Raisa gasped. “Le Meilleur is expensive, Kris. You didn’t have to do that.”
Kris took her hand in his and pulled it up to his lips kissing the back of her hand. “I want to give you the best of everything, Raisa. Besides, I want to dance with you and Le Meilleur Repas has a dance floor. Plus it’s on the lake if we want we can take a walk after dinner and kiss under the moonlight.”
She snuggled up beside him as he let their hands fall to his chest. “I do like the sound of dancing and a moonlit kiss filled walk.”
He smiled at her. “Me too.”
Raisa felt like she was the most beautiful woman in the world tonight. Not only had Charlotte and Nova helped her pick the perfect dress but between the beauty treatments at the spa and the hair and makeup that Nova had done for her she didn’t look anything like the slightly overweight front end manager of her family’s restaurant. She’d heard Kris tell her that every man tonight wouldn’t be able to keep his eyes off of her and she hadn’t believed him, that was until they stepped into Le Meilleur Repas. It had started the moment they entered the door. She’d seen the way the hostess lit up when she saw Kris walk in and the way her eyes narrowed in jealousy as he placed his hand at Raisa’s back leading her to the girl. The woman turned her eyes back to Kris and proceeded to ignore Raisa. “Can I help you, sir?”
Kris nodded. “Lawson, I have a six-thirty reservation for two.”
The hostess glanced at Raisa again and then with a sniff turned to the reservation list. “Yes sir, I see you requested a table by the lake in the corner. If you’ll follow me please.”
Kris nodded and again put his hand against the small of Raisa’s back as they walked through the dining room. That’s when she really noticed, it felt like every pair of eyes in the place were focused on her and Kris. She could see the blatant perusal of all the men checking her out and caught the desire and attraction in several of their eyes. A few of the women looked at her enviously, but most of them looked at Kris like he was the most delicious dessert they’d ever seen and then their eyes would glance at her and she could see the shock that he was with her. Their looks stiffened her spine with pride. That’s right, the most handsome man in the restaurant was with her; not only that but she’d be going home with him too. She knew he wouldn’t let her go back to her place especially after the way Gregori had taken over the diner today. She hoped he’d ask her to sleep beside him again tonight. She knew that last night it had been because she was so upset and he’d just wanted to comfort her but tonight she was hoping she could convince him that she knew what she wanted and it was him. If there was even a chance that Gregori was going to end up forcing her into his bed, she didn’t want to go without having experienced a lover who would treat her right. She’d never had a lover and she didn’t want Gregori to be her first.
Kris nodded at the hostess as they arrived at their table and pulled her chair out making sure she was seated like the gentleman he was. Then he sat himself turning his chair slightly so that he could see the whole restaurant laid out in front of them. She smiled because she knew that even now he was keeping one eye open for any trouble that might come their way. The hostess stood with her back to Raisa and addressed Kris. “Your server will be with you shortly; in the meantime, may I get you a drink?”
Kris looked at Raisa “Do you want to share a bottle of wine tonight, my love?”
Raisa, her blood starting to boil at the rude treatment by the hostess, smiled. “I don’t know? You know lots of places don’t have a very good selection of wines. Do you think they have a good selection?”
The woman huffed and spoke over her shoulder in a condescending voice. “This is Le Meilleur, we have the best of everything.”
“I don’t know about that, I’d say the hosting staff might need a bit more training. I would pull any hostess that stood with her back to a customer off the floor with a reprimand and retrain them at my restaurant.”
“Well we aren’t at your restaurant, are we. I’ll send the sommelier over to help you with your selection.” Then she turned with a sniff and a flip of her hair and stalked back to the hostess stand. Kris smiled and Raisa looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “What? I wasn’t going to let her stand there and make love to you with her eyes with me sitting at the table. Her attitude was rude and I made sure she knew it.”
Kris shook his head. “I’m not complaining, sweetheart. I’m just growing more and more surprised with you. What has happened to the quiet little front end manager who wouldn’t even flirt with me for two years?”
She shrugged. “I’m tired of being a door mat. You said you belonged to me and I’m not going to let anyone else try and take you away even for a moment.”
He reached out and placed his hand on top of hers on the table. “Sweetheart, at the end of the night that hostess is probably going home to an empty apartment to soak her tired feet. You, on the other hand, are going home with me. You have nothing to worry about from her.”
She blushed as his words sent warmth to parts of her body that had never felt that kind of warmth before and she knew if he kept looking at her like that her panties were going to catch fire and she’d melt into a puddle right here at his feet. Before she could say anything more the sommelier came up with the wine list and she and Kris listened as he went through their options. She agreed with the sweet red that Kris had chosen and then turned to studying the menu feeling his eyes on her the whole time. This was going to be the most romantic meal she’d ever had and that was before the dancing and moonlit stroll.
