The Russian

by Isabella Laase

  “What do you think?” he asked, pointing to the mirror over the dresser. “Do you want me to call the salon?”

  The stranger who faced her in the reflection left her speechless. Her hair was twirled into a classic French twist to highlight the dangling teardrop diamonds surrounded by a ring of blue sapphires that matched the color of her dress. “My God,” she whispered. “You learned to do this for me?”

  It was not often Luka looked embarrassed, but he almost blushed. “I... I wanted to show you beauty doesn’t have to come from money. You are beautiful on your own.”

  “But the diamonds, Luka. My God, they’re huge. They had to have cost a fortune. And this dress, I know it wasn’t cheap.”

  “How well do you know me? Did you really expect me not to mark this occasion with something special? You are here to please me, remember, and this gift pleases me. Am I clear?”

  “I... understand. I... I feel... they are... they are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever owned. Thank you.”

  “That is the right response. You are a beautiful, strong woman. Do not ever, ever forget that. You are just as wonderful and special as any woman who will be out there tonight, and since you are mine, you are even more perfect.”

  A loud knock reluctantly drew her gaze from the mirror, and he opened the door to find his cousins, all handsomely dressed in formal black tuxes, but Luka had added a navy blue handkerchief to his pocket to match her dress. There would be no denying which of her escorts she belonged to.

  “Wow,” said Anton. “You are stunning, Mia. Luka, may I give your lady a kiss to show my appreciation for her beauty?” Luka nodded and Anton innocently kissed her on the cheek. “I hope you will dance with me tonight?”

  Luka answered for her. “That depends on if I tire of her company, and I don’t see that happening. I am sure there will be some distant, overweight cousin of the bride who came without a date for you.” The men laughed as Luka gallantly held out his arm. “Are you ready, koshka?”

  She took it with a shy smile, speaking softly with her chin lowered. “Da, ser.”

  * * *

  Mia was overwhelmed from the moment she’d stepped off the elevator. Huge colorful displays of brilliant orange, yellow, and red flowers filled the massive hotel ballroom surrounded by sparkling glass chandeliers and dozens of round tables covered in ivory linen, fine crystal, and elegant china. Formally dressed men and beautiful women adorned with jewels and expensive gowns wandered the room, speaking in combinations of English and Russian that added to the mystery.

  After a lengthy cocktail hour with hot and cold hors d’oeuvres served by a wandering staff, eager to take empty glasses to be replaced by another, they moved to dinner and heard the traditional speeches given by overindulgent fathers and a handsome bridegroom. A highly trained wait staff served each table with military precision, delivering guests’ food at exactly the same time, plates filled with roasted mushroom salad served on a bed of greens, the tender beef and asparagus accompanied by a rich, cheesy risotto, and a sharp lemon tart with a sweet, heavy cream.

  The ten-piece orchestra was amazing, and she danced almost every dance with Luka, loud music with a beat that reflected his culture and left her behind with its intricate steps, laughing and clapping to encourage all four of the men, and soft, romantic melodies where he pulled her close, the only two people in a room of hundreds.

  She met many people without ever really meeting them. Luka introduced her as Koshka, never offering her full name or any hint as to where she’d come from, one of her men whisking her away if anybody drew too close. The mystery made the magic even stronger, as though she were a secret princess in a storybook fantasy. A few unsmiling brutes in tuxes stood against the walls, speaking into microphones without engaging in any of the festivities, and she accepted the reality that, like Luka, most of the men in the room were probably armed, but the thought brought her no fear. She trusted that Luka would keep her safe.

  By midnight, the wine and champagne were still flowing and the loud music grew raucous to accommodate a younger crowd. Luka spoke to Anton in Russian, and both of them looked at her with a far from reassuring grin. Pointing to the exit, Luka took her by the hand to lead her down a quiet hallway with Anton close behind. She had no desire to question him, taking a little skip every now and again to keep up with his long strides. He opened the door to a utility closet and pulled her inside, clicking on the light and nodding to Anton, who leaned against the outside wall with a drink as though he was prepared to wait.

