by Raven Rivers
Days dragged into weeks as Mishka continued to live with Bethany. They ate together, shopped together, and talked together. He drove her to work every day and waited patiently for her to finish at each location. Rather than feeling uncomfortable, Mishka was good company, and she relaxed into having him with her.
He spent the Fourth of July holiday visiting her parents with her. Everyone in her family loved some Mishka. He felt like the brother she never had.
One thing worried her about her sweet bodyguard. Anyone could see he was lonely. The man needed a woman and a life of his own. He would be a fabulous catch for some lucky lady. This was supposed to be a regular job for him where he could go home at night and have his weekends free. How was the man ever going to get a life if he spent all his time protecting her? Bethany had never felt she needed protection before, but lately she felt eyes on her.
***
Her neighbor, Kristen, called when the kittens were born. She set up a time for Timur to see them at her place. When he arrived in his ridiculously expensive three-piece suit, Bethany almost laughed. His curious eyes crawled over her place, looking intently at her family photos. His eyes got big when he saw a photo of Bethany and her sister, Stephanie.
“You have a twin?” Timur was every the observant one.
“Yep. Stephanie is an archeology professor and I’m accountant. Though we look alike, we couldn’t be more different.”
“You home is very…pastel.”
“It’s what happens when women live out all their decorating fantasies with no one around to object.” Gesturing down to her cat, she explained. “It’s just been me and Frisky for years.”
Looking at the animal curiously, he murmured, “I see.”
“Well, now you know how the other half lives.”
“Your home is much cozier on the inside than the outside would suggest.”
“Is that a compliment? I can’t quite tell.”
“Certainly. You home is warm and inviting in a feminine sort of way. I can just see a little one crawling around.”
“Don’t start, Timur. I’m not calling Valisy back. I’ll run out the year, but I don’t need that kind of grief.”
He picked up her solid black ball of fluff and stared the cat in the face. His eyes were so intent it made Bethany wonder what he was thinking. He settled Frisky on his lap before looking up at her.
Petting the cat lovingly, he spoke. “I actually agree. Valisy shouldn’t have taken time away from his new bride to see to the feelings of dear friend. God knows the woman has problems. She was abandoned at an orphanage as a child, left to fend for herself for years before we took her in, struggled with drug addiction, and had to do things you and I can’t image to survive. Even though he has known her for twenty long years, doesn’t mean he should leave you on your own for an hour like that. It was totally unforgivable. If I were you, I wouldn’t ever speak to him again. After all, what’s there to say? There is no excuse for such behavior.”
Bethany closed her eyes. The old man had a way of cutting straight to the chase. Opening her eyes again, she watched disapprovingly as he rubbed her fat cat across his cheek.
“Who knew felines were so soft?”
“Fine, send him on back. Poor Mishka can’t spend every waking moment with me. It’s robbing him of having a life.”
“Well, I’ll pass along your message, if you are certain. I wouldn’t want to pressure you.”
“Oh, give it a rest. I already said yes. Tell him to put his stuff in the spare room and don’t talk to me for a while. I’m still peeved, though now I feel like crap about it.”
Timur patted her arm soothingly. “Do not worry, dear. I already talked to him about how thoroughly unreasonable women can be, especially around their time of the month. He totally understands.”
Her eyes flew open. He did not just say that out loud. The old buzzard was heading the right way to get a smack across the head. “You guys really don’t know a single thing about women, do you? It’s no wonder your men get taken advantage of so often.”
Mishka threw in his two cents worth. “Valisy will forgive you. He is good man.”
Bethany rolled her eyes. “We’ve got an awful lot of Valisy fanboys round these parts.”
Just then there was a knock at her door. Her neighbor was another middle-aged professional who had cats instead of kids. She heaved a cardboard box onto the kitchen table and began pulling out kittens. Timur held onto Frisky for dear life as he surveyed the tiny balls of fluff. “I can’t have a kitten. I need a cat.”
Kristen tried to explain, “They grow into cats in the blink of an eye.”
“No, absolutely not. No evil villain was ever seen petting a kitten. It’s emasculating. I won’t do it.”
Kristen’s eyes got big. Bethany made the crazy sign with one finger against her temple and took Timur aside for a private conversation.
“Do you or don’t you want a kitten? They grow up real fast. If you take one, it’ll grow into a cat in no time.”
He held Frisky close to his chest. “I have a brilliant idea. I’ll just take this cat, and you can grow a new one. See, he loves me.”
Bethany took the little turncoat out of his arms, sat her on the floor, and gave her a little push. “He’s a she, and she’s mine. You have to grow your own. That’s how this works. Every evil villain started with a kitten. Trust me on this.” Now there was something she never thought she would say. The whole situation was getting more absurd by the moment.
He huffed, exasperated. “Their claws are tiny. They can’t even scratch furniture properly. I don’t have time—”
Bethany shot him her death ray look and he grudgingly caved. “Fine. Help me select an evil one.”
Bethany stared at him a brief moment shaking her head. “What is up with you and your neurotic need for an evil cat? You’re making next to no sense.”