Sure enough, while rude the hostess had also been correct; everything they had eaten was great. She’d never enjoyed French cuisine that much but this was some very good French cuisine. The chocolate silk cake she’d had a slice of had been so light and rich she thought she was going to go into sugar shock. Then Kris had taken her by the hand and led her onto the dance floor where soft romantic music was being provided by a five-string ensemble. With each new song he’d pulled her closer and closer until they were all but welded together. She could feel every inch of him against every inch of her. That he was as turned on by their dancing as she was obvious and she sighed as she laid her head against his shoulder, breathing deep to pull the smell of his sandalwood and musk cologne into her body. She wanted to store up as many good memories as she could just in case she ended up being forced to be Gregori’s mistress like he demanded.
When the song finished Kris stepped back from her. “You ready to head out to the lake for our walk, sweetheart?”
She looked up at him and bit her lower lip while nodding. “I thought you’d never ask. As much as I loved dancing with you we need to be somewhere more private so I can kiss you like I want to.”
He winked at her. “My thoughts exactly, sweet Raisa. I can’t wait to taste your lips again.”
He led her back to the table and picked up the check laying there, placing cash in the sleeve and including a good sized tip. Then he took her by the hand and they left, heading for the lakeside boardwalk for moonlight and romantic kisses under the stars.
Chapter Nine
K ris walked hand in hand with Raisa down to the boardwalk. Once they were down the steps and level with the boardwalk he pulled her up to his side and let go of her hand. Putting his arm around her waist and holding her as close as possible and the two of them still walk comfortably. She fit against him like she was made to fit there. As a matter of fact she fit in his arms dancing like she was made to fit there too. The same was true when they had slept spooned together last night as well. It was like against all the odds of the universe he’d just happened to move to live and work next door to the woman made just for him. The fact that a fat, over-entitled pig of a Russian mob reject thought he had a right to her angered him. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out as they walked past the restaurant and all the lights from the big floor to ceiling windows that faced the lake. He wanted so badly to kiss her and let her know how much he wanted her to always be his but he knew
he needed to get them farther away from those windows and the eyes of people enjoying their own romantic evenings.
He heard Raisa sigh beside him and it wasn’t a pleasant romantic sigh but one of bone deep tiredness. He knew before she even spoke that in the silence her mind, just like his, had gone back to the problem they faced. Gregori Volkov and the Syndicate. “What are we going to do, Kris? He is never going to stop.”
He squeezed her tight for a second before turning to face her. Tilting her head up to look him in the eyes he said. “Let’s try and not let him ruin tonight, Raisa. We can talk about him tomorrow; for tonight let’s just try to focus on us. On exploring this connection we feel and seeing what could come from it.”
She nodded, “I’m trying Kris, but I keep seeing his face telling me that he always gets what he wants.”
He slid his hand behind her head as he leaned down toward her. “Let’s see if we can’t quiet those voices for a little bit.”
Then his lips found hers and he pressed in, consuming her lips until her hands slid around his neck. His other hand went around her waist and pulled her up against his body and she moaned and melted against him. As she moaned her mouth opened and he took advantage, plundering her mouth with his tongue. Before either of them knew it they were both pressing tighter against each other, mouths and tongues dancing together with moans and groans. His hand tightened in her hair, the other one sliding down her back and catching her heart shaped rear, pulling her even tighter against him. Without a thought she moaned and hopped up, wrapping her legs around his waist, the short dress riding up as she pressed against him. He was right, he thought she fit him perfectly. He was definitely lost in the feel of her in his arms rubbing against his body and he was certain she was as lost as he was when the night’s silence was shattered by the sound of an alarm horn. Friday was calling and that meant a security breach back at the apartment or at his shop. He pulled away and she slowly put her feet back on the ground stepping back enough that he could get the phone out of his pocket. “Status.”
“Sorry to interrupt, Thorn,” came the AI’s distinct British accent. “There has been a security breach at Raisa’s apartment. Three men are currently inside and from the sounds reaching the camera in the hall they are destroying her place.”
He cursed. “Do you have my current location?”
“Of course.”
“Send it to the car and have James pick us up on the road. Contact Mac and the local leo’s, we are on our way.”
He looked down at Raisa. “There’s been a break in at your apartment. Friday says it sounds like they may be trashing your place. She’s called the police and our car is on its way. Let’s get up to the road, sweetheart.”
She nodded. “See, he isn’t going to give up. Maybe I should just give him what he wants.”
“No! Don’t give up yet my love. I haven’t begun to rattle his cage. He’ll let you go. I’ll make him let you go. I got authorization to start dismantling his organization, just hang in there for a little while longer.”
She nodded and leaned against him. He could feel the fear pulsating off of her and he began to rub her shoulder and back as she leaned against him nuzzling his neck. He tried to make himself relax and enjoy the rush her attention was causing but he wanted to know how bad the intruders had trashed her place and he wanted to see if any of Friday’s camera angles caught good enough pictures for Spidey to run facial recognition on them. He knew from what they’d found out and what Raisa had told him that the locals would take a statement but not look into the crime. Volkov paid them to look the other way and punished those that didn’t severely, so Kris knew he was on his own in dealing with Gregori and the Syndicate. Honestly, he liked it that way. If he needed help he’d call in some of his back-up team but first he’d just start the pressure himself. It was time for Gregori to feel the pain of having a Thorn in his flesh and Kris was more than ready to oblige the man. But first assess the current situation and then get Raisa tucked in and calmed down at his place. Damn the man. Thanks to this she wasn’t going to be in the mood for anymore romance tonight. The perfect date ruined by a slimy Russian crime boss. Soon he would pay for this and every other insult he’d sent Raisa’s way. Kris had his authorization and he wasn’t going to waste any time on putting the squeeze on Volkov. In fact, not only was he not going to waste time he was, for the first time ever, going to allow himself to enjoy his job. He was going to enjoy it fully.
