Russian Persuasion

by Laura Hart

  Sadie frowned at him, but he continued, “I fully intend to open doors or hold chairs if the situation arises, but it has nothing to do with my viewing you as inferior or less capable. It's strictly a product of my Old-World upbringing and a sign of my wishing to treat you with respect because I enjoy your company. If you wish, we can argue over this every time it occurs, but I hope we won't. I'd much rather spend the time hearing more about Harmony's activities or about your own interests.”

  Sadie sighed. The way he put it made it hard for her to disagree with him, and truthfully, she didn't want to spend their time together arguing either. “All right, for now,” she said reluctantly, “but don't think we're finished with the subject.”

  “Fair enough,” he replied with an unmistakable smile playing around his mouth. “I'll consider myself forewarned.”

  They drove to the area near where they'd first met, and once they'd parked, Sadie hopped out before Max could come around. Smiling to himself, he popped the trunk and lifted out a large basket.

  “I think that's called coming prepared,” laughed Sadie when she saw the large basket he was holding. They walked to one of the tiled benches and sat down with the basket on the bench between them, and then Max opened the lid and looked in.

  “My god, you've got a serious lunch here, haven't you,” exclaimed Sadie, seeing a colorful cloth folded inside and dishes and cutlery held in place inside the lid with leather straps.

  “I do, indeed,” he answered with a smile. “Serious appetites call for serious food, and I don't know about you, but I have a serious appetite today.” He spread the small cloth on the bench between them and then started lifting out dishes—cold chicken, sliced ham, several different salads, some fruit, cheeses, bread for either small sandwiches or for pairing with cheese, and several more small items. There were mini bottles of both wine and mineral water.

  “Where did you get this?” asked Sadie as she filled her plate with inviting food. “It must have cost a fortune.”

  “And our agreement says you won't say anything about it, remember?”

  Sadie squinted her eyes at him. “That's why you made that agreement. You knew I wouldn't like your buying this expensive lunch on your own.”

  He smiled and then changed the subject. At least he'd meant to change the subject. “So tell me, what do you blog about?” He was surprised to see Sadie's face take on a guarded look. “Women,” she answered simply. “How to be a strong woman in today's world.”

  Well that explains the disagreement about my opening the door, he thought to himself. In fact, he'd been rather puzzled by some of the attitudes he'd run into since coming to the States. Sometimes it seemed to him there was an almost undeclared war between the genders, although in his experience, most women were more than happy to go out with a man who would spend money on them. Perhaps Sadie was the exception, though. He'd have to tread lightly.

  Once they moved beyond the subject of women, they talked easily. He regaled her with stories of Arctic-like winters in St. Petersburg, and she shared more about life with Harmony and her own life in general. They spent a couple hours there, watching the beachgoers and the circling seagulls and totally enjoying each other's company, and by the time they were ready to pack up the basket and head back, there was a comfortable ease between them.

  “Tell me, Sadira, do you like the ballet?”

  “Don't call me that!”

  “It's actually a beautiful name,” responded Max. “You shouldn't hide from it.”

  “I don't like it, but to answer your question, yes, I like the ballet. I took lessons for about six years when I was young.”

  “Really?” He looked at her with renewed interest. “I have a couple tickets for the Kirov Ballet this week. Would you be interested in going?”

  “Are you kidding?” It came out as a small shriek. “That's been sold out like forever! How did you get them?”

  He smiled mysteriously but then admitted, “The consulate was given some courtesy tickets, and I was lucky enough to receive two of them. They're excellent seats. Are you interested?”

  “Oh my god, yes! You've just become my new best friend.” She was smiling from ear to ear.

  “Good. The performance is this Tuesday. I'll have to pick you up by six in order for us to be there in good time.”

  “You don't have to drive all the way out here to pick me up,” she said, suddenly reverting to her independent role. “I'll go stay overnight with my father, so that way I'll already be in town, and we can just meet there. It'll be easier that way.”

  Max looked at her seriously. “Your staying overnight with your father may be a good idea, but I'll pick you up at his place at seven. You can send me his address.”

  “You're doing it again,” complained Sadie. “I don't need a bodyguard.”

  “I didn't say you did,” replied Max in a tone that said he wasn't going to change his mind, “but I'll pick you up at seven.”

  Sadie started to argue and then realized she didn't want to ruin their good time. “Suit yourself,” she agreed with a small shrug.

  Once they got back to Harmony's house, several of the cats had made an appearance, so Max amused himself by helping her feed them and also by watering the garden. He was taking some stray weeds out of a bed close to the house and had his back turned when he was suddenly hit with a stream of water.

  “What the…” He whirled around and saw Sadie holding the offending hose and laughing guiltily.

  “What the hell was that?” he asked, both outraged and amused.

  “It's called water,” she replied, with another laugh.

  “Do you wet down all your guests?”

  “No, just you.”

  He approached her and took the hose away, resisting the urge to give her a dose of her own medicine. He was still uncovering who she was, so he erred on the side of caution.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?” she asked innocently.

  “Why would you aim a hose at me?”

  “Just to see what would happen. You seem so perfect with your clothes all in order and your hair just right, so I thought it needed stirring up.”