She pulled him back over to the table and they began sorting through the tiny bundles of fur. The mother had given birth to a large litter. There were seven in all. Timur began putting them back into the box as he narrowed his selection. First, he put the calico and the gold dusters back, then the greys. He was left with two cats. One solid black one like Frisky and the other nearly snow white. He seemed to be studying them intently. Bethany could not fathom his thought process on this one.
He asked Kristen, “Which of the two is more evi—” He stopped when Bethany shot him another exasperated look. He began again with and exaggerated smile. “Which is the nicer cat?”
He wasn’t fooling anyone. Since coming right out and asking for an evil cat was getting him her censure, he was going about it in reverse. If only the man was half as clever as he thought he was. Her father had an expression for situations like this. He would always say, “I’d love to buy him for what he’s worth and sell him for he thinks he’s worth. That would make me a tidy profit.”
Kristen answered thoughtfully, “Now that you mention it, the white one may look like an angel, but she acts like a little devil. She nipped at my niece and scratched up my furniture…”
Bethany saw the old man’s eyes light up. “She damaged your furnishings? At such a young age? She’ll be a real handful when she’s grown.”
“The little spitfire scratched it badly enough that we had to replace the entire living room suite…”
“Enough small talk. I’ll take the white one.”
The petit blonde seemed happy to be rid of the devil cat. However, she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off Mishka. He picked up the black one and stared into its eyes. The little kitten licked his nose, put her paw on his face, and meowed at him. He looked at Bethany and she motioned for him to cuddle the kitten on his chest.
Timur was wrestling his around as it tried to get a good scratch in.
“I hope she doesn’t pee on that jacket of yours,” Bethany warned him as diplomatically as possible.
“Oh, I am certain she will. She’s evil, like me. She will damage many things before it’s s
aid and done.” The happiness in his voice was sharply at odds with his words.
Timur was one strange little man. She’d give him that.
When they were all gone, Bethany sat on her sofa watching Mishka play with his kitten.
“I’m glad you got yourself a pet, Mishka. Cats are good company.”
“I got this little one for a friend.”
“Anyone I know?”
He looked uncomfortable. “I do not wish to say. You will not approve.”
“He’ll love it and you for giving it to him.”
“He is a ‘she’.”
Bethany frowned. The only ‘she’ they knew together was Dina. Bethany truly hated the thought of that woman getting her hooks in a gentle giant like Mishka. She would really do a number on him.
“You know, Mishka. Some women aren’t as nice as they seem.”
“The one I care for is sweet, like you. She speaks my language and says loving words to me. I do not feel so foolish around her because she understands all my words.”
“If things go bad, don’t blame yourself, okay? Remember, I am always here if you ever need to talk about anything at all.”
“You are a nice woman, Miss Bethany. I hope you do not come to hate me for my choices.”
“Mishka, that would never happen in a million years. I love you like a brother.”
The big man’s eyes got moist and he opened his mouth to speak. They were interrupted by a soft rapping on the door. Mishka gently put the kitten down and went to the door. He always answered the door after dark. It was kind of his thing. Bethany could hear him talking.
“Hello, boss, I am glad you are back where you belong.” The rest of the conversation slowly transitioned into Russian. Valisy came into the room and dropped a bag on the floor as Mishka picked up his kitten and headed for the door.
Bethany reminded him gently, “Don’t forget to let me know if you need anything at all, Mishka. I wish you the best of luck with your new romance. You deserve to be happy.”
“Thank you, Miss Bethany. I will remember what you have said. It is nice to have a friend to turn to.”
As soon as the door closed behind Mishka, Valisy spoke. “Would you mind telling me what that was all about? I’m reasonably certain Mishka doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
“Well, he says he does. He says she speaks his language and says sweet words to him. He insisted it was someone I know, but probably wouldn’t approve of. Sound like anyone you know? Someone who’s had her hooks in each of you at one time and is apparently going after Mishka now?”
“You are mistaken. Dina wouldn’t take advantage of him that way.”
“How could you possibly know that? Because she is so far beyond reproach, or because you have been with her yourself over these last few weeks so we can rule her out? Steiv already told me how she played you all off against each other until you were beating the hell out of each other.”
He opened his mouth to speak and closed it again.
“You know, I really don’t want to do this right now. Grab some space in the spare room and give me a few days.”
“If you don’t want me, why did you agree for me to return?”
“I didn’t start this little dance. You still seem to be dancing the same jig as you were the night I left you at the bar. I may be mistaken about many things, but I’m not mistaken about your attachment to that woman. If you think so much of her, feel free to go flying right back to her. Unfortunately, I have to see this situation through to the end. If you will excuse me, I’m rather exhausted. I think I’ll turn in for the night.”
Bethany lay on her bed, thinking the situation over. What had she really expected? That Valisy would come rushing back into her and apologize for chasing after other women on what was essentially their honeymoon? She reluctantly admitted that some part of her had been hoping for just that. It now seemed more like a childish fantasy than something a grown woman would pin her hopes on.
