tk

by Laddie252

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2. Chapter 2

Chapter 5
The grand opening of the Dmitry's Closet was an undeniable
success. Nearly two hundred of Memphis‟ affluent
women came to the opening. The event was complete with
the cutting of a splendid red ribbon, a few words from the
area councilman and tons of champagne, strawberries, great
cheeses and caviar beluga for the guests. And best of all
despite the warnings from the local meteorologist, it did not
rain giving everyone a clear, not-so-hot August day.
Royal had used all of her textbook skills to attract the
local newspapers and reporters by giving them gift bags full
of free but expensive gifts all hand picked by her and her
new staff of two. Dmitry was also extremely impressed
with the entire event, receiving constant praise from his new
patrons, who not only loved the selection but the presentation.
By seven o‟clock when the doors closed, they had made
thousands of dollars and a big splash with the new boutique.
After counting down the drawer and giving the money
to Anatoly as previously discussed, Royal and her team
cleaned up the boutique and prepared to head over to the
Mother Russia restaurant, where Dmitry had arranged for a
celebratory dinner.
It had been an excruciating month for Royal, full of lastminute
details to work through, promotions to pull together
and fine clothing to inventory, but things had worked out
better than her wildest dreams. She was a success. Her
hard work had paid off literally. And most of all Dmitry
was happy with her.
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"The limo is here to pick us up, Royal," her assistant,
Renée said, grabbing her purse. "I can‟t believe he is
sending over a freaking limo!"
"Yeah, that‟s pretty sweet," Royal said hurrying.
Renée was a young, energetic neo soul sister from Atlanta,
who rocked a large, very pro-black afro and large gold
hoop earrings. She was a dark, short, petite woman with
tons of retail experience and new to the city. Royal hired
her on the spot during their interview, feeling a strangely
familiar kinship with the woman. Her other assistant Cory
was young man who had come highly recommended by the
councilman, Mr. Avers, who had also spoken at their grand
opening.
Cory was a clean cut, attractive young white man with a
very small, but muscular frame. Dmitry had questioned her
choice for him, but she knew that it was only because he
was a man. Cory was extremely professional and kind and
his ultimate goal was to one day own his own shop. She
thought his ambitions to be admirable and decided after
several days and a few conversations with Dmitry to hire
him as well.
The three of them loaded into the limo quickly and
were escorted a few streets over to the restaurant, where a
small group of Dmitry‟s friends and colleagues waited.
When they arrived at the restaurant, a traditional Russian
band was playing and the entire place was covered in festive
crimson decorations. There were tons of expensive wine,
fine Russian vodka, traditional Russian food and of course,
caviar.
Once, Royal had inquired why caviar was a staple in
Dmitry‟s life. He explained that he was part-owner of a
caviar company near the Caspian Sea.
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Naturally, she said shaking her head when he had informed
her of yet another business he owned.
"Ah, there is my little shop girl," Dmitry said, picking
Royal up and whirling her around.
His festive spirit made Royal light up. She hugged him
as tightly as she could, relishing in the moment.
"Wasn‟t today, great? I…I couldn‟t believe it. So many
people came to the opening," Royal said as Dmitry sat her
down. There eyes were glued to each other. His hands were
glued to her tiny waist.
He finally spoke, breaking out of her spell. "Dah…dah
today was great…was reflection of you, eh?" He waved at
the waiter. "Bring her a big glass of wine. I want to get her
as drunk as possible." He gave a wide grin then took Royal
to the head table.
"Did you do all of this for us?" She looked around in
amazement.
"No, I did all of this for you," he whispered in her ear,
as he pulled a seat out for her.
Dmitry had flirted with Royal many times but ultimately
kept his sexual ambitions at bay after their date. Royal
thought it was because he felt that she was too inexperienced
for him, but Dmitry was a business man. He had
left her alone to ensure that she would focus on his shop
first. He knew that there would plenty of time for his other
plans.
However, they still continued to spend many days and
evenings together planning for the grand opening, which
Dmitry enjoyed immensely. It gave him an opportunity to
get to know her on many levels, something that he found
quite refreshing in a woman after many years of dealing
with empty vessels.
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Every day, she would always reveal something newer,
something brighter to him. He found himself impatient to
get to the boutique, to hear her voice and see her face.
Royal was fascinating to him in every way that a woman
could be fascinating to a man. A hard worker. Honest.
Loyal. Pure. He could never have asked for more in
whatever she had grown to be to him.
