"When learning self defense one of the most important things to remember is that any skills you acquire are only to be used when necessary. It's not a good idea to go around attacking people," Dimitri instructed.
"But you do that everyday."
He cut his eye at me in what I'm sure was supposed to be a scold but the faint tug of a smile gave him away.
We were standing side by side in a basic position that I was to return to each time I took a hit. It was supposed to be my comfort zone. My legs were apart, one a little behind the other, and I held my arms close to my chest. My hands were loosely opened unclenched.
"Also keeping mind that anytime you face an attacker, you're not only trying to disengage him but your trying to protect your self."
"Got it."
I was taking this as seriously as I could but Dimitri sounded so Zen and instructor like it was hard to believe he was ever a solemn faced FBI agent. He should have been teaching at a school somewhere or something.
It was especially hard for me to keep from turning around and planting one right on his lips with how dreamy his accented voice sounded.
He broke out of his 'return to' stance and moved close behind me, our bodies brushing together.
If this was what training was going to be like with Dimitri, I was going to have a hard time resisting being a "horny teenager". Lissa was always telling me that I because I was a teenager I was entitled to a few perks, a little fun at my age, but I'd refused being the sensible one. Right now, though, being the wild one didn't sound so bad.
Dimitri moved one of my arms away from my body and stretched it outward extending it. He wrapped his much larger hand over my own and tightened and shaped it until I held a fist. I was supposed to be paying attention and memorizing body motions and movements but I could only concentrate on Dimitri's breath at my neck.
"You have your 'return to' position now you'll learn how to hit. This is what your fist should look like."
He held it in place so I could see.
"Do I get to hit anyone today while we're in town?"
I felt his chest rumble behind me as he laughed.
"Not unless you expect to make any enemies."
"I already have to many. I'll keep my hits to a minimum."
"Have you ever punched anyone before?"
I thought about it for a moment.
"Once or twice."
"You can't remember clearly?" He asked smiling.
"Well I'm not sure if one time counts. There was this weird dude who was getting a little too close to Lissa and I hit him but the other time I think it was just a girl slap. Some girls were coming down on me and I girl slapped one of them."
"Girl slapped?" he asked
"Yeah. It's kinda of something in between a punch, slap and a claw."
He laughed a little.
"I'm going to teach you to actually hit."
"Where did you learn to fight anyway? I mean I know you FBI police people have to learn this stuff in training but you sound much more experienced."
He adjusted my form, turning and shifting my hips and extending and retracting my hand.
"I learned from a few friends of mine when I was a kid. To live where I did, at the time, meant knowing how to take someone out."
"Where I lived, we asked our mob boss fathers to take out a hit one anyone we hated," I muttered. He didn't say anything but continued adjusting and readjusting my figure.
"Was it really that bad where you lived?" I asked moving on from my comment.
I wanted to know as much about Dimitri as he did me.
"Mmm…not as bad as most neighborhoods I guess but then again Russia's 'bad' neighborhoods are a bit different than here," He said, tone thoughtful.
"I know what you mean. When we were in Russia it was definitely different there than it is here. I don't think it's as corrupt though."
"I read in your file that you'd been to Russia a few times."
"Does my file have everything about me?" I asked looking over my shoulder at him.
He laughed lightly. "Not the important stuff. Just the basics. The FBI has been tracking your father for a while."
"Not surprising," I said sounding bitter. I changed the topic back to Dimitri. "Where in Russia did you live?"
"Baia. Small town close to a big troublesome city. Things weren't too bad."
It could have been worse, hung unspoken and unsaid in the air between us. Compared to me.
"When did you move here?"
"My mother thought it would be best if we left Baia and moved us here when I was sixteen. When I made a little bit of money going to the FBI academy and doing odd jobs on the side, I was able to by her a house not too far from here. I wanted them out of that cramped apartment she'd moved us to."
"That was nice of you to do for your family," I commented.
He adjusted my form again.
"It was more about being responsible that being nice. And I love them so I'd do pretty much anything for them."
"You were being the man of the house," I noted.
"With no father in the picture, I had to be. My mother and grandmother were good caregivers though and my sisters did all they could do to look after me. I didn't make it easy though being a rebel teen."
