Chapter 11
Renee and Cory decided to stay after the store was
closed and retired upstairs to Royal‟s apartment, a place that
they had never been invited before, but desperately wanted
to see. Royal was happy to have them; having been shaken
up so badly, she didn‟t want to be alone. They followed her
upstairs, nudging each other as they got closer. When they
reached the large, heavily decorated double doors, they
knew that the inside had to be spectacular, because even the
entrance was grand in scale.
Taking her shoes off at the front door, Royal invited the
two in for a glass of wine.
"Wow, girl! This is so beautiful," Renée said, looking
around the elaborately decorated loft that had been recently
filled with more gifts from Dmitry‟s various business trips.
Renee marveled at the large crystal chandelier high
above them in the vaulted ceilings reinforced by exposed,
lacquered timber and brick in grid patterns. Below the
hanging chandelier was a beautiful leather and chenille
sectional with a matching oversized leather ottoman in front
of a beautiful limestone fireplace. Exquisite bouquets of
fresh flowers filled the room along with paintings of
beautiful country sides. It looked like a scene from an
upscale interior decorator magazine.
"This is so European villa," Cory said, rubbing his hand
over the marble-topped tables. "I‟m talking really expensive."
"Well, Dmitry has great taste," Royal admitted, admiring
the place herself. She was humbled every time that she
entered into the apartment, bemused by the fact that it was
her home.
Latrivia S. Nelson
138
"You can make yourself at home in here," Royal said,
escorting them.
After taking off their own shoes, they followed Royal to
the dinning room hidden behind two stain-glassed doors.
The room was painted in a warm khaki color, illuminated by
an equally beautiful black tiered iron chandelier that hung
from a lower ceiling covered in timber and highlighted with
only dim receding lights. The room had no windows, which
gave it a cozy intimacy, and it was sprinkled with color in
the large area rug, accent chairs and large painting of St.
Basil‟s Cathedral in the Red Square.
Royal pulled out her finest crystal flutes and a bottle of
Chateau Petrus that Dmitry had bought her last week when
he had come home from a meeting in California. He
actually had brought her a case, which is why she hadn‟t
minded sharing one bottle with her friends considering that
had all been through a bonding experience downstairs.
She sat down at the round table and plopped comfortably
in her plush chair. Pouring hefty glasses, she pushed the
flutes around the table to Cory and Renee. This was the
first time that anyone besides Dmitry had ever been in her
apartment. The company was welcome by Royal, even it if
was under the duress of such a hectic and unusual day.
Under the dimming lights of the dinner table and
among the 60-rose bouquet in the center of the table that
gave off a beautiful aroma, they toasted and drank merrily,
recapping every minute of their first encounter with Ivan,
the valiant efforts of Anatoly & Cory, and discussing the
king of them all, Dmitry.
"Okay, so Cory and I have been talking, and we‟ve
come to the conclusion that Dmitry is mafia," Renée said,
looking for Cory to chime in. She sipped her wine and
nodded her head.
Dmitry's Closet
139
Royal stopped smiling. Her face changed into a grimace.
"You watch too many movies." Royal denied.
"And you are too naive. Did you see what happened
downstairs? I nearly pissed my own pants," Renée said,
savoring the taste of the thousand dollar bottle of wine.
"I was scared too, but you don‟t have to get so Hollywood.
This is Memphis, for God‟s sake. Home of Elvis
sightings and pig-eating contests. What would the mafia or
anyone else for that matter want with Memphis?"
Renee raised her brow. "Well you do have a point…"
"Exactly." Royal got up and went to the kitchen to retrieve
a platter of cheese and a handful of grapes. Leaning
against the countertop, she held her stomach. She stood
there quietly for a moment, praying softly, silently moving
her lips with her eyes clothes. Then she took a deep breath,
exhaled her troubles and grabbed the tray. She came back
and set the food on the table and smiled. "Anybody want
some caviar? I‟ve got extra."
"Okay. Well, who has extra caviar sitting around, and
bottles of expensive wine in this economy. I don‟t even
have extra containers of milk at home, and that runs me
about three dollars each not one thousand," Cory argued.
Royal snapped quickly. "So every one who has any
money is now suddenly a criminal, especially a Russian man,
right?" she asked defensively. She took a deep breath.
"Dmitry has worked hard his entire life. He‟s made some
very wise business decisions, and he‟s paid his dues. That‟s
why he‟s wealthy." Her hands shook in frustration and
pain.
Cory raised his brow. "Royal, I‟ve never seen Dmitry
actually work once since I‟ve been here. He gives orders,
but I don‟t even think he drives his own car."
