Chapter 7

I woke up to Sasha softly humming a familiar tune sometimes during the early morning. He was squatting down over his bag wearing nothing but a black muscle shirt and boxer briefs. The soft light from the bathroom was casting shadows on him that emphasised the strong musculature of his thighs and calves. Although he stood up with his back to me, I gasped when he removed his underwear to slip into a clean pair, getting a quick glimpse at his ass. He also pulled on some shorts, a sweater, and a ball cap before leaving the room. It took me a little bit of time to process that it was the morning and Sasha was probably heading out for a run. I was feeling horny and slightly pervy after watching that beautiful man getting dressed. My phone showed that it was 5: 30 in the morning, too early to get up or do anything. I decided to call Sam with whom I hadn’t chatted with in a while. 

‘Hello?’ I hear him say sleepily. Shit! What time was it there? I quickly calculated that it was around midnight.

‘Sammy, shit I’m sorry I should have texted first’ I said apologetically. 

‘Are you ok?’ he asked alarmed.

‘Yes, I’m fine I just hadn’t talked to you in a while. How are you?’

‘You scared me Aves, I’m good. How is Paris? Jamie said you text him earlier’. I smiled at this, missing my brothers immensely. This was the first time I was away from home for longer than a weekend. We chatted for an hour, until Sam’s yawns were getting more and more frequent. 

I got up, set my phone up to play some happy music while I took a shower. The hot shower felt amazing on my skin. Singing along to Maroon 5’s ‘Sunday Morning’, I felt ready for the day.

I pulled a pair of skinny jeans that made me feel sexy despite my thick thighs, a charcoal-colored tank top and a light coral sweater. I applied some light makeup before checking myself in the mirror and heading to the dining room. I made my way over to a group of people I recognised from supper the night before. We introduced ourselves and fell into easy conversation. The day’s guided tour was a scheduled vineyard visit out in the country and we debated the pros and cons of going. The door to the dining room opened and all the girls sitting near me stopped talking, craning their neck towards the entrance. I turned to see what all the fuss was about as Sasha, Lyosha, Dmitry and Misha entered the room. They were fresh from a run, sweat making their muscles glisten as they moved. Stunned at their ridiculously good looks, I nearly dropped my fork. I could feel the saliva forming in my mouth from looking at them. I gave my head a shake feeling guilty for staring, but it turns out I wasn’t the only one reacting that way, most of the girls within the vicinity old enough to reproduce were staring at them lustfully as well. 

‘Every. Single. Morning’ a petite blonde girl named Rebecca said fanning herself ‘this never gets old’. One of the guys at the table rolled his eyes in annoyance but this was obviously not the first time he had seen this reaction. When Sasha spotted me, he made his way over towards our table. The other guys followed his lead and sat at the table next to us. The girls giggled at seeing Sasha come our way but quickly stared daggers at me when he gave me a peck on the forehead. Sitting next to me, Sasha grabbed my plate and started wolfing down my eggs and croissant. Too stunned to say anything I let him finish off my breakfast. 

‘You’re up early malyshka, I was expecting to surprise you in bed after my run and maybe doing a bit more cardio’ he said, teasing but loud enough for everyone at my table to hear. I looked at him with wide-eyed embarrassment momentarily caught off guard. His friends all laugh at my reaction. 

‘Really? YOU are with HER? Ew’ I heard Rebecca scoff disdainfully, wrinkling her nose as she got up to leave. She walked away with her nose in the air and exaggerated the way her hips swayed while she walked. My eyes watered as the sting of her comment hits me like a slap in the face. A shadow passed over Sasha’s face, Lyosha grabbed his arm calmly and said something to him I didn't comprehend.

‘Suka!’ he spat at the girl. He frowned, pulling me closer to his chest. I couldn’t help the tears from falling, ruining my makeup. 

‘Aw, Malyshka, don’t cry’ He said awkwardly, patting my back. ‘Come, let’s go upstairs’ he wiped my eyes with a napkin and kissed my forehead. He got up tugging on my hand to follow him. Lyosha gave me a sympathetic look as I followed Sasha out of the dining room. Near the elevators he placed a hand behind my shoulders and one behind my knees carrying me like a bride the rest of the way to the room. Startled, I grabbed his neck and held on. 

‘Sasha’ I giggled, ‘Put me down!’ Feeling self conscious about my weight, but Sasha did not seem to be struggling to carry me at all. 

