plates of BLT sandwiches and Athena smiled.
“You are really trying to butter me up, aren’t you?” she said as she looked at her sandwich. She had always loved Carla’s BLT sandwiches. She was not sure whether it was how she toasted the bread with cheese or the fact that she used extra crispy bacon. Either way, she knew that she loved the simple taste of Carla’s BLT sandwiches.
“Well, I do need to know what happened and the happier you are, the better the situation will be for me,” Carla said as she took a bite of her sandwich. “Plus, I still have a couple of hours before the evening rush.”
“Well, I don’t. I have to get back to work.”
“And that is why I settled on sandwiches rather than a five course lunch.”
Athena smiled again.
“Ever wonder if maybe you are a bit too involved in my life?” she asked and Carla shrugged.
“I know I should be offended but honestly, I don’t really care and the answer to your question is, no. I do not think that I am too involved.” She took another bite of her sandwich as the waiter brought them two bottles of water. “I am just the right amount of involved.”
“I had a feeling you would say that,” Athena said before she took her first bite. “Dear Lord, that is so damn good,” she said under her breath.
“Good, now you tell me what happened with Russian Moneybags,” Carla said and Athena shook her head.
“He has a name, you know?”
“Well, even his name sounds rich. Like, mob boss kind of rich though.”
Athena frowned.
“No, it doesn’t!”
“Really, Athena? The guy’s name is Evgeni Markovic and I am almost sure that if he pulled the accent off, the really heavy one and flashed a toy gun at some poor baker, he would get like twenty grand or so for ‘protection’.” Carla opened her bottle and took a long sip of her water.
“I can’t believe you even said that,” Athena said, stifling a laugh.
“So, come on. I am dying in suspense here,” Carla said in a whisper. “What happened?”
Athena dabbed the sides of her mouth with her thumb and index fingers and smiled.
“Well, I got home and found him waiting for me,” she started.
“He has a key to your place already? You are moving pretty fast,” Carla said matter of factly.
“He was waiting in his car in front of my apartment building you idiot. No one said anything about him being in the house.”
“Your story telling skills suck,” Carla said and Athena shrugged.
“So, anyway, he was waiting outside my building and I invited him in. Offered him a drink but I was a little too nervous though.” Athena took another bite of her sandwich. “That was when I broke the cup.”
“When you offered him a drink?” Carla asked.
“Well, I had already…we had already had a drink, mulled apple. I was getting him a refill and he was there talking to me and I don’t know what I was feeling…but I was suddenly feeling hot and cold at the same time and confused and….” Athena’s voice trailed off.
“You blushed, didn’t you?” Carla asked.
“I don’t think so…” Athena stammered and her friend smiled.
“Yes you did and you are blushing now,” Carla said laughing. “I honestly never thought I would ever see the day.”
Athena shrugged and took another bite.
“I just don’t think I have it in me anymore,” she said with a sigh.
“What do you mean you don’t think you have it anymore? You sound eighty or something,” Carla pointed out.
“Because sometimes I feel eighty. Hell, sometimes I feel like I'm freaking century old.” Athena shook her head. “It’s like I don’t know what to do, what to say, what…I just choke when it matters the most.”
Carla shook her head and took another sip of her water.
“See, right there, that is your real problem,” she said and Athena raised an eyebrow over the other.
“What is? What are you talking about?” she asked.
“You are trying too hard, that’s your problem,” Carla said as she interlaced her fingers and rested her elbows on the table. “I know getting back on the saddle is hard but you are too young to live your life alone.”
“I don’t intend on doing that, you know,” Athena said.
“Really? At the rate you were going…at the rate you are still going, I kind of see a future for you that is a little lonely.”
Athena shook her head as she took another bite.
“But what if…” she started before Carla put a hand up.
“I already know what you are going to ask and I have to stop you right now,” she said. “You want to ask what if he doesn’t measure up to the kind of life you had pictured for yourself and Evan, right?”
Athena almost rolled her eyes. Her best friend knew her too well, it was sometimes uncomfortable.
“Keep in mind, you are not looking for a replacement because if you are, you are being unfair to yourself and to Evgeni,” Carla started. “No one can ever be exactly like Evan and if that is what you are looking for then you are definitely going to miss out on the great personality Evgeni has.” She reached across the table and took her friend’s hand in her own. “How about you just give life a chance, huh? Close your eyes and ears to what the obvious dictates and see where your destiny takes you.”