Royal had also been enslaved by Dmitry. He was not
only beautiful but incredibly wise. He gave her so much
advice on how to run the business and how to be savvy
about all her negotiations with vendors. He explained the
market to her and how to stay on top of it. She was his
ever-faithful pupil.
"Could I have your attention, please?" he asked, standing
at the head of the long, decorated wooden table. He
clinked the gold knife on the crystal glass and cleared his
throat.
As he raised his glass, the room quieted to a dead silence.
All the chatter stopped, and the band put down their
instruments. Royal looked around, astonished at how
people snapped to his command. All eyes were glued to
him and his eyes were glued to her. The attention made
Royal incredibly self-conscious. She fidgeted a little as she
tried to look at him and not at all the people who were now
focused on the two of them.
His voice reverberated throughout the large restaurant
like a microphone had been placed below him. Eyes
sparkling under the romantic lighting, he turned to Royal.
If she had believed in Prince Charming, she would have
sworn that he was him.
"I would like to make toast to Royal Stone and the hard
work that she and her team have put into making my
newest shop a great success. I am very proud of her and my
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own decision to keep her so very close. She has truly
become…asset," he paused and smiled at Royal. "So,
tonight we celebrate a new part of my vision and welcome
Royal to the family. She has my blessings, and I‟m sure all
of yours. Budem everyone!"
"Budem!" everyone replied at once, toasting Royal and
her staff.
Instantly, the music began again and the ginger chatter
resumed. Royal was happy in that fact. Now all eyes were
not on her, but she could still feel a few burning through
her back. She turned slightly to observe. Around them sat
several men that she had never met before but who were
most definitely Russian and wealthy. All of them were
adorned in expensive suits, shoes and polished accessories.
With them were women of the finest breed – beautiful,
exotic beneficiaries of fine living.
Near the end of the table were Renée and Cory eating
and laughing, both enjoying each other‟s company and their
new found success. Royal observed everyone while she
sipped on her wine, feeling a small buzz as she neared the
bottom of the glass. She smiled to herself feeling more
apart of something than she had ever felt before. Suddenly,
a warm hand crept across hers, and she looked over to find
Dmitry. His bright eyes were fixed on her.
"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.
"I‟m wonderful," she said, holding back tears. She
clinched his hand tightly. "Thanks for all of this. It‟s
beautiful. I‟ve never had anything like this done for me
before." Her voice was nearly a whisper.
"Get used to it." He waved over the waiter for more
wine. He could see her wide brown eyes start to relax. Her
long lashes flopped lazily and the tension had started to
come out of her erect posture.
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"You feel relaxed yet?" He ran his large hand over her
shoulder and massaged her back.
"Umm, yes," she said empting her glass. She wiped her
lips gently with her finger tips. The wine perfumed her
breath and hazed her thoughts.
Dmitry watched her, still smitten by her small perfect
movements. He looked away for a moment and smiled to
himself.
Royal looked over and caught his smirk. She raised her
brow and set down her glass. Used to his idiosyncrasies,
she knew sex was on his mind.
"Can you manage to keep that mind of yours out of the
gutter, Dmitry?" she asked slurring her words a little but still
in control of her thoughts.
"You‟ve now gone from shop girl to mind reader?"
Dmitry laid his long arm around her chair and her exposed
back like a boa constrictor and let his thumb rub against the
bare skin of her back.
"It doesn‟t take much to read your mind." His movements
aroused her.
"If that were true, I‟d be out of business." He smirked
again showing his long dimples.
"It‟s not that. I‟ve just had more time to know how to
read you."
She met his eyes and swallowed hard as he leaned in.
"What am I thinking right now? Tell me exactly. Each
and every word."
"You‟re thinking you want to give me a raise," she said
smiling.
He grinned. Her humor continuously renewed him.
"You have proven yourself to be quite the remarkable
woman," he said softly. "I have watched you transform
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from this diamond in the rough to…Hope diamond.
Irreplaceable. Irresistible. Irritating." He smiled.
She laughed.
"Jeez, don‟t set the bar so high," she whispered.
The band played in the background, hand organs bellowing
out beautiful Russian music. He smiled. "Dance
with me?" he asked, urging her from her seat. His hand
caressed her back.
"Alright." Royal stood, placed her napkin in the chair
and followed Dmitry to the quaint, candlelit dance floor.
Again she could feel the many eyes burning through her.
They all watched her like spectacle she was. It would have
driven her crazy if Dmitry had not continued to steal her
thoughts.
He turned to her and bowed gracefully.
"May I have this dance and every other there after?"
He winked at her.
"Yes, but I have to warn you, I tend to lead."
"So you‟ve danced with many seven foot men, huh?"