Hands full, Sasha instructed me to grab the key from his shorts pocket. I reached down and managed to grab it without touching him too much. I placed it on the keypad and turned the handle for him. He pushed my hip into the door to open it and set me on the bathroom counter. He grabbed a face cloth, wet it with warm water and gently wiped my tears and makeup away. He held my face in his hands and looked into my eyes. 

‘Why me though?’ I asked him, pouting. He tipped his head sideways in confusion. 

‘What do you mean, Zayka?’

‘Why me and not some other prettier girl?’ His eyebrows shoot up in astonishment.

‘Seriously? You are the most beautiful girl here, Malyshka. And you’re also smart, funny, and I’m pretty sure you can cook’ He added in amusement. ‘You know I could ask you the same thing. Why me and not Lyosha or Misha? I hear Misha is quite a catch’’ He finishes wiggling his eyebrows. I snorted at this. Misha was good looking enough, but he also looked like he was 16. He was gangly and awkward at times, I doubted he was older than 19.

‘Cause you made it clear that it wasn’t a choice a few nights ago’ I shoved his shoulder playfully. 

 ‘Spend the day with me’ he says pleadingly, ignoring my comment. 

‘Fine, but you need a shower!’ I teased.

‘That was my plan. We’ll do something together after, ok?’ He moved between my legs, kissed me on the mouth and picked me up from the counter. I automatically wrapped my legs around his waist, kissing him tenderly again.  He set me on the bed and made his way to the bathroom. 

SASHA POV 

I’m livid at that bitch for what she said to Avery. Rebecca, the tiny little blonde with a big mouth, had spent the first few days tagging along Lyosha’s tours. She made him explain everything to her in English and complained about foreigners ruining her country. It pissed me off that she thought she was a better catch. Sure, she looked like the kind of woman I had dated in the past, but her constant whining and talking turned me off. She was an uneducated prima donna. Avery on the other hand was an innocent and sweet woman. A gift I didn’t really deserve though. In hindsight I’m glad Lyosha talked me down from making a scene in front of Rebecca. I had forgiven him for he shit he pulled in northern France, but I could still feel the seething anger when I saw him feed her and touch her. I wanted to punch his head in. He was lucky Avery had been there and I hadn’t lost control that night. She was an American, she didn’t understand how possessive we Russian men could be of our woman.

After my attempt at making her feel better, I gently put Avery in bed, collected my things and made for the shower. I noticed the shower glass was wet indicating that Avery had a shower earlier in the morning. I felt my dick twitch as I imagined her wet naked body. I envisioned her plump heart shaped lips wrapped around my cock as she looked up at me with those amber eyes. I stepped into the shower, the water was cold, reinvigorating me and increasing my circulation. I didn’t want to take too long but my mind had other plans. I thought back to how beautiful she looked the night she first let me touch her. The dim light of the moon was cast into the room making her soft creamy skin stand out. It was impossible for me to get out of the shower without a hard on. ‘Might as well take care of myself now’ I thought that way I could enjoy being with Avery that afternoon. I didn’t want to lust after her all day looking like a creep. She’s the type of girl you need to take your time with and savour. I closed my eyes and envisioned her breast in my hands and how she moaned when I gently teased her nipples. My hand ran along the length of my shaft as I remember her arching her back when I kissed her soft belly. Her body was voluptuous and soft, I had never been with a woman like her, but it did more for me than any other girl I had been with before. She was an understated beauty, preferring to be as natural as possible. It didn’t take me long to feel the familiar ache in my abdomen indicating I was about to come. The sexual tension I’ve felt around Avery these last few weeks had me on edge. Images of her curvy round ass flashed in my mind as I was about to come, and I envisioned having my way with her. My knees nearly gave out as hot relief washed over me.

When I got out of the shower, Avery was sitting cross legged on the bed, going through a journal. She had pulled her hair up in a high ponytail, her light brown hair falling over her shoulder on one side and a pen tucked behind her ear on the other side. Her face lit up when she saw me walk into the room. My heart fluttered in my chest and I returned the smile. 

‘You writing about me in your journal?’ I teased.

‘Ha. Ha.’ she laughed without humour, ‘No I was just looking up all the places we could go this afternoon, I wrote down a bunch of places I wanted to see yesterday while I was on the tour’. 

