The World in Reverse (31 page)

             
Ivy stuck her head inside and watched him sit on the end of the bathtub and run her water.  She could tell that he was putting on a façade for her, trying to make her feel better and not worry.  But it was not working. “Nicky, you’re entire career has been about doing the right thing, the hones thing, and upholding justice.  Are you going to throw it all away now?”

             
Nicola looked down into the tub and wade his fingers through the stream of hot water.  “You can spend your entire life doing the right thing and not making a damn bit of difference in the lives of people who need you.  Or you can do the wrong thing and change people’s lives for the better for the rest of their lives.  The hardest part of that kind of decision is to make it.”

             
“And you've made it?” Ivy asked quietly.

             
Nicola didn’t answer.  Standing up, he walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a large towel.  “Let me ask you a question?”  He closed the cabinet back and walked with the towel over to her.  “Do you feel safe right now?”

             
“Do I feel safe?” she asked, confused.

             
“At this moment, are you afraid for your life?” he asked.

             
Ivy shrugged. “Yes, I feel safe.  No, I’m not afraid for my life at this moment.”

             
Nicola pulled her shirt up above her head and took it off.  Her long hair spilled over on to her bare shoulders.  Looking down at her small, swollen bump of a stomach in sheer wonderment, he cleared his throat and kneeled to kiss her slightly protruding belly button.  “All that matters is that you feel safe,” he whispered, kissing her belly button.  “Because if you feel safe, then she feels safe.”

             
Ivy rubbed the top of his head adoringly.  Even in the middle of thunderous storm in their life, they still found a minute to be together.  As he looked up, brown eyes burning through her, she knew that everything would be okay. 

***

              The
something
that Dmitry Medlov was doing that prevented him from receiving the Agosto family when they arrived at his mansion was not entertaining guests or being boss of a multi-national crime organization.  He was on foot duty. 

             
On the long sofa in the entertainment gallery of the west wing with the door closed and some sappy love story on the huge television mounted up on the wall across the room, he massaged his wife’s aching feet after being in stilettos all night while she rested back in the nest of pillows and sipped hot tea.

             
With not a care in the world, they sat quietly under the dim lights, in a near trance as the world moved around them.  With his large thumb, he pushed into the middle of her foot and massaged the sides with his fingers.  Every once in a while, he would glance down at her perfectly painted toes and make sure that he wasn’t hurting her.

             
She lay opposite him on the custom-made leather sofa sectional.  With her designer cocktail dress pushed up on her thighs and her panty hose on the floor beside them, she fanned her hair out of its bun and yawned.

             
“I am happy for Anatoly with the new baby, his engagement to Renee and all of his success, but I’ll be so glad when this wedding is over,” his wife, Royal said, moaning as he hit a tender spot in her manicured foot.  “Lower, baby.”  Her eyes rolled. 

             
Dmitry obeyed.  Moving his hand, he cupped her foot at the heel.  “Right there?” he asked, kissing the side of her arch.  He didn’t feel the need to comment on her comment, especially since she was such a gracious host to the entire wedding party, but in truth, the traditional wedding hoopla didn’t bother him.  He rather liked it, considering that it was so new to his normal way of life.  “You just need to be relaxed,” he finally said. 

             
Be relaxed? 

             
Royal raised her head slightly at Dmitry’s suggestive tone. Her pouty mouth covered in the stain of expensive crimson-colored matte lipstick opened, pearly white teeth exposed and another gasp leaped forward.  “Yes, right there,” she whispered.  Staring down at him, she watched his eyes become hooded, gleaming back at her like light blue crystals.  Swallowing hard, she opened her legs a little wider so that he could see her red lace panties under the slip of her crimson-colored dress.

             
Dmitry wasn’t bashful about his beautiful young wife.  Running a hand from her foot down in between her thighs, he found himself aroused by the wetness waiting for him. 

             
She wiggled her foot into the opening of his crisp white dress shirt, ran it over the elaborate star tattoo on his shoulder and placed the ball of her foot over his heart.  Feeling it thud, she smiled deviously.  The Harry Winston diamond necklace he had given her just a month ago gleamed in the darkness creating a spectrum of brilliant lights across the room. 

             
“I’m sure that I can find a way to make you enjoy your stay here.”  Licking his heart-shaped lips, he yanked her body towards his. 

             
“And how do you plan to do that?” Royal asked, sitting up in his lap.  She pushed her legs around him and pushed down on his snake-like erection.  Raking her hand through his blonde curls mixed with just a hint of grey, she sucked on his bottom lip. 

             
Dmitry cracked a smile. “There is nothing better than a woman who knows when to carry herself like a lady.”  Kissing her neck, he slipped a hand under her dress and moved her panties. “And when to act like…” He eyed her mouth, watching the excitement in her boil over.  She pulled at his belt until she unlatched it, then stuck her hand down in his pants.  Warm, engorged flesh begged to be free. 

             
“I’m going to ride you right here,” she said without smiling. 

             
“Alright then,” he said, resting his long arms back on the sofa.  “I’ll leave you to it.”  Raising his hips, so that she could pull down his pants, he prepared for his own idea of a late night snack when the door suddenly opened.

             
Anatoly walked in quickly and looked over at his father and stepmother, realizing that he had just interrupted something serious. 