  Luka closed the door and turned to her with a gleam in his eyes. “Come on,” she objected. “You just had sex about three hours ago. You seriously can’t mean this?”

  “But I do,” he said, pulling her to his side and running his finger along her lips before laying it on her tongue.

  She gently bit the end, recognizing it as a simple reminder of his earlier punishment. “I didn’t like that, Luka. It wasn’t a lot of fun.”

  “Good. Because if you didn’t like it, then it was a true punishment, and if you don’t watch your mouth, the next time, I will punish you in front of my cousins instead of allowing you the privacy of a nice hotel suite. Now, turn around.”

  “Stop,” she said with a laugh. “Anton’s going to hear you. We can’t do this here.”

  From the other side of the door, Anton’s cheerful response showcased the effect of too much alcohol. “Oh, don’t worry, Mia, I’ve got this.”

  Luka pulled her wrists sharply behind her. “I wouldn’t make too much noise because this is going to happen, and we’ve already established we shouldn’t destroy people’s serenity when they’re on vacation.” Lifting her dress, he exposed her naked ass, rubbing softly before delivering a loud spank and moving a few boxes to make a small table about waist high. “Bend over, koshka, and open for me. You know what I need.”

  “But, Luka,” she whispered, her anxiety fighting her giggles when he pushed her tummy across the boxes. “What if Anton doesn’t stay out there? What if somebody comes in?”

  “Anton,” he called over his shoulder. “Koshka is worried you will discover what we are doing in here.”

  The roaring, laughing response caused Mia to blush. “Don’t worry, Dr. Anderson,” he shouted. “I’ll make sure the operation isn’t disturbed.”

  The small smirk formed at the corner of her mouth. “You don’t even have the decency to be drunk, do you?” she asked Luka. “You’re just a horny bastard who wants to get laid.”

  “Wider, koshka. My dick is growing larger by the second, and I need room to work.”

  “This is going to be like the night you kidnapped me, isn’t? Do you know what I thought that night? That my cooperation could limit the damage. The same rules apply here, don’t they?”

  “I didn’t kidnap you,” he said, running his hand over her ass before leaving a few red, stinging handprints. “I made you an offer you couldn’t refuse.” He slid his palm between her legs to stroke her vulva. Almost immediately, her wet arousal sparked to reach her previously unmet levels, establishing her readiness without any additional foreplay.

  “Stop,” she said with a groan, “and you accuse me of quoting old mobster movies.”

  She spread her legs to accommodate him. Her aching breasts were tucked under the bodice of her expensive dress, wishing stimulation of them, but he had no desire for foreplay even if she could have slid out of the tight clothes. He freed his cock, rubbing it against her wet pussy and fondling her channel before attacking her emptiness, deep thrusts that sparked immediate spasms filled with pleasure.

  Fucking her slowly, his fingers explored her ass, poking and prodding until he’d inserted one digit, then two, strangely filling her from both erotic locations. The dual effect overwhelmed her, feeding her confusion and destroying any boundaries that might have limited her arousal.

  He pulled his penis out of her vagina and glided along her crack until he prodded against her ass. “Now,” he said with a chuckle, whispering in her ear
and pushing into the small of her back to keep her in place. “This will truly be a special night. Do you think my plugs have had no purpose?”

  She’d produced a copious amount of wet friction on her own, but he pulled a bottle of lube from his coat pocket, spreading it on his cock and making it clear that he’d been planning this right along with the beautiful dress and expensive earrings. The chilly lube caught her overheated channel by surprise, and she tried to wiggle away, but spread over the boxes with her legs widened, she had no leverage.

  He pushed down harder on her back. “Be still. I’m going to fuck your ass tonight, and I am going to enjoy it.”

  His cock warmed quickly as he pushed past her anal muscles. She instinctively tried to push back, but he rubbed her bottom with a persistency that was hard to deny. “Loosen up, koshka. It will be painful for you if you fight me, but it will be glorious when you submit.”

