Dmitry POVCory took me to a pool party on the other side of the lake. I thought we were hitting a bar, so I was well overdressed. It was a birthday party for a set of twins that he’d been seeing. How he got away with things like this, I will never know.He bought them each a diamond encrusted belly ring and wanted to see them personally put it on.I hung back and took a seat next to the pool while he took advantage of delivering his gifts in person. I could see the lake from the twins back yard and I instantly thought of Dani.She was attending some party by the lake that a friend of hers invited her to. I wasn't sure who's going to be there and what kind of precautions they were taking but I found myself worried. She didn't exactly get along with the people in her school. She didn't exactly have many friends and I honestly wasn't sure why she decided to go to this party. But I knew it had something to do with her wanting to close and a chapter of her life.My mind flowed toward the
Dmitry POVI switched over to my contacts as soon as I exited the security app on my phone. Then I eyed Cory who was giving the bartender his drink order. He made eye contact we me and I jerked my head towards the door. We needed to go now.I hit the call button and my mother picked up. “Hello son.”She spoke with a hint irritation in her voice and I knew that she met Dani. I hadn't checked the security cameras in a while so I wasn't sure what she was doing when they arrived.I imagined she was sitting on the couch watching TV or in her room sleep by now. But when I hear my mother's voice I know that wasn't the case.“I wasn’t expecting you two to be here tonight, mother. You guys weren't supposed to arrive until next week.”“Well we're here now and we met and acquaintance of yours.”I tried to hold my tongue at the word acquaintance. She couldn't even bring herself to call Dani my friend.Sometimes I hated how pretentious my parents were. I keep telling myself it's just the way they
Danica POV Dmitry was only alone in the guesthouse with his parents for a total of ten minutes. But that was all it took. When he came back, he didn’t stop to share the breakfast with us. He didn’t even look our way. Cory just throws a nervous smile my way. He knew something was up. “Will you excuse me for a minute?” I ask. “Go right ahead. I’m just going to enjoy this wonderful meal.” I smiled. He was genuinely enjoying my breakfast and I loved it. I creeped around the house until I found Dmitry sitting in his office. The door was slightly ajar. He was on a call at nearly ten at night. “I know Caroline, but he wants everyone who matters. in the office at nine in the morning. Alert Jim and send out the emergency calls.” He slammed the phone down without ever noticing I’m standing a few feet away. I knocked lightly. “Can I come in?” He finally glanced up from his desk. I would like to say his face brightened or even relaxed at the sight of me but it didn’t. “What’s wrong?”
Danica POVThe next morning, I awoke to the chatter of women. Mrs. Hardin had completely taken over Dmitry’s downstairs office and dining room. It was her headquarter for the gala she spoke of last night.In the dining room sat pictures, seating charts, and samples. In the office sat her and two other women. Each with notebooks in their hands. I listened from the kitchen as they bounced ideas off each other.Apparently, Mrs. Hardin wasn’t satisfied with whatever the actual planner threw together.I had then feeling that me cleaning the kitchen this morning was a disturbance to them. The brief pauses after each pop clattered was a tiny indication. I imagined her rolling her eyes or telling Dmitry that I had been a nuisance in his absence.This awkward irritation that flowed between the rooms was one of the reasons I liked to clean when my father was outside working. He couldn’t get mad at me, if he couldn’t hear the noises I made.After the sixth pause, I kept the noise to a minimum. M
Dmitry POVThe next few days have been stressful at best. Between my mothers constant questions about my personal life and my fathers constant question about our business, I felt like I haven’t spent my time the way I want. With Dani.Before my parents came to town, we would see each other every day. Once in the morning and then again after work. But the past few days, I hadn’t seen her at all. She’d been locked away in her room most mornings. Though I wasn’t sure if she was sleep or actually hiding.I texted her throughout the day but only got a few one words text back. Something was wrong.I asked Cory to keep an eye on her and he did just that. He took her to get a driving license and I added the car to my insurance. Which took longer than I expected. Normally I would request something like that of Caroline. But then there would be more questions about Dani that I wasn’t ready to answer if I was being honest with myself.I watched from my home cameras as Cory kept her company every
Danica POV My phone chirped twice from the back of the coffee shop letting me know a text message was waiting for me. I finished off the last drink order and cleaned a few tables before finally checking it. Dmitry: How’s it going? This was the third ‘How’s it going message’ I received this week from him. Me: Fine I barely seen Dmitry this week. Between his father keeping him busy and me working more hours at the coffee shop, we might as well been strangers. He texted me a few times to check on me, but it felt weird hearing from hm via text. Why didn’t he call me? Why didn’t he just come to my room to talk? He’s kissed me twice now and all I got was a few text messages asking about my day. If it weren’t for the faint smell of his cologne in the hall, if would have forgotten that we wee only feet apart every night. Something changed between us and ii wasn’t sure why or how. He didn’t respond to my message, so I was completely surprised when he walked through the doors of the co
