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As he pulls me up, I curse my stubborn streak because right in that moment, I wanted him more than air.
We leave the movie theater and head to another room that is filled with people, causing me to blink in surprise. It’s a restaurant of sorts, with tables set around a huge space with white tablecloths draped over them. The tables are full of men, chatting and drinking, and they don’t even gaze in our direction at all as we move through the tables to a vacant one set at the end.
Alexei holds out a chair and I sit, grateful for the comfort it brings as my legs still haven’t recovered from his assault on my senses.
As he drops down into the seat in front of me, a waiter appears with two menus.
“Good afternoon, sir, madam.”
He hands me the menu and I resist giggling because this is surreal. I stare out of the window at the clouds we fly among, and the sun lights the top of the wing, reminding me reality is just below us.
Alexei pours us both a glass of wine that is nestled inside a bucket on a stand beside the table and as I lift the cool sparkling glass, he touches his to mine.
“To wild adventure.” He says with a grin, and I nod. “I’ll second that.”
The wine is as delicious as my companion and as soon as I make my food selection, the waiter retreats, leaving us to stare at one another across the table.
“This beats first class.” I say, gazing around me with admiration, and he nods.
“It’s the only way to travel.”
“Yet you were prepared to slum it in first class with the peasants. Why?”
I’m curious about that. “Why not just delay your meeting?”
“Because business comes above my comfort.” He shrugs, sipping the wine.
“Oh yes, the business.”
“Oil?” I tip my head to one side, and he nods.
“Oil, diamonds, and steel. I dabble in it all.”
He sets the glass down and stares at me with interest. “So, continue your story, little one. What is your family business?”
There it is. The million-dollar question and for some reason, I’m done with pretending. It’s as if I can trust him, I don’t know why and so I take a deep breath and say sadly, “Drugs, extortion, prostitution and gambling, to name just a few.”
“Mafia?” He raises his eyes and I nod miserably. “That’s the word.”
To my surprise, he doesn’t even blink and just raises his glass to mine and whispers, “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Good.”
We take another sip and then the waiter appears with a salad of seafood for each of us that looks incredible.
Alexei says with pride. “I have a Michelin star chef who travels with me. This is when my money counts for something amazing.”
He grins as I stare at the food in wonder. “You are very lucky, although my grandmother’s cooking is hard to beat.”
“Tell me about your family.” He says conversationally, and I’m guessing he is only being polite.
“My grandparents raised me and my two brothers when my parents split up. My father was more interested in his latest mistress and feathering his own nest to be concerned about the one he abandoned.”
“That surprises me,” he says, shaking his head.
“Why?”
“Because the mafia is big on family. I understand how it works and to go against your own doesn’t lead to a healthy life.”
