Chapter Thirteen

Willow’s POV.

“What the hell do you mean by you’re going to Russia?”

Now, this was how I would have expected my best friend to react when I told her my boss wanted me to go to Russia. Or, “Oh my goodness, Russia! Girl, take me along with you, so I can find myself some Eastern European hunk!”

That would have been funny and a lot more believable.

But all she said was, “You’re leaving for Russia tomorrow. Okay, I see.”

That was it. No questions, no surprise, no strong emotion. I was in my car driving to the mall to get some essentials. It was summer in Russia and I needed some lightweight clothes like the one I was wearing. I had done some research but I still needed to call Dimitri Rustanov. After all, it was his home country.

“Why do you sound so…?” I trailed out, unsure about which word to use.

“Why do I sound so what?” Kendra asked and I rolled my eyes. I bet she knew exactly what I was talking about and she was just being coy. And I truly did not understand why she was doing that.

“So quiet! You’ve not even asked me why I am leaving for Russia. You’ve not even shown any sign that you are going to miss me. No questions about how long I am going to be there. Nothing at all and you ask me ‘so what’?”

Kendra was quiet for a few seconds. I felt like hanging up the call but she spoke up before I could. “I’m just trying to process it. I’m sorry if it seems like I don’t care.”

Although it was still weird, her tone calmed me down a little. Kendra was never this quiet. Instead of thinking of myself, I could ask her what was going on in her life. Maybe something had messed up her day.

“Is everything okay?” I asked her.

“Yes, I’m just a little distracted,” was her answer. I hummed, not really convinced.

I was not going to push it though. Kendra was the type of person that spoke about her issues only when she wanted to. And if you pushed too hard, she was going to shut off. “Okay. Whenever you’re ready to talk about what is bothering you, you know I’m here. Always here.”

This girl had been way too supportive of me for me to get mad because she was not showing enough interest in a trip. I was being selfish.

“I know that, and I love you for that,” she said. I could hear the love in her voice and I smiled. That seemed more like my best friend. “Okay, so you were telling me about the trip to Russia. Did your boss tell you why you’re going?”

“Nope. He said it’s a mix of business and pleasure but that doesn’t answer anything, does it? What does he mean by that? That we are going to meet up with shareholders in the morning and go clubbing in the evening?”

Kendra laughed at my rhetorical question. “Does he even look like the type of man to club?” she asked and I laughed.

“He’s probably one of those types that goes to clubs and sits in the VIP section sipping on some expensive liquor. Then he spots some girl he is interested in and tells security to call her over. Then they go back to his hotel together. He gives her his card and they have dinner once or twice. Always ends up with mutual orgasms. Then about two weeks after, he sends her a Cartier bracelet and a bouquet of expensive roses to thank her for her time.”

I could tell I had shocked Kendra into silence. When she burst out laughing, I chuckled. I knew I was being silly but I would honestly not be surprised if that was how this man’s dealings with women went.

“Why are you explicit? Has this ever happened to you?” Kendra asked and the both of us burst out laughing. Her question was so ridiculous because I could not even remember the last time I went clubbing.

“This is the influence of all those romance books I read, babe. And my overactive imagination is already imagining how I am going to meet a rich Russian billionaire that wants me. And he will tell my boss that he can’t live without me and he is ready to pay any amount for Dimitri to let me go.”

“Hmm, yeah, I think this one scenario should have stayed in your brain,” Kendra said and we burst into laughter again. The initial awkwardness had disappeared and that was one thing that I loved so much about our friendship. We always managed to go past tension.

I had reached the mall, so I parked. “Hey baby, I’ll call you back. Let me go get some stuff for the trip. Bye.”

“Bye baby, love you,” Kendra said.

“I love you,” I replied then I hung up.

I picked up my phone and my wallet. The phone screen lit up as soon as I picked it up and I saw a bank notification. I frowned a little before unlocking the phone. Then my eyes widened. I had just received $2000… from Dimitri Rustanov. I frowned. Had the man made a mistake? Because why was he sending me $5000? It was even anywhere close to salary week. So it did not make sense. It was not Dimitri who made the salary transaction. It was the accounting team. But this transaction had come straight from his account.

I called him and waited for him to pick the call. When he did, I did not give him any breathing space. “Dimitri? I think you made a mistake. You just transferred $5000 to my account.”

“It was not a mistake,” Dimitri said, and I frowned. “That’s for your essentials. Let me know if you need anything more.”

