Chapter 7
On Monday morning, Evgeni was still excited about the great weekend he’d had with Athena. It had not only been a couple of days but he had lived his fantasy with her, done everything he could possibly think of to her, with her, and for her. He was all smiles when he walked into his office that morning. As far as Evgeni knew, she was supposed to sleep over for just one night but they had ended up spending the entire weekend together and it had been magical. Sure, he was a bit drained but it was worth every single minute of it.
He had just sat down when Viktor knocked on his still open door.
“Mr. Markovic?” he asked as he walked in.
“Viktor. Come on in.” He switched on his computer and looked up at him. “My assistant is just about to bring me my breakfast. Can I ask her to bring you something?”
Viktor shook his head.
“I just had breakfast. Thanks.”
Evgeni raised an eyebrow over the other.
“It’s seven in the morning and you had breakfast already? What time do you get up?”
Viktor shrugged as he sat down.
“Depends. Back in Moscow I am usually up by eight because my day doesn’t begin until ten but here…I don’t know why but I just can’t seem to sleep as well as I do back in Russia.” Evgeni smiled.
“But that time in Cape Town, remember? You were the only one who seemed to sleep through the jetlag,” he said and Viktor smiled.
“What can I say, I have a kind of gift,” he said just as Evgeni’s assistant walked in.
“Dirty soy latte, bagel and breakfast burrito,” she said as she put his breakfast on the desk. Viktor looked at the food and then at Evgeni.
“A bagel and a breakfast burrito?” he asked as the assistant walked out.
“What can I say? I’m famished.” Evgeni started as he bit into his breakfast burrito. “Damn that Taco joint down the street sure knows how to spoil its clients…this is almost as good as Inez’s.”
Viktor looked at him and smiled.
“You know, I call you Mr. Markovic out of respect but I know you well enough to guess that the only time you eat like this is after a late night at the club or…” his voice trailed off when he saw a smile playing on Evgeni’s lips. “If I didn’t know any better I could have sworn you were recovering from one very long night.”
Evgeni took another bite and then took a sip of his coffee.
”I don’t want to talk about it,” he said before he took another sip.
Viktor forced out a laugh.
“I never thought I would see the day,” he said with a smile.
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, it is quite simple really,” Viktor started. “You are seeing someone.”
“No comment,” Evgeni said as he took another bite.
“Finally, we are officially out of Natalya’s shadow,” he said.
“Well, it is about damn time, don’t you think?” Evgeni said as he put the Styrofoam cup down on his desk. “Though I must point out that I came out from under her shadow a long time ago. It’s just that living single…people thought that I was still hung up on Natalya, though that was not the case.”
“I have to ask,” Viktor started as he crossed a leg over the other. “Do you and Ivan…do you have any kind of relationship?”
Evgeni sighed as he leaned back in his chair and then shook his head.
“To be quite honest, there is no reason...I tried but there is no way things could ever go back to being the same. It is virtually impossible.” He took a long deep breath. “It is very hard to be civil to a man who I knew as my best friend for the longest time…and all the time he was sleeping with my wife.” He shook his head. “Even though Natalya doesn’t mean anything to me, I just can’t bring myself to forget what those two did to me.”
Viktor nodded and then shrugged.
“He was…when I left Moscow, he and Natalya had just come back from the UK,” he said and Evgeni shrugged.
“Why are you telling me this? I don’t need to know anything about Ivan and Natalya, much less what they have been up to.”
“But you do know that they were staying at your house in England,” Viktor pointed out and Evgeni nodded. “But she didn’t get the property in UK in the divorce, did she?”
“No, she didn’t,” Evgeni said. “But she was always…that’s where they first hooked up and I really don’t need that on my conscience. Besides, the England property was a lease and it is almost up anyway. Let her deal with that bullshit. I want nothing of it.”
He took another sip of his coffee.
“So, what about the matter at hand?” he asked.
“Yes, tell me why I can’t just walk out of this deal he had with my father,” he asked and Viktor shook his head.
Viktor took a long deep breath.
“The shell companies that all the money from the arms deals and narcotics pipeline have been passing through…he is the final word on all of them. And he has made it clear that the only way he walks out is if he has Markovic Oil.”