It was clear that regardless of how worthy or unworthy Dina was, she owned some part of Valisy’s heart and soul. He just couldn’t resist running after her and jumping to the woman’s defense. Where did that leave her? It left her clearly in second place, that’s where. Somehow it didn’t feel right to share his heart with another woman.
She suddenly sat up in bed. If Dina did have his heart, they were probably physically intimate as well. That thought hadn’t really occurred to her until now. It would definitely explain why he felt reasonably certain Dina was not romantically involved with Mishka. As much as it hurt, it made sense. She rolled over, grabbed a pillow, and cried herself to sleep. One night of tears, and tomorrow she would buck up and keep it moving forward. Ten more months and she would get her life back. Ten more months and she could be happy again. She fell asleep thinking, just ten more months. Then visions of his hauntingly beautiful ice blue eyes rose to the forefront of her mind. The thought of never seeing them again was pure torture.
Chapter 13
Revelations
~ Bethany ~
She woke the next day, put a smile on her face, and went out to have breakfast with Valisy.
“So, what’s on the agenda for today?”
“Timur would like us both to visit the outskirts of town with him. He is thinking of purchasing a new enterprise.”
“Tell me it isn’t an abandoned warehouse or something like that.”
“It is apparently a hydroponics factory or farm. A place where they grow vegetables in huge vats of water. He thinks it will be very profitable to grow organic foods for the nicer restaurants in the area.”
“Interesting. Remind me to tell him he needs to plant some catnip as well.”
“Yes, I was present when he brought his little hell kitten home. He explained how he was going to grow it into an evil cat and warned us that she would probably destroy all his furniture. I don’t know quite how to say this, but he has been slowly slipping into crazy ever since Miss Jade left him.”
“Interesting. Who is Miss Jade?”
“She runs an antique shop near his home. She is the one who helped him outfit his entire home with antiques from all over the world. I don’t know how he stands to live there. It feels like a museum. She was his constant companion for about two years.”
“Wow, is constant companion secret Russian code for girlfriend?”
“I know he really loved her, but for some reason he just never moved their relationship to the next step. I suppose she got tired of waiting and parted ways with him. It affected him.”
Bethany burst out laughing. Once she got started, she couldn’t stop. She laughed so hard tears were running down her face.
Valisy shook his head despondently. “I think knowing me has changed you, Bethany. You would never have taken so much pleasure in another person’s misery before. Perhaps I should move back in with Timur. I do not feel I am a very good influence on you.”
She smacked her hand on the table in a vain attempt to regain control of her laughter. “Don’t you see what he’s doing?”
He stared at her blankly. “Bethany, I’m really exhausted from worry. I haven’t really been eating or sleeping very well. Would it be possible for you to just tell it to me straight?”
“Timur is preparing to begin courting Miss Jade again. I talked to him about how any woman would be lucky to have him when we danced together. I think it got his wheels turning. Don’t you think it is suspicious that he suddenly has a hankering for a cat, then went out and got the most poorly behaved one he could find? You weren’t here. He actually asked which kitten was the most evil. The man was positively gleeful when Kristen told him the little thing had already inflicted significant damage to her furniture. Put it all together. If his furniture gets damaged, who will he rely upon to help him replace it?”
Valisy huffed out a relieved breath. “Thank God. I really thought he was going crazy.”
“Crazy like a love-sick silver fox, maybe. We should pay Miss Jade a little visit.”
“We should not interfere in Mr. Timur’s personal affairs. It is very disrespectful.”
“What’s the harm in meeting her? Let’s just see if she is still unattached. See if she has positive things to say about Timur.”
“I do not think this is a very good idea.”
“Well, I’m going with or without you. You in or out, big guy?”
“Won’t you even consider not meddling?”
“After the way he forced me to get hitched to guy who has the hots for another woman?” Tilting her head, she stared him down as her voice turned icy. “Not a chance.”
“Bethany…”
Holing up on hand, she interrupted him. “I’m really not in the mood to hear any more about what an upstanding bitch Dina is, so stow it.”
Glancing aside, he tossed his napkin down onto his plate. “Neither myself nor Dina is anything approaching upstanding. We were orphans together. I think of her as a sister.”
“Have you ever slept with her?”
He froze a brief moment before answering. “Yes. Occasionally we have been together in that way.”
“Lately?”
Locking his jaw, he replied, “Not since I became your husband.”
“Let me get this straight. You and Dina grew up together. You slept together off and off, for years. She lost her mind when she found out we were married and ran off crying her eyes out. You left me sitting all alone the day after we were married so you could go chasing after her and make sure she was alright. You forgot about me for over an hour. And now you are trying to tell me you think of her as a sister. Is that correct?”
“You would not understand even I could find the words to explain it to you, Bethany.”
“Now, why wouldn’t I understand? I’m just plain, simple-minded Bethany, right?”
“You are innocent about sex.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Sighing, his shoulders straightened. “For nice people, sex is about romance and love and pleasure. For people who have lived through hell, sex can soothe a tortured soul. It can be proof that someone in the cold, dark world cares enough about you to soothe your pain.”