Athena forced out a laugh.
“Since when are you so Zen?” she asked and Carla shrugged.
“Maybe I have always been and you were always a little too busy to notice,” she replied.
*****
By the time Athena got back home that evening, all she wanted to do was get into a shower and then maybe soak for a long hour. But she had agreed to a dinner date with Evgeni that evening. She walked to her room and stripped off her work clothes before she walked into the bathroom. She turned on the water and stood under the warm jets. It had been a long day and it almost felt as if the water was washing away every sore knot she had in her body. She leaned against the cold tiled wall as the water ran down her back. At the back of her mind, she was trying to figure out what she was going to wear that night.
When she finally got out of the shower, she was almost half an hour later. She dried off and stood in front of her closet. She had to pick out something that flattered her body but also decent. She pulled out one of her new dresses and a smile played on her lips.
“I knew I bought you for the right reason,” she thought as she held the dress against her body.
*****
Evgeni straightened his jacket with one hand as he stood outside Athena’s apartment. He didn’t know why he was so nervous. It was not like he had not done this before but something about this girl just made him feel all warm and fuzzy. He was even second guessing the navy slim suit and sky blue shirt he had on – something that had never happened before. Not even with Natalya.
“Here goes nothing,” he thought as he softly knocked on the door. It took just a few seconds before Athena answered the door. “Oh wow,” he thought as he looked at her.
She was in a burgundy long sleeved bandage dress that reached just under her knees. She had straightened out her curls and she had matched her outfit with black strapped heels.
“You look amazing,” he said in a soft voice.
“And you look…really good too,” she said, smiling.
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek softly before he brought his hand from his back producing a bunch of roses.
“Wow, you went all out. Didn’t you?”
“I did tell you that I wanted to go the whole nine yards with you and that included buying you flowers at some point.” He looked at the roses in her hand. “The only problem is I don’t know you well enough to know whether you are a rose person or…but I figured I couldn’t go wrong with red roses, right?” he asked and she nodded.
“Yeah, I guess so,” she said. “Maybe if the evening goes well, I will let you know what kind of flowers I like.”
Evgeni forced out a laugh.
“If?” he asked and she shrugged.
“The night is still young.”
“Yeah it is. Hopefully, I will have you feeling a little more positive.”
“Come on in. I’ll just put these in water before we leave,” she said as she walked in.
Evgeni could not help but stare at her ass as she walked. He was not sure if she had chosen the dress because of the obvious effect it had on him or the fact that she actually got it especially for the evening. He watched her as she gently put the roses in a vase on the living room table before she looked up at him.
“Ready,” she said in a whisper.
“Good,” he said as he took a step towards her. “You look so damn gorgeous.”
“You said that already,” Athena whispered as she looked into his eyes.
“I know but I don’t feel like I have said it enough.” He was now standing right in front of her, fighting the urge to pull her close to him and just claim her, make her his all night long.
“Will you tell me where we are going?” she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“My place,” he said without hesitating.
“Your place? For a first date?” she asked with a smile and he nodded.
“I don’t really conform to the norm,” he said taking her hand in his.
“And what do you have in mind right now, Mr. Markovic?” Her voice was so low, almost a whisper. He smiled and pressed his lips into her hand.
“I am too much of a gentleman to tell you that,” he said as he looked into her eyes.
*****
Evgeni’s place was everything she imagined it to be. The black and white monochromatic color scheme blended perfectly with the black L-shaped couch in the living room. As soon as they walked into his house, she could not help but look around. Her place felt like a doll house compared to what she was standing in at that moment.
“I hope you like Italian,” he said as he led her to the dining room. A smile played on her lips. He had gone all out. The lighting in the dining room had been dimmed and there were candles on the table that had been set for two. There was soft music playing in the background, a perfect mood setter. She looked at him as he slipped an arm around her waist and led her to the table.
“Nice place you’ve got here,” she said in a soft voice as he pulled a chair out for her.
“Glad you approve.” He pulled the bottle out of the ice bucket in the middle of the table. “Hope you will like this. A business associate gave me this as a gift when he traveled to South Africa.”
He uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses of wine before handing her one.
“To new and unexplored territories,” he said in a soft voice. She raised her glass.
“Here, here,” she said before taking a sip.
Evgeni took a seat across from her as he took another sip of her wine.
