"And what do you suggest I do, oh great wise one?"
Valentin's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't listen to me if you don't want to. I've only watched a decade of girls come and go from here. You think Eva wants to be a soloist? No. She's happy where she is. She dances in the corps because she loves it. You, you are different, and you need to take more of a risk. You want me to talk to your director, I will talk to your director. I will get you a leading role by next week if you want that."
I gritted my teeth, all but shaking with fury. "No. Don't you dare." I didn't want anything just because he'd pressured people to get it. I wanted to get where I got on my own merits.
"Well then, you'd better do something about it yourself."
Maybe he was right, but after that little lecture I wasn't going to give him the pleasure of kissing him. Even if he was right about some of it, he wasn't right about everything. What did he know about the structure of the dancers in the theater and how they got their positions? And what did he think, that I could just walk up to the director and demand a leading role when I'd barely been in the company for a full month?
Maybe that worked when you were in the Bratva and you got your way by flashing cash and threatening people with guns, but that wasn't how the ballet world worked at all. Not for one single minute.
I shook my head, too furious with him now to even want him close.
"I'm going home now. Good night, Valentin."
"Mia-"
I didn't stick around to hear whatever else he might have had to say. I was back out of the front door and jogging down the steps to the floor below with a deep ache in my chest. Because he was right about what I wanted, and he was right about Eva and maybe even Maria, and I didn't know how to solve the problem on my own.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Mia
I went to bed fuming, glad that the next day I would have a full day away from the theater so I wouldn't have to deal with seeing the bodyguards again, or thinking too hard about whether Valentin was right about my career.
Eva took me to Gorky Park and we spent the morning strolling around, soaking up the spring sunshine. It was exactly the outing that I had needed and I was glad that she had suggested it. The place reminded me of Central Park back in New York and it made me think of home, and how far away I was from all of my family.
I hated fighting with Valentin. He'd texted a dozen times, apologizing in so many ways, but I hadn't known what to say in response.
Halfway around the park, Eva dragged me into a little cafe and ordered tea.
"Sit down. Tell me what is going on with you? Today is meant to be fun. Look, it is a beautiful day!"
"I know. I'm sorry. Valentin and I had a fight last night, that's all."
She took a sip of her tea and nodded for me to continue. It didn't take much for her to get me to tell her everything. Except for the stuff about the bodyguards, because I didn't want to freak her out.
She shrugged. "He's right, you know. I never wanted to be a soloist. I like the corps. I always wanted to dance on stage as much as possible, and I don't care about anything else. Sometimes I like to push myself and take on a solo as well, if there is the opportunity, but it's not feasible long term because you can never let go of your duty to the corps. Mostly, I like to help bring people on and make sure that we are all dancing our best. I like to be part of a team. You… I think you are different Mia. Don't hate Valentin for seeing that."
I let out a heavy sigh, nursing my cup between my hands. I'd always known it was going to be difficult, but I'd really thought that I was going about this the right way. "Well, you can't just start off as a soloist, can you?"
Eva laughed. "It depends how much money you need to live on. But no, seriously, you would move much faster through the ranks if the directors and choreographers saw you as an individual the way they do Maria, rather than just another girl in the ranks. It is worth considering."
My phone beeped again, letting me know I had another message and when I checked the screen it was from Valentin. Again.
"He says he wants to take me out this evening, as an apology. That he knows he crossed a line and he'd have reacted the same way if I told him how best to do his job." My heart clenched. I couldn't have wished for a more perfect man. What was I doing giving him the cold shoulder?
Eva looked at me and took another sip of her tea. "And what are you going to tell him?"
I exhaled heavily and unlocked my phone to type out a reply. "That I'm sorry too. And I'd love to go out with him tonight."
Eva beamed. "Good. I think that is the best plan."
There was a package waiting for me when we got in from the park after lunch and Maria rolled her eyes when she handed it to me. "You might want to tell Valentin that I am not your personal servant to be taking all of your deliveries."
Eva gave me a wide eyed look behind her back as Maria flounced off back to her bedroom and closed the door solidly behind her. I couldn't stop myself from giggling.
"I think that she is jealous," Eva said. "Yuri never brought her gifts. What do you think it is?"
The box was large but light and I shook my head. "I have no idea. He really didn't need to do this."
Eva shrugged, quirking her lips into an excited smile. "But he did. And now you have to open it!"
I laughed at Eva's enthusiasm and let her drag me through to my bedroom where we both flopped down onto my bed.
The box was in two parts and I took the lid off to reveal tissue paper which I tore into. Inside the folds was a beautiful pale dress. Classy and elegant, and from the label, very very designer. "Oh my God."
I held it up against myself, turning to look in the full length mirror, and Eva let out a laugh and clapped her hands. "Oh my God. He's going to take you somewhere really fancy."
I looked back over to her, suddenly realizing what she'd said. "Do you think so?" The thought kind of filled me with terror. Despite all the classical ballet, I wasn't exactly a fancy kind of girl. I was pretty positive I'd wind up embarrassing myself.
"Why else would he give you a dress like this? Do you have shoes to match? A handbag?"
