by Sarah Thorn
''And if I whistled at you now? How would that make you feel?''
Don't answer that, he's flirting with you. ''I'd like it,'' she said as her eyes rolled away in embarrassment.
''Let's see.'' He looked around to make sure the door was still closed and made a wolf whistle. ''There. Did you enjoy that?''
She was ashamed to say she did. It had been months since she'd had any real attention from a man. Just before her parents had died, she had talked with Natalie about it. Natalie told her it was because she was so beautiful and most men felt intimidated by her. She remembered telling Natalie she was mad.
“It was nice. Flirty.'' she an answered.
''Flirty? That's an interesting word.'' He was about to say more, but security arrived with the jewelry.
''There, what do you think?'' she asked when the magnificent pieces were lying on the table in front of him.''
''Why are you so sad?'' he said, ignoring what was in front of him. He noticed her eyes look into his and then down to the jewelry. The speed with which she did it, implied she wanted him to concentrate on what was in front of him, not on her. ''Why?'' he insisted.
''My mom and dad died in a horrific car crash a few weeks ago.''
''Jesus, I'm sorry. That's awful. How are you coping?''
She admired him. Most people would have changed the subject, but he didn't. ''Not very well.''
''I'm not surprised. Can you talk about it?'' Tyra had once read a book about body language and the way he was sitting said to her that he was interested in her well-being and not after a cheap disaster story.
''I don't know if I can talk about it. To be honest, I haven't really tried too much. I've mentioned things to Natalie, my best friend, and to Mr. Samuels, but really talk to someone about it, no. I haven't done that.''
''What happened?'' He asked directly.
''Well, in the first instance it was my fault.''
''Were you driving?'' he asked logically.
''No, my father was driving. It's a long story.'' She suddenly felt tired and alone. She realized she didn't want to talk about it.
''Tell me. I want to help you. How do you expect to get better if you never tell anyone about it?''
She was sick of feeling the way she did, and she desperately wanted to feel like she had before the accident, but she was afraid to let go. She was holding onto the pain because she felt she should be punished for what she did.
She decided she would try and open up. ''I moved to New York from a small town just outside the city seven months ago. I applied for and got this job. I was so happy. I got a tiny apartment in Queens and decorated it just how I liked it. Pink everywhere.'' She rolled her eyes to the ceiling in a display of irony. It should have been black, she mused. ''Mum was forty-two when she had me. They had tried for twenty years to have a baby, and it finally happened.'' Dima reached into his pocket and pulled out a clean tissue. She dried her eyes and cleared her throat. No, I'm going to tell him, she told the voice of doubt in her head ''They were so happy with me. They weren't rich, but they worked hard to give me a good childhood. I wanted for nothing, and I felt their love, every single day. How many people can say that?''
Dima nodded and thought about his own family. Polar opposite to Tyra's. Back in the days when he'd lived in a one bedroom apartment in Moscow, his drunken father had beaten him black and blue for the slightest misdemeanor. His mother had tried to protect him, but when she had, he had thumped her so hard, she'd had no choice but to cower away. What his father had forgotten was that little boys have good memories, and when they grow up they become strong. The look on the old bastard’s face when Dima had throttled him still amused him.
''When I left home, they were gutted.'' Tyra continued. ''Of course, I was twenty-two, and it was time. They realized that, but I could see how upset they were. What I couldn't understand was that they didn't come and visit me in my new home. I went to them most weekends, but they didn't come to me. I don't know why.''
''Maybe they were afraid?''
''Why?''
''Because they didn't want to let go of their child. The child they so loved and cherished. Perhaps seeing you as a young adult, not needing them anymore was too much.'' He noticed how the look on her face had changed. Exploring her feelings seemed to have lifted a cloud, albeit a tiny one. ''They tried for twenty years to have you. Sure it would have been hard to let go, no matter how old you were.''
He was right, and she'd never seen it. How could she have been so lacking in understanding, she thought? ''Yes I guess that's it. That makes what happened all the harder to bear. I was being selfish. Have you got another tissue?''
''Sure, here.''