  Desperate to please him, she took a deep breath to steady her nerves and relaxed her ass, allowing him to fill her until she couldn’t take anything else. “Good girl, look at you.”

  Impaled and at his mercy, she groaned when he started to move, adding even more lube as he needed it and tapping into her arousal from a place so far inside of her pussy that she didn’t even know it had existed. He eased his finger along her channel to generate the familiar erotic pleasure, bringing the two sensations to twist together as one, rubbing her aching clit until the pleasure built to a whirlwind of ecstasy. She hung onto that magical place as long as she could, but she came for him, violent spasms, spawning multiple contractions that caused her to cry out.

  When he released her, he turned her into his arms to hold her, the pleasure multiplying tenfold after her earlier punishment. She embraced every scent, every sound, and every touch he offered. “You won’t sit well on the plane tomorrow,” he said, “but I think you enjoyed that much more than our earlier correction.”

  He helped her slide the dress back over her ass and opened the door to find Anton sitting on the floor with an empty glass. “You took a long time,” he grumbled good-naturedly. “I had to tell three different maintenance people you were fucking your girlfriend in there.”

  Mia blushed as Luka redid some of the bobby pins to straighten her hair. “Don’t worry, koshka. This is why I learned to do this by myself. I can fuck you and still fix your hair in one night.”

  Anton laughed, taking Luka’s hand to get off the floor. “You are the ultimate renaissance man, kuzen.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Exactly why are we doing this again?” Mia muttered as she put away the last of the groceries. “I can think of a million better ways to spend a Saturday afternoon. May is officially here. It’s a warm day, the sun is shining. We could take a walk along the river. You like that.”

  Luka spoke without turning around, his patience wearing thin. “Because when you don’t see your mother for long periods of time, you turn guilty and bitchy and that ruins my week, so stop. You’ve invited them, and they are coming.”

  She crossed her arms and leaned her back against the counter. “Do you know how expensive all of this was? They eat tons of crap, and my mother drinks too much beer. She can buy anything on sale, but if I buy the cheap stuff, she looks at it like somebody offered her a can of paint thinner.”

  “Are you seriously going to start complaining about the money to pay for one home-cooked meal for your family?” he asked, folding the reusable bags and returning them to the hook by the back door. “You pay their rent and their cell phones, but you’re going to lose sleep over a handful of groceries?”

  “Yeah, well, how well do you know me? Of course I am. Just remember, my mother doesn’t take shit from anybody, not even you. Oh, and watch Robbie like a hawk. He’ll steal the diamond out of your ear if you turn your back on him. And Rosie will probably only eat cheese and potato chips unless she thinks she’s stealing something from Karrie because all they do is fight. And the kids are sticky-fingered, crumb-dropping, brutal vultures. The living room will take weeks to deep clean.”

  “You worry too much. Nobody steals from me, and I have a wonderful way with children. I’ve been dealing with your tantrums, haven’t I?”

  “I can’t imagine why any of this ever worried me,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “You’re the model of patience and understanding.”

  The old mantel clock in the living room chimed at the top of the hour, and her tone rose dramatically as she continued to rant. “My God, it’s like the witching hour. And you and my mother in the same room is about the stupidest idea we’ve ever had. You’re both used to getting the last word. It’s going to be a bloodbath.”

  “Are you saying I remind you of your mother?” asked Luka warily. “Because even without meeting her, I don’t take that as a compliment.”

  “Stop,” she said, laughing. “And what are we going to tell them about how we met? You know it’s going to come up, and someplace between the main course and dessert, I’m supposed to tell them you kidnapped me off the street before you took me to your dungeon and fucked the daylights out of me?”

  “I didn’t kidnap you,” he said, rubbing his forehead. “I invited you with a large amount of force. And in most families, I believe the rest of your story probably doesn’t fall into polite conversation for children.”