Latrivia S. Nelson
140
"What does that have to do with anything?" Royal
snapped.
"Well, I‟m sure he worked at some point," Renee added.
"I mean, the abundance of caviar though, Royal?" Cory
continued. "He seems to have an abundance of everything.
Cars. Businesses. Money."
She ran her fingers through her hair. "He owns a caviar
company in Russia. It‟s like owning a fishing business here
in the states…nothing to get all hyped about. And he made
his millions over a decade ago. We were all still teenagers
then." She looked around for understanding but there was
no compassion around the table, at least not for Dmitry.
"Uh huh," Cory said, pouring another glass of wine.
"He also has a lot of bodyguards and guns for a restaurateur.
It‟s kind of odd, don‟t you think?"
"No, I don‟t," Royal lied as she stood up, unaware of
how upset she was becoming. "He‟s Russian," she ranted.
"They protect their own." She could hear his voice as she
said it. She sounded like him. She was defending him, even
though he had cut her down moments ago downstairs.
Realizing she had stood up, she sat down in her chair
and looked down at her hands covered in expensive diamonds
and pearls. Suddenly, she wanted to pull off the
jewelry and hide it. She was ashamed of it, of him, only she
didn‟t know why. There was nothing left to say. She didn‟t
know anything else.
"The truth of the matter is that I love him. And I know
that he would never lie to me. It‟s not in him," Royal‟s
voice was soft and timid.
"Maybe he‟s not lying to you, he‟s just avoiding telling
you something that he knows that you know that you
already know." Cory reasoned with her.
Dmitry's Closet
141
Royal sighed. "You both are making my head hurt. He
pays you above the normal pay grade. He gives you excellent
benefits. All he wants is a little loyalty. You‟re both
ready to throw him to the dogs."
Cory looked at Renée and set down his glass. They had
obviously gone too far and needed to fix things as best they
could before she fired them both and kicked them out.
"Look, we are in no position to talk bad about our boss.
He‟s been great to us, but honey, you have to wonder," he
said, sighing. "Well….don‟t you? You‟re too smart not to
wonder or maybe you‟re just too scared. Believe me, no
one would not understand that. We just love you. We‟ve
grown to see how beautiful you are, and we don‟t want you
to get hurt, is all."
"I‟m not afraid of Dmitry. I trust him," Royal said,
looking at Cory. "So, I don‟t have to wonder." But the
statements that both Cory and Renée made weren‟t new
thoughts for Royal. She wondered about Dmitry and his
businesses now more than ever. Only she was far too in
love with him to stop now, to leave him or push him
away.
Back upstairs in the elegant ambience of Mother Russia,
Ivan sat across from Dmitry in a closed private room in the
back of the restaurant. Anatoly stood in the far corner,
quietly watching and listening as his father and uncle sat at a
large table under the light of a Tiffany glass hanging lamps
talking quietly.
"Is he your pet?" Ivan asked, referring to Anatoly. He
looked over at the young man and blew him a condescending
kiss.
"More like protégé," Dmitry said, relaxed in the red
leather booth. He looked over at Anatoly and nodded.
Latrivia S. Nelson
142
"Huh…well, he looks like fag." Ivan turned around in
his seat and popped his knuckles. "I don‟t like to be stared
it. It makes me conscious of my overbite," he said, sarcastically.
He took a shot of vodka and slammed the shot glass
on the table.
"Don‟t worry about him." Dmitry waved at the waitress,
who entered the room quickly and brought their
lunch. "Tell me why New York sent you of all people? I
thought you had good thing going in Bronx since I left a
ton of shit for you. Now, you come here? What for? What
are you up to?"
"Kirill was a friend," Ivan said, tasting his brother‟s legendary
borscht. "This is excellent. You were always a great
cook. You could do amazing things with the trash we had
to eat as kids."
"It‟s your mother‟s recipe. Probably the only thing that
she ever gave us worth anything." Dmitry watched his
young brother eat the food quickly and sloppily. With all
the wealth that he and Ivan had acquired over the years, he
still had never learned any manners. It was true what they
said, all the money in the world couldn‟t buy a lick of class.
After he had scoffed down the food, Ivan put down his
fork, wiped his mouth with the napkin and used the knife to
check his teeth. Lighting a cigarette, he waved his sulfuric
match out and took a long, needed drag, slowly blowing
smoke out of his mouth.
Dmitry watched irritated. Ivan had always been so theatric.
Waiting for an answer to his question, he sat up and
clasped his hands together. His nostrils flared.