Danica POVThe next day, Dmitry took me to see a lady about a dress. Well, not the actual dress.The lady who he repeatedly called ‘B’ took my measurements and showed me a bunch of fabrics. Not that she wanted my opinion. Just wanted to know how they looked against my skin.Then she pushed us out the dress shop, claiming to have a lot of work to do in such a short time.Afterwards, we met up with his parents. They too were a fan of the Italian restaurant on the lake. I was sad to hear Cory wouldn’t be joining us. He served as a buffer when Dmitry’s parents were around.Thanks to him, I hadn’t been alone with Mrs. Hardin since that day in Dmitry’s room. And I was thankful or it. Her tone and meddling comments left me feeling untethered in a way I couldn’t explain. She was part reason why I was at odds with Dmitry and not seeing him all week. Her words lived free in my head every quiet moment I spent alone. ‘I can’t tell if you are so important to him that he wants to keep you a secret
Danica POV“Do you want to go to the lake with me?”Cory’s head popped up from couch to see me holding a brown straw basket I found in Dmitry’s pantry. I packed a few chips, drinks, and sandwiches. Only two though, in case Cory decided he would rather spend his day playing a couch potato.I also packed a small blanket and towel.I would have asked Dmitry, but he was at work.“Is that food?” Cory asked.I smiled and nodded.“Then alright. Just let me change my clothes and I’ll meet you outside.”I nodded and hurried out the door. I didn’t want to risk running into Mrs. Hardin.The moment I stepped outside and saw a town car pull into the driveway, I instantly regrated coming out of my room.She got out to the car with a small bag in tow. Took one look at me and said, “Off to do nothing?”There was a small line between her genuine interest and her sarcastic comments. I lifted the basket a little. “Just off to the lake.”She held her nose a little higher. “Don’t you do anything else ot
EpilogueOne Year LaterDanica POV“I still cannot believe you’ve been living here in this house. With those two gorgeous men all year long. Every time I come to town, I’m still amazed.” Grace said while lounging on the float next to me.She was home for summer break, and we were enjoying a nice swim while Dmitry and Cory fixed a few poolside snacks.“First of all, I’m not living here with two guys. It’s just me and Dmitry here. Cory’s just visiting. Always visiting.” I laughed. "Just Like you are visiting me now."Grace flew in from Cali a few days ago. She was on summer break from UCLA. I was on summer break too from University of Pennsylvania. I started attending last semester since I didn’t apply on time last year. Now that I had money for college, the dream of getting a degree in English didn’t seem so far away. Thanks to my grandfather’s generous insurance money.I kept my grandfather’s house, though I didn’t live there. Instead, I visited a few times a week to study and write.
Danica POVDmitry and I lay comfortably across the couch with me nestled on top of him. We’d been laying here for nearly an hour without saying a word. Simply enjoying being in each other’s space. The kiss we shared was passionate and enticing, but nothing else was needed tonight.Another half hour passed before something started nagging at me.“What did you mean, you were here when Rick left? How did you know he wasn’t going to be here tonight?”He sighed. “There is something I need to tell you.”Dmitry shifted beneath me until we were both in a sitting position.“When you first came to work for me, I started looking into your family.”“You what?!” I jumped off the couch. “Did you run a background check on me?”He laughed. “No.” He leaned forward. “Well, not really.”I folded my arms across my chest. And sighed waiting for him to explain.“I didn’t have to wonder why you wanted to hurt yourself that day on the bike. I knew when the nurses were working on you that something wasn’t rig
Danica POVI slowly crept my way up the dark stairs, and down the restored hallway to Ricks room. Sweat covered my hands as I thought of all the things that could go wrong if opened this door and he was laying there waiting to meet his intruder.My mind became riddled with memories. I looped the hallway twice, struggling between leaving the house and opening that door. Finally, I came face to face with the bedroom door that used to belong to my grandfather. And now belongs to my father.I twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open at the slowest pace my hand could muster. My eyes squinted at the small rust screech. I peeked through the small open space to see a very vacant, perfectly made bed. My head swiveled around the room as I pushed the door wider.It was empty. The room was neat and clear of sign that someone lived here. I expected to see Ricks clothes thrown across the furniture. And unmade bed with beer cans scattered throughout the sheets. But I found nothing.It is as