Evgeni sighed again. Markovic Oil was one of the only two legitimate businesses he had managed to set up. A business that didn’t have any kind of influence from his family’s illegal businesses and it was a thriving business too even though it was not a very big company. He shook his head and put the burrito he had in his hand down on the desk.
“He wants Markovic Oil?” he asked, surprised.
“That’s what he said.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. It is not part of the ventures father began,” Evgeni said.
“I know but that is his price for letting go of Markovic Trucking and Markovic Freight,” Viktor said and Evgeni shook his head again.
“That is never going to happen. Markovic Oil is my blood and sweat!”
“I know …I know…” Viktor started. “But…”
Evgeni shook his head again. He was not letting this go on much longer.
“I cannot…I will not let go of Markovic Oil. He can have the trucking and freight companies for all I care but not the venture I set up in the Middle East.”
Viktor nodded.
“I knew you would say that. But I needed to let you know what he said before you face him.”
“Face him? Is he here? In Virginia?” Evgeni asked and Viktor nodded.
“I didn’t know that he was. I actually found out a few hours ago,” he said. “I knew he wanted to have a sit down with you but I had no idea he wanted it to be so soon.”
“Do you have any idea how long he has been around?” Evgeni asked and Viktor shook his head.
“The only people who know everything about him are his inner circle. He always…he is just a strange man, Cromwell.”
“I guess all Irish criminals are,” Evgeni said sighing. He rubbed his temple and shook his head. “What if I give him a check, the equivalent of Markovic Oil’s current net worth? Surely that will be enough for him.”
Viktor leaned forward and shrugged.
“That might just work,” he said. “But that will set you back a few billions, Mr. Markovic.”
Evgeni nodded.
“I know, but it is worth it. I can liquidate a few assets for that particular purpose,” he said. “But I don’t want to ever give that man a stake in Markovic Oil, let alone the whole company.”
Viktor nodded and pushed his chair back.
“I’ll make a few calls and set up the meeting. Hopefully, everything will be well sorted by the time you meet Cromwell.”
“Hopefully,” he echoed. “Keep me posted, will you?”
“Will do,” Viktor said before he walked out of Evgeni’s office leaving him sipping on his latte.
“Fuck the Markovic clan! This is all your fault father,” he thought as he took the last bite of his burrito. “Money was so important to you that you thought the best way to make it was living by the sword? And now I can’t seem to get out from under the spell you put me under!”
He took a long sip of his latte and then stood up before he walked to the window.
“All I want is to be able to sleep through the night without worrying that someone might slit my throat in my sleep. All I want is a comfortable life with Athena,” he thought as he took another sip looking out into the moderately warm outdoors. He could not help but wonder why his life had to be so damn complicated. Why couldn’t everything just be simple? At that moment, he wanted to be anything else, anyone else other than Evgeni Markovic.
*****
Athena interlaced her fingers with Carla’s as they walked into Rubio’s, the only other restaurant the two friend’s considered a major competition for Carla.
“I really don’t understand why we had to come all this way to spend two hundred dollars for something I would have whipped up in my kitchen,” she said.
“Well, sweetie, I could think of a number of reasons,” Athena started. “For starters, you are always busy and never get time for yourself and two, you just hired a head chef. The best one in all fifty states…okay the second best one since you are the best one.”
“Yes, but still…” Carla started but Athena shook her head.
“No buts. You need to have some time off every so often, remember?” Athena said. “You are always saying that to me. Maybe it’s time you took your own advice.”
Carla looked around and sighed.
“I have to admit, I have respect for this Rubio guy but I honestly…” Athena didn’t give her time to finish what she was saying.
“You should really have more days off, you know. If anyone deserves it, it’s you,” Athena said as they sat down. She looked at Carla and shrugged. “Besides, I am here celebrating something special.”
Carla was about to ask what it was they were celebrating when a waiter brought a menu to their table.
“Thank you,” Athena said with a smile. “But we already know what we want.”
“We do?” Carla asked and Athena nodded.
“We’ll have the fettucine and Rubio’s special chicken cordon bleu.”
Carla frowned.
“You want to have pasta with chicken cordon bleu?” she asked.
“Not just any cordon bleu. Rubio’s special,” Athena whispered.
“Drinks? Wine maybe?” The waiter asked. “The Savannah Red goes really well with that particular dish if I must say.”
Athena looked at Carla and smiled.
“Two glasses of Savannah Red then.”