"Dare I even ask about the beautiful black girl at the
shop? Are they calling themselves black or African-
American these days?" Ivan asked, cocking up one of his
long dark eyebrows. A devilish grin crossed his lips.
Dmitry's Closet
143
Anatoly twitched a little in the corner wondering if his
father would demand that he shoot Ivan right then. He
would enjoy every second of it. Family or not, Anatoly‟s
only thought was to draw first blood.
Dmitry looked at Ivan with a stone stare. "My patience
is starting to run very thin with you, brother." He sighed but
continued to control his tone.
"Well, we all know what happens when you become
impatient," Ivan taunted, tapping his knuckles on the
wooden table. "Bodies hit the floor." He sucked his teeth
again and smiled.
"Do you think you are immune?" Dmitry asked. "Answer
my questions now, before I get…frustrated. Why did
they send you?" His square jaw clinched.
"I requested to come here, and I gave up my territory in
the Bronx. That rat race was getting old anyway. I wanted
to start over here with family," he smirked. "Plus, Kirill was
a friend." He made sure to reiterate his point.
Dmitry shrugged his shoulders. "He was coward, and
he deserved to die. I should have killed him myself to make
point."
"What is your point, brother?"
"You will know if and when I ever have to make it to
you, and don‟t think because you are my blood that I would
hesitate for even a minute."
"Oh, I know damned well that you wouldn‟t. You‟ve
proven that. Just answer me why you thought that you had
to kill the only family that we‟ve ever really had?"
"And don‟t ever question my authority. It has its consequences.
Not much has changed since we last saw each
other, brother. I do not answer to those below me, and I
don‟t play well with others."
Latrivia S. Nelson
144
"Oh, I remember. I still have this to show for it." He
pulled his shirt collar down to show his brother the long
knife mark that Dmitry had left many years before only
inches from his carotid artery. "Besides, I‟m not here for
fight. New York said I could leave, start over and take over
for Kirill with your blessing, of course. That is all that I‟m
here for. So many years have passed; I thought that this
would be a new start for us."
"A start to do what?"
"Business. What else?"
Dmitry ran his finger down the table, checking for dust.
He looked back over at Ivan, wide-eyed and trying desperately
to be clever. If he had trusted him, even an inkling,
he would have informed him that he did have more family
in the form of the young man holding tightly to the nickelplated
Glock in the corner, but the truth of the matter is
that he did not trust him at all. And considering there was
still a score to settle, evidently now more than ever between
the two, maybe it was best for him to keep his long lost
brother close and under a watchful eye.
"For now, I let you take his place, but you play by my
rules. Don‟t get creative down here. It‟s taken me long
time to get things where I want them. And if you came
here to avenge Kirill or anyone else for that matter, you
might as well get up and leave now, while you‟re still
breathing."
"Given that we are still brothers, I feel as though I can
say my piece."
"Then say it."
"He came over from Russia with us. He took care of
me while you were in prison. He planned your escape, for
God‟s sake," Ivan said, tapping his cigarette. "And you
Dmitry's Closet
145
shoot him like he‟s nothing, when you could have still been
rotting in prison for being a thieving, murdering bastard."
Dmitry smirked. "I made it painless. I could have cut
him open with the end of broken bottle in front of his
family, shot his young daughter and mother, raped his wife
repeatedly, burned down his house and took his dog," Dmitry
said, tasting the borscht and making his point that Ivan
wasn‟t very angelic himself.
"Hey, I liked that dog," Ivan said, smiling. "I still have
it. And I didn‟t shoot Vladimir‟s granny. She had heart
attack from too much commotion."
"You‟re the real monster, Ivan. I thank God everyday
that we have different fathers."
"What did you expect? Our mother was whore," he
laughed. "Okay. Okay. I work your plan …this way I can
grow."
"Memphis isn‟t big enough for the two of us, brother,
unless you do work my plan. You stay here; you will always
play by my rules. You work for me. I give you his share.
You take his pay, his territory and his responsibilities."
Dmitry leaned closer to him. His voice lowered. "You
work the plan, you have good life, live long time, maybe
even have family. Hell, you can have Kirill‟s wife, if you‟d
like. She is as discerning as a blind, deaf dog in heat. But if
you get out of your lane, get greedy, disrespect me one time,
I swear to the sweet, precious Mother Mary that I‟ll kill you
myself… and for good this time." Dmitry‟s words were
laced with paralyzing venom. He seethed with anger and
disdain, but it was only evident in his tone, his eyes, and the
point of his finger to the table.
"I‟m not interested in getting out of lane. I just want
new start," he said seriously.
