Dimitri (17 page)

"It's good to see you again, Benita." He smiled
knowingly at Dimitri. "Especially in these circumstances." Nikolai
took his seat. "It's your first time at Samovar?"

"Yes."

"I hope you've enjoyed yourself
tonight."

"I have. Everything was wonderful."

"Good." Nikolai sat back and shot a playful
smile Erin's way. "How are the Russian lessons coming along,
Erin?"

"Vivi is quite the taskmaster. She'll have me
fluent by Christmas."

Nikolai laughed. "I have no doubt."

His gaze skipped to just over Ivan's shoulder.
I noticed the briefest glimmer in his green eyes as Vivi approached
the table with a big tray balancing on her palm. Curious, I sneaked
stealthy glances at his face as Vivi placed my dessert plate and
Erin's on the table.

While she set down shot glasses in front of
each man and a bottle of chilled vodka in front of Nikolai, he
reached into the inner pocket of his tailored suit jacket and
retrieved a lighter and pack of cigarettes. I was a little
surprised to see them. I didn't even know if it was still legal to
smoke inside an establishment.

Before he could light up, Vivian deftly swept
the cigarette from his tattooed fingers and the gleaming silver
lighter from the other hand. She shot him a look of consternation
and dropped the contraband into the front pocket of her starched
white apron.

I held my breath in fear for her. She'd just
taken something from the most dangerous man I'd ever met. As if
proving the point Lena had sort of jokingly alluded to last night
while we drank wine and chatted, Nikolai simply pursed his lips and
let it go.

With a satisfied smile, Vivi turned to the rest
of the table. "Can I get anything else for you? No? Okay. I'll be
back in a bit if you change your minds."

Nikolai poured the chilled vodka into Dimitri's
glass and then Ivan's before filling his own. The men shared a
traditional Russian toast before tossing back the fiery contents of
their shot glasses.

"So, Benny, Dimitri tells me you're considering
a new location for the bakery." He touched the table near my hand.
"Is it all right if I call you Benny?"

"All of my friends call me Benny and I hope
we'll be friends so yes." I picked up the dessert fork on the edge
of my plate. "And, yes, I'm probably going to be forced into
relocating."

Nikolai shot Dimitri a meaningful look. "That
Jonah Krause is a slippery man." His gaze fell on me again. "You
should make sure you have a good lawyer before you sit down with
him to negotiate. I'm sure Yuri can recommend someone."

"Dimitri and I discussed that last night. The
situation is slightly more complicated now so I don’t think I have
much of a choice when it comes to involving a lawyer."

Erin's expression morphed to one of sad
understanding. "Johnny?"

I nodded. "It seems he's already been in talks
with UpStreet Properties."

"I'm so sorry, Benny. It's the worst feeling in
the world when you realize a sibling has done you
dirty."

If anyone could understand how torn I felt, it
was Erin. When I'd heard the gory details of the way her sister,
Ruby, had started a gang war with her boyfriend, I'd nearly died.
It terrified me and left me so worried for Johnny.

"I might be able to help ease the transition,"
Nikolai interjected. "One of my best customers is a real estate
agent who deals mostly on the commercial side of things. He has a
listing for a building that would probably meet your needs. It's
not far from where you are now and in a growing
neighborhood."

Growing neighborhood was realtor code for high
rents and high sale prices but it was the only lead I had so I
thanked him. He reached into the other side of his jacket and
withdrew a pen and business card. After jotting down a name and
number on the back, he handed it over to me. "He'll be expecting
your call on Monday."

I noticed the way the blocky style of writing
so neatly mimicked Dimitri's. To be bilingual was hard enough but I
couldn't imagine doing it when there two totally different
alphabets at play.

"Oh. Um. Okay." I slipped the card into my
clutch. Dimitri gave my thigh a reassuring squeeze under the table.
His handsome smile made my tummy flutter.