"Uh…" I frowned at her, already turning towards my closet even though I knew I had nothing even remotely classy enough. Whenever I had money, it all went to dance shoes or clothes for training. I had too many pairs of split-soled sneakers and not enough pairs of heels. Not that I'd ever really needed any, apart from for character dancing lessons.
Eva rolled her eyes at me. "Are you telling me that you have never had a nice man take you out to a nice restaurant?"
I wrinkled my nose. "I was kind of busy, back home, with all the dancing. And anyway, who would have taken me on a date? I mean, you know what ballet boys are like."
Eva snickered. "They will compete with you over who eats the fewest lettuce leaves."
"Exactly."
"Well, lucky for you, I have the perfect pair of shoes. I think that we are the same size. And you can borrow a handbag to match. And you will look beautiful."
"Oh, thank you Eva, so much. That's amazing."
She grinned. "It's not so amazing. You will have to find out if he has a single brother, or a cousin… Perhaps a very handsome friend…"
I giggled. "I will do my very best, I promise. You're a really great friend."
"I hope so. You are a nice girl, Mia. It is good to see you starting to figure out what you really want out of being here, and seeing you enjoy yourself. No one can dance properly well when they have no experience to influence them."
I pressed my lips together, thinking of Valentin. "You know, you're not the only one who's told me that lately."
"That is because I am right."
Valentin
I regretted our argument as soon as we had it. Maybe I should have followed Mia out into the hall and dragged her back inside my apartment, but I knew the benefit of allowing someone to cool down. The fight was the part that I regretted, but I didn't doubt that I'd said what Mia needed to h
ear. She was far better than the role in the Bolshoi company that she had taken on, and unless she started believing in herself she wasn't going to do anything other than work herself into the ground, trying to take on too much.
All the same, my mother had taught me well, and I wasn't too proud to apologize as many times as I needed to in order for her to accept it. Not a single part of me thought that this was something that might be the end of us. A simple fight couldn't erode what we had together and I didn't think that Mia thought it could either. At least, I didn't until she gave me no response at all.
I knew she had a day off, and I saw that she had certainly received the messages, so why wasn't she responding, even if just to tell me to get lost? By mid morning, I was at the point of physically tracking her down, and finally her reply came through.
Forgiveness, as though I had ever doubted it would be. The air rushed out of my lungs, taking with it all the tension in my shoulders. Viktor raised a brow at me, and I shook my head, pocketing my phone again.
"I nearly lost something very precious. Remind me not to act as though I have all the answers in the world."
Viktor laughed. "I'm sure you didn't do that."
"Maybe not. It doesn't matter now, anyway."
"It's good that it is all sorted now."
"Nearly." Until tonight I wouldn't know for sure whether Mia was still licking her wounds and holding what I'd said against me. But I didn't think she was the type to hold a grudge. I'd have to change my tactics and find a way to support her dancing career, however she decided to pursue it, even if it pained me to watch her work herself so hard.
Being there to support her was the only option. As far as I was concerned, we were together now, and that wasn't ever going to change.
I knew Mia would look good in the little white dress I had picked out for her, but when she walked into the lobby, all of my expectations were exceeded. Strapless, it showed her bare shoulders to perfection, just the way a tutu did, but there was no ballerina here. The sweep of the skirt clung perfectly to her hourglass shape, making her look classy and grown up, and fully the woman that I knew she was. It was all I could do not to drag her right back to the elevator and take her back up to my apartment.
But I had promised her a night out, and that was exactly what I was going to give her. Even if I had to ignore the dull ache of my balls needing release from the multiple times I was going to get hard around her. Already my cock stood to attention at the sway in her hips as she crossed the room towards me, and I momentarily regretted just how short the skirt was.
I should have picked out a floor length dress with a skirt full of ruffles and a neckline that went right up to her chin so nobody else could look at her. But then I wouldn't have the thrill of everyone knowing the most beautiful woman in the room was mine.
"You look beautiful," I told her, meaning every single word as I took her in my arms, and kissed her with as much restraint as I could muster. "There's only one thing missing."
From my jacket pocket, I pulled out a jewelry box and snapped it open to reveal a golden key shaped pendant, with a heart shape as the top, encircling a diamond. The whole thing was suspended on a thin chain, and I knew it would look perfect nestled just below her collarbone.
"Valentin, it's too much!"
I shook my head at her objection. "It's not enough. Turn around. I will put it on you."
I would never get enough of the way her skin flushed when I paid her a compliment. She glanced back over her shoulder at me as I came in close holding the necklace open. She met my eyes and I knew that whatever had passed the night before, things were going to be okay between us now. "It's lovely."
"The key to my heart. It had to be yours." I grinned, leaning down to dust a row of kisses along the sweep of her shoulder, making her skin goose pimple beneath my touch. She shivered lightly, sweeping her hair out of the way of me doing up the catch and she glanced over her shoulder again at me with the most perfect smile. Happiness made her glow, lighting her features from within and I knew right then that wherever our relationship took us, I had no option but to make her mine. My instincts were never going to let me simply let her go.