“This place better be all that, Athena,” Carla said in a low voice.
“Rubio is a four star chef. You are a three star chef,” Athena said. “For once just chill out and be the one at the other end of service.”
“It’s not exactly easy,” she said. “It’s like telling Mel Gibson to take a back seat in some low budget production.”
“And I am assuming in this case you are Mel Gibson and this place is the low budget production?” she smiled.
“Precisely,” Carla nodded.
“Again I say, Rubio four stars and you three stars,” Athena said again.
Carla shrugged again.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said.
“Actually, it does. That one star is the very reason why…” Athena shook her head. “I am not having this discussion anymore. This is not the reason why I brought you here.”
“Yeah, you mention the celebratory mood you are in,” Carla said. “What is this about? Did you get a promotion or something?”
Athena smiled.
“You could call it that.”
“Wait, there is something different about you,” she said. “You are not so uptight anymore. It’s like…you are glowing or something.”
“Glowing, really?” Athena asked and Carla nodded.
“I’m not sure if that is it but I think it is,” she said. “I just….I just can’t put my finger on it. But you come clean first and then I will bite your head off about why you were unreachable the whole weekend.”
“I’m sorry about that…my phone…” Athena started.
“Was off. I know. I tried it like seven million times.” A smile played on Athena’s lips.
“Alright here goes,” she started. “The reason you couldn’t reach me is…I was with Evgeni,” she finally said.
“Hot billionaire Russian dude from the benefit?” she asked and Athena nodded. “Holy shit, you got your groove back.” There was a certain excitement in Carla’s voice that Athena never knew was possible.
“You don’t have to say it like that. It’s not like I’m Stella or anything,” Athena said.
“I don’t care. You’ve been holding out for the last two years…” Carla started.
“Two years, two months,” Athena corrected her.
“Well that is still a hell of a long time to go without getting laid,” Carla said before she leaned forward. “So, how was he?”
Athena blushed.
“Amazing!” she said in a whisper. “And he is hung…like seriously hung. Plus he said that it had been long for him too but it didn’t feel like it. He was slow and gentle and passionate…” she sighed as her cheeks flushed even more. “I never thought I would feel like that with anyone else after Evan.”
Carla looked at her and smiled.
“Look at you, glowing in your post coital glory.” She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “My little girl is all grown up now, huh?”
Athena smiled and nodded.
“I guess you could say that.”
“Wait, so…I couldn’t reach you for a whole two days,” Carla started matter of factly. “You were there all this time?” Athena nodded. “How much sex can someone have?”
Athena laughed.
“Apparently, a lot.”
“And you are not sore?” Carla asked and her friend shrugged.
“I thought I would be but I am actually fine. I could go on if time allowed it,” Athena said.
“Whoa, nympho much?” Carla asked. “And to think, I can never go for more than two rounds at a time. Hank would love for me to have stamina like yours, that’s for sure.”
Athena laughed.
“Remember when you first hooked up with Hank and all you guys did was fuck?” she asked and Carla smiled. “At the time I was wondering where you got all that strength from.”
“In my defense, I hadn’t had sex in nine months,” Carla pointed out.
“Well, in my defense, I had not had sex in two and a half years,” Athena said.
“Seriously? I thought it’s just been two years and two months since Evan’s…you know,” Carla said and Athena nodded.
“It has but at the time, we agreed that he needed something to look forward to. So four months before the wedding we stopped having sex,” Athena said.
“Four months? Are you kidding me?” Carla asked as the waiter came back with their food and wine. “That was a whole new definition of strong, if you ask me.”
Athena smiled sadly.
“And we almost made it too,” she said as she took her glass and raised it. “To a good memory, one of the best memories I have.” Carla nodded and picked up her own glass.
“And to you finally moving on,” she said.
“To me finally moving on,” Athena said as she clinked her glass with Carla’s before she took a long sip of her wine.
“Holy shit, that waiter was right,” Carla said. “What wine did he say this was again?”
“Savannah Red,” Athena said as she took a sip of her own wine. “This is good.”
“I know. I should start serving this at my restaurant,” Carla said before she took another sip of her wine. “Maybe I might just get that one star to match this Rubio…” Her voice trailed off when Athena put up a finger.
“Will you just shut up about this silly competition?” she asked.