Danica POV I pulled off onto a dirt road behind my fathers’ property. I would cut across it every other day to go to Dmitry’s house when I was trying to hide the fact that I’d been working off my debt. I didn’t want my father to know I was sneaking in and out the house late at night. Even if I was working, he would find some perverted way to punish me for it. I parked the car and closed my eyes. I needed strength for what I was about to do. It was late and I had nowhere to go. There were a few hundred dollars in my account from being paid. Enough to get a hotel room at the cheapest motel in town. But I didn’t have a bank card yet. Dmitry took me to set up a bank account after I got my second check. I’d never forget the look on his face when he realized didn’t have one. I was eighteen with little knowledge of the world around me. It was almost ridiculous how much I had to learn to catchup with everything my classmates parents taught them outside of our normal school work. I cut t
Dmitry POVI disliked this night with a small portion of hate. Every year, we have to throw a big party, just to get our counterparts to give to charity.Small dinner plates. Entertaining music. Boring Speeches.I had half a mind to just write a check for the full amount myself. But my mother is always reminding me. This is how we make friends. This is how we leave our mark in life.Every year I plaster on my fakest smile. But this year was different. Its the first year my smile was real.I was happy though I couldn’t completely show it.From the moment I saw her in that dress, I couldn’t stop smiling on the inside. From head toe, hands down she was the prettiest girl tonight.Between her smooth copper tone, the rose gold shimmering of the dress, the dramatic gold makeup, and her hazel , Danica was perfect.There were so many times tonight I wanted to go to her. Sit with her. Chat with her. I wanted to know if she was enjoying herself. And every time I glanced at our table, I found m
Danica POV Dmitry reached for my arm once more, but I wiggled out of his grasp and burst through the door. I didn’t stop there. I kept going, making my way through the same crowd that gawked at my outburst. My feet didn’t stop there. I kept moving. A few seconds after pushing through groups of people, I heard Dmitry shouting my name and a few onlookers pronouncing their shock at his outburst. Still I didn’t turn back to look at him. I knew if I did, he would only end up embarrassed and I would end up hurt. Or should I say, more hurt. I kept going until I reached the front of the ballroom, just before the green artsy hallway. Standing near ballroom entrance was Lacy and her sister. I caught the tail end of her sentence. She noticed me just as the words came flying out of her mouth. “….nothing more than a common girl. No way is he interested in her.” My cheeks flushed as I brushed past them. This felt like school all over again. Mrs. Hardin gave Lacy the ammunition she needed to ke
Danica POV I headed for the garden inspired hallway we walked through earlier just before entering the ballroom. I was certain everyone would be here in the ballroom. They’d had their fill of artwork and beautiful greenery. I could be alone and still in attendance. I’d take some time to view the pretty paintings in the small walking spaces we passed. With my head aimed straight, I walked passed the patrons. I caught a glimpse of Dmitry, who looked bored. Caught between is father and another older gentleman. His mother was nowhere to be found. This would be the first time tonight she wasn’t hanging on her husband’s arm. Cory was nowhere to be found either. Just as well. He was good company, but I just needed a breather. Especially after being the center of attention for a dance that I don’t think ill ever forget. The hallway was nearly empty, I could hear a few female voices from one of the indented corners. No doubt they were marveling over the number of brush strokes in the paint
Danica POV The violinist began playing Turning Page by Sleep at Last. This was way too much of a romantic song to dance with Cory. He gave me an apologetic look, then leaned in to ask me, “Will you be able to find you way back to the table?” I nodded my head. Then he walked away to meet his mother and another young woman. I was just about to take my first step towards the table when I felt a hand lock onto mine. Instantly, I was pulled into Dmitry’s hold. My senses were invaded by his cologne. I didn’t realize until I exhaled, but I just spent the last few seconds inhaling all that I could. He smelled amazing. “What are you doing?” I asked as he placed his other hand in the small of my back. He smiled, “Dancing. What does it look like?” I quickly glanced around, confirming the feeling I got the moment he grabbed me. Eyes from more than half the room were on us. Just beyond the edge of the dance floor was Cory. He lifted his champagne flute with a subtle head nod. Though we didn’
Danica POV I suppose the night went on as a normal party of this stature would. We were served a three-course dinner accompanied by champagne in fancy flutes. I've always heard these kind of events leave the stomach wanting more and yet I was completely fulfilled. Not just with the food but also the entertainment. In the center of a dimmed stage sat not four, or six band members, but one lone violinist covering all the latest songs. I couldn't make out her face as she sat on a darkened stage wearing all black, but I imagined she was just as beautiful as her music. Enclosed in her own small garden surrounded by plants and vines. It was absolutely stunning. I kept my eye on her the majority of the night. I knew everyone at the table and still I had nothing to say to anyone except Cory and Dmitry. The entire table occupants consisted of me, my two guys, Lacy and Dmitry’s parents. So when each of them were away, I kept my eyes trained to the stage. Which was nearly the entire time I sa