  “Is that something you do often? Stir things up, I mean.”

  “Sometimes.”

  Max smiled at her, ignoring the fact that the back of his shirt was soaking wet. “People who stir things up need to be ready to face the consequences.”

  Sadie laughed. “And what consequences would those be?”

  Max studied her for a minute and then replied, “If I knew you better, I'd probably put you over my knee and spank you, but seeing as our relationship is just starting, I'll give you the choice of a kiss instead. It's not a punishment, at least I hope it isn't, but it gives me a chance at least to defend my honor.” He paused and waited for a response, but she was staring at him in shock, somewhat the way she had in the restaurant several days ago.

  “Sadie? Did you hear what I said?”

  “Yes.” It was almost a whisper. Not only had he once again used the S-word, but he'd also spoken of 'our relationship.' She was getting in very deeply here and needed to think through what was happening.

  “Do you agree to a kiss in lieu of punishment?”

  “Yes.” It was barely audible, but he heard it and moved towards her. He'd seen her reaction a minute earlier—the stiffening of her body and the way her face had suddenly looked cautious, and knew he needed to go slowly, because the last thing in the world he wanted to do was to scare her off. He would have loved to seriously kiss her and let it lead where it would, but he forced himself to hold back, to take a different path. He put his hands on her upper arms and drew her to him before kissing her ever so gently.

  “You fascinate me, Sadie Duval, and I'm going to get to know you better.”

  I Have a Proposition for You

  Tuesday afternoon Sadie packed a few things in an overnight bag, hung her dress in the car, and checked again with Harmony's next-door neighbor to be sure she was all set to
care for the cats. Then she headed up I-45 where she'd spend the night with her father, Professor David Duval, and his wife of ten years, Shanna.

  She didn't know which she was more excited about, seeing Max again or the chance to see the Kirov. She knew the company had a new name now, but most people still thought of them as the Kirov, the best of the best in the ballet world, and she could hardly believe she was going to be there this evening, and in great seats no less. She was starting to think that having her bag stolen had been one of the luckiest things that had happened to her in a long time.

  “Anyone home?” she called as she let herself into her father's West University house.

  “Back in the sunroom,” came her stepmother's voice.

  “Hey, Shanna,” Sadie greeted her as she entered the room. Shanna was sitting on a huge bamboo chair staring at her laptop, but she looked up and smiled. “I hear you're going to see the Kirov tonight, you lucky duck. I don't believe I know anything about this mystery man who managed to snag some tickets.”

  Sadie filled her in on the last couple weeks’ happenings, including a glowing description of Max himself. Shanna raised her eyebrows. “Don't tell me he found a chink in your wall.”

  “I don't have a wall,” denied Sadie quickly.

  “Of course you do, sweetie, at least where men are concerned.” Shanna was only ten years older than Sadie, so she went back and forth in her roles as both friend and stepmother. She was a professor of early childhood development, and all the psychology she'd studied along the way had given her extra insight into people.

  “What about men?” came a deep voice from the doorway.

  “Hey, Dad,” said Sadie as she got up and went over to kiss him. Even though he and Harmony had divorced when she was ten, she still had a good relationship with her father and enjoyed being with Shanna and him.

  “Thanks for the kiss, but it doesn't answer my question,” he replied as he came into the sunroom and sat down on a bamboo loveseat with thick, bright cushions. “What were you two saying about men?”

  “Shanna was accusing me yet again of having a wall where men are concerned,” Sadie answered, grinning at her accuser.

  “I never disagree with her when it comes to such things, because she's almost always right. In any case, are we going to meet this miracle man afterwards or are you going to keep him hidden?”

  Sadie grimaced. “You're going to meet him before. He's picking me up here at seven.”

  Her father and Shanna both stared at her. “He's picking you up?” Shanna asked in amazement. They both had lots of experience with Sadie's independent ways and had rarely known her not to simply meet a date somewhere.

  “Yes. He's kind of Old-World-ish.”

  “Really? Is he from elsewhere?” asked her father, suddenly interested.

  “He's from Russia.”

  “How interesting. What part of Russia?”

  “St. Petersburg. His family owns a jewelry store.”

  “I thought it was more than one, from what you told me,” put in Shanna.

  “Well, probably just one in St. Petersburg,” Sadie answered with a small laugh and then added, “It is a bit bigger business, though, because he said they have representatives in all the major cities.”

  “The Russians do beautiful jewelry,” said her father, nodding. “I'm looking forward to meeting him.”

  “Now, don't get all professor-like with him,” Sadie warned him. “No talk about thirteenth-century manuscripts or anything like that.”

  Her father laughed. “I'll try to remember to keep my comments short and vague.”

  * * *

  “I love that dress!” exclaimed Shanna as she watched Sadie enter the living room shortly before seven. “Is it new?”

  “No, but I don't wear it that often.” Sadie looked every bit up for a smart evening on the town with her little black dress that skimmed her trim figure and then puffed out before ending several inches above her knees. She was wearing black strappy heels, and her small silver sequined evening bag had an extra-long chain that could leave her hands free for a pre-ballet drink. She'd pulled her hair up and tucked a tiny sparkle into it.