‘Oh! Well, sorry to disappoint you, Malyshka’ I said, eyeing her list, ‘but I’ve already decided where we are going.’ She looked up at me arching an eyebrow inquisitively. While there are a lot of places I didn’t recognise on her list, I realised once again that Avery is no ordinary girl. At the top of her list are open markets, restaurants and off the beaten path museums. I’m not surprised to see bookstores and libraries on her to-do list, but I was thrilled to see that Shakespeare and Company was underlined thickly. Although a bit of a tourist trap nowadays I’ve always enjoyed stopping by for a visit. 

I packed up my bag with provisions I had purchased the day before and I requested an Uber. 

AVERY’S POV

I tried to guess where Sasha was bringing us, but he refused to tell me. We pulled up near the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral where I marvelled at its impressive size. I made my way to the back of a long line of people waiting to get inside, but Sasha pulled me away insisting that wasn’t where he wanted to bring me. We found a park nearby where Sasha set up a blanket he had packed. He gestured for me to sit next to him as he pulled out small, wrapped packages from his bag. He opened a paté from one of the packages as well as some salted ham, three packages containing cheese, a small baguette, a knife, a handful of green grapes and fresh strawberries. My mouth watered at this feast suddenly remembering that Sasha had eaten most of my breakfast that morning. Looking pleased with himself, Sasha deftly sliced the bread, spread some paté on it and handed me a piece. The spices and herbs in the paté were very prominent and I could tell the bread was very fresh. I savoured the food on my tongue for a while trying to guess the spices, I was tasting but there were too many to single out. Pleased with my reaction Sasha hands me another piece of bread with brie and salted ham. 

‘This is so delicious, Sasha, thank you!’

‘I’m glad you enjoy it,’ he replied.

‘Where are we going?’ I asked curiously.

‘I thought we could just stay here all day enjoying each other’s company’ he said seriously. I pondered this, nodding. ‘I’m kidding, I want to show you a cool place, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise just yet. Let’s finish eating and we will go straight there’. 

‘I just want you to know, I don't really do well with surprises. I grew up with three older brothers and I’ve learned to beware of surprises’ I said solemnly. Sasha grined at me. 

‘I bet they took good care of you though, didn’t they?’ he said. I talked fondly about my brothers to him, their careers and how much they mean to me. 

‘Do you have siblings?’ I asked.

‘Yes, I have two brothers, one is older by three years and the other is year younger than me’

‘Where are they?’ I asked curiously. 

‘My older brother is in England for a few more weeks, my little brother lives with my parents still in Russia’. 

‘Did you visit your brother while we were in England? ‘ He nodded, taking a sip of water.

‘So that’s why I barely saw you in London?’ 

‘That was the plan but one look at you and I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay away for long’ he teased. I pushed his shoulder playfully. 

‘Oh please, you slept there once I think’. Finishing up our meal we carefully packed up the leftover food into the bag. Sasha took my hand in his and we made our way down the busy street. I looked all around me as we walked trying to figure out where he was bringing me when he stopped in front of an old bookshop. Pointing up to a beige sign above a green storefront that read ‘Shakespeare and Company’. I excitedly asked Sasha to take my photo in front of the store so that I could immediately upload it to my facebook page. I browsed the thousands of books upon the shelves losing track of time and of Sasha. I browsed the same aisles several times seeing new books I wanted to touch, read, and buy. My ‘to read pile’ got longer and longer every minute I spent in the store. As I was debating which book to buy Sasha appeared next to me. 

‘Sorry I’m taking so long, we can go if you want’ I told him, feeling guilty. He didn’t look the least bit annoyed at me for spending this much time here. I felt relieved as I remembered what shopping with Chris was like. Everything was always rushed with him which was probably why I did most of my shopping online. 

‘Take all the time you want, zayka’ he said calmly.

‘Thank you. I’m just debating between these two books, ' I said pensievely. 

‘Get them both, I’ll pay’ he offered.

‘Uhm, no you will not’ I sternly replied, ‘You have done more than enough for me already on this trip’.

‘Well, I’ll buy one for you then’

‘No’. I finished simply. I decided to keep Julia Child’s Book of wisdom. I paid for my book that the clerk stamped with their signature seal. I slipped the book into a canvas bag with the store’s logo I had also purchased. I was excited to start reading my new book. Sasha led me to a café buying us each a cup of coffee and some pastries. We walked the streets for a while before heading back to our hotel in a taxi. 