"A couple," she grinned. "Okay. You‟re the first, but
don‟t let it go to your head."
"Too late," he hummed. "If I was foolish enough to
omit observation earlier…you look absolutely beautiful
tonight."
"Thank you." Royal smiled. "You do too."
Dmitry looked regal in his black tailored suit, cut for his
large lion frame. As normal, there was nothing out of place.
His hair was just the right shade of blonde, his tan just the
right shade of bronze, his eyes just the right shade of blue
and his lips just the right shade of pink. Even more was his
intoxicating cologne – a signature fragrance that she had
never smelled before meeting him, but could not forget.
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He dipped his head to greet her, ever so gentle and refined
in all of his movements. As he took her small manicured
hand in his own, he pulled her close into his towering
body. She slipped her hand in between the tailored shirt
and satin on the inside of his jacket; gripping his marble
body and feeling the heat come from under his clothes.
Their bodies fused together.
Seeing Dmitry swaying softly, the band instantly
stopped their upbeat tune and started a more romantic
melody. The violins harmonized, tickling her ears with
delicious sounds. She smiled at him as he looked down at
her.
"What are you thinking now, Royal?" he asked as they
swayed.
"They don‟t sound nearly as good as you do, when you
play."
Dmitry grinned.
Softly, she laid her head against his body and felt his
arm tighten around her waist. The guests looked on as the
two danced, somehow moving with every step further into
their own world, where no one else existed. Her eyes closed
as she danced dizzily with the harmony of the music. He
nearly hid her from the others with his massive frame. She
felt safe in his embrace, protected by his presence.
The other guests soon began to move to the dance floor
as well, partnering up to join in the beautiful moment.
Without words, the room spoke in volumes. There was love
in the air, contagious, crazy love-even if it was just for as
long as the band played.
"I don‟t ever want this moment to end," Royal finally
said, unsure of how Dmitry would react.
"Umm….me either, shop girl," Dmitry hummed, holding
her tighter.
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Minutes later, Anatoly appeared from the back room,
dressed in his normal dark boot cut jeans, black boots and a
black t-shirt. Obviously, he had not been invited or not
accepted an invitation to the event. His hooded, brooding
eyes were menacing and his walk forceful, each pace gaining
momentum. Dmitry saw him from a far and stopped
dancing. Royal looked over, sensing urgency as Anatoly
approached. Her heart sank.
Not now, she thought.
"Excuse me for just a moment," Dmitry said, walking
away, giving her no time to respond. She stood on the
dance floor alone as the others danced. The mood changed
quickly. Like a king at court, all eyes followed him as he left
the floor, but it was Royal who truly felt like the jester.
Anatoly spoke to Dmitry under a calm but urgent voice,
gesturing something violent with his hands. Dmitry looked
towards the front window and then back at the men on the
floor and at the table. They all stopped talking and dancing
and migrated collectively from their dates to circle around
Dmitry and Anatoly.
Dmitry said something to them, then they quickly dispersed
out of the front door without bothering to inform
their guests of their departure, then he walked back over to
Royal, who stood clueless.
"I‟m so sorry, Royal. It appears that I must excuse myself
for just a while," he said, escorting her back to the table.
His hand caressed the small of her back. "You should
finish your dinner, and I‟ll return shortly, if I can." He
pulled out the seat for her again. She sat down with a
dumbfounded look on her face. Was he serious? He would
just leave like this?
"What‟s wrong?" Royal asked, concerned. "I don‟t understand…"
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Dmitry interrupted. "A small problem with another
business that I own," he said, a little irritated by her inquiry.
He bit his lip and humbled himself.
"How many businesses do you own?" There was no
reply for her question. He simply pushed up her chair to
the table.
"I am sorry, Royal. Stay and wait for me as long you
can." He kneeled down to make eye contact with her. "I‟ll
return later. Enjoy the meal that I‟ve prepared for you and
your guests." He rubbed the tip of her nose with his index
finger and stood back up. He could clearly see the disappointment
in her eyes.
With an apology, he left the now nearly empty restaurant.
His heavy footsteps echoed across the hardwood
floor as he walked out without turning around. She watched
his body disappear beyond the gilded glow of the
decadent room through the front door that Anatoly held
open for him.
"And he‟s gone just like that," she said, absently.

Royal had managed to stay and wait, despite her bewildered
embarrassment. She was like a birthday girl at a party
with no guests. All dressed up and no where to go, she sat
in the same seat that Dmitry had placed her in before he left
and waited faithfully, obediently and most of all perplexed.