“So, did you cook this or did you have someone do it for you?” she asked as she looked at the plate in front of her. It was still hot and it smelt divine. If she didn’t know any better, she could have sworn that there was someone else in the house apart from the two of them. “Plus, this food has been freshly plated and we only just came in.”
“The cooking was done by a chef friend of mine,” he started as he looked at her. “See, you are not the only one with connections.”
She smiled and shook her head.
“Clearly, I’m not,” she said.
“And his team did the plating and everything else before we got here. It is all about the coordination,” he went on.
“It seems that coordination is something you know a lot about,” she said as he looked at her.
“Well, it is something that I deal with on a daily basis.” He picked up his fork and smiled at her. “Bon apetit.”
She looked at her plate and shook her head.
“This…looks so beautiful,” she started as she looked down at her plate. “What am I looking at, exactly?”
“Seared beef fillet and orecchiette grazed with garlic,” he answered as he took a bite. “One of the best things you have ever tasted.”
She took a bite and closed her eyes.
“This is heavenly,” she exhaled.
“I told you so,” he said smiling.
Dinner was relatively quiet. The music playing in the background was all that she heard as she sat there eating as they looked at each other. She could feel her cheeks getting flushed, her palms sweating. She was not sure whether it was the way he was looking at her or the fact that it had been so long since she last had been in the company of a man, any man outside an official setting.
“Dinner was lovely,” she said when they were finally done.
“I chose something that I hoped was worth your…grandeur,” he said as he pulled his seat from the table.
“My grandeur?” she asked raising an eyebrow over the other and he nodded.
“Yes, your grandeur.”
“You do realize that I am not royalty,” she said as she followed him to the living room and he nodded.
“Well, to me that is exactly what you are, Athena,” he said making her blush again.
They sat down in the living room and he looked at her.
“So, I have to ask, and it might sound a little cliché, but why is a woman like you still single?” he asked and she raised an eyebrow over the other.
“A woman like me?”
“Yes, a woman like you.”
“What is that supposed to mean, anyway?”
He shrugged.
“You are a smart, sexy woman. A jackpot in every sense of the word.” He took a sip of his wine. “Why are you a single woman? Are all the men in Virginia blind and stupid or am I just lucky?”
She forced out a smile.
“And what makes you think that I am single?” she asked.
“Well, it is quite simple really. You wouldn’t have agreed to come out with me if you had someone in your life,” he said.
She looked away and took another long sip of her wine.
“Well, I plead the fifth.”
This time it was Evgeni’s turn to let out a cynical laugh.
“You plead the fifth? You are not exactly at risk of self-incrimination or anything.”
“Well, that is what you think,” she said and he placed his glass on the table before taking her own.
“Let me ask you Athena,” he started as he placed her glass next to his own. “Do you really think that I could be turned off by anything you say to me?”
“I don’t know…I am not really sure.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Evgeni asked as he shifted his weight next to her.
“I…I have no….” she stammered as he moved even closer to where she was. He held her chin and smiled at her.
“Because if that is what you think, Athena, then there is definitely no point of me doing this,” he said before he leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. She closed her eyes and exhaled into his mouth as she felt his warm lips on hers. She could not really explain what she was feeling. It had been so long since she felt anything like that in a long time. It was like an awakening, a majestic burst of white hot energy inside her body. When he pulled away, she still had her eyes closed.
“Now I am sure that there is nothing you can tell me that would push me away,” he said as she opened her eyes to look at him.
“Nothing at all?” she asked him when she finally found her voice.
“Absolutely nothing.”
“But…but I’m damaged goods, Evgeni,” she whispered. “Too much baggage for anyone to…” he pressed his finger to her lips cutting her sentence short.
“Everyone has baggage, Athena. Even I have my own,” he said in a soft voice. “And if what I have doesn’t push you away, then I don’t see what would make me want you any less than I do right now.”
“But I don’t know your secrets,” she whispered.
“Right now, we are talking about you. Right now, it is all about you.”
She shook her head again and stood up. It was too soon for her, it was too soon to start over.
“What was I even thinking?” she wondered as she pulled away from him and stood up. She looked at him and shrugged. “This was not a good idea…this…all this…” she started before she began walking towards the door. Evgeni stood up and walked up to the door before she could open it.
“Athena,” he said in a soft voice, his hand on the door. He was standing behind her and he was so close that she could feel his warm breath on her neck. “You have me…smitten, Athena. Give me a chance.” He moved even closer to her and she could almost feel his crotch against her well rounded ass. “That is all I ask, Athena. Just one chance.”