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When I was with Duarte, I only had dark circles. I would have to put so much makeup underneath my eyes just to make it appear like I wasn’t exhausted all the time. But here, I don’t have to do that. I rest peacefully, more than peaceful, actually.
I don’t need to put any makeup on, but I’m finding that I like to apply it. It’s almost like makeup acts as a mask for me. A mask where I can protect myself. I grab my bag and pull out some primer, foundation, bronzer, and then some eyeshadow and mascara. As I’m dabbing the foundation on my face, Nazyr’s reflection appears in the mirror.
“I’m glad I caught you. Care to go out for a night on the town?”
“Are you asking me out on a date?” I poke fun at him as I finish the last bit of my foundation and dab the beauty blender along my face to make sure I don’t have any lines.
“Look at you, making assumptions,” Nazyr playfully replies, and I start putting my bronzer on, then blend it in. “You know you don’t need any of that shit. You have natural beauty, Med.”
A warm feeling swarms through my stomach, and I look into his eyes in the mirror. “I appreciate you saying that, but I’m doing this for me, not for anyone else.”
“Fair enough. Since you’re doing your makeup, why don’t we head to a club? It’s been a while since I’ve been out on the scene, and I think you might enjoy it quite a bit.”
I immediately giggle. “Nazyr, I’ve been clubbing before. Sure, it’s been years, but I’m not an absolute loon.”
“Perfect, then you know what to expect. I bought you a couple of dresses today that you might like, so check them out and meet me downstairs in ten minutes?”
“Yeah, I can do that,” I answer, and soon enough, Nazyr leaves the doorway of the bathroom. Once I’m finished with my makeup, I head out into the bedroom, and the dresses he’s referring to are lying on the bed. One is an emerald green crisscross lantern sleeve dress that stops a couple inches below my ass. If I bend over in that thing, it will give everyone an eyeful. The one beside it is a pink sequin halter dress, and I’m certain it’s about the same length. The last dress is a bit tamer than the others. It’s a baby blue ribbed sweater dress that stops at the knees.
I always wore super revealing clothes with Duarte simply because he wanted to show me off to his friends. He wanted to brag about me in a sense, taunt them with the fact he could have me, and they couldn’t. I always hated dressing so sexily in his presence. Though, with Nazyr, it’s the exact opposite. I love to dress sexy for him because I’m infatuated with the man beyond belief.
I settle on something a bit more daring, so I pick up the pink sequin dress and throw on a pair of gold heels, find a small crossbody wristlet that matches my heels, then head down the stairwell.
Nazyr’s already waiting on me, and the second he hears my heels clacking against the hardwood, he turns his gaze to me. A smile pulls at his lips, and I smile in response, knowing he’s damn happy to see me.
“Did you already have a place in mind?” I question him as I reach the bottom of the stairs.
“I do, yeah,” Nazyr tells me. He loops his arm in with mine, and we head out through the front door, where Paulo is already waiting for us. Paulo drives, almost as if Nazyr has told him where we’re going.
We’re in the car for about ten minutes before Paulo pulls down an alleyway. I look over at Nazyr nervously, not sure why we’re pulling behind the building versus getting out in the front, where I know we both saw a line of people. He smirks at me. “Don’t worry. You’re going to like where I’m taking you,” Nazyr promises, and Paulo pulls the SUV up against the side of the building. We all exit the car, and Paulo follows the two of us. He’s hot on our heels, but I get the feeling he’s trying to give us some alone time as well.
We enter the club, but as Nazyr opens the door, I notice we’ll be heading down a steep set of stairs. On either side of us, the walls are made of brick, and I’m not sure how old the building might be. It looks pretty old, from my viewpoint, but Nazyr is the professional when it comes to architecture and history here in Grozny.
We keep going down the stairwell, and as we get closer to the bottom, there are blue and purple flashing lights. The beat of the music grows louder as well, and a man stands behind a podium sort of station as we reach the bottom. “Mr. Umarova, it’s nice to see you again. Care for your usual booth?”
“That would be great,” Nazyr tells the man, and the man nods, then motions for us to follow him.
Nazyr holds my hand tightly, and we make our way through the crowd. Bodies are shoved against bodies, grinding up against one another. Some are making out with their dance partners, and I wonder if they’re complete strangers or if they’re dating like Nazyr and I are. I suppose it doesn’t really matter, but I find this sort of thing interesting, to say the least.
The man leads us up one set of stairs, and when we reach the top, there’s a small area with a booth that overlooks the dance floor. “I will have someone up here shortly to get your food and drink order.”
“Thank you, Matteo.” Nazyr knows the man by name, so he must have come here quite a bit in the past. I know that Nazyr was quite a party boy. I think it’s obvious, plus I’ve gotten some input from his sister and his sisters-in-law.
Paulo leaves the two of us alone and stands by the entrance of this VIP area. Nazyr and I take a seat, and we barely have our asses on the cushions when a woman in an all-black ensemble comes walking over. Her hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she looks at Nazyr and then over at me.
“What can I get for the two of you today?”
There’s a fake smile plastered on her face, and I can’t tell whether she just doesn’t want to be waiting on us specifically or if she’s had a really crappy day.
Nazyr puts in an order for food and drinks, and the woman tells us she’ll be back when it’s all ready. The music floods through the space, and it’s so loud that Nazyr and I are practically screaming every time we speak. We’re not discussing anything too important, but I find myself laughing at how ridiculous we probably look right now. One thing I love about Nazyr is how every single time I laugh, he looks at me like I’m the most beautiful woman in the world.
Our waitress comes back up to us and places our drinks on the table, then tells us she’ll be back upstairs shortly. I take a sip of my drink, and Nazyr does the same with his own. The two of us chat, but it isn’t about anything too important. I asked him if he’s been here a lot or if it was a place he’s come to a couple of times. He tells me he would frequent this bar a bit, which I already assumed based on him knowing the one man’s name.
“So, why did you really take me out tonight? Was it really for a date, or are you trying to distract me?” I don’t know if I’m going to get any sleep at all tonight. I keep thinking about seeing my little girls, and the thought completely lights up my world. I just want them to be back in my arms. I hope they know I haven’t forgotten about them. I wonder what Duarte said about me. Did he tell them I left? Did he tell them I died? Whatever he said, I won’t be surprised. Duarte is the type of man who will do whatever it takes to make himself look good.
“A bit of both. I know your mind is going to be running a mile a minute today, and I figured this would be a good opportunity for us to distract ourselves. We both have a big day tomorrow. Are you going to be okay going to Portugal with Lom?”
I don’t have much of a choice in the matter. “Yes, it’ll be fine. Plus, you need to be in London. You already said if you’re not there, it’s going to look suspicious, so I’d rather be apart for a couple of days. Especially if it means getting the girls out of there.”