Latrivia S. Nelson
146
"Alright." He stood up. "Anatoly, show him to his
new place. Oh…and one more thing, Ivan. I didn‟t kill
your men just because I didn‟t trust them. I killed them,
because you brought them near Royal. Stay away from her,
or you‟ll be next."
Dmitry walked out of the door and in his gentle manner
greeted a customer who passed him.
Royal and her friends had nearly finished the bottle of
wine and had moved on to other discussions about various
unimportant issues when they heard the front door open
and close. Heavy footsteps on the hardwood floors echoed
throughout the loft and silenced them all. Royal‟s heart
skipped a beat. Her tyrant was evidently back. He rounded
the corner and leaned on the doorway. Cory and Renée sat
up in their chairs, a little uncomfortable. Both wondered
should they be there.
"Sorry, I didn‟t know that you had company," Dmitry
said, looking at Cory, who shifted in his seat.
"We were just leaving," Renée explained, standing up.
"We just wanted to keep her company for a while."
"Please, don‟t leave on my account," he said, waving her
to sit back down.
"It‟s getting late anyway." Cory stood and pushed up his
chair. "Royal, do you mind if I use your restroom?"
"The guest restroom is just down the corridor to your
right," she said, barely acknowledging Dmitry.
Dmitry looked down at her, still angry at him from earlier.
He knew that he deserved it. None of this had been
her fault, but somehow, he had gotten her involved.
Running his fingers over the door frame, he sighed and
turned away.
Dmitry's Closet
147
When Royal was certain that Dmitry was out of earshot,
she turned back to Renée, who was quickly gathering her
things. "Thanks for coming over," she said appreciatively.
"You‟re welcome, girl." Renée reached over and hugged
Royal. "Call me if you need anything."
"I will." Royal sighed.
When Cory came out of the bathroom, Royal thanked
her friends and saw them out of her house. After making
sure that the door was locked, she went to her bedroom,
where Dmitry had retired to the bathroom to take a shower.
Frustrated, she picked his clothes up off the floor,
folded them, and placed them carefully on the wooden
valet. She hated when he threw his clothes on the floor like
he had a maid…over here.
Turning around to leave, she looked over at him and
noticed how solemn he actually was. Something was wrong.
He leaned his large frame against the marble and let the
water cascade down his long back. The stream looked like a
small river as it poured down the valley of rippling muscles.
Feeling a tinge of sympathy for him, she walked over to the
glass shower door and tapped her index finger on the glass.
Dmitry turned and looked over at her, then pulled open
the large door. She stepped away to avoid getting wet, but
he reached out with his long drenched arm and pulled her in
with him.
"Are you still mad at me?"
"Are you serious? Of course, I am. It just happened
like five minutes ago."
"I thought you might give me break for first offense."
"Are you negotiating down your dog house time?"
"Yes."
"Who negotiates how long your girlfriend can stay
mad at you?"
Latrivia S. Nelson
148
"Who doesn‟t?"
Royal shook her head. He was impossible.
"What do you want to ask me? You have that look
like you‟re thinking crazy ass thoughts." He waited.
"What is going on with you, Dmitry?" she asked, now
soaking wet.
"The ghost of Christmas past," he said, pulling the yellow
dress over her head.
"What?" she asked, taking off her ruined heels. "See,
that‟s what I‟m talking about. Code. That doesn‟t answer
my question. When you speak in code like that I can‟t…"
"Shh." He put his finger on her lips. "Я так люблю
тебя."
"I love you, too." She had only learned a few sentences
in Russian since she had started dating Dmitry, and I love you
was the first.
Pulling Royal to his body, Dmitry reached around her
and loosened the clasps on her black bra. It fell to the
ground between them on the granite flooring. He leaned
over and kissed her bare, satin-like shoulders and held her
close, feeling her soft wet skin against his own.
He began to speak slowly in a tongue that she could not
understand. "Ya blagadaryu boga chto vstretil tebya," he
whispered in her ear. Royal smiled. His voice sounded
more even more like silk in his Russian baritone brogue.
"Ya palyubil tebya s pervova vzglyada." He continued.
"What does all that mean?" Royal asked, feeling his
large hands run up and down her body.
"I thank God that I met you, and…I fell in love with
you from the first sight," he said, feeling her small hands
moving down his stomach to the large erection nestled in
her diaphragm.
Dmitry's Closet
149
"You‟d say anything to get out of trouble," Royal whispered.
"Umm…you know I‟ve taken out as much frustration
as I can on my men, the rest will have to be taken out on
you," he growled, kissing her neck.
"I‟m sure it was a slap on the wrist," she huffed, rolling
her eyes. "After all, it was nothing. Remember?"
"Are we still discussing this?"
