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“He’s just left about ten minutes ago.”
“Did …Uhm, was he okay when you got back last night?” I asked hesitantly.
“He was working in his office and I went straight to bed. This morning he’s been acting like nothing happened as usual. Flowers adorning the lounge, chocolates on the table, jewelry on the pillow, you know the usual suck-ass apology gifts,” she replied.
The dancing feeling in my guts swirled into simmering anger when I envisioned Max trying to creep his way back into her good books, touching her, kissing her. I would give my right arm to have the chance to beat ten bells of shit out of him, just once. Just once would be all it would take to put the prick in hospital. I pushed the taunting thoughts of his hands touching her from my head and made a mental note to never buy flowers, chocolates, or jewelry in the future for Raine. I’d stick with Russian gifts of affection. Things that would make her smile and she’d remember each one for a specific reason.
“Anyway, the reason I’m calling you, is about tonight.” Something in her voice made my anger now give way to concern. Was she calling because she had changed her mind? Did she not feel comfortable spending the night?
“What about it?” I rasped. I heard my voice crack and prayed Raine hadn’t heard it.
“I won’t be able to make it, I’m so sorry, Nikoli.”
“You can’t make it or don’t want to make it?” I asked sharper than I intended.
“I understand you’re mad. I want nothing more than to be with you tonight, but I physically can’t. Max has one of his colleague’s wives coming over to babysit me whilst he’s out of town,” she explained, “I’ve been racking my brains all night for a plausible excuse to get out of it, but I can’t.”
My brain was struggling to digest what she was telling me. I was crushed. I stood on the sidewalk grasping at the neck of my top, I felt like I was being strangled, like all the Manhattan air had suddenly turned to dense smog and was stifling my breathing and crushing my chest. I knew I wasn’t being fair. It wasn’t her fault she had to cry off. A week ago, I knew she was married, but I still went after her. I knew it would be hard to spend time with her, but it didn’t put me off, but what I didn’t know was how much of an effect this woman was going to have on me. How much I was going to crave to be around her.
“It’s fine, honestly. It can’t be helped, maybe another time?” I asked casually, trying to keep the crippling disappointment from my voice. We said goodbye and I ended the call unable to continue talking for fear of making her feel worse than she already felt.
I strode back into the restaurant in a daze. Pulling out my wallet, I yanked out a load of bills and dropped them onto the table and grabbed my coat from the back of the chair. I just wanted to go home and drink myself into a stupor.
“This is on us,” smiled Hetty as she held the money back out towards me.
“No. Russian tradition is that the birthday person is the one that foots the bill for birthday parties, meals and the like. This is on me,” I replied in monotone as I threw Petra an apologetic look. She smiled and stood to give me a kiss on the cheek.
“I’ll see you later, Niki,” she said with a stern look like our mother used to given us when we were kids. With her parting words to me, I half smiled, turned, and left, already knowing I had no intentions of meeting up with them all later for drinks.
After going home, I spent over two hours venting my anger on the punching bag in the communal gym in my apartment block. I’d had a hot shower in a bid to ease the tension that was vibrant throughout my body, and now dressed in black satin lounge pants and nothing else, I was currently pacing around my apartment, drinking vodka straight from the bottle.
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Raine’s cancellation had affected me more than I thought possible. Her staying over had nothing to do with getting intimate with each other, but it had everything to do with holding her in my arms, falling asleep next to her, having her company for one whole night, and now I was alone, miserable and wallowing in self-pity.
Grabbing the matches, and cradling the vodka bottle in the corner of my arm, I lit some candles, switched on some low, smooth sounds of R&B on the CD player and after knocking out the main lights, I stretched out on the couch and tried to relax. I could hear my cell vibrating on the kitchen counter and I knew it was either Petra or Jared calling to see where I was. I ignored it. Ten minutes later there was knocking at the front door. I ignored that too, until the persistent knocking began to grind on me.
Dragging myself to the front door I swung it open as I took another swig on the vodka. Letting go of the door I rubbed my eyes in case I was seeing things. There she still stood, her hair curled and flowing over her shoulders, her face painted with minimal makeup, baring a wide smile, and she looked stunning. “Raine?” I whispered. She barged passed me, leaving me stood at the door baffled by her appearance. “What are you doing here?” I asked shutting the door.
When I turned around to face her, her coat was unbuttoned and it was sliding back from her shoulders to reveal her sexy body encased in black skin-baring, lacy lingerie. My eyes popped out on stalks, my jaw hung low to the floor, my dick exploded to life in my pants and I lost my grip on the vodka bottle as it dropped to the floor. I was completely enthralled at the sight of her.
“I’ve brought you your birthday gift,” she announced with her hands on her hips and a sinful smile.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE.
I stood with my heart beating at a tremendous pace, my hands sat on my hips, a sheen of sweat built up as I waited nervously for him to say something, anything. He stood like a giant statue staring wide-eyed at me. I was struggling to read his expression. I couldn’t work out if he liked what he saw or if I was making myself look like an idiot. I swallowed hard and my confidence started to shrink under his scrutiny. My hands slowly fell from their stern grip. Embarrassed, I clasped them in front of my body shyly. I was grateful that his apartment was dimly lit, helping to hide the red hue currently spreading across my cheeks.
“Say something,” I whispered. I lowered my gaze to the floor, unable to look his way a moment longer. I waited out the silence contemplating doing a cut and run at my idiocy, when he finally spoke.
“I..I… can’t,” he rasped in a whisper.
Pulling my bottom lip into my mouth, I silently nodded and bent down to the floor to retrieve my coat. Mortification washed over me and a pool of tears started to form at the corners of my eyes as I slipped it on and pulled it around me. I didn’t realize Nikoli had moved until I felt his hands-on mine, pulling back my coat with force and pushing it from my shoulders. “Please don’t,” he whispered.
Confused, I raised my head to look up at him, I was unprepared for the onslaught his lips bestowed upon mine. His hands clutched my hips and pulled me in against his muscular body, my arms slid around his neck and I melted under his gentle, seductive touch. He kissed me as if I was all his, taking possession over all my senses and I could feel the stirrings in my groin ignite.
“What are you doing here?” He whispered when his lips finally detached from mine and slowly made their way along my jaw.
“Savannah cried off, she has been sick most of the day and wanted to stay at home.” I let out a small moan when his hands left my hips and roamed down to cup and squeeze my naked behind.