             
Dmitry didn’t even bother to look back at his son.  “This better be important.”

             
“The package is here,” Anatoly said, avoiding eye contact with Royal who had slinked into the curve of her husband and hid her body.

             
Dmitry raised his hand to dismiss his son.  “Let them wait.  I’ll be there shortly.” Right now, he had more important things to handle, like the hard on nestled in between his wife’s thighs.  He heard Royal giggle.

             
“You too are like kids,” Anatoly said, rolling his eyes as he walked out of the door.  Locking it behind him, he heard Royal laugh aloud as he walked with his men down the hallway.

             
Now Royal was curious.  As Dmitry slipped his long member inside of her, she lifted his chin.  “What package?” she asked, pulling him out. 

             
“Royal,” Dmitry growled. “Not now.”

             
“What package?” she insisted.

             
“The Agosto family.”  Immediately he saw the concern on her face. 

             
“The cop who was after you and arrested me?  The guy that beat that thug up?” She grew more and more intrigued with each nugget of information.  “And his wife?  He’s married?”

             
Dmitry chuckled.  “
Da
, is that disappointing?  Are you interested in him?”

             
Royal smiled. “No, but I want to meet
her
.  I want to see what kind of woman married Nicola Agosto.”  Though she could not deny that he was an exceedingly attractive man, over the years she had come to find law enforcement officers abhorrent.  Maybe she had been brainwashed, but maybe she was just in love with a seven-foot, blond haired, blue eyed, billionaire, mafia Adonis.  Either way, she was certain that her husband would indulge her, if she asked the right way. 

             
“I don’t want you to,” Dmitry said, wishing that they could get back to their original plan.  They had spent far too much time discussing this man.  “They have too much baggage right now.  They should be quarantined like a disease until I figure out what exactly to do with them.  Besides, I don’t think that they are presentable from what Boris said on the way back from their burned down home.”

             
“I want to meet them, Dmitry.” She insisted like a child begging for a toy.  “Please.” Her voice was softer.  Slipping him back inside of her, she couldn’t help but gasp.  She remembered a time that she would have wondered why the house was burned down and why they were there, but she had learned over the years not to be surprised by anything that happened here. 

             
Dmitry could not deny Royal much of anything, no matter how ridiculous her request.  He knew that he spoiled her far too much but he enjoyed it.  Unzipping her dress, he palmed her breast and kissed her neck.  “Fine, but later.  Right now…”

             
A smile crossed her lips now that she had yet again gotten what she wanted.  “Right now, I’m going to fuck you,” she said, finishing his sentence.

***

It was nearly an hour and a half before anyone came to collect Nicola.  Led by two men, one in front of him and one behind him, he was escorted down to the main floor and into the solarium where Anatoly was playing cards with Gabriel.  The room was filled with cigar smoke and covered in beautiful exotic flowers and plants. 

             
Anatoly looked up from the table for only a second, making sure to cover his hand.  “You play?” he asked Nicola.

             
“What game?” Nicola asked. 

             
“What game?” Anatoly shook his head.  “Poker.  What else?”

             
Take a seat at the wooden table opposite Anatoly and Gabriel; he looked around for the fourth player. 

             
Gabriel pushed the vodka bottle to him.  “We’re waiting on Dmitry,” he said, looking at his watch.

             
“Do you have somewhere to be?” Anatoly taunted Gabriel.

             
“No,” he said, shortly. 

             
“Your girlfriend is upstairs, sleeping in your bed.  Yet, you act like you want to get out and see someone else…and I don’t think it’s about money.  You’re acting like there is some other woman on your mind.” He touched his temple with his index finger.

             
Gabriel ignored him. “If you don’t drink vodka, there is plenty of dark liquor back there on the bar,” he said to Nicola.

             
“I’ve never been in a solarium equipped with a bar before,” Nicola said, standing up.

             
“We’re getting ready for my wedding,” Anatoly said, laying down a card. 

             
Nicola grabbed the entire bottle of Honey Jack Daniels and brought it back with him.  Opening the top, he took a large gulp straight from the bottle and set it beside him.

             
Gabriel snickered. “That kind of day, huh?”

             
“Yep,” Nicola answered.

             
When Dmitry walked into the room, the guards who were just relaxed and talking among themselves suddenly went rigid.  Standing up from their chairs, they posted up in their positions and became silent.

             
With a distinct swagger in his long stride, he made his way over to the table and sat down in his chair in blue polo and jeans.  Unfortunately, Anatoly knew why his father had been tardy to their meeting and why he had suddenly had to change his wardrobe.  Ending the game in the middle, he collected all the cards.

             
“Bring me a shot glass,” Dmitry said without taking his eyes off Nicola. 

             
Immediately two men walked over to the bar.  Nicola watched in amazement.  Did this man ever have to do anything for himself?  He looked across the table at Dmitry and shook his head.

             
“I do hold my own penis to piss from time to time,” Dmitry answered, reading Nicola’s mind.

             
“Good to know,” Nicola said, taking another swig from the bottle.

             
Anatoly shuffled the cards and then took a swig of his beer.  “So, papa wants to talk business with you,” he said.  Putting the cards down so that Nicola could cut them.

             
“So I gathered,” Nicola said gruffly. 

             
“We just saw each other what…four hours ago,” Dmitry said with a curious look on his face.  “I didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”