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She sits down, starts on her list, and I return to my financial reports. Evgeni stands close by until Tori finishes her list and hands it to him. I wave my hand. “She can use her laptop. Just install the security software. You understand that it’s a necessary precaution.”
"I understand,” she says quietly. “I know I have to prove myself to you.”
My heart beats fast in my chest, and I want to tell her I already believe her, but it would be foolish, especially in front of my cousin. I look at him. “Get the stuff as quickly as you can. I want this sorted out as soon as possible.”
“Yes, boss,” Evgeni says, hurrying out.
Chapter 10 - Vittoria
As I work through the contracts, my mind keeps returning to the shower and how he touched me. I’m not complaining. That was one of the most incredible sensations I have felt without a vibrator.
I hope he didn’t figure out this was my first time being touched by a man. God, I would be mortified if he found out I’m a virgin. He’ll probably laugh at the idea, and I don’t think I can handle that.
When Ivan pops his head into the room, I get a slight fright and then smile shyly.
“It’s dinner time. You can carry on tomorrow,” he says to me, motioning for me to follow him.
I shut down my laptop and make sure everything is neat and tidy for tomorrow. I follow Ivan to the dining room, and as we’re about to sit down, Anastasia pops out of her room and goes to him, kissing his cheek. “I’m going out partying with some friends. I’ll try not to be in too early.”
“Have fun, and please be careful,” Ivan says, looking at her meaningfully.
“I always am,” she sing-songs as she prances out of the apartment. I sit down at my seat and wait for Ivan to start eating before I start on my food. I’m pleasantly surprised at the everyday meals we eat, considering everyone who works here is Russian. Perhaps they’re just trying to accommodate me, I don’t know.
Ivan is quiet as we eat, and when he suddenly speaks, my head snaps to attention.
He chuckles, “you’re very jumpy.”
“Call it a character quirk. My brother would jump out at me a lot and scare the bejesus out of me,” I explain.
“I just wanted to know if you don’t miss going out. Don’t you miss spending time with your friends or partying?” he asks, cutting up his food.
I pick at my food. “I’ve never really been one to party. I don’t have any people I can really call friends, so I guess I just skipped that part of my teens.”
“You sound too old for a twenty-three-year-old,” he comments to me, and I smile broadly.
“Hardly. I’ve just always been the responsible one. Luigi was a golden child to my parents, and my sister became pregnant in college and got shipped off. No one really paid attention to me because I’ve always been independent and able to take care of myself.”
Ivan sets his cutlery down and looks at me pensively. “Why don’t I take you out to the theater then? There’s a beautiful Russian play on nearby. We won’t be out late.”
I feel so shy when he’s nice like this to me. “I… Okay, why not? That could be fun, though you might have to tell me what’s happening.”
“I will,” he says. “Change into something a little more formal, and we’ll get going. I just have a few business calls to make before we leave.”
I nod, and as soon as I’m finished eating, I select one of the dresses Arina purchased for me. The left shoulder is covered, but the right is bare. It clings to my figure, and at my hips, it flows out just a little. I put on high heels and some of the new jewelry.
When Ivan walks in to change, he pauses for a moment and drinks me in. I feel shy, but at the same time, I feel beautiful. I wait in the entrance hall while he changes, and when he comes out in a tuxedo, I’m floored. This man, my husband, is so damn sexy in so many ways. His salt-and-pepper hair and beard don’t bother me at all. In fact, I think he’s so much more handsome than some of the younger guys.
We arrive at the theater, and everyone mingling outside seems to know Ivan, respectfully inclining their heads in his direction as he escorts me up the stairs. A few females whisper to themselves as they look at me, and I feel more than slightly awkward.
Ivan isn’t bothered at all. He doesn’t even present tickets. He just sweeps me through the crowd and up some more stairs until we’re in a private box close to the stage. I look around and feel so out of place. There are other boxes with couples who I’m sure are more important than me.
Once everyone is settled, the play starts, and I’m immediately lost because it’s all in Russian. Ivan chuckles next to me, to my right, and leans in, whispering the story to me. The two lovers have known each other since childhood and always knew they would be together. The evil antagonist is a third person from their childhood who has always wanted the girl.
The play goes on about how the evil antagonist tries to get rid of the hero so many times until finally, he rises to a position of power and sentences the hero to exile in Siberia. The woman is distraught, so she kills the antagonist in the hopes that she will be exiled as well. Instead, she is hung for the crime, and when the hero returns from Siberia, he finds she is dead and impales himself on a sword.
I can’t help the tears that well up in my eyes as I listen to the detailed description of the story, and Ivan offers me a handkerchief to dab at my eyes. The final song of the play sounds so forlorn, and Ivan smiles. “It ends with two new lovers coming together and promising to love each other forever, even in death.”
I see to the side a third actor and ask, “Let me guess, it suggests history may repeat itself.”