"Yes?"
"You think I was lenient?" He stopped and looked at
her. The sound of water drowned the room.
"I‟m sure you were." Her hands were still wrapped
around him. She wore only a condescending stare.
"There is one thing that is constant with me – killing
makes me horny." His face was still charming and soft.
"Do I feel horny to you?" He pulled her closer to into his
engorged body.
"The only thing that you‟re killing right now is the
mood," she said, pulling him closer. "Really, Dmitry. You
don‟t have to act tough for me." She kissed his lips slowly,
taking in the smell of his sandalwood soap on his skin.
"Now, you‟re really in trouble," he said turned on.
Dmitry looked down at her, pleased at how she had
grown accustomed to all of his silent commands and equally
pleased at how oblivious she was at who he really was.
Running his hands down her breasts to her nipples, he
watched the goose bump form all over her body. She
obediently leaned her neck back where he could better kiss
her.
Completely enraged, he ripped her panties by the lace
sides violently and tore them from her skin. The water
poured over her curly long hair making it stick to her back
Latrivia S. Nelson
150
and cover her breasts; he moved the jet black mane back
from her face as he kissed her all over.
Royal gasped, feeling that familiar sensation of floating
as he picked her up. She reached up for his mouth and
kissed him passionately, tasting vodka and shower water in
her mouth, smelling his cologne around them. She wrapped
her long legs around him as he leaned her body against the
wet marble. Planting his feet firmly, he invaded her slowly
and powerfully. She gripped his back with her long nails as
the steam crowded the room. Finally, soft moans came
from shower.
Royal could feel herself drifting away as she lay on top
of Dmitry‟s chest. Exhausted, she listened to John Coltrane
play Traneing In on her IPod system in the dark of the night
with only a candelabrum of white candles to illuminate the
room. Dmitry rubbed through her hair and looked up at
the ceiling. His eyes were fixed on the fan, but his mind
was many miles away.
Regardless of where his thoughts were, she savored the
feeling of safety when he was near. It was something about
his very presence that made her feel a tranquil solace. By
far, it was the safest that she had ever felt in her entire life,
and she was very grateful to him for it. She ran her fingers
down his chest as she felt him breathe – in and out in a
slow, rhythmic tone. The only thing that she did regret was
how mysterious he still was to her. She only hoped in time
that he would open up more and show her the many sides
of him that she was certain existed.
"I want you to move in with me to my home," Dmitry
said, finally after much thought.
Royal looked up at him curiously. He had been quiet
for nearly half an hour, but that was normal for him.
Dmitry's Closet
151
She had learned early that often he was a man of few
words. Reaching down, he grabbed her by her waist and
pulled her up to him. She sat up on his chest and sighed.
"Because of Ivan?" she assumed.
"No, because it‟s time," he said quickly.
"Well, it hasn‟t been that long, Dmitry."
"Long enough." He cupped her bare behind in his large
hands. "Have I not proven myself to you in every way a
man can?"
"Yeah," Royal said, assuring him of her confidence in
their relationship. "But I don‟t understand why you want
me to move in now."
"Trust me," Dmitry said, kissing her lips. "Plus, I get
tired of running from place to place. I am not rolling stone.
You should be in my bed every morning when I wake up
and in my bed every night that I go to bed."
Royal laid her head back down on his chest. "That does
sound nice. Okay. When do you want me to move to Castle
Dmitry?"
"Tomorrow. I will stay with you here tonight."
Royal jerked up again. "Tomorrow? Dmitry?"
He rubbed her back and smiled. "You know, for a
woman in love, you don‟t trust much."
His words shamed her.
"I do trust you. I‟m just not stupid. Everything was
fine. We were fine just like we were until today when your
mysterious brother popped up offering sex and brandishing
guns with his boys."
Dmitry cringed. "When did he offer you sex?"
"It doesn‟t matter," she looked away. "That‟s not the
bigger picture here."
Latrivia S. Nelson
152
"Baby, listen to me. Ivan is very dangerous person.
Don‟t ever trust him. Don‟t ever get close to him, and don‟t
ever find yourself alone with him."
Royal could see the urgency in his eyes. She knew to
take heed to his warning, even though she didn‟t understand
why.
"Why don‟t you send him away if he‟s so dangerous?"
"I‟ve thought about it, but he has to be neutralized.
Sending him away doesn‟t work anymore," he sighed. "I‟ve
done that. So, you keep friends close and enemies even
closer. This is not cliché statement. It is truth."
Royal laid her head back on his chest and closed her
eyes.
"Tomorrow it is, then," she said, pulling the comforter
over her body.