"Where are we going?" she asked as I took her arm and led her out into the night air to where Arkadi had a car waiting for us.
"One of our nightclubs. Tonight you get to see the other side of my life and what it is to be part of the Bratva in this city. It's not all bad, I promise you."
Mia grinned, and stretched up on her toes to kiss me. "I never said it was. I can't wait."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Mia
Like a total gentleman, Valentin opened the car door for me, and I slid across the leather seat into the back of the limo to make room for him next to me. I'd never been inside the kind of car that had deeply tinted windows at the back and a screen between us and the driver, let alone a minibar fridge.
"Wow."
Valentin pulled out a couple of glasses and popped the top on a bottle of champagne, and I giggled as the ridiculous luxury of all of this hit me. "Do you do this every time you go out?"
"Usually, I don't go out, except for business. But now I have you to go out with, and that's worth celebrating."
I laughed, thoroughly flattered, but knowing from the intensity in Valentin's eyes that he really meant it. Maybe he should have been smooth and full of lines that no one could trust just because he could have had any woman he wanted in Moscow, but I knew he wasn't like that. He was sincere and passionate and protective, generous and kind, and the more time I spent with him, the more I realized that he truly wanted me to be more than just some girl on his arm.
He valued me enough to tell me that I wasn't striving for enough in my career; to tell me the truth even when it wasn't something I wanted to hear. I hoped that I could do the same for him some day, and make him realize that I cared just as much about every part of his life as he seemed to so quickly care about mine. For now though, all of that felt too deep to vocalize, especially when tonight was clearly supposed to be about having fun.
I smiled at him and raised my glass. "I'll drink to that."
Going out to clubs wasn't something I'd really had time for back at home, but I realized as soon as we pulled up outside Red Square, that it wasn't the kind of place I ever would have been let into on my own.
This was no standard nightclub with girls in party wear lining around the block to get in. The doorway wasn't even obvious, and there was no line at all, just a beefy looking bouncer who looked like he'd stepped straight out of an '80's action movie and was ready to whip some nunchucks out of the back pocket of his suit pants if anybody tried to start any trouble.
Valentin got out first, offering me his arm to help me out of the car - which I was grateful for once I figured out that teetering on Eva's borrowed heels was a whole lot more complicated than walking on tiptoe because the soles of the shoes were too rigid to let me properly feel the ground. I felt like a celebrity being walked into some exclusive venue when Valentin nodded to the bouncer, and he unhooked the velvet chain strung across the entrance to let us pass.
This wasn't the world I was used to, but I could get used to the glamor of it if I had to. Already I had noticed several people taking pictures of us, and there was a low level hum of chatter that started up around us as Valentin walked us in towards the bar.
The place was beautiful, decked out in expensive looking wooden veneers, with low pendant lights and marble surfaces everywhere, giving it a decadent retro vibe. It was clear that no costs had been spared in putting it together. Around the bar were plush, high walled booths, where there were a variety of Moscow's wealthy elite all having a good time.
Towards the back there was a roulette wheel and a table with a dealer, where people were playing blackjack. I tried not to let my jaw hinge open as I looked around, but I was half expecting a Bond villain to step out from behind a velvet curtain, clutching a large, fluffy Persian cat.
"This place is amazing. You
run it?"
Valentin shrugged. "It's one arm of my personal business ventures."
"Wait, personal? I thought it was all… " I dropped my voice, glancing over my shoulder to check no one was close enough to listen in. "Bratva."
Valentin laughed. "Mia, my darling. Money in, money out, it all jumbles around. I get paid the same as anyone else does, and I have access to our… specialized accountants, to help me make the best use of my assets."
I bit my lip, still a little confused. "So, it is Bratva?"
His smile glinted. "It's a very gray area. Purposefully so. Who is to say?" He signaled the barman, and ordered cognac for himself and some kind of cocktail for me.
My eyes lit up when I saw it - a raspberry concoction with egg white frothed to a sugary thickness swirled through it. "Anna Pavlova. I had the barman invent it. After our most famous ballerina. She already has a dessert, so why not a cocktail too?"
I laughed, taking my first sip and closing my eyes in delight. "It's so good. You really had them invent it?"
"Why not? I will get them to invent a Mia Peterson, and it will be even more popular. A sensation. Just like you."
I dusted against his arm in a playful shove and he leaned in to kiss me, his lingering lips promising all the hot, dirty things he was going to do to me when we got home. I loved that he never hesitated in showing the world just how much he wanted me.
I knew I wasn't the only one to appreciate just how gorgeous he looked in his dark, tailored suit and slim fitting shirt that clung just enough to show the bulge of his muscles that all his hard work against the punching bag in the mornings helped him to carve out. I could feel so many eyes on me, and when I looked up, sure enough, there was more than one catty glare darted in my direction from a perfectly made-up face.
I didn't care. Valentin was mine, and I knew he'd never wanted any of them. These model-worthy sex symbols didn't even turn his head, because his eyes were all on me and I knew they were never going anywhere. And knowing that was the sexiest thing in the world.
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