“One weekend, I decided I wouldn't go to them. I decided to make a stand and insist they come to me. I called them and started to moan at them.'' A tear managed to escape the tissue and trickle down her cheek. ''If I remember correctly I told them they were unfeeling, and not interested in me. I asked them why they hadn't been to see me, and I told them to get in their car and come otherwise I wouldn't go home anymore.''
''A moment of weakness,' he said.
''A moment of madness. I don't know why. Suddenly I was lonely and afraid in the big city, and I needed them. It was pure selfishness. Anyhow, that morning it was foggy. So very foggy,'' she shook her head. ''I knew dad hated driving in fog, and although he told me it was too foggy, I simply didn't listen. I just kept on moaning.''
Dima already knew the rest of the story and thought she'd told him enough. ''It's okay I get the picture, you don't need to go on.''
But Tyra wanted to go on. She wanted to finish. She wanted to confront herself. ''Dad and mom, put on their Sunday best clothes, filled the car with food, including three pots of my favorite honey, and set off, in fifty-meter visibility.'' I don't know if I can go on now, she thought. She took a glass from the table and tried to pour herself some water. When he saw her hand trembling, Dima took over.
''Dad didn't drive too often. He only worked down the road, and he walked. Mom went on the bus. I don't even know why they had a car. Dad didn't see the slow moving truck until it was too late.'' She stopped and let out an sight. '' He ran into the back of it, bounced off it and lost control. They found them at the bottom of a ravine. The car was burned out.''
Dima just stared at her. Even for him, a man who had dispatched his own father, it was a horrendous story. ''Tyra, I......'' She looked at him and saw he was grieving for her.
''Thank you. Thank you for listening to me.'' A perfect stranger and he'd listened to her not because he was curious, but she was convinced because he wanted to help. ''How do I look,'' she asked.
''Your mascara has run a bit.''
''Okay, give me a minute and I'll be back.'' She hurried to the rest room to repair the damage.
Three security camera's here, he noted. Six in the main store. In need to get her to take me into the strong room, he told himself.
''That's better,'' she said when she reappeared. ''What about the jewelry?'' she asked.
''I'll take it, it's perfect.'' he said, noting how refreshed she now looked.
''Don't you want to see anything else, you never know, you might change your mind.''
''No, if I may say so, you have chosen the perfect gift, right from the start. Can you get them wrapped for me?''
''Sure, that's the least problem. Do you have a sure means of getting them home? We offer a .......''
''No it's okay. People don't tend to steal from me.'' Tyra noticed a flash of brutality in his voice.
''Talking of security, you must have a lot here if they trust you with the Hope Diamond.''
''Yes I suppose we do. It's not really my department, although I guess one day I'll have to learn about it.''
''Seeing as I spent so much here today, how about you show me where the Hope Diamond will be displayed. I'd love to have a preview.''
''It's just a blank room with a lot of cameras, it's really not that exciting.''
''Of cou
rse,'' he said. Don't push it, you've got her in the palm of your hand, he thought. ''Well maybe I'll buy a ticket and come and see it when it's here. Listen, Tyra, I have enjoyed our chat. You are a fantastic lady. Would you care to go on a date with me?''
A date? In her state? Nothing had been further from her mind, she thought. ''Yes, I'd like that.'' The words slipped out before she could help herself.''
*****
''What do you mean you didn't get to see it?'' Sergey demanded to know. ''You told me you had her eating from the palm of your hand.'' Sergey was leaning against the wall in his store. Over the door, it said, 'Russian Store.' It was really a front. Sergey used it to wash the cash he earned from his illegal drug dealing. The shop on Brighton Beach was big enough to put plenty of money through it but small enough to stay under the radar of the big boys.
He was not at all like his compatriot Dima. He was short, overweight and bald. The tattoo he had on his neck did nothing to enhance his appearance. They had been friends in Moscow and come to America together to further their business interests. In the case of Sergey, that meant, extortion, drug dealing, and contract killing. Since Dima had arrived in the US, he'd quickly realized that it was possible to make money legally. He was increasingly involved in real estate. He'd made a fortune in Russia by buying cheap stocks in major companies and selling them again. Luckily for him, he'd managed to get his cash to the US before the Rubel crashed.