As Nikolai slid his pen back into place, he
glanced at a table off to the right that had been getting louder
and louder as the evening progressed. The rowdy group of men stuck
out among the Saturday crowd here at Samovar. Upon arriving, I'd
noticed the restaurant drew a heavy local crowd and a lot of
families. It was obvious the restaurant had a great deal of loyalty
among the Russian ex-pats living in Houston.

But those guys? They looked like the typical
businessmen on an out-of-town trip. They'd ordered an obscene
amount of caviar early in the night and seemed to be draining vodka
bottles as quickly as Vivian could replace them. Where our table
had sampled and savored the best the menu and the chef had to
offer, those men were pounding down the delicate meat-filled
dumplings and blinis as if they were cheap fast food.

Nikolai wore a tight expression when his
attention returned to us. I sensed he was close to having the men
tossed out of his establishment.

The conversation at our table quickly turned to
an upcoming fight. Apparently it was some kind of championship
match and Ivan's fighter was heavily expected to win. The men slid
into Russian so easily and without even realizing it. Erin rolled
her eyes at me across the table and we shared a secret
smile.

While the conversation swirled around me, I
tucked into my dessert. As promised, it was perfection. The sponge
was ever so moist and the cream light and whipped and flavored
exquisitely. I wanted to run back into the kitchen and shake the
pastry chef's hand…and ask for some tips on achieving such heavenly
sponge.

I was reaching for my glass of water when I
spotted Vivian approach the rowdy table. She plastered that sweet
smile on her face but I could read her body language. The men were
getting on her nerves.

My eyes widened when one of the men dared to
put his hand on her lower back. She stiffened and pushed his hand
away from her body. When she bent to slide a tray of drinks onto
the table, the same groping bastard reached under her skirt. I
gasped loudly and drew Nikolai's attention.

In the blink of an eye, Nikolai was on his feet
and striding toward the offensive man. He moved so fast and with
such determination. Beside me, Dimitri swore softly and rose out of
his seat. Across the table, Ivan did the same. It was as if both
men anticipated a brawl.

All eyes in the restaurant seemed glued to
Nikolai now. He grabbed the man by the scruff and hauled him out of
the chair. Nikolai bent his head and whispered in the man's ear.
Whatever he said made the drunken lout's eyes flash with fear. He
winced as Nikolai's fingers tightened on the back of his
neck.

A moment later, the jerk stammered, "I'm sorry.
I'm really sorry I disrespected you."

Face red with the humiliation of being groped
so rudely, Vivi nodded tersely but didn't say anything. Nikolai
shoved the man's head down low, bending him at the waist. With his
other hand, Nikolai gripped the guy's wrist and pulled it into the
small of his back. Contorted in a stress position, the man walked
awkwardly in the direction Nikolai steered him. He used the man's
head to whack open the double doors leading to the
kitchen.

Slowly, the restaurant returned to normal.
Dimitri and Ivan shot one another concerned glances but slid back
into their seats. The kind, elderly gentleman who served as the
host stormed over to the table where the other men sat in stunned
silence. He slammed down their ticket and spoke a few harsh words.
They practically jumped out of their seats and ran toward the front
to settle their bill and leave.

When Nikolai reappeared a few minutes later, he
ran a smoothing hand down the front of his shirt. His square jaw
visibly clenched as he crossed the restaurant. Stopping near
Vivian, he spoke softly to her. She nodded and the tiniest smile
ghosted across her lips. I caught Nikolai wink at her before he
made his way back to our table. Vivian followed a few steps behind
him.

Erin reached for her hand. "Oh, honey, are you
okay? Do you want me to send Ivan after him? He hasn't punched
anyone in a few weeks. I'm sure he's dying to get it out of his
system."

Vivian laughed and glanced at Ivan who
playfully put up his fists. "No, thank you. I'm okay."

Her gaze skipped to Nikolai who looked calm and
cool despite having just thrown a man out the back door of his
restaurant. Apparently he'd earned some brownie points because she
reached into her apron and withdrew the cigarette and lighter she'd
confiscated earlier.