"Dimitri Belikov a bad boy? I can't imagine it." I giggled.
He smiled behind me and motioned my arms again.
"I had the cigarettes, leather jackets, and biker boots. I was the stereotypical bad ass," he told me, amusement in his voice.
"What made you so mad to go bad boy?"
"I was still recovering from what we went through with my father when he bothered to be around," he said sounding as bitter as I normally did.
I wasn't sure if I should push and ask what his childhood trauma was like but I was curious and couldn't help it.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked carefully.
He stopped us from moving for a second to look down at me.
He turned me all the way around to face him. He held me by the shoulder for a second and then kissed me once on the forehead and another on my lips.
"I'm not going to dampen our happy mood with bad memories. Come on, we should get into town before dark."
He went into the apartment and grabbed his keys, me right behind his heels.
"We only practiced for an hour," I complained.
He took one of his black coats off of the hook and wrapped it around my shoulders covering my tank top and my stretchy black pants. The weather was worsening and the days were getting colder, the nights were even worse.
"If someone hadn't got so hands-y in the bedroom, we would have had more time," he told me smiling.
He wrapped a long scarf around my neck.
"Then it was definitely worth it to lose practice time."
I bent down to tie my tennis shoes and then we left.
The town Dimitri drove us too was adorable. It was a narrow road with little shops on each side and not much room for parking. People were mostly walking and only a few cars drove down the unpaved street.
"I don't think you're going to fit this monstrosity of a truck into anyone of these parking spaces."
"I'll manage," he said simply. He pulled his ginormous SUV truck thingy into world's smallest parking space but he did fit it in there.
He looked over at me, smug.
"Show off," I muttered.
We climbed out of the truck and walked a little ways down the street.
"I would never be able to pull off a move like that," I said, pointing back to his truck.
"Do you even have your permit?"
"No. Lissa's gotten me behind the wheel of her car a few times but I hate driving."
"Why?"
"Because I'm terrible at it. Not to mention all of the other nuts on the road. You're driving hasn't really convince me otherwise," I added slyly.
He looked appalled.
"What's wrong with the way I drive?"
"Blind people drive better than you," I teased. He didn't really drive that bad I just loved making fun of him.
I grabbed his hand and swung our clasped embrace between us happily.
"Hahaha," he mocked.
We went into a couple of stores. Dimitri followed behind me, a little uncomfortable and awkward shopping. I picked out a few loose skirts, dresses, and a pair of jeans.
"When my sister goes shopping, she either buys all skinny jeans or really tight skirts," Dimitri said pointing to the pile of clothes at the cashier's counter.
"You go shopping with your sister?" I asked curious.
"She drags me along when none of her friends are with her. Not to mention she'll go crazy with the credit cards unless someone is there to stop her."
"Oh."
"Don't you want more jeans?" he asked.
"No. I like the jeans I have. Their comfortable and I've worn and broken them in." They were all faded, with holes in the knees and the ends shred from when they got stuck on the back of my shoe. "I like skirts and dresses. They make me feel...girly," I smiled, turning in a little happy circle.
Dimitri smiled, a dimple appearing on one side.
"Whatever makes you happy."
He paid for the clothes and we headed to a few stores for shoes and accessories.
"A girl has to have something to emphasize the outfit. You grew up in a house full of women. You should know this," I teased trying on a pair of flats.
"Girls," he sighed rolling his eyes.
"I can't believe your spending so much money," I said. Surprised, he looked down at me, eyes smiling.
"You deserve it. Think of it as a guy buying his girlfriend a few gifts."
I stood up after putting the pair of shoes back in the box.
I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you. For everything."
"You're very much welcome," he whispered kissing me on the cheek. "Besides, I like spoiling you. I don't get to do it a lot since I'm usually working."
"I hope you know I'm taking full advantage of that. You're going to wish you hadn't told me that."
He laughed.
"You can't be any worse than Victoria. My mother gets mad at me when I spoil her and my niece and nephew but I can't help it. Now that I'm able to give them nice things I want to do it all of the time."
"You are just too cute Dimitri Belikov!" I gushed. He blushed a little. After we paid for the shoes we headed home, getting ready for tomorrow's adventure.