As she sat talking to an old man, more than likely in his
eighties about the various types of caviar and its history in
Russia with royal families, the front doors to the restaurant
opened suddenly, and Dmitry and his large entourage of
men flooded into the building. They came in by the droves,
filling the place back to capacity. They came in like nothing
had happened, like there had been no interruption.
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65
Royal sat up and watched on like everyone else who was
left behind. Each man found his date and settled down to
talk and smile.
Anatoly immediately disappeared into the back again,
and Dmitry came in and locked eyes on Royal. As he
passed them, the women, who were left behind in the
whirlwind of urgency only hours before, looked up at him
like hungry wolves each pining for his attention. But he did
not look their way. His eyes were fixed on Royal, glad that
she had stayed and waited for him. He zoomed in on her
with an irate scowl on his face. His furrowed brow straightened
as he approached the table. Royal noted the transformation,
giving him a curious frown. What had he been up
to?
"I‟m sorry that I was taken from you for so long," he
said, seriously. His voice was distant. He tried to regain his
composure and get back the moment that he had clearly lost
with her on the dance floor.
"It‟s okay." Royal‟s smiled lacked all enthusiasm. "I‟m
going to get out of here in just a minute, anyway. Have to
get ready for tomorrow. I…can just walk over," she said,
trying to hide her sadness. "Cory and Renée are going back
with me. I just didn‟t want to leave before you returned
considering all that you‟ve done for us."
"Nonsense. I‟ll have you driven back over. Anatoly
will take you."
"Oh, I don‟t want to bother him."
"There is no bother. As a matter of fact, Anatoly will
stay at the store from now on, down in basement. It‟s not
safe for you to be there alone. People know there are large
sums of money at the shop now. I wouldn‟t want anyone
to think they can take advantage. Someone has to be on the
premises to protect you."
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"I didn‟t know that the place had a basement."
"A very nice one," he said, tasting the caviar.
"How does Anatoly feel about this?" She watched him
eat, frustrated at his quick commands and the fact that he
was ignoring her discomfort. "I don‟t like this. Now, he has
to uproot himself to stay with me. I don‟t want to be a
bother. Maybe we can just get a security system or…"
"Anatoly does as he‟s told. And he‟s been told to stay
in basement and make sure that no one disturbs you after or
before hours." He wiped his face and looked at her sternly,
the full strength of his prominent bone structure obvious as
he gritted his teeth. He picked up his wine and took a big
gulp, most unlike him.
"It looks like everyone around here does what they are
told," she huffed. "Does anyone ever ask why? Because
I‟m not the go fetch dog type."
Dmitry noted her anger and possible hurt. He calmed.
"I told you why," his voice was softer. "It‟s not safe."
"You seem…different, Dmitry. Strange." She looked
down at the table to control her own growing resentment
and distress.
Dmitry sighed. "I seem, because I am." He tried to
lighten his forceful tongue. "Just... listen to me, Royal.
Anatoly does not mind at all." He reasoned softly with her,
smiling to make his point more agreeable for her. "The
basement is nice enough. He‟ll be fine. You‟ll barely know
he‟s there." He lifted her chin to see her face.
Royal rested her case, realizing that Dmitry had come to
his final decision. She nodded to him in agreement and
gathered her things.
"Well, thanks again for everything," she said, understanding
that something else was bothering Dmitry. "I‟ll
see you later."
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67
"Dah, you will," he said, making eye contact with her.
Royal didn‟t respond. Dmitry stood up as she stood and
escorted her quietly to the door.
She stopped at the threshold of the restaurant with her
jacket in her hands and her purse under her arm waiting for
the to limo pull up to the front of the restaurant. It was
amazing to her how in a couple of months, she had completely
gotten used to having a driver, a limo and a staff of
people.
Renée and Cory stood behind them intrigued by the
oddly-matched couple.
"I‟m very proud of you, Royal," he reiterated with conviction.
His large hands rested on her bare shoulders. He
gazed at her for moment then motioned for Anatoly, who
waited just outside of the door with the car. "You‟d better
get out of the night air."
"Is he my bodyguard now? I don‟t need a slave, you
know." She rolled her eyes.
"Think of him as your unofficial assistant." He ran his
index finger down the side of her neck. "I will see you later
to make up for having to depart from you so abruptly."
Royal still did not respond. She just touched the softness
of his face and walked away.
Watching her and her staff into the car, Dmitry closed
the doors of the restaurant behind him as they drove off.