  “You’ve been working on that quirky little response for a while, haven’t you?” she asked with a grin. “Be serious, Luka. We need to get our stories straight. Karrie will hound us until she finds our weakness then she’ll go for the kill.” She completed her tirade with an imaginary knife viciously stabbing the air.

  “I don’t know why this is so hard for you. I know they mean a great deal to you, so stop being obstinate.”

  She appeared to give his response great thought. “There are so many snarky comments to be made right now about you calling me obstinate that I might need a few minutes to pick my favorites.”

  “And how well do you know me,” he warned, glancing at the clock. “I can resolve this dilemma of yours once and for all, but you won’t need to worry about an extra chair at the kitchen table to sit in.”

  “They are only my half siblings,” she said, ignoring his threats. “The four of us have at least three different fathers, but I was old enough to have a clue when my mother got pregnant with Rosie, and I’m pretty sure the guy who ran the dairy farm knocked her up, even if Teddy thinks both of the girls are his.”

  The security system beeped to notify them that somebody had pulled into the driveway, and she walked to the back door like a prisoner going to the gallows. Luka smacked her backside. “Smile, they won’t be here forever, and you’ll feel better when it’s over.”

  Wearing a grim, satanic smile, Mia greeted her mother in the side yard with a small hug. “The house and the yard look great,” said her mother, staring distrustfully at Luka. “I’m glad to see you spending a little money on yourself.”

  “I agree,” said Luka, meeting Joy’s glare and holding out his hand. Despite koshka’s complaining, this woman was important to her, and, therefore, important to him. “I am Luka Petruskenkov. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” An awkward few seconds passed before Joy accepted his gesture, shaking it firmly, but Joy looked away first. A small victory.

  He turned to the boy, a long, lean blond with bright blue eyes that bore no resemblance to his sister’s. His hat rested at an odd angle, and his pants were low around his hips, making him look like an idiot. Luka offered his hand, and the kid stared at it with an arrogant grin, slapping his palm with a hoot and pointing at the red Mustang convertible in the driveway. “Yo, man. That’s a fuck of a car. Is it a 2021?”

  Luka raised an eyebrow as he held out his hand again. “Men in my world shake hands. They don’t slap them, and if you are going to be a guest in your sister’s home, watch your language and pull your pants up so she doesn’t have to look at your underwear.”

  There was a collective gasp among all four of the girls, and Mia touc
hed his sleeve, whispering, “It’s okay, Luka. Don’t make a scene. He’s a little sensitive to authority figures.”

  Tough shit, thought Luka, not backing down. Robbie stared at his unsmiling expression for another few seconds before he shook his hand like a man. “Right, man. Sure, no problem.”

  “I’m not actually sure what year the car is,” continued Luka as though nothing had happened. “It belongs to my uncle, and he’s gracious enough to let me drive it. Would you like to try it later?”

  “Seriously?” said Robbie, his eyes lighting up. “Fu—I mean yeah. That would be awesome. I’ll be careful too. I got my license almost two months ago and insurance and everything.”

  “Good, that’s settled,” said Luka, turning to the two girls. “You must be Karrie, and you must be Rosie.” Karrie was a confident teenager with curly dark hair and looked the most like his koshka, but her clothes and thick makeup were too adult for her age. Rosie showed promise of turning tall and lean like her brother, but she still had the appearance of a little girl, her eyes bright with innocent anticipation.

  Talking to all three of them, he said, “In the garage, you will find a basketball to go with that old hoop and a few other outdoor games. Your sister assured me that eleven and fourteen years old is too big for sidewalk chalk, but I bought it anyways, so you can blame me if you are insulted.”

  “You let him drive your car, and I get sidewalk chalk?” asked Karrie with a roll of her eyes. “Great, this is going to be just great.”

  “I’ll see what I can do to reward you before you leave,” said Luka, appreciating her tenacity, “but I am pretty sure fourteen years old is not old enough to drive a car in this country. Now, go. All of you.”