The grim line of his mouth lifted slightly as
he allowed the barest hint of a smile to brighten his face. He
accepted her gift but didn't light up. Instead, he held her gaze as
he returned the lighter and cigarette to the pocket where he'd
earlier stashed them.

Erin and I made eye contact. Her eyebrows rose
ever so slightly and I knew she'd be on the phone to Lena the
moment we walked out of the restaurant.

"Vivi, what time do you get off work
tonight?"

Before Vivian could answer, Nikolai said,
"She's off now."

Vivian frowned at him before glancing back at
Erin. "Apparently, I'm off now."

Erin laughed. "Come out with us."

"Where are you going?"

"To Faze," she said. "It will be
fun."

Vivi made a face. "You know Lena won't go
there. Tonight's her only night off in weeks. I don't want her to
be alone."

Erin made a frustrated sound. "I'll call her.
She'll come."

"Well…"

"Vivi!"

"Okay. I'll come." She checked her watch. "It's
going to take me a while because of the bus schedule on
Saturday."

Nikolai said something to her in Russian and
Vivian frowned. She started to reply but Nikolai gently cut her
off. Annoyance written all over her face, she nodded.
"Fine."

I glanced at Dimitri who slid closer as Vivi
and Erin made plans. His hot breath tickled my ear. "Nikolai told
her to have Sergei drive her. She didn't want to take a car but he
wasn't asking."

Clearly I wasn't the only one dealing with a
bossy Russian man in my life!

* * *

Half an hour later, Dimitri gripped Benny's
smaller hand and led her along the edge of the sidewalk lining the
night club. Ivan walked a few feet ahead of them, his arm securely
wound around Erin and hugging her tight to his side. The line
outside was so long it curved around the building. Frustrated
would-be revelers were crowded tightly into the space between the
velvet ropes.

When it became clear that their small group
would get to jump the line, loud grumbling erupted from the crowd.
Some jostling near the front caught Dimitri's eye. Quickly, he
swept Benny in front of him and stepped to her right, putting his
body between hers and the irritated crowd. Even with his best
bouncers working security, fights often kicked off over the dumbest
things. He didn't want Benny anywhere in the danger
zone.

Kelly Connally, a former Marine and one hell of
a bare-knuckle fighter, hopped the velvet rope and ran
interference. The big bull of a man drove the rowdy, slightly
drunken crowd back into line. They backed up quickly and quieted
down. Dimitri caught the younger man's eye and nodded his
approval.

At the door, Big V, the first bouncer he'd ever
hired, held court. With his shaved head and barrel chest, Vincent
didn't have to put much effort into intimidation. No one argued
with him when he turned them away from the door. Beneath that
frightening exterior, he was a damn good guy.

But he had a reputation as something of a
lady's man. And there was one type of woman that Big V absolutely
loved.

Grinning wolfishly, he grinned down
at Benny. "
Oye,
mamacita
, you're looking fine
tonight."

Obviously uncomfortable, Benny stiffened but
smiled up at the giant bouncer. "Um, thank you."

Fully aware the massive giant had a penchant
for tiny, curvy women like Benny, Dimitri scowled at Big V. His
conquests were legendary but he wasn't about to try his game on
Benny. He held the bouncer's gaze and made sure the man understood
that Benny was off-limits. He didn't want to spend the whole night
worrying about Big V sending free drinks and swag Benny's way.
She'd be flustered by it and wouldn’t be able to enjoy her
night.

Big V's eyes widened as he realized Benny was
his. The bouncer lifted his hands in understanding. "Sorry, boss.
We cool?"

With a stiff nod, Dimitri slid a protective arm
around Benny's waist. She glanced up at him but he just shook his
head and indicated she should follow Ivan and Erin.

When they stepped into the bustling, noisy
club, Benny instinctively pressed closer to his side, seeking his
heat and his protection. He dipped his head and brushed his lips
across her temple. The club scene wasn't her scene but she'd never
experienced it the way she would tonight as Yuri's
guest.