''I asked her to show me the room, but she made it sound so bland it would have been too obvious for me to insist on seeing it. Who asks to see an empty room for the sake of it?''
''But we discussed it. You were going to get access to the room and check out the security details.''
''Well it didn't work out like that,'' Dima hissed. He'd had enough of Sergey. If it weren't for the Hope Diamond, he'd have cut ties with him by now. Sergey had become a liability. When Dima found out Sergey had killed someone on behalf of the mafia, Dimar had kept a safe distance from him. He'd only got back with him for one reason. Sergey was an expert in matters of security, better said, he was an expert in overcoming it during bank raids. Dima had always wanted to own the Hope Diamond, and when he heard it was coming to New York, his interest had been awakened. Not that he wanted to make money from it, he just wanted to own it. Besides, he doubted whether he could sell it on the black market anyway. It was too famous and he only knew a handful of people who had enough cash to buy it.
''So, how the hell do you want to proceed now?'' Sergey picked up a red lolly from the counter and began to unravel the clear film around it.
''I've got a date with the sales girl. Don't worry, I'll find out what we need to know. She's sweet and soft, and I'm pretty sure I can unlock a few secrets.'' He looked around the shop. It reminded him of so many stores in Moscow. He didn't want to be reminded of Moscow; it held no charm for him.
*****
She knew very well she shouldn't be there. It was slutty to go back to a man's apartment on the first date. But he was hotter than she could resist after two glasses of champagne, and the events of the last weeks had left her badly in need. In need of someone to hold her and tell her how special she was.
Three million, five million, thirty million, she had no idea, but she knew it was in the millions. Nobody bought an apartment this size with a view of the harbor without reaching deep into their pockets. Dima had gone to find a cork screw and left Tyra standing on the balcony. She didn't like heights, and she got a strange tingling sensation in her feet when she looked down from the penthouse, thirty floors above the streets of Manhattan. Three weeks ago, I would have jumped from here, she thought.
Just as a wave of despair threatened to envelop her again, it was smashed back by the feel of his protective arms. She hadn't heard him creep up on her from behind. Now he'd made a move, and she loved it. He stood behind her, wrapped her in his arms and pulled her back onto him. It made her feel safe and protected. As they looked over the city, she felt something behind her slowly moving against her leg.
''I want you, Tyra,'' he said gently.
She turned and looked at him as he put his arms around her neck. ''Take me to your bed and make love to me,'' she said.
When Tyra felt his naked body on hers, she felt a tear flowing over her cheeks. He was handsome and caring, and he'd roused a level of sexual desire in her that she'd never felt before. When he'd undressed her, it was as if he was unwrapping a precious gift. With each layer he'd removed, she'd felt herself moving to a higher plateau of lust. When she was naked she'd wanted to dash under the bedclothes and hide, but he'd held her, caressed all of her, and made her wet. When he'd started to undress, she hadn't been able to resist the temptation to touch herself. He was her private male stripper, and she couldn't get enough of it. When he'd put his hand to his shorts and lowered them over his strong thighs, she'd found herself rubbing faster.
Now he was on top of her, naked and warm. He kissed her, and she opened her mouth to received his tongue. As they kissed, her legs opened, inviting him in. When she felt his penis against her, she reached down and placed it at her entrance. He looked deep into her eyes and pushed himself slowly inside her.
When he began to make love to her, she realized how much she'd needed a man to cling to and how wonderful it felt to be filled by a penis. When she felt his thick desire splashing into her, she came too. Her spasms were strong, and they made her scream out. The noise she made was an attempt to drive out the pain forever.
They slept for hours, and when Tyra woke, she noticed it was daylight. It was her day off, and she was looking forward to spending it with Dima. She looked across at him. He was asleep. He was lying naked, half under the sheet, half out. The sight of his tight buttock and hairy thigh made her want him again, and she began to massage his back. He grunted, opened his eyes and turned over. She smiled. He was big and rock hard again.