  “Whoever this Max is, he certainly knew the right words to say,” said her father, truly surprised to see the effort his daughter had obviously put into her appearance for the evening.

  “Dad, it's the Kirov!” she replied indignantly.

  “That too,” he answered with a knowing smile.

  Just then the doorbell chimed, and Shanna was the first to reach the door. She re-entered the living room with Max, who looked as if he'd just stepped off the pages of GQ in a beautifully fitted dark suit and understated silk tie.

  “Good evening,” he said as he smiled and looked at both Sadie and her father, who stepped forward to greet his guest.

  “I'm David Duval, and I assume you're Max Orlov.”

  “I am, and it's very nice to meet Sadie's father.” They shook hands warmly, and then Max turned his attention to Sadie. “You're going to give the ballet stiff competition in that dress,” he said with an admiring smile as he kissed her on the cheek. “You look marvelous.”

  “Thank you,” replied Sadie, and Shanna could have sworn she saw her stepdaughter blush ever so slightly. This is very interesting, she thought to herself. Sadie has obviously met someone who matters to her.

  * * *

  The ballet was wonderful, everything Sadie had expected and more, and by far the best performance of Swan Lake she'd ever seen. She participated enthusiastically in the ten-minute standing ovation at the end, and although Max was spoiled by the high quality of performing arts available in St. Petersburg, he fully joined in the applause, too. In truth, though, the ballet itself had shared his attention with his enjoyment at watching Sadie's reactions, and he'd been both surprised and touched to see tears in her eyes as she'd watched transfixed during the Pas de Deux as the world-class dancers became one with the music. He thought again what an enigma she was.

  Afterwards he took her to a nearby hotel for a nightcap before delivering her back to her father's house. “Are you going back to Galveston tomorrow?” he asked as they sat in the car.

  “Yes, the cats need me.” She laughed, and the way she moved her head made the small sparkle she’d tucked into her hair dance under the street light.

  “When's Harmony coming back?”

  “I got a message from her saying she's going to stay a few days longer so she can take a class in Mayan hammock making.”

  “I'm quite looking forward to meeting your most unusual mother.”

  Sadie rolled her eyes. “Be careful what you wish for. You might never be the same again.”

  “Oh, I'll take my chances,” he said as he opened his door, and Sadie took the signal and started to open hers, too. “You stay right there,” he ordered her firmly, and Sadie was amazed at herself when she did what he'd said. Max came around the car, opened her door, and gave her his hand to help her out. “Anyone wearing a dress like that automatically gets the full treatment,” he said with a smile that looked almost teasing.

  He walked her to the door and then stopped in front of it. “If I kiss you, is the door going to be jerked open by an irate parent?”

  Sadie's parents had always given her space, even when she was young and living at home, so the very idea made her laugh. “Hardly.”

  “Good.” He put his arms around her and pulled her close, then covered her lips with his own and kissed her gently, but when he felt her respond, he let the kiss grow more serious and insistent. Finally, he pulled back and said, “You're a fascinating woman, Sadie Duval, and I've only begun to get to know you.”

  Sadie was breathless from his kisses, and when he once again covered her mouth, she didn't resist but rather allowed herself to melt into his arms. Somewhere in the back of her brain an alarm was insistently going off, but she was too distracted to pay it any attention. She couldn't ever remember feeling a man's arms around her the way Max's were—so strong, so
dominant, and yet so careful with her.

  “It's late, and you need to go in,” he said into her ear, his breath almost making it tickle. He waited while she got out her key and opened the door, and then he gave her one last kiss and stepped back, watching while she entered the house and closed the door behind her, the whole thing reminiscent of a scene from a fifties movie.

  For Sadie, there really was the hint of a time warp. What had happened tonight? The thinking part of her brain had a long list of complaints about her behavior over the last six hours, but the feeling part—the part that had reveled in Max's kisses—felt like Cinderella.

  * * *

  Sadie returned to Galveston early the next morning, both to clear her head and to make sure everything was fine at Harmony's house. She was playing with one of the cats and trying to figure out what she wanted to write in her blog when the doorbell rang, and when she opened the door, she was surprised to see a floral delivery person holding a tiny bonsai tree.

  “Sadie Duval?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you sign here please?” he asked as he held the tree with one hand and handed her an electronic pad with the other.

  “Who's it from?” she asked curiously as she handed back the signed pad and accepted the bonsai. She had no idea who would send her such a thing. Shanna maybe? She was big on surprises.

  “I don't know, but there's a card there,” replied the deliveryman as he turned and headed back to his van.

  Sadie carried the perfect little specimen into the kitchen and put it on the bar and then sat down on one of the stools to look at it. Harmony had gone through a bonsai stage, but she herself had never done much with them. Still curious, she took the card and opened it and then caught her breath. It wasn't from Shanna.

  “Thank you for a very enjoyable evening. Max”

  Max! He had the ability to keep her off balance, that was for sure. If he'd sent a big vase of expensive flowers, she would have felt pressured, but instead he'd sent her this tiny little bonsai. How could she be upset about a baby tree that fit into the palm of her hand? She smiled and looked at the note again and then took out her phone.