Sam’s face lit up my phone as soon as we walked in the room. He was calling for permission to open the college letters he had received in the mail, wanting to make sure I didn’t miss out on any deadlines. There were forms to fill out, documents to send and assessments to complete before the start of term. I planned to visit a library for access to the university site in the next few days. Sam assured me he would take care of everything that he could on his end. Once business out of the way he put me on speakerphone so that I could talk to my parents and brothers. Everyone was eager to hear about all the things I had done in the last 2 weeks. Peter admitted that he was feeling jealous that I got to visit Shakespeare and Company. ‘Way to rub it in on Instagram’ he sniffed. 

 I described everything I had seen in the little shop as well as the book that I had bought. I talked at length about how popular Jamie’s restaurant recommendation had made me, most people willing to follow me blindly to dinner. I talked about some of the people I had met, like Julie who was a fan of my show, and Darcie who said everything that crossed her mind, but I kept quiet about Sasha who was laying next to me in bed. I was absentmindedly playing with his hair while talking on the phone. Sasha was busy looking at his phone as I wound my fingers in his hair over and over, then scratching and massaging his scalp. I promised my family I would post more photos on social media the next day as I wrapped up the conversation with them. I missed them terribly, but I was glad to be on the trip at that moment. 

‘Mmm, that felt so good malyshka’ Sasha groaned as I hung up the phone, ‘did you enjoy your day?’ he asked, turning his head up to look at me. 

‘I really did, thank you’ I told him, kissing his forehead. He rolled onto his side and pushed himself up, he brushed his lips against mine, coaxing my mouth open and delving deeper. I shivered and relaxed against him, my arms making my way around his neck. He moved closer to me nuzzling my neck, his hands cupping my breast through my shirt. I sighed deeply leaning my head back pushing my chest out to him, inviting him to continue. He pressed his lips just behind my ears, grabbed a handful of my hair and turned my face to his. His lips grazing against mine, sucking on my bottom lip, biting softly. Then he switched gears, kissing me urgently and in a way, I had never been kissed before, with tongue play and oragasm inducing tenderness. I groaned as my blood heated with desire for him. I reached down to undo his pants, but he pushed my hand away. Taken aback by this, I felt a pang of hurt in my heart and my eyes teared up.

‘Not now, Malyshka’ he whispered. He pulled off my shirt kissing me at the base of the neck, his hands circled to my back to unfasten my bra expertly. He covered one of my breasts with his mouth lightly sucking it until I whimpered, digging my fingers into his arms. My blood was heating with anticipation. He hooked his fingers along the waistband of my jeans and pulled them to my knees where they caught. I helped him remove them the rest of the way, though the damn things were so tight around my calves they ended up inside out. He pulled us closer together on the bed where we were both kneeling. Him fully dressed, me in nothing but a pair of cheeky floral underwear. He grabbed my ass with both hands giving my cheeks a rough squeeze. I reached for the hem of his shirt to pull it off, but he laid me down onto the bed. He moved my underwear aside and pushed a finger inside my wet core. I gasped wide-eyed in surprise, my body tense at the sensation. I slowly relaxed as he continued to pump his finger inside of me slowly.

‘Sasha, yes, that feels so good’ I moaned, gripping his arm tightly. He pulled his hand out momentarily and inserted a second finger continuing with his slow movements in and out of me. I closed my eyes, arching my back, amplifying the sensation. I whimpered and Sasha licked my bottom lip, then kissed me. 

He pulled his hand away caressing my inner thighs and moving himself down.

‘What are you doing?’ I asked unsure.

‘Relax, Malyshka’ he says, removing my panties and pushing my legs apart. I felt a new sensation as he licked my core teasing my clit and pushed his fingers inside of me once again. I started to pant as my heat rose, losing control. I gasped for air as waves upon waves crashed inside of me. I gently push his head away from me. He looked up at me with a mischievous smile on his face. 

‘Holy shit, Sasha, what the hell was that?’ I said trying to catch my breath. The look on his face turned to one of concern as he looked at me anxiously.

‘What do you mean’ he said, pulling away from me, ‘did I hurt you?’ Panic evident on his face.

‘I have NEVER had an orgasm like that before’ I panted ‘oh my god… Sasha, that was amazing’ his eyebrows shot up in relief and amazement. He pulled me close to him and I held him tight my whole body vibrating from the incredible high. How had I been in an intimate relationship for 6 years and never reached this level of orgasm? I reached for his belt to remove it, but he grabbed my hand again to move it. 

‘Don’t worry about me Malyshka. Go to sleep my Zayka’. He kissed my head and I fell asleep.