''Tell me about work,'' he said when they were finished. His body lay entwined in hers, and she felt relaxed.
''What do you want to know?'' She ran her hand over the hair on his chest and stomach and cupped his manhood. He smiled and shook his head.
''How much does that job mean to you?''
''Everything. Mr. Samuels and his wife have been so kind. Without them, I wouldn't have made it.''
''Then you won't want to help me steal the Hope Diamond?''
She laughed. No, but I'll help you get this big man up and running again, she said as her hand began to rub him. She loved the contrast between her black hand and the whiteness of his shaft.
''I'm not joking. I want the Hope Diamond.''
She stopped what she was doing and raised herself onto one elbow. ''You are joking, right?'' He shook his head.
''You can show me how. You are close to all the security. I have a friend called Sergey. He is a genius when it come to stealing things from high-security areas. He could tell you what he needs to know and over the next few weeks, you could give him the information he needs.''
''You bastard, you absolute bastard,'' she thumped hard into his chest. He tried to hold her arms, but she ripped them from him and jumped up from the bed. ''Have you been planning this all the time? Make the stupid bitch fall in love with me and she'll tell me all,'' she mimicked his Russian accent. ''How could you take advantage of me like this? If my dad were alive, he'd kick your ass, you piece of crap. I never want to see you again.''
*****
''You're what?'' Radley said, the furrows on his forehead looking deeper than ever. There was a distinctly cool atmosphere in his office as they discussed Tyra's situation.
''She said she was pregnant,'' his wife intervened. ''Unmarried and pregnant. Tyra, I'm very disappointed in you. How could you let us down like this? ''
''Steady Eliana, don't be too harsh on her, accidents happen. She's had a rough time lately and maybe she needed a bit of love.''
''Well whatever she thought, she's let us down. She'll be off work for lord knows how long now. And even when she returns she'll
be cutting her days short to look after the child.''
Will you stop talking about me as if I wasn't here, Tyra thought. ''I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional, and we took precautions. Something went wrong.''
Who's the father?'' Eliana asked, leaning forward in the arm chair.
''He a Russian, I met him when he came to buy jewelry. He asked me on a date. I wasn't' thinking straight; I'm sorry.'' Tyra was feeling ill. It was just gone nine and for the last three days, she'd had terrible morning sickness.
''A client. Tyra, you have been fraternizing with one of our clients? You know we frown on that kind of behavior.'' Eliana slapped the arm on the chair in frustration.
''Does he know?'' Radley asked.
Tyra looked up at him startled. ''No and he never will. I will keep the baby and bring it up on my own.''
''Then I'm afraid we will have to think what else we can do with the business. Under the circumstances, it would be fool hardly to go ahead with our plan to leave it to you. I don't want a Russian's bastard getting his hands on it in the future. You can keep your job here, but that's all.''
''Eliana,'' Radley exclaimed. But when he looked at his wife, he knew it was time for him to keep quiet.
*****
When Tyra got home to her studio in Washington Heights, she undressed and got into bed. She put her hands on her belly and closed her eyes. She began to wonder when life would stop kicking her, but she was so exhausted she could come up with no answers before she fell asleep.
The next day was a bright summers day, and she woke up feeling better. For her, the most important thing now was to protect the child growing inside her. It was a blow that Eliana had reacted in such a way, but she accepted she had been foolish. What she had seen in Dima was now beyond her. Perhaps it had been his good looks, or his money, or both. Maybe it had been the loss of her parents that had made her blind to his shortcomings.
As usual, she showered, dressed and sat down at the small table in the kitchen to eat some toast and jam. Yesterday she had been repulsed by strawberry jam, today she couldn't stop eating it. She even considered having cheese with it. She'd always loved her morning coffee but from now on she'd decided it was tea in the morning. On her way home she decided she would buy some fresh mint from the organic shop downstairs and make mint tea herself. The last thing she always did before leaving home was pick up her cell phone from the table next to the front door. Fifteen missed calls from Dima. Delete his number she told herself.