Renée and Cory watched on as Royal sat beside Anatoly
in dead silence. She was broken hearted and completely
incapable of hiding it. Ignoring them all, she sat in her vneck,
satin black Bagley Mischa dress, spoiled by the night‟s
events. She had worked so hard to get dressed, to make
him see her tonight. It was all in vain.
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Her diamonds earrings sparkled in the darkness, weighing
down her small lobes. Beautiful canary yellow diamonds
laid close to her neck dangling from the gold necklace and
created a spectrum of beautiful light every time a reflection
hit them just right.
Her newest diamond gift had come only days before
and had been the largest so far in celebration of her recent
accomplishments. In his normal fashion, Dmitry had kissed
her only on the forehead and in return was allowed to place
the necklace on her himself.
She wore only the jewelry he had given her tonight. She
wanted him to know how much she appreciated him. But
how could she show him when he was barely there?
Her smoky eyes were adverted to the window staring
past tinted glass into the clear, dark night. Her glossy, pouty
lips were pierced together, clinched by perfect white teeth.
She was a picture of true beauty and true agony.
While Royal sank into the leather drowning in her
thoughts, Anatoly looked at her staff with a sort of disdain,
never uttering a word, but making them very uncomfortable.
Unsure if he was provoked by direct eye contact, Cory
shifted in his seat and tried to keep from staring the husky
brut in his pupils. They were always worried that perhaps
Royal had forgotten to hook him to his chain.
However, Royal had learned over the past couple of
months to simply ignore Anatoly.
He was like a permanent prop in her life. She was only
inches from him, but they were miles away only connected
only through Dmitry. His close proximity to her body did
not bother her at all. She leaned against him as she pouted,
absorbing his body heat and sulking profusely. He was like
the personal assistant that she had grown accustomed to
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69
having around. It was a good thing too, especially now that
he would be living in her hidden basement.
Cory looked over at Renee with unspoken suspicion of
Royal‟s relationship with the rich and powerful Dmitry
Medlov. They had watched as he embraced her not only
with his physical touch but his pulsating eyes every time he
was around her.
The mysterious couple was the constant subject of endless
conversations when Royal was not around. Everyone
marveled at the infinite number of expensive gifts that he
showered upon her; the quiet conversations between them
in the back office that would erupt into sudden laughter and
the sexual tension that wrapped the store like a hungry fog.
"Thanks for today," Royal said, trying to change the
silent subject. A faint smiled came across her face, but she
continued to pierce her lips, visibly worried. Moving the
soft wisps of her hair from her face, she focused in.
"Remember to be here tomorrow by nine. We open at ten.
I want to spend some time meeting about today and
ensuring that we have it all together for the rest of the week.
It‟s all up hill from here." She gave a fake, almost disturbing
smile.
"Sure thing," Renée said, cocking her brow.
When the limo pulled into to the back parking lot of the
shop, Cory and Renee jumped out and headed to their
respective cars before the chauffer could properly open the
door. Each was trying desperately to get away from the
glaring pit bull Anatoly.
Ignoring them both, Anatoly got out of the limo before
Royal and helped her inside of the empty shop.
"Thank you," she said, not expecting a response. He
did not. Anatoly was always quiet, not bothering to respond
to any of her constant gestures of kindness.
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He walked in front of her to check the shop as he had
been instructed, while Royal stopped and looked over her
office to make sure that she had left nothing out of place or
unlocked. She was looking at a business card left by one of
the women who had visited her earlier when Anatoly
appeared in the doorway.
He looked at her for a minute before he sighed. "I‟ll be
downstairs, if you need me," he said, giving her the same icy
stare as Dmitry. His eyes were a riveting cobalt blue shaded
by layers of thick lash. His voice was a deep, silky baritone.
Royal was startled. She had never heard him speak in
English. His accent was even stronger than Dmitry‟s. She
tried to suppress her sudden urge to ask him one hundred
questions about their boss. Instead, she kept it simple.
"Where is the basement?" she asked, trying not to look
as shocked as she actually was.
Anatoly walked pass her to the bookshelf, grabbed the
large wooden furniture by its ends, grunted a little as he
shifted the heavy oak and moved it further down the wall.
There, as plain as day, was a door. He hit a code on the
security system and opened the vault-like contraption.
"You can buzz me from your place on the security system.
Just hit 22#. I won‟t be here when you open or when
you close. Just at night and early mornings."
Royal shook her head in amazement. As normal, Anatoly
showed no emotion and with a nod he disappeared
behind the door and left her alone.
"Well, I‟ll be damned. What else don‟t I know about
this place?" she asked, taking her shoes off her aching feet.
Letting her long hair down from its bundle, she slowly
made her way upstairs to recover from a very tedious day.