Raisa stood behind Kris at the shattered entrance to her apartment. The men that Gregori sent had kicked it in, destroying the door and the frame. There was no way she could stay here, she couldn’t even shut the door and there was no way she could lock it. They’d arrived before the police and Kris wouldn’t let her enter but just from the entranceway they could see that her living room was completely destroyed. There were parts of her couch cut up and tossed everywhere. Some of her keepsakes and kitschy figurines had been driven into the walls. The frame of her coffee table and end tables lay half over the railing of the balcony where they’d been thrown through the large glass door and windows.
The police arrived and entered first, going through every room and then wanted to know where she had been during the break in. She told them she had been on a date with her boyfriend and that they’d come home to this mess.
“You were right to wait outside for us to enter first. The perpetrators were gone but they could have still been inside and that could have taken this case of breaking and entering into a whole new area. Either assault or worse.”
“Well, Kris wouldn’t let me go in before you all got here.”
The officer looked at her with confusion on his face. “Kris? Who’s Kris?”
That was when Kris cleared his throat. “That would be me, officer. I’m Kris Lawson, Raisa and I were on a date and returned home to this. I should tell you I also work for Blackguard security, who has the security contract for this building and I’ve asked our Tech Department to pull copies of the surveillance footage from all the cameras for tonight. I’m hoping that at least one of them caught the face or faces of your culprit.”
“We appreciate that, but unless one of those videos shows them entering Miss Felfan’s residence we won’t be able to use them.”
Kris nodded and pointed at the camera that was pointed down the hall covering the hallway. “I think that one may just be the one you need to look at. Personally, I want to see the one for the front entranceway as well as it’s supposed to be locked and key-only access for entering.”
The other officer walked out holding a knife and sheet of paper both in evidence bags. “Miss Felfan, you can look around now if you want. Don’t touch anything because the crime scene techs are still processing but you can look if you want. First, however, can you tell me if you know who this note is from? It was attached to the headboard of your bed with this knife.”
Raisa took the evidence bag and looked at the note inside; her face paled. Kris looked over her shoulder at the note and she held it so he could read it.
My Pet,
As you can see there are consequences for refusing me. The florist can’t protect you all the time. Come to me on your own or next time the consequences will be worse. Hurry to me, my pet after all where else will you lay your head now?
G.V.
The officers looked at her. “Do you know who this G.V. is, ma’am?”
She knew she had to answer them and she knew that when she did this investigation would be over. “Yes, it’s Gregori Volkov.”
“This is a Syndicate matter then?” the first officer said.
The second officer had a much harsher question. “You rejected Gregori? Lady, are you crazy?”
Kris stepped in front of her and shielded her from the police officer’s glare. “I think we’re done here. We all know you aren’t going to pursue this matter because Gregori is involved, however I demand that you file the report of the break-in and destruction so that Miss Felfan can give a copy to her insurance as well
as the building owner.”
The first officer held up his hands in a surrender kind of pose. “Look Mister Lawson, my partner didn’t mean anything by his statement. Everyone knows that Gregori Volkov gets what he wants; that was all he meant. Miss Felfan isn’t doing herself or anyone else any favors by refusing him.”
She shuddered at the confirmation of what she’d been telling Kris from the beginning. Kris however wouldn’t relent even now. “Then why don’t the police do the job they’re paid for and stop this criminal?”
Both officers' eyes got big and the one talking shook his head. “Same reason why your friend should just do what he wants. No cop wants to be gunned down or have his family disappear. Look maybe you don’t know but the last cop who stood up to Volkov disappeared. We know he’s dead because his head was delivered to his wife one week before she disappeared. No one and I mean no one on the force is going to risk their family for some random citizen. That’s just the reality of the situation. I’ll file the report but the detective that gets assigned the case won’t investigate and like everything else Syndicate related it will go in the unsolved case file.”
Without any more excuses the officers had the rest of the tech team pack up and they all left, leaving a card for Raisa where she could call and get a copy of the report. Once they were gone she went into her apartment to find the whole place was a complete loss. In the kitchen her mother’s china had all been smashed to bits, the doors and drawers ripped apart and contents strewn across the space. The worst was the bedroom. Her dresser and closet had been destroyed, her clothing ripped and cut up. Then her bed; the mattress had been shredded and the stuffing strewn across the room, the window had been shattered as well. Her entire apartment was destroyed. There was no way she could stay there, everything she owned would have to be replaced. She sunk to the floor and started sobbing. Without having done anything wrong she was now not just jobless but for all intents she was homeless too.
Her Hero: Next Door Page 7