I frowned. The man sounded like he was done with the conversation and I wasn’t. $5000 for essentials? “Sir, $5000 is a lot of money. And you’re telling me you sent it to me for me to get essentials?”

“Yes, Willow. That is exactly what I am saying.”

“I…”

“Is there anything else you needed?” he asked patiently.

I sighed. There was no need debating with this man, I was going to turn in circles and he was still going to have his way. “How do I pack?” I asked, defeated. That was one conversation that would not go my way so it was best for me to just shut it down.

“Lightweight summer clothes. No formal dresses. Slippers. Lots of sunscreen. Shorts. Yourself.”

The last part was slipped in so casually I almost did not catch it. My breath hitched but I decided that I was done letting this man affect me so heavily.

Who was I kidding?

“Is that all you needed?” Dimitri asked when I was silent for a while.

“Yes sir,” I answered quietly.

“Good. Call me if you need anything else. See you tomorrow, Willow.”

“Bye Dimitri,” I said, then he hung up.

I stared at the phone in incomprehension for a few minutes then I locked in and got out of my car. I had the feeling that this trip was going to change a whole lot when it came to my dynamic with Dimitri. A whole fucking lot.

***

I had thought I would be too excited to sleep but that was not the case at all. The only time I had ever left the country was on a class trip to Canada. It had taken a lot of convincing for my mother to let me go on that trip. Now I was going to Russia. And for ‘indefinitely’, if I was to believe my boss.

I had done a lot of shopping and packing the previous day. And by time I was finally done, it was 11 pm. Finally, I had slept at midnight just to wake up at 6 am. I felt like that one kid who had school the next morning. I could not lie, all of this felt surreal. I was trying to curb my excitement but I was not sure I wanted to. This was probably the last time I would ever be experiencing something like this. It was important for me to live it wholly.

As soon as I woke up, I took a shower. I was a little too nervous to eat so I skipped breakfast. Instead, I made sure that I had everything I needed for the trip and that I had not forgotten anything. I did not think Dimitri would take it too well if we had to stop at a store before the trip.

Luckily for me, I did not forget anything. By the time 7 am was rolling in, I heard my doorbell ring. I walked to the door and opened it, expecting Dimitri’s driver. Well Dimitri’s driver was there alright. But my boss himself was standing in front of my door.

“Good morning, Willow.”

“Dimitri,” I said breathlessly, then I cursed myself for being so weird. I was acting like a groupie. I had been around this man for so long that I was not supposed to be getting excited every time I saw him like this.

“Won’t you let us in?” There was an amused look on his face and it made me blush. I stepped aside so the both of them could get in.

The driver went straight to the luggage. I went to pick up something but Dimitri stopped me. I looked at him with a confused expression on my face. Then I raised my brow defiantly at him. This was my stuff. I was allowed to carry it downstairs.

“Go downstairs. Unlock the car and get in. And don’t try to argue with me, Willow. You’re not touching any of this.”

I frowned at the man’s words. But I knew there was no use arguing with him. So, I took the keys he was dangling. “Can I at least carry my purse?”

Dimitri chuckled. “You may.”

“Thank you master,” I said sarcastically.

“Tread carefully,” Dimitri warned me quietly and my eyes widened.

“The keys to my apartment,” I said, then I dropped them into his hand and hightailed the fuck out of there.

The sexual tension between the both of us was getting a little too crazy. And I knew it was not just in my head. I was not just imagining things. The innuendos, the tone… everything. I closed my eyes and stopped for a few seconds before keeping it moving. I went to the car and unlocked the door, then I got into the backseat and settled in.

I wanted to call Kendra and tell her about what was happening but I stopped myself. I was probably just imagining things. There was nothing there. Absolutely nothing. I was building castles in my head and I was just being silly.

Just being silly.

By the time Dimitri and his driver were done loading my luggage into the car, I had composed myself a little. I smiled at my boss when he got into the backseat. He put up the protection glass between the driver and us, which I found weird. He had never done that before. I didn’t ask any questions though. I just watched him.

When the driver started moving, Dimitri pulled something out of a secret compartment and handed it to me. It looked like a jewelry box. I frowned a little but I took it from him. I opened it and gasped. It was a bracelet and the only way I could describe it was ethereal.

“Dimitri?” I asked quietly.

“It’s yours,” was all he said.

Then he took it from me and put it on my wrist. It fit perfectly. I watched him do it mutely, unable to move a muscle. “It’s beautiful,” I said.

“Not as much as you are.” He whispered the words. But I heard them clearly.

I was just being silly.

I was just being silly.

Right?