“Fine, I’m sorry.” Carla took a bite of her food and for a long minute she was quiet.
“It’s okay. You can say it,” Athena said before she took a bite of her food.
“Say what?” Carla was taking another bite.
“That pasta and Rubio’s special chicken cordon bleu is deliciously perfect,” Athena said and Carla shrugged.
“It’s not bad,” she said.
Athena smiled. She knew that there was no way her best friend was going to admit that her competition was as good as she was, let alone better.
“So, my best friend is fucking Russian billionaire Evgeni Markovic. What are the odds?” Carla asked.
“It’s more than just sleeping together really,” Athena said.
“Really? Your feelings for him are that strong?” Carla asked and Athena shook her head.
“I’m scared because I don’t know him that well but I just don’t know…I just don’t know.”
“Don’t over think it. Just go with the flow,” Carla said and Athena nodded, smiling. “What?”
“He told me some things about him and then he told me he was falling for me,” she said.
“Why do you always end up with the whirlwind romance stories?” she smiled and Athena shook her head.
“I guess that the universe just sees me as a whirlwind romance kind of person,” she said. She took another bite of her food and saw a man walking towards them. He seemed to be in his fifties or perhaps older and he was walking right towards their table, smiling at her. There were two more men walking behind him wearing dark glasses and black suits. It was as if he was some kind of celebrity or important person she should have known about because those two men seemed to be his bodyguards or something of the sort.
“This guy walking towards us,” Athena started.
“Which guy are you talking about?” Carla asked and Athena gestured behind her. Carla turned around just as the man approached their table.
“Can we help you?” she asked when the three men got to where they were.
“I’m sorry,” the old man started with a smile. “I was just walking out and then I noticed you and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I know you from somewhere.”
Athena shook her head.
“I’m sorry…but you don’t look familiar,” she said politely. She could not help but notice the strange accent in his voice. It was like suddenly her life had become a magnet for men with strange accents.
“I know but….I’m not saying that we have met or anything but…wait a minute.” He reached into his pocket and the two ladies watched as he typed something on his screen. “I knew I had seen you somewhere. This is you, right?” he held his phone in front of Athena. It was an article about the benefit at the Aquarium.
She smiled. She didn’t think the benefit’s success had actually warranted an article that mentioned her in person. She was actually embarrassed with herself for not knowing about the article earlier.
“Athena Davis, from GoCreative? Right?” the old man asked again and Athena nodded.
“Guilty as charged,” she said and the man sighed.
“What are the odds that I would come all the way from Ireland just to bump into the one person I need?” he asked and Athena raised an eyebrow over the other.
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“I am a businessman and I am supposed to be holding a cocktail party for a new partnership deal I just closed in a few days but I just don’t have a good events coordinator I can entrust this thing to.” He looked at her. “And my assistant did her homework and told me that GoCreative is one of the best, if not the leading party planning company in Virginia. But she also mentioned that I would need to work with an Athena Davis.”
Athena smiled.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said in a soft voice.
“Are you kidding?” Carla asked looking at Athena. “The man came from Ireland to find you. Plan his damn party.”
Athena smiled and the man nodded.
“Wise woman. I would listen to her if I were you,” he said with a smile.
“My best friend, Carla, who also happened to cater the benefit at the Aquarium,” Athena said.
“I just hit the jackpot then,” the man said. “Please ladies, make this Irish man happy.”
Carla looked at Athena and then at the man.
“I go where she goes,” she said.
“Then you are the defining word here, Miss Davis. Tell me you will plan my party,” the man said. “I will make it worth your while.”
“I am not a free agent, like Carla. You still have to go through GoCreative,” Athena said.
“Then I will come to GoCreative and specifically ask for you,” the man was persistent. “And if you agree to plan my party, then I will even throw in an extra ten grand for you personally and of course another ten grand for your friend.”
“Whoa,” Carla said in a whisper.
“Sir, you don’t have to…” Athena started before the man shook his head.
“If it’s not enough, I can always give you more. I just want the perfect party.”
“No, it’s not that…it’s already too much,” Athena said as she looked at Carla.
“Please, Miss Davis, I need someone like you…no, I need you,” the man said and Athena shrugged.
“Well, alright then,” she said smiling. “Mr…ahem…”
“Cromwell,” the man said as he handed her his card. “Isaac Cromwell.”